What is the purpose of the Princeton alumni interview?

The interviews are 30-45 minute informal conversations, where you can discuss the things that are important to you and also ask questions to someone who attended Princeton. We cannot guarantee that every applicant will receive an interview. This will depend on the availability of alumni in your area.

Does getting an interview from Princeton mean anything?

No, interviews do not signify that you have made it to the next round of the application cycle. Princeton attempts to interview every applicant. If you get an interview, it only means there was a nearby alumni member available to meet with you either in person or virtually!

What is the purpose of alumni interviews?

What are these alumni interviews all about? These interviews are the chance for schools – and their alum – to learn about you as a person instead of just another applicant.

What is the purpose of the admission interview?

Benefits of the Interview

An interview is also a chance for prospective students to present themselves as winning candidates by virtue of sincerity or their personality, and to explain any extenuating circumstances that affected academic performance and describe the ways they will contribute to the college.

Do Princeton interviews see your application?

No. We offer interviews off-campus by the Princeton Schools Committee. If there are enough volunteers in your area, you will be contacted by an interviewer after you submit your application.

Why Princeton?: Student Leaders Share Their Perspective

Does everyone get an alumni interview at Princeton?

The interviews are informal conversations lasting 30-45 minutes with Princeton alumni, where applicants can discuss their interests and ask questions. Not all applicants will receive an interview due to the availability of alumni in their area, and none of the interviews will take place on-campus.

Do alumni interviewers see your application?

Remember that the alumni interviewer will likely not have access to your application, so you can assume they know nothing about you beyond the high school you attend.

Why did a college ask for an interview?

While interviews are most often not the deciding factor in whether a college will accept you, they offer an opportunity for you to represent yourself in ways that might not have come through in your application thus far. It's expressed most often as a chance for the college to get to know you better.

Why do colleges request interviews?

Interviewing is one more way for a student to display a strong interest in a college, and it lets the interviewer get to know the personality behind the grades and test scores. "College MatchPoint helps steer and advise you from beginning to end of the college search and application process.

How do you ace a college interview?

Does being offered an alumni interview mean anything?

It has nothing to do with the strength or weakness of one's candidacy. A student with no chance of earning admission has just as good of a chance of securing an alumni interview as a student with an excellent opportunity to get in.

Do alumni interviews increase chances?

Alumni interviews matter for two reasons. First, while colleges do not penalize an applicant in any way for declining this optional interview, a positive interview could improve a prospective student's likelihood of acceptance. Second, you can learn about what life at the college you are interested in is really like.

Should I accept an alumni interview?

Alumni interviews are also entirely optional. If you are like some of the quieter, more introverted students we have worked with, you may think about opting out. We are of the opinion, however, that you should always opt in. These interviews can always help you if you carefully prepare by following the steps below.

What does Princeton look for in interviews?

Most Princeton students were academic standouts in high school. Most of them also invested their energy and talents in significant ways outside the classroom. We want to know what you care about, what commitments you have made and what you've done to act on those commitments.

Does getting an interview from an Ivy mean anything?

What Are They For? Traditionally, interviews were a way for colleges to verify the information in your application. More recently, Ivy League colleges have used interviews to give applicants more information about the college. During interviews, alumni typically tell candidates about their experience at the college.

Does getting an Ivy League interview mean anything?

Aka a great interview cannot save a bad application. But through this process, the admissions office gets a better sense of who you are, your personality, and how you would fit in at the school. Interviews, at the Ivies, are optional, but if you get the opportunity to do one, you absolutely should.

Is it good if a college wants to interview you?

The interview is rarely the deciding factor in whether the college will accept you, but it can give a representative from the college a chance to get to know you better. And the interview gives you a chance to: Show your interest in the college.

Can a college interview hurt your chances?

Acing a college admissions interview can be just what you need to give your application that extra boost. But having a bad interview can also harm your chances of being accepted. Don't fall into the latter category.

Should I decline a college interview?

Besides a few colleges that insist on the interview, most indicate that it is an optional piece of the process. But it's only optional for them. If a more reserved student decided to decline the interview, that would be the end of their chances at a highly selective college.

Does Cornell alumni interview mean anything?

The purpose of the alumni interview is not to impact your chances of admission in any way. It's to answer any questions that you or our parents might have to explain what you experience will be like should you be admitted and choose to attend.

What should you avoid in a college interview?

Are interviews for colleges random?

The choice of who gets interviewed is not random, and in most cases it says nothing about whether the applicant will be accepted. Applicants for the freshman class get interviewed by alumni volunteers, and they will get interviewed if there is an alumnus in their local area who is willing to interview them.

What do alumni interviewers know about you?

The alumni interviewer is not privy to your application. They receive basic information from the college's admissions office about each student they interview: name, contact information, admissions plan (Early Decision, Early Action, Regular Decision), and often program or major selected.

What happens after an alumni interview?

The interviewer will write a report after the interview which gets sent to the admissions office. Almost all of these reports are positive which sometimes makes the interview more of a formality rather than a distinctive and influential piece of the application.

Should I say yes to alumni interview?

Often students turn down alumni interviews because they think they are unnecessary but that is a mistake. Always say YES to an alumni interview as admission offices would wonder why, if you were offered an interview, you turned it down. Be careful how you dress – you want to match the level of dress of the time/place.