harvard interview

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this is not fun

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did anyone else have unusally short interviews at harvard? 30min each? how long were everyone else's interviews? im curious as to whether this was an instant rejection...
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this is not fun said:
did anyone else have unusally short interviews at harvard? 30min each? how long were everyone else's interviews? im curious as to whether this was an instant rejection...
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one was ~45 min, the other was no more than 30 min. neither of them went badly, but we weren't exactly best friends by the end of the session.

BUT i'm not going to lose hope yet (still have a week or two to fantasize, right?). i can't imagine that the length of your interview alone determines your fate. quality not quantity has held true for me throughout my application season thus far -- my shorter more awkward interviews are the ONLY ones that have resulted in acceptances.
 
Does anybody have an idea as to how much weight the interviews at Harvard hold in the final admissions decisions? It seems to me that they might not matter that much as people who interview at Harvard have insanely high numbers and other amazing things in their application. I guess I just got the feeling that they don't hold much weight, but this is all speculation since they did not mention at all how much weight they do in fact hold.
 
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My student interview was an hour, and my interview with one of the deans was barely more than 20 minutes. That said, I think the short interview was one of my best overall.
 
this is not fun said:
did anyone else have unusally short interviews at harvard? 30min each? how long were everyone else's interviews? im curious as to whether this was an instant rejection...
Click to expand...

My second interview was pretty short, around 25 minutes and I actually think it was the better interview (although you never know...). I don't think you need to take a short interview as a bad sign. If you feel you made a strong impression and covered all the bases then you should be alright.
 
yea thats the thing though - i dont think either of mine went particularly well or that i even got to explain everything on my application...ahhh well...guess ill just have to wait and see...

if anyone else remembers how long their interviews were though - please post them so i can continue to feed my neurosis...lol thank you!
 
Hey guys, HMS New Pathway student here. I want to echo what corranh said. My faculty interview was very short (25 minutes max), and I didn't even think it was that great of an interview. Yet somehow I got that good letter come March. Good luck to all of you and let me know if you have any questions.
 
cureious said:
Does anybody have an idea as to how much weight the interviews at Harvard hold in the final admissions decisions? It seems to me that they might not matter that much as people who interview at Harvard have insanely high numbers and other amazing things in their application. I guess I just got the feeling that they don't hold much weight, but this is all speculation since they did not mention at all how much weight they do in fact hold.
Click to expand...

well, they do hold SOME weight. apparently you get assigned a number from each of your two interviewers: a 9, 9.5, or a 10. if you get two 9's, you're out. if you get two 10's, your application gets forwarded to the next deliberation committee without discussion from the interview committee. if you get anything in between....the interview committee debates on your file. if they decide no, you're out. if they decide yes, they'll send you on up to the next committee. if you make it past the interview committee, THEN i don't know how much your interviews count....
 
crimsonkid85 said:
well, they do hold SOME weight. apparently you get assigned a number from each of your two interviewers: a 9, 9.5, or a 10. if you get two 9's, you're out. if you get two 10's, your application gets forwarded to the next deliberation committee without discussion from the interview committee. if you get anything in between....the interview committee debates on your file. if they decide no, you're out. if they decide yes, they'll send you on up to the next committee. if you make it past the interview committee, THEN i don't know how much your interviews count....
Click to expand...

I am fairly sure my interviews were useless. I am a mom from a state school with way below avg (for Harvard) MCAT. I am fairly sure I could have cured cancer DURING the interview and I still wouldn't have a shot. I pretty much went to the interview to see the facilities.
 
crimsonkid85 said:
well, they do hold SOME weight. apparently you get assigned a number from each of your two interviewers: a 9, 9.5, or a 10. if you get two 9's, you're out. if you get two 10's, your application gets forwarded to the next deliberation committee without discussion from the interview committee. if you get anything in between....the interview committee debates on your file. if they decide no, you're out. if they decide yes, they'll send you on up to the next committee. if you make it past the interview committee, THEN i don't know how much your interviews count....
Click to expand...

Wow, thanks for that inside look!

My first interview was with an associate dean and lasted ~30min. I did not burn it...but I mumbled and fumbled and didn't deliver as I would have liked to:(
My second interview was with a doctor at Brighams and lasted a bit over an hour. I felt :love: but I definitely don't know if that feeling was reciprocated:scared:
Darn, now I'm just hoping I get past the interview committee:scared: :scared: :scared: :scared: :scared:
 
corranh314, I know *exactly* what you mean, falling quite dangerously in love, and scared as hell because I have an 80% chance of being rejected and feeling the subsequent disappointment and sadness ... :( I had high expectations of the school going into the interview, because I had worked at the Cambridge campus and loved the city of Boston. ... well, let's just say the experience far exceeded even my expectations ... HMS more than lives up to its name. Friends are rooting for me "because it's Harvard," but it's SO much more than that ... it's my top choices because it's where I've met people that I want to work & learn with for the next 4 years! *sighz* :love:

I interviewed for both NP and HST. Two interviews for each pathway, each lasting ~1 hour. My NP student interview didn't go well ... I didn't exactly 'click' with the interviewer (no rapport with her) like I did with other interviews ...

*fingers crossed!*
Results mailed out on the 9th right? So we won't receive it till the week after?
Ah the Ides of March has taken on an entirely new and more significant meaning.
 
i know i shouldnt be worried about the interview length - but i am just curious to see if i was the only one in such situations... anyone else willing to share their interview length times?
 
Both of my interviews were about an hour if that helps, though I can't see why it should. I have had shorter interviews that went much better in my mind so interview length matters little in the grand scheme of things. Did you feel like your interviewers were purposely cutting it short and they didn't learn enough about you to make an informed decision? That might be more telling than the actual number of minutes you spent talking to them...
 
i THINK, and unlike before, i don't actually have an inside source for this...but i THINK the MD/PhD committee judges your fate, with MD only as quality control. now granted, the quality control is pretty damn rigorous, as compared with some other MSTP's...which means that if you failed to impress during your md interview, you WILL be culled....
 
hey,

yea, i guess i felt like they cut it short and that i didnt get to talk about a lot of things that i normally talk about/wanted to - so it was disappointing... but yea, i guess ill just have to wait and see!
 
this is not fun said:
hey,

yea, i guess i felt like they cut it short and that i didnt get to talk about a lot of things that i normally talk about/wanted to - so it was disappointing... but yea, i guess ill just have to wait and see!
Click to expand...

well don't worry, i'll be sending good luck your way :luck: :luck:
 
Are both NP interviewers on the committee? One of mine doesn't appear to be on the committee, but I can't be sure...

He also said that interviews will most likely not change the status of my application at this point.
 
My interviews were about 40 minutes each. They were cordial and pleasant but not overly so. I was asked extensively about my research by the faculty member which I was able to discuss in some detail. My student interviewer seemed to be quite interested in my neighborhood action programs in Cleveland. It wasn't too bad and I loved Boston. I like the neighborhoods especially Watertown and I enjoyed the experience. My student interviewer told me that it can be a long wait to hear anything.
 
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