<p>NSM...to add to the reasons why I want to go to Harvard...
I think I can safely say that I have thoroughly exhausted all sources of academic motivation at my school...I thrive on competition, but there's no competition left. The old seniors are gone, and the new juniors aren't quite as ambitious as I was, so I don't have classes with them. My class seems very apathetic. I can say for a fact that two, probably three, of our valedictorians barely care about anything but grades: two took a class over the summer out of fear that taking it at my school would cause them to get a B, and the third (who took the class at my school) cared about little other than getting an A. I can tell because she was constantly depressed until the last day of school, when she knew that her final grade was an A, and when she talks about the class now, she doesn't remember any of the information we learned and can only bring up the subject of how close she was to losing her 4.0.<br>
I have been at the very top of my class for the last four years and strongly desire to be closer to the middle or the bottom--not because I want to be lazy, but I want to have people smarter than me who can motivate me to work harder so that I can move toward the top and not just be stagnant. I want competition. I want a challenge--courses harder than the ones I'm taking now. I want to have to work to my full potential and do my best to earn the grades I do, not just be able to memorize a couple of formulas and three dates to make an A. Does that make sense? Is that an appropriate way to phrase one of the major reasons why I want to go to a school with people as brilliant as those at Harvard?</p>
<p>Would that be an arrogant sounding reason?</p>
<p>If I may voice a personal opinion, Lagal, I would venture to say that your last argument did sound a bit too arrogant.
I have had a lot of experience with competitions (especially in math, in my country) and I can say that sometimes the most unlikely persons have a great year and manage to secure top spots. As for competition in general, it does a bit bad when you say that you have no competition. On the other hand, you may be right in what you say...</p>
<p>NSM, I appreciate your comments and i would like to ask a question related to your suggestion that it would be a good idea to research your interviewer: Do you by any chance know any interviewers in Romania ?(for Harvard, since this is mainly a debate about Harvard). I have a friend who is a freshman at Harvard, but his interviewer will not be in Romania because of the recent election in the US, so I guess I'm clueless and also curious:) </p>
<p>I would also like to ask you what scores on the SAT I/SAT II/TOEFL would be ok from a Harvard point of view (I know you must answer this question tens of times a day, but I feel that I have to pose it myself:) ). I'm not very happy about my SAT I scores, but it's a bit too late to do anything about them now, so I'm asking mainly because I want to reassure myself in an objective way.</p>
<p>Another question that comes to mind is how many students from Romania are admitted on average in a year? </p>
<p>I will probably go on and ask more detailed questions later on, but I would like it if you could answer these first.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help</p>
<p>NSM, any comments?</p>
<p>Mstangescu...Thank you for the comments. I thought it sounded arrogant, but couldn't think of a way to change it.</p>
<p>Is there anyway I can rephrase it? Maybe something like:
I want more intellectual stimulation. I want a challenge--courses harder than the ones I'm taking now. I want to have to work to my full potential and do my best to earn the grades I do, not just be able to memorize a couple of formulas and three dates to make an A. I want to go to school with people for whom grades are not a priority--they care about learning and come to school only to learn, not to worry about exactly how well they do on tests. But, at the same time, I want to go to school with people who do do well on tests and provide me with a great example--something I can work toward to better myself.</p>
<p>Wow, everyone needs to take a deep breath and relax. The interviews exist for two reasons:
1) To have a chat with applicants in a very informal setting.
2) For Harvard to keep in contact with their alumni.</p>
<p>Last year, my interview was with a twenty-something lawyer, in a coffee shop. We just chatted about Harvard and Cambridge, student life, and a little about myself. It was informal, with no tough questions, only simple conversation.</p>
<p>One tip: It could be beneficial for you to offer a resume for them to take. This may be helpful when your interviewer is sending his report back to Harvard. He/She may not take it, but some interviewers will be grateful.</p>
<p>Overall, the best way to prepare for your interview is to be calm and confident (...but not arrogant). Let me know if I can answer any specific questions. Good luck!</p>
<p>The interviews also play a part in admissions. In general, they do not play a major part, but when it comes to borderline candidates or the rare candidates who either excel or totally bomb their interviews, the interviews can be tip factors.</p>
<p>I am sorry, Mstangsu, but I do not know anything in specific about interviews in Romania. I know that usually the bottom SAT I scores for admission are 1200. Only a few extraordinary people get in with SAT scores that low. I don't know about TOFEL or SAT considerations. Adcoms, though, probably can give you an idea of what is usually the bottom scores that Harvard takes.</p>
<p>LAgal,
I didn't find what you posted to be arrogant. Other than that, I will not make other comments. You need to be yourself at the interview, not tailor your comments to what you think the right answers are.</p>
<p>NSM, to be more specific, i've got a 720 Verbal/750 Math score. Is that ok?
Another thing I would like to ask is if a harvard undergrad has a social life....There are a lot of rumours about suicide at Harvard and people who don't even have enough time to sleep, so I would appreciate a candid comment on this subject</p>
<p>I just posted a bit about Harvard's social life, in the "Questions about Harvard" thread. Also, your SAT scores look great.</p>
<p>Thanks harvard08! Appreciate all the info on Harvard. For those of you waiting on your interviews, don't fret about it. Just make sure you have everything you can possibly think of regarding EC's and volunteerism on your resume' and feel somewhat relaxed before the interview. Relaxation techniques vary from person to person, but personally, I have found that running works for me. I just had my 2nd interview on Friday and I think it went very well. My interviewer was very complimentary and although he couldn't tell me whether or not I would be accepted, he was extremely positive. I just took the SAT II's, so I'm waiting on 11/19 to see how I did.</p>
<p>I'm not into the party scene, but I do consider myself to be a very social person. I have applied to the Naval Academy and received an LOA, but I'm not sure now if I want the 24/7 military lifestyle during my college years. I will have plenty of time for that after receiving my commission. Is anyone else in the same situation with regard to choosing a service academy or Harvard?</p>
<p>You're not very happy about your SAT I scores? And you got a 1470? Calm down, Mstangescu. 1470 is about average for a Harvard student. I believe the middle 50% ranges from 1400-1590, or something like that.</p>
<p>I have my EA interview this Friday, and I'm pretty excited! I just hope I don't mess up and say something embarassing. He told me not to bring a resume or application when I asked, so I won't even have to worry about forgetting anything. It should be interesting.</p>
<p>i have my interview on thursday...trying to calm myself down...</p>
<p>NSM - do the alumni interviewers see the application, meaning essays and personal statement? i would like to draw off my essay since it expressed a passion of mine and did not want it to seem redundant.</p>
<p>Last year when my daughter had her interview, the interviewer had not seen her application. But she was requested to fill out out and bring with her a 2-page info sheet that amounted to a sort of mini-application. But this is not universal. I think this little mini-app was put together by the local alumni club and not Harvard itself.</p>
<p>The alumni interviewers do not see your application.</p>
<p>If you have talked about something in depth on your application , try to talk about something different in your interview. That way, the interview report can highlight a different dimension about what you have to offer Harvard.</p>
<p>Highlighting something different in your interview also will help you sound more enthusiastic and spontaneous. It's hard to sound enthusiastic when you're talking about something that you've edited and agonized over when writing your essay. Instead of sounding natural, you may sound canned rehearsed.</p>
<p>My worry is that exactly! I'm trying to "steer" myself to sound natural and confident and banish those annoying "umm" and " uhh" statements. Thanks NSM, your comments are very helpful!</p>
<p>Northstarmom, if they don't see your application, how do you think my interviewer knew so much about me? I just assumed he HAD seen my app, but I guess not. Could it be that he spoke with someone in admissions? I took my resume' with me, but since he already knew all about my EC's and jobs, etc., he didn't even really look at it.</p>
<p>Navgirl.
A Harvard alumni interviewer knew all about you before the interview? Maybe the interviewer Googled you or know someone who knew you. </p>
<p>If you are referring to an interview with an alum of another college, it is possible that other colleges share more info with alumni interviewers than Harvard does.</p>
<p>It is normal to have to pause for breath or even to say something like "um" during an interview. You are not expected to act like a celebrity who has been interviewed thousands of times.</p>
<p>I don't think you belong in Harvard LAgal...that's a terrible reason. You can find plently "competition" for grade-getting in state schools as well (presumably in honors programs...).</p>
<p>Hmmm...I guess that's possible Northstarmom. Well, he didn't know ALL about me, but he knew a lot about my EC's and sports record. I do have a good friend of mine whose Dad is a Harvard grad, but I think I'd know if he spoke with another alumni, then again, maybe not. I did think it was a little weird that he knew so much, but I really thought he had seen my app.</p>
<p>Wow, fluxpoint, that's a little harsh. LAgal is saying she's tired of competition; she wants to be challenged by brilliant people and learn from them. Harvard has the best of the best.</p>