Dear Editor,

The editorial in The Stanford Daily of May 6, 2011 is correct in pointing out that alumni interviews of prospective students may not add to the information that the Admission Office already has. However, it misses the point when it states that the interviews may be detrimental to disadvantaged candidates who may not be as “poised” as those from more privileged backgrounds. I was an alumni interviewer for many years for Yale, and the main purpose of that role was to provide personal experience and impressions of Yale to the candidates to help them decide if Yale was the right school for them. It can serve to reassure all candidates that their application would be considered “holistically.” Serving on the alumni interview committee served also to bond alumni to the University, although it does create more work for the Admission Office. In any case, the call for Stanford to end the alumni interview committee does not seem to stand on much merit.

Oscar Wand, Portola Valley CA.