<p>wow so many people have got interviews!!
I just hope I get one.
Also the portal says - ‘Tracking for required application materials will be available shortly. Thank you for your patience.’ Is it the same for everyone??
And my essay was 818 words. Problem??</p>
<p>I have a different kind of problem.</p>
<p>thing is, i did receive an interview, but i’ll be out of town during that period. will this negatively affect my application :(</p>
<p>hugedilemma, as I stated in my post #17 and as whartongrad08 has reiterated in post #98, since every candidate doesn’t get one, interview results have minimal impact. Therefore not having an interview will have even less of a say. </p>
<p>While I’ll probably regret revealing this, many years ago I was an alumni interviewer. This was long before the training program was put in place. Back then we were given a name, an address, a phone number for candidates and a very generic list of questions. We didn’t get your GPA, SATs, ACT or essays. We were there to sell Penn not the other way around. </p>
<p>I realize that the environment has become far more competitive and that Penn is now in the position of being extremely picky, but the decision to admit or deny still rests with the Admissions Office not your local alumni interviewer. Can you screw-up your chances by having a horrible interview? I’m sure you can, but the vast majority of candidates I met were interchangeable. They were bright, possessed some small athletic or artistic prowess and were generally more articulate than the average high school student.</p>
<p>So if you get an interview…</p>
<ol>
<li>RELAX!!!. </li>
<li>Be yourself. </li>
<li>Review your application. According to my nephew the questions provided by Penn basically allow you a chance to reinforce all the good things you’ve already said about yourself in the app. </li>
<li>Ask questions; show the interviewer that just maybe you did a little research about Penn beyond the USNWR list.</li>
<li>Finally, RELAX.</li>
</ol>
<p>Oh, and as for what to wear, I personally didn’t care so long as it was clean and appropriate for an office - i.e., guys: jeans or khakis and a button shirt was fine for me; girls: keep any shorts or skirts to no more than just above the knee. If your grandmother would disapprove of what you were wearing then change. No suits or ties unless your coming right from a high school where that is the dress code. Combing your hair and brushing your teeth helps too.</p>
<p>Here’s a question, should I take a copy of my Apps and a list of questions or something with me to the interview, I want to be prepared, but I don’t want to seem too prepared if you know what I mean. Is a small folder with a resume and stuff a no-no?</p>
<p>TheWikiMan - Don’t think a copy of the app is necessary or useful…however I always enjoy when candidates come prepared with a 1-pg resume. I would also come prepared with a list of questions.</p>
<p>whartongrad: I am the Executive Editor of widely read and distributed school publications. Would it be wise to bring a copy of an issue with me or a copy of the school newspaper which I edit? (It’s a religious publication but that shouldn’t matter. At the very least it shows the effort put in).</p>
<p>i have an interview coming up on the 18th.
i’m simultaneously nervous and excited.</p>
<p>@vinceh actually i think you read my post wrongly. i did receive an interview, but am unable to attend as I will be out of town. will it appear to the upenn committee that I am not committed enough?</p>
<p>should I just cancel my trip and attend the interview?</p>
<p>hugedilemma - definitely. While not having an interview is not detrimental to your Penn chance, having a (positive) one is definitely helpful. </p>
<p>One more thing, coud you guys please confirm if your portal also states that tracking will begin shortly?? or has it started??</p>
<p>Mine says the same. Tracking will be available shortly. Got my Penn portal last week. What is taking so long? and no interview yet. and I live in NY on Long Island with plenty of Alumni.</p>
<p>@hugedilemma, I wouldn’t cancel your trip. If you have a good reason, not having an interview won’t negatively impact you. If I were you, I would just email/call whoever contacted you, thank them for the opportunity, and explain why you can’t make it.</p>
<p>Interviews are optional. In Penn’s Common Data Set Filing, Interviews are classified as “Considered” information, below the “important” factors of GPA, Work Experience and extracurriculars and they are further below the “very important” criteria of rigor, essays, character and recommendations. Interviews are viewed on the same level as volunteer work and geographic residence. The only thing they are more important than are your state of residency, your level of interest and your religious affiliation, all three of which are not considered at all. </p>
<p>As whartongrad08 pointed out, in his region half of all candidates don’t get the opportunity to be interviewed. So how can not having an interview be seen as a negative? Since “student interest” is a “not considered” factor, how can passing on an interview due to prior commitments be a problem? Since you have applied ED how could Penn possibly interpret your inability to interview due to a prior commitment as somehow not being “committed enough”?</p>
<p>This entire discussion is a living example as to why many schools have eliminated interviews entirely. Barring pulling a knife or trying to bribe your interviewer I can’t envision a scenario where your interview will dramatically effect your chances, ergo I find it impossible to envision a scenario wherein not taking an interview is somehow harmful. The only true advantage I can see to an interview is that it will eliminate all of the anxiety flying around for people who don’t get one, (of course then there will be some subset of you that will be pulling your hair out about how well you did or didn’t do). </p>
<p>Look at the Common Data Set, getting into Penn is going to hinge or your essays, recommendations, rigor of school, GPA, ECs and work experience not on a 45-60 minute conversation you may or may not have with a complete stranger.</p>
<p>well that answers it beautifully. thank you :)</p>
<p>as vinceh pointed out not having an interview is not detrimental. However, if you do get an interview (especially true for ED) then it can impact your application either positively or negatively…this is particularly true for candidates that are on the “bubble”…if you are on the bubble and get a rave review from your interviewer this could push you into the accepted bucket…and vice-versa (if you have a crappy interview and are on the bubble this could push you to the rejected bucket). </p>
<p>@hugedilemma - I would just email/call your interviewer explain that you will be out of town on the proposed date and ask if there is any way to re-schedule. Most interviewers are very flexible.</p>
<p>Hi all! Just had my alumni interview today!</p>
<p>It was totally laid back and we pretty much just spent the entire time going back and forth about Penn. He talked about his experiences there - either through my prompting or of his own accord - and I talked about (very briefly actually) what I wanted to do at Penn and about my own high school. I was super surpised at how comfortable it felt talking with the alumni. He seemed to really love his school and the interaction made me feel more confident in my choice! 
Still super surprised that he never really asked a “WHY PENN” question, but hey, that’s totally fine. I think the purpose of the interview is just to see if you’re capable of carrying an intelligent conversation - while eating pad thai =P - with a complete stranger.</p>
<p>Emailing a thanks and mailing a thank you card later this week. Best of luck to everyone in the ED pool!</p>
<p>Oh, and I brought a resume, - which the alumni kept for his records - a pen, the Penn viewbooks, and a manilla folder to keep it all together.</p>
<p>Just got a phone call - it’s a female alumni in her 20s! I’m very surprised. I expected a male alumni in his 30s or 40s… Has anyone had female alumni interviews before? I’m an Asian-American male and I’m not so good with talking to females…</p>
<p>Just had my interview, I would say it went quite well. It was solid, I didn’t mess anything up, but I don’t think he will remember me 10 years from now. It lasted around an hour and fifty minutes. My only advice so far is to keep up with current events and some books, those can come in handy.</p>
<p>if i have not yet been contacted by an alum, (there is an active committee within 10 minutes of me) should i just assume that i will not be interviewed (i submitted my ED app on 10/28)? or should i send the alum an email requesting an interview?</p>
<p>I finally got a call for an interview. I know that my interviewer attended Upenn quite a while ago (i think from…1952-1957?) and graduated with a literature/economics degree.
She told me she is one of the oldest interviewers. Can anyone tell me what older people like hearing/talking about? And would it matter if I don’t know much about literature? I’m a science person so I don’t really know much about books…</p>
<p>mumurthigal, i dont think its necessary to email? I sent my application in around the same time as you and i got a call very recently. I think they just contact people randomly. and they probably assume that everyone wants an interview</p>
<p>scheduled for the 14th
got a phone call on the 9th
sent my app on the 31st</p>
<p>nervous but excited</p>