Hi! I applied RD to Harvard, but have yet to hear back about an interview whereas I know lots others have already gotten in touch with an alumnus or have even had theirs already. I know there is alumni near where I live, so I don’t think that’s an issue. I also think my stats are at least decent and I have heard they do try hard to give everyone a chance to interview. Is it too early to be a little concerned? I’m also retaking the ACT this Saturday, so could they be waiting on scores before proceeding?
Here’s my stats just for reference.
ACT- 33
SAT- 2150 (M- 740, CR- 720, W- 690)
SAT II- Bio M (730)
Unweighted GPA- 3.96
Weighted GPA- 5.06
Rank- 11 out of 701
Solid, commending recommendations, and good essays.
I will have taken nine AP’s by the end of this year and have gotten 4’s and 5’s on all thus far (AP Scholar with Distinction). I pursued an biochemistry internship at a research institution last year, and am in a special cohort of high achieving STEM students. I’m in a program mentoring middle school girls getting them interested in science and math careers in a male-dominated field. I also held a preceptorship at the local hospital observing and shadowing many physicians, as that’s what I want to do with my life one day also. I’m in many school clubs, such as Medical Society, Anchor Club, NHS, Beta, French NHS, and more. Any thoughts?
Please feel free to ask anything else, I could have forgotten something. This is just a general overlook. If anyone knows anything about how the interviewing process works and when they usually get in touch with applicants for them, it’d be much appreciated! Thanks!
You missed the part where the interview assignments are random and are no indication of your relative chances. At this late date, you can pretty much assume no interview will be conducted. You have a fine profile – while you may be rejected by H or others, I don’t have a doubt you’ll have some great options come early April.
I believe Harvard conducts interviews right up until the first week of March, so it’s really not that late in the process, as there is still another month for the OP to be contacted.
That said, interview assignments are indeed random, and based upon how many alumni have volunteered in a geographical area vs. how many applicants have applied. Sometimes there are just too many applicants and too few alumni, so some students are not interviewed.
There may be alumni nearby but they have to volunteer to do interviews and be trained. I know a lot of Yale alumni in the Washington DC area, the vast majority of them cannot be bothered. It is definitely a commitment of time and effort.
As Harvard received 3,000+ more applications this year, I imagine local alumni associations are frantically scrambling to interview as many applicants as possible. How those interviews are prioritized is really anyone’s guess. While it could be on a first-come-first-served basis, I suspect – with absolutely no inside information or factual basis for my guess – that applications MIGHT be sorted by the level of interest from the Admissions Office, as there are just too few alumni volunteers to serve what seems to be an ever increasing applicant pool.
That said, many students are admitted every year without an interview. As the interview is historically thought to be the LEAST important part of the Admissions process, no one is really sure if a student who has an interview is at an advantage or not. Given the number of CC applicants to Harvard that have been admitted in the past WITHOUT an interview, I would think the intrinsic value of an interview is growing dimmer over time.
As previously stated, Harvard tries to interview EVERY applicant who applies. Sometimes there are more student’s from an area than there are alumi to interview them. If you get an interview with an Admissions officer, it probably means: (a) you must live in one of those areas where there are too many applicants and not enough alumni, and (b) your credentials (GPA, transcript, test scores) are within Harvard’s range, and they want to make sure that you are interviewed.
