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<blockquote> <p>...and the alumni continue to feel connected to the school. <<</p> </blockquote>
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<p>I think this is an important reason why alumni interviews continue to be done and one that I hadn't thought about.</p>
<p>People seem to be assessing their interviews only in their value to the school, overlooking the fact that, for me atleast, they carry most value to the applicant. I have had 5 interviews with ivies, and have found them truly insightful experiences. Coming from the UK, I have a myriad of questions regarding US higher education, and I have found the interviews an excellent, relaxed forum for asking these questions. I know colleges are happy to respond to questions by e-mail, but there are some that you really need to speak to a recent alumni about. My Parents may flinch to hear some of the topics that came up in my interviews, as they see the interviews as a school testing my suitability for the college (as all college interviews are in the UK), but in 3 of mine we discussed drinking on campus, what the local town was like for partying, the 'minimum' amount of work you can scrape by doing ect. things that gave me a good feel for the college (no... i'm not going there for the parties, but the discussion was part of a greater one regarding college atmosphere!) Information that I was unlikely to get from an e-mail.</p>
<p>Also for me, they pretty much cemented my decision to study in America rather than at Cambridge. After my offer from the latter, I dropped the idea of america mostly (I had already applied though) but after my interviews, I found the bounds of enthusiasm every alumni had had a huge persuading factor for me. </p>
<p>I am well aware that my interview will not count for a huge amount, which is maybe why I was so relaxed and happy to ask questions that didn't try to show that I had a love of socrates or spent my evenings reading Hardy. I talked about things that most 18 year olds would typically be expected to, but I still think I came across as informed, interested and a well-balanced person. Because I didn't treat my interviews like an academic grilling (which they were never going to be) I came out with a fantastic idea of what the colleges are 'really' like, and more importantly a huge enthusiasm in myself for attending college next year.</p>
<p>There are some schools that state clearly that the interviews are evaluative. For example Wesleyan does not require them but strongly urges students to arrange them. The school notes they are important and evaluative.</p>
<p>My D had three interviews for three lacs and in each case the interviewer stated that they took great pains to scrutinize whether the student would be a good fit for the school. They seemed to take their jobs seriously.</p>
<p>It may not be a great factor but if the school was choosing between two kids and one had good interview I believe that kid has a leg up.</p>
<p>I also know that my D had a great experience at each interview and they raised her excitement for those schools.</p>
<p>Dana's Dad</p>
<p>The situation may have changed but five years ago all my son had to do to get an interview at Yale was to make an appointment and show up. This was the only Ivy he interviewed with but the same was true of several selective LACs. </p>
<p>Having said that I think interviews are a valuable tool, both for the school and the applicant. My son only had on campus interviews. His interviewers were admissions committee members (in some cases recent graduates of the college, in some cases the top person in the admissions office) or current students. Either way they opened up a personal venue to understanding the school and created a channel for communication throughout the application process.</p>
<p>I would also mention that interviews can help a lot in winning over a less enthusiastic applicant to a safety school. What may seem unappealing on paper takes on a human dimension when you interact with someone who's intimately involved with the college.</p>
<p>momray, good luck to your daughter and let us know how she does.</p>
<p>At the Yale info session a few weeks ago, the presenter said - lack of an interview would not hurt a candidate. A really good interview would help "a little" and a really bad interview would hurt "a little".</p>
<p>tututaxi, a really bad interview is going to pretty much end things. By really bad I mean things like being caught lying about what you did for ECs, telling the interviewer your main reason for applying is to see if you could get in, expressing racist sentiments, etc.</p>
<p>I'm guessing TutuTaxi's report concerned a "bad interview" in which the applicant walked away feeling he hadn't felt any chemistry, hadn't expressed himself very well, flubbed a question.</p>
<p>Mikemac's version of a "bad Interview" is one with a toxic,death-blow response by the candidate that indicates s/he harbors dishonesty, ill-will, or insulting reasons for having applied.</p>
<p>I agree that TutuTaxi's example would only hurt "a little" but Mikemac's could be end the chances for the candidate.</p>
<p>MIT definitely counts it as a negative if you have the opportunity to interview and don't. The acceptance rate for kids who don't interview is about half of those who do. My theory is that they want to eyeball you and make sure you're not too anti-social.</p>
<p>Sorry to cause confusion....I tried to paraphrase what the Yale presenter said. Paying3tuitions you are correct – a “really bad” interview is not the same as a TOXIC interview. I interpreted the Yale presenter’s comment to mean; most interviews will not help or hurt the candidate - only the few interview reports that are on the extreme ends of the spectrum. Even these (really good or really bad) reports will not magically “make” or “break” a candidate.</p>
<p>FWIW, I remember last year dh was reading the summaries of interviews for the MD/Phd where he teaches. (Interviews - two of them - are done by professor and not alumni.) They are pretty important, and last year, there was at least one interview that was so abysmal (and both interviewers agreed) that it negated all the good scores and good recommendations.</p>
<p>I bookmarked the link above from a thread that was on CC last year. I don't know if there's an updated survey from this year.</p>