<p>It’s not a bad question, actually. It’s reasonable to want to know what your interviewer, based on his/her experience at Harvard, thinks “separates Harvard from other schools.” That’s not something you could learn from the application packet, from visiting the college, or even from asking other people.</p>
<p>Sounds like you had a good interview. Having fun at the interview is a good sign.</p>
<p>"I do regret asking him about what he thinks separates Harvard from other schools. I AM SO STUPID!!! "</p>
<p>I’m an alum, and I think that’s a smart question to ask.</p>
<p>^ thanks Browniebaker and Northstarmom!]</p>
<p>But I think it made him feel that I wasn’t sure of why I was applying.( Eventhough I wanted to listen to his prospective since he also went to yale for grad school) In the end the interviewer himself didn’t really have a definitive answer besides the fact that Boston trumps New haven, princeton and that the people made his experience. But later he said " but I suppose everyone top school, will have great people"! I think he may just have been surprised and didn’t respond as well as I had hoped, so I felt extremely embarrassed for asking in the first place.</p>
<p>The interviewee really has control over the direction of the conversation. I was asked these “current events” questions only because I had initiated the talk. </p>
<p>I was surprised that my interviewer made the effort to take note of small factual details. She seemed genuinely interested in knowing me as a person. It was nice. It astounds me how much knowledge a person can gain just by living. </p>
<p>We talked for about an hour and a half; we both were caught off guard by the time (I felt really bad for my mom who had to wait outside for longer than she’d anticipated). I would like to ask future interviewees “what do you want to get out of the college experience.” It’s an important question.</p>
<p>“But I think it made him feel that I wasn’t sure of why I was applying.”
" I think he may just have been surprised and didn’t respond as well as I had hoped, so I felt extremely embarrassed for asking in the first place."</p>
<p>Really, you shouldn’t feel bad about asking that question. You may be feeling that you embarrassed your interviewer, but he just didn’t have a clear answer in his mind, and you shouldn’t feel bad for him. Let me tell you, I’ve been asked the same question before, and my answer to that question is not that clear-cut. Sometimes I think I should just prep a straight answer to that one, for the next time I am asked by an applicant, but I never do because I can’t nail it down. It’s something very hard to express, though I try. Interviewers are human, too! I do know that I appreciate it when an applicant is interested in my view about my college. You seem quite articulate, and I suspect that you were able to convey your interest in his perspective.</p>
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<p>This could be problematic too; how does someone who has only attended Harvard know about the undergraduate experience at other schools, unless s/he is a transfer? There’s nothing to compare it to! (other than second-hand accounts, brochures and online…which are also resources that applicants can access.)</p>
<p>^Maybe I should have been more specific in saying that the interviewer may have formed an opinion based on his experiences at Harvard AND what he has learned of other colleges. Obviously a person can only attend so many colleges. Most people attend only one college yet reasonably have an opinion on what sets their college apart from others.</p>
<p>"In the end the interviewer himself didn’t really have a definitive answer besides the fact that Boston trumps New haven, princeton and that the people made his experience.:</p>
<p>That has been my answer when applicants have asked me that question. Boston is a marvelous place in which to be a college student, and is a more vibrant, safe, interesting city than is New Haven. The students at Harvard were the most interesting group of people I ever have been around in my life. Those 2 things to me are what makes Harvard special. Other top schools probably also are filled with smart, interesting people, but they aren’t in Boston, a city that I happened to have loved.</p>
<p>I didn’t ask my interviewer about how Harvard compared to YPSM, but something I said made her bring up Princeton. Her brother went there for undergrad, and she said he felt that he was much more isolated. She was in a city and thus couldn’t forget about what was going on in the real world, while he was free to live, to some extent, in an ivory tower for four years.</p>
<p>I had my interview a few weeks ago - it was very fast paced but it lasted about an hour. My interviewer specifically requested a copy of the application I submitted, but I included it in a folder with an extra recommendation from my principal, an essay on my life’s passion, and a brochure adapted from aforementioned essay, as well as a business card. I was a bit worried it would seem like overkill, even for Harvard, but he seemed to appreciate the effort, although I obviously can’t say whether he actually read any of it besides the application. He really focused on my activities and how I’ve shown leadership in them for most of the interview, but we did talk a bit about his experiences, how he went from a small town here to harvard, and a bit about his life there. Overall I felt pretty good about the whole process, even though it wasn’t as relaxed as others’ have been, although sending him a thank you note was a little awkward. I’d googled him and gotten his work address, but I felt a bit intrusive sending him a thank you note there. I wound up sending it care of the admissions office, as per a friend’s advice. I hope it actually made it to him, since I haven’t heard from him since.</p>
<p>@Collegestress16, I asked my interviewer the same question, and he seemed to have a bit of trouble coalescing a clear answer as well, but I think he appreciated that i wanted to know about more than just what you can glean from a visit or a website.</p>
<p>My interviewer asked me about what other schools I applied too also. I mentioned MIT and Princeton, but I decided that it was probably better not to mention Yale, haha.</p>
<p>I mentioned Yale. I figured no interviewer would be dumb enough to believe that you would choose to apply to Harvard and not Yale.</p>
<p>I only posted here so that I could follow the other Anonymous! :)</p>
<p>^Haha!
I brought a resume, but my interviewer was a bit disappointed that I didn’t bring some specific forms? What’s that about?</p>
<p>I got the whole, Boston is better than New Haven spiel too 
I think it IS a good reason though, so it’s no surprise that interviewers ask that…</p>
<p>My interview was way casual and relaxed. We chatted about Harvard, and then discussed how cool it was that he worked for Disney and got free Disney tickets :D</p>
<p>Just had my interview. It went very well, and if it was for any other school I would guess that I would get in, but it is still Harvard.</p>
<p>The guy was very smart and knew what he was talking about…a physics major…soft spoken but polite and intelligent.</p>
<p>She was excited for the chance to interview and the oppportunity to talk to someone about the college experience. Harvard was her only Ivy application, so no, she did not also apply to Yale. She only decided to apply because they sent her an application and other mailings. She is not the typical Ivy applicant as she barely broke 2100 on the SAT. She is 19/533 in her class; GPA 3.9/4.3; multiple leadership; community service; sport=intensive dance program. </p>
<p>IMO, Harvard was a huge reach but I told her the applications were her decision and to choose wisely. I am not sure I understand all of her choices as they seem so random (in no order) -
Harvard
Stanford
UW - Madison
NYU
UNC-Chapel Hill (parents’ choice = in state public $)
Wake Forest
Florida State University
U-Pittsburgh
Georgia Tech
Clemson</p>
<p>Oh well time will tell where she will be accepted. Best of luck to everyone.</p>
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<p>I did not receive that for the Harvard interview but I did receive the Yale superiority speech. My Yale interview was about forty-five minutes, thirty-five of which were spent listening to the interviewer expound on the virtues of New Haven over the other Ivy League communities.</p>
<p>If you ask the interviewer what separates Harvard from other schools, be aware that most interviewers haven’t visited a lot of other schools.</p>
<p>I was a rare interviewer who had visited other schools including all Ivies but Dartmouth and U Penn. I had visited Columbia’s graduate program as a corporate recruiter, and also had visited Yale and Princeton as a corporate recruiter. </p>
<p>I’d be honest about my impressions: Cornell --gorgeous campus, but isolated, freezing cold location; Brown-- supportive, beautiful, laid back; Yale - supportive campus environment, ugly, dangerous city. Harvard: campus environment that is great for the fiercely independent students who are thrilled with the opportunity to pursue their EC and academic passions unimpeded; Boston – vibrant, relatively safe, beautiful, city with lots of arts and internship opportunities that – due to having 50 colleges in close proximity is probably the best college town in the U.S.</p>
<p>I’d also tell students that any of the colleges would provide an excellent education, so if they are fortunate enough to get multiple admissions from such schools, they should pick the one where they feel they’d be happiest, which is what I had done when I had selected from 3 Ivy acceptances.</p>
<p>I had mine at a cafe a couple months ago, but due to transportation problems, got there half an hour before the interview started and had nothing to do but think about the interview until it started 35 minutes later. By the time the interviewer finally arrived, I had spent too much time trying to rehearse answers to anything she might ask and was a nervous wreck. She did not seem optimistic about my chances. (I never asked, but the interview ended something along the lines of “I interview many strong applicants every year, but I’m sure you will do well if you get in.” Big emphasis on ‘if.’)</p>
<p>Plus side: I learned what not to do. My next interview (with Brown) went fantastic.</p>
<p>my stanford interview was AMAZING.</p>
<p>in a crowded cafe, with people all around us. she didn’t have a notepad…we just chatted about everything. </p>
<p>oh man… </p>
<p>Harvard one…I got really emotional talking about mental illnesses (which I have studied as a course), but I have yet to do anything regarding the topic (no volunteer service related to this) so far and it is not a big part of my application, so my strong feelings about the issue seem baseless at best. Ugh…I think she probably thought I was a freak…I also mentioned that I am a harsh literary critic and that I alienate people because of my brutal honesty (WHY did I say that? omg…WHY?!)</p>
<p>I asked her for a hug at the end. I totally freaked her out. :(</p>