<p>I just had my interview and I am curious as to what from the interview will actually end up in his form. The reason is because there was a new, fairly significant award I won that I think could help my admissions but that I didn't have in time to put on my EA app. I only got the chance to mention the award in the conversation, so I think he just barely got the name down. However, if he were to go online and Google me it would pop up right away. If I had planned better I could have focused more on the award and talked about it, but alas in my great nervousness I did not. Also, my GC is really averse to having me send in extra materials after the deadline, so I won't do that. I guess what I'm asking is what are the chances that this new award could come to the attention of the adcoms through my interviewer. Do interviewers mention awards or do they just focus on personality stuff and assume all your awards are on your app. Also, if the adcom sees something in the interview form that wasn't on the awards section of the app, what would he think? And lastly, my interviewer mentioned some sort of alumni interview committee and made is sound like they meet to compare applicants. Is this the case? Thanks and sorry for so many questions.</p>
<p>bump- Byerly, Northstarmom, anyone?</p>
<p>The inteview is not about awards: Those kind of things are listed on the application. The adcoms aren't reading the inteview reports to see awards lists, but to learn more about the person behind the stats.</p>
<p>Your GC is wrong. Winning a significant award is something that you should let Harvard know ASAP. Since time is short, send an e-mail to the admissions office making sure to include your identifying info.</p>
<p>It's always OK to send this kind of info after the deadline for college applications. Always update your apps when you make significant achievements after their deadlines.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input. I would really rather not cross my GC on this, but I'll think about doing the e-mail thing. I think the award may be significant, but I'm not too sure. So is there even a chance that an interviewer would put down an award I mentioned? And just out of curiosity, what would an adcom do if they saw an award in the interview that wasn't on the app, would they just dismiss it or still consider it? And do interviewers meet among each other to compare candidates before sending off reviews to adcoms? Thanks</p>
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<p>I would really rather not cross my GC on this</p>
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<p>Your GC doesn't have to know. This is between you and Harvard. Do what you need to do to present yourself well, and don't let an incompetent GC stand in the way.</p>
<p>If you get in, smile graciously and thank your GC for all his help and support.</p>
<p>Thanks, I will probably try that. Any more answers to my questions in #4?</p>
<p>"what would an adcom do if they saw an award in the interview that wasn't on the app, would they just dismiss it or still consider it? :</p>
<p>If they notice it's a new award, they'd consider it. They may not, however, notice the new award since that's not the kind of information that they are seeking in the interview report. The adcoms probably assume all award info is in the application or application updates sent by you or your GC.</p>
<p>I agree with Northstarmom (I'm a new member, alumna interviewer). Harvard wants interviewers to evaluate one or more of these: the quality of an applicant's academic engagement, the significance of his/her extracurricular contributions, and his/her personal qualities. Specifically, how does a student feel about the things she identifies as important?; has he made use of his academic opportunities?; how deeply did she participate in her extracurricular activities?; in what areas does he show ability, commitment, or leadership potential?; would other students want to room with this applicant and work with him/her closely? This all sounds like a lot of words, but it's what they want to know. The best interviews are ones in which the student is genuinely excited about some academic area and some extracurricular activity and has shown meaningful achievement in these, or has some special life experiences to share (special life experiences are not required, by the way). Be youself, and above all don't try to fake it or to give them what you think they want - interviewers can smell this a mile away. Everyone has his/her own story, and most interviewers just want to chat about yours.
About alumni interview committees that meet to discuss all of the interviews: some geographic areas have them, others do not. If they exist in an area, their purpose is to provide a reality check for the interviewers so they know what other students are out there and what standards other interviewers are using to evaluate. Sometimes, they send their collective thoughts about the applicant pool to the adcom (along with each interviewer's individual report), but the adcom makes up its own mind based mostly on the rest of the file, as long as the interview does not raise any red flags. Hope this helps. You guys are all very impressive!</p>