<p>In the interview request letter it said that only a small number of people are asked for interviews. How many people do you think are asked for an interview? 50? 100? 200?...</p>
<p>hopefully just the four of us :)</p>
<p>I still haven't been contacted by an alum yet. I guess I'll just have to call the admissions office tomorrow. From those who've already had their interviews, it sounds like the interview is relatively informal. I don't know...I'm so nervous/afraid that I won't be considered "Harvard material".</p>
<p>It's so awesome that y'all got interviews too. Company, yay-ness, I'm happy~ :)</p>
<p>I'm nervous too, sangria. But I actually found out something interesting today; I'm taking it with a grain of salt b/c I know how unpredictable the admissions process can be...but when I called the admissions office, the officer I spoke to said that when they say "small number of interviews", they really mean small. She said that only around 20 or so interviews were given last year--a bit less than half the admitted class--and that virtually all who were offered an interview were admitted. She also said to not take an interview as a point-blank assurance of an admission, but that it is an extremely good sign. She said, quote:
"interviews are extended to an applicant when something outstanding or very interesting is seen in their application. Interviews are usually just an informal way for the reviewers to confirm the picture they already have of you...a way to strengthen or reinforce you beyond the paper...and, many times, to see if you have a personality if you're a math whiz or something...we don't want to admit robots."
So sangria, unless you happen to be a robot, I think you'll do just fine. ^-^ I'm sure we all will. I'm rooting for everybody too!</p>
<p>What are the stats for you who got interviews. I don't think I got one yet - of course, I gave Harvard my home phone number so I'll have to ask my mother if they called. Ugh! I better have gotten one!</p>
<p>Nattiebee,</p>
<p>Thanks for going out and getting that information for us! I was thinking about calling the admissions office and asking them about what this letter meant, but from what you have said -- it sounds like we should be pretty happy, albeit, cautiously.</p>
<p>I wish everyone the best of luck. It's interesting that only twenty or so people got interviews last year: if we assume that it was the same number this year, we have 5 of the people being interviewed among us on the board -- pretty good company.</p>
<p>Northrams, CertiainCertainties, Nattiebee and SweetSangria: I wish all of you the best of luck! As for me, I still did not get contacted by my interviewer so I guess I'll be giving Harvard a call today.</p>
<p>I'm not so sure about the interviews now. I've been contacted by my interviewer and it sounds like several people from my school got interviews. In my case, guess they might be trying to weed out a couple of the candidates by maybe only selecting one or two of the people they interview.</p>
<p>sweetsangria, that's kind of what my interviewer said too, but then he clarified to me that there are "interviews", the kind that we have, with the letters and everything, and "inquiries", which are also sometimes called interviews that are also done by alumns--but are completely different things. He called them inquiries when we talked to avoid confusion, but basically what I understood is that they are interviews of sorts with the purpose to clarify missing or vague information. For example, if an applicant is missing test scores, or contradicting info is found in their app, they'll get one of these "interviews", or inquiries by an alum at Harvard's request. But no letter or anything. So...maybe the other interviews at your school are of these second kind. :) But I think I'm going to stop stressing and trying to interpret what these adcom people do...just results in headache and chewed up pencils in my case...</p>
<p>hackbar, sweetsangria: where y'all located and what schools do you go to~?</p>
<p>LOL @ hackbar. It's not hackbar, it's hakbar!. I'm not some kind of hacker or anything, my username is part of my real name. Don't worry, no biggie. </p>
<p>Anyway, I go to a community college here in the Bay Area, California. I just added your AIM name to my AOL Buddy List, hope that is okay with you. </p>
<p>Looking forward to hearing how all of your interviews go. As for me, Harvard just e-mailed me the contact information of the person who is supposed to interview me -- hopefully he'll find some time in the next week. </p>
<p>As a side-note: I asked about the letter and told them that someone else who was also requested for an interview had been told what Nattiebee had been told and told them if it was accurate. They said, basically, yes. The person whom I asked, who admitted she did not have the exact numbers, thought the number of people who had been interviewed were around 90. When I told her about the 20 thing, she said it was "definitely in that range."
But, once again, she reiterated: An interview is not a guarantee of admission! She also said that she didn't think everyone that was interviewed last year got in.
Damn, this is going to be a tense wait. This is going to occupy the front of my mind now for a while now that I know I have somewhat of a shot, or at least that they are interested.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, and one more piece of information that might be of interest to all of you:</p>
<p>She mentioned how last year there was 55 people accepted, which I think most of you have probably read on their website. This year, they have room for about 75.</p>
<p>oooo, all this information is so exciting! (I needed this right now, I'm completely swamped under 3 papers and presentations and end of year craziness) However, as you said hakbar, it almost makes the wait more tense knowing you have a better chance!</p>
<p>hakbar, which CC do you go to? I'm from San Francisco, though I'm now at Wesleyan in Connecticut (I went to Urban).</p>
<p>anyway, I'm wishing all of you luck, and a speedy passage through the next 20-odd days (seems like years)</p>
<p>-Annie</p>
<p>lol hakbar my bad, names were never my thing. :D p.m me your s/n or post it and i'll add you to my list too. but dude, that's awesome, 75 instead of 55. gah, the wait...it does seem like years. hopefully the amount of applicants this year will be about the same or lower in comparison to last year. happy thoughts...happy thoughts...</p>
<p>and i go to the university of wisconsin, on a side note...jealous of you hakbar, we could use some of that cali weather over here right about now. :P</p>
<p>good luck to ya'all. I did not apply Harvard, it's gonna be tough.</p>
<p>Don't worry about the name, I was just teasing you. Believe me, they aren't my thing either. Now, I can't confirm this, but I think she told me that there were about 1,000 applicants -- which would be the same as last year. </p>
<p>As for the weather out here in the Bay Area, here is the weather forecast for the next couple of days:</p>
<p>Tonight: Mostly clear. Low around 45F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.</p>
<p>Tomorrow: A few clouds in the morning, but mainly sunny. High 74F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.</p>
<p>Tomorrow night: Clear skies. Low 49F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph.</p>
<p>Friday: Sunshine along with some passing clouds. High 78F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.</p>
<p>I don't even like the sun that much, for some reason I prefer cold weather. </p>
<p>And certaincertainties -- I just tried to say that out loud a couple times in a row, really fast -- I go to Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill. Some of the other schools that I applied to are also on the east coast, so I might potentially be coming over to the other side.</p>
<p>that's what you say now... </p>
<p>i used to take those sunny days for granted.</p>
<p>to clarify the name, it's a horribly arrogant (eternal apologies) reference to T.S Eliot's The Waste Land--i'm really really bad at coming up with screen names. If it makes it any easier, my name is Annie. Also, i think it's a san francisco thing to like the cold, though pleasant hill is much warmer. I was dying today--it was in the 80's and humid....gah...and having to sit inside and write a 15 pager wasn't helping my overrall attitude.</p>
<p>The east coast is not too bad, I think it's much harder to make the transition if you're from the midwest, and especially more rural areas. For some reason, a lot of my friends last year were from iowa and wisconson, and they found the transition and the mentality really different. It is a lot more "new yorkish" here, so I can't make grand generalizations, but that's at least what I've observed at wes.</p>
<p>also, just to (potentially) lighten things up, what books did you guys write about on the app?</p>
<p>-Annie</p>
<p>I hate humid weather, that sounds like a horrible day. As for saying what I say about sunny days: I will have my fingers crossed in hopes of being able to find out if I will miss this weather or not. </p>
<p>The thing about rural/urban makes sense, it must be harder for them to adapt. </p>
<p>I don't know if my "books" section will lighten up the mood, but here is a version I wrote for another university that is rougly the same as the one I did for Harvard. This starts off a little differently than the usual answer, I used an actual journal entry to show how I use my reading to help me with my life. Here it is:</p>
<p>The following is from a journal entry I wrote while visiting Bajaur, a remote frontier tribal town located on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan. </p>
<p>Bajaur, 7/20/03.
Im listening to a man who is scared that he will be killed. He is in Bajaur right now, afraid to go home because someone in Kunar wants him dead. Im not sure why, I havent paid close attention to what he is saying because Im writing. This is the second person today that has come with this kind of story. The disputes are usually over land or women. I think this dude had his land forcefully taken from him. My uncle is trying to boost his confidence, telling him he should not fear death. My uncle told him to grab a gun and claim back his home. If you show timidity today, then youll be walked all over, but if you stand your ground youll have people following you, my uncle advises him. It is amazing to see this Hobbesian spectacle before my eyes. Fear of a violent death is a major driving force here. </p>
<p>My experiences in Afghanistan have pushed me to the classics of philosophy and politics. Books like Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes and History Of The Peloponnesian War by Thucydides have given me a better understanding of the sort of problems that Afghanistan faces wars, political upheaval and unbelievable poverty.
Contemporary writers that I enjoy include Robert D. Kaplan, Fareed Zakaria and Bernard Lewis; these writers with their courage to go to the most troubled spots of the world, their succinct analysis on democracy, and their unsurpassed knowledge of the Islamic world, respectively have helped guide me in my search for answers to Afghanistans rebuilding as a nation </p>
<p>Anyway, looking forward to reading what you guys wrote about! Certaincertainties, I just added you on to my buddy list also.</p>
<p>I just got another e-mail from my interview guy. I found it kind of weird that he wanted me to bring a copy of my resume and activities. I got a letter in the mail requesting an interview, but maybe my interview is one of those second type of "interviews" about clearing up inconsistencies. Certaincertainties, nattibee, hakbar, northrams..what do you think? Did your interviewers ask you to bring a resume?</p>
<p>A little about me: I'm originally from Virginia and I now attend a LAC. My personal essay was about my coming out story and I wrote about the play, Angels in America, as my book.</p>
<p>Natibee,
only 20 were interviewed, and you said almost half of who got into harvard had been interviewed... about 70 were accepted..
20/70=28.6%..</p>
<p>I was interviewed last year,, I guess I was the only one out of the 20 that didn't make it..lol</p>
<p>As far as I know, interviews are given to about 200~300 students. That's still a significantly small portion of applicants. However, you guys do have good chances of admittance, as everybody says. I applied again this year, but did not get an interview this time around.. I guess they'll reject me again..</p>