Does it make a difference who your alumn is for the interview?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

I recently had my interview with a Harvard alumn. I must say that I was extremely nervous to meet them because (I will not post their name for privacy) they were an INCREDIBLY successful person with numerous athletic and career accolades. Of course, I know that most all Harvard graduates will go on to do amazing things, but this alumn was truly extraordinary. Their wikipedia page had me shaking in my boots.

Anyways, my question is this: does it matter who your alumn is? Do “bigger name” alumni have more of an impact on the application than lesser known individuals? I doubt that it truly matters, but I am just curious.

2

The interview report is a narrative (see this from Yale: http://asc.yale.edu/samplereports), so all things being equal it shouldn’t matter who your interviewer is. That said, if Bill Gates interviews a student and raves about their CS abilities, Admissions will take notice.

3

Thank you! And, I’m sorry if this is a stupid question, what does CS mean?

4

Computer science.

5

Thank you! That makes a lot of sense now.