<p>I'm applying EA to Harvard, and just read its website where it says alumni will directly contact the applicant. Does that mean that after I submit my application, they will contact me? I know some people who haven't sent in anything yet but have already had/scheduled interviews. How does this work? Thanks!</p>
<p>Yes, someone will contact you.</p>
<p>When your application has been submitted, your name will be forwarded to the local or regional schools and scholarship committee for a formal interview.</p>
<p>My guess is that those who say they have had "interviews" earlier are probably strong students who alumni have sought out in order to encourage them to apply.</p>
<p>do students who have a terrible application and no chance of getting in still get an interview?</p>
<p>Yes. Harvard tries to give all 23,000 applicants an interview. It is an integral part of the process.</p>
<p>The only students who don't get interviewed are students who live in an area where there's no alum within reasonable distance who is willing to interview applicants. This particularly happens with international students, and also can happen to students who live in rural areas and in areas where there are relatively few Harvard alum.</p>
<p>Sometimes if there aren't enough alum to interview US EA candidates, the candidates are deferred for that reason, and then are inteviewed in the RD round. </p>
<p>Remember that most interviews are conducted by busy alum who volunteer to interview. Consequently, when you are called, do everything possible to fit into the alum's schedule. Do not do what one applicant did who posted here earlier this year. He did not have the family car the day he was supposed to be interviewed, so instead of finding a way to get to the alum's office (which even was in the student's town), the student explained the situation and asked the alum to reschedule, something the alum couldn't or wouldn't do. </p>
<p>The student was rejected. I don't know the student, but I can imagine that how the student handled that situation may have contributed to the student's rejection because a student who couldn't manage to get to an interview doesn't sound like a student who'd be able to handle the challenges of going to a place like Harvard, where students are very independent.</p>
<p>for RD, does the same hold true? will someone contact me?</p>
<p>yes .</p>