Just received an email from a Cornell’s Alumni Admissions Ambassador who seems to be from my hometown. She would like to schedule some time to meet and talk about Cornell. Not everyone from my school received such email, would this help my application? I am aware that my stats for Cornell are below average but I have a legacy (sibling).
I am wondering what this means and what to expect?
It doesn’t mean anything; they give out the names to alumni interviewers as soon as the application is received. Then you just wait for your assigned interviewer to contact you (they do the e.d. kids first.) The interviewer doesn’t see your application. … won’t know your grades, scores, etc.
Alumni interviews mean nothing. I didn’t receive and interview for Cornell and I was accepted. UPenn offered me an interview and they’re more selective. Interviews are just based on availability.
Interviews are only required for Hotel and AAP. All others are informational only and are conducted by Alumni Volunteers. Cornell clearly states on their website that they do not do interviews for admissions, with the exception of the two programs above.
I feel compelled to write on this topic. As a Cornell/Hopkins/Harvard alumnus, I have interviewed for Cornell for 26 years. I am also the alumni coordinator for my county, an affluent community in the Baltimore-Washington corridor. Both of my children are Ivy League alumni. I receive about 150 applications for students who are eligible for interviews annually in my county. Of those 150 candidates this year, about 20 will receive invitations to attend…
Every official contact with an elite school matters. Every official visit, every summer school course on the campus, every contact with a professor at the university matters. One dirty little secret of the Ivy League, and the other elite schools, is that they cannot possibly interview every person who is interested in attending. So, they make the interviews “informational”. Moreover, there is a tremendous variance in the quality of the alumni doing the interview. So, it is publicly treated as “off the record”. Privately, however, these encounters are different matter.
All of the elite schools are looking for optimum “yield”. They want to know that, if they accept a candidate, that candidate will attend their school, and not some other elite school. (Most candidates that get accepted at one elite school will probably be accepted at two or more). So, if you show a passion for one school, by visiting, by talking to alumni, and by attending alumni events and college fairs sponsored by your favorite school, understand that these impressions are being monitored, and that they enhance your chances of acceptance.
So, do informational interviews matter? Hell, yes! Don’t be an idiot. Your eagerness, your level of interest in the school, your passion for a particular field of study, make all the difference in your acceptance. Conversely, your lack of interest and knowledge is also noted.
In the past 10 years, not one student who met with my disfavor was accepted. This I attribute to the development of my knowledge in the university’s criteria, and in the school’s increasing trust in my judgment. They now know and trust my experience and expertise.
Most students will never get a chance to interview. This has more to do with the availability of local alumni than it does with your candidacy If you have an opportunity to make an impression on a school to which you would like to be accepted, don’t be an idiot. Don’t blow off the opportunity if you are one of those who gets the rare privilege to interview. Take it seriously.
<most students="" will="" never="" get="" a="" chance="" to="" interview.="" this="" has="" more="" do="" with="" the="" availability="" of="" local="" alumni="" than="" it="" does="" your="" candidacy="" if="" you="" have="" an="" opportunity="" make="" impression="" on="" school="" which="" would="" like="" be="" accepted,="" don’t="" idiot.="" blow="" off="" are="" one="" those="" who="" gets="" rare="" privilege="" take="" seriously.="">
Agree, however the interviewer also needs to take it seriously as well. My D received a lovely email from a CAAAN volunteer asking if she would like a meeting and she replied back immediately that she would like to opportunity to meet with him and she never heard back from him. She also phoned, as he left a number to contact him at also, and he never replied. Why would a volunteer contact a student and then NOT follow up? It’s unprofessional, IMHO. That’s why I don’t give these a whole lot of weight. She got accepted ED anyway.
nm
IIRC, approximately half of the 40,000 applicants were interviewed by CAAAN volunteers the year before last. The figure was not broken out between ED and RD apps, but if I were to guess, I would think that a higher percentage of RD applicants were interviewed b/c of the greater turnaround time. The university has to distribute the list of applicants to the regional coordinators who in turn need to touch base with the local volunteers to see if they still wish to interview this year.
@annwank – I agree with you that your D’s interviewer was unprofessional.
A better statistic would be to share how many of the students you FAVORED did make it in the last three years. Also, it might be beneficial to students to hear from someone with your lengthy history about the fact that … interviewers do or do NOT have access to the application before the interview.
From your account, the suggestion that the interviewing is a both a good idea AND that the interview plays a role in the admission decisions. Perhaps, that is the case at Cornell. but the reality at most schools appears to be quite different, and especially about the input of interviews in the final decision as schools are adamant that students who did NOT interview are in no way penalized in the process.
By the way, since you are an insider, do you care to shed some lights about the data on applications and admissions in the ED round?
I also thought that interviews were informational only and Cornell does not include them in their process (unless AAP or Hotel) nor can a student request one.
It all seems sort of fuzzy by the account of @stixvelo78.
@annwank – I believe you are correct. Interviews are informational only (other than SHA & AAP) and students cannot request them.
Comments that the interview matters are ridiculous.
Cornell says they are informational (for most colleges) and not evaluative.
Are you saying they lie ? I don’ think so, and if they did, do not want to attend.
If they are truly informational, then would be more helpful if the interviewer
was from the same college (Hotelie interview a Hotelie, Engineer interview an Engineer).
Otherwise, just going to tell me about dorms and frats ?
I know an alumni interviewer at a more selective Ivy (HYP). Told me he vehemently protested
an academically subpar athlete’s application. Told the candidate to their face that they
could not make it without lots of tutoring. Told adcom emphatic NO. Kid was accepted anyway.
If you can’t offer interviews to all, would not be fair to have them weigh on the application process.
Another school we visited, told us they strongly recommend interviews, and will do skype for those not
within a certain radius of the campus. Specifically said, open to all, and we note who took advantage
and who does not. When not open to all, why bother ?
My S has a sibling and older HS classmates at Cornell, has spent a 3 day weekend there,
text messages students there now, knows about the dorms and how wonderful the campus is.
What would be really helpful if truly informative, is an alumni in the working world or grad student
who can speak to the outcomes graduating (from Hotel vs ILR vs Engineering). Very easy to learn
about the dorms and Dragon Day from the internet and kids there now.
My S turned down the interview with an alum of a different Cornell College.
The way Cornell treats each college separate and distinct, didn’t feel useful,
only reason to go was some sense of obligation.
He would rather study for his AP classes and work on his HS EC, projects.
He already applied ED and has a sibling there, how much more do you need to show level of interest ?
Sibling may be a more personal, unique situation, but for all ED candidates, level of interest certainly
can’t be a factor.
To me it’s a nice option that Cornell offers for a kid that is anxious and wants to learn more about
life on campus. If not anxious about it already, this gives them something to be anxious about 
@Stixvelo78 Thanks for the insight. Is their any particular type of interviewee that makes for an appealing candidate? You mentioned eagerness in a particular field and in Cornell. For someone like me who is extremely interested in attending Cornell but has nothing but my word to prove it, how do I communicate that interest? Also, if you don’t know my GPA, SATs, etc. is this just a test of likability and enthusiasm? Thanks!!!
@1nailedit I just had my Cornell interview on Saturday and it went incredibly well. I felt like my interviewer really saw my passion for the major that I am interested in, as well as, my motivation for applying to Cornell. I think if you come across as a genuine and passionate person, then the interviewer can not help but like you. After my interview/info session with my interviewer she said she really enjoyed our discussion, and I believe it was because I truly stayed true to myself and communicated my interests effectively.You don’t even have to share the same interest as your interviewer ( my interviewer was an engineer and I’m interested in the humanities) just as long as you show your passion. Good luck on your interview!
@Skylar789 Thats awesome!! I actually had my interview on the 8th but from the sound of yours it didn’t go as well as it could have. The pressure of the moment got to me and I started communicating with him in a very robotic way. I don’t think I did poorly enough to worsen my application and certainly didn’t do well enough to help it. Anyways congrats on a great interview and good luck with getting in!!