<p>You need a lot of alumni and a lot of applicants in a geographic area to make it work. The Harvard Club of Chicago does this and it works great. Our Bryn Mawr club never could. Maybe in NYC.</p>
<p>You have GOT to be kidding, cobrat. </p>
<p>I don’t interview for my alma mater, but if I were to, the LAST thing I’d want to do was to have to be bound by some central schedule and some central location, on the off chance that I’d then want to go to drinks and dinner with other alums who I don’t know anything about except for the fact that we went to the same school. </p>
<p>I’d SO much rather be given my “assignment” – here are Mary Smith and John Jones who live in your general area, here’s their contact information, set up mutually agreeable times and places to meet. I’ll do that on my own. Maybe I squeeze in an hour with Mary at Starbucks on Monday before her school day and my work day start, and I meet up with John a week later at the public library on the weekend. Operative word is – around MY schedule. </p>
<p>Do you have ANY idea of the logistics it would take to coordinate all these students and alums and bring them all together at one central location at one set of times? It’s unfair to students who might not be able to make those times, and it’s unfair to alums who have their own family obligations and travel schedules to decree that they all have to be at XYZ location at XYZ time. Just … no. Give each alum his / her assigned set of students by town or zip code and let them work it out. </p>
<p>And I live in a major metropolitan area which is “thick” with alums of my alma mater. I can’t even imagine the logistics for smaller colleges or smaller metropolitan areas. </p>
<p>"Moreover, the centralized location, if well selected, allows for the convenience of both the prospective applicants in the area and the alum interviewers. "</p>
<p>If you give me a kid who lives in my town / immediate area and tell me to meet up with him,
there is NO place more convenient to both of us than a Starbucks or similar location in our town,
and there is NO time more convenient than one that the two of us MUTUALLY select based on our individual schedules.</p>
<p>Not some centrally-dictated location that is within our county, but could easily be a 30 minute drive away. </p>
<p>Help me understand why some place farther away from me, at a time that I can’t control, is “more convenient” than a place closer to me at a time that I select. </p>
<p>Personally, I <em>always</em> listen in on the conversations at nearby tables at Starbucks! (/dons flame-resistant suit) How else would I know what is going on in my neighborhood? :)</p>
<p>A lot of expectations change over the years. I was interviewed in alumni homes, and one of my colleagues interviewed students in his home. I would not have been surprised if his wife was present during the interviews. Now this has evidently become alarming.</p>
<p>My great-aunt once went to visit a professor of Spanish at Columbia during his office hours, back in the 1920’s. My great-grandmother was horrified that my great-aunt (then about 22) would be alone with a man! In his office! At the university! Who knows what could have happened!</p>
<p>It’s pretty obvious that the divergences of opinion represent different cultural norms (both regional and era-based). Speaking for myself, I didn’t really see an issue with the wife’s presence or a few polite questions from the wife. If I were being interviewed, I would feel pretty weird if there were someone at an adjacent table supposedly reading a book, but clearly listening in. If the wife really took up 75% of the interview, that is odd–but the student strikes me as a bit hyper-sensitive, really (/already donned flame-resistant suit).</p>
<p>Remote interviewing specifically helps one type of applicant- not affluent, doesn’t have the money to travel to see the college, may be first Gen college so parents aren’t much help with logistics, etc.</p>
<p>My alma mater wanted us to be as sensitive as possible to kids from this group, i.e. NOT make them incur travel costs to get to us, if possible (i.e. pick a spot that’s convenient to public transportation when available); NOT involve parents if possible (not every HS senior has a SAHM parent to shelp them hither and yon, and not every HS senior has access to a car), etc.</p>
<p>You can all design a great system which will be more convenient to the typical suburban, upper middle class kid and that’s great. But colleges don’t need to worry about the kids who will be able to visit campus, or whose parents bought them the T-shirt at birth and have been “grooming” them for 17 years. Colleges want kids who can’t visit to have a positive and personal experience if and when the kid is accepted, to maximize the likelihood that the kid will attend all things being equal.</p>
<p>And do the math- the college is going to organize over 20,000 alumni interviews all over the world? Every single year?</p>
<p>For the vast majority of HS kids, the interview is a courtesy, nothing more. So don’t get all worked up over them. For kids who cannot afford to visit campus or do an elaborate, two year “road show” complete with Mom and Dad taking selfies in front of the library- the interviews can be important.</p>
<p>Calm down.</p>
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<p>That’s individual preference and if not interested, you don’t have to join up.</p>
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<p>You’ve got to be kidding me, PG. </p>
<p>IME, I disagree with Starbucks being a convenient place to interview even though there are a bunch in my area. Main issue is they tend to be so overcrowded* to the point one cannot get a seat unless one arrives at opening time and with one exception, tend to be too small and cramped to conduct an interview with reasonable comfort and even a pretense of privacy in such settings. </p>
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<li>Too many “telecommuters” and students setting up with laptops and thus, taking up all the seats/standing booths.<br></li>
</ul>
<p>I know Cornell used to have a super Sat to interview all applicants around the area at my kid’s high school. They would have 10+ alums scheduled with back to back interviews. For those alums, it was one day rather than ongoing for months.</p>
<p>Cobrat…she said “Starbucks or similar location in our town”. It doesn’t HAVE to be an over crowded Starbucks. BUT it should be at a mutually agreed upon time and place between the interviewer and interviewee…not some PRE-orchestrated cattle call at a place or time that might not be convenient for EITHER.</p>
<p>And I have to add…what kind of “confidential information” would a student be sharing with a college alum? </p>
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<p>In my area, diners or a few pizzerias with discrete booths/areas outside of lunch/dinner times would be a much better bet for crowd and layout reasons to ensure seating, pretense of privacy, and comfort. </p>
<p>Even so, the area I live in is not convenient for every NYC area applicant because they could be coming from the remote part of 4 other boroughs so for most students, interviewing at the prearranged space in Manhattan near multiple public transportation options is much more of an optimal compromise…especially for lower income students without their own cars or ability to afford taxis/car services. </p>
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<p>Red herring. Basic point is IMO… alum interviews should be between the alum interviewer, the applicant, the adcoms…and NO ONE ELSE. </p>
<p>The fact periwinkle and fireandrain both had to agree to confidentiality agreements to serve as alum interviewers for their respective colleges underscores that some colleges agree with that perspective and may have good reasons for doing so. </p>
<p>Their respective colleges are doing what every college IMO should be doing. Especially judging by the level of nonchalance so many commenters seem to have about involving third parties…especially those who aren’t even affiliated with the college concerned. IMO…this lack of discretion and respect for the interviewee is not only weird, but also disturbing. </p>
<p>Just a comment on the flow of this thread–sometimes somebody begins a thread with the assumption that most people will share the general point of view expressed (i.e., that a non-alum wife shouldn’t participate in an interview). When it appears that not everybody agrees with this view as a general matter, it’s not surprising for the original poster to supply more information that takes the matter from a more theoretical realm to one that’s more specific. This is not a matter of credibility at all. I wonder, epiphany, if the wife had come along but had said nothing, or just a few pleasantries, whether you would have even heard about it at all–in other words, the situation that many of us think wouldn’t have been a big deal might not have been a big deal to the actual interviewee we’re talking about. What that interviewee experienced, though, sounds a lot weirder.</p>
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<p>Agreed. </p>
<p>I’m also wondering how someone asking about one’s college list…especially in an interview setting is considered “exchanging pleasantries”. Most high schooler’s I know…whether from my HS days or currently would regard that as an uncomfortably probing question. Especially considering some college applications do ask for such information and those colleges do use it as a factor in determining acceptance, rejection, and whether/how much to award in FA/merit money. </p>
<p>Uncomfortable enough when it’s asked by the alum interviewer him/herself. Inappropriate when asked by a third-party…especially one not affiliated with the college. </p>
<p>Hunt, that’s a gracious point of view (recent post), but apparently the student objected before the interview happened, as I read the timeline of the thread.</p>
<p>Cobrat, the day an alumnus’ wife’s innocent questions “where else are you applying” is going to have ANY weight with a financial aid office, is the day I pay off all your school loans AND buy you a new car. I’ve already offered you dinner on another thread.</p>
<p>Don’t be ridiculous. So alum’s wife was inappropriate in asking a question. OK. But to claim that the college will use her question in determining aid… boy, that’s an interesting stretch</p>
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[quote]
Cobrat, the day an alumnus’ wife’s innocent questions “where else are you applying” is going to have ANY weight with a financial aid office, is the day I pay off all your school loans AND buy you a new car. I’ve already offered you dinner on another thread.</p>
<p>Don’t be ridiculous. So alum’s wife was inappropriate in asking a question. OK. But to claim that the college will use her question in determining aid… boy, that’s an interesting stretch [/quote]</p>
<p>My post is clear in pointing out how the fact some colleges do ask for such information on the application itself and weigh it in determining admission and/or merit/FA may have weighed itself in the minds of high schoolers applying for colleges to the point it is much more than “exchanging pleasantries”. </p>
<p>Please don’t put your words in my mouth, thank you. :)</p>
<p>Some colleges ask on an application form. That form contains social security numbers and a whole host of other confidential information. Asking “where else did you apply” at a Starbucks is not of the same ilk- and you should not make HS kids even more paranoid about their alumni interviews by suggesting that “where did you apply” could impact their financial aid. Which is exactly what you implied.</p>
<p>Goodness Cobrat, your Starbucks may be busy all the time, but the one in our town is not nearly as busy - at least not at typical interview times. I was once in a small room in a local library (four comfortable armchairs) when I was joined by interviewer and interviewee. I heard every word, much more than I would have in a relatively busy Starbucks. (I probably should have excused myself, but since I had a kid applying at the time, (not to the school in question), I was very curious about the questions that would be asked etc. I thought it was a terrible choice for a location in any event. </p>
<p>We have no idea how colleges use the list of where else you are applying. I really don’t think it effects whether you are accepted or rejected or given merit money at most colleges.</p>
<p>And this was an Ivy interview…so merit money isn’t even a consideration. :)</p>
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<p>There’s no “making them paranoid” on my part. </p>
<p>What I described was how they were already feeling from that question from having had college applications asking such questions. Just saying alum interviewers/others should consider this factor when considering asking such question and if so, to do it in a manner/tone which puts them more at ease.</p>
<p>And having a third party involved in an interview…especially one not affiliated with the college concerned doesn’t help matters in this regard. </p>
<p>If this Ivy is need blind for admissions, then the financial aid department will NOT see anything that is in the admissions packet…including the alumni interview write up. </p>
<p>My bet is this student conducted herself very nicely during this interview. Perhaps,she should be reassured about this.</p>
<p>“In my area, diners or a few pizzerias with discrete booths/areas outside of lunch/dinner times would be a much better bet for crowd and layout reasons to ensure seating, pretense of privacy, and comfort.”</p>
<p>Oh god, whatever, don’t get hung up on whether it’s Starbucks or Panera or Caribou or the local library or the train station or the lobby of a hotel or the interviewer’s office. The point is, it’s ludicrous to suggest that some centrally-chosen place and time imposed on people is “more convenient” than a location the two people choose themselves to fit their own schedules. </p>