campus interview vs. alumni

<p>I will be applying ED. Would it be better for me to have an on campus interview instead of an alumni interview? Pomona is a 2+ hour flight from where I live.</p>

<p>D applied ED and had an alum interview at the Starbucks down the street. She had visited campus the previous spring but wasn’t ready to interview at that time. The alumni interview was just as good since her interviewer had been a student interviewer as well.</p>

<p>If you’re going to request an alum interview, make sure to request one ASAP to ensure an appointment. And do know that an interview isn’t required to apply; having an interview will help, but not having an interview will not penalize your application.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

<p>Do you know how long it takes to get an alumni interview scheduled? Do you get a response from the school or just a call from the interviewer? After waiting two weeks from submitting an internet request for an alumni interviewer, my daughter e-mailed Pomona Friday to make sure her request is being processed. Hopefully she will get a response soon. It is just sort of odd not to even get some type of acknowledgement given most things are pretty automated now!</p>

<p>Lark</p>

<p>If your D hasn’t heard yet from the admissions office, she should give them a call. Depending on where you live, there may not be an alum interviewer in the area. Usually, the interviewer contacts the student to schedule the interview.</p>

<p>Hope all goes well!</p>

<p>We did check, and they said it could take up to 10 more days to hear back. Towards the end of that time frame, she did hear back with contact information for an alumni! She has now sent an e-mail to hopefully schedule an interview! Hooray!</p>

<p>If traveling to Pomona for an interview would prove to be a hardship I am sure that an alumni interview would be fine. However my NorCal son, admitted off the wait-list, interviewed on campus. I believe the fact the some of the people making the admission decisions had actually meet my son helped him get off the list. Pomona is worth the effort. In now his senior year his only regret is that time has passed so fast.</p>

<p>This is kind of on a tangent, but I have a related question. I’ve just received an email with the contact information for an alumnus to interview me, and I’m just curious… What is the most tactful way to schedule an appointment? Should I call, or email? Also, what should I say? I know I probably sound like some helpless kid, but I’m just a bit of a perfectionist and I want to make sure that I get every little thing right, hahah. Thanks!</p>

<p>You can either call or e-mail, whichever would be easier for you. Generally speaking, the alum should contact you, but if you haven’t heard within a week or so, go ahead and take the first step. All you have to do is introduce yourself as an applicant to whom Pomona sent the alum’s contact information to schedule an interview and let the alum know that you’re interested in setting a date and time. Feel free to ask the alum for his/her opinion in terms of where and when.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>