<p>Now that the application deadline is almost upon us, I thought it would be cool to start an interview thread where we can post our experiences with Penn interviews, like how they went, who got one, and talk about all the awkwardness that is sure to happen.</p>
<p>I guess I will start myself, I don’t have one yet, but a friend applying to SEAS got one already and had his today, so I suspect I will have one as well.</p>
<p>Nice thread. Have any of watched the Penn interview from the the Ivy Dreams documentary? Now that was awkward. My goal is to be slightly better than her.</p>
<p>When do you find out if you’re going to get an interview? Not everyone gets one right?</p>
<p>I think you find out whenever the alumni board or whatever from your state/region contacts you. My friend said some dude just called him up and scheduled it. And yes, not everyone gets one, it just depends on where you live, how many alumni live near there, and all that stuff. From what I have heard, it can only help, unless you are just one really creepy person.</p>
<p>I got contacted by an alum a few days after I submitted my app. I’ll be interviewing at his office this week. Hopefully it will help; all I have to do is relax and it should be good!</p>
<p>yeah maybe it is too “cocky” of me, but I feel like I could have a really good interview, I just don’t feel any real nerves about this whole interview possibility. I can definitely see however why some might be kind of nervous about it.</p>
<p>I would prefer an interview in an office, I don’t really want to mix eating food at a restaurant or something with answering questions, too much to concentrate on</p>
<p>Does anyone know if they pair Wharton applicants with Wharton alumni, CAS applicants with CAS alumni, etc? I applied to Wharton, and I have a feeling that my interviewer is a Wharton graduate, however there’s no way of knowing (until I meet with him, of course). Is it possible that he’s an MBA graduate and didn’t go to Penn undergrad?</p>
<p>I’m excited to show that I’m not a nerdy loser with no personality (as most of our academic profiles might indicate). :D</p>
<p>Is it just me who’s been told interviews are meaningless and almost everyone gets a positive one?</p>
<p>Yea I guess it’s just a way to see if you’re not socially awkward or something. Although the idea of it is still nerve-wracking. I personally hope I don’t get one, although unfortunately due to my location I probably will.</p>
<p>@elipsis, no they do not (know this because friend applied [and got in :D] two years ago.)</p>
<p>Now, how do the alumni contact us? By phone, or by mail?</p>
<p>I’m sure it’s up to the individual alum, but I would think that most would prefer to communicate by email.</p>
<p>Meh, I had an MIT interview at a local Panera Bread. It was great, we bought two rounds of drinks, since the interview went on for so long; he bought first round, I bought second.</p>
<p>I’m actually hoping to get a Penn interview :O</p>
<p>So…I’m from a small town with a population of 10,000 where less than 10% have post secondary degrees. What are my chances of getting an interview? ;)</p>
<p>"Is it just me who’s been told interviews are meaningless and almost everyone gets a positive one? "</p>
<p>In some cases, it can fill in gaps. Two students from a top urban HS in my area applied to my alma mater (a UPenn peer) but the teacher recs, while supportive, only contained bland generalities. Otherwise, the applicants looked super and the committee was inclined to offer admits but slightly hesitant. Once the 2 alum interview reports came in (which gave concrete examples of the students’ characteristics), the committee confidently gave offers of admit.</p>
<p>are you supposed to contact penn to schedule an alumni interview? because i’m afraid im not gonna be contacted, haha. but there is an alumni in my area listed on the site so idk</p>
<p>A nephew was contacted by an alum in his geographic area about a week after submitting his ED application. They met at the alum’s office and had a nice chat. The alum had what appeared to be a list of “Penn suggested” questions. </p>
<p>Penn, along with most every other school, is quick to point out that interviews have little to no impact on admissions decisions. This is simply because it would be unfair to those candidates who don’t have access to a regional interviewer. Additionally, the interviewers are alumni who doubtlessly possess widely different levels of experience when it comes to interviewing and assessing candidates.</p>
<p>Frankly it’s always struck me that interviewing applicants is more of a way for the school to keep alumni happy and “involved” than it is a useful screening technique. That said, I suppose if you go in and truly screw-up you can affect your chances negatively, otherwise I suspect it’s little more than affirmation of the information admissions already has.</p>
<p>I have an interview tomorrow afternoon. Has anyone had their interview yet who can give me some pointers?</p>
<p>are these interviews for ED applicants only or for all?</p>
<p>Ok I feel like I can shed some light on the Penn interview process since I am an alumni interviewer. I’ll respond below to the questions that have already been asked above. </p>
<p>Post #4: When do you find out if you’re going to get an interview? Not everyone gets one right? </p>
<p>You should be finding out over the next 1-2 weeks if you have an interview scheduled. As an interviewer I got my list of candidates this week and reached out today. </p>
<p>Although everyone is eligible for an interview (not pre-selected based on stats or anything like that), not everyone gets an interview b/c of logistical reasons (meaning there aren’t enough alumni interviewers in your area, etc.)</p>
<p>Post #8: Does anyone know if they pair Wharton applicants with Wharton alumni, CAS applicants with CAS alumni, etc? Is it possible that he’s an MBA graduate and didn’t go to Penn undergrad?</p>
<p>The secondary school committees for each alumni club do the pairings and generally they try to pair you up with someone from the school that you are applying to. That said, It doesn’t always necessarily happen. </p>
<p>It is possible that the alumni graduated from one of penn’s grad programs. Although they try to schedule them with UG alums if there aren’t enough interviewers then it’s possible. </p>
<p>Post #9: Is it just me who’s been told interviews are meaningless and almost everyone gets a positive one? </p>
<p>Honestly the interviews matter a lot more for ED than RD. For RD, they are pretty much meaningless and really just serve as an opportunity to give the candidate some time to learn more about penn, have questions answered, etc. (i.e. helps as a sales tool to get Penn yield up in all honesty). However, for ED the interviews do matter a lot more. Particularly it helps Penn truly understand your interest in Penn or if you are just trying to game the system to increase your chances of getting in. Honestly, I’ve interviewed candidates applying for ED who knew very little about the school. These people don’t get rave reviews and usually don’t get it. </p>
<p>Post #11: Now, how do the alumni contact us? By phone, or by mail?</p>
<p>Usually via e-mail. If you don’t respond to the e-mail within a few days then we’ll give you a call. </p>
<p>Post #17: Penn, along with most every other school, is quick to point out that interviews have little to no impact on admissions decisions. This is simply because it would be unfair to those candidates who don’t have access to a regional interviewer. Additionally, the interviewers are alumni who doubtlessly possess widely different levels of experience when it comes to interviewing and assessing candidates.Frankly it’s always struck me that interviewing applicants is more of a way for the school to keep alumni happy and “involved” than it is a useful screening technique. That said, I suppose if you go in and truly screw-up you can affect your chances negatively, otherwise I suspect it’s little more than affirmation of the information admissions already has</p>
<p>Like I said interviews matter a lot more in ED (don’t really matter in RD). Obviously it won’t be held against you if you didn’t get an interview but it does serve as a screening tool for ED. Regarding your comment on interviewer quality, you are right that there are varying levels of quality, however, penn does try to minimize this via required training sessions and suggested standard questions. Finally, regarding your last comment…I think it definitely is a way to keep alums happy and also a good technique to increase yield by potentially convincing RD students to accept an offer from Penn. That said, as an interviewer, I have had the admissions office call me up while in committee on a candidate to discuss something I wrote in my review meaning that it does have some impact. </p>
<p>Post #19: are these interviews for ED applicants only or for all? </p>
<p>For everyone.</p>