<p>I agree with Ace in that it may hurt you if you are offered an interview but reject it. However, I haven't been contacted yet for interview and I'm getting a bit concerned. If no interview is available in my area (a bit surprising, actually), I'm sure I won't be penalized for it...</p>
<p>And plus, if this were actually true, you'd think that more people would know...</p>
<p>You know, unless you were incredible on paper, I don't see why they shouldn't be more wary of people who have not interviewed. I mean, clearly the interview is important to Harvard - that's why they bother - and with so many good applicants applying, from their point of view why take the risk with someone who hasn't been met and 'approved' by an alumnus, when you could take countless others who have? Just a thought..</p>
<p>I'm still waiting...they got my application two days before the due date...</p>
<p>same here, sent it on the 30th. I really want that interview and kids from the past at my school/schools around here have gotten SCEA interviews. this is a little bit unnerving; I just hope i haven't wasted my SCEA on a school who defers uninterviewed people.</p>
<p>My sentiments exactly poloer</p>
<p>Interviews are VERY important for Harvard since they're strictly evaluative as compared to the other Ivy League schools. They are almost a neccessary component of your application and it would be practically impossible to get in SCEA without one. Every student accepted SCEA from my area has had interviews and that is also the case with RD so I really don't know what to tell you guys.</p>
<p>does this imply that areas without available alumni will have no harvard admits? That sounds extremely unlikely to me, since there are a substantial number of areas in the US without harvard alumni available.</p>
<p>evil asian dictator- How can Harvard count not having an interview against an applicant when its Harvard's own screw up for not arranging an interview, especially since there isn't an excuse for this in areas dense with Harvard alums?
And its absolutely possible to make a judgement on students without an interview if Harvard does so in remote, rural areas without any Harvard alums. Perhaps this lends credence to the idea that Harvard's EA is only targeted towards its "special interests." :(</p>
<p>my sentiments exactly, thor. I'm not cynical enough to fully believe that Harvard would do that though! At least, I really hope not... :/</p>
<p>Yeah, that was my anger speaking. I don't think I would have ever applied to Harvard if that was true. I think the best thing we can do now instead of complain is be persistent and keep pressing for an interview.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
... it would be practically impossible to get in SCEA without one. Every student accepted SCEA from my area has had interviews and that is also the case with RD so I really don't know what to tell you guys.
[QUOTE]
</p>
<p>Ummmm... what does this prove?</p>
<p>I mean, every student accepted to Harvard from my area had an interview- but so did every student that Harvard rejected. Is the same true of your area?</p>
<p>Just because students that had an interview were selected doesn't mean students who don't have an interview won't be selected- that's post hoc reasoning. (Actually, technically, it's two fallacies- post hoc and denying the antecedent.)</p>
<p>I would not stress out about not getting an interview. There could be any one of many reasons why one has not been given an interview. One could be that an applicants application was reviewed and his or her recommendations, school report, essays, ect give the admissions office enough information that if there was a shortage of interviewers in that area for the number of applicants they might choose to give it not to that person, but to one they need to gain more information about. It could be that an applicant was so outstanding that they can make a decision in favor of the applicant without an interview (there have been applicants who have received likely letters in the regular decision round for example who post on cc that they never received an interview). It could just be that an applicant was assigned an interviewer who was too busy and did not get the chance to set the interview up. It could be that there were not enough interviewers.
While a bad interview can affect an application, generally a great interview will not greatly affect a decision. If an applicant does not have what the admissions office is looking for, a great interview would be hard to change that. Through the interview the admissions office is trying to determine how that student presents him or herself, how they communicate, if they are passionate about their interests and the school? Not having an interview if not offered one will not affect an application at all.
Those who post here and say they are interviewers will say otherwise\
If you have not been offered an interview and would like to have one I would email your regional rep and tell him or her that you have not been assigned one. The regional rep most likely supplies the list of students to the Alumni School Committee in your area. This way, if you ware assigned an interviewer and they never contacted you they would know it was not your fault. The regional rep would probably suggest you contact the Alumni School Committee in your your area.</p>
<p>" think the best thing we can do now instead of complain is be persistent and keep pressing for an interview."</p>
<p>Sounds like a great way to irritate the admissions officers. Clearly, the admissions office makes great efforts to interview all U.S. Harvard applicants. However, if there aren't enough alum volunteers to get to you, your constantly complaining isn't going to help. It's fine to contact Harvard if one hasn't been contacted by the inteview date that Harvard mentions on, I believe its site or in other info to to EA and RD applicants. Not a good idea, though, to be a pest about this.</p>
<p>oh dear...
well, my interviewer is out of town and, to my understanding, nobody in my state has had an interview...they can't defer us all?! right?</p>
<p>Sure they can. Harvard has like 20,000+ usually solid applicants competing for ~1500 spots each year so they can pretty much do whatever they feel like doing.</p>
<p>
[quote]
nobody in my state has had an interview
[/quote]
Do you live in: Alaska, Hawaii, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, or Idaho? haha... I just typed the most remote states I could think of.</p>
<p>Seriously, I think if Harvard has NO local interviewers available in a certain state, they would treat applicants much like applicants from countries with no interviews available (i.e. "Applicants from these countries will be contacted if the Admissions Committee requires more information."). I don't think they'd hold it against you if that was the case. But, who knows?</p>
<p>Arizona, actually haha :) I take it back about no one in my state having an interview, as the only people I've spoken to are the ones from my school (3 applying). So it might just be my school (we haven't had a Harvard acceptance in 6 years though there have been ~2 extremely qualified applicants every year (RSI, Siemens, etc.))</p>
<p>god i knew i should have SCEAed to yale... jk, kinda</p>
<p>For those of you who are getting really anxious, apparently there really is no "deadline date" for the interview... you can have it the first week of December if you want.</p>
<p>Confirmed by the admissions office.</p>
<p>Guess I'll just keep patiently a-waitin... at least for another week or so.</p>
<p>You're right Northstarmom, its not a good idea to irritate admissions officers. I suppose I meant to say to remain hopeful. However, I asked my guidance counselor to call, and I suppose that did the trick.</p>