Interviewers Unresponsive

<p>I know a handful of applicants to ED1, myself included, who have tried to schedule more than one alumni interviewer.Has anyone else had a problem? Georgetown and Duke were very prompt and attentive. I'm surprised setting up an interview with a Vandy alumn is so difficult. </p>

<p>The alum my daughter contacted got back right away. I know the program is relatively new and perhaps they need a better way to distribute the interviews (e.g. a few people are getting more emails than they can handle). Try again, but I would recommend sending a note to the office if you continue to have issues - just to give them the (constructive) feedback. </p>

<p>Should add… if you applied right before the deadline, there is a good chance that the interviewers are simply tapped out with interviews. At most schools, there are not enough alumni interviewers to handle all of the requests. </p>

<p>My daughter applied regular decision. She did not get a response from the first interviewer. The second interviewer responded immediately. </p>

<p>My D applied ED2 and had the same experience as twogirls’s daughter. My D did send a quick email to Vanderbilt to let them know she received no response from the first interviewer. Hopefully your second try will be more successful.</p>

<p>FWIW, D’s interview experience with Vandy was her least favorite out of 3 total interviews. Fortunately, she was still so in love with the school, it didn’t matter much.</p>

<p>I would contact Vanderbilt so they can set you up with someone else.</p>

<p>Vanderbilt asks their volunteer interviewers to check their email at least every 3 days. If you haven’t heard after 3 days, then either pick a different interviewer or contact Vanderbilt Admissions. They should be able to assist you.</p>

<p>My D tried to contact two different interviewers last year. They both responded quickly with reasons why they couldn’t interview. The second one said she was headed on vacation and would contact D when she returned, but never did. By then, it was too late to connect with another. The interviews must not carry much, if any, weight with admissions, because my D was admitted RD, with a scholarship. It’s great if the interview works out, but I would not worry if it doesn’t.</p>

<p>Vanderbilt is not all that common as an alma mater in our part of Virginia. Our son met with a local city council member who attended Vanderbilt just to get his impressions of his time there… as well as driving 40 miles to get a formal interview. With the numbers of applicants, I advise making the effort. I interview for my alma mater on Skype for those not within a half hour of me. Skype works quite well actually. I recall a local guy doing a local Duke alum interview and the alum spent most of the time dealing with the family dogs and his children. Interviews are just very …funky sometimes. But frame it all positively if you get one no matter what. Someone took the time. A written brief thank you paragraph in the mail the next day, too. Very happy that admissions does not put that much weight on it though…it is a human process that has little fairness or reliability in it. (yay for my MImama’s D). </p>

<p>Getting or not getting an interview isn’t something to fret over. I recall reading last year that only 15-20% of applicants have interviews. I didn’t have an interview or even attempt to contact an interviewer and got in RD; there were kids at my school that did interview and were waitlisted or rejected. They really have little to no weight on the admissions process. They’re a good chance to learn about the school (although if you’re applying ED, that hopefully isn’t relevant at this point), but for admissions purposes aren’t that important unless they’re required by the school (which is extremely rare). Good luck with your application!</p>

<p>The same happened to me twogirls. Interviewer 1 didn’t respond but the second did the same day.</p>

<p>My son applied to Vandy, had the opportunity to interview, and I encouraged him to do so. This is counter what he had heard and what I have often times read here. Indeed, Vanderbilt states that they place no value upon the interview. I would be interested to understand why a school would ask their graduates to take time to interview prospective students if there is no value placed upon the results. It seems that they would be missing out on valuable information if they didn’t pay attention to the interview results. Furthermore, if I were asked to interview a prospective student I don’t know that I would want to spend my time doing that. By the way, my son received a quick response and he interviewed with in a week.</p>

<p>I think it’s a fairness issue…just as they don’t count “interest” (visits, contacts, etc), they do not want to place any student at a disadvantage for NOT doing it. Relative to the number of applicants, the number of available interviewers could not interview every potential candidate (maybe this will change as they continue to build the alumni network). IMO, the interview can be valuable just as an experience for the student and to help the student learn more about the school through the eyes of an alum. For VU to put any measurable value on the interview in the application process, would put some kids at a disadvantage who didn’t have access to an alumni for distance, scheduling, or other issue. There is no way to standarize an interview done by hundreds/thousands (?) of volunteers across the country so it’s really unfair to give one student an advantage from it vs. a “ding” on another student who just did poorly or had an interviewer who was not as “good” as another one. For the record, my D applied EA and was accepted–never even tried to interview.</p>

<p>Despite what they say–interviews can place a lot of weight…it adds another “letter of recommendation” that adcoms use…</p>

<p>My daughter interviewed and had a wonderful experience. The interviewer told her that you will not be penalized for skipping the interview, but a good interview can definitely help. I agree that it’s kind of like an extra letter of recommendation. </p>

<p>You know, I continue to be confused about how the interview is looked at during the admissions process.</p>

<p>My D had 3 interviews (4 if you count Washington in St. Louis’s VERY relaxed on campus interview), Vanderbilt and 2 Ivys (Ivies?)</p>

<p>D’s Vanderbilt interviewer was a young lady who had graduated one year before. She didn’t ask D a single question. She introduced herself and then told D to ask any questions she might have about Vanderbilt. The entire time was spent with the interviewer talking about her own (often very personal) experiences. My D was surprised to hear the interviewer say that she chose “the easiest major she could” because she didn’t want to have to work too much so she had more time to party". The interviewer went on to say that she “barely graduated” and “really scared her parents” a couple of times (whatever that means). It was obvious from the context that intellectual curiosity was not this interviewer’s main motivation.</p>

<p>Oh, I stand corrected. The interviewer did ask my daughter one question–did she plan to join a sorority?</p>

<p>I honestly don’t know how an interview like that could have had any bearing on D’s admissions process. I don’t know how the interviewer could have written a recommendation (or not) based on that interaction.</p>

<p>The other 2 interviews were vastly different, more substantive, and more enjoyable experiences for D, but as I’ve already mentioned, at this point D was already in love with Vanderbilt.</p>

<p>I will say, though, that the interview process is a great learning experience if you are able to do one, especially for quieter personalities (like D).</p>

<p>HS counselor and I concluded son would interview well and with that, highly recommended that he do so. Otherwise, we would not have pushed it. That would be my recommendation to others. </p>

<p>Here is information straight from Vandy–I think it’s pretty clear. <a href=“CoRPs Alumni Interview Program | Undergraduate Admissions | Vanderbilt University”>http://admissions.vanderbilt.edu/alumni/interview-program.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>A good report from an interviewer will be on record so maybe it could tip the scale for you–you’ll never know. lol But note that: “fewer than 20 percent of all first-year applicants participate in the CoRPs alumni interviewing program each year” and there is no note of whether these applicants are accepted. It’s a great experience if you can do it but don’t stress if you can’t or don’t want to do it.</p>