<p>Not sure how much fact can be stated on the issue, but I'm willing to hear some speculation.</p>
<p>So we all know that adcoms look at applications first by region and strive to achieve some semblance of geographic diversity as well as compare applicants from the same school. I'm wondering if they'll keep applicants out just because of others who may be applying. For example, while some cities obviously have more than a one or two admits (NYC, LA, Dallas, Boston) what about smaller ones? In a city of say, one million, how many would you expect to admit? If there is a particularly spectacular applicant, will they defer/reject another qualified and promising applicant (not as stellar) just because they come from the same place? Does Harvard even release numbers on how many they admit per state/region/city? The idea of securing geographic diversity/comparing applicants of the same region to each other is very curious to me and I just want some insight/different perspective on the role it plays!</p>
<p>The percentage by region will be roughly the same as in years past. There is no reason to suspect that Wyoming will jump from 1% of the total to 5% (making the numbers up), all other things being equal. In the same vein, if there are not enough qualified applicants to hit the 1% target, applicants will not be admitted to hit a target percentage.</p>
<p>@sleepymoon - I don’t think Harvard will pass on a strong candidate because there’s an even stronger candidate at the same high school - as successful applicants tend to attend schools know to be academically rigorous, it’s likely there will be more than one from a highly regarded school. As an example, the HS my daughter attended routinely sends two or more students to Harvard every year (out of less than 20 from the entire state) while other schools in our area rarely have a single successful applicant.</p>
<p>Here’s an interesting article in the Crimson on the subject of feeder schools:</p>
<p>My oldest son went to a school with a graduating class of about 150 students. 2-6 students were accepted to Harvard each year in the last 10 years or so from data seen the year I was privy to it. Usually one of the top students with stunningly outstanding profiles unhooked if there were any that year, and the other also well qualified but athletic, alum, UR hooks in the mix. That year Harvard took 12 students, as there was an exceptional group there. So they did not put in any “quota” system in that situation. IT had a lot of nervous parents and students.</p>
<p>The “feeder” schools are such because they tend to have the type of students Harvard and other highly selective schools accept. Those kids are prescreened. You don’t just walk into those schools. It’s expected that most of those kid will go to highly selective schools. No surprise there.</p>
<p>I agree with @BldrDad and @cptofthehouse. Both my kids attended a “feeder” school. In any given year, Harvard took anywhere from 9 to 26 students – and Admissions just didn’t take the kids who had the top GPA or ACT/SAT scores. Some years they skipped over the Val and Sal, in favor of students with lower stats. Bottom line: Harvard doesn’t admit by high schools or cities; they admit who they want. That said, they do strive to take at least one student every year from all 50 US States and there is not an equal balance between geographic regions. For example, this from the Class of 2018: <a href=“College admits Class of ’18 — Harvard Gazette”>http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2014/03/college-admits-class-of-18/</a></p>
<p>Our daughters High school has instances where several years go by before they have a student receive a Harvard acceptance. Her High School is a small school in a rural area of New York. Last year was the second year that I can ever recall that there were two Harvard admits in the same class, our daughter and a young man who was required to take a gap year prior to entering next years class.
3 or 4 years ago the valedictorian was a Harvard admit and is now a Junior at Harvard, the young woman who was ranked third in the class that year had a few Ivy admits (including Harvard) and ended up attending Stanford. Next year I believe will be a first for our daughters High School in that there will be three students from her High School enrolled at Harvard at the same time.
I know I have added nothing to the question that the OP had asked! (Sorry) BldrDad and Gibby provided interesting and pertinent information with the Feeder School article and the break down by region of student representation. Being an exceptional candidate from a traditionally underrepresented State would seem to be likely advantageous.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses! However @BldrDad @gibby and @cptofthehouse, I was mainly talking about normal public schools Feeder students are a predictable choice as they have already been screened, and I agree that those in underrepresented/rural areas may have an advantage! </p>
<p>This was some pretty good info. So, while there may be denoted “percentages” per region, Harvard adcoms wouldn’t refuse a good candidate simply because someone more outstanding is in their area? Also, I was wondering if y’all (or anyone reading this thread) had any idea on if Harvard/other schools compare people with similar interests. I know people change majors a lot but someone with years of research probably isn’t gonna just back away from STEM… so if two people are applying for neuroscience wouldn’t those without research pale in comparison to those with it – set aside socioeconomic/geographic circumstances that might prevent someone from obtaining such a position. Similarly, you can’t compare a STEM person with scientific research to a humanities person with none cause they are different fields, right? Sorry for all the questions and hypotheticals!!</p>
<p>@sleepymoon Two years ago at my school the two top students at my school both applied to Harvard, only one difference. The first applied SCEA and the other RD. The first was accepted, but the second was z-listed even though he wasn’t a legacy or anything. The other year Harvard accepted a student from our school, it was just one SCEA. So some people at our school think that Harvard will take just one student from our school and it will most likely be SCEA. This is completely anecdotal so take it with a grain of salt. I think kids from the same school are definitely compared and potentially even the same state/area depending on population density.</p>
Feeder students are a predictable choice as they have already been screened, and I agree that those in underrepresented/rural areas may have an advantage! </p>