<p>I am new to this site and have really enjoyed reading the many posts. My son is applying ED to Princeton. Nov. 23rd he had an interview with an alum in a city 70 miles away from our rural residence. He said the interview went well. After Thanksgiving he sent the interviewer an email note to the alum to thank him for his time and to again express his interest in becoming a Tiger. Well, yesterday he received an email from the alum thanking him for his email and he gave him an invitation to an alumni party/ meeting in that city on Dec. 20th. My question is this: should my s get his hopes up, or is this a fairly usual practice. I am thinking how terrible it would be for s to be def or rejected just before the meeting and how humiliating to have to call or email to explain his rejection!! On the other hand it occured to me that maybe this guy knows something we don't know??? Any other situations like this out there or does anyone know of this happening last year? Thanks.</p>
<p>Complicated situation! I don't think alumn interviewers know about decisions (they probably haven't been taken yet - MIT started yesterday for instance). What is apparent is that he sent in a great interview report, recommending him enthusiastically. He probably wants to be polite by asking "s" to come over.</p>
<p>I guess the question is should your son accept the invitation? I guess others on the board will have more valuable opinions.... :)</p>
<p>The alumni interviewer knows nothing about the status of your son's application. A lot of alumni organizations have parties for admitted students...and it seems fairly odd that he would invite your son without knowing whether or not he's been accepted or deferred. However, it is perhaps assumed that if your son is rejected/deferred, then he will not attend.</p>
<p>Two guys from my school got into Princeton ED last year and also got invited to an Alumni Party. They said that everyone there was pretty wealthy and they were the only middle-class kids there....</p>
<p>Princeton alumni are always wealthy. Don't you get why?</p>
<p>lol, perhaps I should share a story they shared with me.</p>
<p>This one girl was the daughter of an alumn. And she was telling everyone about how she initially didn't know if she got in or not.</p>
<p>Because she couldn't understand her foreign maid who opened and read the letter....</p>
<p>I think he should accept, but I don't think it means anything in terms of the decision. Obviously the interviewer wants him to go if he's accepted, but I don't think he ever finds out unless your son tells him. But yes, if he's deferred/rejected, I don't think he'd be expected to go.</p>
<p>Thanks for the insights. Another reason occured to me while reading your thoughts. Maybe since the party is on Dec. 20 (many people are out of town for Christmas), he was giving an early invitation on the chance that s would be accepted. If he isn't then no harm done, s just politely lets them know he will not be attending. He went ahead and accepted the invite but can change if the news is bad! Pretty nice of the alum to invite him anyway. If s hears any additional important news regarding notification to alums, I will pass it on. Cheers</p>