I just received an invitation to get interviewed via Skype by a senior currently attending Columbia. I’m a little confused because most of my classmates, and many who are applying to the same major, have been interviewed by alumni in my area (there are plenty of Columbia graduates in my city).
Is this a common occurrence to be interviewed by a student from all the way in NYC? Or is there any implication in regards to admission that might explain it?
I am also an international applicant from Asia if that helps
Judging from some of the alumni interviewer performances we see reported here, it’s quite likely that an appropriate graduating student could do just as well and probably answer your questions better.
Since we routinely hear that there are more applicants than there are alumni volunteers, it seems like a good idea.
You should also consider that hardly 4 months from now, this ‘Senior’ will, in fact, be an ‘alumnus’.
Columbia is trying to interview as many candidates as possible. The interview is generally to give the student an opportunity to gain information and ask questions. Columbia uses both alumni and students. Columbia skews their interviewers to the younger set, as this is generally advantageous to the student to get current information on the school. A sixty year old alum, especially outside New York City, really cannot answer any specific questions on what is going on at the school. Altho Columbia uses local, regional, and Skype interviews, on campus visits and interviews always demonstrate more interest in a school.
