So, i’m an African American male and I have my hair in two strand twists right now (it looks kind of like Chief Keef’s hairstyle, but much shorter). Should I undo them for my Harvard interview? I normally sport long kinky/curly hair with a high bald fade all around, but I have them in twists for the winter as a protective hairstyle.
For Harvard anyway, that’s fine, IMO. Your overall appearance should be neat, but the important part is what you say, not what you wear. Good luck.
Past Yale interviewer here. Personally could not care less about how a student wears his or her hair, would be much more interested in what you have to say. Your appearance should be neat overall. And speaking generally, most interviews don’t make much difference unless you are really rude/unpleasant or other parts of your application like recommendations haven’t given useful information. Good luck!
Yale interviewer here, too. Personal appearance isn’t one of the things I’m asked to opine on, nor have I ever felt the need to.
Thank you!
Sounds lovely either way!
Be a neat version of yourself.
@bopper Nailed it. Be YOU…just be neat. An interesting hairstyle that is well taken care of can be a great conversation starter. The schools are accepting the REAL you…don’t be who you think they want you to be.
Harvard grad, I don’t think any interviewer would be phased by your hairstyle. I agree look neat. Personally, I think that’s an attractive and fun hairstyle.
I don’t think it’s as much of an issue any more, but I used to suggest people leave their nose rings, tongue studs and eyebrow piercings at home because they make some interviewers squeamish. That said, I think there’s also a case to be made if the school/the job won’t take you because of x, perhaps it’s not the right school/job for you.
My experience as an interviewer for my Ivy is that the interview doesn’t seem to matter much. Good luck to you.
Interviews aren’t much important, just a way to keep alumni engaged.
Huh?
Never assume an Ivy interviewer’s notes don’t matter.
In almost all cases, they’re the only first-person input the college has (other than an LoR.) They can reflect on intellectual qualities, curiosity, personality, and more. What interviewers can’t do is make the final admit decision for a candidate.
But I agree with all that your hairstyle is the least of it.
At least in my kids and their friend’s cases, acceptances were very random. Some interviews went very well but weren’t fruitful while some poor interviews brought acceptances. Some acceptances and rejections came without being interviewed. One Ivy interviewer even said that none of the candidates he recommended, ever got in.
That only implies hat there are other important considerations besides the interview. A key one is the HS transcript. This thread is about Harvard interviews in particular. The Harvard lawsuit analysis and reader comments from the lawsuit both suggest interviews were influential factors in admission decisions.
An interviewer provides comments and may offer an opinion, as an alum. They don’t make official recommendations.
If you read information related to the Harvard Trial regarding affirmative action, you will see that the alumni interviews to make a difference in some cases.
Let’s not get off track from the OP’s question. If, after reading the news and past threads about the lawsuit, he has questions, he can start a new discussion. For this thread though, let’s move on from debating importance of interviews/coding on interview reports, etc.