<p>No wonder tastycles got contacted by every ivy :D</p>
<p>"As far as I know, Harvard’s interview period is over. "</p>
<p>Definitely not. A girl I know got interviewed this Wednesday. (13th Feb)</p>
<p>“Anyone here who has received an interview offer from Harvard.”</p>
<p>I got one for my Early-Application. And the girl I mentioned had her’s day before.</p>
<p>As far as I know, Harvard geographically allocates deadlines for alum interviews. I live in ontario canada and this area was got one of the first time slots (if not the first). The deadline for my interviewer was Jan 15 so I did my interview over a month ago. I only sent my sat scores last week so they were definitely not necessary before the interview. I think this is probably true with all international interviews so if no one in your area has got an interview yet, your country/province/state probably just got a later window in the schedule.</p>
<p>Finally received the most awaited Harvard interview.</p>
<p>Even with a VERY low standardized test score.</p>
<p>So Harvard is truly holistic and Harvard rocks !!!</p>
<p>:-D</p>
<p>^^ hey Aniruddha, mind sharing ur scores??</p>
<p>That’s great Anirudha 
Did you have to put in a request for the interview?</p>
<p>No, they do not entertain requests.</p>
<p>The following is an email I received from Harvard earlier :-</p>
<p>In some countries, like India, we only interview students when we have questions for them regarding their applications. This is because our interviewers are alumni volunteers, and we do not want to overwhelm them with requests. In these countries, the student’s requests for an interview do not affect their chance of being interviewed: the decision is out of the student’s hands.</p>
<p>Sent from my SGH-T959 using CC</p>
<p>ohh…what do you think they need more information about though?</p>
<p>I had sent in essay about how I was obsessed with Adolf Hitler as a child.</p>
<p>Maybe this essay made them a bit curious !!!</p>
<p>:-)</p>
<p>Sent from my SGH-T959 using CC</p>
<p>It’s so important to catch these highly selective colleges of track.</p>
<p>Only way to get in is to stand out of the crowd.</p>
<p>And since I didn’t have the luxury of scores I had to use my essays to stand out and I guess that’s what I did.</p>
<p>Sent from my SGH-T959 using CC</p>
<p>Happy for you :)</p>
<p>But I hate the essays with agenda viewpoint.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Sent from my SGH-T959 using CC</p>
<p>"…to use my essays to stand out…"</p>
<p>I hate the idea of essays being “used”. They should exist in a realm beyond all use. Like, your Harvard essay should be your Harvard essay among other things, rather than the central-cenotaph of your essay being “its my H-essay”.</p>
<p>I’m not being accusatory. Have nothing against you. Just against the “essays to standout”…I know people who sit to write essays saying “this essay must show my diversity” “this should show my blah blah” and stuff. Essays should be shreds of your soul laid bare for the world to delve in…Essays should flow rather than be made to flow and made to sound "stand-out"ish. Like, they’re an excuse to introspect and experience the pure, unadulterated joy of writing. </p>
<p>At least thats the way essay-writing works in my world. Essays should be reveled in rather than agenda-d. They should be written more, for you, than for anyone else.</p>
<p><end of="" idealistic="" rant=""></end></p>
<p>^^I agree completely with you, but to the admissions officers there might not be any difference in the cause behind an awesome essay whether it’s planned or from the heart, as long as it IS awesome.
That is actually a little sad.</p>
<p>And to add to the mockery…people get their essays “written”. They rent that “piece of their soul” for a price and copy paste it on their application. That is the ultimate debasing of “essay”.</p>
<p>I did not say that I made up an essay to impress Harvard.</p>
<p>I rather said that my essay WOULD stand out because the ideas are different and I did not fear to write that Hitler was my political hero when I was young. </p>
<p>If I was trying to make up things I wouldn’t have mentioned Hitler but I would have written about some one like JFK.</p>
<p>PM if you would like to read my essays, they are straight from my heart.</p>
<p>Sent from my SGH-T959 using CC</p>
<p>I USED my essays to stand out. I did not cook them up.</p>
<p>A few people have read a bit of my application, they can testify that my essays are straight from my heart.</p>
<p>Sent from my SGH-T959 using CC</p>
<p>@IRBCobalt</p>
<p>Agreed. An admission officer can’t make out. But what about you? I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I were to spiral down into agenda-hell. </p>
<p>“Giving them what they want” is what people tell da, about essays. But in the giving, aren’t you losing a bit of your self?</p>
<p>Don’t call me idealistic or something. These are questions everyone should be asking. I know a senior whose CA essay was “written” and about a concocted near-death experience he had kayaking in the Himalayas. It was a brilliant piece of writing. But fiction-writing nonetheless, written to emphasize on his “experiences” and stuff. </p>
<p>He got waitlisted at MIT. Is now at Brown. I wonder how he sleeps.</p>
<p>@Anirudha1993</p>
<p>I just got started about essays. And how “people” make them fit agendas. Like I said, I have nothing against you. It would be puerile to comment without reading yours. And you are someone who’s braving the tide to do political science instead of any of the comfortable options you could settle for…I’d peg you as the last person to sully essay-writing.</p>