<p>The USA Today team is not a group of the smartest people in the country. It is typically a group of people with a lot of community service and with pretty high stats--which is what Harvard wants.</p>
<p>True, it's typically a group with high stats. In addition, the students have made remarkable academic or nonathletic EC accomplishments, which could include research, national level awards in academic competitions, or community service projects with major impact that they themselves have organized.</p>
<p>Brett Harrison, 18, Half Hollow Hills High West, Dix Hills, N.Y.</p>
<p>College: Harvard</p>
<p>GPA: 98.98</p>
<p>Parents: Aaron, Rhonda Harrison</p>
<p>Accomplishments: Proved Seymour’s Conjecture, a longstanding math hypothesis, winning Intel International Science & Engineering Fair second place grand award; original proof in pure mathematics being published in American Mathematical Monthly and named Siemens Westinghouse and Intel Science Talent Search semifinalist, second place at the National Junior Science & Humanities Symposium; Suffolk All-County Symphonic Band first chair alto sax; founded and teaches number theory course; directs Brainstormers Academic Quizbowl tournament; Math Olympiad team captain; varsity tennis; student director, Hurricane Katrina benefit raising about $5,000.</p>
<p>Laura Huppert, 18, Piedmont (Calif.) High</p>
<p>College: Harvard</p>
<p>GPA: 4.0</p>
<p>Parents: Chris, Susan Huppert</p>
<p>Accomplishments: A seven-year Reading Buddy and longtime science fair competitor who won a trip to China at the International Science & Engineering Fair for research on antibiotics and soil bacteria, she created and wrote grants to fund an eight-week summer science program for more than 50 low-income elementary school children; team captain of 2005 national champion Oakland Strokes crew team, which won Crew Henley Women’s Regatta in England; student body president; Key Club president.</p>
<p>Daniel Litt, 17, Orange High, Pepper Pike, Ohio</p>
<p>College: Harvard</p>
<p>GPA: 4.0</p>
<p>Parents: Jonathan, Maria Litt</p>
<p>Accomplishments: Developed full combinatorial proof of Chan-Robbins-Yuen Theorem, named Intel Science Talent Search and Siemens Westinghouse semifinalist; 1,600 SAT/36 ACT; first place team, American High School Internet Mathematics Competition; gold medal, USA Mathematical Talent Search; USA Physics Olympiad semifinalist; debate team and National Forensic League National Tournament qualifier; Mock Trial team president and state qualifier; Model United Nations vice-president; school newspaper writer, copy editor; National Honor Society; pit orchestra violinist for high school musicals...."
USATODAY.com</a> - 2006 All-USA High School Academic First Team</p>
<p>Well, you may be right that most of the academic superstars apply to Harvard. I may be slightly out-of-date, but it seemed like once you got to valedictorian and high SAT's 1500+/1600, after that they were looking for non-academic criteria. </p>
<p>I didn't apply for it myself, but an aspiring science major I knew who made the finals wasn't a National Merit Scholar and got a "B" in calculus. He had a ton of community service though. </p>
<p>Maybe the USA All-America team is more popular now with the academic superstars, because when I was in high school it wasn't really taken seriously.</p>
<p>hm...looked at the profiles and they are definitely more academic than they used to be. In the past, the majority of profiles were more like
these two:</p>
<p>Eunice Buhler, 16, Lake Forest (Ill.) High</p>
<p>College: Northwestern</p>
<p>GPA: 3.85</p>
<p>Parents: Robert Buhler, Violetta Kapsalis Buhler</p>
<p>Accomplishments: Founded Cultures for Youth, a nonprofit organization with chapters in Lake Forest and Jinja, Uganda, to advance cultural acceptance internationally, including cultural fairs, dance performances and a button give-away cultural exchange at the Athens Olympics; Nestle Very Best in Youth award winner and foundation vice president; National Youth Council member to Youth Service America; International Youth Volunteerism Summit delegate; Always Ready Kids mentor; graduated from a seven-year after-school Greek language and culture school; apprenticed with Byzantine art iconographers.</p>
<p>Daniel Cayce, 18, Bearden (Ark.) High</p>
<p>College: Ouachita Baptist University</p>
<p>GPA: 3.977</p>
<p>Mother: Joannie Cayce</p>
<p>Accomplishments: Inspired by his grandmother, who founded a charity to help the rural poor in Arkansas, he started projects to recycle old furniture, appliances, clothes and second harvest food, a cancer caps drive, a baby food drive and a No Child Left Behind in Nutrition program; had inspirational award named for him at the Clinton School of Public Service; Arkansas Recycler of the Year; Hall of Fame for Caring Americans; Eagle Scout; Boys State; Beta Club president; class officer; varsity baseball and football; Future Business Leaders of America speech award.</p>
<p>I may be cynical, but I think that many--not all-- of the fundraising activities of these kids smack of resume building. Not that it isn't a more constructive way to build a resume than many other activities.</p>
<br>
<blockquote> <p>I thought it was also interesting that only 3,368 were ranked first in their class, but bet that low figure is due to many applicants' schools not ranking.<<</p> </blockquote>
<br>
<p>Or maybe Harvard takes [gasp] people ranked second in their class.</p>
<p>The 3,368 referred to applicants, not those who were accepted.</p>
<br>
<blockquote> <p>I may be cynical, but I think that many--not all-- of the fundraising activities of these kids smack of resume building.<<</p> </blockquote>
<br>
<p>Can only speak anecdotally, but one of D's friend at college was one of the USA Today kids. She is the REAL DEAL--and I'm guessing all the other kids are also.</p>
<p>Forgive my saying this, the bare bones of this story: high scorer did not get into Ivies, but got into Duke, Rice and Caltech. It is reasonable to conclude that there were no real torpedoes (no guidance counselor yellow sticky, no codeword in teacher recs). Given that 12000 are offered admission to the Ivies each year, we can conclude that some were packaged. Some packaged get rejected, some get accepted, regardless of adcom's ability to decipher the packaged child. It is perhaps reasonable to conclude that some packaged kids will be accepted even after college knows they are being packaged because, after ripping the covers off, the kids have what college needs.</p>
<p>As an Indian with classical music and math/science interests he is in plentiful supply. Statistically it is possible to be rejected by the Ivies this year without reading any meaning into all this; overinvolved parents are common at Juilliard and do not affect the child's prospects. And I am sure they do not have too much impact at HYP, either. If you get 2400 it is Jesuitical to try to figure out if you got it because of intense parent or because of your inner brilliance.</p>
<p>Every great prodigy, I am using music as an example, needs two teachers: a taskmaster to teach the rules, to teach Bach so to speak, and an inspirational one to teach how to break the rules, to teach jazz so to speak.</p>
<p>I am glad the Indian father did what he did. For every kid ruined by a parent who pressures there are ten who make something of themselves because a driven parent taught them habits of excellence.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Or maybe Harvard takes [gasp] people ranked second in their class.
[/quote]
Or even 8! :eek:</p>
<p>In case the Ghosh family is reading this thread: Caltech is an amazing place! Some students actually choose it over Harvard--on purpose--given the choice. I am often surprised by the number of people on CC who are not particularly familiar with Caltech. I started wanting to go there long ago, at a time when Caltech did not admit anyone of my gender, for undergraduate work. </p>
<p>Duke and Rice are also wonderful universities! Both have Nobel Laureates in the Chemistry Departments. Personally, I wouldn't choose either over Caltech for pure science, but they might be more congenial for pre-med.</p>
<p>I only read the page one of this thread but the article said the kid is interested in Biomedical Engineering. In the US News ranking of BioE, Duke and Rice are ranked 2 and 9, respectively.(Johns Hopkins is #1). </p>
<p>Harvard doesn't even have a BioE department. What on earth did he apply there for?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I am too. I happened to read a Readers Digest article about the "ditch day" tradition at Caltech at just the right age to fall in love with the college, and I had read a lot about famous researchers who taught at Caltech by the time I finished high school. Caltech was my dream school, but I ended up not daring to apply because I knew I was seriously underprepared by my mediocre high school. Anyone who has been admitted to Caltech is in a good spot. As the Caltech admission officer who visited my town for an information session last fall said, "If Caltech is your fallback school, you're doing really well."</p>
<p>
[quote]
For every kid ruined by a parent who pressures there are ten who make something of themselves because a driven parent taught them habits of excellence.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>And for every one kid who "makes" it, there are ten kids who not only see their dreams crushed because of unreasonable standards created by parents living a vicarious life of misguided social and economical ambitions but also have to live to the "dishonor" of having failed their parents. </p>
<p>There is a world of difference between teaching habits of excellence and creating a world where education is nothing but a rung of a social climbing ladder. This is not that clear in all cultures, or so it seems.</p>
<p>xiggi, of course I was making a rhetorical point to show that high standards are not always all bad. Thank god I mentioned habits of excellence else you would have slaughtered me.</p>
<p>"Nothing is more destructive to a child than the unlived lives of his parents", Carl Gustav Jung.</p>
<p>I come from a culture that emphasizes both the drivenness and the social climbing and I have seen the destruction close at hand; on the other hand, American families seem to go to the other extreme.</p>
<p>^^tokenadult, lol, I must have read the same article on Ditch Day at Caltech! About 1965? But then there were some people in my community who knew about Caltech. I think they worked for Goodyear Aerospace.</p>
<p>Caltech was always on S's radar. He ultimately concluded it was not for him and didn't stay on the waitlist, but he certainly was aware that it held certain attractions for what he wants to do.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I must have read the same article on Ditch Day at Caltech! About 1965?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That sounds about right.</p>
<p>There are some amazing stories about Ditch Day. If you happen to be visiting I highly recommend reading "Legends of Caltech" - they generally have a copy hanging around the admissions office.</p>
<p>The previous posts inspired me to google Caltech "Ditch Day" and I was rewarded with a number of interesting traditions and pranks. :)</p>