<p>I do alumni interviews, and I heard a talk by the chair of the national Princeton Schools Committee this past weekend. My info is 100% accurate.</p>
<p>However, the FAQ you cite is technically accurate. They're hedging their bets against the problems that will inevitably rise when you're dealing with 6000 volunteers and 18000 applicants. But the goal is to get as many candidates as possible interviewed, and if you're a US/Canada applicant, especially, let them know that you're out there -- they can't do anything if you just sit there and wait.</p>
<p>They try to interview everyone they can. They do not prioritize at all, and interviewers receive nothing about the student other than name, HS, and contact info. Moreover, the names go out to the interviewers long before most of the applications are read, so the AdCom has no idea if they're interested in you or not. If you don't get approached, someone dropped the ball, or you're in an area where they can't handle all the applicants with the interviewers on hand locally. Neither scenario is ideal, but then again, these are volunteers who are doing this because they care about Princeton, not paid professionals.</p>
<p>It does have some impact on the admission process, in the sense that if it is a horrible interview then it will question your application, but not completely ruin it. If it is okay (like most interveiws are, including mine) it doesnt really impact it. If it is amazing, then it will help slightly.</p>
<p>As for how I got the contact info, my guidance counseluor got it for me. I believe he got it from the admissions office.</p>
<p>hbarns - I am a parent and I have been wondering about the importance of an interview. Most schools, except Harvard, say interview is not very important. I wonder why that's the case. When I am hiring, interview is the most important data point. Many candidates can look good on paper, but it's only after you have met the person that you can be certain he is who he says he is. As an employer, I have uncovered many issues during an interview that you wouldn't see on the resume. If interview is not important then why bother 6000+ alums. I am just wondering what is the purpose of an interview.</p>
<p>when the admission officer visited my school in the fall, she said that interview is merely there to keep alums involved, or think they're involved, it has almost no bearing on admission. she said it in a half-joking, half-truth way</p>
<p>oldfort, I agree with you. An applicant can have great stats but not be very articulate or be unable to speak about the world outside of high school. An interviewer recently mentioned this.</p>
<p>You can't make the interview an integral part of the process if you can't guarantee that everyone who wants one will get one. I think that's the key distinction between the admission process and the hiring process. And even with 6000+ alumni involved, you're not going to be able to get to everyone in a large, global applicant pool. So an interview will not make or break an application in and of itself.</p>
<p>As you point out, however, it can help give you a more multidimensional sense of who the applicant is than is possible from the application alone. 99 times out of 100, the interview simply confirms what you already know about the applicant from the application. This is useful -- by giving a spot to one applicant, you know that you're going to have to say no to 6 or 7 other applicants with comparable excellent profiles. The more pieces of corroborating evidence you have, the more secure you are in making that decision. That other 1 time out of 100, however, the interview report makes you look at the candidate differently. It can make you take another look at a candidate who does not stand out at first reading, or it can raise questions about a candidate who looks great on paper. It won't determine a decision itself, but when you're splitting hairs and trying to choose between myriad wonderful candidates, it can help influence the decision.</p>
<p>quickflood, you're right about the impact on the decision, unless the 1-in-100 scenario described above crops up. The interview does impact the process, however, in that applicants who have had alumni interviews are significantly more likely to matriculate if accepted then applicants who have not. This is one of the major reasons that the alumni involvement is worth it from the institutional perspective.</p>
<p>If an interview has the ability to increase or decrease an applicant's chances for admission, and not everyone is offered an interview, all the applicants who were not afforded an interview are being treated unfairly. They have not been able to "shine." Also, all of the applicants who were afforded an interview are being treated unfairly. There is the chance that they will give an inaccurate (negative) impression. The interviewer may just not "like" them or may not "get" them, but they might be perfect for Princeton. Since it is impossible to give all applicants an interview, interviews should only be given to those applicants who will be offered admission. If, during the process of the interview, flaws or questions come to light, that might be cause for further investigation.</p>
<p>You're correct, quickflood, life isn't fair. There is a luck/random factor present. Anything that can be done to diminish this luck/random factor should be done. Treat everybody the same: 1. interviewers should go to all schools to do interviews or go to none, 2. interviews should not be given out randomly;either give them to everybody, or give them to none, 3. give interviews to those who are being considered for admission only. If a problem/question arises, give the applicant an opportunity to address issues.</p>
<p>Most selective colleges do not place much emphasis on the interview. At some of the schools it is more a way to keep local alumni involved. There is also some bias in the interview process and the colleges know this. In some smaller suburban areas for example the interviewer may know the family of the applicant he or she is interviewing, or they may belong to their club or church ect. This is not supposed to happen, but it does. There are some private schools that may also have a relationship with the local alumni club and conveniently find that their students are interviewed by the same interviewer who could hold a position in that alumni club and more likely to recommend the students from that school. There is also no consistency in questions that interviewers ask so it is difficult to compare interviews across the board. In addition not everyone can get an interview - and sometimes the interviewer drops the ball and does not contact the student he or she is supposed to interview or does it too late. For these reasons the interview does not hold that much weight. There are two types of interviews that could help or hurt, and that is where the interviewee shows no personality and no interest in the school. The type of interview that could help is where the interviewee is so charismatic and the interview so amazing that the interviewee says it is the best he or she has ever had. Even then, if the candidate is not compelling it is not going to do much to help.</p>
<p>Most selective colleges do not place much emphasis on the interview. At some of the schools it is more a way to keep local alumni involved. There is also some bias in the interview process and the colleges know this. In some smaller suburban areas for example the interviewer may know the family of the applicant he or she is interviewing, or they may belong to their club or church ect. This is not supposed to happen, but it does. There are some private schools that may also have a relationship with the local alumni club and conveniently find that their students are interviewed by the same interviewer who could hold a position in that alumni club and more likely to recommend the students from that school. There is also no consistency in questions that interviewers ask so it is difficult to compare interviews across the board. In addition not everyone can get an interview - and sometimes the interviewer drops the ball and does not contact the student he or she is supposed to interview or does it too late. For these reasons the interview does not hold that much weight. There are two types of interviews that could help or hurt, and that is where the interviewee shows no personality and no interest in the school. The type of interview that could help is where the interviewee is so charismatic and the interview so amazing that the interviewee says it is the best he or she has ever had. Even then, if the candidate is not compelling it is not going to do much to help.</p>
<p>Another factor in the randomness of the interview process is that there is no standard set of questions/discussion topics that the prospective student is asked. The alumni doing the interviewing are not really trained in what to ask and how to conduct a meaningful interview. I overheard an alumnus from a selective university conducting an interview at a local coffee shop, and he was talking only about himself and how great the school is. I sat there for about half an hour and didn't hear him ask the prospective a single question that would contribute to any application process. So it is pretty random. I don't see how the interview can possibily matter, unless it is conducted by a member of the school's ad. com.</p>
<p>Actually, for some colleges, such as Tufts, they have a list of questions they have to ask the student. Thats what my interviewer did anyway, plus another Tufts interviewer asked my friend the same questions.</p>
<p>This is kind of odd, but I didn't receive an interview for ED (was deferred), and I got a phone call from Princeton 5 days ago about scheduling an interview. </p>
<p>Many people in my school have applied and most were rejected (with the exception of one) in previous years. The interesting part was that none of them got an interview. I am the first one to get one, and yet I didn't receive one for ED. Is Princeton reserving interviews for borderline cases? I'd guess they would just go ahead and interview me for ED if they really wanted to since the interviewer who contacted me had been living here for awhile...</p>
<p>Anyways this is kind of off topic but yeah, haha.</p>
<p>(I haven't been to this board since I got deferred but I would still LOVE to go to Pton...)</p>
<p>I had my interview yesterday. It was pretty good. She also said that interviews by people who have been interviewing for longer count more for admissions than those who have been inteviewing for a short time. She worked at Princeton Admissions for a bit. I hope she liked me!</p>