<p>I was just wondering...do the interviewers get a copy of your application so that they can think of questions (regarding your academic and extra curricular interests etc) to ask you?</p>
<p>No, interviewers don't get your app. At most, they know your name, school, e-mail, phone #, address, whether you're a legacy, your race, proposed major and possibly some rather vague ECs. </p>
<p>Consequently, it's a good idea to bring to the interview a resume or activity sheet. I've also found it helpful when applicants bring a copy of their app essays so that I can focus the interview on something different than what they've already told Harvard about.</p>
<p>hey Northstarmom, I wanted to ask you, is part of the interview to "verify" that the applicant is the race s/he claims to be?</p>
<p>No, the interview isn't designed to verify race. How would we know what race an applicant is supposed to be? I have friends who are of African American ancestry who have naturally blonde hair, blue eyes and pink and white skin. I know people who are Native American tribal members, and are very active in their tribes and proud of their heritage, who also have naturally blonde hair and blue eyes.</p>
<p>I know people who are bi-racial Asian who look like they are 100% Caucasian.</p>
<p>And, of course, Hispanics come in all races.</p>
<p>I've heard anecdotal info on CC boards about people who lied about their race in order to try to get into a very competitive college. Such a strategy probably would backfire if they ended up being interviewed by an interviewer of the race that the student falsely claimed to be. How it would backfire is that the student probably would feel so uncomfortable and worried about the possibility of being found out that they wouldn't interview well. That would be what would hurt them, not the interviewer's telling Harvard what race the student appeared to be (information, incidentally that the admissions committee probably would regard as inappropriate to be included on the interview report).</p>
<p>In most areas of the country (including mine) the interviewer usually has considerably more information, including your transcript, test scores, EC report, guidance counselor recommendation, etc. </p>
<p>Indeed, I don't see how an interviewer can adequately rate your academic accomplishments, as we are asked to do, without having seen your transcript and test scores.</p>
<p>Byerly and my experiences differ a great deal. I've interviewed applicants outside of the Northeast, where Byerly lives, and we did not get any info except what I listed. This includes my experience interviewing in Detroit.</p>
<p>Things, however, probably are very different in areas like Boston, Long Island, and New York, which have hundreds of excellent applicants and individual public schools that may send as many as 30 students a year to Harvard. Where I currently live, we get about 20 Harvard applicants a year from an area that is about 150-200 miles wide. Typically, about 1-2 students get in a year from my area.</p>
<p>Harvard does ask interviewers to ask students about their test scores, course loads, gpa and class rank. Presumably that's so the interviewers gather the information that's necessary for the interviewers to do the academic rating that Harvard requires (along with other kinds of ratings).</p>
<p>I am trying to understand the process after mailing the paperwork. </p>
<p>After a student, mail the application, what happens next. Does Harvard notify student with a PIN number. What happens in case if some documents like recommendation letters etc. are missing? Does college notify the applicant of the missing documents? Does the college list the missing documents at the web site for which student receives the PIN number? Do students receive an email or phone call for an alumni interview? </p>
<p>As a parent, I mailed the IRS Tax forms (W-2 copies) along with CSS profile on line application through College Board. Would College notify any missing financial aid related paper they need to evaluate? Thanks for your help.</p>
<p>If documents are missing, Harvard lets students know. I'm not sure about when Harvard notifies students, however.</p>
<p>Students could be called or e-mailed by alums wanting to inteview them. The interviews can happen as late as the first week of Dec. for EA applicants, as late as early March for RD applicants.</p>
<p>Do not read anything into the timing of the interviews. They depend on the schedules of the alums, who are volunteers. </p>
<p>Harvard also, I believe, tells students that if they haven't been contacted by a certain date, they should contact Harvard. Occasionally paperwork gets lost. I know a student who got an EA admit in Feb. (2 months later than normal) because of some paperwork that somehow was lost. I don't know if Harvard or the GC messed up. This kind of situation is rare, however.</p>
<p>Occasionally, too, it's not possible for an area to interview all of the EA applicants because while there are alum inteviewers in the area, they don't have the time to inteview all of the EA candidates. In my area, such applicants get deferred into the regular pool and are eventually interviewed.</p>
<p>In places abroad and in the US where there aren't interviewers available at all, admissions decisions are made without the students being interviewed. Lack of an interview because no interviewer was available doesn't count against a student.</p>
<p>Do the students schedule an interview? At what point do the students interview?</p>
<p>Occasionally, too, it's not possible for an area to interview all of the EA applicants because while there are alum inteviewers in the area, they don't have the time to inteview all of the EA candidates. In my area, such applicants get deferred into the regular pool and are eventually interviewed.</p>
<p>Northstarmom:
Does this mean that some students get deferred EA to RD just because there was no chance to interview them? That's kind of scary</p>
<p>This is true for US applicants. Things may differ for internationals. I'm not as knowledgeable about how they are interviewed.</p>
<p>Students do not schedule the inteview. The volunteers who are alumni schedule the interviews, and those folks are very busy. If you're offered an interview time, do everything possible to accept it because if you turn it down, it may be difficult for you to get an interview. There often are lots of students needing interviews, and very few alum volunteers. </p>
<p>I've seen posts by students on CC who turned down interviews or cancelled interviews because of inconvenience and then weren't able to get other itnerviews. One example occurred earlier this year: A student who cancelled an interview in his town the day of the interview because his dad couldn't give him a ride. The student, however, didn't consider taking a cab or getting a ride from someone else. If I remember correctly, he wasn't able to get an interview, and ended up being rejected.</p>
<p>While Harvard won't reject students who aren't able to obtain interviews because of a lack of a person to interview them, I imagine that Harvard would take a dim view of a student who couldn't figure out how to get to an interview in their hometown. If a student couldn't work out that kind of simple logistical problem, the student might have a hard time adapting to Harvard's envrionment, which highly values independence.</p>
<p>"Does this mean that some students get deferred EA to RD just because there was no chance to interview them? That's kind of scary"</p>
<p>It's better than being rejected for the above reason.</p>
<p>"It's better than being rejected for the above reason."</p>
<p>Good point.</p>