If the candidate is not a serious candidate based on other criteria, the interview has zero weight. If the candidate is one of the minority of serious candidates, then the interview will carry weight as one of several factors, but it’s impossible to generalize how important it will be. In some cases, the interview report will simply reinforce positive impressions, and in other cases it can tip the balance. If the interview report is negative and the admissions committee wants to accept an applicant, they might ask for a second interview to give the applicant another chance. If the second interview is also negative, they will likely reject, but if it’s positive, they’ll probably admit.
"INTERVIEW PROFILE (IVP):
Below is the language for uniform implementation of the Interview Profile number (IVP) for use with all Schools and Scholarship Chairs. The IVP will serve as a guide for chairs to know when our office needs the reports, and therefore how quickly they need to be assigned. All interviewers will be told that they should submit their interview report no later than two weeks after receiving the interview assignment.
- An applicant for whom the committee needs more information to reach a decision - please have interview report in as soon as possible.
- An applicant for whom more information would be very helpful during our deliberations - please have interview report in by the sub-committee deadline.
- Please have interview report in by December 1 (EA) or March 1 (RA).
- Based on the materials currently available, the committee needs no additional information at this time."
That’s how it works in theory, not in practice. I’ve posted on other threads about the impracticality (in most domestic locations) of waiting for IVP ratings. There are too many interviews to assign, and waiting two to three weeks for the IVPs will waste valuable time.
S&S chairs might be responsible for assigning and overseeing hundreds of interviews. Chairs and alumni interviewers work in a volunteer capacity, and most have full-time jobs.
January is extremely hectic and pressured. Some interviewers don’t get the assignment emails or they don’t respond in a timely way. Many students don’t respond to the first email, and some don’t respond in a reasonable timeframe despite two or more emails, texts, and phone calls. Reports are not usually submitted within two weeks because of logistics (finding a mutually convenient time and location) and having the time to write a thoughtful report.
Alumni volunteers, on the whole, are sincere, friendly, and eager to do a good job. Applicants should keep in mind the psychology of the interviewers. They are busy and will appreciate a quick, polite response. Check email and spam folders more than once a day. Respond as soon as possible to any communication. Thank them for their time and send a follow-up email of thanks. It’s common courtesy and will take you far in life if you show respect to others (no matter what their position).
When does the full committee meet this year?
I applied RD. If I still haven’t received an interview (I’m international), does this mean I likely won’t get one?
Also, do students who are accepted Early Action still need to submit their Mid-Year Report?
And lastly, does Harvard ever accept more than one student from each school? (Not a very large school, ~160 students per cohort.)
Any answers would be greatly appreciated!
@casd123 First question: most likely because interview reports were due already
Last question: definitely! I believe there’s a school near where I live that has around 60 students per grade and gets a couple into Harvard each year.
@ohnoitsme Harvard is still sending out interview invitations. My son just did his interview last week. One friend of his just received an request this week. I also saw a couple of kids on reddit got invitations this week.
My Harvard applicant portal does not show my financial aid docs. Is there another portal that shows them? Cannot find it.
February 24 to March 6 to discuss candidates by geographic area. After that, they have a few additional days to look at the overall pool and make adjustments.
If your admissions officer feels that you are a strong candidate, you will almost certainly get an interview. But committee meetings are starting Monday and will go through March 6. They discuss one geographic area at a time, so not much time is left. International candidates divided into three geographic areas that are discussed at different points in the calendar.
Many schools, including some international schools, have more than one accepted applicant.
I’ve written about this on other threads. Even if a local interviewing committee sets an early deadline, reports can still be submitted, at least until the discussion of a particular geographic area… Some areas will be discussed as late as March 6.
It’s possible, though highly unlikely, that the admissions committee would want additional information and request an interview report that would be discussed in the second week of March.
@jazzing So by March 6, the full committee must have chosen majority of, if not all, students for class of 2024. They only disscuss all the candidates in 2 weeks? What do they usually do in the rest of time before the ivy day (March 26)?
Thanks for your answer!
How is a ‘strong candidate’ determined in the early rounds? I would imagine that it’s quite difficult for admission officers to read through all of the essays before sending out interview invites - does this mean that stats may have a heavier weighting in deciding who to interview (as it’s a more systematic way of screening through thousands of applicants)?
Also, what are the three geographic areas? Thank you so much!
Did you fill in a CSS profile?
You can check the status of your application here: https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/
They spend a couple of days a week later doing a final review.
In the last two weeks, I suppose that they determine the financial aid awards, prepare the the hard copy letters/packets, get the portal ready, and check and double check everything. I’m sure that they don’t want to make a mistake by rushing things.
@jazzing Thanks for the information. Your posts are always helpful.
Thanks but does not display, or provide access to, my Harvard FA docs. Perhaps Harvard just doesn’t allow us to see them?
All applications get a first reading by the admissions officer for the geographic area, usually within three weeks of the deadline for regular action. They read all applications, including essays and recommendations, and they don’t determine anything by metrics alone. The applications that are determined to be strongest will be read by the docket chair (and occasionally, in the case of some children of alumni/faculty/staff/donors, by yet another person such as the dean). The most promising applicants will be discussed in subcommittee meetings that take place from late January to mid February.
Interview profile (IVP) ratings (1-4) are assigned when applications get their first reading. In most areas within the U.S., interview committees aim to interview all students and make assignments in late December and early January without waiting for the IVP scores. In some domestic areas, there aren’t many alumni interviewers, so interviews are offered only to the top contenders based on the IVP numbers. Depending on the region, they might try to interview all applicants with an IVP score of 1 and some with a 2, or perhaps all of the 1’s and 2’s. Internationally, only the top contenders are interviewed, and I’m not sure if they wait until after the subcommittee meetings or if they offer interviews based on the first reading.
If an applicant will be presented in full committee, the admissions officer will need an interview report. Only occasionally will an interview not be possible, but the admissions officer will make an extra effort to get an alumni interview or will personally interview the applicant. Only a tiny percentage of admitted students have no interview report on file, and it’s especially rare for international students to be admitted without an interview.
International geographic areas (dockets) are (roughly):
- Americas, UK, Ireland, NZ
- Rest of Europe, Africa, Middle East/Central Asia
- Rest of Asia (South Asia, East Asia)
I’m not sure where Australia and Oceania fit, but I presume they are with Asia (or maybe Oceania is grouped with NZ).
Each docket is discussed fully at one time, typically by state/country and each high school within that state/country. The international dockets are not discussed back-to-back; they are dispersed in the calendar.
Much of this info was made public in the admissions lawsuit, so I have no problem noting it here, along with observations from my personal experience.
How many applicants are actually presented at full committee?
I don’t know for sure, but based on discussions with admissions officers, my guess for the regular action round is that about 10% of applicants are discussed in full committee and about 20% in subcommittee, but I could be wrong. About 3% are accepted in regular action.