<p>mine went well…at the end i asked him what did you not like about harvard…and then he told me I was the first one to ever ask him this question…so he quiet for about 3-4 mins just thinking about what he didn’t like…hehe</p>
<p>^My MIT interviewer told me, unasked, everything he disliked about MIT. He wasn’t disparaging the school, at all, but he was just completely honest about the level of difficulty and the lack of free time that he personally experienced. It was great to hear about that, though I did have to ask him “But you did, at least sort of, like it, right?” and though, since it was only my third interview, I came to expect that much transparency about life at the schools. When I asked other interviewers, including my Harvard interviewer (who, I should say, was absolutely amazing despite this) about undesirable specifics, they danced about the issues.</p>
<p>“When I asked other interviewers, including my Harvard interviewer (who, I should say, was absolutely amazing despite this) about undesirable specifics, they danced about the issues.”</p>
<p>Interviewers are all individuals so they act differently.</p>
<p>When I was an interviewer, I was very upfront about what I perceived as Harvard’s weaknesses: If one longs for a very nurturing environment, Harvard isn’t the place for you. It’s a great place to run with your interests, but no one is going to hold you by the hand and lead you. </p>
<p>It’s also not a place with a lot of school spirit in terms of having events like homecoming. If one’s looking for a place where people proudly wear the school colors and thrill at the thought of their team, Harvard probably isn’t the place for you.</p>
<p>@NorthStarMom</p>
<p>My Interviewer said a very similar thing</p>
<p>Find me a perfect school with no undesirable elements and I’ll give you a million dollars.</p>
<p>@WindCloudUltra</p>
<p>Perfection is subjective…you can find something wrong with every school in the world</p>
<p>so… does anyone know until when Harvard interviews will go this year? my sis, a harvard undergrad thinks they’ll go all the way into march), but then like, don’t they need time to determine the financial aid packages? hm… jst wondering, cuz i had my princeton interview last week, and UChicago yesterday (which was awsome by the way, skype video chat, way more personal than by the telephone) (its cuz I’m a US citizen living in Brazil…).</p>
<p>1 more question… does the interviewer jst call you? or does he schedule an interview? or does that depend if its an alumni or admissions officier? anyone who has had experience with phone interviews plz reply… </p>
<p>well… thanks! best of luck for everyone! DECISIONS ARE COMING SOON!!!</p>
<p>ps. has anyone noticed that Yale’s applications dropped by 1%? i think it is the only high-ranking university to have a drop… even Harvard, which has a very saturated applicant pool, had a 5% increase.</p>
<p>I had an awesome interviewer. He was really nice and definitely gave me hope in getting into Harvard. I’m not sure if interviewers should do that or not, but I had a fun experience. I feel at times I either underestimate my merit or interviewers overestimate my qualifications. The last two interviewers (Harvard and Brown) acted as if I was made for the school and would be admitted.</p>
<p>I know that is not the case, but is this out of character for alumni interviewers or do many do this?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Interviewers act as representatives of the university and many do make earnest attempts to promote the university and its benefits to the students that they interview. However, I believe that all colleges in some way request that interviewers do not make some explicit statement of a candidate’s odds of admission.</p>
<p>Okay, I get that every school has its flaws… but in terms of people and environment, how does Harvard do? I’m not <em>huge</em> on school spirit, but I’d think that every college, from the most local community college up to world-ranked universities, should have a healthy sense of self-pride and community. It’s kind of disappointing that Harvard doesn’t…</p>
<p>And the other thing for me that my interviewer also sort of danced around was the people. Is it a dog-eat-dog environment? Because honestly, I’ve had enough of that in high school. I’d rather go to a place where people are open and friendly with each other, than people trying to edge the next person out for that one internship or something.</p>
<p>“every college, from the most local community college up to world-ranked universities, should have a healthy sense of self-pride and community”</p>
<p>Harvard students have a sense of community and pride about their college. They just don’t, however, do things like wear the school colors or have homecoming celebrations and similar things.</p>
<p>They know that Harvard is the best university in the world, and they don’t have to do things to show off that belief. In fact, they know for the rest of their life, they’ll have to deal with people who are intimidated by their Harvard education or assume that they are snobs or unapproachable.</p>
<p>Harvard isn’t a dog eat dog world. Students don’t spend lots of time comparing grades, etc. Students tend to be individuals who follow their own paths and passions.</p>
<p>i had my harvard interview a few weeks ago for only an hour but i must say it was a wonderful interview. I loved my interviewer with her sincerely open minded personality. from “why harvard” to “why spanish?” (which was completely out of the blue as iv taken mostly regular spanish throughout the years) it was a great talk and get-together with someone who truly appreciates a great learning environment. surprisingly for me, she was apparently impressed with my “why Harvard?” answer; after i replied, she just said “wow” and how my reasons were sincerely a good fit i guess. “you won’t believe the types of answers i’ve heard to that question”. i loved that there is an entire building dedicated to community service and outreach. being told you’re a “good fit” doesnt hurt.
clearly the interview isn’t the make or break nor do i expect it to have much weight in the process, but it is warming to know that when you come in for an interview really “being yourself” (excuse the excruciating cliche), others will accept and even welcome you for who you are. at that, i wish you all good luck and good eats this cozy winter day. :)</p>
<p>" i loved that there is an entire building dedicated to community service and outreach."</p>
<p>I agree that that’s one of the best things about Harvard: Phillips Brooks House, the community service organization that probably 1/3 of undergraduates voluntarily participate in. It includes dozens of student-run and organized service projects that are the equivalent of what professional nonprofits do.</p>
<p>When I see students posting on CC who think that high school students who do service only to decorate resumes are what Harvard is looking for I roll my eyes. I know that the students who get into Harvard tend to be those who are passionate about service and do it to make a difference, not to try to impress colleges.</p>
<p>Those students don’t stop doing service just because they got into Harvard. They continue volunteering as Harvard students and as alum.</p>
<p>i completely agree. i’ve never been more ecstatic after an interview walking into the below freezing snow! The will to impress an admissions office and the will to sincerely help those in need are incomparable. When community service becomes self service, you’ve lost the intrinsic factor which makes outreach so liberating and rewarding. To live and grow in an environment where community service is a self service in and of itself, well that’s truly an amazing experience unfounded in too many communities.</p>
<p>“Harvard students have a sense of community and pride about their college. They just don’t, however, do things like wear the school colors or have homecoming celebrations and similar things.”</p>
<p>I never wear (nor do I own) clothing with Harvard insignia. I know most people won’t and don’t care, but depending on time and place, it’s could be the equivelent of having the words “Goldman Sachs” branded on your forehead while walking through Detroit or something. I DO however, own two house sweaters/hoodies and I regularly wear those. No one knows what the heck “Lowell” or “Pfoho” stands for anyway…and I still get to express some school/house pride. :)</p>
<p>I have my interview in three days, and the interviewer just e-mailed asking me to fax him my Harvard Application including essays, and then called my school asking them to fax him Letters of recommendation and my transcript…</p>
<p>…what!? is that normal? T.T</p>
<p>From the Harvard interviewer’s handbook:
</p>
<p>Clearly, your interviewer didn’t carefully read the handbook provided to him.</p>
<p>My mom keeps getting excited every time I get an interview for a college I want to go to, and each time I try to tell her “Its just an interview! It basically doesn’t count!” I’ve heard that a good interview can tip the scale in your favor and a bad interview can’t really hurt, and a lot of candidates don’t even get interviews! So am I going crazy, or is it my mom? She thinks that since I got an interview, they’d like to take a ‘closer look’ at me, and if they knew they were going to reject me they wouldn’t give me an interview at all. What do you all think?</p>
<p>Holdingon, I hope you get in!</p>
<p>Interview was awesome :D</p>