<p>Just got contacted about setting up a second interview with another Harvard alumnus in area. The first interview with a different alumnus was a couple of weeks ago and went quite well (I thought). What, if anything, does this request for a second interview mean? Good? Bad? Neither?</p>
<p>Oh, Harvard SCEA.</p>
<p>Maybe there is some confusion and they dont realize you already had an interview. Did they mention that they knew you already had one?</p>
<p>When I had my interview, my interviewer told me that if I'm contacted for a second interview, that's a very good sign. He said that a second interview means that there is something they still need to know about you that is unclear. What that means is that they are seriously considering you and just need clarification on whatever area.</p>
<p>Yes, this alum mentioned the previous interview. Incidentally, he is the president of the local Harvard Club.</p>
<p>Northstarmom, do you have any insight into this second interview?</p>
<p>To the accepted of past years- did most of you get second interviews? </p>
<p>Oh gosh, I'm getting even more nervous. I shouldn't be, I know.</p>
<p>:-$</p>
<p>The vast majority of students are admitted or deferred (or rejected - but very few are rejected in the early action round) without a second interview. A relatively small number of candidates may be asked for a second interview where the decision is a close call and the adcom wants some additional information before finally deciding. </p>
<p>At this point, the adcom has been meeting on early applications for the last couple of weeks, and there are probably quite a number of applicants who are provisionally in the admit or deferred pile already. They'll probably want to have their decisions basically done by around the 11th or so (early in that week in any event, as the last couple of days before decisions are released are needed for the logistics of setting up the emails and the letters), so the next 10 days will likely be when they go through the difficult process of figuring out on which side of the dividing line the close calls fall. For some small number of those close calls, they'll ask for a second interview.</p>
<p>Thus, the second interview is a sign that the candidate is not a definite one way or the other but is still under serious consideration at this stage of the process. On the other hand, the lack of a second interview is not an indication of anything.</p>
<p>If I live in California, do I need an alumni interview? I probably won't make it for the school interview.</p>
<p>The follow-up interview was this evening. The alum said he needed to set up the interview pretty quickly to get the paperwork back in.</p>
<p>Friendly chat, mostly about ECs, for about 45 minutes. He said the interview was to clarify a few points. It appears this second interview was indeed at the request of the adcom.</p>
<p>Further guidance anyone?</p>
<p>Second interviews could be because:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Something was wrong with the first interview such as the first interviewer lost their notes or became ill so couldn't submit an interview.</p></li>
<li><p>There's a big discrepancy between the student's application and the interview report. Perhaps the application was stellar, yet the interviewer gave mediocre ratings. Perhaps, the opposite was true.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>What does a second, <em>on campus</em> interview, indicate? To clarify, I was contacted for an on-campus interview after my alum interview was scheduled, but <em>before</em> it was completed. By the way, I live in MA. Is this standard procedure for EA applicants in the Harvard area, or does it mean that I am a borderline case?</p>
<p>So, reading Cosar's and Northstarmom's posts together, it could be good, it could be bad. Wow.</p>
<p>You noticed. :)</p>
<p>Bottom line is that no one can tell you for sure what it means (except that, if you weren't still in the running, they wouldn't bother, so it means at least that much). In any event, you've done everything you can do at this point, so there's nothing more to do but wait. Fortunately, you don't need to wait much longer - under two weeks. Good luck!</p>
<p>A little birdy (an applicant's mother) told me that her daughter's friend had THREE interviews for a specific reason. The boy in question was extremely well qualified - he had done exceptionally well in Intel, and had gone to RSI, had great academic credentials, etc. The first interviewer called him "arrogant."</p>
<p>The adcom wanted him a lot, so they send another interviewer, who agreed. The student was deferred. Later, though, he also won a very high prize in Siemens - so Harvard arranged a third interview. Unfortunately, he was still judged "arrogant," and he was eventually rejected.</p>
<p>This story may or may not be true... I guess it's just one more possibility: like Northstarmom said, your application could have been great but your interview not, and they want to give you a second chance.</p>
<p>The second interview really felt like the alum was just getting a "feel." The only document he wanted to see was the activities/honors list. Most of the time was spent talking about Boy Scouting.... what qualities Scouting instilled, the trek at Philmont, Eagle rank, etc. He also touched on tennis, band, and a couple of other ECs. No real discussion of academics, other than to ask the SAT score.</p>
<p>In setting up the interview, the alum said that it was to "clarify" a couple of things, and that the second interview "was probably a good thing or they wouldn't waste your time or mine." Maybe just speculation on his part.</p>
<p>At any rate, he was a nice fellow, and the second interview left me impressed with Harvard's diligence in the selection process.</p>