<p>Hi CC community,</p>
<p>I know how important it is to visit the campus and meet the AO's in person, however distance is a huge challenge for me and I won't be able to visit before the application deadline. Would anyone give me some advice on how to have a successful off campus interview (like where to have it, how, when, etc.)? Also if you could tell me your experience and what you would have done differently. </p>
<p>Thanks!!</p>
<p>The school will connect you with an alumni who will conduct the off-campus interview. Our son did two off-campus interviews, and both were at the workplaces of the alumni. The alumni interviewer contacted our son via email, and they arranged the date/time. (I of course was involved because I did the driving!)</p>
<p>Both interviews lasted between 30-45 minutes. After the student-to-alumni interview, both alumni interviewers asked to meet with me, to answer any questions I might have (as the parent).</p>
<p>General advice: dress nicely (khakis, blue blazer, tie), the same way you would for an on-campus interview. Know as much as possible about the school (do your homework/ read the view book/ peruse the website). Be ready to answer questions about WHY you would be an asset to the school, or why you are interested in attending. Be ready to ask questions you might have about the school - the culture, the teachers, etc - but remember it may have been a few years since the alumni interviewer has been on campus.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Schools also do Skype interviews. My daughter did one just recently. We attended the school’s open house but returning just for an interview was going to be a pain…so the DOA offered to Skype with her.</p>
<p>Also, if you’re lucky, an AO may be traveling near you. My daughter did one that way for a distant school that we had already visited on behalf of my son.</p>
<p>Make the effort to visit and interview on campus. It makes a difference in how seriously u are considered for yield. If you still must do it off campus, then make every effort to do it w an AO, especially if you live in a large state w large urban populations, like CA, TX, IL, etc that regularly has school hosted receptions there. The schools admissions webpages list their schedule for AO off-site receptions & interviews.</p>
<p>My personal opinion is that the only way an off-campus interview won’t hurt you is if you have a hook: URM, elite talent/athelete, very exotic state (Idaho). </p>
<p>I do not have a good opinion of alum interviews. My gut take is that alum interviews are not as seriously regarded as AO interviews, in most cases. This is often how schools enlist off-site interviewers: the admissions office sends out mass emails to far-flung alum asking if they would be willing to be off-site interviewers. If the alum agrees, then the school w forward the contact info of the applicant to the alum, along w a form for the alum to fill out after the interview, to rate the applicant. The alum gets very little training (if any at all) to do this. The Admissions office often doesn’t know this alum from boo.</p>
<p>S1 had some terrible interview experiences w alum who took cellphone calls or interuptions from colleagues in the middle of the interview, or spent more time talking about themselves. </p>
<p>For S2, we took no chances. We bit the bullet, took a week off from school & work, shelled out for air tickets+hotel+rentalcar+restaurants, and traveled to do it in person at the school w an AO. We also encountered many other families in the waiting rooms at all the schools that made the long trip.</p>
<p>OP: GMT makes some good points and, if you search, you will find threads discussing the value of on-/off-campus interviews. I would agree that if you possibly can, you should interview on campus, but not because I believe it helps or hurts your chances. I just think that any opportunity to absorb some of the campus culture and connect with the school is to your benefit in helping you mentally picture yourself as a student there.</p>
<p>Our son interviewed off-campus with a Choate alum at a local Starbucks. The interview was uninterrupted and professional, and the alum had been doing these interviews for years. I can’t speak for any other school, but Choate values its alumni interviewers and certainly does not handle them in the unfortunate way GMT’s son experienced.</p>
<p>If you just can’t interview on campus, don’t sweat it. The schools understand that not everyone can make the trip. The fact that they offer alternatives attests to this. Just present your best, cheery self to whomever you talk to wherever you meet. Good luck.</p>
<p>ChoatieMom,</p>
<p>Thanks for your advice. I am trying to schedule a visit as soon as possible, however the soonest possible date would be in February. </p>
<p>I am also applying to Choate and I checked the off-campus interview box on the Pre-Interview form. However, although the website said a representative will contact me, it has been almost a month and I haven’t been contacted. Is this normal, or should I try to contact the school myself?</p>
<p>jt: A month is too long; contact the school. Explain that you haven’t hear from anyone regarding your request for an offsite interview. They should either follow up for you or provide you with a new contact.</p>