<p>Can anyone tell me what exactly shall i expect on the alumni interview I am scheduled for next week??What all do they ask?? How shall I prepare?? if you have previously attended one could you be kind enough to enlighten me???</p>
<p>I’m curious as well. I just got an email from an alumnus yesterday. I don’t think the interview is as big a deal for Penn as it is at other colleges though.</p>
<p>hey tanvi! sorry i cant really answer your question, but i too have applied to upenn ED and haven’t got a call yet. i’m from india though, so i don’t really know if i will 
How long after applying did u get the call?</p>
<p>Honestly, it depends on the interviewer. For just about all of them (myself included), why you’re choosing Penn is a huge deal: you should have something pretty substantial to say about it that shows something unique about you and shows that you’ve done your homework about the school. Not an easy task, but I think it’s something most people can do with a little thought and reading.</p>
<p>Other than that, it’s up in the air. I’d like to think that most interviewers, at the end of the day, want to talk about what you want to talk about: things that you’re passionate about and like to think about and do outside of school (and within) are always safe bets, and they’re usually subjects that get people to open up and show (albeit briefly) what kind of student and person they are. I always like to ask what people are reading (outside of school) and what current events they’re keeping up with. </p>
<p>@yoyo17: I didn’t know Penn had that reputation. I’m not even sure if it’s justified or not, but I’d still say play it safe and take your interviews seriously at all your schools: it’s not really that hard to prepare for them, and most people can usually tell when someone hasn’t.</p>
<p>ED interviews are over, wayward_trojan…</p>
<p>@wayward_trojan: Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that the interview wasn’t important. The reason I said that was because one of my friends who is applying to MIT told me that the interview is required there, so I just thought the interview would carry more weight there.</p>
<p>@Aaron: Yes, I know this. Submitted my evals weeks ago. I still think it’s good for RD people to hear it and for everyone else to know generally what’s going on.</p>
<p>@yoyo17: No worries. I’m really not sure how heavily it’s weighted, but your best bet is to assume it’s important and take it seriously, I think.</p>
<p>From my interview last year, it was pretty generic and went over the questions asked in the common app and the supplement. But besides that, there was a lot of leeway for discussion so use that to your advantage to talk about yourself, like stuff you didn’t have enough space to include in your app. Just be genuine. demonstrate those people skills.</p>
<p>In my experience, the interview was very important. I was interviewed 3 days before ED decisions were released last year. (Interviewer told me that admissions officers were on the edge about me).</p>