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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Harvard interviewer here.  The local club tells interviewers to ask these questions of every interviewee.  [/quote]

So is it really a way to make sure Harvard is getting the right sort of people? You know, those whose parents and brothers and sisters went to Harvard? If not I can't image what relevance those questions have on an alumni interview. Apparently Harvard has more of a stick up its butt than I even thought possible.[/quote]

As previous responders have noted, the Admissions Office already has that info, as does the admissions office of just about every private university in this country.  This info gives an interviewer some context about the applicant. If kids are getting decent scores, but come from a non college home, that is something to highlight. If the kid seems more academic/intellectually curious  than the scores suggest, that also tells the interviewer what to highlight.

Since half of the kids present resumes anyway, they might as well be on an even footing.

Harvard also gets a lot of "what the hell" applications. Those aren't a majority of the applicant pool, but they are a significant enough percentage that the average interviewer would see one at least every other year. If the student has grades and scores that indicate that they can't handle the work, that is good to know.

It sounds as though many other universities want a sort of double blind impression of the applicant from their interviewers. I can understand that perspective, but in the end, I wonder if that really alters the results.[/quote]

[b]Alright. Sounds pretty reasonable. If Harvard wants to approach their interviews this way, it's fine. If Harvard doesn't want to approach their interviewers this way and it's just one interviewer being overly-zealous, it's not so fine. My son asked his friends who were applying. Even those with other interviewers were asked to send in the resume. It turns out it IS a Harvard thing.

He sent in the resume without fussing.

Thanks everyone![/quote][/b]

Another Harvard grad (law) who does not do interviewing.  If your son is serious about getting in, I would do whatever the interviewer asks. Why rock the boat?  Why post it on DCUM where the Harvard interviewer might see it?  Your son's chance of getting in is now 3% of 37,000 applications if he did not apply EA/ED, is an athelete, legacy or URM, so why make waves?  Generally, these interviews are a way for schools to keep recent grads and alums involved in the school by making them think they actually have some clout and are helping in the interview process.  But if you go back and read the archives and other sources you will see people that have done this for, say, Cornell or Duke "for 30 years and they've never once taken a student I've recommended".  So I think the entire exercise is more of a way to keep the alums involved in the school.  Nevertheless, I would do whatever she wants if she is conducting the interview.  Maybe she is young and full of herself.  Or maybe this is the undergraduate school's way of doing things.  But you are in a seller's market so I wouldn't rock the boat and I certainly wouldn't call admissions to rat on this person if you seriously want your kid to get in.[/quote]

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