I had an interview I applied in College of Arts and Science, on 01/5 and I’m from UK
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My daughter applied to engineering and had an interview
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How do these interviews work? Do we have to agree to something to get an interview or by default all will be interviewed (based on alumni availability) once you apply? My daughter didn’t get her interview and we are based out of Texas
Interviews are given to applicants in all schools ( CAS, ENG, WH, NUR). While admissions may try to find interviewers with similar backgrounds, interests, Penn school to which applicants are applying to, this is not always the case (I went to CAS and have interviewed WH, ENG and CAS students). Alumni volunteer to do interviews and specify the number of interviews they are willing to do. The Admissions office then sends them a list of applicants names, contact information, HS, and area of interest (possible major/school) - but nothing else. Interviewers then send emails to applicants, applicants respond, interview (virtual nowadays) is set up, interview takes place, interviewer sends a report, and that’s it. Interviewers are given a final determination on their portal so they will know who was admitted, rejected , or waitlisted. For those who are admitted admissions asks interviewers to send a congrats note and offer any additional information the applicant might need in their final decision. Interviewers know nothing more (if a student enrolled or not, waitlist status etc.) To what extent the interviewers report affected the final decision is only known by admissions so there is no reason to ask interviewers why a student was or wasn’t admitted.
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I don’t know about Penn but at least one of the other Ivies asked as part of the common app questions.
All schools are different. For Northwestern, applicants received emails after submitting asking whether or not they wanted an interview. Georgetown was mandatory for all applicants, and some schools don’t ask the applicant to agree to anything. For the latter schools, those that want to interview just have to hope they get a request.
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Could you elaborate on how you know about the interview policies for these schools? My S22 applied to Northwestern and Georgetown and didn’t get an interview request. However, he did interview with Penn, Harvard, Grinnell, and Dartmouth. I didn’t read anywhere that an interview was mandatory for Georgetown, so that’s concerning. I’m also a grad of Northwestern that got in without an interview (not that that’s meaningful in this day and age, but just interesting). I’d love to know how you know about these interview policies.
I realize you were asking Camelbak, but I don’t think they meant it’s required for admission. I think it’s just that they don’t ask you whether you want to be interviewed or not. And if they do have an interviewer available and you’re asked to interview, it’s probably a good idea, but your mileage may vary on that.
Georgetown does interview everyone
In our case, the request for interview came really early.
We paid the application fee to access the full application and my daughter was interviewed even before we submitted the full application as we applied for regular decision
For Northwestern we requested to be interviewed. Since nothing happened, we followed up and they answered back that they had received the request
Later they sent an email that the alumni interviewers had reached capacity and that they will note in the application that she had requested it.
She was interviewed rather quickly by Harvard, much later on by UPENN and Stanford and finally by Princeton.
Northeastern does not interview, nor Boston College
Not offered an interview for scholarship by USC
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U Chicago does not offer interviews
My observation has been that the only colleges that ask if you want an interview are the ones where interviews are informative. Colleges that use evaluative interviews don’t ask - they simply offer you one if they have alumni availability.
D had 9 interviews, which is kind of nuts. D18 had 5 or so and didn’t get into any of the schools she interviewed at. Either she was a bad interview (which I know she is not) or they really don’t mean a lot. I strongly believe in the later. Good experience, nice to connect with people and the school, but I don’t think they really amount to anything in the final outcome.
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A good Blog about interviews is below
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I do mean it’s required for admission for Georgetown.
Here: Information for Alumni | Office of Undergraduate Admissions | Georgetown University.
“Georgetown is among the few schools in the nation to require an admissions interview, and the AAP membership (over 6,500 alumni strong) interviews the vast majority of applicants.”
For Northwestern, applicants indicate their interest in an interview in the portal. After that, they may or may not get a request for an interview.
This information can easily be found from a quick Google search.
Yes, I see now. Thank you for the link and for all those who spelled it out. It is quite sad, though, to think that my son is sitting here thinking he’s still in the running for Gtown. I guess he should assume a rejection given no interview?
Why don’t you call them up?
It might have been missed
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Importantly, they do not discriminate or screen to set interviews
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No interview does not mean a rejection! Keep your hopes alive.
The problem with this article which uses the IVy as an example states that interviews are a required yet many schools state that interviews are NOT required…so take this article and the thought that if you don’t get an an interview you have been unofficially turned down.
If as the article states its required then someone isnt being truthful. Obviously schools don’t want to reveal anything before they are officially suppose to (we all know that’s not true with likely letters being sent out - but the opposite assumption could then be made if interviews are not given when they are required)
Long shot, but trying to think positively… will Penn have in person accepted students day this year? If so, any idea when?