<p>Okay, so my Harvard interviewer is my mother's friend (or actually was....). Her two children are my mother's patients. Over the last couple of months, they actually got into a pretty big argument over something. This lady, I guess, insulted my mother as a doctor and as a friend. It got pretty awkward. Then they sort of made up but not really....I guess right now, things are pretty strained and they pretened to be civil to each other but no more than that.</p>
<p>Anyway, now she was assigned as my Harvard interviewer. Could I request another interviewer? This really bothers me because I feel either way (whether the whole thing with my mother has her favor me or dis-favor me) her knowing me is wrong. The whole set up is making me feel really uncomfortable, and I fear she may be petty enough to take out her anger with my mother on me. The only thing is that I've already set up a time with her in about two weeks. What should I do? Email the admissions office and say that I feel I know her too well for the interview to be an impartial experience? Because I do know her pretty well. She's been at our house for dinner multiple times before and I've been to dinner at hers. </p>
<p>You should absolutely ask for another interviewer. I’m surprised that she would go ahead with it. If it were I, I’d recuse myself immediately. The fact that you’ve been in multiple social situations (without mentioning possible ill will btn her and your mom) is enough to skew the interview.</p>
<p>Contact the adcom office immediately!! Don’t feel bad about hurting anyone’s feelings or anything, you have the right to ask for a different interviewer or unfortunately have no interview.</p>
<p>Unless you live in an area with a real shortage of alumni interviewers, it’s surprising the interviewer didn’t contact the admissions office to recuse herself. Even if she and your mother were still friends, it probably wouldn’t be appropriate for her to serve as your interviewer.</p>
<p>My good friend who did alumni interviewing for years stopped when her daughter reached about the 10th grade, because she knew she’d be starting to get assigned to interview kids she knew.</p>
<p>My husband interviewed for a few years and when he was assigned the son of the people we bought our house from (not so smoothly…) he let the admissions office know he had a conflict of interest.</p>
<p>If interviewer is a good friend of parents, interviewer should recuse herself, and/or interviewee should ask for a different interviewer due to “conflict of interest based on long-standing personal relationship.” Nothing more needs to be said. Same deal if interviewer is an enemy (I’m not saying she is, I’m just…saying). Harvard will not prod “so, tell us all about the cat fight!!!”</p>
<p>If interviewer hasn’t recused herself, whether friend or foe, then interviewee should take the bull by the horns.</p>
<p>Shame on the “adult” interviewer for not nipping this in the bud and recusing herself. For her to leave it up to the interviewee is lazy, spiteful, and tacky. Well, maybe those are harsh words, but I think I’m singing it out loud and clear: she should have recused herself.</p>
<p>I’ll call up the admissions office and ask for a different interviewer.</p>
<p>Now what do I do about the fact that I already made an appointment with her? My mom says I should call her first and tell her that as we already know each other well and she knows my mother well I think it would be better for both of us for me to request a different interviewer. My mom says this is the curteous thing to do since the lady was perfectly polite with me on the phone…but I don’t know, it sounds really awkward to explain to her (I’m not sure if she knows that I know she and my mother were fighting). How can I explain it to her without it sounding like I’m snubbing her?</p>
<p>Definitely-- or you can say that the school called to confrm the appt and asked if you knew the person-- the interviewer should never have agreed to interview in the first place if they knew you!</p>
<p>"Hi Ms. so and so. I was thinking about it and I felt that it wouldn’t be honorable to go through with the interview with someone that I know socially. I’m sure you understand that while I want to be admitted to Harvard, I want to get in on my own merits. Thank you though. "</p>
<p>“Hi, I just wanted to let you know that I need to cancel our interview. “The School” decided to assign another interviewer since we know each other.”</p>
<p>Everything said is a fact, and is polite. But there is no need to add detail. It’s all in HOW you say it. Feel comfortable/confident. Don’t feel like you’re trying to get by with something BECAUSE YOU’RE NOT. You’re doing the right thing for a variety of reasons. No worries.</p>
<p>I have two friends who are Brown alums. Since S has applied there, I joked with them about what would happen if they got his name as a student to interview. They said that the rules for Brown are that they are NOT to interview someone they know and that they should let the school know immediately, so that they could assign another interviewer. As they live in the LA area, this would not problematic.</p>
<p>You definitely need to be honest. Think about this too…people within offices talk! So, if you ‘stretch the truth’ as for the reason you do not want to meet with your family contact, they will know the truth and can easily explain to others in the office their opinion of the situation. I would agree with the others who say to just call your contact and say, “Thank you so much Ms. so and so for agreeing to set up a time with me to discuss my admission process at Harvard. After thinking about the process it would be unfair for me to sit down and talk to you since we have common ground. It is best if I speak to someone I do not know.” Go for it and you will get in due to your own credentials.</p>
<p>I’ve been an alum interviewer for Harvard and also used to chair my regional group of alum interviewers. Yes, the student should request another interviewer, and should explain that she knows the assigned interviewer socially.</p>
<p>Unless the assigned interviewer is the only alum interviewing in his area, she should have declined to interview someone she knew socially. When I was interviewing, I didn’t even interview anyone from my S’s h.s. – whether or not I knew the students. I didn’t want to appear to have bias.</p>