<p>Hey everyone! I jsut got a call from a Penn Alum and I was lucky enough to get selected for an interview.</p>
<p>I was wondering if any of you have any interview tips, or sample questions that the interviewer might ask? </p>
<p>I want this interview to go as smoothly as possible because even though they say it doesn't really hold any weight i'm sure it effects things at least slightly.</p>
<p>thanks for all the insight</p>
<p>same here, anyone have advice or remember the typical questions from last year? thanks!</p>
<p>i didn't even get an interview. i really want one</p>
<p>I turned in my app yesterday evening and got an email asking for an interview within 48 hours. Now that's dedication.</p>
<p>My interview is scheduled in four days..I would really like any help as well! Thank you in advance!</p>
<p>just be prepared for the usual questions and be calm</p>
<p>review your aristotle and definitely be ready to talk about quantum mechanics</p>
<p>Will they discuss Orwell? Maybe I'll prepare a song and dance..</p>
<p>i had an interview yesterday (sent my stuff in in mid-oct, and i'm NOT an alum). it lasted 45 mins and it was at the alum's house- i brought my extracurric resume and we basically went over everything on the resume. i talked a LOT aobut my interests and everything, and i think that the alum got a true sense of who i was and what i've been doing for the past 3 years of high school. at the end she seemed enthused and called me an "extremely qualified applicant" !!!
i was very happy</p>
<p>I'm an alum and I do a number of interviews for Penn each year. There is no comprehensive list of questions that they must ask but obviously the questions are going to be along the lines of -- why penn; why this major; tell me about your ECs etc. My personal tip is to have answers prepped to the obvious questions. There is nothing that gets a bad evaluation as much as when students say "i don't know" and just give up on a question. I've asked 'why penn' and gotten answers like 'i don't know, i wanted to go to school in a city, my sister went there and liked it etc.' You should be able to explain your reasons or else it looks like you just don't care about the school, even though you applied ED.</p>
<p>Something else that goes over well with me -- the students who are articulate and mature enough to carry on a conversation. I'm not saying you should talk non-stop, but remember this is a conversation, so if an interviewer asks a question don't just answer it in 5 words and then force the interviewer to ask another -- give them material to work with! </p>
<p>I'm happy to offer more input if you all have more specific questions.</p>
<p>I had my interview last week, and a word of advice for anyone who is stressed over the interview, DON'T.</p>
<p>For me, it lasted a bit over an hour. It was entirely conversational, beginning with "Why Penn?". We had some good laughs over stories of my experiences in high school as well as his experience at Penn. </p>
<p>Don't worry about it.
Don't appear nervous, just sit down, and talk.
Don't be shy.
Add a bit of humor at times, but be true and honest.
Don't be afraid to speak boldly about yourself and describe your achievements.
Try not to just list a bunch of random activities. At least describe them and tell them what you really did.
Prepare a few questions beforehand in case they ask you what you want to know about them.</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone out there! =)</p>
<p>do interviewers submit formal evaluations to penn about the student?</p>
<p>anyone already interviewed? please share your experiences!
current students, offer some anecdotes as well :)</p>
<p>Yes -- interviewers have a certain amount of time to submit a write-up to admissions about the interview.</p>
<p>i have a question about choice of clothing... although it says "casual" what extent of casual should it be?</p>
<p>I'm planning on wearing a buttoned shirt with khaki slacks. That's what I've always worn for summer job interviews, so I would assume its similar.</p>
<p>You can wear casual clothing, but try not to be super-casual as it seems unprofessional -- i.e. avoid sweatshirts and sneakers; sweaters are good though; avoid jeans if you can and try to wear slacks or khakis.</p>
<p>Don't worry about interviews at all - they're too varied, and too unpredictable. While most of mine were in starbuckses, I had one in a law office and one in a fast-food restaurant. One of my interviewers had been doing it for 20 years, and another one had me as her first interviewee (she was not the best, and also gave me a negative view of a school I had previously liked). </p>
<p>Topics ran the gamut; I spoke with my Northwestern interviewer about how he wanted to open a movie theater, I spoke with my MIT interviewer about the guy/girl ratio (and how he said it wasn't a problem because so many of the guys are gay), I spoke with my Harvard interviewer about the differences between the NYT and WSJ, and I spoke to my Penn interviewer about gossip. My Princeton interviewer was a moron with terrible ADD, and my Columbia interviewer was very shy. I'm not sure the universities know how bad some of their alumni turned out :-)</p>
<p>Some were extremely intellectual (talking about the halting problem at MIT) and some were extremely casual (my female (as old as my mom) penn interviewer compared the attractiveness of guys in SEAS/Wharton/college). My cell phone rang during an interview (which scared the crap out of me) but it became an opportunity to break the ice. </p>
<p>Looking back, I had some great fun in interviews. If you're offered one, take it take it take it - it's a WONDERFUL opportunity to get to know the school and ask some weird questions. This is the point where you begin to weigh your choices, instead of worrying about who will accept you. If you don't get an interview, that's fine - it's not weighed heavily at any school in the country (too much variance, too much room to lie). An interview can help you distinguish between the top schools you're applying to that all offer excellent educations. (This is also the part where the prestige chase begins to fall apart).</p>
<p>Finally, thank your interviewer with a note or email. Despite what previous posters have said, interviewers have to commit a lot of time and effort, and provide this mainly as a service to applicants. This is more like a "first date" with you and the college than it is like a job interview.</p>
<p>thanks for all the help, i'm still really anxious about the interview. Should i brign any material to leave with the interviewer, such as a resume?</p>
<p>you're not going to give anything to the interviewer. If a resume or list of activities helps you talk about yourself, you may want to bring something like that.</p>
<p>Well my interview took place in a Starbucks...so pretty casual</p>