Ready, Set, Interview!
Meet some of the most engaging high school seniors in Alabama
Meet some of the brightest young minds in Alabama by interviewing Harvard applicants. Interviews typically take under an hour and are generally very enjoyable. This year, interviews can take place either in person or via Zoom--the interviewer gets to choose, whichever they prefer, however, Harvard requests that we do not require applicants to meet in person if they prefer to connect virtually. It does not matter your location, though we especially need to build our pool in the areas of Huntsville, Montgomery, Auburn, Tuscaloosa and Dothan. Interviewers almost always leave an interview feeling encouraged about the future of America.
.
You don’t need to have attended the College to be a capable interviewer. My fellow-interviewers and I can give you the background you need. You'll see when you sign up that the College is offering multiple interview training sessions throughout the fall. I will also schedule a training session specifically for our Club and will announe the date soon. These sessions are optional, but many folks who are new to interviewing fin them helpful to get started.
.
When will I need to interview applicants? How much time will it take?
We'll need the bulk of our interviewers to be available in mid-January through mid-February, though the College has started sending us interview requests for Early Action applicants. The deadline for conducting Early Action interviews and writing reports is November 20. For Regular Decision applicants, it's late January/early February. We ask for a minimum time committment of four hours, which is the maximum length of time we calculate to interview two applicants and file the corresponding reports.
.
Do I need to do anything if I interviewed last year and want to again?
Yes! You should have received an e-mail on September 9 from Maeve Hoffstot in the College's Admissions Office with a link to the Alumni Interview Portal to sign up for this year. If you can't find that e-mail, just follow this link to log onto the portal. To sign up for our Club, there are actually three options--for the Huntsville, Birmingham and Tuscaloosa area. If you are willing to interview virtually, please select all those areas, so we can iutilize our interviewers to meet the areas of greatest need. Then, complete/confirm your contact information, select the number of applicants you are willing to interview, and sign your Eligibility Form.
.
I'm new at this. How do I sign up to interview?
We'd love to have your help! To get started, you need to have registered for a HarvardKey, which is Harvard's fancy term for their registration on all their alumni sites. If you aren't sure if you have a HarvardKey or not, try to log onto the Alumni Interview Portal first. If you cannot gain access, then click here, then select "alumni" and follow the instructions to get your key. You can also reach out to Loren Gary, the Club's Schools & Scholarships Chair, for help. Once you've gained access to the portal, sign up to interview for our Club, there are actually three options--for the Huntsville, Birmingham and Tuscaloosa area. If you are willing to interview virtually, please select all those areas, so we can utilize our interviewers to meet the areas of greatest need. Then, complete/confirm your contact information, select the number of applicants you are willing to interview, and sign your Eligibility Form.
.
Is there training available?
Yes! Once you are registered as an interviewer, the interviewing portal has many resources, including a handbook, same reports, templates for e-mail outreach and more. There is also an optional training session available via Zoom on December 10 at 11:00 am Central.