<p>For those of you who have been interviewed for Harvard, either this year or in past years, what's it like? What kind of questions are asked? Finally, what kind of self reflection is necessary to do well at the interview?</p>
<p>Lol we REALLY need the search feature back on the site</p>
<p>My daughter just came back from her interview today. I don't know if all of them are like that, but this was by far the toughest. The interviewer went into depth about her passion - dance, current events and why Harvard. She also asked my D if she had applied any where for ED or EA (my D had a very cute answer for that, she said the interviewer's look was priceless). This was not an informal lets get to know each other interview. My D talked for an hour. She thought it went well, but she was definitely put on the spot a few times. My D thought she was a good interviewer. Her other college interviews were very low key (information about the school). The Harvard interview was very indepth. If you have a particular interest, try to know about it as much as possible. Definitely know why you want to go to Harvard. At the end, the interviewer said to her, "It's nice to meet someone so passionate about something."</p>
<p>Wait oldfort was that an interview at Harvard's campus??</p>
<p>or was it an alum interview?</p>
<p>btw, does anyone know what kind of information the interviewer is given about the applicant? Do they get a list of SCORES, GPA, EC's or anything? or is it a closed-book interview?</p>
<p>i applied ea and so i had my alumni interview a while ago. it lasted 40 min (it was held at my school during a free block). it was very casual and he only asked one question, which wasn't even a question: "tell me about yourself." everything else stemmed from that. personally, i think the best tip i can give is to go prepared with a lot of good questions that show you have done your research and are interested in the school.</p>
<p>They know minimum stuff about you, like your name, school etc. Mine didn't know my scores or anything else about me.</p>
<p>Mine was pretty relaxed, pretty informal.</p>
<p>Asked me about academics and extracurricular, and if I had any questions. I'm guessing they are told to evaluate you on three main categories - academic, extracurricular and personal. Personal is just being you and being natural. Think about your academics, what you like most and all that, what gets you going. Think about the main extracurriculars you want to talk about and have something to say.</p>
<p>". She also asked my D if she had applied any where for ED or EA (my D had a very cute answer for that, she said the interviewer's look was priceless)."</p>
<p>Sigh...The Harvard handbook for interviewers specifically asks interviewers not to ask where else students are applying, and not to rate applicants on their apparent interest in attending Harvard.</p>
<p>It was an alum interview. ED/EA question has been asked at every single interview - 3 out of 3. We are scratching our heads trying to come up with a tactful answer. I have told my daughter before her interview to tell a bit of white lie, but she wouldn't do it. Minimum information was given about my daughter, but she brought her academic resume and her dance resume.</p>
<p>Oldfort,
Don't worry. Harvard doesn't care where she applied unless she has an ED acceptance, which means Harvard won't admit her or will rescind her admission if they learn about it.</p>
<p>Harvard has the country's top yield, so doesn't worry about apparent interest or the competition.</p>
<p>Honestly, the interviews can be SO different! Some ppl just casually talk to their interviewers, but some almost get grilled. I, for instance, got asked about a book that he had recently read. Fortunately I just started to read that book a few days ago, so I came up with a few acceptable answers. Then he started to tie the book to my own background and asked me to interpret several elements and themes. And then we talked about 1984, so bascially it was kinda like an English class. But I really enjoyed it, and that's my only advice for you: Enjoy your interview, because your interviewer will be able to discern that. Don't get frustrated if you can't answer a question, just try to work through it. You really can't predict what your interview is gonna be like, because it really varies a lot.</p>
<p>"Sigh...The Harvard handbook for interviewers specifically asks interviewers not to ask where else students are applying, and not to rate applicants on their apparent interest in attending Harvard."</p>
<p>One of the first things I was asked was where else I would be applying. hmmm. At the time I hadn't decided yet, but I listed a few top schools anyway. I don't think I made it clear that Harvard was by far my first choice...sigh</p>
<p>"I don't think I made it clear that Harvard was by far my first choice...sigh"</p>
<p>You didn't have to do that. Harvard doesn't care. It knows that most applicants would gladly accept Harvard over any other acceptance. Harvard has the highest yield in the country.</p>
<p>Really? I had to fill out an interview form for my EA interview (the questions were basic resume/test scores questions) and one of the questions asked where else I was applying to.</p>
<p>my interviewer was in law school at yale (ironic) and since he noticed i took a short course on business law, he went really in depth about stuff in law. at points i felt like i had no idea what i was talking about. one question that i should have prepared for but kind of took me by surprise was "what is your biggest flaw?"</p>
<p>and my interviewer asked for a resume and my personal statement in the initial e-mail.</p>