Interview Question - Thank you note??

<p>I have had a less-than-pleasant interviewing experience with Harvard overall. The Harvard Club in my town planned a single day for all interviews, and I could not make it due to an important piano performance. Moreover, the initial emails sent 1.5 weeks before the interview to notify students (including me) ended up in the spam folder, so I didn't see it before the deadline to reply (other friends expressed similar problems). So, I received a phone call on the Monday before the Sunday that the interviews were planned, saying "Hi, have you checked your email? You have a Harvard interview at 1:30 on Sunday. You're past the deadline. You should check your email." It was hardly polite.</p>

<p>In any case, I found the email deep in my spam folder, and responded immediately saying that I could not make that time because of a previous commitment - I could make it before 12:30 or on a different day. I was offered 12:45 and 3:15, neither of which was possible for me given my previous commitment. I made it quite clear that I could not make that day, and that I would not be at my interview, and I apologized profusely and hoped that we could schedule another interview, etc. I tried to be extremely polite about it as I know that interviewers are volunteers and that another day might not be possible.</p>

<p>I got to school on Monday, was called to my guidance counselor's office, and there was a man sitting in there. My guidance counselor motioned for me to come in, the man shook my hand and said, without introduction or warning, "You never showed up to your Harvard interview." I was quite put off. Now, somehow the guidance department as well as the PRINCIPAL at my school (whom I don't know well) know that I "skipped my Harvard interview." As though I blew it off! Given the ease with which this information has spread, I am nervous that my interviewer report will make it seem that I did blow off my interview, even though I tried as hard as possible to handle the situation politely and appropriately. It is not that the Harvard interview was not important to me, but this piano performance was important to me and given such little notice about the interview, I could not ask for the ability to arrive late/leave early without being rude and irresponsible, as I agreed to perform at this date and time a month in advance.</p>

<p>Well, I ended up having the interview, after the initial accusation, which quite put me off as I am not one to blow off important dates and had made it very clear in advance that I would not be attending, but I don't think my interviewer ever introduced himself properly, and if we did properly introduce ourselves and I do not remember, I certainly never received his contact information. Perhaps that was a blunder on my part not to ask, but it seems awkward to just ask for an interviewer's address during an interview. The interview ended up being pleasant and not terribly personal, and we had a nice time discussing changes in Harvard since he attended, etc.</p>

<p>So, my main question is, how should I write a thank you note, if at all? Do you think Harvard Club would have the contact information of this person even though I am honestly not even sure of his name? Would it even be appropriate to write a thank you note? Also, do the Harvard Club's actions seem rude or inappropriate to anyone else, and would it be fitting to let Harvard Admissions know about this? I know that this particular club has traditionally been very hard on people who want to reschedule - some years back, a friend of mine could not make his time, he asked to reschedule, the interviewer said no, he asked for five minutes to think about it, the interviewer said NO, and so he ended up not having an interview (and was rejected). It seems ridiculous not to allow people, especially traditionally busy high school students as Harvard applicants, an easy method of rescheduling an interview. So, how should I handle the situation, if at all (perhaps I am over exaggerating the significance of the Harvard Club's actions and of my interviewer's amazing ability to make it clear that good student X skipped her Harvard interview), and how might I approach getting an address to send a thank you note, if I should indeed do so at all?</p>

<p>Have you asked your guidance counselor and/or your principal if they know his name? You said that they had talked to him, and I don't know many principals that don't ask for a person's name before talking to them, so it's quite possible they have his name. If you can get the name, then you can at least send a letter to the Harvard Club and ask them to forward it on.</p>

<p>While I agree that the club was a bit out of line, I would not contact the admissions office about the incident at all. Unless they ran into your car and refused to pay for the damages, or something similarly horrible, you might just come off as whiny. I'm not saying you sound like that now, but after processing thousands of applications and having kids call in everyday asking the same questions, small things like that probably get on their nerves a little bit more than they should.</p>

<p>^^ Yeah, I totally understand what you mean. To clarify, I really mean should I notify the admissions office because Harvard admissions probably does not want interviewers who are going to give a bad impression of their school, and the impression I got from those interviewers was COMPLETELY different from the one I get when talking to professors, students and alumni of Harvard (I go there very often). Just, it's bad if a school's interviewers turn people off to that school/do not adequately represent the school. I would of course say things in the most positive, democratic light.</p>

<p>Yeah, good point. However, it's not exactly a pressing matter since most of the interviews for this year are already done. So, if you really want to notify the admissions office, just wait until you get your decision letter in April. They aren't going to rescind your acceptance if you complain about a Harvard Club.</p>

<p>If your worried, you can visit campus and talk to admissions about what had occured. Skip any negative stuff, just explain why you had missed the scheduled interview and then apologize profusely for any problems and misunderstanding that might have resulted. I would not go anything to offend admissions or talk negatively about a Harvard Club [It still represents the school whether you like it or not]. Best of Luck! I'm applying as well=Hope to See You On Campus 2008-2009 If I get accepted! Or Not If I Decide to Go Elsewhere Instead!</p>

<p>Yes, if you think that your interview will look badly for you, then you should contact Harvard. I had a similar experience with an interviewer from another Ivy. Have your counselor or parent call Harvard and explain to them what happened and ask if it is possible to have another interview. (they will most likely ask who your interviewer was, if you don't know and interviewer has already filed a letter for you, then they can find out) It's best to do this asap as deadlines to file interview letters are coming up.</p>