Stanford Adds Alumni Interviews – Inside Higher Ed

College Admission Office

Stanford Adds Alumni Interviews – Inside Higher Ed.

Our thought: Preparation is the antidote to fear. Mock interviews can help ease nerves.

“Richard Shaw, dean of undergraduate admission and financial aid, said in an interview Thursday that the pilot program showed that the alumni interviews “add texture” to the applicants’ portfolios. In about 10 percent of the cases, he said, the report of the alumni interviewer influenced the decision one way or another.

Given the size of its applicant pool, Stanford admissions staff members do not interview applicants. As a result, Shaw said that “the human dynamic” can be lost in an application — and alumni reports can add that.”