<p>Omom, wishing you much relief soon. I believe in cc power (!) and you are getting a lot waving towards Oregon to help you through.</p>
<p>Slthey, what a disappointment! And what a turn-off some unattractive personalities can be! I hope that university gets feedback to take this guy off their list! Telling an applicant that she is “wrong” in her opinions (???) is completely out of line in an interview situation–where his job was to be a great rep for his U. Ugh. </p>
<p>When S1 was going to alum interviews (I’m trying to remember–I think Duke, MIT, Yale, Vassar, maybe others), he met a lot of great, successful grads of various schools, but I wondered (I freely admit I am a big skeptic) what was the point? A lot of scheduling challenges around school, work and ecs, a certain amount of stress for the student–what to wear, what to say, and in the end—even the best of interviews does not influence the adcom. I’ve known of bad bad interviews (S1’s friends, kid of my friends) that still ended in admission for student. In fact, because any correlation between alum interviews and decisions is so doubtful, many alums stop doing interviews. Year after year, they put in a lot of time and energy holding interviews and writing reports, only to find the wonderful kids they loved did not gain admission and the stuck-up boy they didn’t like does. (For S1 three years ago, one of the alums said to him at the end of his very full hour of great talk: “Well, I will tell you that I am going to write that you are a wonderful guy who would fit well and be highly successful at X University–but then I write that every year about a few excellent students and not one of them has been admitted in ten years.” Great pep talk, right?</p>
<p>Only if the student doesn’t show up (lack of interest in school?), mentions outright that they consider the school low on their list, shows signs of mental illness (such that might not be mentioned in letters of rec, but could be read between the lines) or personality disorder might the comments of the interviewer cause the adcom to take a second look at an otherwise stellar applicant. What I find troubling are the many kids who come out of great interviews with the belief they have a leg up when not at all true.</p>
<p>Okay, end of rant. 
For most kids, it’s kind of fun to meet an alum of a school–helps them get a fuller feel for the opportunities there and what success they might see after graduating. And, of course, if the interview is with the admission office or the department, whole 'nother story.</p>
<p>What do you all think of alum interviews?</p>