<p>A good friend of mine applied to Harvard as a long shot: SAT scores around 2100 , GPA around 3.85, pretty good extracurriculars, but no minority/hook/athletics.</p>
<p>In fact, she wasn't accepted to Duke, Columbia, Brown, or Boston College. She was accepted to Harvard, and said the interview was the best one-hour conversation of her life.</p>
<p>Therefore, I think good interviews ARE helpful.</p>
<p>^^^ Lol. Well that's a great logical jump you just made.</p>
<p>my interview was very informal - it was just a one hour conversation about things my interviewer and i found of mutual interest. we ended up getting lost in conversation (we talked about the bay area, west coast vs east coast, an extracurricular i participate in, sports, politics, the merits/flaws of democracy)... i think we connected very well. i was extremely lucky that his religious, political, and moral views coincided with mine (we both support obama!) it was definitely a comfortable interview and there seemed to be no list of questions that he followed. in fact, he didnt ask why i wanted to go to harvard :]</p>
<p>"Northstarmom, please give us more details about Harvard interviews for international applicants. There is no interviewer whom I can contact in my country, and other students told me that if your file is good enough, someone will e-mail you. When do interviewers contact you: mid-January, early February? I've heard thousands of versions and I'm really beginning to get butterflies in my stomach "</p>
<p>I am fairly sure that some internationals get accepted without being interviewed. Because of a lack of alum volunteers, it's simply not possible for Harvard to interview all international applicants.</p>
<p>Thank you Northstarmom.</p>
<p>Northstarmom</p>
<p>A girl in my class that also had her interview told me her interviewer said that they rank the top 10 best candidates in each region. It doesn't hurt of you're not on the list, but is this true? Also, is there a way to know how many/what specific region you are in?</p>
<p>Hi - has anyone received an invitation to their local alumni applicant reception? Just wondering if this is for everyone or is it a good sign??</p>
<p>I just got contacted for an interview, and I was asked not only to bring my SAT scores and a resume type thing, but also my ESSAY? Has anyone else had to do this?</p>
<p>yes, SAT, EC, Essays..</p>
<p>Do they read and critique it? haha. Alright, I just thought it was weird that my interviewer would ask for my essays because none of my other interviewers asked for that.</p>
<p>I just found this thread...but I had my interview in November I think, and I was kind of disappointed by it. My interviewer and I did not have much in common at all, and he/she (would rather not tell) asked me where else I applied. Then, he/she went on to recommend me other colleges!</p>
<p>Personally, I was a little put off by Harvard after this. However, I still would love to go there, but my ardent desire to go there diminished a little after this.</p>
<p>If you have had an interview with an admissions officer, do you still get contacted to have an interview with one of their graduates?</p>
<p>With the exception of internationals (whom admissions officers may interview on their summer trips abroad because there are not enough alum abroad to interview applicants), Harvard tries to have all applicants interviewed by an alum -- whether not the admissions officers have interviewed them.</p>
<p>About essays: I have found it helpful when students brought in their essays (though I never requested this) because it helped me avoid asking the student about subjects that they already had told Harvard about in depth. The purpose of the interview is to give Harvard additional info -- not the same info that Harvard already has.</p>
<p>When the interview told you that she/he would give you a positive recommendation and that you were a great fit for Harvard, does it mean your chance has just increased?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Sorry. I meant the interviewer. Thanks.</p>
<p>^^^ Maybe a tiny little bit, but honestly I don't think it's such a big deal, because the majority of interviewer reports are probably positive anyway.</p>
<p>SteveTheBeav:</p>
<p>I just had my interview yesterday and all I can say is RELAX! It is honestly just like a conversation. My interviewer and I had so many things in common the hour just flew by. </p>
<p>Some questions were about Why Harvard? What can you contribute? Leadership qualities, books that you have read, school activities, personal attributions. Don't be nervous, just be yourself and be genuine.
Good Luck!</p>
<p>"
A girl in my class that also had her interview told me her interviewer said that they rank the top 10 best candidates in each region. It doesn't hurt of you're not on the list, but is this true? Also, is there a way to know how many/what specific region you are in?"</p>
<p>That may occur in your region particularly if there are many applicants from your area. Where I live, we typically get about 20 applicants from a region stretching about 200 miles, and we don't rank applicants.</p>
<p>"Hi - has anyone received an invitation to their local alumni applicant reception? Just wondering if this is for everyone or is it a good sign??"</p>
<p>It probably is for all applicants. With the exception of recruited athletes and the few students who get likely letters, there would be no way of hosting a reception for students who were considered at the top of the list. That info won't be known until admissions letters go out in late March. The admissions officers are still reading and compiling applications.</p>