How important are alumni interviews for ivy league schools?
Seems that the typical view is that (a) you can hurt yourself in the interview more than you can help yourself in the interview (most high school students have little experience with interviews), and (b) refusing an interview may also be seen negatively, especially if the school considers “level of applicant’s interest”.
I’ve interviewed for my alma mater for +20 years. I can absolutely say that in some very unique situations, an interview can be beneficial for the truly borderline applicant. About 6 yrs ago, two guys from a nearby urban school district applied. Everything about their file was strong – overcoming many obstacles, good test scores, etc. Our admissions committee leaned towards admitting but there was some hesitation. Both guys’ teacher rec letters were only OK. This isn’t uncommon from inner city schools or schools where the teachers aren’t accustomed to writing profound/anecdote laced rec letters for very competitive colleges. The rec letters were supportive but simply formulaic. This left the committee on the fence. However, after each kid met with alumni who wrote to confirm the kids’ strengths and real depth, the reports gave the committee confidence to get off the fence and offer admits to both guys. Here was an actual example of interviews that made a difference. But you can see how unique the circumstances were.
But what constitutes a borderline applicant, for us out here, is difficult to gauge. I still say for the vast vast majority, the interview means very little and only reinforces other aspects of the application. For instance, if an applicant really knows little of the college other than its “prestige” – it can be hard to mask in an interview. Given the quality of candidates, this is a serious red flag.
As a writer of interview reports, I am fully cognizant of the huge pool of applicants and that my 45 minutes at a coffee shop is a seriously unnatural window upon the applicant’s true potential. I know that I’m only serving as another pair of eyes/ears for the college while simultaneously serving as a vehicle for the student to tell more about themselves.
That does, however, show that recommendation letters often say as much or more about the recommender than they do about the applicant, so that the chance encounter with a good or bad recommender may be significant in the scheme of college admissions. It also shows a hidden advantage for students at high schools where recommenders are experience with writing recommendations (often higher SES or elite high schools).
^ True – but what my college does is simply omit the non-helpful rec letter and focus on the other areas of the file – and if there’s enough, can overcome the rec letter’s deficiencies. Here’s where some reading between the lines and intuition come forth.