College Interviewer Gender

[regentrude]

The topic came up today.

As part of the college admissions process, DD had five interviews with almuni interviewers, and all five interviewers were male. She is interested to know whether this is a statistical anomality or the rule - so I offered to inquire at the hive.

So, if your student had college interviews, how many interviewers were female and how many were male?

[Pawz4me]

DS had three interviews.  All were females.

[8filltheheart]

Ds had two and had one of each.

[In The Great White North]

Ds had two (male), dd had 2 (male).  Mine back in the day (male). Of course, 90% of the grads are male so that's no surprise.

 

None of our "normal" schools did interviews.

 

 

[creekland]

Middle had three - two female and one male.

 

Youngest had one - female.

 

I can't remember for oldest...

[Hoggirl]

Ds has had two males and two females for alumni interviews. Panel interview this weekend for a competitive scholarship was made up of one woman and three men. But these were faculty members and a program director.

[Gwen in VA]

My kids have had a total of two alumni interviews -- one female and one male. Five does seem a bit odd. Has the school had a dramatic change in gender ratio within the past two decades?

[regentrude]

My kids have had a total of two alumni interviews -- one female and one male. Five does seem a bit odd. Has the school had a dramatic change in gender ratio within the past two decades?

 

These were for five different schools.

All schools with roughly balanced gender ratio.

 

[Laura in CA]

For admissions (what I think your daughter is asking about):

two alumni interviewers from heavily male tech schools -- both female

 

For scholarships:

faculty interviewer at tech school -- male (a native of Turkey -- irrelevant, but interesting :) )

 

upcoming faculty interviewer at a UC -- don't know yet, but I'll be surprised if it's not a male

[Laura Corin]

Calvin had nine interviewers at Oxford, of whom two were female.  All were university lecturers/professors.

 

L

[Kareni]

My daughter had, I believe, three alumni interviews.  All of the interviewers were male. 

 

We do know a womon who does interviews for Princeton; she was my daughter's Latin instructor at a homeschooling resource center.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Laura in CA]

 

We do know a womon who does interviews for Princeton; she was my daughter's Latin instructor at a homeschooling resource center.

 

 

Princeton sends out periodic appeals to local alumni/ae to do these interviews -- they now get a ton of applications from California (in contrast to a generation ago) -- but I have neither the time/energy nor the personality :)

I admire the people who do do these interviews! For the right person, I'm sure it's very interesting to meet such accomplished young people.

[Teachin'Mine]

Half and half here.   If interviewers are chosen with the intended major in mind, then I would assume a physics major would have more interviews by an alumnus.  

[regentrude]

Half and half here.   If interviewers are chosen with the intended major in mind, then I would assume a physics major would have more interviews by an alumnus.  

 

None of DD's interviewers had been a science major.

[In The Great White North]

 

 

 If interviewers are chosen with the intended major in mind,

 

I've never heard that intended major had anything to do with interviewer selection.  The impression was given that interviewer selection was entirely geographic.

[Muttichen]

Mine (four kids applying to maybe eight schools each) have been roughly fifty/fifty.  I think in your daughter's case it's the equivalent of flipping heads five times in a row -- not too likely, but it happens.  

[Teachin'Mine]

I've never heard that intended major had anything to do with interviewer selection.  The impression was given that interviewer selection was entirely geographic.

 

I agree.  I haven't either, but it was just a thought.  I think it is based entirely on location and who is available to give of their time, often in the evenings or weekends, for interviews.  After that, I'm sure it's fairly random.  What I don't understand is why it matters.

[regentrude]

What I don't understand is why it matters.

 

It mattered to my DD because she had specific questions she would have liked to ask a female interviewer, mainly about atmosphere and treatment of female students in a male dominated academic department, feelings about campus safety - things a male interviewer would not have had the perspective to answer.

So, I understand perfectly why it mattered to her.

[Teachin'Mine]

Yes that does make sense.  Maybe she could ask the alumni association at the schools if she could talk with a woman who has been in their physics department recently?   Admissions, or even the physics department, might be able to connect her with a current student as well.  As the atmosphere can change over time, talking with a current student might be even better than talking with an alumna who graduated years ago.

[creekland]

It mattered to my DD because she had specific questions she would have liked to ask a female interviewer, mainly about atmosphere and treatment of female students in a male dominated academic department, feelings about campus safety - things a male interviewer would not have had the perspective to answer.

So, I understand perfectly why it mattered to her.

 

Talking with a current student or two would give her the best insight about this.  ;)

 

When she knows places she's accepted, she ought to be able to seek out a contact or two.  Class Facebook pages can be a wealth of info and/or contacts.  Going through "powers that be" can lead to a cherry picked representative rather than an "ordinary" one.

 

[Hoggirl]

Talking with a current student or two would give her the best insight about this. ;)

 

When she knows places she's accepted, she ought to be able to seek out a contact or two. Class Facebook pages can be a wealth of info and/or contacts. Going through "powers that be" can lead to a cherry picked representative rather than an "ordinary" one.

 

Or ask on College Confidential. Some schools have more active forums than others, however.