<p>Yes, only about 8 current undergrads at Harvard are there due to money and connections. Lol.</p>
<p>There is certainly a perception out there that HYP will open their doors to the children of people willing to make a generous (million$+) donation. When you have a 30billion dollar endowment, 1 million is pretty trivial.</p>
<p>Perspective: 30 billion is to 1 million as 1000$ is to 3 cents.</p>
<p>Is there such a thing as a developmental admit, sure. Can that get you a closer look by admissions? Probably. Will that let an otherwise unquailfied student in the door? No, I donāt believe it will.</p>
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<p>I tend to agree with you, but it is quite likely the case that many years (decades) ago, the doors were opened more easily and for lower amounts of money than would be the case today. They didnāt get to $30 billion solely by clever investing, eh?</p>
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Not solely but mostly.</p>
<p>[Harvard</a> Management Company | Investment Management | Performance History](<a href=āhttp://www.hmc.harvard.edu/investment-management/performance-history.html]Harvardā>http://www.hmc.harvard.edu/investment-management/performance-history.html)</p>
<p>[Total</a> Value of the Endowment](<a href=āhttp://www.hmc.harvard.edu/investment-management/chart_value_endowment.html]Totalā>http://www.hmc.harvard.edu/investment-management/chart_value_endowment.html)</p>
<p>[Historical</a> Investment Return](<a href=āhttp://www.hmc.harvard.edu/investment-management/chart_historical.html]Historicalā>http://www.hmc.harvard.edu/investment-management/chart_historical.html)</p>
<p>20 years ago, was about $6B. Itās high about $36 B in 2008. Now about $32.7B</p>
<p>T26E4: thereās no disputing that Harvardās returns have been exceptionally good for a long time. That said, over a shorter time (Iām in my early 60s), my portfolio has averaged 11.5% annualized. Iām not at $1 billion (woe is me), even with a return nearly as good as Harvardās on an annual percentage basis. </p>
<p>My point, lame as it might be, is that the steady and substantial contributions are a significant factor. And that, at some point in the distant past, contributors might have felt that a contribution could ease the way for their child. I have no doubt that the game has changed, and that anyone expecting to buy their way in today would be shown the door.</p>
<p>Harvard is essentially a small school attached to an enormous hedge fund. A million dollars or so is a few dayās interest earnings at best. However, there was magazine piece out last year that suggested a Harvard bed was trading to wealthy Chinese for $10M-$20M - if Iām remembering the amount correctly.</p>
<p>If we assumed a 10% return on 30 billion, it is 3 billion over one year, 3000 million over 365 days, 8.22 million per day whether market is open or not that day.</p>
<p>So if a student does not come with at least that much in capital outlay, he/she aināt worth admitting.</p>
<p>Jim Clark announced 60 million donation this month to Stanford. If he requested 2-3 kids be admitted, I highly doubt Stanford will say no. He already gave a bigger check back in 1998 to create biomed engineering department.</p>