<p>A mother told me recently that her son was asked to have a second interview at his Early Action college.</p>
<p>Only occasionally have I heard of a college specifically suggesting that candidates who have already had one interview should do so again. (The last time, it involved a student who’d just been booted out of his prep school for an alcohol violation. So, apparently, the college wanted to hear his side of the story … or at least see him grovel and explain what he’d learned from the episode.)</p>
<p>Sometimes students will have two interviews when one is on campus and one is with a local alum, but this is not the same as the situation noted above, where the college was clearly looking for more information before making an EA decision.</p>
<p>Have any of you (or your children) also been asked to interview a second time (other than by local alums)? If so, what were you told (or what do you think) was the reason behind the repeat interview?</p>
<p>I’ve done alumna interviews for Harvard for a number of years and have attended several of the training workshops the Admisisons Office conducts for us volunteers. We’re told that Admissions may request a second interview for several reasons - eg if there is some disconnect between the first interview report and the application. Or if the Committee wants some more information on the candidate. I’ve always interpreted it as a good thing - means the candidate is at the very least borderline and the Committee is still considering the application. My own D had a second interview - called at very short notice and conducted in a somewhat confrontational manner.</p>
<p>In my own experience, second interviews–especially with the Ivies–are infrequent and are more apt to take place when the candidate complains about having had a crummy interviewer (e.g, such as one with an old guy who interviews for a formerly all-male college and who insists to female applicants that the school shouldn’t have ever gone coed :eek:). So then the school offers the student a chance to interview with a different–and, hopefully, better–alum.</p>
<p>So your perspective on the Harvard training workshops is helpful. Thanks.</p>