Is this for real?

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blondie007

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Um, I received a Harvard interview invitation the other day. I really didn't think I had a chance in hell getting in there. Does this mean I have a shot? Or do they just interview anyone they're remotely interested in?

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Consider the implications of this statement for the people who have not been invited to interview....

Um, I received a Harvard interview invitation the other day. I really didn't think I had a chance in hell getting in there. Does this mean I have a shot? Or do they just interview anyone they're remotely interested in?
 
Consider the implications of this statement for the people who have not been invited to interview....

ahhhh....are we that sensitive of a group? WWWAAAAHHHHH:(

grow up...if we can apply to be doctors we can handle this question. Bunch of crybabies around here
dave
 
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Um, I received a Harvard interview invitation the other day. I really didn't think I had a chance in hell getting in there. Does this mean I have a shot? Or do they just interview anyone they're remotely interested in?

Why would you question the invitation? Just take it and go with it.

Whether it was a glitch in the system (which I'm still hoping for at some of the top schools to which I applied :laugh: ) or they really liked you, just go with it and don't torture yourself over it.
 
Um, I received a Harvard interview invitation the other day. I really didn't think I had a chance in hell getting in there. Does this mean I have a shot? Or do they just interview anyone they're remotely interested in?

Harvard interviews ~800 kids a year. The class size is 165, so if you assume that ~30 people turn down Harvard each year, approximately ~20% of kids who are interviewed are going to be offered acceptances. Last year, an HMS student told me that the kids whom the adcom liked more were offered interviews *later* than the kids whom they liked less, but I don't know if that's true this year. But it's possible that your chances may be >20% or <20%, depending on *when* you're invited to interview. In any case, ~20% seems to be slightly less than the accepted:interviewed ratio at the average school, so although you have a shot, you still need to absolutely nail the interview.
 
Harvard interviews ~800 kids a year. The class size is 165, so if you assume that ~30 people turn down Harvard each year, approximately ~20% of kids who are interviewed are going to be offered acceptances. Last year, an HMS student told me that the kids whom the adcom liked more were offered interviews *later* than the kids whom they liked less, but I don't know if that's true this year. But it's possible that your chances may be >20% or <20%, depending on *when* you're invited to interview. In any case, ~20% seems to be slightly less than the accepted:interviewed ratio at the average school, so although you have a shot, you still need to absolutely nail the interview.

Maybe I'm missing something, but why would the adcom offer interviews later to applications the liked more?
 
Maybe I'm missing something, but why would the adcom offer interviews later to applications the liked more?

The only thing I can come up with is to see if they're serious. Some people who aren't as interested in the school might throw in the towel early for another accpetance they receive. If they really want to go to the school, wait time for an interview shouldn't play in their decisions.
 
Harvard interviews ~800 kids a year. The class size is 165, so if you assume that ~30 people turn down Harvard each year, approximately ~20% of kids who are interviewed are going to be offered acceptances. Last year, an HMS student told me that the kids whom the adcom liked more were offered interviews *later* than the kids whom they liked less, but I don't know if that's true this year. But it's possible that your chances may be >20% or <20%, depending on *when* you're invited to interview. In any case, ~20% seems to be slightly less than the accepted:interviewed ratio at the average school, so although you have a shot, you still need to absolutely nail the interview.

That's the craziest thing that I've ever heard. Interview the better applicants later? That's pretty much the opposite of what every other school in the country does, and doesn't make a shred of logical sense. At most schools, the acceptance rates for the early interviewees are dramatically higher than those for the later interviewees.

Also, the 20% statistic is completely misleading. It takes into account no other factors, and assumes that admissions after the interview is a roll of the dice. If you have a great GPA, MCAT, LORs, and ECs, your chances might be over 50%, while someone who was barely good enough to be offered an interview might have a 5% chance. If you think that you're borderline, then you probably are borderline, and you will need to really wow them in the interview to get in.
 
a looked through some mdapplicants profiles and saw no seeming correlation between a later interview, and greater rate of acceptance.
 
The only thing I can come up with is to see if they're serious. Some people who aren't as interested in the school might throw in the towel early for another accpetance they receive. If they really want to go to the school, wait time for an interview shouldn't play in their decisions.

Does Harvard REALLY have to think about whether applicants are interested in going to their school??? You're basically saying people are applying as a back-up option. Sorry bud, but that makes almost no sense....
 
The only thing I can come up with is to see if they're serious. Some people who aren't as interested in the school might throw in the towel early for another accpetance they receive. If they really want to go to the school, wait time for an interview shouldn't play in their decisions.

if you got an acceptance to X random school, would you really withdraw from Harvard? you can still make plans to attend the 1st school while waiting for news from Harvard....seeing as you get til may 15th
 
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if you got an acceptance to X random school, would you really withdraw from Harvard? you can still make plans to attend the 1st school while waiting for news from Harvard....seeing as you get til may 15th

It was more of the only theory I could come up with. Do I believe they delay interviews? No. Acceptance offers? I can believe that. Maybe they want to let the applicants get offers from other schools first and let them review over everything before giving one out. I've heard Miami does this.
 
Um, I received a Harvard interview invitation the other day. I really didn't think I had a chance in hell getting in there. Does this mean I have a shot? Or do they just interview anyone they're remotely interested in?

I can't judge the ridiculousness of this statement until I saw your application. If you had a 29, 3.2, 3.2 with terrible EC's I would be as surprised as you. If you had a 38, 4.0, 4.o and great ECs then your comment is ridiculous. And yes, i do think Harvard interviews people they are interested in, even remotely.
 
It was more of the only theory I could come up with. Do I believe they delay interviews? No. Acceptance offers? I can believe that. Maybe they want to let the applicants get offers from other schools first and let them review over everything before giving one out. I've heard Miami does this.

Yeah but that's because Miami is probably used as a safety school a lot more often than Harvard. Also, your comment agreed that they do delay interviews (sending out interviews to more favored applicants later).

In any case, I think its hard to determine how much you are liked by the date of your interview because everyone turns them and is evaluated at different times. There are some people who turn in secondaries in July and don't get invited until November. There are others who complete their secondary the end of October and get invited in Dec though its only a week or so after their file is reviewed. One is earlier but the cmte. might not be as enthusiastic about it and one can never tell the difference. My friend got invited in mid-September to interview and can't make it until January. I'm surprised the HMS student didnt think of this before making that blanket statement.
 
Um, I received a Harvard interview invitation the other day. I really didn't think I had a chance in hell getting in there. Does this mean I have a shot? Or do they just interview anyone they're remotely interested in?


If I remember from last year, they accept roughly 1/3 of their interviewees. Go for it, though. Try to schedule some other Boston interviews around then so it's not a waste of money completely, if that's a concern. It's a great experience to interview there. Alas, I was one of 1/3 that was rejected outright. Siiiigh. :oops:

BTW, congrats..
 
whether the guy who said they interview the people they like later was telling the truth or not, i've enjoyed watching all you early invitees squirm in this thread. :smuggrin:
 
Why would you question the invitation? Just take it and go with it.

Whether it was a glitch in the system (which I'm still hoping for at some of the top schools to which I applied :laugh: ) or they really liked you, just go with it and don't torture yourself over it.

I have to agree with this. Thank your lucky stars and get up to Harvard and ace the interview.
 
a looked through some mdapplicants profiles and saw no seeming correlation between a later interview, and greater rate of acceptance.

I'd like to see the meta-analysis for that. What was your p value? sheeesh.

Plain and simple...they're interviewing you because they think you may be a good fit for their school. It is your job to figure out why they like you and play to your strengths. I've been complete at harvard for months and haven't heard anything, but no news means no news in this game. Or at least no news for us, the applicants, unless we plan to break into an admissions office or wiretap their phones to figure out what they're really thinking.

Which is to say...GO TO BOSTON, have fun and buy yourself a Harvard T-shirt. At least you can drop the H-bomb on people now. haha.
 
Um, I received a Harvard interview invitation the other day. I really didn't think I had a chance in hell getting in there. Does this mean I have a shot?
A person who applies now with a 2.0GPA and 18MCAT has a shot. Anything is possible until you are rejected.

Or do they just interview anyone they're remotely interested in?
Define "remotely."

Anyway, my roomate last year had a Harvard interview. He got rejected after it. I had another friend go to Harvard after their interview. So it pretty much comes down to whether you will screw up your interview or not. So you tell us. Do you think you have a chance?
 
That's the craziest thing that I've ever heard. Interview the better applicants later? That's pretty much the opposite of what every other school in the country does, and doesn't make a shred of logical sense. At most schools, the acceptance rates for the early interviewees are dramatically higher than those for the later interviewees.

Hey, don't shoot the messenger. I have no idea why they did it this way, but my friend at HST, who's in with the adcom people, told me that this is what happened last year, at least for HST. Your guess as to what the reason is is as good as mine.
 
Last year, an HMS student told me that the kids whom the adcom liked more were offered interviews *later* than the kids whom they liked less, but I don't know if that's true this year.

Just out of curiosity, did this HMS student interview in April when he was going through this process? :)
 
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