<p>I've just got a email that requested for an interview...for those who've gone through the Penn interview process, is there any useful advice that you can give to a clueless person? Thanks for all the answers.</p>
<p>Oh and btw, I'm just wondering if this interview means anything. My GC told me that in the state of Michigan, interviews are given to the borderline kids and that the interviews actually matter, since not that many Penn alumni live in Michigan. However i've also heard that interviews are useless and are extremely informal??? comments? thanks!</p>
<p>Being a legacy, I had an alumni interview a couple of months back. The best advice I can give anybody who is interviewing is to be yourself. Don't put on your goodie-two-shoes unless that's how you normally act. Be courteous, ask and answer questions with concise, thoughtful answers, and be yourself.</p>
<p>say that the reason you want to go there is diversity... i said I wanted to go there for the oppprotunities. and he pretty much told me that shouldn't be the reason and that I should want to go for the diversity haha</p>
<p>well my interviewer wore sweats and i was dressed like i was giving a business presentation...just wear what youd wear on a school day its really informal</p>
<p>I wore a Polo and cargo shorts <em>shrug</em>. I wouldn't think you should dress up too much; the interview is pretty informal. Don't dress unkempt, though.</p>
<p>So far, from what I've gathered:
1) Dress casually and normally.
2) Be yourself and don't prepare.</p>
<p>But can someone whose been interviewed before tell us if they ask any types of questions, especially from your application?
Anything that we should ask them?</p>
<p>It would be helpful to bring a resume with you in case the interviewer is not familiar with you. Present it if you are asked or if you think the interviewer doesn't seem to have any information on you, ask if he/she would like to see your resume. Some receive your information and some do not.</p>
<p>Dress casually, wear a collared shirt for guys and no jeans. It doesn't matter if the interviewer is dressed more casually because you are the candidate , not him.</p>
<p>Think of a few general questions to ask, remember the interviewer may have graduated a long time ago and won't know the curriculum well.</p>
<p>Be enthusiastic about the school. The interview is more informational, not a quiz.</p>
<p>yea i just got back from my interview... i normally wear polo shirts and jeans to school and i wore a polo shirt with nicer cargo pants to the interview... and my interview was dressed similarly...
he asked me to bring a resume and really, i was not quizzed (like at my MIT interview)...</p>
<p>For those of you who are having interviews at Starbucks or coffee shops, it would help if you could arrive 10 minutes earlier and grab a quiet table with your drink. This would eliminate some awkward situations like who pays for your drink ( since you already bought one) or that you can't find an empty table to sit and chat.</p>
<p>Personally, I think wearing jeans or shorts is a bad idea. This is an interview and not a casual stop before heading off to the movies or a game. I wouldn't get too hung up on the outfit, just appear well groomed with perhaps a modest collared shirt, polo, chinos, etc. And I agree, it doesn't matter what your interviewer is wearing, they will notice if it appears you haven't given any thought to what you look like, even if they tell you on the phone to dress casually. </p>
<p>My son's interviews were mostly in coffee shops, too. Definitely arrive early, though the interviewer may already be there doing 15-30 minute time slots with other applicants.
The Penn interview for my son was actually the best. The guy was friendly, low key, helpful. He took my son's resume, gave him his card and email to contact him again if he wished, etc. That does not happen at every interview.</p>
<p>Princeton interview was good as well, though a tad stiff. The guy was really nice, but some of his questions were political correctness traps.<br>
Tufts and Cornell interviews were great; Cornell interviewer was very funny and incredibly upbeat.
Brown interviewer was awful, the worst. Guy was so annoyed to be having to do the interviews and 'had to drive over 45 minutes' just to see applicants, bla bla bla. Had to laugh when they waitlisted my son. No surprise there, given the attitude of the interviewer. I almost wanted to contact Brown to let them know about how their school was being represented, but it wasn't my place at all as a parent. My son didn't care too much, and did not accept the waitlist spot, since he had other great opportunities [though Brown would have been realllllly close to us, and he did enjoy the full day Engineering open house he went to during his previews]. I think we all were turned off by the interviewer's lack of interest and zeal for his own school. </p>
<p>can anyone throw a template out there that would be an ideal resume to give to an interviewer? Assume it should be a one pager with highlights, but how much academic stuff should be included? like advanced classes you have taken etc - do they belong on your resume for an interview?</p>
<p>Okay,
I had my interview today.
IT WAS GREAT!
We had scheduled it for only 30 minutes - ended up going for 1 hour and 30 minutes!
I hope that's a good sign haha!
I did wear formal, like black slacks, plaid jumper etc.
But I'm sure I could have gone less dressed because at the end of my interview, my interviewer said "and now you can get our of those uncomfortable clothes haha"</p>
<p>i have my interview on friday.... haha
im glad to see some people who had great interviews! i hope mine's good too :)
what should i include in my resume? nothing IN SCHOOL?
just ec and honors....?</p>