I get this question from time to time, and it's a good one:
How do I interview well if I'm an introvert? It takes me a while to warm up to people, and I don't have a naturally bubbly personality. Will I be at a disadvantage?
No. You'll interview just fine. The key to nailing your interview is not to give a drama club worthy performance, or to share everything from your favorite toenail color to how you felt about your breakup last week. Keep in mind, a college campus overrun with extroverts would be just an undesirable as one with without any of them at all.
The key to nailing your college interview (and, by the way, every interview you do from this point out) is to practice. Figure out what the three things are that you want your interviewer to walk away from the interview knowing about you. Make them as specialized as possible and make sure you have proof. Are you a very empathetic person? Exceptionally determined in the face of adversity? Creative at solving difficult problems? Write your list, and then back it up with a story. Interview questions are often open-ended.. Find a way to get your point across.
Practicing the interview and going in with a game plan will get you into your comfort zone. Don't rely on yourself to ad lib. As an introvert, a road map of your story should get you comfortable with what you are going to say. Neither an introvert nor an extrovert interview well if they are unprepared. Several interviews come to mind with bubbly students who obviously did not practice, and ended up interviewing poorly in spite of their personal charisma.
One more caveat: Be sure to make the interview a conversation. If you are nervous, it is easy to fall into the trap of recitation. Make sure you are engaging with and reacting to your interviewer - she is not an audience, but a person. Ask a few questions. Laugh at a joke. Respond to her enthusiasm for a specific subject. Don't get sidetracked by this, but don't let the opportunity to connect slip.
If you need a mantra, let it be this: The interview is not about charming the pants off your interviewer. It's about communicating clearly and well what it is that makes you different and sets you apart.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Blogging your way into college
A question from a reader: should I start a blog?
P- writes: Your "Summer Vacation" post talks about pursuing the things you're passionate about in unique ways. I have been thinking about starting a blog where I can report about current events in India and analyze their signifcance. I feel that blogging about India's progress towards accepting many of the things that were once prohibited will be a great way for me to showcase my general interest in social studies and writing. However, I'm not sure that blogging is "unique." My parents think that is a good a idea, but what do you think about it?
Here's a general rule to follow. The more popular the activity, the more successful you need to be to stand out.
Blogging is attractive because if it is done well, it can have tremendous exposure. That said, there are lots of people out there trying to do it well. You may very well have written the most insightful blog in the world, but if only your parents read it, it won't really matter.
I know what you're thinking - if I write insightful, interesting posts, won't an admissions officer (or interviewer) read it and be impressed by my thoughtfulness and quality of writing? It's possible, but not likely. However, if your blog makes it onto a top ten list somewhere, gets you quoted somewhere, leads to a guest post on the Huffington Post... you get the drift. Way more for you to leverage here.
Here's an example: Lena Chen earned noteriety blogging about her sex life at Harvard - hardly an academic topic. Today she works as a freelance journalist, speaking on panels, moderating discussions, appearing at colleges. The risk she took with her blog earned her the credability to write about the politics of gender and sexuality.
The moral is that it's not what you do, but how you do it. Just as you can turn a job at a bakery into an incredible experience, you can squander an internship with NATO and get nothing out of it.
So, here is the most important criterion: pick something that genuinely engages you. And here's the corollary: do it in a way that engages you. If you like interacting with people and need lots of feedback to feel excited about a project, blogging may not work for you unless you make sure you structure in lots of time to network with other bloggers and talk about your blog to people in real life. Blogging, especially when you are starting out, can be a very solitary activity, at least until you get traction. That's why there are a lot of blogs sitting out there in the internet with only a handful of posts before the author got bored.
There's one other thing - the subject. Is this really what you want to write about? Do some real thinking about what subject is so exciting for you that it gets you out of bed in the morning. What is so interesting that you fall asleep thinking about it?
If you love what you're doing, and think about it every day over the summer, the rest should follow.
Aim and high, and really want it. It's better to blog about Bollywood movies and be passionate about it than to write about Indian current events if you're only somewhat engaged.
It's easier to find a way to make your passion sound impressive on a college application than to fake passion for something that you think sounds impressive.
P- writes: Your "Summer Vacation" post talks about pursuing the things you're passionate about in unique ways. I have been thinking about starting a blog where I can report about current events in India and analyze their signifcance. I feel that blogging about India's progress towards accepting many of the things that were once prohibited will be a great way for me to showcase my general interest in social studies and writing. However, I'm not sure that blogging is "unique." My parents think that is a good a idea, but what do you think about it?
Here's a general rule to follow. The more popular the activity, the more successful you need to be to stand out.
Blogging is attractive because if it is done well, it can have tremendous exposure. That said, there are lots of people out there trying to do it well. You may very well have written the most insightful blog in the world, but if only your parents read it, it won't really matter.
I know what you're thinking - if I write insightful, interesting posts, won't an admissions officer (or interviewer) read it and be impressed by my thoughtfulness and quality of writing? It's possible, but not likely. However, if your blog makes it onto a top ten list somewhere, gets you quoted somewhere, leads to a guest post on the Huffington Post... you get the drift. Way more for you to leverage here.
Here's an example: Lena Chen earned noteriety blogging about her sex life at Harvard - hardly an academic topic. Today she works as a freelance journalist, speaking on panels, moderating discussions, appearing at colleges. The risk she took with her blog earned her the credability to write about the politics of gender and sexuality.
The moral is that it's not what you do, but how you do it. Just as you can turn a job at a bakery into an incredible experience, you can squander an internship with NATO and get nothing out of it.
So, here is the most important criterion: pick something that genuinely engages you. And here's the corollary: do it in a way that engages you. If you like interacting with people and need lots of feedback to feel excited about a project, blogging may not work for you unless you make sure you structure in lots of time to network with other bloggers and talk about your blog to people in real life. Blogging, especially when you are starting out, can be a very solitary activity, at least until you get traction. That's why there are a lot of blogs sitting out there in the internet with only a handful of posts before the author got bored.
There's one other thing - the subject. Is this really what you want to write about? Do some real thinking about what subject is so exciting for you that it gets you out of bed in the morning. What is so interesting that you fall asleep thinking about it?
If you love what you're doing, and think about it every day over the summer, the rest should follow.
Aim and high, and really want it. It's better to blog about Bollywood movies and be passionate about it than to write about Indian current events if you're only somewhat engaged.
It's easier to find a way to make your passion sound impressive on a college application than to fake passion for something that you think sounds impressive.
Friday, June 17, 2011
And... I'm back
This blog has been sadly neglected for a few months because I've been working hard on another very important endeavor... a HarvardInterviewer baby!
Obviously people have been asking what my husband and I are doing to prepare our little one for Harvard. Given that she's only three months old, we don't have a definitive list.
But I do want to talk about what role parents can play in giving their kids a leg up, and I'll do that in the next few posts. A parent's role in encouraging excellence is tricky. I don't really believe that spending money stuff makes a big difference.
The posts will be about reframing success and how you can encourage your child to want to find ways to set herself apart.
In the meantime, if you've contacted me about a quote or comment for an article during the past three months - my apologies. I'm fantastic at email... except when I'm learning to take care of a newborn. Please try me again if I can still help.
Obviously people have been asking what my husband and I are doing to prepare our little one for Harvard. Given that she's only three months old, we don't have a definitive list.
But I do want to talk about what role parents can play in giving their kids a leg up, and I'll do that in the next few posts. A parent's role in encouraging excellence is tricky. I don't really believe that spending money stuff makes a big difference.
The posts will be about reframing success and how you can encourage your child to want to find ways to set herself apart.
In the meantime, if you've contacted me about a quote or comment for an article during the past three months - my apologies. I'm fantastic at email... except when I'm learning to take care of a newborn. Please try me again if I can still help.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Online data: the final chapter
So, I've had a few questions since my last post, and they invariably run along the lines of, "This comes up when I search for my name/facebook account/website. Do you think it's bad?"
Let me give you a mantra. If in doubt, take it out.
See? It even rhymes. But in all seriousness, folks, if you have to ask, it probably shouldn't be out there. The point isn't whether or not I think calling someone "fucking awesome" is an inappropriate thing for a seventeen year old to say. (Personally, I don't.) The real litmus test is - would you intentionally say it during your interview? Or write it in your essays? If the answer is no, just make it private, password protect it, or delete it. Easy peasy.
Moving right along. Interview season is mostly wrapping up across the country, applicants are receiving their admissions letters, and everybody else is gearing up for application season 2011. I'm planning on shifting gears to more general application questions. If you have some that you'd like me to address, leave it in the comments... or send it my way via email.
Let me give you a mantra. If in doubt, take it out.
See? It even rhymes. But in all seriousness, folks, if you have to ask, it probably shouldn't be out there. The point isn't whether or not I think calling someone "fucking awesome" is an inappropriate thing for a seventeen year old to say. (Personally, I don't.) The real litmus test is - would you intentionally say it during your interview? Or write it in your essays? If the answer is no, just make it private, password protect it, or delete it. Easy peasy.
Moving right along. Interview season is mostly wrapping up across the country, applicants are receiving their admissions letters, and everybody else is gearing up for application season 2011. I'm planning on shifting gears to more general application questions. If you have some that you'd like me to address, leave it in the comments... or send it my way via email.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr: Cleaning up your act
My last post got a lot of attention, which I found surprising because I assumed that it was obvious. It turns out I was wrong, which was great because I'm glad that I put it out there.
To recap, I said that your Facebook profile, like any other social media that bears your full name, often comes to the attention of college admissions teams and you should be careful what you put on there.
But now that you know social media can count (sometimes against you) what do you do to clean up your act?
1. An image is worth a thousand words. Look at pictures first. When you google yourself, do any come up that are compromising? If so, untag yourself. Make them private. Or, if that doesn't work, ask your friends to take them down. Remember that Google will save a cache of some websites, so take care of this early.
2. Illegal activities. Some of your admissions team will be liberal and will smile fondly at youthful hijinks. Others won't. Don't risk it. Photos or references to you participating in anything illegal need to go immediately. That includes drinking, smoking, fighting, destruction of property, climbing over fences (i.e trespassing), setting off illegal fireworks, etc. What if it just looks illegal? Take it down anyway. Or label it clearly, i.e. "Training for the big boxing match" or "Rehearsing the bar fight scene for school play"
3. General silliness. You making goofy faces. Fan fiction. Having a food fight. IM conversations you had with your best friend when you were thirteen. All of these are examples of things that, while in and of themselves are fun and innocent, can be net negatives. Consider carefully before leaving anything like this in the public domain. What is the image you want to project? Is this helping you?
Now that you've found the offending data, what do you do about it? Either make it private, or delete your last name. If there's a website with photos, put a password on it. If we're talking about a facebook profile, play around with privacy settings. There are ways to leave up any info you'd like to share (i.e. you winning the debate tournament) while omitting the ones you'd like to keep private.
A few final words. There's been this flurry about admissions officers checking Facebook or other sites. As far as I know for Harvard has no official policy and I would be surprised if many colleges did. I have not been given any guidelines to follow. Here's the risk for you: if there's no policy, and I'm not checking consistently, I don't have a baseline. I don't have a list of things to watch for. I don't have a protocol. So, if you happen to accidentally leave up something that happens to grab my attention in the wrong way, there's a chance it will influence me more than it should, or even more than I consciously think it does.
Today, your public image is more than who you are in person. It also includes who you are online. That's true for you as a college candidate, it's true for me, and it's true for your grandmother. It's the new reality, and there's nothing revolutionary or scary about it - but it is important to learn to live with it and manage accordingly.
To recap, I said that your Facebook profile, like any other social media that bears your full name, often comes to the attention of college admissions teams and you should be careful what you put on there.
But now that you know social media can count (sometimes against you) what do you do to clean up your act?
1. An image is worth a thousand words. Look at pictures first. When you google yourself, do any come up that are compromising? If so, untag yourself. Make them private. Or, if that doesn't work, ask your friends to take them down. Remember that Google will save a cache of some websites, so take care of this early.
2. Illegal activities. Some of your admissions team will be liberal and will smile fondly at youthful hijinks. Others won't. Don't risk it. Photos or references to you participating in anything illegal need to go immediately. That includes drinking, smoking, fighting, destruction of property, climbing over fences (i.e trespassing), setting off illegal fireworks, etc. What if it just looks illegal? Take it down anyway. Or label it clearly, i.e. "Training for the big boxing match" or "Rehearsing the bar fight scene for school play"
3. General silliness. You making goofy faces. Fan fiction. Having a food fight. IM conversations you had with your best friend when you were thirteen. All of these are examples of things that, while in and of themselves are fun and innocent, can be net negatives. Consider carefully before leaving anything like this in the public domain. What is the image you want to project? Is this helping you?
Now that you've found the offending data, what do you do about it? Either make it private, or delete your last name. If there's a website with photos, put a password on it. If we're talking about a facebook profile, play around with privacy settings. There are ways to leave up any info you'd like to share (i.e. you winning the debate tournament) while omitting the ones you'd like to keep private.
A few final words. There's been this flurry about admissions officers checking Facebook or other sites. As far as I know for Harvard has no official policy and I would be surprised if many colleges did. I have not been given any guidelines to follow. Here's the risk for you: if there's no policy, and I'm not checking consistently, I don't have a baseline. I don't have a list of things to watch for. I don't have a protocol. So, if you happen to accidentally leave up something that happens to grab my attention in the wrong way, there's a chance it will influence me more than it should, or even more than I consciously think it does.
Today, your public image is more than who you are in person. It also includes who you are online. That's true for you as a college candidate, it's true for me, and it's true for your grandmother. It's the new reality, and there's nothing revolutionary or scary about it - but it is important to learn to live with it and manage accordingly.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Facebook and College Applications
I met a mom recently who banned her sixteen year old daughter from Facebook. The daughter had recently posted photos of herself getting her tongue pierced (I suspect the getting-her-tongue-pierced part was a problem in itself).
I expressed some mild surprise that she would resort to such Draconian measures and she insisted that Facebook was dangerous. "Kids are losing scholarships because of what they put on Facebook!" she said.
I don't like the idea of banning kids from social media. But the mom did have a point.
As an interviewer, I like to Google candidates before I meet them. It's a good way to get a sense for the person before I sit down to interview. Recall that as an interviewer, I don't get access to any portion of the application beforehand. Even if have the candidate bring a resume along, I need to be able to scan it quickly and start asking questions. This way, I get a bit of prep in.
I'd like to tell you that I don't let myself be prejudiced by photos of kids holding beers at parties, or dancing with their friends on furniture, or painting questionable logos on each other's stomachs. I'd like to say that.
But it's just not true. In interviews, it's the details that count: being well-dressed. Sending a thank you note. Being a good conversationalist. It all adds up to the first impression, which is what your interviewer will use when filling out your recommendation forms.
I doubt that hordes of students frequently lose scholarships or have an admission reneg'd for something that they innocently put up on Facebook. BUT what actually happens is much worse. Indiscreet social media postings can make your interviewer (or the admissions officer) prejudiced against you without realizing it. And that's scary and worrisome because a large chunk of admissions decisions are really close calls. They are based on "fit" and "feel" - it's not just what you've shown you can do, but the potential people think you have.
If they go into your app or start your interview with an image of you jumping up and down on a trampoline with a beer, it'll take a lot more to dislodge it than if they come in with nothing. Or better yet, a picture of you shaking hands with mayor of your town after winning a writing contest.
The "scared straight" message of this shouldn't be that you can't use Facebook. Just be smart about it. Keep your account private. If you want to post goofy photos, go right ahead - but keep your main profile photo something neutral. Google yourself occasionally to make sure that nothing comes up that you're embarassed about. Nothing that you wouldn't share with your grandparents or your parents' friends.
I, by the way, learned this lesson the hard way. I'll date myself here - but at one point in college I had created a Friendster profile. It was goofy and irreverent. I think I said that I wanted to meet dictators and my hobbies included belly dancing. Kind of innocuous, but not particularly smart. Fast forward four years. I'm out of college, I'm working at a investment firm. My boss asks me to step in to one of our investments and help manage it for six months. Suddenly, I have a group of twenty people reporting to me, all of whom are older. It's imperative that I command respect and cultivate a serious persona. Of course, it's just my luck that the nearly defunct Friendster suddenly opens up their database to google. Now, when you search my name, that old profile becomes the fourth or fifth hit. Embarassing!
Learn from my mistake - check. Check often. It's a good habit that will serve you well, not just through the admissions process, but beyond.
I expressed some mild surprise that she would resort to such Draconian measures and she insisted that Facebook was dangerous. "Kids are losing scholarships because of what they put on Facebook!" she said.
I don't like the idea of banning kids from social media. But the mom did have a point.
As an interviewer, I like to Google candidates before I meet them. It's a good way to get a sense for the person before I sit down to interview. Recall that as an interviewer, I don't get access to any portion of the application beforehand. Even if have the candidate bring a resume along, I need to be able to scan it quickly and start asking questions. This way, I get a bit of prep in.
I'd like to tell you that I don't let myself be prejudiced by photos of kids holding beers at parties, or dancing with their friends on furniture, or painting questionable logos on each other's stomachs. I'd like to say that.
But it's just not true. In interviews, it's the details that count: being well-dressed. Sending a thank you note. Being a good conversationalist. It all adds up to the first impression, which is what your interviewer will use when filling out your recommendation forms.
I doubt that hordes of students frequently lose scholarships or have an admission reneg'd for something that they innocently put up on Facebook. BUT what actually happens is much worse. Indiscreet social media postings can make your interviewer (or the admissions officer) prejudiced against you without realizing it. And that's scary and worrisome because a large chunk of admissions decisions are really close calls. They are based on "fit" and "feel" - it's not just what you've shown you can do, but the potential people think you have.
If they go into your app or start your interview with an image of you jumping up and down on a trampoline with a beer, it'll take a lot more to dislodge it than if they come in with nothing. Or better yet, a picture of you shaking hands with mayor of your town after winning a writing contest.
The "scared straight" message of this shouldn't be that you can't use Facebook. Just be smart about it. Keep your account private. If you want to post goofy photos, go right ahead - but keep your main profile photo something neutral. Google yourself occasionally to make sure that nothing comes up that you're embarassed about. Nothing that you wouldn't share with your grandparents or your parents' friends.
I, by the way, learned this lesson the hard way. I'll date myself here - but at one point in college I had created a Friendster profile. It was goofy and irreverent. I think I said that I wanted to meet dictators and my hobbies included belly dancing. Kind of innocuous, but not particularly smart. Fast forward four years. I'm out of college, I'm working at a investment firm. My boss asks me to step in to one of our investments and help manage it for six months. Suddenly, I have a group of twenty people reporting to me, all of whom are older. It's imperative that I command respect and cultivate a serious persona. Of course, it's just my luck that the nearly defunct Friendster suddenly opens up their database to google. Now, when you search my name, that old profile becomes the fourth or fifth hit. Embarassing!
Learn from my mistake - check. Check often. It's a good habit that will serve you well, not just through the admissions process, but beyond.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
New versus old?
A question from a student getting prep'd for her Harvard interview. She writes:
During the interview, should I discuss "new" information (things that weren't covered in-depth on my application) or reinforce what's already on the application?
Here's what I mean. My interviewer has said that they (the interviewers) do not see my Harvard application. So during the interview, should I go over things that were on my app (the topics I wrote my essays on, things I really stressed, etc.) or should I use the interview as a chance to give Harvard MORE information about myself that I couldn't fit on the app?
For example, on my Harvard application, I really stressed my volunteer work, my eBay business, and my future dreams (to create a successful charity--this sort of ties in with my volunteer work). I didn't really mention my passion for statistics and academics in general. I only briefly mentioned ballet, which I've been doing for 12 years and counting. So in my interview, should I repeat my stories about my volunteer work/eBay/future dreams or should I discuss my passion for ballet/statistics/etc?
The interview is a way for Harvard to get to know the applicant even better. So I thought perhaps it would be better for me to talk about ballet etc. because Harvard doesn't really know that part of me. If I were to talk about my eBay business in the interview, the interviewer would write that into their recommendation. However, Harvard would already know about eBay and it might become redundant.
But at the same time, I thought that maybe it would be better to reinforce my volunteer work/eBay/future dreams in the interview, since those are really what make me unique and those are the ones that have the best "stories" behind them. After all, those topics were "meaty" enough that I could write essays about them, whereas I don't think I have enough to say about ballet that I could write an essay about it.
And if you recommend a balance of both, should I talk about 50/50 old information & new information, or 70/30, etc.
This is a problem that is nice to have! This student obviously has a few different narratives about her life that she has successfully developed into what I imagine is a strong application. Rather than getting distracted by dozens of extracurriculars, she has chosen to focus on a few activities where she has excelled. This is smart. But now her problem is she has other narratives that she wasn't able to fit in. What to do?
The answer is easy, but will probably frustrate you. I recommend forgetting any sort of ratios, but instead focusing on connecting with your interviewer. You may hope that your interviewer is taking copious notes and will provide Harvard with an exact transcript of your conversation, but this is not the case. We have the option of talking about specifics:
"Jennifer shows exceptional perseverance by continuing with a demanding ballet schedule even as she excels in her academics. She has performed in half a dozens acclaimed shows and has been invited to travel to NYC to audition for a number of companies upon graduation."
But we are just as likely to write:
"Jennifer is bright and talented. She shows great commitment to activities she is passionate about, and perseveres even when it is not easy or immediately gratifying. She would be a terrific fit at Harvard. This is the kind of person I would have liked to be friends with when I was a student there. I think she can be both a leader and an inspiration to others in the student body."
See? No mention of ballet at all. But still a great recommendation. So, if you're counting on your interview to fill in the missing gaps on your application, don't. That's (kind of) the bad news. The good news, however, is that this is not the point of the interview. The point of the interview is for Harvard to get to know you as a person. So do that as best you can. Come into your interview with a few set "stories" about yourself - the Ebay business is a great one - but be flexible enough to shift gears if you need to.
Let's say your interviewer is a former ballerina herself. You really connect with her on that front - by all means, mention ballet. But do it for the right reasons - to connect with your interviewer, not because you want her to put a check mark somewhere. Also, you kind of answer your question yourself - you say there is not enough in ballet for you to write an essay about. If that's truly how you feel, then a brief secondary mention is all it deserves. Personally, I think if you've been engaged in something for twelve years, there is probaby a story there. Remember, not all stories have to be about you being successful. It sounds from your email like your "tangible" accomplishments in ballet (winning awards, being cast in shows, performing in professional troupes, are limited). So are you a ballerina despite the fact that you're not as good at it as you are at other things (like statistics?) That's a story, and frankly says something very good about you. I'll let you draw the conclusion.
You throw in "passion for academics" - honestly, this is a given. Everyone applying is passionate about academics. If there is something that sets you apart, talk about it. Otherwise, leave it alone. There was a girl years ago who was homeless while she was in high school, but was passionate enough about her academics to maintain her grades even while she slept in homeless shelters and train stations. That's a rare instance of where you may want to talk about it. You mention statistics - is there a story behind this? Have you done some work in the field that sets you apart? Are you using statistics to improve your Ebay business? (If you can combine two narratives, even better!) Dig deep inside yourself and find the reason why you love it and how that makes you different.
There is one exception to everything I've said here - if something has changed significantly between the time you applied and your interview. Have you won a Novel Prize? Did the non-profit you founded just raise ten million dollars to build schools in Afghanistan? Did you sell a script to Disney? These are over the top examples, but you get the idea. If this is the case - do find a way to talk about it. Explicitly tell your interviewer that you did not write about it on your app because it hadn't happened yet. Oh, and if it *is* something seriously huge, it may be worthwhile calling the admissions office to let them know.
During the interview, should I discuss "new" information (things that weren't covered in-depth on my application) or reinforce what's already on the application?
Here's what I mean. My interviewer has said that they (the interviewers) do not see my Harvard application. So during the interview, should I go over things that were on my app (the topics I wrote my essays on, things I really stressed, etc.) or should I use the interview as a chance to give Harvard MORE information about myself that I couldn't fit on the app?
For example, on my Harvard application, I really stressed my volunteer work, my eBay business, and my future dreams (to create a successful charity--this sort of ties in with my volunteer work). I didn't really mention my passion for statistics and academics in general. I only briefly mentioned ballet, which I've been doing for 12 years and counting. So in my interview, should I repeat my stories about my volunteer work/eBay/future dreams or should I discuss my passion for ballet/statistics/etc?
The interview is a way for Harvard to get to know the applicant even better. So I thought perhaps it would be better for me to talk about ballet etc. because Harvard doesn't really know that part of me. If I were to talk about my eBay business in the interview, the interviewer would write that into their recommendation. However, Harvard would already know about eBay and it might become redundant.
But at the same time, I thought that maybe it would be better to reinforce my volunteer work/eBay/future dreams in the interview, since those are really what make me unique and those are the ones that have the best "stories" behind them. After all, those topics were "meaty" enough that I could write essays about them, whereas I don't think I have enough to say about ballet that I could write an essay about it.
And if you recommend a balance of both, should I talk about 50/50 old information & new information, or 70/30, etc.
This is a problem that is nice to have! This student obviously has a few different narratives about her life that she has successfully developed into what I imagine is a strong application. Rather than getting distracted by dozens of extracurriculars, she has chosen to focus on a few activities where she has excelled. This is smart. But now her problem is she has other narratives that she wasn't able to fit in. What to do?
The answer is easy, but will probably frustrate you. I recommend forgetting any sort of ratios, but instead focusing on connecting with your interviewer. You may hope that your interviewer is taking copious notes and will provide Harvard with an exact transcript of your conversation, but this is not the case. We have the option of talking about specifics:
"Jennifer shows exceptional perseverance by continuing with a demanding ballet schedule even as she excels in her academics. She has performed in half a dozens acclaimed shows and has been invited to travel to NYC to audition for a number of companies upon graduation."
But we are just as likely to write:
"Jennifer is bright and talented. She shows great commitment to activities she is passionate about, and perseveres even when it is not easy or immediately gratifying. She would be a terrific fit at Harvard. This is the kind of person I would have liked to be friends with when I was a student there. I think she can be both a leader and an inspiration to others in the student body."
See? No mention of ballet at all. But still a great recommendation. So, if you're counting on your interview to fill in the missing gaps on your application, don't. That's (kind of) the bad news. The good news, however, is that this is not the point of the interview. The point of the interview is for Harvard to get to know you as a person. So do that as best you can. Come into your interview with a few set "stories" about yourself - the Ebay business is a great one - but be flexible enough to shift gears if you need to.
Let's say your interviewer is a former ballerina herself. You really connect with her on that front - by all means, mention ballet. But do it for the right reasons - to connect with your interviewer, not because you want her to put a check mark somewhere. Also, you kind of answer your question yourself - you say there is not enough in ballet for you to write an essay about. If that's truly how you feel, then a brief secondary mention is all it deserves. Personally, I think if you've been engaged in something for twelve years, there is probaby a story there. Remember, not all stories have to be about you being successful. It sounds from your email like your "tangible" accomplishments in ballet (winning awards, being cast in shows, performing in professional troupes, are limited). So are you a ballerina despite the fact that you're not as good at it as you are at other things (like statistics?) That's a story, and frankly says something very good about you. I'll let you draw the conclusion.
You throw in "passion for academics" - honestly, this is a given. Everyone applying is passionate about academics. If there is something that sets you apart, talk about it. Otherwise, leave it alone. There was a girl years ago who was homeless while she was in high school, but was passionate enough about her academics to maintain her grades even while she slept in homeless shelters and train stations. That's a rare instance of where you may want to talk about it. You mention statistics - is there a story behind this? Have you done some work in the field that sets you apart? Are you using statistics to improve your Ebay business? (If you can combine two narratives, even better!) Dig deep inside yourself and find the reason why you love it and how that makes you different.
There is one exception to everything I've said here - if something has changed significantly between the time you applied and your interview. Have you won a Novel Prize? Did the non-profit you founded just raise ten million dollars to build schools in Afghanistan? Did you sell a script to Disney? These are over the top examples, but you get the idea. If this is the case - do find a way to talk about it. Explicitly tell your interviewer that you did not write about it on your app because it hadn't happened yet. Oh, and if it *is* something seriously huge, it may be worthwhile calling the admissions office to let them know.
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