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<p>Don’t read the tea leaves. Having or not having an alumni contact session does not indicate anything whatsoever as to the status of your application.</p>
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<p>This is true, but in my experience the reports are often much more informational. The following are two actual write-ups submitted in my area last year: </p>
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XXX was a joy to meet. She impressed me even before our meeting with excellent phone skills, and in our contact session she was extremely well-composed, articulate, and enthusiastic to share her interest of Cornell, as well as to ask questions about academics and the student experience. What most impressed me about XXX was her passion for animals, specifically birds and understanding bird behavior. While XXX
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Before I provide details on our phone conversation, it is important to note that I tried calling XXX THREE times and ALSO e-mailed her before she finally returned my call at the 11th hour to schedule an interview. (I almost gave up…) Once we finally made contact, she did not take me up on my offer to meet in-person. Instead, she preferred a phone call. Anyway, I asked her to call me at 8:00 PM on 11/29. She was 25 minutes LATE for the call and didn’t seem too concerned. The actual call was like pulling teeth. She couldn’t seem to articulate her reasons for applying ED to Cornell, only that she had “visited 3 times and that Cornell has everything.” When I asked her more detail about her choices for her major, she offered very weak answers in my opinion, and lacked any “fire in her gut”, so to say. MOST NOTABLE, when I asked her is she had any questions for me about Cornell, SHE DID NOT HAVE ANY QUESTIONS!! Only a long, awkward pause. My experience has shown me that Cornell students are driven and would have jumped on this opportunity for an interview.
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<p>Again, the contacts only affect your application on the margins, and not having one will not hurt you, but for your sake and for the sake of the alumni volunteer, please put your best foot forward.</p>