<p>I just keep hearing/reading about people buying their way into harvard through donations, do you think this is still true in 2010? if so how much do u think they donated?</p>
<p>Many private universities are largely dependent on generous alumni donations so yes, it is still true in 2010 and will likely be true as long as H remains a private school.</p>
<p>Of course. It obv depends on how much–300 dollars will hardly count but 3 million dollars… That’s a different story.</p>
<p>If it’s 5 digits or above in donations then it makes an impact. Somewhat.</p>
<p>I think 5 digits isn’t enough to buy a place. 7 digits definitely is.</p>
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Really? Why do all of those families shell out so much money to attend Andover/Exeter + prep classes and tutoring? It would almost be more efficient just to fork over $1,000,000 to Harvard after attending a public school.</p>
<p>Yep, yep, that’s why the call 'em development admits. Here, read this:</p>
<p>[WSJ.com</a> - Many Colleges Bend Rules To Admit Rich Applicants](<a href=“http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/Polk_Rich_Applicants.htm]WSJ.com”>WSJ.com - Many Colleges Bend Rules To Admit Rich Applicants)</p>
<p>Harvard doesn’t mess with students unless they already got the credentials to at least get in. They get enough of those to reject a lot of them, so if you’re no where near those people then your $100 million will not make a difference.</p>
<p>It’s not clear to me that Harvard has been in the business of selling admissions at any time in the past 20 years. But if it were, $1-$3 million would not be nearly enough. I personally know $1 million alumni donors whose qualified (by stats) children were rejected – both at Harvard and at peer colleges. And I had reasonably reliable third-hand information 4-5 years ago that admission could effectively be purchased at a peer college, but the price tag started at $4 million. That’s assuming reasonable qualifications.</p>
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<p>I think it has to be a serious load of money to buy your way in. 1 or 2 million won’t cut in. Harvard has a genuine interest in admitting fine students so, even with a relative’s lump donations, you still have to have the credentials and grades on your own to be considered.</p>
<p>I read an article the other day about something similar to this actually. An Ivy Blogger was praising Harvard’s adherence to integrity. A couple years ago, Jackie Chan, the mixed martial artist/celebrity actor, allegedly donated a huge load of cash to H and then delivered the Commencement at their graduation ceremony to get his son in. Apparently his son was a grade A slacker—accepted into a much lesser known but still semi-prestigious university—but was put on academic probation for grades and was later either expelled or he dropped out on his own. I can’t remember. Anyway, Harvard flat out rejected him despite all the strings his dad pulled and the money he donated. Props to their AdCom if it’s all true.</p>
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<p>No, Jackie Chan has never delivered the Commencement speech at Harvard:</p>
<p>[Harvard</a> University Commencement | Background: Speakers](<a href=“http://www.commencement.harvard.edu/background/speakers.html]Harvard”>http://www.commencement.harvard.edu/background/speakers.html)</p>
<p>Not Class Day either:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.commencement.harvard.edu/background/class_spk.html[/url]”>http://www.commencement.harvard.edu/background/class_spk.html</a></p>
<p>JHS: “That’s assuming reasonable qualifications.”</p>
<p>There. That’s all you need. Reasonable = top college.</p>
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<p>Oh, come on! You’re going to drop that info and then not tell us which peer college it was?</p>
<p>Honestly, anyone can be bought. My friend introduced me to this guy- in the summer of our junior year- in high school who had a Harvard shirt on. So I asked him what colleges he was thinking about applying to… his reply, “I’m going to Harvard next year.”</p>
<p>He went to either Groton or Eton (England) and came from an EXTREMELY wealthy family. A complete ******-bag- couldn’t have had the credentials… a lot more than just grades come into play.</p>
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<p>As coureur notes, Jackie Chan never gave a Commencement or Class Day speech. He did come to Harvard to accept the Cultural Rhythms award:</p>
<p>[Harvard</a> Gazette: Chan charms at Cultural Rhythms](<a href=“http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2001/03.01/14-culturalrhythms.html]Harvard”>http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/2001/03.01/14-culturalrhythms.html)</p>
<p>But that is certainly no evidence against him- many celebrities accept awards from Harvard student organizations every year. Just last week, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman (the “Mythbusters”) were around. Furthermore, it would be very foolish, for Jackie Chan or for anyone, to think that accepting an award from an undergraduate organization would sway admissions.</p>
<p>This story appears on the Wikipedia article for Jaycee Chan, Jackie Chan’s son, but I am skeptical, as it has all the appearance of an urban legend. </p>
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<p>The link given as a citation in Wikipedia is entirely about Jackie Chan’s appearance at Cultural Rhythms, and has no mention of any donation to Harvard, or a rejection. I’ve had a very difficult time finding any reputable sources at all regarding Jaycee Chan and Harvard, so I’ve removed the paragraph from Wikipedia. This really does sound more like a rumor or urban legend than fact…</p>
<p>I would also add that I agree with many of the posters that it is almost impossible to “buy your place” in Harvard. There is a widely held misconception that a large fraction of Harvard students are there only because of their parents’ donations (one poster, if I recall correctly, estimated this fraction at about one third!), and this is so untrue as to be preposterous.</p>
<p>^^ The story did seem a little far-fetched. Thanks for the clarification.</p>
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<p>Oh, really?</p>
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<p>Agree with JHS, several million isn’t enough- and there needs to be a pattern of high giving to really have pull. Plus, the kid has to be worthy. These development folks are in regular contact with the big donors- plenty of time to warn Mr Pockets that junior may be a great candidate elsewhere. I worked with the donor correspondence for one of these sought-after schools- it is far tougher to buy in than circulates in the common myths. Plus, the number of annual admits at the dean’s discretion is such a small percentage, it’s got no reverb.</p>
<p>And don’t try to prove with links to 2003 or 1998.</p>
<p>Why does it matter if the “link” is 10 or 15 years old? Are you telling me the culture has shifted that much in a decade? Are high-profile donations easily discovered? This happens frequently and nobody finds out.</p>
<p>With that said, I think a $2.5 million dollar donation from an American is more noble than the International students that get in because they cheated on everything.</p>
<p>Because, imo, 10 or 15 years in admissions cycles is practically like going back an ice age. Patterns change fast. How frequently do you think families buy an admit? I think, for us, these purely discretionary admits are a tiny fraction of 1%. Using H’s roughly 2000 admits, that’s maybe one or two kids-- assuming those donors have hs seniors, in that admit cycle.</p>
<p>What this is, is something believed to have some grand impact, by many. It’s not about magically discovering there is some “impropriety” going on. I know how many discretionary admits we take, in total- that is also a very small percentage, less than 1%, including special cases. The bulk of these still go through the regular, multi-person review process, to determine their worthiness and likelihood of succeeding with the challenges here. So, it’s only good as a verrry hypothetical question. And, btw, my folks are aware of kids from certain countries being likely to manufacture or manipulate.</p>