<p>I printed my stats at my interviewed, talked about them for about 10 min. The interviewer then said that "Well, I think I have heard enough where I know Harvard should have you." We then talked about what to do if I were accepted, including quite a bit of talk about where else I got in. He told me what I should do at the admit weekend, etc. He also saw my SAT and ECs, which are very good. Now that I look back at it, i really didn't say a lot. There were significant parts of myself that I did not have a chance to talk about. What does this mean? I probably only had about 10 min of air time. Are these alumni interviewers trained to do this? My MIT interviewer grilled me while Harvard said, "looks great, now lets spend an hour talking about what Harvard is like." Just curious.</p>
<p>Should we bring a resume/stats? I haven't so far...</p>
<p>my interview was today...it was supposed to be an hour but ran 30 min over. i honestly dont know what to think. He started off by telling me that the only information he had about me was my name and phone number and that before he started he wanted me to be aware that Harvard only accepts 1/10 applicants, and so on. He explained his role in the admissions process and then asked me a bunch of questions about what I like to do, what my motivation is, what I do outside of school. he also asked my a lot of in depth questions about the middle east (which is my interest area) and studying/living abroad. Ironically, he didnot ask me why I want to go to harvard, what other schools I am applying to, or if I had any questions about the school. But I decided to ask him anyways, and I asked him what other schools he applied to, about the colleges for upperclassmen, and whether he felt overwhelmed by the other people at harvard or if he felt like he was among his peers. He seemed more comfortable during this part than during the rest. He didn't say anything about me getting in, just that if I got in he would write me again and I could ask him more questions, and it would be less formal. The whole time it seemed like he was afraid of making me nervous or something. I asked him before time if I should bring a resume, and he said don't bring anything. But then he asked me every question that was answered on my resume and wrote down all of the answers, so I was thinking why didn't you just have me bring it?</p>
<p>So I really have no idea if this is typical or not or good or bad. northstarmom, any ideas?</p>
<p>jerew: mine also spent a long time talking about the school esp. the process of applying.</p>
<p>Sounds like a typical interview. Remember, most alumni interviewers probably only interview a couple of people a year. and got their training from a booklet Harvard sent them. It's not as if they interview dozens of students a year. They are simply nice alums who typically like young people and enjoy helping out their alma mater. They also tend to want to see students from their area accepted at Harvard. They aren't out to get you, nor are they smooth operators. Just nice volunteers.</p>
<p>I was thrilled right afterwards, because of what he said, including, "I don't guess who they're going to take, but I would say you have a very high chance." We were comfortable talking about a lot of things, most of which did not pertain to me. I was just freaked out when I looked back at it and realized that He never asked about what motivated me, where I work, etc. Briefly about my drummin', and that's it. BTW, Northstarmom, he told me that Harvard usually gets 30 applicants from southern minnesota each year. This year, only 16, and the three EA were deferred. Is this helpful to me? Thanks</p>
<p>jerew-mine did the opposite and I was just as confused. He asked me all of those questions, but didn't say anything about my chances after I told him about me. All of the questions he asked pertained to me and my interests</p>
<p>should we bring resumes? scores? grades? etc?</p>
<p>Ignore anything that alum interviewers say about chances. Harvard specificially asks us not to say anything about chances. Alumni interviewers may have opinions, but we don't have the inside track on knowing about chances because we aren't familiar with all of the applicants, and we don't know what is needed to create well rounded classes.</p>
<p>IMO it's a good idea to bring a resume. As an alum interviewer, I ask for that because it helps me get a quick overview of the candidate, and the resume means that I don't have to take notes about basic facts. I also ask applicants to bring anything else that they think might help me learn about them: term papers, newspaper articles, etc.: anything that will help me know what to ask and help them show themselves in their best light.</p>
<p>thanks, Northstarmom</p>
<p>I had my interview, and it went fairly well. The interviewere was very pleasant and used a questionnaire that I filled out as the basis for questions that he posed. There were the typical "why harvard", what are you interests, etc questions. He said that he used to work in admissions, and that he had four kids who also went to Harvard. He also mentioned that the interview was just to give a personal side to my application, but that it really wouldn't make too much of a difference. The whole thing only lasted about 30 minutes, which from what I've heard is on the short side. Overall though, I think it was decent.</p>
<p>i dunno about my chances but I talked with my interviewer for over an hour and a half. I basically gave him a sense of my personality, how I think, the connections my mind makes. </p>
<p>But I really owe it all to this Harvard graduate relative of mines who's been mentoring me in the whole grueling college process. He told me to be myself and suggested I read into my major and defend my reasons/motivations for doing this and that. I really enjoyed the person who interviewed me even though he didn't speak much. At the end of the conversation, I felt he had more than a normal dose of my personality. I managed at times to make him laugh. I think it really lightened the mood and got me rolling on so many connections I see inside my mind.</p>
<p>In the end, I loved my interview. I wasn't intimidated one bit cuz my uncle has taught me his whole meaning of life idea. Be yourself. College is a crapshoot. You can get in -- great, if not -- there's another college. I've really relaxed myself. </p>
<p>I really appreciate the college admissions process especially the Harvard interviews because I think my personality best shines in the interviews rather than on my essays and stats. I think for the most part I answered questions he probably had for him so I made things easier for him because I was prepared ahead of time by reading up on Harvard's science programs. I really found articles on teaching styles and graduates helpful in forming my opinion on why Harvard is so popular. </p>
<p>So my advice is relax and be yourself. I think it paid off. Can't say I got into Harvard but just the fact I can let Harvard know who I am, makes me feel better cuz I rather have them reject me straightout for who I am, not who I pretend to be. I value honesty.</p>
<p>"In the end, I loved my interview. I wasn't intimidated one bit cuz my uncle has taught me his whole meaning of life idea. Be yourself. College is a crapshoot. You can get in -- great, if not -- there's another college. I've really relaxed myself. "</p>
<p>I have always felt the above way about interviews even though I am at heart a shy person, and especially was shy when I was young. For some reason, though, I have always enjoyed interviews. I like the chance to connect with people by talking about myself and learning about them. The process gives me energy.</p>
<p>I remember my 2 Harvard interviews warmly (This was back in the days in which everyone could choose to have an interview on campus and one at home with an alum). I was sick as a dog with bad allergies when I had my on-campus interview, but somehow I prevailed despite sneezing throughout the interview. Unlike the student whom I interviewed who didn't have the sense to use a tissue, I brought a box of tissues into my interview. </p>
<p>I always have tried to be as prepared as possible for interviews. For college interviews, I learned as much as I could about the college beforehand. If it was possible to find out in advance about the interviewer, I made a point of gathering that info so I would have a good idea about what kinds of things to talk about that might be of interest to the person.</p>
<p>I didn't judge my interview by whether I got the opportunity, but whether I felt that I had done my best, including having taken the time to prep.</p>
<p>The Internet -- with boards like this as well as easy access to info about alumni interviewers, etc. -- has made it so much easier for students to prepare for interviews than was true in the old days. I continue to be surprised, though, at how unprepared some students are. </p>
<p>When I talk to students in interviews and they think that Harvard is located in a small town or they say they want to be journalists, but have never bothered to look at the Harvard Crimson, which is available on-line, it is hard for me to take them seriously when it comes to their intellectual and research abilities.</p>
<p>I have found that students who don't seem to have done any research before a college interview also don't seem to know how to do research in general and don't have much interest in research. This is an important factor for me to look at since Harvard is interested in students who are self motivated and demonstrate intellectual curiosity. </p>
<p>For instance, students who came to the interview without knowing basics about Harvard also, when asked about research they had done in school, gave examples that were very light and that demonstrated little intellectual curiosity. </p>
<p>An example would be a student who proudly told me about "reseach" they had done for a science class about a disease. The student had only used a couple of articles in a popular magazine like "Good Housekeeping." When asked why the student used that research as an example, the student said the paper had gotten them an "A," and the student also indicated that they had liked the experience because it was easy to find info on the subject.</p>
<p>I didn't really know there were people out there who are unprepared. I was totally prepared for my interview and I was talking nonstop, pausing often to provide analysis on the discussion from my point of view.</p>
<p>i used lots of hand movements because I was on fire. A lot of the talk I contribute to doing my homework and rereading everything on Harvard's viewbooks and website. I immersed myself with enough knowledge so I could defend myself. In other words, I planned and predicted questions ahead of time. Anytime there's a "Why?" I prepped for it so I could give my interviewer well thought out answers. I felt comfortable the whole time and I felt I delivered my best.</p>