<p>Adit, I believe you’re confusing terms. I believe you had an interview not with an admissions officer (a paid, professional member of the College’s admissions staff), but with an alumna who volunteers to interview applicants.</p>
<p>If I’m right about that, then I must agree completely with T26E4’s assessment of the situation. (Edit to add: and EastGrad’s assessment.) She didn’t seem like somebody who wields the scythe because she isn’t the person who wields the scythe. Those people work in Cambridge, Massachusetts. And one of the tasks of alumni interviewers is to leave applicants with a favorable impression of the College. It’s in the instructions for interviewers–or at least, it was when I used to interview. The College knows, and it wants alumni who interview to know, that the overwhelming majority of young people who apply to Harvard College will be denied admission, and then will never have anything more to do with Harvard. The College and the alumni who interview for the College want to put a friendly face on Harvard, in order to minimize the hard feelings of applicants who are ultimately disappointed.</p>
<p>If, on the other hand, the person you met works in admissions (I can’t see how this is possible, since they’ve been holed up since the first of the year–first reading applications and then going “into committee”), then no matter what she seems like, I guarantee you she spends her spring denying almost everybody’s application for admission.</p>
<p>But I’m glad you enjoyed your interview. Best of luck to you on your applications.</p>
<p>(Cross-posted with EastGrad. And if I weren’t so wordy, I could’ve gotten there first!)</p>
<p>I just wanted to add that my child was also interviewed by an admissions officer so he is not making that up. In our case, the admission officer was also an alumnus.</p>
<p>I make no mistake when I say that I was interviewed by my ‘Admissions Officer’. When I first received her mail for a Skype interview request, I was positively surprised and I even checked up her credentials on the Harvard financial aid website where she had been designated as an ‘Admissions and Financial Aid officer’. And yes that’s what Im trying to emphasise: her genial mien and temperament were in stark contrast to my expectations of what admission officers would be like in reality!</p>
<p>But her demeanor with you is exactly how she should be. At the interview process, she may likely not know your eventual decision. Thus why should she be brusk or arrogant if they eventually decide to extend an offer to you? Of course she wants to leave you with a good impression! That’s her job.</p>
<p>But don’t read into it – I guarantee you that a large part of her job is deciding YES/NO on thousands of great kids. Otherwise, she would not hold that post. It’s not for someone who is indecisive. I guarantee you she wields a scythe, when necessary.</p>
<p>Frankly, any alumni interviewer or admissions officer should be able to do this. I certainly do. My 1st allegiance is to my alma mater. I act as eyes and ears. I report my findings objectively. My 1st role is not to be the student’s advocate per se. If ending an interview session, I think “This kid has zero chance” or “this kid is amazing”, I’m professional enough (and honest enough) to thank them sincerely for their time and wish them well. IMHO, there’s no room for me to make them feel my “power” over them – because in reality, I wield very little.</p>
<p>For anyone who is curious about second interviews/interviews with admissions officers: I had a VERY late second interview with an admissions officer during the EA round. The interview was very low-key and relaxed, and I was lucky enough to get accepted about a week and a half later. There really is no consensus on what interviews with admissions officers means, but it is almost always a good thing. PM if you have any questions.</p>
<p>Ugh, idk how my Harvard interview went. My alumnus asked for my resume and application pdf (from common app) and he kind of went through and started asking basic questions (like my interest in music, why astrophysics, etc). But after being impressed with my stats and asking if “there’s anything that’s hard for you” (jokingly, I bet, but in reaction to my AP scores), I confessed that I found bio challenging, and he grilled me on why I liked physics but not bio, and more so what I saw as the fundamental differences between the two which turned me off to the latter. Or something along those lines. I struggled for 5-10 minutes to articulate something specific, even saying several times out of nervousness, “I…I’m not exactly…sure why I don’t like bio”. And this guy was a doctor too, so I was worried about how to articulate that I found bio to be too much rote memorization for my taste without offending him or making it look like I didn’t know what bio really was at all. Eventually i talked about how the two were linked through chemistry, and that stuff like anatomy was just too rote memorization and random for me, which he seemed to accept, but the path to get there was too long and felt too error-riddled to be smooth. </p>
<p>And then he asked about Science Olympiad, which I’d done since fifth grade, but he kind of moved on to the next question when I’d only gotten as far as sixth grade (when he’d asked me how the ranking worked and then just moved on). And then he asked me about Model UN and how it contrasted with physics, which was exact and quantitative, and it led to a conversation about scientifically proving something vs persuasion and politics. I mentioned something about using evidence to prove a point being similar in both, and that even in science there’s contrasting theories which don’t necessarily have a clear winner right away, and at that point it’s just persuasion. Cited some theories in astronomy that had been contentious in the past. But there was a lot of tenseness, not the comfortable conversation style that I’d had with another Harvard alumnus that I know and had hoped for, and I worry that I came off as, well, less than stellar. Certainly wasn’t eloquent throughout a lot of it. I paused, stumbled, stuttered, and felt like I was nervously ranting throughout a lot of it. </p>
<p>I hope I don’t scare applicants who haven’t interviewed yet, and I also hope that if others have had similar experiences, they can provide some perspective. I just had my interview today, and I’m really nervous!</p>
<p>@spacelover17 what astronomy stuff did you cite for the science vs humanities thing? I think I could imagine my interview going similar to yours. I’m interested in astrophysics / physics but I’m in clubs similar to Model UN. And I completely agree that persuasion/debate skills are necessary even in the purer sciences. </p>
<p>I just got contacted by an alumnus for an interview today. He didn’t say anything about a resume or pre-interview form. I still don’t even know the when or where for the interview, so maybe he’ll ask me to bring one when he gives me the time and place. In any case, should I bring a resume? Is it necessary? I don’t want my interview to be nothing but a conversation about my credentials… I want my personality to show in a more conversational and personal way.</p>
<p>Also, will I be asked about current events or anything like that? Thanks!</p>
<p>@blah919 definitely bring a resume! My interviewer didn’t notify me. The first question he asked was my rank… and I was like “Actually, I brought my resume.” This demonstrates preparedness. </p>
<p>I had my Harvard interview yesterday! My interviewer and I were able to bond over art and spent most of the time discussing its importance me. He did remind me, however, that I should be aware of the high selectiveness of the school and the small chance of acceptance. I went into it very nervous but it turned out just fine :)</p>
<p>do all interviewers mention the selectiveness of the university? it kinda makes me wonder… do they only select certain applicants to say this to? as in, the applicants with lower chance of acceptance (not to discourage anyone; i’m just speculating)</p>
<p>@easycadence Even the most glowing interviewer recommendation does not guarantee admission. It seems only prudent for an interviewer to temper her enthusiasm with a reminder of the low admittance rate, though I imagine that issuing such a reminder varies from interviewer to interviewer. Anyway, I wouldn’t worry about it.</p>