<p>Hey, I know this has probably been asked a million times, but I'm actually doing one of my first college interviews in a few days. How should I prepare for the interview, if at all? And is this going to be a casual conversation, or is it going to be an "get down to business" type deal? Any thought at all would bre greatly appreciated. Thx!</p>
<p>P.S. Is the Harvard interview an evaluative interview that affects one's admissions chances or is it more of an informative interview? Thx again.</p>
<p>The type of interview you have and the questions asked really has to do with your interviewer. Some are casual, while others are intense.</p>
<p>I didn't really prepare for mine. I would suggest being familiar with your record, your classes, why you want to go to Harvard, your interests, any weaknesses on your application, etc. You should know all this stuff already, but you may want to think about how you would articulate it. You don't want to sound rehearsed, so don't plan out answers. Just be comfortable talking about yourself. Make sure that during the interview you get out things that you want to talk about, such as your passion for Russian or your desire to study architecture or how you want to help people with AIDS in India. </p>
<p>Just relax. As long as you are friendly, natural, and articulate, and you don't insult your interviewer, your state school, kids in your class, any race or religion, gay people, or anything else, you'll be fine. :)</p>
<p>The interview is a factor, but not THE factor. It's more a screening for undesirables than it is a designator of desirables...like the high school exit exam (if they have them wherever you are).</p>
<p>Prepare by calming yourself down and psyching yourself up for any sort of interviewer. You don't know if the person will be business-like or friendly, someone who's out to slaughter you or make you shine. I was very lucky; the lady said she thought it was her job to make me look good :) My interviewer for Yale, on the other hand, was awkward and uppity and hardly let me get a word in. He spent half the time telling me how little his opinion meant and that my fate was already sealed, so I was effectively wasting both his and my time (not in such strong language, of course). I'd like to think he's an exception to the good-will rule, though...my interviewer from Bowdoin was along the lines of the first one for Harvard.</p>
<p>So, basically, put your game face on and assume the best. Bring a copy of your transcript and your EC/Award resume, just in case. Sort out what's important to you in your life...you don't want to be caught off guard by something as simple as "What do you expect to get from college?" And wash your face before you go, and sit up straight.</p>
<p>One important point: take the initiative. Don't make them hand questions to you on a platter--offer information about yourself, keep the conversation active, don't fidget in the awkward moments.</p>
<p>I think you can pull clues from your phone conversation for scheduling the interview (unless it was by email, which is harder). Generally you can form some tentative idea of the type of interview from the way they approach you (my interviewer was very casual and fun on the phone so I knew it was going to be a laid-back conversation and it was so much fun!!!).</p>
<p>My important point: Try not to "um" during pauses. If you can't respond right away, just let the room sit in silence for a moment because it's really not as awkward to them as it seems to you. "Ums" make you sound unsure of yourself and your answers and are very distracting to a listener. Good luck!</p>
<p>I echo the sentiments of others. Interviews can vary widely. Mine was with a administrator at a local school, and he didn't really ask me anything specific. He just asked me to go through all 4 years and describe my classes and EC's, and what made them special. He'd then ask me questions on what I said, and we'd sometimes go off on tangents involving politics, common hobbies and interests, my plans for the future, and the programs offered at Harvard. It was very informal.</p>
<p>In the end, it was a good experience, and it seemed like he really wanted me to attend Harvard. The interviewers want to help you, not hurt you. The interview is your chance to show the admissions office what a great guy/gal you are.</p>
<p>brian-mc, that's not really the type of interview i hope to get though...i really want my H interviewer to be like my Y interviewer(our convesration flowed like river-yes, going off tangent very often)...</p>
<p>my interviewer just e-mailed me and said i should've already gotten the pre-interview questionnaire. i didn't get it though. was it in some mail i should've recieved? is it on a website somewhere?</p>
<p>make sure you know what you want to spend a good deal of time about so you can gear the convo in that direction.</p>
<p>i lucked out with harvard since my interviewer majored in and research stuff similar to what i did research in so we just talked for an hour about my research.</p>
<p>i havent had a really intense interview yet but thats because ive had great interviewers</p>