My ONLY interview is at Harvard..am screwed

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I actually edited my original post to include much more specific information about me since many people have sent me private messages asking specifics about my application but then I realized I totally gave away my identity by listing my artistic hobbies..im more of an artsy-type of guy rather than scientific (no research or anything) which is maybe why i stand out among the typical pre-med..but here is some basic info:

overall GPA is low 3.6 and MCAT low 30s, went to a UC (although I am not a CA resident but am from west coast) for undergrad which is notorious for low GPAs, honestly nothing too special about my application..i promise i will post my mdapp once the cycle over..how funny life is..someone must have read my post and decided to give me an interview because i got an interview at a top-notch school earlier this evening...my freaking out was pre-mature although i would love to get some interviews at some safeties since I would like to have a back-up plan just in case..i dont care too much about prestige as long as its a decent medical school where ill fit and be happy..good luck to everyone and thanks to everyone who posted encouraging words!
 
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....i want a harvard interview...
 
The only thing you can do at this point is to relax and do the best you can during the interview. IF you get too worked up you aren't going to perform your best. You got a HARVARD interview, they obviosly saw something they liked. Nail the thing. Good Luck!
 
Are you a troll or do you just want to brag?
 
i'm pretty sure its a troll
 
I doubt you got an interview from Harvard without also getting interviews from any of the other 22 schools you applied to. Troll detected.
 
I don't think it's necessarily a troll. I've been asking a similar question in the MD/PhD forum.

I have 5 interviews including a Harvard MD interview, but I don't have ANY California interviews, and I'm a California resident! I applied to:

UCSD, UCLA, UCSD, UCI, UCD, Stanford and USC

I received secondaries from all of them but I have not received 1 interview from California.
 
bull****. 22 scxhools and only harvard interview? and whats so bad? just here to brag?
 
I don't think you're going to get much help here since some people are still waiting for interviews and you're complaining when you have one from Harvard...

That being said - that's an awesome accomplishment - just do your best. They wouldn't interview you if they didn't think you had something to offer. Now's the time to really sell yourself.
 
i think YOUR just here to brag bannie 😛

until you give me ur damn MDapps

😀
 
bannie22 said:
bull****. 22 scxhools and only harvard interview? and whats so bad? just here to brag?
Click to expand...

I don't know why you guys are so hard on this guy. Yes, a Harvard interview is awesome, but think about how many people they interview, 1000? They accept roughly 200. You can't put all your eggs in one basket, especially if that basket is HARVARD! I think the OP has a legitimate concern, given that his stats are lower than the majority of applicants interviewing there.

But to the OP: If Harvard is interested in you, I'm sure more will follow suit. Relax, be patient. If in January you still don't have more interviews try sending out letters of interest / updates to see if that evokes any responses. You could even begin doing that now.

All the best! And good luck with your interview!
 
acutally its 900 for 190... so the odds are much better for OP.
24%... very good odds actually.


good luck OP tho 😛 as long as ure not bringing us on a ride here 😉
 
wow ur either trolling or are an idiot. I would stab someone in the eyeball with a dull knife to get a med school interview at harvard. You do have a chance to get in. I have never heard of them giving pitty interviews. You have a shot make the best of it.
 
FeralisExtremum said:
what? no you don't, at least not for a standardized test that is capable of being retaken at multiple dates during the year.
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well i am applying this cycle..i had already submitted my amcas and secondaries since i got my scores in late august (when i was complete at my schools)..i was thinking i was going to get at least lower to mid-30s since I was doing really well on the practice exams..i should have taken it earlier so I could have taken the july MCAT as a back-up since I am applying this cycle
 
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BlueElmo said:
Are you a troll or do you just want to brag?
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first of all im not a troll..and second of all I'm sorry if it came off as bragging..i do feel very fortunate to receive the interview but its not like i have other interviews...its nerve-wrecking when my only interview is at a place where my stats are MUCH below their averages...and the rest are rejections (although the other schools that rejected me are also top-notch)..i think my MCAT is whats holding me back at the rest of the schools which contributes to 60% of the selectivity factor for US News Ranking and harvard really has nothing left to prove when it comes to rankings so its looking more at the overall application which is great
 
Interesting why Harvard would be the only one to offer you an invitation. But whatever, go knock em dead. Good luck!
 
BlueElmo said:
Interesting why Harvard would be the only one to offer you an invitation. But whatever, go knock em dead. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Yeah honestly it is weird...I felt really relieved when I got the invitation but now its been 4 weeks since that interview invite and its nothing but silence and rejections from schools and am getting nervous again..I actually e-mailed an update to a school back in early September and now just like a second ago got a reply saying they added it to my file LOL..i hope schools are just really backed-up which is why its taking a while to review and re-review..i wish you the best of luck also this cycle and hope you receive many more interviews as well since I can see youre waiting to hear back from many schools as well
 
dru2002 said:
The only thing you can do at this point is to relax and do the best you can during the interview. IF you get too worked up you aren't going to perform your best. You got a HARVARD interview, they obviosly saw something they liked. Nail the thing. Good Luck!
Click to expand...

thanks this is good advice..good luck to you also!
 
Naijaba said:
I don't think it's necessarily a troll. I've been asking a similar question in the MD/PhD forum.

I have 5 interviews including a Harvard MD interview, but I don't have ANY California interviews, and I'm a California resident! I applied to:

UCSD, UCLA, UCSD, UCI, UCD, Stanford and USC

I received secondaries from all of them but I have not received 1 interview from California.
Click to expand...

My friend got one interview from UCLA three weeks ago, and that was the only interview he got so far. I think Californian medical schools always have late interviews. =(
 
FutureScaresMe said:
I don't know why you guys are so hard on this guy. Yes, a Harvard interview is awesome, but think about how many people they interview, 1000? They accept roughly 200. You can't put all your eggs in one basket, especially if that basket is HARVARD! I think the OP has a legitimate concern, given that his stats are lower than the majority of applicants interviewing there.

But to the OP: If Harvard is interested in you, I'm sure more will follow suit. Relax, be patient. If in January you still don't have more interviews try sending out letters of interest / updates to see if that evokes any responses. You could even begin doing that now.

All the best! And good luck with your interview!
Click to expand...

thanks really appreciate the advice..the posts with the good advice are making me at least feel a little better..but i honestly dont have any expectations and just receiving an invite is very humbling since theyre some amazing applicants who are getting interview invites at harvard...ill just try to be the best that i can be and see what happens..good luck to you also..
 
on my interview day they told us harvard interviews 800 for 190-200 acceptances. so, OP, i'd be pretty damn worried if i were you. assuming you're not a troll.
 
thats much better than the international rate of 110 for 8.
 
tumor said:
I just want to start off by saying that I feel EXTREMELY privileged and honored to receive an interview invite at Harvard..I am honestly unworthy of this interview invite and I am being realistic because my chances of getting accepted at Harvard post-interview are extremely low (GPA <3.7 and MCAT = 30S, top-20 university, no publications, non-URM and am only 23 years old so don't have too many life experiences)...its already mid-november and I was complete near end of august (which isnt early but is not late either) and haven't heard from the other 22 schools that I applied to besides the rejections below..is there still hope from other schools or are they silent rejections?

REJECTED:

Pre-secondary:
UCSF (out-of-state)
Vanderbilt

Pre-interview:
University of Chicago
Pitt

I applied to a wide array of schools (but only schools that I would like to attend) including my state school, middle-to-low tier schools and top schools...I just wanted to hear from past applicants who have received interviews at top to middle-tier schools after being complete for more than 2 months late in the cycle to ease my worries..thanks for understanding everyone and good luck to everyone applying this cycle!

my most glaring weakness on my application is my low MCAT..I only took it once in july..and was averaging 35 on my practice exams...wish I could have taken it again but oh well gotta play with the cards that life deals you..
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Be grateful you got that interview. Try be relaxed and try your best in the interview. Remember, one acceptance is all it takes and if Harvard is that acceptance that OMG! The world has ended! lol Good luck! Be confident and optimistic!
 
Tumor, you are not alone. Sounds like you have an interesting application and they saw something great in you.

The reason why you have heard from HMS and not yet others is the issue of money--Harvard can run through applications more than once (and quite quickly) because it has a MUCH larger staff to handle this than a lot of other schools.

You will get interviews from other schools -- more than likely from your safeties instead of your reaches. It will just take longer. Its still November and they will be emailing with invites for a few more months.
 
tumor care to share your ECs in detail? interested in what stands out in your application
 
This actually happened to me when I applied 2 years ago -- with below-average stats, non-URM. Applied everywhere, rejected by all my state schools and lower-tier schools. Interviewed New Pathway, rejected in March. Now reapplying, with one acceptance and two interviews so far for fall 2010. Advice to the OP: make sure you have backup plans, hope for the best, prepare for the worst!

:luck:
 
^ thats pretty crazy. what is harvard looking for anyway, or are they just randomly inviting ppl to make up the numbers >.<
 
I understand how TUMOR is feeling.

I also had only one interview out of 15 schools I completed secondaries, and luckily I got into the school I interviewed at (my state school).

I thought I was a competitive applicant with decent above-average stats, but haven't gotten any replies from rest of the schools I applied to, except for two pre-interview rejections.

Fortunately, I am in a good position with an acceptance in my hand, but few weeks ago after my first interview, I felt just the same as TUMOR with no news from any school.

It is just so nerve-wrecking when you have no back-up plan with no news whatsoever.


So, good luck TUMOR. You have about 25% chance of getting in.

Make sure to prepare well for the interview and bust it out.
 
tumor said:
I just want to start off by saying that I feel EXTREMELY privileged and honored to receive an interview invite at Harvard..I am honestly unworthy of this interview invite and I am being realistic because my chances of getting accepted at Harvard post-interview are extremely low (GPA <3.7 and MCAT = 30S, top-20 university, no publications, non-URM and am only 23 years old so don't have too many life experiences)
Click to expand...

You must have one hell of a personal statement, is all I'm gonna say. Or someone blew you on paper in an LOR.
 
Slack3r said:
You must have one hell of a personal statement, is all I'm gonna say. Or someone blew you on paper in an LOR.
Click to expand...

Or maybe Harvard adcoms were out of whack that day?
 
Naijaba said:
I don't think it's necessarily a troll. I've been asking a similar question in the MD/PhD forum.

I have 5 interviews including a Harvard MD interview, but I don't have ANY California interviews, and I'm a California resident! I applied to:

UCSD, UCLA, UCSD, UCI, UCD, Stanford and USC

I received secondaries from all of them but I have not received 1 interview from California.
Click to expand...

You must really like UCSD. 🙂
 
oh haha, it's just cause F is near D on the keyboard. I meant UCSF first.
 
The medical school application process is completely random. I recently got in to a state school that many people from my state with better stats than me haven't even heard back from despite being complete at about the same time. Just rock that interview and get into Harvard med!👍
 
Just wanted to say congrats and good luck, unlike most others in this thread 😀

:luck:
 
Thank you soooo much to all the people who posted their support and kind words! You guys are awesome...I wish you all the best of luck!
 
Hey OP,
i'm sure it is intimidating but think of it this way... every successful applicant ends up going to only one school. maybe God is just doing you a favor and saving you all that interview travel money so you can blow it all on the big party once you get into Harvard 🙂
 
u too casillas=p i know mr iker casillas-leaky-hands-conceeding-4-against-liverpool is also going to harvard😉
 
Hello Guys and Tumor,
Similar to Tumor, I just an interview from Harvard NP. I was quite shocked myself. I believe my stats are even lower than Tumor's and similar to Tumor, Harvard is my only interview. I am quite worried. Tumor have you had your interview yet?
 
Hope OP, you did well on the interview. If you get accepted, and that was the only interview and acceptance, that would be just sick.
 
hey op, i don't know if anyone has said this yet (i really don't feel like reading 40 comments from these people calling you a troll), but send some updates to schools where you are still in the running. hope that helps and best of luck with harvard.
 
I applied to 45 schools. As of Friday I got two more interview invites (yay!!!), but when this poster posted I had only had two interviews:

Harvard and an OOS state school.

Given that it sounds like I applied to twice as many schools, it is totally believable that someone could get just a Harvard interview early in the season and nothing else. But for some great luck with an OOS state school, I would have been in a similar position.

Troll or not, the claim is totally believable.

And good luck!
 
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