<p>
[quote]
It's just a way to make sure that "you are not an axe-murder", according to her words.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I hope they didn't get that impression in your applications. haha</p>
<p>hahahahahaha!</p>
<p>well, I guess they matter to a degree- and if they act as a favorable tipping factor for u, they are mightily important- I wish we cud read our interviewers' reports!</p>
<p>like i said before, who said I use axes? (chop*!)</p>
<p>yeah! that would be nicce.... i wonder if the interviewer's ties to the college are a factor in how much influence his/her report has on your acceptance/rejection...</p>
<p>I really . . .really hope I'm an auto-admit. I didn't get an interview. I know that's a bad thing to say, but it's all I can think. They must not have deliberated my file much, so hopefully that means admit. (Summons the admissions gods, shaking tiny fist at the stars).</p>
<p>Don't worry Brian, out of the 4 Harvard transfers (successful) I know, one of them got in and didn't get an interview. 3.7 something GPA i believe, and he published several books or something. I don't know his other stats. though.</p>
<p>What were your stats, Brian?</p>
<p>Stats:</p>
<p>School: University of Pennsylvania
GPA: ~ 3.6
ACT: 30
SAT II: Math-620/Spanish-690/Writing-790
High School: 3.9, Top 5%</p>
<p>EC:
* Writer, Daily Pennsylvanian
* Internship at Embassy in Mexico City
* Currently working on Publishing Project, fiction
* Dean's Advisory Board (subcommittee, lots of memos, lots of<br>
striking, bureaucracy-fighting)
* Fellowship to help build schools and teach in rural China
* Pursuing self-designed major in Rhetoric and Policy
* Teach Buddhist Meditation
* Speak: French, Spanish, German, Russian
* Studied in France, translated for Words w/out Borders (for victims
of rape in Saharan Africa)
* Ran 2 marathons, raise money for Cancer Society
* Overcame mother's suicide attempt and rehab stint</p>
<p>Yea, I'm basically hoping to get in as a person - I've never been obsessed with my GPA and tests, and that's what held me back before. I know how to do well but I choose to spend time making a more direct impact.</p>
<p>Essays: Fairly good, talked about writing, my brand of epicureanism, lots of updates.</p>
<p>Recs: Two enthusiastic recs from a prof and a TA in Philosophy; One from Dean of Advising, also very positive and supportive.</p>
<p>I know I'm probably on the fence, on the one hand I'm not a superstart genius by my stats, but I've gone overboard on multi-cultural, socio-economic, and political endeavors. We'll see!</p>
<p>Very cool. Sounds like you have a decent shot. I would have expected you to be interviewed, I guess.</p>
<p>Maybe one day we'll study/work in Philosophy together. :) Actually, I feel like we're almost twin applicants... it's freaky. I'm in the same boat: (relatively) mediocre test scores, gpa, and big on ECs and life experiences crap, ha.</p>
<p>Brian: you have to remember that you had an interview with a Harvard alum as a freshman applicant. And providing you're coming from an excellent ivy league school already, maybe they felt they already had everything they needed and that an additional interview would be superfluous.</p>
<p>Yes, true, I did have an interview, but that was in 2002 (I graduated in December 2002, took second semester off to study in France, then took a year off to work and for fam issues, then started at Penn and am now a Sophomore, so now that it's mid-2006, it's been almost 4 years since my interview) so, yea, I'm sure the ivy league thing tells them I'm not an 'axe-murderer', but it would have been nice to have an interview. Or, I dunno, maybe it woulld have made things worse. Oy, where are the decisions arleady!!!!!</p>
<p>Brian, I have the same situation. I didn't have an interview now... :(
However, I had one when applying as undergrad in 2002 (I had a year off to work) and I was waitlisted then, moreover my brother graduated last year fom Harvard. I thought that I have a strong application, so I expected interview, but....so I am not sure what does it mean....we'll see in a week most likely...I know that still have the applications from 2002 and they will use them as additional info.
But still, I have no idea if we have any chances since we didn't have the interview...</p>
<p>Nesta: where are you currently at school?</p>
<p>My dean, a Harvard alum, interviewed me for a half hour before writing my recommendation. In addition, one of my recs is from one of their former graduate students that was my TA, and a Harvard professor that attended the College and did his graduate work there. I'm hoping that this is the reason I haven't been interviewed: because essentially, I've already had enough contact with Harvard alum in my application.</p>
<p>Hey Janel, my college dean is also a harvard alum, but i didn't think there was a place on the report for them to put their degrees, colleges, etc...so i didn't think it mattered very much, but maybe i'm mistaken.</p>
<p>Well, I think when they sign the letter that they write that by their name...unless they want the rec to be impartial, perhaps. They could also have stuck it in the beginning of the letter like I've seen some professors do. Oh well, who knows, and at this point, who cares.</p>
<p>when we shud expect e-mails from harvard- Monday?</p>
<p>No. Probably a few days after that. The status check stops working on Monday, and emails typically follow by a few days.</p>
<p>thanks janel!</p>