<p>Hey, so my GC told me that it can be a good sign if I don't get an interview. He thinks my application is strong enough that they wouldn't reject me without interviewing, so if I were to not get an interview, could that mean they decided to accept me without an interview? </p>
<p>On a related note, I live in Boston; if I get interviewed, will it still be an alumni interview, or might it be with an actual admissions officer?</p>
<p>Domestic applicants don’t get pre-screened before their names are sent to local interviewing groups. </p>
<p>No interview = nothing good or bad</p>
<p>“I live in Boston; if I get interviewed, will it still be an alumni interview, or might it be with an actual admissions officer?”</p>
<p>Admissions Officer do not interview applicants; you will have an alumni interview.</p>
<p>I expect you will receive a call for an alumni interview, and no, it is not a sign one way or another if you don’t get the call. And if you don’t get a call, YOU should contact admissions and ask - the most likely reason is that your assigned interviewer is busy, or for some reason that has nothing to do with you, cannot make contact. They will assign someone else. My son’s interview was group style at a local high school - arranged by the local alumni association. Admissions did call him a few weeks later to arrange an interview with an admissions officer - now that was a good sign.</p>
<p>I often hear that Harvard tries to interview as many applicants as possible, so no, it’s not at all a good sign.</p>
<p>If you haven’t gotten an interview yet it probably just means your interviewer hasn’t reached out to you and will in upcoming weeks. There are plenty of alumni in the Boston area, so the chances that they haven’t found an interviewer for you are very slim. If you still haven’t been contacted closer to December 15, you should probably consider talking to the admissions office so they can assign you a new interviewer (but again, this shouldn’t be an issue in and around Boston).</p>
<p>@gibby, it’s not entirely true that admissions officers don’t interview students; they do under special circumstances.</p>
<p>^^^ pleotropy doesn’t know what he/she is saying. Yes H tries to interview everyone. The fact is that the slots available are outnumbered by the applicants. Since there is no pre-sorting of applications, having or not having an interview is just chance at this stage.</p>
<p>@strangecharm: While that is correct, 99% of applicants go through the alumni interview process.</p>
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<p>That “99%” seems high to me, at least anecdotally. I know a bunch of people who interviewed with Admissions Officers, myself included. And I’m far from a developmental case…</p>
<p>You WANT an interview ! An interview is your chance to shine, and make a good impression. If you come off as really weird, it can be a negative piece of information. A really strong interview is just another bit of positive data in your package. My H does interviews, but not in your neighborhood.</p>
<p>@DwightEisenhower
So you must have lived near Harvard? Or did you travel to Boston?</p>
<p>Well now I’m pretty confused, because my GC basically thinks I won’t get an interview, and now you’re all saying if I don’t get one I should reach out to Harvard to ask for one. I think I’ll give it a few weeks after Nov 1st and just wait and see. Thanks for all the advice though!</p>
<p>I live in California in the LA area so lots of alumni and applicants are here. However, I was not asked for an interview until two weeks before the decision deadline for scea, I think possibly after admissions had already deliberated. I wouldn’t worry about it and hope your app stands out enough alone.</p>
<p>For a school like Harvard that prides itself on interviewing pretty much every single applicant come hell or high water, the most probable explanation for not getting an interview is that the assigned alumnus/a has dropped the ball for some reason and has neglected to contact you to schedule the interview. I would contact the admissions office to see if they wish to assign a new interviewer. I think having no interview might place you at a small disadvantage.</p>
<p>If you are never offered an interview, you are at no disadvantage.</p>
<p>If you are offered one and decline, you might be at a slight disadvantage.</p>
<p>Many, if not most, recruited athletes who come for official visits get admissions officer interviews, so I agree that 99% stat is way off.</p>
<p>35,000 applicants per year times .01 = 350 students interviewed by Admissions Officers per year. I don’t think that number is too far off – and if it is off, it is off by maybe a half-percent.</p>
<p>The athletic department states that 20% of the student body are varsity athletes for a total of around 1200. 1200 divided by 4 classes equal about 300 athletes per class. With the post-above numbers every single interviewed athlete would gain admission after the interview. I’d guess they interview 3x, or 4x as many athletes than are actually admitted.</p>
<p>^^Not all varsity athletes at Harvard were recruited athletes. There are a fair number of walk-ons, especially in the minor sports.</p>
<p>I imagine Admissions only personally interviews recruited athletes that coaches are willing to support. It would be a waste of time and man-power to do otherwise. All others would get an alumni interview.</p>