GuidesUpdated 1 November 2026

Questions to ask your alumni interviewer

The best questions to ask an alumni interviewer are about their own experience, not facts you could look up: "What surprised you most about your first year?", "What would you do differently?", "How did it shape what you do now?" Prepare two or three, and follow up on whatever they say.

Colleges expect this. Stanford calls its interview a two-way exchange, Duke says it's a chance to explore whether Duke is the right fit, and Georgetown says to use it to learn more about the university. Below are 30 questions sorted by what you want to learn, the ones to avoid, and how to turn an answer into a conversation.

Why your questions matter

Most alumni interviews end with "What would you like to ask me?" At most colleges your interviewer has little more than your name and contact details, so the questions you ask are part of what they learn about you. A thoughtful question shows you've done your research and that you care what this place is actually like. "No, I think you've covered everything" wastes the last good minute.

Questions about their experience

What surprised you most about your first year?
What's a class you still think about, and why?
Was there a professor who changed how you think?
What did you do outside class that mattered most to you?
What would you do differently if you went back?
Where did you live, and what was that like?
Who were your closest friends, and how did you meet them?
What was the hardest part of your first year, and what helped?

Questions about the culture

How would you describe the students to someone who's never visited?
What do people do on a typical weekend?
How competitive did classes feel, and how collaborative?
What's a tradition that people actually care about?
Who tends to thrive there, and who finds it harder?
What do you think the college gets wrong, or could do better?
How much did you see professors outside class?
Did people mix across different interests, or stick to their own groups?

Questions that connect to you

I'm interested in [subject]. Did you know people in that department, and what was it like?
I've been doing [activity] for four years. Is there a community for that on campus?
How easy was it for undergraduates to get into research or real projects early?
I want to try [something new]. Did people switch interests a lot?
How did the college help when you were figuring out what to do after graduation?
What advice would you give someone who wants to [do X] there?

Questions about life after college

How did your time there shape the work you do now?
What did it give you that you don't think you'd have got elsewhere?
Are you still in touch with your classmates? What are they doing?
Why do you volunteer to interview applicants?
What did you learn there that you still use every week?

Questions for the end

If you were me, what would you want to know before deciding?
Is there anything you'd like to know about me that we didn't get to?
What's one thing I should see or do if I visit?

Questions to avoid

Avoid	Why	Ask instead
"What's the acceptance rate?"	It's on the website, and it makes the hour about odds	"Who tends to thrive there?"
"How many students are there?"	Easy to look up	"Did it feel big or small day to day?"
"Did I get in?" or "How did I do?"	Interviewers can't say, and it's awkward	"Is there anything else you'd like to know about me?"
"What are your SAT tips?"	It's not what the conversation is for	"What did you wish you'd known as an applicant?"
Anything about their salary or politics	Too personal	"How did college shape what you do now?"

A worked example: making a question into a conversation

Asking is half of it. The strong move is the follow-up, which shows you listened. For example, you ask: "What surprised you most about your first year?" Your interviewer says they didn't expect how much they'd learn from their roommates.

Weak follow-through: "Cool. My next question is..."
What a strong follow-through does: picks up their exact words and links them to you, briefly.
Teaser (swap in your own): "That's interesting, because [my best learning this year was in a group project too]. Did the college set that up, or did it just happen?"

How many questions should you ask?

Prepare four or five and expect to ask two or three. Some will get answered during the conversation. Write them down beforehand, and in a video call it's fine to glance at a note. Keep your own answers short at that point so the interviewer can talk.

For how specific colleges run their interviews, see the guides to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Stanford, Duke, Dartmouth and Georgetown.

AdmitMock is an AI mock interview app for Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial, UCL and US college alumni interviews: an AI interviewer asks the questions out loud, follows up, and shows you what to fix.

Frequently asked questions

Should I ask questions at the end of my alumni interview?

Yes. Most interviews end by inviting your questions, and colleges like Stanford describe the interview as a two-way exchange. Two or three thoughtful questions is the norm.

What is a good question to ask an alumni interviewer?

One about their own experience that you couldn't look up, like "What surprised you most about your first year?" or "How did college shape what you do now?"

What should I not ask an alumni interviewer?

Avoid facts on the website, questions about your chances or how you did, and anything too personal like salary.

How many questions should I ask an alumni interviewer?

Prepare four or five and ask two or three, depending on time and what has already come up.

Can I take notes or read my questions during the interview?

Glancing at a short list of questions is fine. Don't read prepared answers, and keep the focus on the conversation.

Related guides

Sources

Checked 1 November 2026.

AdmitMock is not affiliated with Oxford, Cambridge or any other university.