<p>Does being canadian lower my chances of getting into harvard? if so, by how much?</p>
<p>I don’t see any reason why your (our) chances would be lowered, other than the fact that it’s much more competitive for international students. I shouldn’t think that being Canadian specifically would lower chances though, from what I’ve heard Harvard has a pretty big Canadian community.
Out of curiosity, do you take IB?</p>
<p>Your chances are not lowered. I’m canadian as well, moved to US though. People from all over the world get accepted and Canada is seen as a neighbour to most US colleges, that’s why the application, US and Canada (not sure if it’s the same now though, it’s been a while)</p>
<p>There are ~35 attending Canadian students at Harvard in the class of 2012. Maine, in comparison, has 9 attending students. California has over 120. </p>
<p>Canadians make up the majority (plurality, I guess) of international students, but our odds are significantly lower than domestic students, even if we’re right next door.</p>
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<p>I don’t understand how you came to that conclusion simply from the premise that there are 35 Canadians vs. 120 Californians in the Class of 2012. Fewer Canadian applicants is the most likely reason for the disparity. </p>
<p>In fact, I’m willing to bet that the acceptance rate for Canadians is significantly higher than the general acceptance rate, since only the brightest, most ambitious and best prepared Canadian students have the wherewithal and the motivation to navigate the institutional hurdles of the American collegiate system.</p>
<p>Well put ^^. But if what you are saying is that only the most ambitious/ qualified applicants from Canada apply, then you are also suggesting the the Canadian applicant pool, yet small, has more competitive applicants. Therefore, although Canadians may enjoy a higher acceptance rate than Americans, they are placed against very competitive applicants. </p>
<p>If you rid all those applicants who do not stand a chance in the US, I am sure our acceptance rate would be significantly higher; however, that would not increase/decrease the difficulty of getting accepted to the school because you are still faced with all those “in the running”. </p>
<p>Who counts as a “no chancer”, and how many are there? I do not know. All I know is that at my school, the majority of Harvard applicants (3/5) have less than an 1850 SAT, have less than a top 10% class rank, and no hooks/ awards. </p>
<p>@Mustafa, what nationality are you?</p>
<p>I don’t think that’s necessarily true. Naturally more Californians are going to apply than Canadians taken as a whole. On the other hand, Lowell High (for example) sent six kids to Harvard last year. If things were really equal, it would not be unreasonable to expect schools like UCC or Pearson College, elite schools where applying to American schools is more common, to send a similar number. No Canadian school sent more than two students. </p>
<p>I think the second part of your post holds true for all international students. In fact, out of all international applicants, Canadians undoubtedly have the fewest obstacles to applying, and yet the international acceptance rate is much lower than for domestic students. Harvard has (or assumes) a social obligation to act in the better interest of American society. International students complement that mandate, but I am sure that Harvard makes certain that domestic % acceptances are higher.</p>
<p>On a side note, my interviewer said that in Atlantic Canada, on average one applicant will get in out of ~30. 3.33%. Woo.</p>
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<p>I considered that argument while writing my original post. But it assumes that Canadian applicants are evaluated in a separate pool, and Harvard says that isn’t the case. I don’t suspect they’re lying, although you really never know.</p>
<p>I’m African-Canadian btw. I won’t get any more specific than that :P</p>
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<p>I see where you’re coming from, but I think you’re neglecting to consider that many American students orient their entire high school careers toward getting into HYSPM. That means extra-curriculars, SAT prep, and APs up the ying-yang. Canadian students, even those at UCC or Pearson College, don’t share that academic culture. The majority are bred to get into McGill, U of T, or Queen’s, so they tend to focus on getting good grades in provincial courses, perhaps at the expense of padding their resumes. The other thing you have consider is that those public magnet schools in the US usually offer free SAT/AP prep classes and have guidance offices that not even UCC or Pearson can match.</p>
<p>These institutional and cultural disadvantages make it less appealing for Canadians to apply to top American schools in the first place. The Canadian applicant pool shrinks as a result, so that only those students who envisage a high return bother to go through the exhausting application process. So fewer students as a percentage of the graduating class will apply to Harvard from, say, UCC than from your typical US magnet school like Lowell High, hence the disparity in admits.</p>
<p>It all boils down to differences in culture and institutions that cause the Canadian applicant pool to self-select.</p>
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<p>The second part of your statement is true, but the Canadian situation is unique in that we also have the fewest reasons to apply to top American schools. Top Canadian students can choose from world-renown universities like U of T, Queen’s, and McGill that are easy to apply to, easy to get into, and easy to pay for (with the scholarships they get). Plus, we always have the option of attending a prestigious grad school in the US or landing a decent job anywhere in North America straight out of university. All this adds another layer of self-selection to the Canadian applicant pool that doesn’t exist among students from poorer, non-English-speaking countries.</p>
<p>Anyway, to answer the OP’s question, Harvard says it will not disadvantage you because you’re Canadian, and there is officially no quota for Canadian or other foreign students. The only disadvantage you face, in my opinion, is not being exposed to the same academic culture and institutional supports as American applicants, though you have the power to turn that into an advantage.</p>