is harvard really non-rolling?

[mongol1985]

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my application was complete 2 weeks ago and i already got an email informing me that i'm not offered an interview...

do they have multiple rounds of screening or just one? it seems rather fast.

 

[tiamat360]

Harvard is non-rolling at the interview stage. That is to say, if you're offered an interview in February, you have the same chance at acceptance as someone who interviewed in September. However, I would be unsurprised to find that people who completed their applications early are more likely to be offered interviews - they won't wait until all applications are in before sending interview invites, and of course the number of those is limited.

It's hard to say what your case is without knowing anything about your application - you may have been auto-screened because of GPA or MCAT scores, which could be why you got back a negative response so quickly.

 

[mongol1985]

i don't want to reveal too much information, but:

GPA: 3.8+ (stanford undergraduate). MCAT 38+. 3 years of research with 2 pubs. I don't think it was my numbers. I am only a little surprised by the rejection (though I had hoped for an interview), but i'm more worried about how fast it came... In the event that harvard only has one round of screening, that would be fine... but it's a little disheartening to find that I didn't even pass the first round if multiple rounds are used.

 

[yuc]

I wouldn't worry much about it. When I sent an update to my app, I was told that it will be forwarded to whoever has my file. So I'm guessing that some reviewers are quick in reading your app and some take a while. The length of time is probably not a good measure of how competitive you are.

 

[Fencer]

Those numbers are outstanding. You should not worry... 20 years from now, it will be about what have you published and not where did you go to school. Enjoy the ride, you ought to have some talent!

FYI: I just came back from NIH study section for F30 Pre-doctoral MD PhD. The highest MCAT, I reviewed was a 37, while my two lower applications were 31s. One of the 31s, might get it an award. MCAT is important, but many other qualities are too.