More than 9,300 Penn alumni volunteers helped make the 2020-21 admissions cycle one for the history books.
When the COVID-19 pandemic turned the standard college admissions process upside down, applications skyrocketed as the University went test-optional. With over 46,000 interviews offered during the 2020-21 admissions cycle—the most in the University’s history—Penn’s outstanding volunteer community of alumni interviewers stepped up in a big way.
Undergraduate applicants are offered interviews through the Penn Alumni Interview Program (PAIP). In 2020-21, volunteer interviewers pivoted to an all-virtual environment to conduct conversations with applicants from Brisbane to Buenos Aires. This year’s application season culminated in a 5.7% undergraduate acceptance rate, making the Class of 2025 the most selective in Red and Blue history. PAIP has the distinction of being the largest alumni interview program in the world, according to its director, Patrick Bredehoft. “The pandemic revealed that we have more flexibility than we initially thought,” he says. “Our alumni responded magnificently.”
Through PAIP, more alumni than ever are shaping the future student body. Incoming freshman Ellen Choi said about her experience with alumni interviewer Sanford Simon, W’56, PAR’81: “My Penn interview was one of the most comfortable and conversational interviews I have ever experienced. Mr. Simon called me from his office in New York City—over 1,000 miles from my home in Florida. Despite the distance between us, we instantly connected through our shared love for golf and research. Halfway through, I remember feeling like I was having a friendly chat rather than a formal interview.”
Opportunities exist for alumni of all ages to remain involved and connected to student life through PAIP. Simon, who interviewed Choi, is turning 90 this year and held 19 interviews in 2021—the most in his 30 years with PAIP. “I started interviewing in 1989 in Hudson County, New Jersey” says Simon. As a member of the Penn Fund Executive Board, and co-chair of the Reunion Volunteer Class of ’56, he has continued to stay engaged thanks to FaceTime. “I like doing the interviews online,” he says. “I really enjoy talking to young people and staying current with Penn.”
University Trustee Ramanan Raghavendran, EAS’89, W’89, LPS’15, has been a steadfast ambassador for PAIP for more than a decade. He views virtual interviews as an efficient way for students in the U.S. and abroad to advocate for themselves and begin building their Quaker network before they even reach campus.
These conversations offer a window into the world. I’ve held digital interviews with students in all kinds of unfathomable situations: in Aleppo, Syria as it was being bombarded, and in a Ugandan refugee camp. It’s one of the most eye-opening and rewarding things I do.”University Trustee Ramanan Raghavendran, EAS’89, W’89, LPS’15
Whether one interview or 1,000, alumni agree that the conversations are always meaningful. “I’ve interviewed students who might be the first in their family to attend a university, those who know exactly what they want to do with their Penn education, and some who are crafting their own unique path in life,” says Mandana Chaffa, W’87, a PAIP committee leader and interviewer. “These interviews make an appreciable difference for the students, who are uniformly enthusiastic, smart and infinitely inspiring. Especially in challenging times, the opportunity to speak to these individuals genuinely gives me hope for our future.”
Click here to learn more about becoming involved in PAIP.
