My Princeton application was received January 1. Roughly when should I expect to be able to be able to set up an interview, assuming that there’s an available alumni in my region?
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It can vary a lot, so try to be patient.
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My son just got an email today that a local alum would contact him to set up a time to meet. Do they try to do this for all applicants? Any insights on what to expect during the interview? What to wear?
Yes, Princeton tries to interview all applicants. I know two interviewers very well and while they live in an area with many alumni, there are also more applicants than can be interviewed. These interviews are not assigned based on probability of admission (one of these interviewers had one applicant accepted in the early round, while they knew of another who was accepted who had no interview at all) so try not to read into having or not having an offer of an interview.
Business casual is always acceptable for an interview of this type. Interview questions and format are largely determined by the interviewer (Princeton does provide them with guidelines, however) so it is difficult to predict how long it will be or what will be asked specifically. Be prepared to talk about your interests and to answer the “why Princeton” question. Use it as an opportunity to ask your own questions about Princeton.
In my opinion, interviews don’t carry a lot of weight in the application process except perhaps in instances where the applicant is exceptionally rude or reveals information that would otherwise make them ineligible for admission (dishonesty on the application, criminal activity etc). I’d encourage the applicant to enjoy the opportunity to learn about the school and to practice being interviewed.
For what it’s worth, my son’s Princeton interview last year took place on Jan. 31. Your interview date can be earlier than this or later, all depending on the interviewer. Don’t panic or worry if you weren’t notified of the interview this month. My son’s interview with Duke took place on Feb. 5, with Brown on Feb. 7 and his interview with Dartmouth didn’t even take place until Feb. 23!
And here’s how much these interviews are worth: about half of the schools that my son applied to didn’t even bother to interview him, yet he got into them all. Did we sweat about these interviews? No. Why? Because I had worked as an interviewer for one Ivy League college for 5 years, and I quit one day when I realized that my interview efforts didn’t have any impact. Those 5 years were a total waste of my time and effort.
For what it’s worth, my son was contacted for his interview about a month after he received a likely letter.
I received an email a couple of weeks ago from Princeton saying that an alum (they gave me his contact name/contact info) would be reaching out to me to schedule an interview. I have yet to hear from him. Should I contact him or continue waiting?
@irishgal1909 My son is in the exact same situation. Feels like it’s been long enough it would be OK to make contact, but interested in what others say.
My daughter received an email yesterday from an alum to set up an interview. We’re in north-central NJ (exit 140ish on the parkway).
Princeton sent my son name of alum interviewer about three weeks ago. My son hasn’t heard from interviewer so he gently made contact by email. Still no reply after one week.
Should he contact Princeton to explain that interviewer hasn’t made contact? Or do nothing and just wait?
This seems strange. All other peer schools scheduled interviews quickly and were more responsive.
@oldschooldad I would contact Princeton if I were you.
I received an email from my local alumni association on February 3 inviting me to interview. They seem to be good about accommodating all applicants.