{"id":75588,"date":"2025-07-19T14:34:22","date_gmt":"2025-07-19T14:34:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/75588\/"},"modified":"2025-07-19T14:34:22","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T14:34:22","slug":"penn-to-end-alumni-admissions-conversations-for-upcoming-application-cycle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/75588\/","title":{"rendered":"Penn to end alumni admissions conversations for upcoming application cycle"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"09-04-23-claudia-cohen-moira-connell\"\/
\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\tPenn will no longer offer alumni conversations as part of the application process beginning with the 2025-26 cycle.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: Moira Connell<\/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

The Penn Alumni Ambassador Program will no longer offer alumni conversations with prospective students beginning with the 2025-26 cycle, University leadership announced Wednesday in a message to members of the program.\n<\/p>\n

In lieu of \u201cbrief admissions-season conversations,\u201d alumni ambassadors will now participate in a \u201csustained year-round volunteer experience focused on supporting students at every stage of their Penn journey,\u201d Vice Provost and Dean of Admissions Whitney Soule and Senior Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations Hoopes Wampler wrote in the message. The announcement is the latest in a series of updates to PAAP, an initiative designed to build relationships between Penn alumni and new students.\u00a0\n\t\t<\/p>\n

Soule and Wampler described the program as a \u201crobust, campus-wide mentorship initiative\u201d with \u201copportunities to congratulate and welcome matriculating students.\u201d They cited feedback from current alumni ambassadors, including a desire to ensure their \u201cvaluable time be made more relevant and rewarding\u201d during the admissions process.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

In their message, Soule and Wampler attributed the change to the University\u2019s record-breaking applicant pool and the resulting need to redirect alumni \u201cexpertise\u201d to encourage “enduring impact.\u201d\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Vice Dean and Director of Strategic Communications of Penn Admissions Paul Richards described the new model as \u201cthe evolution of a strong and long-standing collaboration between Penn Admissions and Alumni Relations,\u201d in a written statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian.\n<\/p>\n

The complete details of the update to the admission process will be made available on Aug. 1, when Penn\u2019s undergraduate application goes live.\u00a0\n\t<\/p>\n

\u201cApplicants will be able to see that we no longer list an optional alumni conversation as part of our application requirements,\u201d Richards wrote.\n<\/p>\n

Penn received 72,544 applications for undergraduate admission in the last admissions cycle \u2014 making it the University\u2019s most selective year<\/a> on record and marking a sharp increase from the 31,000 applications<\/a> received in 2012, when PAAP was established.\n<\/p>\n

According to a frequently asked questions<\/a> website linked in the message, this \u201crapid increase in application volume and the compressed timeline for review have made it challenging to sustain one-on-one conversations in an equitable and timely way.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Under the newly designed program, one-on-one alumni conversations will be replaced with yearlong efforts to welcome, mentor, and support new and current students.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the moment an admitted student chooses Penn, you will help ease their transition and guide their academic, extracurricular, and professional exploration,\u201d Soule and Wampler wrote.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cAlumni volunteers will be able to focus on meaningful and sustained connections with admitted and current students, rather than short conversations with applicants who may or may not end up coming to Penn,\u201d Richards wrote.\n<\/p>\n

The message also featured an interest form<\/a> for alumni to log their involvement and mentorship goals to help guide the program. According to the form, the updated model will also offer opportunities for alumni to receive mentorship from fellow alumni.\n<\/p>\n

The announcement comes after Penn Admissions pivoted<\/a> from alumni interviews to non-evaluative conversations for the 2023-24 admissions cycle. The Penn Admissions website<\/a> currently describes alumni conversations as an opportunity \u201cfor students to learn more about Penn from someone who can speak from experience.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Laurie Kopp Weingarten, president and chief educational consultant at One-Stop College Counseling, previously told<\/a> the DP that when she brought up the shift away from alumni interviews at a meeting of the Wharton Club of New Jersey, \u201cit was not a good reaction.\u201d\n\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\tSign up for our newsletter<\/p>\n

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

\u201cPeople were not happy,\u201d she said, adding that many people in that group are \u201cactive Penn alumni\u201d who are part of the interview program.\n<\/p>\n

Chair of Penn\u2019s Board of Trustees, Ramanan Raghavendran \u2014 who has served PAAP for 16 years \u2014 noted his enthusiasm for \u201cpiloting new initiatives\u201d for alumni relations.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, for me, this is about engaging our 350,000 alumni who each have a wealth of experience and knowledge, a resource shared by very few other universities,\u201d Raghavendran added in the message. \u201cAll journeys begin with a first step.”<\/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

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