藤校面试 – advice from an interviewer

来源: 2017-01-20 15:19:49

看见楼下在问藤校面试,我也来说说吧。我已经为我母校宾大面试了好几届本科学生。因为是写给学生们的我还是用英文写吧。

For Penn applicants, the key question you want to make sure that you are prepared for is, "Why Penn?" Please DO NOT answer because it is an Ivy school. Make sure you do your homework about Penn. It is a plus if you have visited the campus but if you haven't, go online and research Penn's academic/extracurricular programs that interest you. If you are applying to Wharton, know at least the difference between an Econ degree from Wharton and that from the College of Arts and Sciences. A good response to this question will demonstrate your knowledge of the school and sincerety in your desire to attend. Even if you are otherwise a very strong candidate, if you can't give a convincing answer to this question, you will likely get a negative interview report. Ivys care about matriculation rates and are more likely to offer spots to someone who will eventually attend if admitted.

The interview is also a chance to show the school who you are as a person aside from all of your accomplishments. Your demeanor will be taken into account together with what you say. It's okay if you have a shy personality but do show the interviewer that you can be quite lively if the topic is something you are passionate about. When talking about your achievements, be careful not to verge too close to arrogance. Have some personal stories prepared beforehand so that you can whip them out as needed to answer questions about your personality and interests. Prepare some thoughtful questions for the interviewer and try to engage him in a conversation about his experience at Penn. 

Our interview reports are framed around whether the student is genuinely interested in Penn and whether the student would actually be a good fit for Penn. Each interviewer typically conducts 3-5 interviews per admission cycle and the candidates are ranked against each other in the reports. The best and worst are usually the easiest to write about, but for the ones in the middle, whether or not you get a positive recommendation from the interviewer may really come down to your answer to the "Why Penn" question. 

Hope this helps! Good luck!

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