Weight on the interview?

[mathsciencedude]

<p>^^^so Harvard keeps your admission file? Or just your interview evaluation?</p>

[just_forget_me]

<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>

<p>I’m not an admissions office, but I did interview this year + meet with the other area interviewers, and I can assure you that part of what you said (“little effective differentiation”) is definitely not true. Harvard alumni interviewers are sharp, and can most certainly tell the difference between a kid who absolutely deserves to get in, someone who’s on the bubble, and someone who isn’t quite up there.</p>

[just_forget_me]

<p>@mathsciencedude - They probably keep everything. What we were able to look at was a one page summary of our admissions file - notes from the two readers, numerical evaluations (that were sort of cryptic) and the like. We may have been able to see more, but that was enough to satisfy our curiosity.</p>

[Prussia_1]

<p>Does anyone know how the situation is handled when an applicant does not get an interview at all? I hear all this about summary sheets and borderline boosts, but I don’t see how that wouldn’t give an applicant who didn’t get the opportunity a disadvantage (which they claim it doesn’t).</p>