<p>My stats are good I would say, but definitely not outstanding or better than any other applicants.
However, my interview was really strong as I basically just had a conversation with my interviewer for nearly 2 hours.</p>
<p>Pretty much what I want to know is how much impact the interview has on admissions decisions.</p>
<p>It has a very small role. I wouldn’t say to the point that it’s negligible, but it’s fairly unimportant compared to the rest of your application.</p>
<p>i think many applicants’ interviews go extremely well, so i don’t think your interview will put you ahead of the pack. and my interviewer stressed that interviews are only a small part of the admissions process. however, one interviewer (not for harvard, but a different school) told me that one applicant’s bizarre behavior during the interview prompted the interviewer to call admissions and warn them about the applicant’s weirdness… :O</p>
<p>yea I think the alumni aren’t out to get you, so most interviews go fairly well
mine went pretty well too, and my friends’ also were pretty positive about their interview
the whole hour or 2 is pretty relaxed usually
as long as you (and the interviewer) aren’t totally crazy you should be fine
the weight is probably quite low though</p>
<p>I had a terrific interview, and my interviewer told me that because she takes the interview process seriously, the adcoms take her seriously. I wonder if this will affect the weight of the interview in my app…</p>
<p>Does anyone know if the second interview carries more weight than the first? Since my first one was terrible, I sure hope it does.</p>
<p>No, don’t worry. Your weight shouldn’t affect your interview. I lean on the skinny side, and my interviewer didn’t seem to mind.</p>
<p>^ Damn you. Damn you to a sarcastic hell.</p>
<p>^^ On the other hand, being obese might give some interviewers a bad first impression due to cultural prejudice. Hopefully, your personality, charm, and impressiveness of achievement should tip the playing field back in your favor over the course of the interview. Be prepared to dress up extra nice and perform extra well if you want to out-do your less big-boned competitors.</p>
<p>(PS. This topic was the first thing to come to mind when I saw the title, too, christiansoldier ;))</p>
<p>Um, on a similar note, is Harvard looking to admit any large, aquatic mammals? URM?</p>
<p>^ Not after the SeaWorld incident. Public relations and all that, you know.</p>
<p>Actually, I think we Americans have a positive perception of the “jolly fat man” like Josh from Drake and Josh and (more convincingly) Chris Farley.</p>
<p>Yes, but Josh isn’t so much “fat” as he is “slightly overweight”. There is certainly a debate to be had over our culture’s general tolerance/intolerance for obesity among its members…</p>
<p>I vaguely recall a “chance an endangeredd manatee???” thread in this Harvard Forum. </p>
<p>Yeah. You should be fine.</p>
<p>Interviews have much more weight at Harvard than they do at any other school I’ve heard of. They’re still nowhere near as important as gpa/sat/ecs/etc, but they contribute significantly to the “PQ” (personal qualities) rating Harvard gives all applicants. If you have a unique life story that didn’t really come out in your essays, your interview can <em>really</em> help you.</p>
<p>“however, one interviewer (not for harvard, but a different school) told me that one applicant’s bizarre behavior during the interview prompted the interviewer to call admissions and warn them about the applicant’s weirdness… :O”
HAHAHAHA</p>
<p>I thought that there are five topics that are awarded 1-5 points if you aren’t a superstar or very unlikely candidate.</p>
<p>coursework (GPA), SAT, Essay, EC’s, interview</p>
<p>So the interview is equally weighted, or at least I thought…</p>
<p>@mathsciencedude - I got to take a look at my “1 pager” (the summary sheet admissions makes about your file) during my senior year.</p>
<p>IIRC, interviewers rank applicants in the following categories - I believe admissions has a similar system:
Academic
ECs
Personal qualities
Overall</p>
<p>I remember reading something northstarmom posted in a thread similar to this one that I think makes sense… she said that a good interview can boost people on the edge and confirm the qualifications of likely candidates but that it can’t wake the dead. so it probably has less weight than curriculum, gpa, tests and essays.</p>
<p>then again, I head from a friend of mine who heard form his interviewer that each interviewer rates the kids he/she meets in order of awesomeness/most recommended to receive admission and that that list is used by the adcoms to fill the quota for each region/state. so it’s like you’re competing against the other kids who apply in your area much more so than you compete against the entire applicant pool.</p>
<p>just some thoughts, though! I don’t know any better than the rest of you. bee tee dubs, twelve days 'til D-day (:</p>
<p>Not to be the bearer of bad news, but I’ve heard (not from an admissions officer, mind you) that interviews have very little influence on the process. The explanation was that any alumnus who would willingly donate his time to interview prospective students is the type of person who would tend to look favorably upon such bright young applicants, meaning that almost all interviews result in positive responses that have little effective differentiation. Basically, interviews weed out violent nut-jobs and help keep alumni feeling involved. This, however, is just what I’ve heard.</p>