It is a widely held belief at least on forums such as Reddit that Harvard interviews for international students are selective and necessary for admission.
On the other hand, interviews for domestic students are considered less necessary and are more a function of availability of alumni for interviews. If there is a burning question or issue to resolve and no alumnus is available to interview a domestic candidate, an admissions officer might perform the interview.
Another commonly held belief is that students receiving interviews from both an alum and an AO are reasonably likely to receive an offer.
Perhaps. The zeitgeist on forums such as the Reddit “applying to college” forum is also based on many past years experience, as tens of thousands of results from prior years are archived there. But you are correct that this is not a formal statement of policy by the university and is only constructed by observing results from prior years, and there is a component of inaccuracy that can slip in as rumors can be exaggerated. I am only trying to shed light on why this is a common perception.
There’s no “perhaps” about it. There has been a grand total of zero official statements either here or on Reddit.
FWIW, I am of the belief that if one is an international without an interview, there is no Harvard acceptance forthcoming. Although based on my experience, it is still only an opinion.
I said “perhaps” as a polite way to acknowledge your opinion that it is pure conjecture without agreeing with you.
“Pure conjecture” means something just made up and not based on data.
In fact there are thousands of points of data of international students self reporting acceptance or rejection at Harvard after interviews, but no single international student reporting acceptance at Harvard undergrad without an interview. That’s more than conjecture. It is data from prior years.
Whether that same policy/trend holds this year is anyone’s guess but there is nothing to indicate a change in policy. Maybe that is what you meant by your statement and laughter emojis.
It’s not about a statement, sir. I just believe in what is really happening and according to what I have seen in my country for the last 10 years who got into Harvard, all of them are interviewed no matter how late it was conducted.
‘If interviews are available in your area have you had or have you scheduled an admissions interview?’ what does this phrase even mean on the common app for Harvard? I am an international applicant from the UK and have not been offered an interview. I reached out to the admissions office a month ago and was given a standardized answer about waiting. Am I disadvataged? Does this mean I won’t get in?
I have no clue about Harvard interviews. But generally speaking, evaluative interviews are for schools to find out a bit more, or to confirm something, about the applicants that they couldn’t otherwise. For international students, AOs are particularly likely to have some questions about them. Also because they have fewer interviewers outside the US, they’re more likely to prioritize, so not being interviewed isn’t a good sign.
My answer, which again is my opinion, does not change. Unless the applicant is living someplace with no internet, Harvard can always arrange an interview if they want.
