Impartiality of Yale Interviewers

UMDAD · 11-03-2009, 10:09 AM

For those of you that worry about such things, D (a 2009 grad) had to withdraw as an interviewer for this year because S2 is an applicant.

splat11 · 11-03-2009, 10:13 AM

Why would that be as long as she wasn't interviewing him? Does the interview mean that much to the process that being related to an interviewer could affect admissions? That is very interesting...

T26E4 · 11-03-2009, 10:19 AM

"Why would that be?" Because anyone whose child (or sibling in UMDAD's case) is a senior and applying to Yale that year -- to interview other kids would be an obvious conflict of interest. The interviewer could be held liable for wrecking the interview of another qualified candidate, see? Knock out other qualified students, increase your own kid's chances.

worknprogress · 11-03-2009, 10:56 AM

The year my DD was a senior, the local interviewer's son was also applying. He also withdrew.

Lergnom · 11-03-2009, 02:46 PM

Must be where there aren't many applicants / interviewers. Never affected me with my kids or anyone else that I knew who interviewed but I live in a busy, busy area for applications.

BTW, I don't think the interview means much. I may have mentioned that in days of yore when I did a lot of interviews I got an effusive handwritten note about one of my write-ups and the picture it gave of what I really thought was a great kid. Who then did not get in. In today's environment, admissions is such a crap shoot, I think it must matter less. Used to be you could look at stats and know the outcome, but application numbers were much lower.

BTW, for my interview many years ago I put on a sports coat, sat down in a paneled library, was asked my scores - which the pretty darned old alum jotted down - and then we watched tennis on TV and had a drink. Different era.