Page 4 - College Guide 2017 Digital Edition

SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION
the ALUMNI INTERVIEW
How to make a positive impression and gain a fresh perspective. BY LISA DUKART
t competitive colleges and universities, there’s often little that separates one student from another—at least on
paper. To help gain a better under- standing of an applicant as a person,
schools may hold alumni interviews. Some institutions, like the University of Pennsyl-
vania, make an effort to offer an interview to every applicant. Alumni volunteers are sent notification when a student in their geographic region applies. From there, an interviewer like Leonard Bernstein will reach out to schedule a meeting. “The purpose
of the interview, essentially, is to help the admissions person get beyond the paper,” says Bernstein, a 1980 graduate who now lives in Merion Station. “It’s just another factor that maybe could push a close decision one way or another.”
Most schools don’t make interviews a requirement, but they do encourage them. The interviews are typically conversational, last about 30 minutes,
and are conducted in public places. Colleges often give volunteers a sense of what they’re looking for, sometimes suggesting questions. Common topics include school subjects, what a student might want to major in, and nonacademic activities. “I want to get
a feel for the areas that they’re most invested in and
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