The purpose of the alumni interview is to get one more current view of the student (since it’s only ½-1 hour, a teacher recommendation carries more weight). Alumni are trying to learn something about the student (every college looks for something different, but some basic traits include: articulate, motivated, enthusiastic, thoughtful, mature, committed, etc.). They don’t want to know your SAT scores, they want to know what interests you, what you will bring to college and what you hope to get from college. Alumni are not trying to put students on the spot or put them down, so don't be nervous.
 

Your application is going to be much more important than your alumni interview. Yale says that 80-90% of applicants have a strong (or weak) enough application that the interview won’t carry enough weight to be dispositive, so in only 10-20% of cases will the alumni interview significantly contribute to the application. However, since you may be in that 10-20%, it’s certainly worth doing the interview.
 

The goal is a one-on-one interview without parents dropping in to talk about how talented their child is. The location should be convenient to both interviewer and interviewee. The recent trend is for interviewer and student to meet in a neutral location such as school, library, coffee shop, etc., where neither will be interrupted.  Note: Avoid a coffee shop where all your friends hang out.
 

• Be sure to get interviewer's name and contact information in case of last minute change of plans, delay, etc. Bring a cell phone if there’s a risk of a delay or getting lost, but remember to turn it off or put it on mute during the interview.
• Don’t be late (but don’t be so early that you sit and get yourself tied into a nervous knot).
• Stay calm and enjoy the conversation.
• There is no right or wrong answer.
• Talk in your most grown-up manner, minimize the use of “yeah,” “like,” “well,” and “ um.”
• Don’t hesitate to let your personality show through – if you’re a comedian, you can tell a joke but don’t try to make jokes if that’s not your style
• Don’t worry if you can’t rattle off an answer instantly - you’ll probably have a better answer if you pause a minute to think, and you can buy some time by saying “Gee, that’s a good question.”

Note: All of these are obviously first questions in what could be an ongoing discussion on a particular topic.

1. What have you enjoyed most out of your high school experience? Why?
2. What extracurricular activities have you participated in?
3. Which activity has been particularly meaningful? Why?
4. What is your favorite course? Why? [or least favorite]
5. What teacher do you like the least? Why? [or most]
6. What accomplishment has made you most proud? Why?
7. Describe your family (siblings, etc.). (Opens up possible line of questioning like whether you’re the first to go to college, last to leave the nest, used to cooperating, have watched older siblings going to college and their experiences, etc.)
8. What is the most important contribution you made to your school and/or community?
9. What changes would you like to see made in your school? Why?
10. What will your teachers remember about you after you graduate?
11. What do your friends value most about you?
12. What are some of your interests outside of school?
13. What particular interests or skills are you looking to develop in the next few years? Why?
14. Tell me about something you have read recently that was not required reading for a class.
15. What characteristics or qualities will you bring to (school) that will really distinguish you?
16. What do you expect to get out of an education at (school)?
17. Why did you choose to apply to (school)?
18. Who do you most look up to as a hero or role model? Why?
19. What is your biggest weakness?
20. Do you know what you want to do after you graduate from college?
21. What did you do last summer?
22. What community service activities have you participated in?
23. What issues are big issues among students at your school? Are there any controversies? What’s your opinion?
24. Is there anything I can add to my report that may not be reflected in your application (e.g., recent honors, accomplishments, etc.)?