My son applied EA to Harvard and at 11:59pm Nov 1st, and was contacted yesterday the 3rd for an

[Anonymous]

interview today. My questions are: Does H interview every applicant? Any tips for his interview (which is in a few hours)

[Anonymous]

They certainly don’t interview every applicant. Can you provide some of your DS’s stats and ECs?

[Anonymous]

Public school student, ranked 1/260, a lot of APs, he plays viola very well (sent an arts supplement), white, mid 1400s SAT but took yesterday and thinks he got over 1500 bc he thought it was easy. (he took the June SAT for the first time and it was pretty controversial apparently, he only got 4 wrong in math and only got a 700...and then took again in August, more controversy bc curve was bad and that test was apparently leaked prior to test day, same with June test) Never took the ACT. Not sure what else to add.

[Anonymous]

The interviews are random and they interview almost all the EA applicants in November. There is no relationship to strength of application. Keep in mind nearly all of the applications come in at the deadline, so they try to get them scheduled right away, knowing that Thanksgiving weekend is unavailable to many.

[Anonymous]

Interviews by alumni don't really increase acceptance rate. Your kid sounds like a strong candidate. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

It means absolutely nothing OP. DS had interviews with Harvard, Cornell, Princeton, Yale and some others. The interviewers opinion means very little. It's a way for the institutions to make alums feel useful. Look it up on college confidential.

[Anonymous]

All it means is that the local alum interviewer is organized.

[Anonymous]

No reflection on your kid’s app (beyond that it was received in time for EA). Interviews are given out based on availability of local alumns. Not on strength of applications.

[Anonymous]

princeton tries to offer an alumni interview to every applicant. assignments for EA candidates have already been made. I wouldn't read much into it.

[Anonymous]

my kid goes to H and had a great local interview. It is possible, your kid sounds like a star.
On the other hand, I have a few friends who do alumni interviews for Harvard and they have said that the students they give favorable reviews to rarely get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:my kid goes to H and had a great local interview. It is possible, your kid sounds like a star.
On the other hand, I have a few friends who do alumni interviews for Harvard and they have said that the students they give favorable reviews to rarely get in.

With an acceptance rate of 5%, it stands to reason that MOST people who IV don't get in. However, not all kids get interviews and the chance of a NON-INTERVIEWED kid getting in is nearly zero. That little nugget was included in the lawsuit statistics.

[Anonymous]

Why did he wait until the last minute? Did he need the time or was he trying to be the last EA applicant?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why did he wait until the last minute? Did he need the time or was he trying to be the last EA applicant?

NP- because he is a more interesting human than you are? Who knows? Bet there are hundreds, if not thousands that fly through cyberspace at 11:57.

[Anonymous]

I think the interviewer was a bit hasty. Yale didn’t begin sending out interviews until the deadline was up. I sent out my interview invites on the 2d, but I have given a range until much closer to the deadline for us to turn them in. I would never do a “next day take it or leave it”.

[Anonymous]

Harvard tries to offer an interview to every applicant and as pp’s stated it’s dependent on alum availability. Strength of applicant doesn’t determine timing or offer.