<p>Hello! I just got an email for an interview at UPenn. I was curious… Does Upenn require an interview? Does everyone get an interview? I’m not sure… Is this good news or bad news? Because wouldn’t an interview mean I’m on the edge?? like they aren’t sure about me? How seriously do they take their interviews? Any tips? I am extremely nervous!! thanks</p>
<p>dont worry, receiving an interview doesn't mean you're on the edge. Penn randomly selects applicants for interview, and it's also based on the number of alumni available in your area.</p>
<p>Interviews are not selective. Applicants in some areas get interviews. They either provide interviews for every applicant in the area or none. That is how it works, trust me on this one.
I have not yet been contacted for my Penn interview, but Penn is very popular in my area (and I'm sure it is elsewhere, too, of course) but I know I will get one; it's not yet the end of January so I'm not worried.</p>
<p>what about the houston area?</p>
<p>actually, it's not true that every applicant in an area receives an interview if some do...</p>
<p>i never received an interview and was accepted, even though i live 20 minutes from penn and everyone else applying from my school received one...</p>
<p>don't fret about the interview, just put your best foot forward.</p>
<p>can you request an interview?</p>
<p>no, you cannot; if you try to ask for one the admissions office will tell you that they can't help you.</p>
<p>You can request a legacy interview. The only catch is that you need to be a legacy.</p>
<p>when do they contact you by?</p>
<p>Here's a tip: Don't be extremely nervous!</p>
<p>I was accepted early and I didnt receive an interview. Im from DFW, Texas. No worries.</p>
<p>can i refuse an interview? :)
i think i'd rather not do one. what should i tell my interviewer?</p>
<p>ivyracer,
why would you want to refuse an interview?
Unless you have some (god forbid) death in the family, or your house just got burned down, or you are getting hospitalized for cancer treatments etc, turning down an interview offer is almost an automatic rejection.</p>
<p>Turning down an interview is not an automatic rejection if you can give them a solid reason as to why you can't meet (i.e. sport 6 days a week then tons of volunteering at church Sunday). Even then, you should be able to make some time. If you are too lazy to go for an interview it will look really bad, and unless you already had a legacy interview and tell them that you want another kid to have an interview, it will probably be frowned upon to decline an interview (especially since lots of people don't get them). eithe ryou have to be an automatic admit, or an automatic reject for declining an interview to have no effect on your chances.</p>
<p>I realize the OP asked whether Penn requires interviews, whether everyone gets them etc... I don't think they are required and it seems not everyone gets one.</p>
<p>I had mine today and the strongest impression I came away with: Penn wants to know that you live, sleep, eat, dream and bleed Penn. In more than one way, I was asked: "is Penn your first choice?" My interviewer(s) (two Wharton grads) seemed much more interested in talking about where else I applied rather than talking about Penn. A few minutes into the interview, the (first of three) "where else did you apply?" came up. I started listing university A, university B but the guys went off on some tangent about these two schools and we talked for a few minutes about the schools and the towns where they were located etc. Then the "where else?" came back. I said university C. Another tangent, and some talk related to C....and then, back to "where else...?". </p>
<p>Bottom line: I didn't feel as though this was a conversation about Penn but about the other schools I applied to. </p>
<p>I'm guessing that not every Penn interview is/was like mine. I can only tell you what I experienced. I'm not sure I'd advise people to say that Penn is the ONLY school under consideration....maybe you could score a few points by mentioning the University of Guadalajara or Bermuda Tech...I'm not sure.</p>
<p>Good Luck</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm guessing that not every Penn interview is/was like mine
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Nope.. Mine was very casual and my interviewer tried his level best to answer any questions I had about Penn..</p>
<p>The #1 thing that they are looking for is "demonstrated interest" - they want to know that if they make you an offer that you'll accept cause it messes up their yield if you don't. Penn is especially sensitive about this because in 2 ways vs. other Ivies Penn loses more than 50% to all except Cornell - this is their dirty little secret. (I suspect that it's less than 50% for Wharton and even higher for College). So if they ask you, mention that you applied to Cornell and maybe 1 more but don't list every other Ivy, etc.</p>
<p>Do the AOs get a summary of the interview, or no? I called the admissions office and they said that interviews are not a part of the admissions process, but are they?</p>
<p>Also, what do you advise about submitting before the October 15 "Suggested application deadline for Early Decision freshman applicants wishing to maximize their chances of having an optional alumni interview."
Did any of you do that, does it increase chances that much? Or do they just mean "the earlier you submit, the better your chances of an interview"</p>
<p>i submitted my app the night before, didnt get an interview, and got in. i really really really dont think the interviews are that much of a factor based on their website and major hearsay.</p>
<p>Someone said you'd get priority interviews if your application had discrepancies and they'd use the alumni to interrogate you for answers XD</p>