<p>Stop worrying guys. As someone already said, there should be an update with the exact date and time after the portal is closed. So no need to call admissions about this!</p>
<p>Anyone who also hasn’t started on any other apps? I applied to four publics early along with Harvard, but I just can’t get started on Yale, Stanford, Penn, or any of the other big ones I’m applying to regular decision. Ugh…I feel like I can’t stop procrastinating till 12/12 </p>
<p>@visionary123 don’t lie, and remember that the interview doesn’t matter much at all, so don’t keep thinking about it if it doesn’t go well. My interviewer wasn’t terribly friendly and we had nothing in common, but the rest of my application is great, and I know my teachers wrote great things about me, so I don’t even really think about the interview. It wasn’t bad at all, but I certainly don’t think it’s going to push me over the edge in any way. On the other hand, if the interview does go well, it also doesn’t really matter. haha It’s just a chance to elaborate about your extracurricular activities as well as your favorite classes. My person asked me about my favorite book too. Those are the three questions she asked really. She never asked why Harvard, and she didn’t really try to get to know me. She was just following a script and writing stuff down really. Then she asked if I had any questions for her. So make sure you come up with questions for your interviewer. I asked where else she applied,and I asked what her favorite part about the Harvard experience was. She was a radiologist, so I also asked if she knew that’s what she wanted to do before going into college, or if Harvard kind of helped her with that decision.
Also, dress for the location. Ours was in the hospital coffee shop, cause she worked right up stairs in the radiology department. I wore pants and a denim jacket, cause that’s what I would wear at a hospital. Lucky for me because she was wearing a denim jacket also, and I would have felt awkward if I would have dressed up.
Just elaborate on your answers as much as possible. Don’t try and talk about anything too intellectual, because your interviewer is probably smarter than you anyway, and you’re trying to get into Harvard, so don’t make yourself sound dumb. I mentioned that my favorite class was philosophy and when she asked for more details, I only talked about writings that I knew very well, despite the fact that they weren’t exactly my favorites. I made sure to mention Thoreau of course, because he’s a Harvard alum.
Be strategic! be polite. be kind. sell yourself. You won’t sound cocky talking about your awards and accomplishments because your interviewer knows next to nothing about you and you need to show that you’re qualified and a good candidate. If your interview lasts longer than 30 minutes, you’re golden. If it’s any shorter, be worried. If it’s really long, like over 45 minutes, it doesn’t mean you did better than someone with a shorter interview, it just means that you genuinely connected with your interviewer.
However, don’t feel stressed if you don’t connect with your interviewer. I didn’t. and she openly admitted that most of the people they recommend don’t even get in. She blatantly told me that last person to be accepted from my school was 4 years ago, but sometimes that is just the interviewers personality. It’s not a reflection of your potential or how well you did.
Some interviewers can be quite scary. They may ask you about obscure current events just to test your limits. They could also be very nice and not talk about anything academic… You never know what you’ll get, but mine seemed pretty standard so I felt that sharing my experience could be helpful.
You’ll do fine. best of luck. </p>
<p>@harvard00 Yea, maybe someone else might call before u do… And if I can, I will too!
I am an international applicant so I have call from a calling card and I don’t have one at the moment!</p>
<p>@skslxxbjk I’m worried about that too! My teacher is actually submitting an important award update (by fax) Wednesday morning. Do you think it’ll be factored in at all? I mean they’ll at least have to move the letter out of the fax machine haha</p>
<p>@Melissawilliams Should we call and inquire? I feel like it would be a make-or-break it thing, almost :(( </p>
<p>@skslxxbjk Since yours is already sent, I think it’s good to inquire and make sure they’ve received it. If it’s in your file then I think you can assume it factored in (since the committee’s first meeting was today since thanksgiving break is over). In my case, I think I’ll just have my teacher fax it and hope for the best. I did update 2 weeks ago on the portal, I just wanted a formal update from the source (but she’s been so busy the past few weeks!) </p>
<p>Haha yeah, three national awards on the line here! But oh well. I’m a firm believer in the whole “whatever happens, happens” thing.</p>
<p>Nose goes. <em>Puts finger on nose</em></p>
<p>@HobbitTon Wishing you a happy birthday then</p>
<p>@Melissawilliams yeah I’ve just done all my EA schools and the USC for merit scholarships…haven’t even looked at the 9 or so RD apps…i might be in trouble lol</p>
<p>If any of you are calling to make sure stuff was received can you also ask about the decision date?</p>
<p>@PcollegegirlP what country?? And definitely don’t bother with the calling cards I’ll just call like tomorrow or something if no one asks already. </p>
<p>@harvard00 I’m in Greece! Thank u…let us know what they say but I think someone else will call before that ;)</p>
<p>@Melissawilliams or anyone:
Does the committee re-open your Harvard portal and all the files and look at it together, or is the committee decision just based on what the regional officers read a while ago/how they pitch you to the committee?</p>
<p>Does anyone else feel like their relationship with teachers has changed since they wrote our recs? </p>
<p>I’ve always tried to behave like a motivated student around these teachers before, and it certainly paid off when they wrote my recs (I think). But now I’m more relaxed and see them as friends. We chill during lunch and stuff, for example, and talk about books we’re reading and our families-- a huge difference from the past 3 years. </p>
<p>Thank you so much for your great tips, @oxoxhawja3xoxo, I really appreciate them!! I’ll make sure to apply them! :-)</p>
<p>Thank you so much to you too, @PcollegegirlP. Just like you, many, many hopes, prayers, dreams, and lives are connected with me getting in, so I’m hoping for the best as well! Becoming a lawyer is awesome! What area of the law are you interested in? Although I am more of a science/math guy, I really, really like philosophy, especially, moral philosophy! I am very interested in Kant’s ethical theory. What are you interested in? As far as academic interests and major go, I am passionate about the world of biomedical research, specifically, stem cell biology. I want to become a physician-scientist, and if admitted to Harvard, I would love to pursue a concentration in Human Developmental and Regenerative Biology (Harvard lingo for stem cell biology), and maybe a secondary field (or minor) in Global Health and Health Policy. </p>
<p>Harvard didn’t acknowledge me when I emailed then about my new November scores, which are on the way. My counselor sent the email last week… When I first applied, they emailed him asking for my old scores from last year because I didn’t self report.
I’m starting to think I’ve been put in the deferral pile. :(</p>
<p>@oxoxhawja3xoxo call them they are very helpful over the phone! And don’t lose hope now we came this far, we will make it through!</p>
<p>@Visionary123 your welcome… And I hope that your dreams come true!
I’m into criminal law and generally I hope to lessen the amount of corruption… I want to help people and I want justice!
The thing I like about philosophy is the way they think…I like something that is thought provoking and challenging, like philosophy. I really like Kant too, but I haven’t done a lot of philosophy yet !
Oh I love biology, and maths( especially algebra) ! Have u done research and stuff?
Wow , ur interests definitely sound interesting! I hope u achieve your goals!</p>
<p>@harvard00 Better to prepare for the worst. haha. I don’t want to bother them twice about it! They should receive the official scores in a couple of days. If I’m still in the running by then, I’m sure they’ll consider them. </p>
<p>Chill out guys, no need to pester the admissions office, let them do their jobs.</p>