<p>I sent in an ED application almost three weeks ago. I still haven't been contacted for an interview. I live in an area which has many alums and some in my school have had interviews. I'm worried there has been some error and there isn't much time left. What should I do?</p>
<p>Have you searched College Confidential (or the Internet) to see what answers dozens of others have gotten to the very same question?</p>
<p>Here’s the deal. You may be contacted for an interview, and you may not be. At Penn and its peers, in recent years the number of applicants has grown way faster than the number of alumni who volunteer to interview. Most selective colleges and universities that offer interviews sincerely try to offer them to as many applicants as possible. But they just aren’t as successful doing that as they once were.</p>
<p>Fortunately for you, whether you do or don’t get offered an interview means absolutely nothing about your prospects for admission. They don’t screen applications before assigning interviewers; they don’t offer interviews to more promising candidates and skip interviewing less promising ones; they don’t penalize applicants who haven’t had an interview. If you are interviewed, the interview will be evaluative, but its weight in the application process will be, in most cases, minuscule.</p>
<p>You should verify that your application is complete. If you think you would interview well, but you’re not offered an interview, you can certainly feel disappointed about that. But don’t obsess over it; the vast majority of applicants to Ivies and their peers interview well, so it’s not as if a good interview gives you an incredible boost. As long as your application is complete, you really shouldn’t work yourself into a frenzy over this.</p>
<p>thanks for your response. I hear that Penn is trying to give interviews to a much higher percentage of ED applicants now</p>
<p>I’m an alumni interviewer for Penn. It is true that Penn is trying to give more interviews to ALL applicants - but we’re not at 100% coverage yet. Assignment of interviews is also random - getting one (or NOT getting one) does not mean you are a more (or less) attractive candidate. Please do not stress over this. </p>
<p>I would make one suggestion - check your filters. I’ve had more than one applicant not reply to an email but when I call them it turns out that my initial email didn’t make it to their inbox. I always email twice and call once before I close out the file on the applicant but I know some interviewers who will only email.</p>
<p>thank you for your message. I check spam folders every day. I am wondering if someone down the line is not acting on it or following up. It’s been almost 3 weeks since I applied, and people I know who are applying have been contacted</p>
<p>I know it is frustrating, but this is something that is totally out of your hands so please try not to stress. There’s nothing you did wrong. It certainly could be that someone has your information and isn’t acting on it, but it isn’t likely. What IS likely is that be that only a few students in your school/area where assigned out - remember it is a random thing and students are not pre-screened in any way. It’s a bit the luck of the draw. Interviews for ED are conducted right up to the end of November - you might still get a call.</p>