What To Expect In An Alumni Interview

Many colleges use a network of their alumni to interview student applicants. My alma mater, Brown University, uses alumni interviews exclusively; some schools use them for students who might not be able to schedule an interview on-campus. Based upon my many years of alumni interviewing, here are some tips on what to do and what not to do.

Before The Interview
Check your e-mail regularly throughout your senior year. While most of your electronic communications these days are done by text messaging, Facebook and my space, e-mail is how many schools contact applicants and how some interview requests are made. Respond immediately.

Talk to your parents in advance. If you get a phone call or a message is left at your home about an interview, it is best that you schedule the appointment, not your mom. If you are unavailable to return the call because you are out of town, then it's ok for a parent to call and say when you'll be back or to offer to help schedule something. Under those circumstances, you should make a follow up call upon your return so the interviewer knows that you are in control.

When you make the appointment for the interview, be certain to exchange phone numbers with the interviewer so you can contact him or her at the last minute if you need to.

Interviews are voluntary, but if you decide to decline an interview request, it is best to explain why, especially if it is a school you are interested in. Many schools use the interview to gauge a student's level of interest.

At The Interivew
What should you wear? Generally, unless the interviewer has told you otherwise, you should wear age-appropriate "business" attire. A suit and tie are probably unnecessary, but slacks or a skirt and a collared shirt or dressy top are a good idea as a minimum. I personally tell students that is ok to dress casually, because I'd like them to feel relaxed, but you should not wear jeans unless someone has told you casual is ok. Avoid tight, torn or revealing clothing whatever the dress code.

Some other basics: be on time. Tuck your cell phone away, and be very sure it will not ring or buzz during the interview.

Bring your resume or brag sheet. If the interviewer declines it, that is fine. I don't know about other schools, but Brown intentionally provides the interviewers with very little information from your application. A Brown interviewer does not have your transcript, GPA or test scores because the admissions office has all that data and they would like the interviewer to get to know you as a person. However, some interviewers find a list of honors, interests or outside activities helpful as a starting point.

When you arrive, it is ok if a parent is with you. Your parents are not ruining your life or making you appear dorky because they want to meet some stranger who called their kid and told them to show up someplace. If an interviewer asks you to come to their home or office, it is perfectly ok for a parent to call the admissions office and make sure it is legit. I usually interview in coffee shops, and if a parent wants to meet me it is fine. I'll tell them we'll be about an hour, that you will call them when we are done and I will stay with you until they arrive. Mom or dad should not hover in the same place where the interview is taking place.

The Interview
I know it's hard, but relax. Expect a friendly conversation. I'll ask questions about your activities and honors, what subjects you like the best, the achievements you are most proud of, what you spend your time on and what you are passionate about. Help me make our time a conversation, not a question and answer session where I do all the asking and you answer. Look me in the eye. Have some questions ready for me. Like students, some interviewers are easier to talk to or seem more friendly than others. Just remember that your interviewer will be writing a report about you, so you should look past the ways you think they are weird or dull and do your best. Also keep in mind that your interviewer really wants to say nice things about you.

An interviewer's job is two-fold: to put a personal face on the school and answer questions you might have about what it's like to go there, and to help the admissions office evaluate you. The school is asking the interviewer to discern if you are actually interested in the school and what kind of student they think you are...serious, determined, creative, inquisitive? They want to know what you are most interested in and what you like to do outside the classroom. They want to hear what kind of a person you are. They want the interviewer's impressions of you to see if they match with what your recommendations and essays say about you. They're trying to figure out if your dad or your counselor wrote your essays. If you think, for any reason, that your application materials and transcript don't adequately describe who you are, now is your chance to shine.

After The Interview
Follow up with a thank you. Be specific; mention something about the school you didn't know and learned in the interview. If the interviewer didn't know the answer to one of your questions but directed you to the school website, go look it up and tell them you found the answer.