<p>Rune-Sorry your interviewer was a little antisocial. I'm sure you impressed him nonetheless.</p>
<p>I just had my interview. It was pretty intense...I don't know how, but she had it timed exactly to 45 minutes, and that's how long it lasted...weird internal clock or something.</p>
<p>anyhow...she insisted that I send some writing samples to Harvard. Like, insisted. But I always thought they didn't want that stuff...and the kid in the Gatekeepers sent stories that got completely ignored. So should I send stuff anyway?</p>
<p>should you really send a thank you card?? My interview was over a month and a half ago and i didnt... should I??</p>
<p>Just<em>forget</em>me, thanks man! You'll definitely get into Stanford... and then...</p>
<p>I sent a note out to each of interviewers.... probably had no impact though</p>
<p>babybird87, I think if your interviewer insisted on you sending them, you should do it. That's kinda weird, though. I wonder if that's just for those applying RD, or only for a select few. I applied EA and my interviewer never said anything about sending in writing samples.</p>
<p>I am guessing that the interviewer was impressed by babybird's writing, and though it would help her application. My advice would be to follow the interviewer's suggestion. If the adcoms aren't interested, they won't hold the samples against you. For all you know, though, the samples might tip you in. You have nothing to lose. It's also nice that the inteviewer thought so highly of your writing.</p>
<p>Many interviewers have developed, through long experience, a sense of what sometimes "works" and what doesn't.</p>
<p>Just a general question-- what types of writing samples are best to send? creative writing, or a more academic paper?</p>
<p>Yeah, I figured that she thought the whole "parents are writers and so is daughter" thing would help. She said the adcoms would give my samples to an English professor and have them grade it! I always had the impression that they just ignored writing samples.</p>
<p>But she did tell me repeatedly to not send anything bad, lol. So I'm looking at a couple of poems, but all my short stories save one so-so one are lost to the eons. Should I just send the poems and forget the stories?</p>
<p>If one sends writing samples, send one's best work, and only do this if one's best work is exceptional. That's the bottom line, not the genre. Probably one sample would be enough, not a flood of examples. Neither the adcoms nor the profs who may help evaluate supplemental material have a lot of time to review a stack of extra materials from one applicant.</p>
<p>Just don't send cookies or a fruit basket. Probaby won't help!</p>
<p>Send a bowl of wax fruit.</p>
<p>hahahaha! Thanks for getting my day going with a good laugh, mensa160! The mental picture I have of the expression of an interviewer having a bowl of wax fruit delivered is hysterical.</p>
<p>Northstarmom, what about writing samples in a different language? Would they also be given to professors in that department? Is it unnecessary and superfluous because I've received other recognition for it, or would it be helpful?</p>
<p>My advice would be to send writing samples only if they are truly extraordinary. For virutally all candidates, including those who are admitted, the only writing sample that is needed is the required essays.</p>
<p>Thanks, Northstarmom! I'll consider it. Should it be sent to the admissions office directly? Once I heard someone suggest sending it to one of the faculty and asking one of them to pass on their recommendation to the admissions office if they liked it, or something like that.</p>