<p>Regarding the alumni interviews, how confidential is a student's application? Do alumni in your city see that you have applied, even if you decline the optional alumni interview?</p>
<p>They know that you applied because that’s why they’re offering you an interview, lol. As far as I know, the process works in this way: Stanford receives everyone’s applications in early January. They look at the kids that are in their select markets where they offer alumni interviews (they have a list of cities where they offer them somewhere on their website) and they send participating alumni a student’s information to be interviewed. I’m pretty sure it’s done at random, and I mean that the fact that you get an interview doesn’t mean that you’re any closer to getting in. I was contacted for an interview only two or three weeks after the deadline on Jan 1, which is barely enough time for the admit office to process all of their apps, much less give them a preliminary look. Anyways, the alumni then contacts you personally and you both agree upon a time and place. The interviews are optional and the alumni explains that if you choose to decline, it was just like you were never offered an interview, meaning there are no negative repercussions. The alumni never receives your application, they just know your name and contact information to get a hold of you, so they’re going in with a completely fresh mind. </p>
<p>I could be wrong about some parts but that was the impression that I got during my process of interviewing with Stanford.</p>
<p>^That dovetails with what I found in my Stanford interviews. However (something I heard from an alumni relative) the weighted importance of the interview will increase next year, as they found the “trial” interviews quite successful.</p>