<p>Hey guys! </p>
<p>Im having my alumni interview next week, and Im pretty excited about it. The alumna seems really passionate about Richmond in the emails she sent me, and she was very flexible with her schedule so that we could set up a mutually agreeable time and location. Im confident shell have a lot of helpful information about UR for me.</p>
<p>So, for the actual purpose of this thread: Id like to know if anyone on this board has any suggestions or stories to share about their own interview experiences, or about UR in general.</p>
<p>Also, I want to send her a thank-you note after our interview, but the only contact info I was given was her name, email, and phone number. Do you think I should send the note to the school and ask that they send it to her? Would they even have her address? Id rather not send it by email; I think its more personal if I send it by snail-mail.</p>
<p>Finally, to certain posters (you know who you are): Please do not leave negative comments about the school, as they will be ignored.</p>
<p>White, I recently gave my first "interview" this past weekend. It's really for you all to get a better idea of the UR experience and allow you to ask questions freely. From the interviewer prospective, it allows us to get a better idea of what you're all about and hopefully we can give the admissions office a glimpse of who you are beyond just the application and essay. If you haven't already, be sure to let them know what you're interested in. My interviewee was interested in pre-health, so I had to read up on that myself to be able to answer any questions about it and get some information in advance for him since I was in the business school. The interview is not meant to help your admission chances, but rather give the university a better feeling of who you are. </p>
<p>Best of luck to you with it and make sure to let us know how it went.</p>
<p>Thanks, Spider. </p>
<p>Do you think if I sent the thank-you note to UR, they'd make sure she receives it, if I sent enough postage? I know I won't have her address (and I don't want it, that would be weird) to send the note to.</p>
<p>White,</p>
<p>I think the thought is the most important part. If you want to make sure she gets it, send it via email, because who knows what could happen if you sent it in to be forwarded, but yes, the alumni office has our addresses. If you want, you could PM me with who conducts your interview and I could look it up on our alumni database.</p>
<p>White, why wouldn't you ask your interviewer for his/her address at the end of your interview? There is no shame in saying, I'd like to be able to contact you, and keep you up to date on my process with Richmond. Can I send you a letter via mail, or do you prefer email? He/she will know exactly why you are asking, and will appreciate your question.</p>
<p>Thank you, Spider and bibbist.</p>
<p>Spider, I think I'll go with bibbist's idea. I’m not entirely comfortable getting her address from the alumni database, with her not knowing how I knew her address when a letter shows up. I appreciate your suggestions, though, thank you very much. You’re always so helpful on the Richmond board.</p>
<p>Are there any others who had an alumni interview and wouldn’t mind sharing their experiences?</p>
<p>Update: I had my interview with the alumna today, and I feel that it went really well! </p>
<p>I told her I was a little nervous at the beginning, so she laughed and reminded me that she wasn’t there to play the “big bad interviewer.” I had a lot in common with her (same major, same positive feelings about Dr. Ayers, a few of the same hobbies, etc), so that helped to put me at ease almost immediately. The conversation flowed for about an hour, and we talked about everything from my high school’s odd shape, to UR’s matching buildings, alumni relations, studying abroad, politics, VA weather vs FL weather, dogs vs cats, etc. I think I was the one more leading the conversation with my questions, which was the point, since the interview was informational. She gave me all her contact info and told me to keep her updated on my application process, and I was really pleased that she wanted to be so involved and that she was so excited about her alma mater 20 years after graduating. I am going to keep in contact with her, as she said she’d find out the answers to some of my questions and I think she’s a valuable resource.</p>
<p>This interview pretty much confirmed what I already knew about UR, and I don’t think I can be more excited about applying.</p>
<p>That's fantastic news! I'm happy to hear it went so well for you.</p>
<p>Did you arrange the interview on your own or did the university send information about an interview after you applied?</p>
<p>Go to the Undergrad Admissions website, click on Visit Campus on the left side of the screen, then scroll down to Alumni Interviews. There’s a form you can fill out to request an alumni interview, though they are not available in all locations. If you are not able to have an interview with an alumnus/a because of your location, I suggest getting to know your regional admissions counselor; the two I’ve contacted have been very helpful and gave me all the info I wanted and more.</p>
<p>thanks! my city isn't listed there, but it is nice to know that I'm not missing an important chunk of my app :D</p>
<p>How much weight does an interview for UR have? I mean, for some of the school's I am applying to, my guidance counselor stressed that not having an interview could really hurt you (even if you have great stats), because the interview is what shows the most interest and they don't want to accept people who may just be using it for a safety or something...It's not that I can't have an interview, but I would have to travel about an hour to the nearest city that they are offered in...Again, not that I can't travel an hour, I would definitely, but if an interview at UR isn't THAT necessary (although I know it is helpful), then I don't think I am going to have one.</p>
<p>I'm not an expert or anything, but I'm pretty sure the interview is totally voluntary. It's not like the super-tough schools like the Ivies where they contact you for an interview - the UR interview is mostly for your benefit, and you request it yourself (I believe). I'm pretty sure it carries very little weight. It's not like they ask YOU for an interview and you decline it - that would be bad.</p>
<p>It's not required, so I don't think it can hurt you that much. It's really supposed to be for the interviewee to get a better understanding of the university through an alum and to find out about what it's really like to be at UR. It also helps the admissions office get a better idea of who you are as a person and maybe find out some things about you that they can't via the application/essays. If you're interested in UR, I think it would help to be interviewed for those reasons and it also shows you're interested enough to take the time to sit down with an alum and find out more about the school. </p>
<p>If you elect to do it, make sure you come up with questions about things you'd like to know about the school.</p>
<p>thanks for the advice guys!</p>