<p>@gibby</p>
<p>My interviewer also asked about class rank-- I found it curious, for the exact same reason. To be honest, I actually don’t think that all interviewers look at the Common Data Set.</p>
<p>^^ Assuming that the Common Data Set is correct – and I think it is, because it’s updated yearly by Admissions – that would seem to indicate that some alumni interviewers are clueless about what Harvard Admissions deems important in their recruiting process. And that’s not really the fault of the interviewer, but rather Harvard’s Alumni Association which provides the interviewer with guidance and instruction. I guess that’s why guidance counselors say the interview is the least important part of an applicant’s file.</p>
<p>@gibby</p>
<p>Yes, agreed fully. The only point I would add to that, is that I can fully understand the relevance of class rank in an interview, as it is the quickest way to get a ‘snapshot’ of academic competence (GPAs can be unreliable-- grade inflation). So, in the absence of the Harvard Common Data Set, the interviewers’ obsession with that number is justifiable, and I don’t fault them for it. It is a shame that they aren’t required to read the Common Data Set, at least once. </p>
<p>As an interesting side note, I once asked a Harvard alum for his thoughts on class rank (does the admissions office REALLY ignore it?). He had some useful comments:</p>
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</p>
<p>Of course, these sentiments aren’t new, but I really like the way that he conveyed them.</p>
<p>@easycadence wrote "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>Interviewers are lightly trained volunteers who aren’t following a script. There’s no connection. </p>
<p>Mine went quite well! I had a wonderful time talking with a lady from my town. She scrutinized my resume and transcript but seemed impressed! </p>
<p>i was a bit nervous but i think the interviewer had a positive view of me, which is alright i guess</p>
My daughter received an email for interview. Did anyone you was interview got admitted?
Harvard tries to interview all applicants, especially domestic students. Pretty much everyone who is admitted each year gets an interview.
Just Had my interview, lol I don’t know how it went, the person was super cool, he actually graduated from Harvard and from Harvard Medical School as well. He just started out with tell me about yourself and picked up from there, super relaxing and nothing intense. It was a memorable one!! best of luck to all the others out there trying to do the same!!
OMG I just had my Harvard interview and I was so nervous! Not to mention the interviewer was distractingly attractive. He was very young and graduated from Harvard just few years ago and still studying for post-graduate degree. The interview was at a local cafe and I felt that the interviewer could have picked a better location. It was so crowded and loud. We sat right in the middle of the small cafe and it was very difficult to pay attention to the questions. I was also expecting the interview to be casual since the interviewer was young but it was not the case. The questions were very abrupt and directed mostly towards my ECs rather than about me or my life outside of school. There were few long pauses and the interviewer did not seem impressed by my answers, which made me even more nervous than I was to begin with. I gave some answers that made no sense and the whole interview just felt really awkward. My interview was a three out ten. How much does an okay interview hurt my chances of getting in? My SAT scores, ECs, and GPA are in the range of the accepted students. I took more than 10 APs in high school, almost perfect SAT scores and a lot of ECs mainly focused on my academic interest.
@sassy101kd it sounds like the interviewer did not want to be there himself for whatever reason. Ideally, it is the interviewer’s goal to make an applicant comfortable and have a good flow of the conversation. We are just trying to learn more about applicant’s personality and see if there is anything that is not highlighted in the written application materials. An interviewer does make a “numerical” recommendation to the admission’s committee, however, and his/her opinion can carry a pretty strong weight.
Had my interview today. Super-chill and she wanted to know the highlights of my last four years. It really makes the process feel more comfortable and makes you feel like everything will be ok! (which it will)
My interview was about 45 minutes long. The guy was super nice and he complimented me a lot (I think he noticed that I was nervous, and just really wanted to put me at ease haha). It was relaxed and I learned a lot about Harvard!
My interview went for about an hour and a half, I felt like it was more of a discussion than a question-answer type of thing, which was great.
However, at the beginning of the interview, she made me tell her every school I applied to, and then made me explain WHY I applied to each of those schools and rank them…from what I’ve read on here, I thought that was frowned upon in interviews, and was rather uncomfortable.
Do a lot of Harvard interviewers do that?
^ It’s stuff like this and the demands of some Harvard interviewers for grades and SATs that I find noisome. Yeah, I get that it may help the alum with his or her write up … but stop being lazy!
Do they not understand the EXTREME power imbalance that occurs here? Could I have, as an 18 year old, said in a Harvard interview: “I’m sorry, but that’s personal and I’d rather not share that” Because it’s none of that person’s damn business.
This should not be happening…and I would be extremely upset and disturbed if this happened to my kids. Harvard alums know there are plenty of kids who prefer going to other schools like Stanford or Yale or MIT…and, if they are at all “confident” about their yield…there is absolutely no need for this. By doing this…they weaken their standing by telling the applicant “we are trying to protect our yield”…I know Stanford does not do this…
Why are colleges so concerned with their yield? That’s not something I even consider when I’m making a college list, and never once has a tour guide brought up the school’s yield. The more common numbers to hear are student/faculty ratio, average financial aid offered, etc.
Yield? It’s hubris. Having a higher yield is a marker of how more preferred your product is than someone else’s.
@sambamyesiam- I think your interviewer was just being darn nosy and inappropriate.
D’s Harvard interviewer also asked her what other schools she was applying to. I think that’s not okay!