<p>My kid was just rejected from her dream school, Big U. </p>
<p>About two months ago, she had had an area alum interview. D went to Ms. Alum’s Manhattan office as directed and said they had a nice talk for maybe 25 minutes. Afterward, D realized she had left (my!) scarf at Alum’s office; they exchanged emails about it, and Ms. Alum said she would leave the scarf with her doorman in an envelope. </p>
<p>D stopped in once or twice but the scarf wasn’t there, and D didn’t want to be a pain or to seem to be trying to get more face time, so didn’t contact the alum again.</p>
<p>A few weeks later, someone from Big U calls D at home and asks her if she wants to arrange an alum interview. D. says thank you, I was already interviewed by Ms. Alum. Oh, says the caller, we don’t have her report. Well, says D, I did meet with her. OK, thank you, end of call.</p>
<p>My thoughts are:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>If Ms. Alum forgot to submit her report, how does Big U view it? Student never responded to interview appointment/isn’t very responsible/not our type?</p></li>
<li><p>If Big U doesn’t keep track of its interviewers and calls those who have already been interviewed, is it possible Ms. Alum did send in a report and it got lost, still not reflecting well on D?</p></li>
<li><p>Fugheddaboudit? We all know college apps are crapshoots; she’ll be happy wherever; que sera sera?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>She’s away for the weekend and on the phone just seems a little sad and resigned, but she still has five schools on her list to hear from this week. She was accepted by her early action school, which she’d probably be OK with attending, although she only made it her EA because it didn’t require the common app essay which she hadn’t finished. </p>
<p>What would you all do? Should I encourage her to call Big U? She has nothing to lose. Or let it go?</p>
<p>I don’t understand why you are assuming that the possible mistakes of the alumni interview – who you did not select and who possibly may have robbed your daughter – would reflect badly on your daughter. If it was a legitimate mistake, it wouldn’t be your daughter’s fault because your daughter has no way of controlling how a complete stranger does her responsibility. Your best bet is to explain the situation and try to resolve it if you still think that she wants to go to that college. It might not make any difference, but on the other hand if you don’t do anything then you know for sure that nothing will change. A small chance can be better than no chance especially when there is something that can still be done.</p>
<p>Alumni interviews typically play a very small role in the process, so I wouldn’t think lack of a report would “sink” your D’s app in and of itself. I would contact the alum again but the scarf, though.</p>
<p>Well, the good news and the bad news here is that most Big Us do not factor alumni interviews into the decision. This depends on the school, of course, but generally speaking, alumni interviews are used as a recruiting/informational tool, and not really as a “part of the applicatin.” </p>
<p>If your D has already received a rejection, I can understand how it may seem too late at this point to go back and say, oh but I DID express interest…especially without knowing whether or not that would have been the tipping point of the application, anyway. </p>
<p>There is no harm in having D call up the admissions office, explain that she is confused by rejection because she had strong stats, expressed interested by interviewing, etc., and asking what factored into the rejection. In my experience browsing posts on CC, however, they usually give very vague answers…makes me wonder if they even remember why they reject each applicant…chances are they do not…</p>
<p>But chances are also high that the interview fiasco was not the sole component of the rejection, and that with or without it D would not have received acceptance. These things are such a small part of the package (or not even part of the package at all) that it is highly, highly doubtful that it had any impact on admissions decisions. Of course, if the school stressed that the interview was an important “graded” part of the application process, then hat changes things a bit…</p>
<p>Gardna, since I’m just not sure of their interview system, I am assuming that there’s room for various “cya” behaviors. I’ve worked in big league fundraising, and I work now at a college, so I know that sometimes glitches get covered, and donors are not people to be made to feel bad about anything. (Googling reveals that Ms. Alum is very prominent in her field.)</p>
<p>Psych, I know that normally I would agree, but Ms. Alum is not a recent grad who hasn’t made a career yet as many of D’s other interviewers were. So really, who knows what pull she has? And Big U called my D again to set up an interview, so that’s why I think she should call the school. And yeah, I liked that scarf.</p>
<p>umcp, I’d be telling someone the same thing you’re telling me, except that I know from experience that sometimes certain people have pull that others don’t. I’m curious as to why Big U called a second time if alum interviews aren’t in some way useful to them. </p>
<p>Yes, my child will be fine. I do think, though, after the extraordinary effort she put in to her high school work and the whole grueling app process, that it may help her and other future applicants to notify admissions that this happened.</p>
<p>I used to do Alum interviews for Small College. I don’t think they paid much attention at all to anything I wrote - it was seen more as a way to sell the college to the student, rather than the other way around.</p>
<p>If it would really make you/your D feel more at ease, you can call, though the school is unlikely to give you personal feedback (fear of libel\slander accusations).</p>
<ol>
<li><p>While alumni interviews are by and large “informational,” it is impossible to know if they can tip the balance in an applicant who is in the “grey zone.” I’m an alumni/parent interviewer and I know for a fact that my report is read by the admissions officers. To what extent it has any influence is unknown. I know I got notified by the admissions office to ensure that I submitted a report within the required time frame after I interviewed an applicant. </p></li>
<li><p>I have spoken with a few admissions officers now. Most will tell you that the application readers in many instances have full authority to make a “yes” or “no” decision. They do present their decisions to an admissions committee, either full or partial, but usually are not overruled. The officers I spoke with told me that they can make a “yes or no” decision about 80 percent of the time. It’s the 20 percent of applicants who fall in the grey zone that take up most of the committes’s time. That’s because the applications are then read or discussed in detail with more than one officer. It’s impossible to know whether your D was in the 80 percent or the 20 percent cohort. You’ll probably never find out.</p></li>
<li><p>I believe the Admissions Office will want to know about their alumnus who either failed to submit the report, or that their system of ensuring reports are submitted, received, and filed need to be significantly improved. I agree that the fact you were notified about your interest in an alumni interview after the first interview raises concerns that the original interviewer did not submit a report.</p></li>
<li><p>You should absolutely call the alumnus and ask to get your scarf back. She sounds like a real winner. </p></li>
<li><p>Finally, I would advise trying your best not to over-analyze this situation. It’s more probable than not that your D was not going to get admitted regardless of what happened with the alumni interview. My wife and I are still shaking our heads in disbelief about some kids in my daughter’s class (at a highly regarded private school) with near perfect standardized tests, exceptional grade point averages with rigorous curruculae, and amazing ECs who have been rejected from Ivys and other top-tier schools. It just damn competitive and any reach is a real crap shoot.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>EMM and psych: you both make valid points; I hear you.</p>
<p>Lafalum: I agree that what you say applies to most schools. But no selling needed at this one; they’d probably like a moat around the admissions office.</p>
<p>Clark: thanks for the long and consoling post. My child will be fine, and likes her EA school very much. She mentioned without bitterness that she heard several other classmates got in to Big, and said with pride, “Class of 2010 is getting great results.” It IS a crapshoot, and she’s had wonderful, unusual experiences and accolades many times in her life. But I do think the Big admissions people should know how it went for her, if only to improve their operation. </p>
<p>So thank you all. And might I just say that if I told you what Ms. Alum does for a living, you’d probably be appalled.</p>