eiei

Hi guys! i have been trying to find on the harvard website where it explains the interview process... does anyone know how exactly interviews work? i am interested in applying to harvard (2013) and i have heard that harvard offers on-campus interviews and alumni interviews in your local area. how does it all work??

twinmom

Harvard does not offer on campus interviews. Once your application is submitted you will be contacted for an alumni interview in your area.

fauve

Harvard has always offered interviews on campus by admissions staff. (Unless they have changed this policy in the last months- which I doubt.) (Princeton is the school that does not offer on campus interviews.)

Call admissions, tell them when you will be on campus and they will tell you if they have a slot available. You do not have to have your application completed or submitted yet either. They will keep a record of the interview on file to add to your app.

The alumni interviews are not held on campus--they are in or near your town, assuming there are indeed alumni in the area. Once your application is submitted (the earlier the better to schedule interviews), the alumni will contact you (January, February) to schedule the time and location.

Newjack88

Don't do the interview before you submit your application. Interviewers will ask you about ECs and such and it will be much easier to answer these questions effectively if you have actually spent time thinking about these things.

token89

i did my interview on campus in october with my regional admissions officer. that's not typical though. in most cases you're contacted by local alumni sometime after you've submitted your application, and you set up an interview w/ them.

fauve

However, if you wait until the busiest interview season, you may not stand out, or you might be far more nervous as crunch time nears.

It is easy enough to make a list of ECs now. If you have really been involved in them, there should be no real editing that needs to be done for the interview.

twinmom

My apologies. I had no idea that they offered on-campus interviews. My daughter and all of her friends had local alumni interviews.

(This is why you should never completely trust a message board for important information and should always contact the school when in doubt!)

h-bomber

That being said, there is no advantage to interviewing on campus, so please don't make a trip just for an interview.

marite

We're local, but S was offered an alumni interview, which was actually farther away for him than a campus interview would have been.

piccolojunior

Local interview for me...and it was in january too, so it doesn't always hurt to have a later interview.

Northstarmom

Use CC's archives as there is much detailed info about H interviews posted on CC including by alumni interviewers.

ranman

All the posts seem to indicate that the interview is scheduled by Harvard. On the Common App it asks if I have scheduled the interview and, if not, why not.

I'm about to send in my app, but don't want to explain that the reason I have not scheduled an interview is that I don't know what they are talking about!

I hate to look like an idiot so soon in the process.

RBSH1958

My son is a Harvard junior and my daughter is applying this year. A Harvard alum will contact you to schedule an interview a few weeks after you submit your application.

Northstarmom

Internationals have to schedule their own interviews. Info about this is on the Harvard website.

U.S-based applicants have to wait for an alum to contact them, which may happen as late as March. When they are contacted depends on the availability of interviewers.

MarionetteNotes

After you finish your interview. Do you keep in contact with the interviewer? Is it over? Is there anything after that or before that people should know?