<p>I know it's nearing the end of the EA/ED cycle, so many of you will have had your interview already. However, for those who did not get an interview and--despite endless reassurances from various admissions FAQ, numerous posters on CC, or your friends and family--are still worried that not receiving an interview means automatic rejection, let me attempt to reassure you one more time. </p>
<p>Let's do a simple math exercise. Last year, Harvard College received a total of around 35,000 applications. Harvard's current class size is a bit over 1600 these days, so let's use that as your baseline. If every graduate of the college participates as an interviewer--and assuming that the majority of grads are alive and well--it would still take the combined forces of nearly the entirety of the past 22 classes to interview every applicant[1]. Now of course, unfortunately, not every grad is alive and well, and if you consider other factors such as geography, employment[2], and the basic fact that not every grad has the time or desire to volunteer etc. you can very quickly see how the admissions office has no way to ensure everyone receives an interview. The fact that most applicants get an interview is a sort of minor miracle. </p>
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<p>1[This of course, assumes that each interviewer only interviews one applicant. Most interviewers do more than that, but not by much.]
2[A funny thing happens in NYC. There are usually more interviewers than applicants in this area, so what ends up happening is that each interviewee is paired with 2 interviewers, usually one older alum with a younger, more recent grad. The Harvard Club wants to ensure that everyone who volunteers gets to interview someone, but I find this practice problematic, since being interviewed as a 17-year-old is stressful enough, but being grilled by a quasi-panel can be even more intimidating. This might not be true for some more seasoned students at say Trinity or Spence, but it's probably true for the majority.]</p>