Thank you!
As we come upon the busiest time of the interview season as well as the Thanksgiving holiday, we pause to thank you for the time and talent you are giving to WashU. We truly appreciate all you do to make connections between students and our outstanding alumni and parent volunteers.
While you have been doing a great job of assigning (and reassigning) interviews in your committee areas, here on the Danforth Campus, fall break and Parents Weekend have come and gone, and we look back at successful Black Alumni Weekend and Founder’s Day celebrations.
Please read these monthly chair updates, as they are the best way to stay up-to-date regarding what’s happening in APAP and at WashU. All APAP members—including chairs—will receive a separate member update email each month.
APAP virtual Kick-Off follow-up
We hope that you were able to attend the 11/7 APAP volunteer Kick-Off with Grace James and Mike Runiewicz from the Admissions Office. At the event, the following topics were discussed, and we are including detailed information for you to read and learn more about each topic:
Guidance for completing an APAP interview report
The Admissions Office has provided detailed information about how to capture the most helpful information for the application readers who will be reviewing your report.
Volunteer talking points addressing concerns over the Israel/Hamas conflict
As cherished WashU volunteers and ambassadors for the university, you may be getting questions about how we are responding to the Israel/Hamas conflict and how the university is keeping students safe. Our student affairs team has been fully activated since the terrorist attacks occurred on October 7 and are offering a number of resources for students during this unsettling time. Our focus is on helping students to feel safe physically, mentally, and socially, and to create productive spaces where their voices can be heard.
Please find here our internal talking points that address these concerns, as well as links to communications from Chancellor Martin and Anna Gonzalez, vice chancellor for student affairs, that went out to students and parents in October. We ask that you do not distribute or share them, but hope they offer useful guidance and language when engaging in these complex conversations.
Information about WashU’s new “no-loan” policy
Beginning in fall 2024, all students receiving financial aid will have their full need met with grants, scholarships, and federal work-study. No need-based loans are included, which means that many students will graduate from WashU with little to no debt.
Interview assigning tips
- Emails are sent out weekly on Wednesdays to chairs who have applicants to assign. These could be new applicants who have recently matched to the Portal, applicants who were declined by an assigned interviewer, or assignments that expired because the interviewer did not accept or decline the assignment within seven days.
- Early Decision I interviews should no longer be assigned to your volunteers since the interview report form due date for EDI interviews is November 15. Students who applied EDI will receive their admissions decisions by December 15.
- Please assign interviews to your local committee members first, then utilize the additional interviewers outside of your region, as needed.
- You will find instructions for navigating the Portal and instructions for assigning interviews in the Chair Resources section of the APAP website, as well as on the Portal.
- We require that all volunteers log in to the Portal in order to participate in APAP. Please check your committee list on the Portal and consider following up with any alumni who have not logged in this season since they are unable to participate in interviews until they do so. This step should also help to reduce the number of interview requests that are expiring. You can determine if a member has logged in by looking at the Last Log in column in the “My Committee Members” tab. Anyone who has a blank or a date prior to 8/1/23 has NOT logged in for this season.
Pop quiz!
How can APAP volunteers update their address with APAP?
APAP volunteers can update their contact information (address, phone number, email address) by logging in to the Portal and clicking on “Edit Profile” in the list of red links.
They can also update their volunteer activities by clicking on “Edit Activities.”
Remember that the APAP staff is here for you! Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at any time with questions or if you need help with assignments.
Interview Days
- APAP Interview Days will be held in some committee areas in January. These events take place on a weekend day at a local high school or office. They allow us to offer interviews to more applicants and also help APAP members maximize their volunteer commitment. Your APAP staff liaison has contacted you if we are planning an Interview Day(s) in your area.
- APAP will send invitations to your members (parent and alumni) asking for their help at the Interview Day. Please review your role at an Interview Day so that you know what to expect before, during, and after the event. You can also find information on the APAP website that we share with alumni and parent volunteers about their roles at the Interview Day.
- If you are an Interview Day committee, we will stop adding Regular Decision students to your Portal on November 15. Early Decision II students will be added until December 15. You should continue to assign any/all students in your queue.
Due dates, reminders, and final deadlines
Declines and expires
If an interviewer declines the assignment or does not accept or decline after seven days, the applicant will appear back in your list (in the “Applicants in your area” section of the Portal.) The Interview Status will show “Declined” for those actively declined by interviewers, or “Expired” for those who were neither accepted nor declined by interviewers after seven days.
Reminder emails to interviewers
APAP will send interviewers several email reminders: to accept their assigned interview(s), to submit the interview report(s) after they accept, and a final due date reminder one month after they accept.
Due dates for interview reports
Interviewers should submit the Interview Report Form for an applicant within one month of accepting the interview assignment.
Final deadlines
Final deadlines for all Interview Report Forms are as follows:
Early Decision I – due by November 15
Early Decision II – due by January 15
Regular Decision – due by February 1