How to Ace Your Alumni Interviews

A good alumni interview can seriously improve your chances of acceptance at a college. Here's some advice to help you maximize your time during your interview.

The first few months of the year are when many students receive alumni interview requests. This means a graduate of a university (an alumna or alumnus) is willing to meet and discuss the applicant’s interest in his or her alma mater. Typically, the meeting will last between 30 minutes to an hour, and it will often take place at a public location (such as a restaurant or coffee shop). If the alum lives too far away from the student, the interview can be conducted over the phone or via Skype.

Students who aren’t invited to interview with alumni shouldn’t worry. Admission officers won’t penalize a student who isn’t contacted. Unfortunately, there simply aren’t enough alumni volunteers available to meet with every interested student.  An interview, however, can put a positive spin on an application, and students should make every effort to accept an invitation if offered. It allows them to demonstrate their interest in the school, and it enables the interviewer to “put a face” to the student’s profile. This is an opportunity for students to enthusiastically portray their reasons for wanting to attend a particular college or university. Students should come prepared to share an interesting hobby or anecdote. Interviewers love to hear about unique interests and personal stories. Here’s a list of do’s and don’ts along with some common alumni interview mishaps to avoid.

What to do at your interview

There's a lot of things you can do during and after your interview that will make you stand out, but these are the basic actions and talking points you should take to make sure your best foot is forward and you're making a good impression.

  • Shake the alum’s hand with a warm smile and make eye contact. Introduce yourself with your first and last name.
  • Bring a one-page résumé. Many alumni interviewers appreciate this cheat sheet and formulate questions based on the student’s interests.
  • Prepare to discuss what you love about the school, why you’d like to attend, and how you plan to participate in the campus community.
  • Have three to five questions prepared to ask the interviewer. Examples include: What do students enjoy most about the college? Is it easy for freshmen to get involved in research? What are your favorite memories about your time at the university?
  • Remember to send a short, personalized thank-you note after the interview (email is fine) reiterating your interest in the college. Do so within 24 hours if possible.   

Related: Admission Interview Strategies Students Should Know

What not to do at your interview

These are the key actions and talking points to avoid when going in for your interview. Doing any of these could result in a negative perception of you and a potential rejection.

  • Arrive late. The interviewer is voluntarily taking time out of his or her schedule to meet with you. Don’t make them wait! In fact, plan to arrive five to 10 minutes early (which will also help you relax). 
  • Dress inappropriately. Business casual is advised; there’s no need for a dress or a suit. And never chew gum!  
  • Speak negatively about your high school, your teachers, or your classes. Stick to positive experiences throughout the interview.
  • Start a discussion about politics, gun control, abortion rights, or any other highly controversial subject. You don’t want to risk offending the interviewer.
  • List other colleges you’re applying to and may want to attend. Focus on the school you’re there to discuss.

Related: The Hardest Admission Interview Questions (and How to Answer Them!)

Practice makes perfect

Make sure before going in for your interview you do one important thing: Practice! If you don’t have a school or independent college counselor who can offer you a mock interview, ask another adult (a mentor, teacher, or coach) if they'll participate in a trial run for you. That person should be on the lookout for grammatical errors, filler words, and unrelated tangents. Ask them to critique everything from your tone to your body language to the content of your answers.

Mock interview mishaps

These situations actually happened at One-Stop College Counseling during our mock interviews. We’re sharing them so other students can learn from these mishaps.

  • A student applying to Barnard College explained that her “top choice” Early Decision school was either Cornell University or Dartmouth College. She went on to discuss the pros and cons of each school. Had this taken place during an actual interview, this wouldn’t have resulted in a Barnard admission.
  • A Yale University applicant spoke as though he were consulting a thesaurus. Speak from the heart and be natural!
  • A prospective Tufts University student delivered a five-minute speech on how her parents found the school, her parents believe it’s a good academic fit, and her parents think she would love Boston. Get the idea? Colleges want to know why you think the university is a great choice, not your parents!
  • A student applying to Princeton University droned on about plans to major in Business…except Princeton doesn’t offer an undergraduate Business degree! Be sure to do your homework and know important details (like majors offered) about the school you hope will admit you.

Related: College Admission Interviews: Everything You Need to Know

Interviews in general can be stressful, and alumni interviews can be particularly stressful because you could be in that person’s position one day trying to gauge if other students are right for that school. So while you should be professional and prepare, don’t stress too much. They’re a person just like you, who is trying to help their alma mater find the students that are the best fit—and that could very well be you!

Find more advice on mastering every aspect of getting into college in our College Admission section.

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Tags:

About Laurie Kopp Weingarten

Laurie Kopp Weingarten

Laurie Kopp Weingarten is a Certified Educational Planner as well as Co-founder and President of One-Stop College Counseling. She meets with students in her New Jersey office and virtually throughout the United States and Asia. She graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and received an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Working with eighth to 12th graders, Laurie guides students through each stage of the college admission process. She’s passionate about helping students reach their full academic and extracurricular potential; there’s nothing more rewarding than their excitement upon acceptance to their top-choice schools!

Laurie is a Professional Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) as well as a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the Higher Education Consultants Association (HECA), the New Jersey Association for College Admission Counseling (NJACAC), and the Pennsylvania Association for College Admission Counseling (PACAC). She’s also a proud member of the Character Collaborative.

Follow One-Stop's Facebook page for daily articles on the college admission process.

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress
Caitlin Eaton

Caitlin Eaton

$10,000 Scholarship Winner, 2021

I first discovered CollegeXpress during my sophomore year of high school while researching colleges that interested me. My SAT prep class the following year further familiarized me with the opportunities available through the organization. CX has personally helped me by exposing me to a diverse selection of schools as well as scholarships and life tips that have provided valuable guidance in my college search.

This scholarship will help me adjust to college life without worrying as much about tuition. This gives me more room to truly explore and benefit from all aspects of higher education. I plan to study Conservation Biology and work protecting species/ecosystems. I’m looking forward to getting field experience and seeing firsthand the problems research is solving.

Damian Rangel

Damian Rangel

September 2021 Mini Scholarship Winner, High School Class of 2022

CollegeXpress has helped me tackle college expenses, which will allow me to put more of my time and effort into my studies without the need of worrying as much about finances.

Emilie Delgado

Emilie Delgado

$2,000 Community Service Scholarship Winner, 2013

CollegeXpress has tremendously helped me in my search for financial aid opportunities as I enter my college career. It is easy to navigate and quickly narrowed down scholarships that I could apply for. Being awarded the scholarship will greatly help me in my finances regarding books and tuition. Thank you for this opportunity. Without CollegeXpress, it would have been more difficult to apply. I would recommend this site to everyone!

Keaun Brown

Keaun Brown

$2,000 Community Service Scholarship Winner, 2020

As I transition to furthering my education, I can say with certainty that it simply wouldn’t be possible without the help of generous organizations such as CollegeXpress. Those who initially founded CX had no idea their platform would give a plethora of information to a first-generation homeless kid native to the ghettos of over half a dozen states. Everyone at CX and Carnegie Dartlet gave me a chance at a future when the statistics said I had none. And for that, I thank them.

Nazira Abdelkhalek

Nazira Abdelkhalek

$2,000 Community Service Scholarship Winner, 2014

I am very honored to be this year’s recipient of the Multicultural Student Community Service Scholarship! This scholarship is vital to helping me achieve and fulfill my dreams, and gives me confidence and motivation as I begin my college career. The CollegeXpress website has been invaluable over the past year as I planned my educational and professional goals. I highly recommend it to all students as they begin to focus on their college and career interests. The website is a wonderful guide to schools and scholarships.

College Matches
X

Colleges You May Be Interested In

Eckerd College

St. Petersburg, FL

Ohio University

Athens, OH

Saint Peter's University

Jersey City, NJ