Just kidding guys…just hoping to attract some attention.
Anyways, I have my Harvard interview in about a week and I am really nervous. What are some of the questions they ask? I can pretty much cover the basics: why do you want to go to this school, tell us about some of your ECs, what is your view on something going on in the world right now, etc, etc. However, I am wondering if there are some obscure questions a Harvard alumni would ask.
Could anyone give me the run-down on a Harvard interview so I could better prepare for the upcoming interrogation? Thanks alot guys. I really appreciate it.
<p>i did a harvard interview before... it wasnt anything out of the ordinary. i typed my own resume-like list of EC's and awards, so instead of using the one that they gave you to fill out as a guide, the interviewer went off the one that i gave him. therefore, i was able to control the interview and the interviewer just asked me stuff off my list. </p>
<p>i think basically he just wanted to see how passionate i was about academics and the classes that im taking and the EC's that im involved in, wanted to learn more about me, and wanted to see a genuine interest from me on going to harvard. oh yea, he also wanted to see my thought process, he asked a lot of follow up questions... for example, i talked about how diversity led to war in austria prior to WW1, because thats what i was learning about in history class, and he followed with what do i think about diversity in the US and if that leads to violence or better cohesion? </p>
<p>haha and it wasnt an interrogation at all. think of it like a conversation... much like how most college admissions interviews are. just show youre truely passionate about it... which is something you can only do if you know that you really are passionate about harvard deep-down inside.</p>
<p>The hardest questions I was asked was what I thought my strongest quality was and what I expected Harvard would be like. Other than that it was just a laid back conversation.</p>
<p>mine was actually so much fun! we basically talked about the activities I do and how I feel about them, why I do them, etc. He also wrote down all the classes I'm currently taking, my SAT scores, and other schools I'm applying to. The interview wasn't really hard though, nothing out of the blue. I actually walked out of there with a huge smile-- I was in a better mood AFTER the interview than before. lol
good luck on yours, let us know how it goes</p>
<p>lol Peter, your title definitely caught people's attention .... 270 views but only 5 replies :D</p>
<p>...anyways, I'm a junior, so I haven't even applied anywhere yet, but some of my older cousins have done interviews @ harvard. Like pretty much everyone on this thread has said, it's like a conversation, nothing to stress over. My cousins' only advice would probably be to relax - if you worry too much, you might end up being tongue-tied and nervous, which could make the interview rougher for you.</p>
<p>You were right the first time. Harvard interview is a joke. I just sat there for an hour, told the guy my SAT score, named a few clubs, and then talked about the war in Iraq and how competitive college admissions are today. The interview really has very little weight with the admissions committee unless the interviewer writes a very bad report. And they will never do that as long as you're polite and as long as you TALK. Those are the ONLY requirements. Most interviewers will disregard some nervousness or slight tongue twisting. They're not looking for the next candidate for the Senate. Honestly, don't worry.</p>
<p>Myself, i have already gone on 4 interviews and i have another one tomorrow. Honestly, each interview is just an interesting conversation with alumni knowledgeable about the schools you like. Don't worry.</p>
<p>so the interview went very welll. I expected it to be only 30 mins ish but it turned out to be an an hr and 30 min haha. Time flies...</p>
<p>For future Harvard applicants, the questions I had were
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Favorite high school memories?
Why do you want to go to this school?
Most fun activity in high school?
What do you do in your spare time?</p>
<p>Harvard's , like all others', interview <em>is</em> a joke. For the owverwhelming majority of applicants there is nothing so relatively profound that you could possibly say as to have a leg up over other students. As long as you don't hurl obscenities, have poor hygiene, or come quite, erm..., liberally dressed, you'll should be fine.</p>
<p>I heard it's a tough interview. My friend got asked, "What was the significance of the Haitian Revolution?" Serioulsy, WHAT does that have to do with college admissions.</p>
<p>hmmm.... but honestly, if you said something like, "i dont know, why dont you tell me the significance of the katanagari movement enacted by toyotomi hideyoshi in 1585?" would they just think you a dumba s s, or would they find you to be clever? or would they slap you and tell you that the interview was over.</p>
<p>My Harvard interview was (and he told me he was doing this) structured around the format of a desirable interview report. I was given every opportunity to show myself in the best light possible.
However, everything will depend on your interviewer.</p>
<p>My Harvard interview WAS NOT a joke! I mean, I felt like I was pretty much in control for the rest of my interviews, but this one....where can I start? The guy knew everything about everything. He had a Ph.D in what I was intending to major in, and so he was thinking that I was as compassionate and well-read about the subject as he was! Sometimes I would interject with a bon mot worthy of praise, but other than that the only thing I found myself really concentrating on was his cone-shaped head! And, he knew more about my religion than I did...big bummer. But other than that, it was fine...though I would have liked to spend more time talking about me than the bible's interpretation of metaphysics.</p>
<p>"The interview really has very little weight with the admissions committee unless the interviewer writes a very bad report. And they will never do that as long as you're polite and as long as you TALK. Those are the ONLY requirements."</p>
<p>Not true. Saying something imbecilic, racist, sexist, or rude would not be impressive nor would lying (something I have had students do when I have intereviewed them). </p>
<p>The world is very small. I have had students lie about what they do in their activities, when coincidentally, I have been extremely familiar with their activities, and their advisors. This includes a student who lied about their own participation in an activity that I volunteered with.</p>
<p>I have had students lie about their reading material. Warning: Do not try to impress the interviewer by padding your reading list with books you haven't read. The obscure book that you mention may have been written by the interviewer's best friend.</p>
<p>I also have had students lie about their background, and then contradict themselves later in the interview. </p>
<p>In none of these cases did I bother to confront the students about what I had noted. In fact, I remained so pleasant that they probably thought they got something over on me. But they didn't.</p>
<p>The students whom I interviewed who ended up getting into Harvard did have interviews that stood out in that they did say things that were more insightful, intelligent or that displayed more passion about activities than did other applicants that did not get in. I don't think that their interviews tipped them in. I would imagine that their applications represented well the same factors that made them stand out in their interviews.</p>
<p>Being a former (or current too maybe?) Harvard interviewer, what type of student are you thinking of when the interviewer says you are "great" and this was a "great interview, one of the best I've had this year (out of about 8 or so)". Because that's what my interviewer said to me. Based on what you said in this post ("I remained so pleasant that they probably thought they got something over on me. But they didn't.") maybe it was hooey, but I didn't think so at least. I'm hoping the interview can get me over the hump on low chances with my stats:</p>
<p>1370 (730M 640V)/710 bio m (9th grade)/700 chem/700 writing
3.85uw/4.7w 8/77 rank
ECs decent:
Co-leader of school's NJ Science League teams for 9-12th grade (12th in state out of 160+ teams for Physics I last year, top 12 now for chem II out of 164 teams), Mu Alpha Theta Secretary, NHS/tutoring, work afterschool and in summer at same place for 3.5 years
Awards: RPI Medal Award, Rutgers Academic Challenge Certificate</p>
<p>Essays were pretty good, recs were really good (I'm a "champion of the common man" according to my English 11 honors teacher, so that's cool).</p>
<p>I dont really have a hook beside the fact that I have a twin and our family makes < $45,000 a year, so that's a burden with two tuitions at once - plus my mom works two jobs just to make ends meet.</p>
<p>I doubt I have any chance at Harvard, but you never know. If there's anyone that would know, it's you Northstarmom. Any comments appreciated. Thanks.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, I can't read your interviewer's mind, so I don't know what the person meant. You'd have to ask the interview what impressed him/her about you.</p>
<p>To me, what makes a great interview is not the list of stats or ECs. It's what the student says during the interview. The few students who stood out for having stellar interviews had the following characteristics:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>A clear love of learning. This simply is not something that can be faked. Their eyes lit up when they talked about their academic and intellectual interests. They also had clearly gone far above and beyond what was required for school. They did things like read, do research, ask questions even when they were not getting graded or taking formal subjects. </p></li>
<li><p>A clear involvement in ECs because of an interest in the ECs, not an interest in resume padding. </p></li>
<li><p>Answers that seemed spontaneous, not rehearsed. There now are some students who are so rehearsed presumably by admissions consultants that they spew out a pat answer almost before I can ask questions. They also ask questions like robots. A prime example are the students who say, "What did you like about Harvard?" and then clearly don't listen to my answer or have any follow-up questions. They seem to ask the question because someone advised them that it's a good idea to fake interest in the interviewer.</p></li>
<li><p>They risk being themselves. When I ask questions, they don't seem to be fishing around for the "right" answer, but instead, they seem to be letting me see who they are. I ask very open ended questions. The stand out students realize that this is a chance for them to show their personalities and interests, and they jump right in. The students who are not remarkable ask me questions like, "What do you want to know about me?" or they will tentatively make a statement and then look at me as if to say, "Is it OK if I touch on this?"</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Well, what I can tell you is that I'm all 4 of those things. My EC list isn't long, but it's in all the fields I love (and pertinent to my major of biochem). I really do love learning, or why would I take 2 AP-level science classes in my senior year. (AP chem and molecular bio honors, which is ap content of molecular). I didn't rehearse my answers at all and I was myself. Like you said, you can't know really what my interviewer feels, but based on what you said I can see why he would think the interview went really well. Conversing with adults has always been my forte; I've always had adults come up to me (like my parents friends) and be in awe of how mature I was at a younger age and how much I had to offer in an adult conversation - so the interview definitely helped me out. Just gotta hope my stats can work their way in there too. Thanks.</p>
<p>Interviewers always seem impressed when I just act like myself. And they seem to love spontaneous answers. I've had 2 interviews and I didn't really prepare for either. And I couldn't have, because we went on huge tangents and it was pretty fun. Try to make it a conversation, it'll be easier for both of you.</p>