<p>I applied to Cornell as a reach. 3.9 weighted, few ECs, and few community service hours. I recently received one of the alumni interview emails. Does everyone get these? Or did they have a special interest in me? I don’t really want to go because my parents won’t pay for tuition and I dont really want to go there. Is it acceptable for me to politely decline or is this the “next step” of weeding out people? Thanks</p>
<p>if you don’t really want to go to Cornell, why did you apply there then? And in that case, decline the interview and…I’m baffled. If you don’t want to go and you can’t go because of money, then don’t apply. Or is there more to this than you say?</p>
<p>Sometimes people apply just to see if they can get in. They probably think about framing the admission letter and hang it on the wall.</p>
<p>You already wasted your time filling out the app, you might as well interview if you want that acceptance letter so badly.</p>
<p>The interview means nothing as far as the strength of your application. Applicants who are offered interviews receive them because a CAAAN member is in the applicant’s region and can perform the interview.</p>
<p>I applied because I chose a couple of random east coast schools to apply to (NYU, BC, and Cornell). I already had the common app done for BC (which I would like to go to if I can convince my parents to pay up) and I already had an essay that fit perfectly. All in all I spent about 5 minutes on Cornell specific stuff. Let me rephrase what I earlier said, Cornell is on the lower end of my list of colleges I want to go to, but its still on there. Who knows, maybe I’ll change my mind. But no one really answered my question, does every Cornell applicant get the alumni interview or is the next step?</p>
<p>It’s really amazing what the search function can do for you:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cornell-university/603946-cornell-alumni-called-set-up-interview.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cornell-university/603946-cornell-alumni-called-set-up-interview.html</a></p>
<p>By the way, I would not take grantortue’s advice to heart. Alums do submit a report back to the University, and the adcoms do read said report. And you never know the relationship with the school that the alum may end up having. So while it’s an “optional” contact (only because Cornell doesn’t have enough alumni resources to contact everybody), if you do get contacted you would be idiotic not to put your best foot forward.</p>
<p>But please tell me why you wasted the application fee again?</p>
<p>OP: listen to what Cayuga said in post 7, it’s very true. He’s an alumni interviewer himself.</p>
<p>Also, @ Cayuga, I had a Harvard and Yale interview already, and my friend who lives two streets down got a Cornell interview, yet I never did for ED or so far for RD. Kinda strange. I’m not sure I really want one now, though, since it can’t help me go from deferred to accepted. I’m going to start that letter of interest thing today, but I’m not sure A) What address to put on the envelope B) Who to address the letter to (you said director of admissions? What if there are more than one?) and C) Exactly how long it should be/what to talk about.
I’m still willing to put a lot of effort into gaining admission to HumEc, it’s still my first choice.</p>
<p>As I previously stated I picked three east coast schools that seemed decent enough(I didnt really research them too hard) and applied with the hopes that I would visit them during spring break. After a lot of research I have decided that Cornell does not seem like the school for me, but this is after I submitted the application. Im talking with my parents now to figure out if they would ever pay for it. It would be a waste of my time and the alumni’s time if there was no chance of me going.</p>
<p>I actually have a question too about the interview. Did Cornell pick you to be interviewed randomly? or based on the strength of your application, which means they may have little interest in you and that is why they wanted an alumni to interview you?</p>
<p>cayuga- i never said not to take the interview. the selection of who is interviewed(or as far from what i understand) is arbitrary. that’s what i meant in my post</p>
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<p>My bad. I read your first sentence too quickly.</p>
<p>Hey Cayuga, do you think you would mind answering the questions I asked earlier in this thread? I would really appreciate the insight, I’d like to get that done soon.</p>
<p>If you haven’t heard anything by early February, send me an email.</p>
<p>Oh no lol, I meant the letter of interest questions rather than the interview ones :P</p>
<p>Old news, but what else is new?</p>
<p>(Very punny)</p>
<p>Oh… send me an email with what you have so far and I will take a look at it.</p>