<p>As an active Brown Alum and BASC interviewer, I assure you the University would want to know about your negative experience. The University’s goal is to promote a positive image for the Brown experience and make connections with applicants who may not have the opportunity to travel to campus. The University explicitly conveys in information to alumni interviewers that they should NOT ask any academic questions as it is provided in their application. Luckily, those interviewers are far and few between. Please take the time to share your experience. </p>
<p>The number of applicants continues to rise in record numbers at Brown. As a previous coordinator, we attempt to assign all area applicants an interview, but it is a tall order. Be patient as many coordinators receive their applicant pool the first two weeks of January. Good luck!</p>
<p>I sent an e-mail to BASC on Friday, but I don’t necessarily expect any prompt responses from them; I understand how busy admissions offices and admissions-related committees such as BASC must be around this time. I plan on getting in touch with the graduates from my school sometime in the next week or two after I hear back from BASC so they can make their appeals (if mine wasn’t enough convincing); I did happen to mention them in my e-mail, but I realize that doesn’t substitute for their own appeals, should they choose to do so.</p>
<p>Curious, are interviewers told specifically not to ask about test scores? All four of my interviewers have asked for them so far - Brown, Princeton, MIT, and Northwestern. I don’t mind (the 2400 probably helps me) but I thought asking about scores was discouraged?</p>
<p>Some people have been interviewing on behalf of their alma mater since the year 0. Nobody can tell them squat, and even if they’ve been informed that they shouldn’t be asking for scores and GPA’s, nobody is sitting over their shoulder at the interview keeping track of how well they adhere to current policy.</p>
<p>Why are they allowed to keep interviewing? Because they’re Important Alumni! Also, you have to realize that communication is not directly between the Admissions Office and the individual alum-- rather, it goes through some sort of regional Alumni Co-ordinator, who distributes the interviews based on God-knows-what considerations. </p>
<p>Nonetheless, it is absolutely appropriate to bring to the Admissions Office’s attention any inappropriate interviewing behavior. You don’t have much to lose: if the interviewer wrote a poor recommendation than your complaint <em>may</em> gain you something, and if he wrote a good recommendation than it’s not likely to hurt you. </p>
<p>Although I’m sure exceptions exist, for the most part, alumni interviews for the Ivy’s and other non-LAC top schools matter very little to the admissions office.</p>
<p>And the regional people dole out the interviews (at least in my region) based on any requests to interview students with particular interests, or part of a certain demographic (e.g. a female black scientist might request to interview black female applicants interested in science) and trying to match students with interviewers that live or work near the student’s house or school.</p>
<p>The interviewer I had when I applied last year to Brown didn’t ask me a single question! She spent the first half telling me about herself and the last half encouraging me to ask her questions. I did have questions for her, but at the end when I asked if she had any questions for me, she just said, “nope!”. It was unlike any other interview I’ve had, and apparently my peers had similar experiences with her. I’ve thought ever since that perhaps Brown’s interviews were supposed to be this sort of weird formal private question and answer session where the student interviews the alum!</p>
<p>I have had a similar Brown interview experience. My interviewer actually couldn’t physically make interviews for some reason, and emailed me the day before my interview telling me the time he would call me. So I waited by the phone for literally an hour after the time he stated. He asked me two questions, which I tried answering as best as I could, before saying “do you have any questions for me?”. Obviously, I was a little taken aback that only 7 minutes had gone by and we were almost done, so I naturally tried to ask a lot of questions to make it seem like somewhat of a real interview. However, he graduated from Brown like 40 years ago and so all his information was really outdated. I also tried to get to know him better and asked him general stuff like “what did you enjoy doing at your time at Brown?” but he would always deflect it by saying things like “I think what you are really trying to ask is if there are a lot of extracurriculars you can partake in.” It took everything in me to scream “IF THAT’S WHAT I WANTED TO ASK, THEN I WOULD HAVE ASKED IT LIKE THAT.” I eventually did get tired of trying to converse with him and just thanked him and said goodbye. I looked back at the call log and the interview took a total of 21 minutes. Let’s just say that I’m hoping not a lot of weight actually falls on these interviews.</p>
<p>jjf and lilymom, I had the same experience with Brown interview. I had it today, and the interviewer was plain rude. The first thing he said as soon as I sat down wasn’t even ‘hi’ or ‘nice to meet you’ as all the other interviewers had said. He was really annoyed by the girl who got interviewed before me, and told me,“The girl I just interviewed didn’t really tell me about herself. You should elaborate all your answers. Otherwise, it gets boring.”
In my opinion, this is not the friendliest opening sentence for an interview. He kept cutting off my answers saying, “well anyone can say that”. I was extremely taken aback by this. If he wants me to elaborate, then he should let me TALK. </p>
<p>And I seriously don’t consider myself as a boring person. I had an interview with MIT last month, and the alum and I clicked really well. He even wanted me to meet his daughter, and said he could be a good mentor for me even if I don’t get accepted to MIT. (he gave me his business card to keep in touch.) Princeton interview wasn’t bad either.</p>
<p>Oh yeah Brown interviewer asked what my SAT score was. He then complained about the OTHER girl’s (the one who got interviewed before me) score - about how she didn’t even get over the 2000 bar.</p>
<p>Pandaa and Jin, please contact alumni relations at Brown (see contact info above) and tell them your stories. Brown will never know about bad interviewers unless you tell us.</p>
<p>Wow, reading these experiences makes me feel MUCH better as an alum interviewer! I didn’t get assigned any ED students and after 30+ years thought maybe I had been “black-listed” or something. (Turned out there were very few in our area and I have 4 RD to do.) I know I talk too much about Brown, my and my student’s experience, and have trouble asking those “probing” student questions, but it’s usually at least a partially 2 way conversation. (and the students I interview often have had little contact with Brown in any way, so I feel I’m still educating them and “selling” the school.) </p>
<p>While I’m usually a bit curious about where else the students are applying, I would never ask! (some tell me in their general conversation, and if they do I will report that to Brown if it seems germane. ie Someone reporting they already got a scholarship at X, but really want to go to Brown instead etc.) I have gotten to the point that I start the interview by telling the student that Brown already knows their scores, grades, list of awards etc and that I’m not really interested, not going to/not allowed to ask but that this interview is for them get to know about parts of Brown they have questions about, and to add the personal side of them to their application. I tell them that up front, as many recent students seemed puzzled that I didn’t ask and seemed like they felt obliged to tell me those things. (I almost always ask if there is something they would have liked to tell Brown about themselves that just didn’t fit into the written application process.) </p>
<p>In my view the interviewer is there to help Brown see the “person” of the student in a bit more detail, and to be a human bridge to Brown for that student. (Over half of the students I interview have not had the opportunity to visit etc) In 30 + years I have even “gone to bat” with admissions for 2 wait-listed students who I only met via the interview, but really felt belonged at Brown. </p>
<p>If most students are not more interested in Brown after the interview, then that interviewer should be taken “off the list”, (no matter how prominent an alum they are!)</p>
<p>As a Brown interviewer I always treat these mostly ambitious young high school students with the utmost respect and courtesy. I try to create a casual and relaxing environment when interviewing so as to make the experience as enjoyable and comfortable as possible for the applicant. When I sit down to write my evaluation I will make a determination as to whether I feel the person I interviewed is right for Brown. How important is my evaluation in the overall process? It’s part of the application and is read. You decide.</p>
<p>Hate to resurrect an old post but I feel it’s necessary. I was granted a spontaneous phone interview, even though I repeatedly offered to drive to where my interviewer was located. I was offered 15 minutes preparation (eat and down massive amounts of coffee to fight off sleep deprivation that would lead me to sleep 12 hours straight afterwards) because in the words of my interviewer, his review “was due two days ago”. This occurred around January 19th. Checked the alumni interviewer page. They were not due until FEBRUARY 15th. Have had my counselor contact brown regarding whether this was improper interview practice resulting in almost no reply. Any ideas on what I should do next?</p>
<p>DD also had “bad interview” over the phone. DH answered to a man on the line, " Is (DD first name) there?"
DH responded with “Who are you?” Downhill from there. DD said he was apparently in a hurry and as she attempted to answers questions, said she felt he just wanted to go through a list and end the call. Told her that admission is a “crapshoot”, after approx 10 mins and ended the call. She couldn’t believe he said “crapshoot” lol. I know it is the truth, but she has lost some of that “lovin feelin” for Brown. Her other interviews went so well, she felt, and each of the other alumni she spoke with were so enthusiastic and positive about their schools and they all lasted well over an hour and she actually enjoyed meeting with them. Like she said, admission to Brown IS a crapshoot, so she is prepared for it. Personally, I think the school she goes to will be lucky to get HER!</p>
<p>Ahh yes, I am truly exasperated by the lack of punctilios this hombre manifested when he initiated the putative cornerstone of American prominence: the college interview. It is truly an abomination of titanic proportions. I recommend that you take this to the highest authority and protest for compensation. Furthermore, remind these scoundrels of the time when interviews were utilized for the sole aspiration for claimants to absorb counsel from alumnus of said institution and not for sake of admissions.</p>
<p>I had the exact same situation! The man I interviewed with acted as if he would rather be anywhere but there. He hardly talked or even looked at me. He only asked two or three questions. He made it VERY difficult for me to be enthusiastic about the school, even though I would have given my right arm to attend school there. Unfortunately, I didn’t get in… I’m not saying it was because of this interview, but I’m sure it didn’t help my case. Also, he told me he went there to play basketball, which I’m saying in any makes him or anyone any less of an accomplished scholar, but I at least would have liked to talk to someone who got in bason on pure academic talent, since that was the only way I could have hoped to get in.</p>
<p>Also, I interviewed for Duke about a week after my Brown interview and couldn’t have been happier with that interview! The woman was so nice and we talked for over an hour about the school. It made me realize just how horrid the Brown interviewer was.</p>
<p>A person I know had a similarly bad experience with the Brown intervew. In fact, the person said that amon all interviews he/she had, it was the worst.</p>
<p>To summarize, the interviewer had a "laundry list of questions. The interviewer will ask the question and the applicant would try to answer thoroughly and demonstrate interest. The interviewer would then say “that’s enough” an proceed to the next question. The interview felt very rushed and the interviewer only smiled once, at the end of the interview.</p>
<p>The applicant feels that instead of being a good ambassador for Brown, the interviewer was more appropriate to be the poster child of an IRS auditor.</p>
<p>Given the large number of bad Brown interviews, I wonder how can the admissions office be so shortsighted? And please do not tell applicants to contact alumni relations. Everyone knows that no one likes whistle blowers. I think that the best way to proceed is that if Brown really wants to interview everyone, then the university should have a very simple “rate my interview” online form.</p>
<p>fca719, the admissions office has nothing to do with arranging or monitoring alumni interviews. It’s all handled by alumni relations. I am an alumni who has been doing interviews for years, and I know a lot about how Brown works, and I promise you that your statement that “nobody likes whistleblowers” is NOT TRUE when it comes to Brown interviews. </p>
<p>Plenty of people have wonderful interviews (see the other thread in this forum about this). I think it’s really a shame that there are a few Brown alums who don’t take this process seriously (or take it too seriously). We need to get them out of the database, stop them from interviewing. </p>
<p>Does any other school have a “rate my interviewer” online form? I’d love to know that. </p>
<p>barbieprincess, crazyambitious and sunshinestatemom, accept my apologies as a rep for Brown for your crummy experiences. </p>
<p>barbie, other than calling alumni relations yourself (or have the GC do it), there’s not much else to do. You’re not going to get another interview, and even if the alum writes a poor evaluation, that alone will not – and never will – result in a denial. (Just like a glowing write up would never be the sole cause of an acceptance.)</p>