<p>I just wanted to know if interview with Dartmouth Alumni is compulsory? If not, how much does having an interview help?</p>
<p>I doubt that it is compulsory--after all, alumni are not necessarily available everywhere-- but I would think that declining an interview if one is offered would be viewed negatively.</p>
<p>some fun from [url=<a href="http://www.ivygateblog.com:%5DIvyGate%5B/url">http://www.ivygateblog.com:]IvyGate[/url</a>]</p>
<ol>
<li>Know that your alumni interview is meaningless. Did you really think Admissions cares about the opinion of some old guy who blathers about his roles in the campus comedy troupe and how much *** he got in college? Alumni interviews serve two purposes:</li>
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<pre><code>* 1. Weed out total psychos (so avoid brandishing lethal objects and keep that theory about being the second coming of Jesus to yourself)
* 2. Keep alumni enthusiastically involved (and paying their dues) in Alumni Clubs
</code></pre>
<p>In theory, an exceptionally glowing review could make a difference. In practice, alumni interviewers always give glowing reviews, because people who voluntarily spend their free time querying high school seniors about their hopes and dreams are also the ones who find stories about your high school debate team utterly fascinating. They think everyone and their three-legged dogs would benefit from a Cornell education. They're like The X-Files: They want to believe.</p>
<p>No, interviews are not compulsory. Not having an alumni interview does not count against you at all, having one and doing somewhere between "below par" and "good" won't affect your chances much at all, and having a spectacular interview with a glowing alumni report will only minimally help you (See 2 points of note above).</p>
<p>The interview is really as much of a chance for you to be able to meet an alum and have your questions answered as it is for the alum to see if you're a good fit.</p>