Urgent: Asking the college interviewer for career advice?

<p>I Googled my alumnus interviewer and found that he's a politician, which is related to what I want to do. My mom said that when he says, "Do you have any questions for me?", I should ask for career advice rather than for information or experiences about the university. She said that "everyone will ask questions about the university, so you won't stand out" and that "asking for career advice is a much smarter question" and that "there's no point in asking about university programs and such until you get in." She also said that I'll impress the interviewer by making him feel like a wise person teaching a young person.</p>

<p>This seems like completely backward advice to me. In my opinion, the interviewer wants you to ask questions about the college to show that you actually did your research, and the college interview setting is entirely inappropriate for asking about general career information that has nothing to do with the university. I told my mom I could ask something like, "Given that you went into politics, which I'm also interested in, what were your favorite programs at this college in that field?" My mom said that was a stupid question...</p>

<p>My interview is very near and I would be grateful for responses as soon as possible.</p>

<p>I really don’t think it matters a whole lot one way or the other. I think both you and your mom are investing your own positions on this question with more importance than they really have.</p>

<p>“Do you have any questions for me?” is only one component of the alumni interview, which in all but the rarest of cases is the least important part of the whole application process.</p>

<p>You could ask how their experience at college X helped prepare them for their career.</p>