I was just curious what kind of info they get about you ahead of time. Do they see your application? Your essays?
Depends on the kind of interviewer (admissions officer, a student working in the admission office, an alum) and the kind of interview (informational or evaluative) and the school’s own policy.
I most (maybe all) the interviews either of my kids did were before the application deadline, so the school wouldn’t gave the application or, therefore, essays.
If it’s an alumni interviewer, I’m pretty sure they won’t see application or essays. Typically just super-basic info, nothing particularly substantive.
So should I bring like a resume or something? Or is that too pretentious?
Oh and this would be an alum interviewer
Bringing a resume is a great idea! Just make sure you keep it short (IMO, 99% of HS students should be able to fit theirs to a single page).
It’s not pretentious. Some alumni value them. I don’t ask for them but sometimes the student offers one. I’ll accept one, since it’s offered. But I don’t refer to it during the conversation or afterward, for my write up either. Harvard alums know kids’ stats. Columbia alums have the option choose interviewees based on similar interests. My alma mater (Yale) only gives us the kid’s HS and intended area of study (if any).
Thanks! Very helpful
To your original question – application and essay info would definitely be out of bounds for volunteers. Privacy considerations. An admissions ofc employee would have access – but absolutely no outside volunteer.
I did a college interview recently (conducted by an alumni volunteer ) and he had been given a sheet of my basic info ahead of time. I haven’t completed my app for the college, so all he knew were my academic interests and the basic biographic info (birthday, graduation date, what city I’m from, etc.)
As far as bringing a resume, it’s always helpful to have one, especially if you haven’t submitted your app to the school yet. I put my GPA and test scores on my resume (which is pretentious in most contexts, but can be good if the interviewer doesn’t have any real info about you beforehand). Some interviewers will ask you questions based on your resume, and some other interviewers might not utilize the resume much at all. In any case, the worst thing that can happen is that they don’t refer to it during your interview. Either way, they’ll still probably be impressed-- my interviewer made it sound like no one else had brought him a resume, and was surprised that I had one at this age.
Best of luck!