<p>of course, don’t try to tell me otherwise, unless you’re a living proof…how are highly “selective” schools suppose to accept anyone that they only know as pieces of paper? argue about that and you are an idiot…is this fair for people that can’t get an interview due to geographical issues?..</p>
<p>Call Stanford and inform them that they aren’t selective enough.</p>
<p>I got in UPenn without an interview. However, the lack of one probably contributed to my being waitlisted at Smith. It depends on the school and the other information they have.</p>
<p>that would be why i’m posting in the Harvard forum…not Stanford or UPenn…</p>
<p>the lack of related responds means that my hypothesis is inarguable, i guess…</p>
<p>I got into Yale without an interview. Not only did I not have an interview because of where I live (from the letter: “We regret to say that we are unable to provide an alumni interview for you. Alumni interviews are conducted by interviewing committees linked to specific high schools, and your school is not covered by an interviewing committee.”), but I received a postcard from Yale saying that they were missing my common application essay (which I remember sending); I received the postcard on February 1, and I didn’t even bother to send in my essay until February 11.</p>
<p>Harvard :)</p>
<p>thank you thinkjose1. Harvard, not Yale, Stanford, or UPenn…not only did i not get an interview…i did not receive a postcard or letter (saying: “We regret to say that we are unable to provide an alumni interview for you” or anything of the sort). I tried calling my original alum…but he didn’t care about me much compared to his vacation (seriously). He said he promised that i’d get an interview…yea, right. then i called adcom, they told me to call the head of alum of whatever in my state, so i did. He told me that he had to power to do anything to help me…and told me to call adcom again…so i did…they said not to worry about it…but comes March 31st and still no interview…sigh…what do u think of that?</p>
<p>When you say “original alum,” do you mean that you were originally contacted for an interview by an alum? It sounds like you had conflicting schedules or something, but maybe it came across the adcom as a refusal to have an interview, which certainly wouldn’t help you.</p>
<p>“thank you thinkjose1. Harvard, not Yale, Stanford, or UPenn…”</p>
<p>“how are highly “selective” schools suppose to accept anyone that they only know as pieces of paper?”</p>
<p>I don’t think the reason you were rejected was the interview. In fact, the reason seems pretty clear if you read this thread.</p>
<p>lol samwise i agree</p>
<p>stele32, i had no schedule conflict…i was willing to do it any day if the location was within my reach…if the adcom thinks that i refused to have an interview, then my alum didn’t tell them that he was not able to meet with me for an interview and he did not request for another alum closer to where i am as he said he did…</p>
<p>as for samwise and BiGReGoG…what should be clear to you after reading this thread should not be whether my grammar is correct or not…from your first reply, it is apparent that you don’t understand that the point of this thread is to find out if anyone else got into Harvard without an interview…it is “pretty clear” to me that you are not (sam)“wise” enough to see that and the fact that, unlike essays, most people don’t spend time spellchecking informal internet posts…</p>
<p>I know quite well that the no-interview is probably not the only factor…but it want to know if it is a big one (even though they say it’s not, but think about it…HOW in the world are you suppose to be highly selective by just reading application?)…</p>
<p>if you are trying to be funny…go do that somewhere else…and mock something that is not a significant event in someone else’s life…</p>
<p>“lol samwise i agree” …u missed a comma after “samwise”</p>
<p>I’d like to point out that the reason why people, including me, started responding to this thread was because you said “highly ‘selective’ schools” in general, not “Harvard.” With that said, I’d like to say again that I was accepted without an interview to a school with similar admission statistics as Harvard.</p>
<p>Somewhere either in this forum or in the Yale forum is a link to a newsletter from Yale to its alumni about the interview process. From my impression of it, it seems as though the interview corroborates what the adcom has learned from the “pieces of paper.” In other words, if you are good candidate, the interview helps reinforce that.</p>
<p>To be a bit more blunt, your chance to show the adcom who you truly are was in your essays.</p>
<p>They weren’t referring to your grammar. :)</p>
<p>Your hypothesis appears true for me. Harvard + Interview = ACCEPTED. Princeton - Interview = REJECTED.</p>
<p>Harvard interviews most of its US applicants. The only ones not interviewed are ones where there isn’t an interviewer available. Thus, most accepted US applicants have been interviewed. However, most Harvard US applicants who are interviewed are not accepted because most Harvard applicants are not accepted.</p>
<p>“ele32, i had no schedule conflict…i was willing to do it any day if the location was within my reach”</p>
<p>I remember that you posted before that you were called for an interview but declined because the interview was an hour or 2 drive away, and you were living alone at home. You explained to the prospective interviewer that your parents were out of town and did not want you to leave town.</p>
<p>The interviewer promised to try to find somone else who could interview you in your town. Unfortunately, that was not possible. </p>
<p>As a person who’s very involved with my local schools committee in an area with relatively few alum, I can tell you that it’s not easy finding alum who have the time to interview and write reports. I would find it next to impossible to find an alum willing to interview, write a report and also drive quite a distance to do so.</p>
<p>I assume that you live in a fairly rural area where there aren’t a lot of alumni. Since alumni interviewers are volunteers – busy ones at that – most probably would not be willing to take a couple of hour drive to the snow to do essentially do a favor for a student who had applied. </p>
<p>After all, by interviewing the student and writing a report, the interviewer already would have been doing the student a favor, and devoting a lot of their personal time to the student.</p>
<p>Later, after you checked with this board, you called Harvard and told them that you would be able to interview out of town. This was after you arranged with an adult friend to go with you, and you got your parents’ permission. Unfortunately, it was not possible for an interview to be arranged. More than likely, this is because there simply were no alum available to interview other candidates. This was, after all, a banner year for Harvard applicants.</p>
<p>Hindsight is always 20:20. For what it’s worth, if you had jumped on the original interview opportunity when it was offered, that might have tipped you into Harvard. For instance, instead of declining, you could have explained to the alum your living situation, and told the interviewer you’d have to check with your parents and then get back to the interviewer.</p>
<p>Presumably, you could have then convinced your parents to let you go to the interview by having an adult friend accompany you. </p>
<p>Your going to the interview and talking about how you’re apparently so responsibly living on your own while your parents are out of town would have been a very impressive example of your maturity and independence. You also would have been demonstrating the kind of creativity about problem solving that Harvard students are noted for.</p>
<p>That’s exactly the kind of thing that can be picked up in an interview, but isn’t likely to be reflected in an application. That could have moved you from the “reject” pile to the “accept” pile. My impression is that only rarely are interviews so spectacular that they actually tip applicants in, but yours could have been one of them.</p>
<p>“of course, don’t try to tell me otherwise, unless you’re a living proof…how are highly “selective” schools suppose to accept anyone that they only know as pieces of paper? argue about that and you are an idiot…is this fair for people that can’t get an interview due to geographical issues?..”</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The “pieces of paper” are what you submitted about yourself. This includes your essay, which you could have written on anything you chose. If Harvard did not get the right idea about you from those materials, it’s your fault.</p></li>
<li><p>Calling people idiots for disagreeing with you demonstrates a lack of the kind of critical thinking skills that are expected of Harvard students.</p></li>
<li><p>You did not get an interview because you turned one down when it was offered because you refused to drive that far. Instead of looking for a way of making that opportunity work, you expected Harvard to somehow make things easy for you.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Northstarmom, I’ve known u(?) on the forum for quite some time, and i truly respect u…</p>
<p>sigh…i admit what i said was a bit hard, only because i was quite mad…but I don’t agree with you saying that I “demonstrate a lack of the kind of critical thinking skills that are expected of Harvard students.” what are Harvard students? God? it’s only human to show frustration when i didn’t know that i was not gonna get an interview until i found out my decision…</p>
<p>as for number 3…I did try to find a way to get up to where he is (4 hours away)…i found one of my friends who was willing to drive up there on a certain date…but he was leaving on vacation on that week…I did not turn down an interview because it was not scheduled in the first place…I suggested a location that half the distance between me and my interviewer…but he was not willing accept that location (can’t blame him, he’s not getting paid (is he?))…I even suggested an interview over the phone…but he said he was too busy and had to get things done before his vacation…that’s what makes me frustrated…he called adcom once…no followups on what is going on with my interview…i called him 5 times…he called me once…no e-mails…i called adcom 3 times…</p>
<p>I did mention that I know that the interview wasn’t the only factor that i was rejected…but i feel that it might have helped me a lot…not having an interview feels like losing without a fight…sure it can happen…people are selected through their essays(papers) but i assume that most the time the essays does not portrait a depth to the applicants’ personality and an interview would help to add that depth…if what you say is correct that a Harvard student would need critical thinking skills…how is the adcom suppose to figure that out about an applicant without actually having someone interview the applicant…i have also mentioned before that i really wanted an interview because i feel that it’s the only way i can create a hook…</p>
<p>this thread may just be a way for me to let out me frustrations…but then again it may not…from what i know by analyzing the way that i was treated throughout the whole process…I’m not soo sure that the adcom knows that the reason for me not getting an interview was not because i refused one…but because one was not possible…that could probably make a big difference…</p>
<p>the only reason i’m making a fuss about this is because i was treated way better for my princeton interview…me interviewer lives in the same location as my harvard alum…(4 hours away)…but he took the time to drive all the way to my high school…where i helped arranged our meeting…even though i still don’t know if i will be accepted or not at princeton…but it provided me with something to compare…</p>
<p>I am not going to say that Harvard sucks or anything of the sort…because i still think that it’s a GREAT school…maybe too great for me from the way i’ve been treated…being rejected not only make me realize the adcom’s fault…but also my own…i still love Harvard…because i know that they are great people there (like northstarmom and byerly)…despite the ones that i’ve talked to so far…i’m still debating over whether i should reapply again next year or not…but if i do…i’ll make sure that the adcom really know me for who i really am before they judge me for who i’m not…</p>
<p>but i still want to know if anyone got into Harvard without an interview…</p>
<p>wow…that was a long post…sorry about that</p>
<p>“? God? it’s only human to show frustration when i didn’t know that i was not gonna get an interview until i found out my decision…”</p>
<p>It is a mistake to show frustration by venting on a public board, and by calling people who disagree with you “idiots.” Never ever say anything on the Internet that you wouldn’t want your worst enemy (or your dream college adcom) reading. It is amazing how small the world is and how easily people can be identified here.</p>
<p>“he only reason i’m making a fuss about this is because i was treated way better for my princeton interview…me interviewer lives in the same location as my harvard alum…(4 hours away)…but he took the time to drive all the way to my high school…”</p>
<p>All you can compare is that 2 individuals reacted differently. They do not reflect the universities. </p>
<p>For all you know, the Harvard alum interviewer may have had to interview 10 other students while taking care of an ill parent, raising 3 kids and being CEO of a coroporation. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, you may be the only person the Princeton person has been assigned to, and that person may have have been eager to interview you since s/he has relatives and friends in your area to visit anyway.</p>
<p>The lesson I think to learn from what you’ve gone through is that if someone from a dream opportunity calls and wants you to interview, jump on it without reservations. Say “yes” and work out the details later or say, “I’d love to. I have to see about some arrangements first. Can I call you back tomorrow?” </p>
<p>Sometimes an opportunity only comes once. I admit that I was surprised that you couldn’t get an interview, but when you first posted, I didn’t realize that you must be in an isolated area of a state without a lot of alum interviewers. </p>
<p>I am guessing that when you turned the interviewer down the first time, the interviewer was put off and decided that either you were rather presumptuous or simply weren’t interested in Harvard. You may not have meant to do it, but you may have come across as disinterested or as if you were expecting Harvard to come to you.</p>
<p>The interviewer probably went on with his life or onto the next name on his list. When you called back, he was really too busy to interview with you or had such a negative impression that he wasn’t willing to juggle his busy schedule to meet.</p>
<p>It may be hard for you to imagine, but there really are students who treat alum interviewers like the students are doing the inteviewers the favor. The students either assume that they are automatic shoo-ins and the interview is a waste of time or the students were forced to apply to Harvard, but have no interest in it. The students can react rudely or coldly to the initial phone contact, and that may have been the impression that you inadvertently gave the interviewer.</p>
<p>to make myself clear one more time…i was eager to get an interview…and as u said i should do…i told him that i am willing to make arrangements first…however, he did not see that it was possible and told me straight on the first call that he will get me another interviewer…i did not turn him down…i even wrote him an e-mail saying how sorry i was that i will not be able to meet him…i talked to him nicely and he sounded like he understood my situation…he told me he had 1 other interview he had to do after mine…while the princeton interviewer was the head of alum in my state and had 4 other to do around my area alone (not in my town of course…1-2 hours away for each)…once again, i am not comparing the colleges…i am comparing the responsibility, or lack thereof, of 2 different people…</p>
<p>once again…i did not even say the word “no” to the offer…but instead it was my interviewer that said “no” to all of my suggestions…he called me once, and only once, to decline me an opportunity to meet with him…i used “sir” on the phone call, knowing well that he could very govern the fate of my future, i dare not make a bad impression…</p>
<p>if calling him back five times with 5 different suggestions still make it look like I was “rather presumptuous or simply [wasn’t] interested in Harvard,” then i don’t know what to say…when i called back, he said himself there he was to busy planning for his vacation…not interviews…what do you think about that?</p>
<p>the worst thing is that i had to sign to tell me that Harvard acknowledged my situation. It feels like they just assume that it was my fault for not accepting the interview…as u said…</p>
<p>Once again…i am not putting down Harvard in any way…it is still a great school in my eyes…but what you said caused me to think that they don’t want to deal with me period…</p>