Ivy League Admission
The Ivy Coach College Admissions Blog

Many colleges over the years have done away with on campus interviews by college admissions counselors and/or selected current students. Instead, many colleges — and in particularly the highly selective universities — have turned almost exclusively to alumni interviewers. Alumni interviewers can range in age from fresh out of college to well into their 90′s but what unites them all, typically, is a love for their college.

College alumni interviewers shouldn't be angry when the students they interview don't get in. It's the nature of the highly selective college admissions process.

Some alumni choose not to interview for their highly selective college because they find it disheartening that so many of the students whom they interview get denied admission. They’re surprised and sometimes even angered that a student they gave a glowing review wouldn’t earn a spot at their alma mater.  Just because a student interviews well and the alum happens to like this kid doesn’t mean he should get admitted. The alumni interview is a small piece of the highly selective college admissions puzzle.

Maybe it’s narcissism. Maybe it’s an unfamiliarity with the highly selective college admissions process. Maybe it’s misplaced anger. Any way you cut it, college alumni interviewers are a valuable tool for admissions offices. They are (ideally) salesmen for the college. They rave to prospective students why they should attend their alma mater. They have passion. And they’re in your neighborhood…it’s not like you typically have to travel far to see them.

We just don’t understand why college alumni interviewers get upset if their interviewees don’t get in. The interviewers don’t necessarily know the students’ test scores, their grades, what their college essays and recommendations are like. And that’s not even all of it. Take a chill pill, alumni interviewers. Your highly selective college is just that — highly selective. That means not everyone gets in. That means most don’t. That means the students you interview probably won’t either. And it’s certainly not a reflection on you!

Check out this newsletter on what applicants shouldn’t do on alumni interviews.

Let’s talk about college interview questions. When you go on your college interview (whether it’s with a college admissions officer, a current student, or an alum of the university), you should have questions prepared in advance to ask the interviewer. It’s a part of the interview that always happens. It’s the wrap up: “So do you have any questions that I could answer?” Don’t ever shake your head or say “no.” You must always have questions! And these aren’t questions you should prepare on the spot! These are questions you should prepare in advance.

You should have questions prepared in advance of your college interview so that you can cite specifics. The game is specifics.

If you prepare a question for a college interviewer on the spot, it might well sound something like, “So, does Duke have small class sizes?” Or maybe, “What do students do outside of their coursework?” Those questions are lame! They are totally unspecific and they show that you really haven’t researched Duke University prior to your interview! Lots of universities have small class sizes! What do students do outside of their coursework? They pursue their passions. They play the violin. They play tennis. Come on now.

Your questions should cite specifics. Cite a specific professor’s class that you sat in on and say what you liked about it. Follow that up with a question that can be more general about other classes at Duke. It asks a general question that the interviewer can respond to but it also shows how you’ve not only researched Duke but also visited! Ask about Krzyzewskiville and what it was like as a freshman to sleep in a tent outdoor Cameron Indoor Stadium (but don’t just ask basketball-related questions as Duke is much more than a basketball powerhouse). Anyway, you get the idea. The game in the college interview is specifics and your questions at the end of the interview should reflect this.

It’s the season for Ivy League admissions interviews! Maybe you got a call on your cell phone, maybe there was an email in your inbox, or maybe when you got home, your mom let you know that your interviewer for Princeton called to schedule an interview. The reason we’re listing various ways you can be contacted is because we don’t want you to be surprised when your alumni interviewer reaches out to schedule your alumni interview. If you’re not surprised, you’ll handle it better. Maybe you’ll be more polite and eager. And that’s exactly how you should be.

It's Ivy League admissions interview season. Avoid the pitfalls of so many college interviewees.

Is your Ivy League admissions interview by an alumnus or alumna the most important component of your college application? Absolutely not. It’s in fact one of the least important. The alumni interview is actually intended to satisfy alumni who want to be involved in the affairs of their alma maters. Do admissions officers read their evaluation forms? Of course. Do they sometimes sway admissions officers and give them insight into an applicant that otherwise doesn’t come through in their application? You bet. It happens. And therefore you’ve got to prepare and you’ve got to avoid the pitfalls of so many college interviewees.

To close, we’re going to give you a few quick tips. Don’t make your interviewers continually ask questions. If they ask a question, don’t respond with a “yes” or “no” but answer in a few sentences. Expand. Demonstrate your love for learning and discovery. Show how you think and craft an argument. Don’t sound or appear pompous. Arrogance in college admissions interviews is a major mistake. You can’t really think that you’ll get a positive review from your interviewer if you display arrogance. Lastly, ask questions, show your knowledge of the interviewer’s alma mater, and don’t forget to say “thank you!”

For students who will be applying Regular Decision to various highly selective colleges, their phones will soon start buzzing about college admission interviews with alumni. Don’t be surprised if your phone rings at school and it’s an alum of a school to which you applied asking to arrange an interview. Alumni often forget that students are in school during the school day. And don’t forget to be very polite on the phone. It is, after all, your first impression with your interviewer. If the phone number that you list with the college to which you applied is your home phone number, make sure whomever typically answers the phone is aware that people might soon be calling about college admission interviews. This way, they won’t be caught by surprise.

Don't wear flip flops on your college admission interviews.

If you haven’t yet seen our video on what NOT to do on a college interview, you should check it out. It’s one of our most watched college admissions videos and it’ll give you some really important pointers that you may not have otherwise realized. But let’s focus right now on attire. What are you going to wear to your college interviews? If you’re a female, wear a nice dress or a pantsuit. Nothing too revealing. You want to dress conservatively. If you’re a male, don’t wear flip flops. Don’t wear shorts and a t-shirt. Don’t look like you just rolled out of bed. Brush your hair. Put on a shirt with a collar, a pair of khakis, and nice shoes.

You’d be surprised how few students make the effort and, in our experience, males are much bigger offenders of the dress code than females. It matters. If someone tells you that what you wear doesn’t matter, you should be skeptical of all of the other advice you’ve taken from this person! Dress well. Prepare your answers in advance. Have talking points…though make it seem natural. Smile. And say “thank you!”

As students do their college interviewing, they should know the rules to play by in their meetings with alumni. Before you continue reading this post, you should have a look at this animated video we made on what not to do on a college interview. In your interviews, it’s important to demonstrate intellectual curiosity. Show your love of learning. Don’t tell. Don’t talk about your grades. College admissions counselors can read about your grades on your transcript. This is your chance to show a different side of yourself to the colleges to which you’re applying.

When doing college interviewing, don't dress like this. Dress appropriately. Overdress rather than underdress. Remember the college interview in "Risky Business"? Don't follow Tom Cruise's lead.

Show your love for the alum’s college by demonstrating that you know quite a bit about it. Show that you’ve done your research. If you’re interviewing with an alumnus of Duke, don’t just talk about basketball. If you want to go to a school because of basketball, apply to Kentucky. Duke alums (and Duke admissions officers) don’t just want to hear about basketball. They want to hear about what you like about Duke from an academic standpoint, what you’d like to study, what classes you’re passionate about in high school, and what drives you.

Be modest. Smile. Don’t overstay your welcome. Ask questions when the interviewer asks if you have any questions. Make sure that these questions reflect your knowledge of the university (so don’t ask what the weather is like). Don’t give one word answers, even if the questions posed can be answered with a “yes” or a “no.” Instead, expand on your answers. Tell stories and anecdotes. Make yourself someone the interviewer wants to root for. If you do that, you should come away with a positive evaluation. But don’t forget to send a thank you note! So get their emails or physical addresses!

And check out this post on College Interviews.

College admissions interviewing season is almost upon high school seniors. If you haven’t yet had a chance to check out our video, sneak a peek at this video on college admissions interviewing. It should give you a good idea of what not to do! The “New York Times” ran an article yesterday on “The Choice” asking if college interviews really matter. The piece stresses how college alumni interviewers often aren’t trained, how they can ask questions out of left field, and how they carry little weight in the college admissions process.

While the Princeton college interview in "Risky Business" may have been before your time (if you're a high school student), let it be a lesson. College admissions interviews that don't go by the playbook don't necessarily turn out badly for the applicant.

We beg to differ. Does the alumni interview carry as much weight as the SAT? Of course not. Just because you hit it off with an interviewer doesn’t mean you’re going to get into their alma mater. It doesn’t even mean that interviewer is going to give you a good review. Who knows what they’ll write up once you leave their house, coffee shop, or where ever you happen to meet.

But it’s still a component of your application and what an alumni interviewer writes up can often confirm what a college admissions counselor may think. If they think you have little intellectual curiosity based on recommendations and your essays, the alumni interviewer can confirm that. Sometimes, what a student says on their alumni interview can even on its own lead to a denial. You just never know.

And we want to address two other points made in “The Choice” piece. A student thought it was weird to meet at the alumni interviewer’s home. Why is that weird? Where do you want them to meet you? At the shoe store? At Bloomingdale’s? Alumni are busy. They work. They’ll meet you at their workplace, their home, or a coffee shop. Don’t be so picky. Don’t let it get to you. Everyone is dealing with the same thing here.

Lastly, let’s say that an alumni interviewer asks you a question out of left field like asking you to “sing a Miley Cyrus song.” We admit that’s weird. But unless you’re absolutely offended and think your answer will ruin your chances of admission, why would you bother reporting this to the institution? Later in life, when you have a bad job interview, you don’t then go and get the job interviewer fired. Besides, reporting it to the institution may well make you come across as a complainer.

Check out this newsletter on college interviewing and let us know your thoughts on college admissions interviewing by posting below!

In a video “thank you” to Dartmouth alumni who completed alumni interviewing, Dean of Admissions & Financial Aid Maria Laskaris and Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Colleen Wearn shared that the Dartmouth College admissions office interviewed around 2,000 more applicants than last year for a total of 12,000 alumni interviews. The Dartmouth admissions officers expressed gratitude to alumni interviewers in helping them “understand the intangible qualities of the student, what types of intellectual conversations you were having with the student, and what type of impact you can see them having on campus.”

Dartmouth was able to offer alumni interviews to 12,000 applicants this past admissions cycle.

Dean Laskaris voiced understanding to alumni interviewers who are often quite frustrated by the the college interviewing process since most students interviewed ultimately end up getting denied admission. Said Laskaris, “We are frustrated that we aren’t able to offer admission to all the wonderful students in our pool. I reconize how difficult it is. We want to thank you for your work in the face of some daunting odds.” Laskaris and Wearns wrapped up their thank you by telling alumni that Dartmouth secured talented students hailing from 46 states and 37 countries – including an Olympic gold medalist.  What…they couldn’t get anyone from North Dakota this year?

Take a look at the video thank you to Dartmouth alumni interviewers. And check out our newsletter on what NOT to do on an alumni interview.

While so many of the top colleges offer students the chance to interview with an alum, one notable exception has always been Stanford University. But on Thursday, that changed. Stanford has reversed its long-held policy of not offering alumni interviews. After running a three-year test of Stanford interviews in various geographic regions, the admissions office decided that alumni interviews would be beneficial to the process.

According to “USA Today,” “Stanford announced that a three-year test of alumni interviews in 12 geographic areas had been a success and that the university would start expanding its alumni network so that within about three years, all applicants could be offered an (optional) alumni interview.” In fact, the Dean of Undergraduate Admission & Financial Aid at Stanford, Richard Shaw, said that alumni interviews added “texture” and that “in about 10 percent of the cases, he said, the report of the alumni interviewer influenced the decision one way or another.”

Stanford University will now be offering alumni interviews to applicants.

An article ran recently in “The Stanford Daily” that made the claim that alumni interviews either favored the wealthy or overcompensated for the disadvantaged. But Shaw disagreed, “Many of the wealthier applicants didn’t do themselves any favors in the way they presented themselves. Many of them came in ‘overly packaged,’ Shaw said, and that turned off the alumni, who were looking ‘for honesty.’”

As you prepare for your alumni interview, check out our newsletter on the college interview as well as our newsletter on what not to do on a college alumni interview. And take a look at the article in “USA Today” on Stanford interviews.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out our informational “how to” video on what not to do on a college admissions interview with an alumnus/alumna, check it out! And also check out our newsletter on the subject of alumni interviews.

If you still want more information on the college admissions interview with an alum, check out this video of Dartmouth’s Dean of Admissions Maria Laskaris and admissions counselor Colleen Wearn. It’s an instructional video for Dartmouth alumni interviewers that the college has posted online. By learning how alumni interviewers are instructed, you, as applicants, can gain insight into the alumni interview process and Ivy League admissions, too!

There was an article in yesterday’s “Bloomberg News” entitled “Ivy League Alumni Quit Admissions Interviews As Success Slips” that tells the story of alumni of Ivy League colleges disenchanted with the alumni interview process. Many alumni of Ivy League colleges and other prestigious universities across the nation sign up to interview for their alma maters because they wish to serve as ambassadors for their colleges. They want to convince high school applicants to attend their alma maters if they’re admitted by regaling them with stories of their undergraduate days and by offering insight into all of the unique academic and extracurricular activities available at their universities. And for a long time, many of the interviewers interviewed for this article did just that…until they realized that most of the people they interviewed weren’t getting in.

On staff at The Ivy Coach, we have alumni interviewers for many of the Ivy League colleges and we are not at all surprised by this article. It can be frustrating to interview applicants of your alma mater year after year only to check the admissions decisions and learn that none of the applicants whom you’ve interviewed were admitted. But these alumni interviewers are rather foolish if they think that strong alumni interview recommendations will guarantee admission of at least some of their interviewees.

According to the article by Janet Lorin, “Princeton graduate Beth Flaming, 38, met with about 15 students in more than eight years as an alumni interviewer for the school. Only one got in. Flaming, a Chicago lawyer and the mother of two young children, stopped interviewing three years ago. ’I’ve always thought it was an ambassador-type role,’ said Flaming. ‘That being said, what great purpose is being an ambassador to 20,000 people who are not going to get in?’”

Do these alumni interviewers not realize that they attended some of the most competitive colleges? Are they unaware of their alma mater’s low admissions rate? If there is an overall admissions rate of less than 12%, why should an alumni interview expect that more than 1/15 students whom they interview will get in? Is this strictly narcissism? Do alumni interviewers believe that since they interviewed these students and wrote glowing letters of recommendation on their interview forms that the students should be admitted?

The fact is that alumni interviews serve a dual purpose. Alumni interviews offer a glimpse into applicants that college admissions counselors may not otherwise gain (particularly since many highly selective colleges have eliminated on-campus interviews with admissions counselors). And alumni interviews generally satisfy alumni in that they offer alumni a chance to weigh in on the next class of students to their alma mater. These are the benefactors of their colleges and so by offering involvement in the college admissions process, they are essentially extending an olive branch to their donors.

Check out the article “Ivy League Alumni Quit Admissions Interviews as Success Slips” in “Bloomberg News” here.

And check out our recent newsletter on what applicants should not do on college interviews, our blog on college interviews, and our informational video on alumni interviews.