As for what to expect- it differs greatly from interview to interview. The reason is that most interviewers like to let their interviewees carry the conversation- that is, rather than ask a set list of questions and record the answers, they prefer to discuss topics that you find interesting, or to have you tell them about your interests.</p>
<p>For example, if you tell them (say) that you’re on the debate team, he might bring up his debating experience at Harvard, and you might talk show about that and have him inform you about that. Or he might ask you “What’s your favorite debating experience?” or “What attracts you to debate?” or anything similar. This kind of discourse shows that you’re more than a list of achievements- but as you can see, it’s difficult to predict or prepare for.</p>
<p>For example, I explained the details of building a robot to one of my interviewers, my favorite jazz numbers to another interviewer, I explained how I would argue against creationism to another, and so on. You would have a completely different experience- maybe you’d talk about what you enjoy (say) track, or being school treasurer, or volunteering, or whatever your particular interests are.</p>
<p>The kind of preparation I would most recommend is this: consider in detail how you would answer the question “Tell me about yourself.” Almost all interviews begin with this, and if you blank out under the pressure, it’s a very bad start to the interview. (You’ll walk out and suddenly realize a whole list of interests and activities that you’d forgotten to mention). Don’t memorize a response- just think up a list of things you should remember to mention, and topics you should bring up if a chance arises.</p>
<p>Here’s another really important piece of advice- your first interview is always your worst. (My first interview was for Harvard, and I felt so uncomfortable about it that I was surprised when I got in). After your first few interviews, you really start to hit your stride- you learn the kinds of questions that are asked, you learn what comments get good responses and which don’t, and you generally feel more relaxed. I highly recommend that if Harvard is your most important interview, you schedule it third or fourth. (Of course, there’s strategy involved here too- you don’t want to put a borderline school up first, then “waste” your best interviews on reaches. The best strategy would be to find one of the colleges that does interviews that don’t affect admissions, and take one of them first. (I believe Cornell gives them, but you might want to look around).</p>
<p>And, of course, relax! Just have an interesting conversation, don’t be too stiff, and just tell them about yourself.