Interview Help

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

Okay, so my interview is on Sunday (I found out two days ago), and I am FREAKING out! Does anyone have any interview tips? Any common questions asked? I just don’t want to be caught off guard. I have to go out into the city and meet the lady who is interviewing me at her real estate office, and I am sooooo nervous. This is my first interview, and I feel so unprepared and don’t really have the time to do any hardcore preparation. Help!!!

2

Google “college interview questions” and scan this: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/brown-university/810532-brown-interview-faq-and-answers.html

3

Your alumni interview is a conversation – and it’s a two way street. You should have questions for the interviewer as well, such as:

  1. What was your favorite class or professor?
  2. What was your concentration?
  3. What extracurricular activities did you participate in?
  4. What's the best thing you remember about your days at Harvard?
  5. What was the worst thing you remember about your days at Harvard?

There are several sites you can google with Harvard interview questions, among them are:
https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/hear-our-students/student-blog/my-unofficial-tips-interviews
https://signeteducation.com/blog/harvard-interview-expectations
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=harvard+interview&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#q=harvard+interview+site:talk.collegeconfidential.com&safe=off&rls=en

In addition, be prepared for a question interviews are not supposed to ask, but often do:

  1. What other colleges have you applied to?

This is especially true in the RD round, where an alumni interviewer may awkwardly ask:

  1. Did you apply to any colleges in the early round?
  2. Were you accepted early to another college?
  3. Which college is your first choice school and why?

Also, I think it’s helpful to look through sample alumni interview reports, so you can read what kinds of things alumni say. Harvard doesn’t have sample reports available on-line, but Yale does. Play special attention to the interview reports for JEROD, RICHARD, and THERESA: http://asc.yale.edu/samplereports

4

I do a lot of interviewing here are a few tips

  1. Be on time. I mean not even a second late
  2. Have some good questions prepared. I always ask “do you have any questions for me” at the end. A good question is NOT one where the answer can be googled (Do you have a such and such club? Do you have a language requirement etc").
  3. It’s a conversation - don’t be afraid not to know all the answers in advance. You can take a moment to think before you answer just as you would in normal conversation. It’s ok, imho, to say “I don’t know offhand, let me think.”
  4. Keep some perspective - really you are figuring out whether or not Harvard is right for you, not just the other way around. If you don’t like the interviewer, that is informative.
  5. Prestige and “it’s obvious” are not the most compelling answers to “why Harvard” (or any other school for that matter.) something that shows that you have learned about the school’s culture and or curriculum is much better.
  6. A good interviewer won’t hold your anxiety against you but WILL be put off by low energy and lack of enthusiasm. Lean in - literally.

Good luck
Caesarcreek ('80)

5

@T26E4 @gibby @caesarcreek Thank you guys so much for responding!! I did the interview today, and it went really well! The person who interviewed me was amazing! It didn’t feel like an interrogation; he was so kind and relaxed. He didn’t ask me any hard questions or anything that made me flustered; it went really well! He was so nice; it just felt like we were having a conversation. I appreciate the help you guys offered me a lot!

6

That is the way it is meant to work! And now no matter where else you may apply, it won’t be scary. Good luck.