We live in Northern California. We could send kiddo down for a day in October. But he’s already visited and sat in on a class. Is meeting with a local alumni as good as meeting on the campus for admissions? Or would that show additional interest points to show up in person on campus for the interview?
Honestly, he doesn’t have to do either if he has been to campus. If you think he is a great interviewer, have him do one or the other. If it isn’t his strength, skip it altogether.
“Demonstrated Interest” is not considered in the Pomona admissions process, so another visit to the campus isn’t necessary for that reason. However, Pomona still strongly recommends interviews. One reason is that just based on their academic stats, most of the students who apply are deemed to be “qualified” to attend. The folks in admissions are looking for special qualities that suggest that a student will “both contribute to and benefit from” living with and learning from their Pomona classmates who each have their own special qualities. That’s why essays are so important, (and maybe why Pomona added an extra one this year). So, the interview is another chance for admissions to hear a student’s voice, and it can also be a chance for a student to add a nuance or an explanation for something the Common or Coalition apps don’t have space for. If he comes for a campus interview in October, there is a chance that he would be interviewed by an alum anyway, so unless he wants to take another look at Claremont in the fall, an interview with a local alum should be just fine.
My D is a rising sophomore. She interviewed on campus in October of her senior year, and the interviews were being conducted by undergraduate student interviewers. So I don’t think those interviews carry any more weight than an alumni interview. Especially since he’s already visited and sat in on a class, I think the alumni interview is fine.
I agree with the above posts, but we did have our son do an on campus interview in the fall even though he had already visited and spent time on campus. He really enjoyed his interview with an undergraduate student, and they had so many things in common. At least for my son, I think the additional visit further confirmed that he really wanted to attend Pomona College. If it is possible and feasible, I think one more visit for the interview is a great idea.
For those of you who would like to have an on-campus interview on a weekend, it looks like Pomona just opened up Saturday slots through the beginning of December.