<p>Good day mates! So I thought I'd create this thread for all those that will be taking a trip down to Crimson land (i.e. Harvard) this summer. Post whatever you like!</p>
<p>To start off, I've got a few questions. What sort of questions should I be asking during the information session that will allow me to make the most of the time? From your experience, is the tour helpful (considering that it doesn't include dorms, library etc...)? And, it is my understanding (from the website) that there are no on-campus interviews correct? But what about the "seniors-only" interview mentioned in the interview thread on this forum?</p>
<p>(Tour guide for the admissions office for a couple years)</p>
<p>Ask questions that don’t have concrete answers. College campuses are fluid, so try and figure out what you can about the current feel of the campus. Beyond that, I think we as tour guides often agreed that the worst question to ask is how we as tour guides got in. Every admissions scenario is unique. Thus, trying to replicate our approach is not going to help you. And yes, we understand that the admissions process is incredibly mystifying, but we don’t know what the admissions officers thought of us (for all we know, we got in by a simple majority). Usually, the best advice we could give was doing what you love (and doing it well).</p>
<p>Beyond that, imo, the tour as a whole in unhelpful. Visiting data are never tracked, so there’s no value in using the visit for the purpose of showing interest (in a somewhat cocky manner, the completed application is interpreted as the only necessary expression of interest). Furthermore, in the summer, the majority of students there are high school students attending summer school, so you won’t get a true feel, and the opportunity to stop someone in the hopes that they’re an undergrad to ask them personal questions is greatly reduced. </p>
<p>To that, I would say the best decision to make (if possible) would be to come back during the term and do an on-campus visit (only allowed for seniors in high school) - you stay with an undergrad in one of the dorms or houses, get a few meal passes, and can attend classes with your host or with a designated list of larger lecture classes. </p>
<p>Finally, for the interview. You can get an on-campus interview with an admissions officer (though, they’re usually booked up well in advance). Furthermore, from my understanding, these are really an extension of the information session and are meant mostly for information purposes. The alumni interview they set up for you when you complete an application (not guaranteed to be arranged due to high volume of applicants, though, the majority of domestic and Canadian students usually get one) will probably serve as a more valuable interview since the main focus is on you, the individual.</p>
<p>Thanks!! It’s great to hear from an experienced person.</p>
<p>Given that I can only visit during the summer, would you say that the tour is helpful for the purpose of evaluating if one feels comfortable with the school’s environment (without the privilege of speaking with students etc…)? </p>
<p>So basically you advise to ask open-ended sort of questions? What about questions that are unique to one’s aspirations? </p>
<p>Also just to clarify, to get an on-campus interview I would have to call the admissions office, correct?</p>
<p>Sorry for all these questions.
Thanks again.</p>
<p>My dd14 and I visited in April, caught the train up from CT… we sat in on a lecture in the late morning… and then went to the afternoon information session. It was a very rainy day and we didn’t want to do the “official” tour, so we will go back in the fall. </p>
<p>The information session was packed with high school students from all over the world and their were 2 students and one senior admissions rep… he was amazing… spoke several languages and gave a great presentation… apparently he has been with Harvard for 40 years. </p>
<p>There were many questions asked, most of ours were answered. Your case might be different as you are probably applying international…</p>
<p>Upon our exit from the lecture… and looking lost, we happened upon a wonderful young man in a cowboy style had with a red “H”… he asked if we needed assistance and he became an impromptu tour guide and led us to some very cool eateries/Harvard Book Store/told us lots of great things about the school…he actually turned out to be a tour guide from Florida and was very warm/knowledgable/dynamic. I think his name is Jesse, if memory serves me correctly. He took 30 minutes out of his schedule, even though his shift was over. </p>
<p>I am not sure if you will be able to sit in on a lecture as classes are out for the summer. The list of classes that visitors are able to sit in on are on the website. Or call the admissions office to inquire. </p>
<p>Questions we asked</p>
<p>How many SAT II’s are required
Do they accept superscoring
We asked about specific summer programs that pique there interest in applicants
We asked about AP course credit</p>
<p>There were so many people there with tons of questions so the majority of our questions were answered…</p>
<p>They gave such a good presentation… most questions had already been answered.</p>
<p>I think it’s worthwhile to see the campus and the area around it to see whether you like the urban environment. Harvard Yard is a couple of grassy quads with buildings, but Harvard (the academic buildings, the residential colleges, the athletic facilities, etc.) spans the entire neighboring area. You would be crossing city streets between your dorm and your classes. Some people don’t care for this type of setting and would rather be in a more self-contained campus.</p>
<p>The only time we could fit in visits for my daughter in the northeast was in the summer between her junior and senior years of HS. The one thing that we did that has not already been mentioned was to set up interviews with the undergrad department head of her intended concentration and her main extracurricular activity. This was done by searching the H website to identify the right people and sending them e-mails or calling well in advance. This gave us an opportunity to see the facilities that would most impact her and to ask questions that were not answered on the website.</p>
<p>I like DeskPotato’s suggestion of visiting other parts of Harvard besides the Yard. While freshmen live in the Yard that is the center of the undergraduate campus, the residential houses you’ll live in for the next three years are actually located farther away. Those neighborhoods are quieter without the constant stream of tourists, so it may give you a different feel of Harvard.</p>
, finally I’ll visit my dream college :D</p>