{"id":138827,"date":"2025-08-12T05:11:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T05:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/138827\/"},"modified":"2025-08-12T05:11:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T05:11:11","slug":"end-of-an-era-penn-alumni-education-experts-reflect-on-termination-of-admissions-conversations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/138827\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018End of an era\u2019: Penn alumni, education experts reflect on termination of admissions conversations"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tAlumni and college admissions experts react after Penn removed the alumni interview from its admissions process.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: Roger Ge<\/a> \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

On July 16, Penn announced that its 2025-26 undergraduate admissions process would no longer include conversations with alumni, sparking mixed reactions from members of the Penn Alumni Ambassador Program.\n<\/p>\n

Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule and Senior Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations Hoopes Wampler announced the change<\/a> in response to growing applicant numbers and constructive feedback from alumni. The Daily Pennsylvanian spoke with higher education experts and former alumni interviewers about their experiences and hopes for the revised program.\n\t\t<\/p>\n

1986 Wharton graduate Laurie Weingarten \u2014 who also serves as the president and chief educational consultant at One-Stop College Counseling \u2014 described the shift away from alumni conversations as an \u201cend of an era\u201d in an interview with the DP.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are mourning the loss of the interview program,\u201d Weingarten said. \u201cEven if [alumni] felt like it didn\u2019t have that much weight, it was just a nice way to stay connected to Penn, and I think it was kind of nice for a lot of students.\u201d\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Weingarten, who spent more than two decades as an alumni interviewer, noted the \u201cchange in philosophy\u201d within Penn Admissions that has recently reshaped the University\u2019s undergraduate application process. She attributed the changes to the leadership of Soule, who entered Penn with \u201ca different view\u201d than former<\/a> Dean of Admissions Eric Furda.\n<\/p>\n

Weingarten pointed to the University\u2019s pivot<\/a> from alumni interviews to non-evaluative conversations for the 2023-24 admissions cycle.\n\t<\/p>\n

\u201cWe went from Dean Furda having over 10,000 alumni interviewers, and the goal was to interview every single applicant,\u201d Weingarten said. \u201cPretty soon after [Soule] arrived \u2026 Penn announced that they\u2019re getting rid of the interviews and having alumni conversations.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

When the first change was made, Weingarten recalled uncertainty among alumni regarding the \u201cpurpose\u201d of conversations.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone that I know quit the second year,\u201d Weingarten added.\n<\/p>\n

While she called the shift from evaluative interviews \u201cconfusing,\u201d Weingarten emphasized that \u201cone conversation can still change a student\u2019s path.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

1980 College and Wharton graduate Leonard Bernstein \u2014 who chaired the interviewing committee for alumni across Philadelphia suburbs \u2014 also noted the value of conversations for both prospective students and the University.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThe admissions people always thanked us,\u201d Bernstein said in an interview with the DP, adding that the response from Penn typically emphasized \u201chow refreshing it is to see in-person reactions, and how that helped them in the very tough decisions.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Weingarten recounted an interaction with a Penn admissions officer in which she described \u201cthe most incredible candidate ever.\u201d The admissions officer remembered discussing the evaluation when making the decision to accept the candidate, which Weingarten told the DP \u201cmade [her] feel great.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

1997 College graduate Alyson Anderson similarly highlighted the \u201cpositive\u201d elements of the program, writing in a statement to the DP that \u201cthe alumni conversations were always about building community for me.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cIt never felt as [if] the interviews or conversations had many implications on a student\u2019s application status,\u201d Anderson wrote. \u201cHowever, I do think it gave some color and personality to the candidates.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

She added that even after the change, the conversations not only \u201chelped to present Penn as a place where alumni happily stayed involved,\u201d but also \u201caided in building the Penn community and breaking down boundaries for potential applicants to apply.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Weingarten also emphasized that while \u201cquality control\u201d was a \u201cmajor challenge\u201d during the conversations, it allowed applicants to \u201clearn about Penn\u201d from a mentor figure.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m kind of conflicted on whether Penn should have stopped or not,\u201d Weingarten continued. \u201cI think there were pros and cons.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

According to Wampler, Penn Admissions anticipated the wide range of reactions following the announcement.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cAs you might expect with a long-standing and deeply valued volunteer experience, the responses span a spectrum \u2014 from disappointment and concern, to understanding, curiosity, and genuine enthusiasm about what\u2019s next,\u201d Wampler wrote in a statement to the DP.\n<\/p>\n

Wampler wrote that alumni volunteers will now \u201csupport matriculating students through welcome outreach \u2014 typically in the form of a congratulatory phone call or email \u2014 offering encouragement, insight, and a warm introduction to the Penn community.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

He continued that \u201cAlumni Relations has long been looking at creating a more intentional mentoring program to facilitate connections in the student and alumni community\u201d and will \u201cexpand through the launch of a formal, campus-wide mentorship initiative in 2026.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

In an interview with the DP, 2001 College Graduate Brett Martz welcomed the possibility of a new program, adding that he would be \u201chappy to serve and see how things develop.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Martz, who has served as an alumni interviewer since 2013, said that \u201cevery one of these developments over the past couple of years made my job as an interviewer easier.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be involved to the extent that I can be involved,\u201d he said, noting his hope that alumni and students will \u201csubstantial and meaningful\u201d connections to make sure that the alumnus\u2019 help is \u201cuseful for everybody and worth the students\u2019 time.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ll miss the evaluative aspect,\u201d Martz said. \u201cI liked it better as a conversation. I liked taking the pressure off.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Martz emphasized that alumni interviewers having \u201cany type of consequential impact on somebody\u2019s admissions chances\u201d can be \u201cscary\u201d for applicants.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could have some grumpy gorilla \u2014 who knows?\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n

Weingarten echoed Martz\u2019s sentiment, explaining that \u201cthere wasn\u2019t consistency among [interviews] because everyone\u2019s getting a different interviewer, and some are fabulous and some are not.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than continuing a model that reached some students and not others, we chose to reimagine our approach in a way that would better reflect our values and ensure a more consistent and inclusive student experience,\u201d Wampler wrote.\n<\/p>\n

The DP also spoke with Rachel York \u2014 an admissions counselor at IvyWise \u2014 who noted that she was \u201cnot surprised\u201d by Penn\u2019s decision to end alumni conversations, given that they are a \u201chuge undertaking.”\n<\/p>\n

Wampler also cited alumni feedback about \u201cthe purpose of their role\u201d following the shift from interviews to non-evaluative admissions-season conversations.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cA recurring theme in the feedback was whether their efforts might be more impactful at a different point in the student journey, such as after a student has been admitted,\u201d Wampler added. \u201cAs we began planning the future of the program, we focused on designing a model that better aligns alumni engagement with moments of greater relevance and connection.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Instead of being limited to admissions season, the new program will connect alumni volunteers with students \u201cthroughout their time on campus,\u201d according to Wampler. He wrote that PAAP\u2019s goal was to make alumni and student connections more \u201cpurposeful, timely, and personal.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

York also described a growing \u201cemphasis\u201d on how universities \u201care preparing their students for careers.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI could see Penn taking the robust alumni network, and focusing it more on current Penn students,\u201d York said. \u201cI could see that as being something in the same vein of \u2018we\u2019re really trying to set our students up for success post-college life, professionally.\u2019\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Weingarten similarly spoke to the change as representative of a larger shift in higher education.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cCOVID hit \u2026 many schools dropped the interviews, and many have not gone back,\u201d she said. \u201cAmong the Ivies, it\u2019s kind of split.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Columbia University has \u201cstopped them permanently,\u201d while Cornell University only kept them for the architecture school, and Brown University \u201cstopped them but went to an optional video.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Bernstein noted his \u201csurpris[e]\u201d that Penn discontinued the program because the University \u201chad moved to the forefront of offering alumni interviews,\u201d to an extent where \u201cmost universities didn\u2019t or couldn’t come close.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

According to Weingarten, Stanford University, Georgetown University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have also maintained interviews, while the University of Chicago \u201cstopped [offering them] completely.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

In lieu of an interview or conversation, some schools have implemented a Glimpse video<\/a> \u2014 a 90-second clip that students can complete for $22 \u2014 as part of the Common Application.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cSo much of what\u2019s shared in an application is very well thought out \u2014 with good reason,\u201d York said. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing a lot more using platforms like Glimpse, where you just talk about yourself or a topic.\n\t\t<\/p>\n

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Get our newsletter, DP Daybreak, delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.<\/p>\n

York said that Penn may decide to utilize a platform like Glimpse to allow applicants to show more personality.\n<\/p>\n

She cautioned, however, that \u201cwhen Penn switched from interviews to conversations, there was a huge dropoff in alumni participation.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI could see that trend continuing here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation<\/a> to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.<\/p>\n

Donate<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Alumni and college admissions experts react after Penn removed the alumni interview from its admissions process. Credit: Roger…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":138828,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5132],"tags":[5672,73622,24370,5229,8433,8432,8430,50,1448,2830,1311,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-138827","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia","8":"tag-administration","9":"tag-admissions","10":"tag-alumni","11":"tag-america","12":"tag-app-top-news","13":"tag-beats","14":"tag-centerpiece","15":"tag-news","16":"tag-pa","17":"tag-pennsylvania","18":"tag-philadelphia","19":"tag-united-states","20":"tag-united-states-of-america","21":"tag-unitedstates","22":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","23":"tag-us","24":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115014079888613065","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138827"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138827\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/138828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}