<p>Is there anyone who had an alumni meeting but did not get into Cornell?</p>
<p>I've heard from the people that do the interviews that these are simply offered to many applicants in areas where there are alumni who can interview. I don't think it means that Cornell is taking a special interest/disinterest in you, just that you happen to be conveniently located.</p>
<p>That saying, don't completely blow this off: while they won't hold much wieght in your application, the interviewer will write a report that goes to Cornell about you and the interview. A glowing report could be a deciding factor for an on-the-fence decision.</p>
<p>Most people who meet with an alum do not get into Cornell.</p>
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Most people who meet with an alum do not get into Cornell.
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<p>You can't be serious... :(
There have been enough people who have not gotten in after meeting with alumni that you are confident in saying that?</p>
<p>I am an alumni who helps to coordinate meetings with applicants. Alumni do not see your application or have any knowledge of your statistics. We simply act as sources of information about Cornell. We are asked to contact every applicant in our geographic area other than those who have independent interviews (hotel, architecture, recruited athletes). Alumni interviews should be taken seriously as a PP said a glowing report could make a difference, but alumni interviews are offered to everyone as long as a geographic area is covered. If you are not contacted by an alumni, don't worry about it -it really is designed to act as a source of information for applicants and not as an interview.</p>
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There have been enough people who have not gotten in after meeting with alumni that you are confident in saying that?
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<p>As an alum who coordinates CAAAN activities in my region, I know it to be true. It's unfortunate, but there are more qualified applicants to Cornell than spots in the entering class, and nobody ever said life is fair.</p>
<p>As 19xx asserts, a glowing report can make a difference. The admissions committees do read the alumni reports, so a genuine interest in Cornell, combined with an interesting and considerate personality that comes across in your alumni contact meeting can only help your cause.</p>
<p>Yeah, Cayuga, I saw around CC that you are a CAAAN interviewer. I don't doubt your claim, it just saddens me because I have a CAAAN interview coming up this evening.
I just thought at first that you meant in particular that kids who had interviews rarely got in, like they were chosen for their weak competitiveness in the application pool or something like that (which I know is false - kids are offered interviews if an interviewer is available in their area).
I'll just do as great of an interview as I can :/.</p>
<p>I had really bad SAT stats and a decent gpa but a good essay and letters of recommendation. I got an interview and then was given a Guarantee transfer. I don't think i would have been a GT if I didn't do so well on my interview.</p>
<p>the people don't not get in because of the interview though right? Its just that Cornell is selective and so the chances of being accepted are slim.</p>
<p>It's hard to say what the impact of a meeting with an alumni might be. If you handle the meeting poorly by saying something disparaging or you are unable to tell the alumni why you would like to attend Cornell, it's possible that might have be taken into consideration by the adcoms if reported by the alumni. The alumni meeting is like everything else in life - put your best food forward and you won't regret it. Alumni are told that the alumni contact is NOT an interview, but simply an informational session for the applicant.</p>
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The alumni meeting is like everything else in life - put your best food forward and you won't regret it.
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<p>Bingo. I have received emails from ad coms thanking me for my write-ups. So at the very least, the reports are read. </p>
<p>But they are not do-or-die evaluative interviews.</p>
<p>yea, it definitely didn't get me into Cornell, i got a GT. I just think it helped keep me as a candidate. If i would have shown up and had no idea why I would have wanted to go to Cornell, I feel like I would have been flat out rejected, but b/c I was able to explain why Cornell was a good fit, they gave me a chance.</p>
<p>Cayuga would you mind telling us what kind of questions are asked during a Cornell "interview"?</p>
<p>I just had an alumni interview yesterday and I don't know if this is how most of them go, but my interviewer didn't really ask me anything - we just sort of talked about Cornell mostly, then my high school and my future interests. It was seriously informal.</p>
<p>I have my alumni interview schedule for tomorrow afternoon. Should I bring anything like my activity sheet with me?</p>
<p>Also, as far as dress goes. I am going to meet immediately after school. What would be appropriate for this "informal" meeting? I normally just wear jeans and a nice top to school, but was thinking that might be too informal. I am meeting him at his office at the local college if that makes a difference.</p>
<p>nobody has any thoughts on this for me?</p>
<p>so my "admissions meeting" has 4 other applicants interviewing with me. willl the alum still file a report?</p>
<p>oh my god i just had the BEST interview! thanks to all that posted about theirs on CC, that really helped, and i just have this feeling i rocked it! and thanks to cayugared2005, your input has helped me the most!!
good luck to all of you!
(it was a group interview, with 5 of us, and i think the highlight was when the alum said that this was the "most dynamic group" in his three years of interviewing, and that cornell would be lucky to have any one of us. and he was so sincere. it was only supposed to go on for one hour, but we went on for over two hours!!!</p>
<p>I received an email asking for an interview yesterday. I am extremely stressed out about this. I become very anxious in these situations and would very much prefer to not attend the interview. Would it hurt me immensely to turn down the interview? I understand that many of you would love the opportunity to have a CAAAN interview, but for me this is one of the most undesirable situations I can imagine. So what I would like to know is how much will declining the interview affect my chances of admission? Thanks!!</p>
<p>Atlee123, it's completely optional and you're better off skipping the interview if you know that you interview poorly. No, it won't hurt your chances of admission to skip the interview, because many folks don't have interviews because of isolated geographic location or lack of time or other factors.</p>