<p>The thing is…I’ve been trying to come up with questions for my interview tomorrow but I know the answer to every question I come up with >__> (or, I got the answer to it when I was visiting campus)</p>
<p>^ Why don’t you ask them something personal (as in their personal experience) which cannot be gleaned from the “facts” of the place?</p>
<p>Questions like “How did ____ shape your experiences?” or “What are your best memories of Harvard?”. </p>
<p>Its nice for us as applicants to get a more emotional sense of the university, and also nice for the interviewer who can draw upon his/her own experiences.</p>
<p>I asked a question about my interviewer’s experience with respect to classes being taught by TAs/profs. Her answer was helpful, especially since she concentrated in a smaller subject and I plan to do the same.
It’s fine to not ask questions. If you honestly don’t have any, I’d just say that all of my questions were answered during the tour. After my info session, a lot of people went up and had conversations with the students and staff member talking, which I’m sure happens at most sessions. Thus there are probably a lot of applicants who already have their questions answered.</p>
<p>Jeez my Harvard interview is about 20 miles away up at an office in LA. I wonder how they assign interviewers. My friend that goes to the same high school that I do was assigned to an interview perhaps five minutes away at the local Cal State. Anyone know if there’s a method to this?</p>
<p>Obstinate: yes, there’s a method; it’s called who is available to interview. Perhaps your friend got his/her application in earlier and was assigned out earlier. Your interviewer prefers to interview from his/her office apparently. 20 miles by LA standards doesn’t seem an unreasonable distance. The interviewers are volunteers, and certainly don’t need to interview; so the process can’t be too burdensome to them, or otherwise, there wouldn’t be enough volunteers to cover the thousands and thousands of applications. If the distance/location/time is a real problem for you, then discuss your problems with the interviewer.</p>
<p>Hers was actually submitted later. But yes, thanks.</p>
<p>Just got back from my interview and though I thought it did not go so well (it went well, just not super fantastic amazing), he claimed that he’d do ‘everything possible to get me admitted’ but I’m pretty sure he’ll only give me an average rating.</p>
<p>We talked a lot about foreign countries, my extra curricular activities, political theory, student motivation in school, the SATs, weather, and food, but we had a lot of awkward silence moments when he was flipping through papers.</p>
<p>Hey guys, I had my interview a couple of days ago and I want to send a follow-up thank you note to my interviewer, but we only ever corresponded over the phone and I can’t find her email address on the interviewer. In this case, would it be okay not to follow up? Should I call?</p>
<p>1 hour. I thought it went well. We didn’t quite go in the direction that I had planned, but it was nice nonetheless. :)</p>
<p>Had mine today. Very nice person. She went there for grad school, not undergrad, but she still loved the school and was passionate about it. Not as much a conversation as an interview. Standard interview questions included:</p>
<p>Why Harvard, favorite/least favorite classes, proudest/least proud accomplishments, what do you do in your free time, etc.</p>
<p>My interviewer never asked “why harvard.”</p>
<p>^Mine didn’t either and we talked for an hour and 45 minutes.</p>
<p>I had my interview this previous Tuesday, January 12th. We met at a local coffee shop and spoke of academics, ECs, the importance of a global perspective, and the necessity of a close bond between science and culture. I thought it was very pleasant. My interviewer and I did not have many mutual interests (he was involved in finance and public sector management whereas I will be pursuing a biologically-related field) but our conversation was very interesting. We spoke for almost two hours although he initially had one hour planned.</p>
<p>“Jeez my Harvard interview is about 20 miles away up at an office in LA. I wonder how they assign interviewers. My friend that goes to the same high school that I do was assigned to an interview perhaps five minutes away at the local Cal State. Anyone know if there’s a method to this?”</p>
<p>The method is that alum interviewers are volunteers, and it’s hard to find volunteers to interview the 20,000 or more U.S. applicants. The lucky applicants who get interviews get someone typically within 1-2 hours of where they live. Having to go 20 miles away is no big deal. Sheesh, you’ve applied to Harvard and would be traveling 3,000 miles to go to college. Why are you complaining about traveling 20 miles to an interview?</p>
<p>When my son had an alum interview for Columbia, it was a 2-hour drive. He was grateful to have an interview.</p>
<p>Oh the one question that I forgot to prepare for (and that I should’ve)</p>
<p>what are some things that you plan on doing at Harvard?</p>
<p>I forgot to look up specific organizations/clubs and had to give vague answers. :(</p>
<p>Agree with Northstarmom, if you go onto non PhD graduate/professional programs, chances are that you will be flying around on your own dime interviewing. I would have LOVED to just drive from my apartment in Phoenix to an office downtown to interview for Harvard programs (though it was nice to see the campus). I think it is wonderful that alum interviews exists for undergraduate admissions, it is a great way to bond alum to the university and also very convenient for interviewees.</p>
<p>I never asked, “Why Harvard” because the answer is obvious, and Harvard doesn’t care about demonstrated interest.</p>
<p>I did ask, “Why with an overabundance of highly qualified applicants should Harvard select you?” That is, after all, the main point of the interview.</p>
<p>northstarmom, how bad was your worst-ever interview? my alumni interviews have gone very well so far, but i can hardly imagine them going poorly! both interviewers were so friendly and made me feel very comfortable with answering their questions. </p>
<p>like, what would an interviewee do or say that would put up red flags for you?</p>
<p>Worst ever interview: Student showed up at my doorstep 45 mins. early just as my husband was leaving the house. I was inside in my bathrobe. Husband told student that he was early, and needed to return at the scheduled time. Student sat in his car right outside of my house.</p>
<p>During the interview, student’s nose started running. Student never wiped it. The snot was running completely down the student’s face. It was nauseating.</p>
<p>That literally is all I remember about the student except that otherwise, there was nothing remarkable about the student in terms of achievements, etc.</p>
<p>–
Second worst interview: </p>
<p>When I asked the student what his favorite book was, he mentioned an obscure book that happened to be one of my favorite books. In our discussion, it became clear to me that the student had never read the book.</p>
<p>Student brought a copy of his application, including his essay. Although I had not requested those, I politely looked at them, and was impressed by the essay, which was one of the best written essays I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, when the student discussed other things related to writing, there was no indication that the student had the kind of critical thinking or linguistic skills that the essay had.</p>
<p>Student also said the proudest moment of his life was when he made a speech to a national organization. When I asked for details, it ended up that the student had accompanied his parent to a professional convention, and then had participated in some training offered to all of the kids of the attendees. As part of the training, each kid got to make a 5-minute speech to the other youths attending the training.</p>
<p>3rd example</p>
<p>Student told me that he’d be the first in his family to go to college. Later in the interview, student said he developed an interest in astronomy after reading his father’s college textbooks. When I said, “I thought you said you’d be the first in your family to go to college,” the student said, “I forgot that my dad went to college.”</p>
<p>So, displaying an extreme lack of manners or common sense and lying are things that raise red flags.</p>
<p>Other bad interviews are when students are passive, giving the briefest answers possible, so getting them to talk is like pulling teeth. Harvard is not a place for the passive.</p>