Streamlining the Harvard College Interview Process
Applying for college is a stressful process for high school seniors and their parents.
Harvard College is
the oldest and arguably the nation's
most competitive college. In addition to answering a series of questions in their application,
every prospective freshman is offered a personal interview, usually with a local Harvard alum.
FMS created and hosts a software application to manage the interview process for Harvard College
by matching thousands of applicants with interviewers. The system collects the
paperwork and provides the schools committee administrators with status updates throughout the
process.
Rather than having a large number of emails assigning students to interviewers,
then verifying their acceptance, and other steps throughout the process, a
desktop and web based system is
implemented to:
- Provide an online sign-up and approval process for alumni wishing to
interview prospective students
- Continually upload lists of candidates provided by Cambridge
throughout the application season
- Match candidates to interviewers while spreading the workload geographically
noting interviewer preferences and conflicts
- Minimize assignments of multiple candidates from one high school to
an interviewer
- Send personalized emails to notify each interviewer of his or her candidates,
along with reminder emails if no response is received
- Allow interviewers a secure online screen to view all their candidate assignments to accept or
decline them, and upload their interview write-ups
- Provide a simplified way to reassign candidates to new interviewers
- Handle candidates who withdraw
- Generate management reports to track the status of the entire process, so
problems are detected as early as possible
Technology Platforms
FMS created this secure web site using Visual Studio .NET and Microsoft SQL Server. A
Microsoft Access administrative interface also assists with the process. When a candidate is
assigned, the interviewer is emailed information on the student using our
Total Access Emailer program. The personalized email
directs them to the web site to accept or decline the assignment.
If they accept, they can upload their interview details online. A variety of
SQL Server Reporting Services reports let
administrators monitor all the activity and jump in when help is needed.
Best wishes to all who apply!