How much do college alumni interviews matter?

RReaders in Stanford's admissions office weighed alumni interview reports much like letters from people outside the school: read, noted and seldom the deciding factor. Families tend to see the interview differently, as an audition, the one moment the college meets the real student, and they prepare as if the whole decision hangs on a single conversation.

The gap between those two views is structural, and once you see it, it should lower your anxiety and sharpen your preparation at the same time. Students who misjudge it often prepare carefully for the wrong risk, and the report that comes back reflects it. The explanation starts with who is writing the report.