<p>I think that the first three quarters of my 45 min interview went really well. Then interviewer (say interviewer “A”) started asking me about other colleges. A asked me where else I was applying, why I was applying to those schools, where I interviewed, how those interviews went, how formal they were, and if I’m applying to any midrange schools. I must admit, I’m really only applying to Ivy-caliber and the definite safeties. I don’t really have anything in the middle. And I think A is a pretty experienced interviewer, having done this for many years. Do you think A’s talking about this topic (other colleges) means that A thinks that I won’t get into Harvard and is trying to get me to not be so disappointed in April? I’m really confused… A also talked about how my grades, scores, and extracurriculars are really great, and I’ve done the best I could. Now, I’m just at the whim of an admissions officer, and that there’s no guarantee. A said that I’ll get into several colleges on my list (of 10 colleges), and that I shouldn’t worry about not getting in anywhere (!!!) I don’t know how to interpret this. Did anyone else’s interviewer talk about these kinds of things? </p>
<p>Other colleges: Yale: Interviewer wished me good luck but nothing else –> I was deferred
Brown: Said I seemed like a good match for Brown
Princeton: Interviewer said she would love to have someone from this area get in
What’s up with Harvard?</p>
<p>That’s probably a message that “A” would give to any student he interviewed. No interviewer can predict a student’s acceptance beyond a certain level of doubt, no matter how accomplished that student may be (exceptions being made for Olympic athletes, etc.).</p>
<p>While the admissions process has a certain degree of randomness to it, what “A” was probably trying to communicate is that your achievements are on the level of the achievements of other admits in previous years. </p>
<p>This is no guarantee of admission, but I think it signals that your achievements are definitely not going to be overlooked. I’ve definitely been told that an interviewer will always say good luck, but unless your achievements are measurably similar to those of candidates offered admission, it is unusual for your achievements to be praised as highly impressive or standout quality. The main reason why I think a Harvard or Yale interviewer might say something like your Harvard interviewer said to you is because they accept many people like you, but they also reject many people like you.</p>
<p>And unless an interviewer thinks you are an especially good match for a school, or very impressive, they will usually not say something like “I will definitely be putting in a good word for you”, or anything to that effect, from what I’ve been told. When it comes to the interview, the only thing an interviewer really SHOULD say is “good luck”, which I believe is common courtesy. Beyond that, I think they would tend to give their honest opinions on your candidacy (which have probably been supported by years of experience).</p>
<p>So, do interviewers judge you based on where else you are applying? My counselor strongly advised my class not to tell interviewers where else we were applying and the main reason she gave was it’s none of their business. I just don’t know what I would do though if an interviewer asked me where else I’ve applied.</p>
<p>If “A” is like me, A was thinking that this year it will be next to impossible for anyone, including very impressive applicants, to be accepted to top universities. Consequently, “A” was probably hoping that you had the good sense to apply to some match schools so that you’d increase your chances of going to a school where you’d be around many other peers who are very intelligent and self-motivated.</p>
<p>I used to tell all students whom I interviewed that it’s important to apply to some good match schools. I realized, though, that either students would act like my comments meant they had bombed the interview (not true) or they would shrug off my comments as if to say that they were certain that due to their own stellar qualities, HPYS would accept them.</p>
<p>Now, I just wish them well.</p>
<p>At the end of the school year, when the local paper publishes info about top students, I still feel sad to see wonderful Harvard rejects ending up at the second tier school that IMO too many top students in my area blindly pick because they apparently don’t think through the admissions process. This safety school is so very different from Harvard that I doubt that a student who has applied to Harvard for all of the right reasons would find this university a good match for themselves.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry too much. “A” was probably just making sure you know how competitive Harvard is. My Brown interviewer started talking about how I would probably be happy at many other schools, but I was accepted in the end.</p>
<p>You know what’s weird? My interviewer also said that Harvard decides who gets an interview based on the applicants’ grades. So if I got an interview, now I’m competing with a more select group of people. I think this is totally wrong…</p>
<p>2) My interviewer stressed to me how competitive Harvard admissions are (something to the effect of: “Well, I can see you are a highly qualified applicant, but so are most of the people you’re competing with”), and he asked what other schools I was considering. I got in EA.</p>
<p>hmm. so sunglasses’ interviewer told her that it was a competetive process, and she got in EA, whereas suburbian’s interviewer merely wished her good luck and she was deferred from yale.</p>
<p>maybe their comments just shouldn’t be read into so much, or they just mess with your mind in the opposite direction.</p>
<p>my interviewer told me she thought i had a good chance. oh well. it’s not worth getting flattered or raising any expectations since she doesn’t work in the admissions office, for all i know. yep. i’m bracing myself.</p>