I checked Penn’s Admissions calendar: the application deadline is November 1 and the decision date is listed as mid
Dec. The chairs (alums) assign applicants to interviewers. Some assign by college applied to and by major (if declared.). I assigned by interest, preferences (some interviewers prefer certain schools in their area,) life experience, and/or college/major. I assigned as the applicant info was available on the interviewers’ portal. Some chairs start assigning at application deadline. The bulk of applications are received by deadline date and it takes a few days for the applicant’s info to be listed on the interviewers’ portal. So interviews will start mid-October and continue to the end of November.
The chair and the interviewer have access to applicant name, home address, college applied to, declared major/undeclared, high school. The chair has access to applicant phone number and email address. That info becomes available to the interviewer if the interviewer accepts the assignment.
No interviewer/chair knows your GPA, SAT/ACT scores, have read your essay/application/references, or know anything about your financial status. As for the latter we can take a really good guess by your home address and your high school. Given the info available to us about you, I have assumed that the interview is to find out a bit about you: your interests, your passions, your personality, etc. That belief has not been challenged by Admissions in the 17 years I have interviewed.
For me, it becomes clear during the interview that the applicant is a viable candidate, a middle of the road, or unacceptable. While not all applicants that I recommend get into Penn, they always get into a very highly rated school. The unacceptable, are a very small number, and have either lied, been incredibly rude, or have made xenophobic/racist remarks. Yes I do spot check your statements: one kid told me he was a published author and he brought his book to the interview as proof of his assertion. Unfortunately the publisher website did not list him or the book. A few years ago I asked a young lady what she read outside of class. She responded Newsweek. So I asked her what the US should do about Syria. She looked blank. When I hinted Arab Sprig she looked blank. I therefore concluded that she was padding, exaggerating, lying. The question was really another way of asking what she does in her limited spare time.
The interview is a low key conversation. You get to ask me about Penn. I get to ask you some questions.
The interview/conversation must be in a neutral place and take place during daylight hours. That limits most interviews to the weekends. It takes about 1 hour.
We are required to write a report. Penn gives us samples of reports. They are free form and there is no ranking. Penn wants us to tell them what your would add to the Penn campus if admitted. How much weight is given to the report , NO ONE knows except Admissions and they are not telling; although some posters on this forum are teachers and/or counselors and probably have a better understanding of the process than the Penn alums.
Many will fault me for this; so be it.
Be yourself and don’t panic - the interviewer is a human being and went though this too.
Why be yourself? If after 17 years you think I won’t catch you in an exaggeration, padding. or lying, you are sadly mistaken. Maybe a few slipped through my spot checks, but I have caught a fair number. Do not treat the interviewer as a dummy. They did get into Penn after all - your goal not your achievement yet…
God luck!
