<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>ditto on what jellybean24 said...I don't mean to start a fight or anything, but please read the rest of this thread, and you will realize that competition is not the only reason why I want to go to Harvard. Thank you for your judgment on where I do and don't belong, though. I will keep it in mind as I select the rest of my colleges.</p>
<p>I just had my interview today. It was absolutely wonderful and I talked about myself a lot; what I believe in, what I want to do; I set out on a mission to show the interviewers the person beyond the essay (especially since Harvard only requires the common application essay!). If you guys have any questions about my interview and what happened, just feel free to ask - it's really fresh in my mind now so go ahead.</p>
<p>Congrats on having an upbeat interview! Please post details. I always enjoy hearing about students' interviews. Hearing the info gives me ideas for how best to interview students.</p>
<p>I had a wonderful interview today. My interviewer asked that I bring a resume, and we went over that for the first half or so. It gave me a chance to talk about my ECs, and share some personal stories. After that, he asked me some typical interview questions. Had a good discussion about Candide by Voltaire. We talked for a little after that about test scores, and then I asked him a few questions about Harvard. All in all, it was about 45 minutes, which went by really quickly.</p>
<p>Hello. I am new to this thread. I had my interview a few days ago. I thought it went alright. We talked about a number of things. He told me about his stocks, we talked bioethics, real estate, the medical field, and the time my inteviewer had at Harvard. All in all, the interview lasted about 3 hours, but it was good conversation. It went by pretty quickly, but i can say that I enjoyed it.</p>
<p>NSM and others: I had two interviewers! It was like I was being interviewed for some type of job! They did not have any idea who I was (they said they did not read anyone's applications), so I provided them with my SAT I scores, my top 3 SAT II scores, my AP scores, and my senior year schedule. From there, they proceeded to ask me what my favorite class was, and I said that it was my english class, which is done in a seminar setting. </p>
<p>Basically, NSM and others, I felt that they want you to drive the conversation. They had no qualms when I changed the topic around in order to show them who I truly was, beyond the essay. In those 55 minutes, I really felt like I showed them who I was</p>
<p>Well, everyone here seems to have had a positive experience with their Harvard interview. I had my MIT interview today, and I was wondering if Harvard interviews any different from MIT interviews.</p>
<p>It didn't seem like my interviewer was interested in talking about anything besides me or my questions for him about MIT. He had a list of questions that he had to get through in an hour, and it felt like an inquisition. Basically, the only response to anything I said was another question. : (</p>
<p>"Basically, NSM and others, I felt that they want you to drive the conversation. They had no qualms when I changed the topic around in order to show them who I truly was, beyond the essay. In those 55 minutes, I really felt like I showed them who I was"</p>
<p>I can't speak for all Harvard interviewers as I think that everyone has their own style. My style is, however, similar to your interviewer's. I know that Harvard is a place where assertiveness and intensity rules. It is not a place for passive people who need to be dragged to ECs or who need the professor to call them and wake them up to go to class. (Believe it or not, I once taught at a second-third tier school where the college president said that profs should do exactly that when students didn't make it to their morning classes!).</p>
<p>Harvard does encourage interviewers to ask open ended questions, which is what gives the students a chance to show their personalities and interests.</p>
<p>And, yes, IMO, a college interview for a highly competitive college, is very similar to a job interview. There are many more applicants than there are spaces so one has to be very assertive about making one's case for why one should be accepted. Students who are passive participants in the interview aren't likely to make a good impression.</p>
<p>At least the interview that I messed up on was my MIT one, so I can try to take that into account for my Harvard interview. So I should just try to twist the conversation in which ever way that makes me look best?</p>
<p>On second thought, though, messing up the MIT interview probably wasn't good either : ( I've basically eliminated my chance of going to MIT now.</p>
<p>Yes --- but you mustn't be too obvious. When they asked me, "What do you think about my school?" I talked about how I grew and talked about what I believe in and who I am through my english class by paraphrasing parts of books I loved and what that showed about me and most importantly, how I perceive the world. In addition, when they ask you about your ECs, make sure that you focus on specifics and basically comment on that -- like a critical commentary of a book (crude example, I know, but I hope you get what I am trying to say.) That's what I did, and I truly believe if I do get accepted, it will be on the basis of my interview, essay, and one teacher recommendation (the other is solid but not as inspiring as this one.)</p>
<p>i just had my interview last weekend and it went very well. he actually wasnt too interested in politics. i did a mild segue into it from economics, since he was an economics major, but i perceived that he wasn't interested so i talked a bit about my political history and then changed the subject by telling a different story.</p>
<p>in terms of twisting the conversation, i think you definitely should do that. wouldn't you twist a conversation (gently of course) if you were trying to impress someone you just met? at all costs do not wait for a specific question if you want to say something in particular.</p>
<p>Did your interviewer keep bombarding you with questions, or did make some sort of response to what you said (e.g. a personal anecdote)? My interviewer kept asking question after question; in short, it was no conversation.</p>
<p>Wow! Congrats to all on great interviews!
Question, though: How are they going to be able to factor the interview into the admissions decision if nearly everyone's goes so well?</p>
<p>These interviewers are from Harvard. They are well versed and know how to make you feel comfortable throughout the interview. Just because they seem nice does not mean that they were impressed and that you had an amzing interview. Not everyone had a great interview.</p>
<p>FYI: The interviews are often students' only chance to put a face on Harvard. Most students who are interviewed will not get in. Harvard wants the alumni interviewers to provide a pleasant interview experience, not one in which students feel that they are being skewered. </p>
<p>Even if an applicant is not impressing the interviewer, the interviewer should not be conveying that info. </p>
<p>Frankly, virtually all Harvard applicants have something impressive going for them, and most do reasonably well in interviews. It's not hard for interviewers to react in an upbeat way even when the interviewers think that the student is not a great match for Harvard. </p>
<p>Bottom line: Enjoy your interview. Just don't get such false hopes that you neglect your other applications.</p>