College interviews prove enigmatic

Each year, hundreds of thousands of college applicants have a chance to receive the fated college interview. But how important is the actual interview in the admissions process?

There are two types of interviews: the informal interview with a college alumnus and the coveted interview with an admissions officer. Any interview with any college admissions officer has a direct correlation to college admissions, but the actual importance of alumni interviews is less clear. 

For most colleges including all Ivy League schools and many private schools including Duke and University of Southern California, the colleges require alumni interviews. More than 100 SHS seniors go through these interviews add each year.

The alumni interview is generally a 30- to 60-minute conversation that gives an alumnus a better understanding of the student, and the student a better understanding of the school. The alumnus then writes a small report about the student. Usually at the beginning of each interview, the alumnus says the interview has little bearing on the actual admissions process, but students always wonder whether it’s true.

Senior Jason Li, for one, initially felt good about his University of Pennsylvania interview, but was disappointed with the outcome.  

“My alumnus interview went really well, but in the end, I was still rejected, even though my interviewer was really impressed by my responses,” Li said. 

For many top-tier schools that interview, such as Georgetown, Dartmouth, Brown and Duke, the interviewer tells the student that in the scope of the admissions process, the interview itself is only a fragment of the process

The toughest part about the interview, though, may not actually be the interview itself, but whether the interviewer is genuinely interested or merely putting up a masquerade.

According to all Ivy League websites, the alumnus interview is an opportunity for students to get a feel for the college, but the interviews are also evaluative. 

What most students do agree on is that the interview process is a great way for students learn about the college from a student perspective, a sentiment reflected on many college websites. 

Although the college interviews often elicit fear, almost all seniors recognize that it is a necessary part of the college application that gives the university a brief impression of the prospective student.

“Whether or not the interview actually helps the application process, it is a good way to get a feel for the university and to let the university know you,” Li said.