<p>I recently had an interview with a Cornell Alumni. I was told in the email that the interview would last for about 30 mins, while in reality it lasted for over an hour and only ended because the coffee place we were at was closing. It started off with him asking me a couple questions about myself, but eventually we ended up talking about our views on current events, and other news topics. In the end, he probably asked ME about two questions, but for the rest of the interview we compared our interests and actually really "hit it off." He gave me his number and told me to call him any time if I needed any help through the college application process and when (if, big if) I got accepted to Cornell he would definitely answer anymore questions I had for him.
Now I know the interviews are not required, but does the Alumni send a letter of rec to the college or how does it work for Cornell? Could this good interview really help me get in, or is it still mainly based off of just what my grades are and what essay I wrote.</p>
<p>Well, based on what you said, it certainly won’t hurt!!!</p>
<p>The common belief is that at Cornell interviews don’t help much. However, there are exceptions – one of them is if an interviewer has a ‘track record’ (say has interviewed for a number of years) and every couple of years one recommendation stands out, that can carry some weight. </p>
<p>Of course, grades, scores, essays, etc. are the major factors in any case. But in a close case, it may help.</p>
<p>Good Luck!!!</p>
<p>I believe the alumni file a report on your interview which is then placed in your application folder. The interviews don’t really matter at all in admissions, unless your interview went extremely well and your interviewer wrote a glowing report on you, in which case it can certainly help you!</p>
<p>I had a really similar interview for Early Decision; my interviewer and I really shared interests and talked for awhile and I kept in touch after. </p>
<p>Oh- you should probably send a followup “thank you” note by email.</p>
<p>“glowing report on you, in which case it can certainly help you”
Alumni interviews really don’t help you (or hurt you) significantly at all no matter what is put down for Cornell (unless it is something shocking like pulling a gun out of frustration during the interview… in that case you will not get in. You will get a free ride to a psychiatrist’s office though.)
You should make a good impression though- why wouldn’t you?
"Oh- you should probably send a followup “thank you” note by email. "
Yes this is true - just be courteous.</p>
<p>Interviews for schools like Cornell are of limited value – even if it’s a glowing report. The fact is, while read, they tend to 90% of the time confirm what is already in the file. In my 20+ years of interviewing for another Ivy, I know that my 45 minutes in front of a student can (and should) only mean a little. </p>
<p>Occasionally (rarely) they can offer a useful insight to the file readers. This is rare however.</p>
<p>My daughter’s interview also went well, but I do not think it will help much, if at all.</p>
<p>The only way an interview can really make an impact is if you forgot something on your application. You can use the interview as an opportunity to add that to your file. Given how seriously people take college admissions, especially on the CC forums, my guess is that applies to VERY few serious candidates.</p>
<p>the interviews are looked at during the application reviewing process. That being said, they are not a major component to the application. The only time they really make a difference is when you are a boarder line candidate. In this case, they will look at the interview to see if the alumni thought you would be a right fit for the school. On rare cases they might contact the alumni for further information, but overall, they are not the vital part of your application (but could make the difference in a pinch).</p>