As a Princeton alumni interviewer, I agree with this sentiment.
Here’s what I tell the students I interview, I have 3 goals in the interview: I want to learn more about you, for you to have the opportunity to share or highlight something that you didn’t feel you were able to express in your application, and give you a chance to learn more about what it’s really like to be a student at Princeton.
There are reasons for each goal. The first two are all about giving the student a chance to push themselves across the finish line, if there is any opportunity to do so. As I do not have any information about their application, their grades, etc., I have no idea where they might stand in the pool of applicants. However, if I learn about them, I can ask questions that reveal strengths that they may not realize they have, or may not realize will make them an asset to the community. The second goal is pretty obvious. How often do you leave a conversation thinking, “I should have said…”?
The third goal is perhaps the most important in the long run. In the stress and scrum of application season, it’s easy to forget that you are looking for a home and a place that will allow you to grow. Try and put aside any competitive spirit, college rankings, and name recognition. Really consider the questions you ask your alumni interviewer, not because you want to make a good impression, but because you want the right fit for you. Be honest with yourself about what’s most important to you and ask about it.
If your interviewer does not state these goals, I suggest you take them on for yourself. Perhaps the most important thing to know about Princeton is that there is no formula for success. You will not be led to the “correct” answer. You will be challenged to navigate for yourself. The interview is a good time to start that journey.
Best of luck and don’t forget to enjoy your Senior year!..and hug your family members. This is stressful for them too.
This is absolutely not true. It is a random assignment of interviewer to candidate. The only variation if an interviewer has a conflict on interest such as a child attending the same school as the candidate. Also every interviewer is different and it is not based on age or experience.
We indicated premed on the common app and keep getting assigned doctors for interviews. Not sure it’s a coincidence anymore due to the number of instances.
That was not our experience at Princeton but Yale and Dartmouth interviewers both aligned with my daughter’s interest in PPE and the Dartmouth alum said that he interviewed most of the girls from D24s school and their brother school.
Mine had a lawyer (and had not shown interest in law). It may be that when the alumni were given a list of names to select, they chose ones with a similar interest if they so chose.
One of my Ivy Interviewers commented to me that they (the regional AOs) must have seen my medical inclination and thus paired me up with him. He acted like it was common for them to select pre-med students to be interviewed by him (a doctor).
My daughter got an interview a month ago and she is applying under regular decision for molecular biology. The interview was very casual and she brought along her résumé and had some questions prepared for the interviewer. The interviewer is someone that is in your area so if there is someone available, they will almost always set you up with someone. I have a friend out in the Cayman Islands and hers was virtual, so they actually gave her somebody even though there was no one out there. So they do try to provide every applicant an alumni interview. it doesn’t help or hurt your chances of getting in. I think the only thing that comes from it is that the interviewer can put notes in your file under your application.
I would write to alum again before asking the adm office. Our daughter just got a request for an interview today but have had 5 interviews so far and two of them are ivies. She did not get one from Yale during REA and was rejected. One non-ivy’s interviewer cancelled three times so she might just take that as a sign it’s not her school.
Hey there! I have applied to Princeton regular decision and have not received an interview request yet. I am from Spain and last year when I applied y got an email at the end of January. I would be grateful to hear your opinions on this guys. Thanks!
All it means that they haven’t been able to find an interviewer for you yet. My local alumni committee has been able to assign an interviewer to every applicant in my region, but my fellow alumni and I are still receiving weekly messages asking us to interview students from other areas where there aren’t enough interviewers. So it’s possible that you won’t get an interview request – but it has nothing to do with you or the strength of your application (Princeton tries to interview everybody), it’s simply a supply and demand issue.
For anyone asking about the interview.
I had an interview on Jan 27th with a lovely guy. It was online since I’m an international student. The questions were very chill. BTW the interviewer does not know anything about whatever is on your application so you’ll have to explain everything from scratch and honestly, it’s refreshing to say it out loud rather than on paper. His questions were very chill, like what do you do outside of school? What are u interested in? What are ur passions? why Princeton… The best thing is asking him questions at the end. My interviewer was very conversational and cheerful so I was lucky but I’d assume they all are. Basically, if I had to give you some advice, it would be to be as passionate and genuine as possible, prepare some questions for him at the end, be friendly, and BE NATURAL!!!
Hi,
My daughter received an email Jan 12th from the Admissions office explaining that she would be contacted by her interviewer(included name and email) in a few weeks. 3 weeks later, no word from interviewer and despite school counselor college advising her to keep waiting, she emailed. She did not hear back to that email but did receive a letter last weekend asking for an interview, to which she responded saying she was very flexible and could work around interviewer schedule. She did not hear anything back and followed up with a text a few days later, and still has heard nothing. I am new to CC but saw your post about Feb.23rd being the deadline. She hasn’t wanted to reach out to Admissions so as not to come off as complaining, but at this point, I don’t know that there is a choice? Maybe she could get assigned another interviewer? Thank you for any thoughts. makes me nervous since it’s her top school.
Hi,
My daughter received an email Jan 12th from the Admissions office explaining that she would be contacted by her interviewer(included name and email) in a few weeks. 3 weeks later, no word from interviewer and despite school counselor college advising her to keep waiting, she emailed. She did not hear back to that email but did receive a letter last weekend asking for an interview, to which she responded saying she was very flexible and could work around interviewer schedule. She did not hear anything back and followed up with a text a few days later, and still has heard nothing. I am new to CC but saw your post about Feb.23rd being the deadline. She hasn’t wanted to reach out to Admissions so as not to come off as complaining, but at this point, I don’t know that there is a choice? Maybe she could get assigned another interviewer? Thank you for any thoughts. makes me nervous since it’s her top school.
THank you!
