I am going to get a bit of hate for this, but I am curious.
I’ve been reading Harvard results threads from the Class of 2016 to the Class of 2018, and I’ve seen that, on average, posters have much more generic extracurriculars and lower scores. In the Class of 2017 forum I feel like more people would have unique extracurriculars such as playwriting, while in the Class of 2020 forum I saw a general trend: National Honor Society, Olympiads, Math Club, French Club, research at a university, etc. I am not sure if entirely true, but I feel like many of these clubs, at least for my school, are kind of mediocre (besides olympiad and research).
If people know about biology much, I feel like this is similar to stabilizing selection or convergence: more people are gravitating towards similar activities.
Has anyone seen this trend, or am I just crazy?
If it’s true, then what do colleges like Harvard use to pick applicants? Randomization? Race or geography?
You have to keep in mind that the people who post their stats on CC are not an accurate representation of the entire accepted pool. Extracurriculars are only a part of your application, colleges also looks at your GPA, test scores, teachers recommendations, and essays. Most top schools take into consideration the applicant’s demographic and geography to create a diverse class where students can learn from each other’s backgrounds and experiences, but how they decide on each exact student remains a mystery, at least for now. Story worrying about some supposed trend in the accepted pool. The only way you can have a good shot at admissions is to be the best student you can be and hope the committee thinks you have something to add to the class.
Your observations are more about who posts on CC than who gets in to Harvard.
You are also assuming that all CC posts are genuine. Many are obviously not.
I believe that the kids from Massachusetts – where I see the stats and ECs – are not “less impressive.” Compared to most other acceptances, they have ALWAYS been less impressive: mostly local vals and sals and hockey players. Even football players (talking about really reaching – football players from Massachusetts!!! That’s like taking squash players from Alabama . . .). Really, nothing special at all. Harvard, however, has to be mindful of the political universe it dwells in and making local powers angry at it (especially when it needs more land by eminent domain) is just too risky. Yes, Virginia, you will find a surprising number of blah people at Harvard, many of whom get in because Harvard itself has to “check the boxes” for its own needs and can’t really be very creative.