@NJCCNJ look at the bottom of my post, I ask if we can submit a resume, about Yale’s astrophysics, and if it makes sense to apply to other schools just to negotiate financial aid. my other questions were already answered
@NickFlynn thanks for the help. I’ll try to do more research on it but I think I’ll appeal if I can.
@lilypippili exactly. That’s what you “really want to know”. Not writing half of the post about how easy it is to get into harvard from your school and being “dejected” about getting into harvard.
@lilypippili and plus, mentioning about your acceptance to harvard was totally unnecessary if your point of this thread was to talk about whatever you wished to talk about yale.
@@NJCCNJ GAH you didn’t read anything did you! Fine, I’ll copy and paste what I told other people:
I’m so sorry I didn’t realize I made it sound that way. I wasn’t saying how great my school is because it’s a feeder to Harvard, I was trying to explain that if not for that, I might not have gotten into Harvard. And I was DEFINITELY not saying I felt Harvard wasn’t good enough for me, I was trying to say that I preferred Yale but just logistically (because of my school and because of Harvard’s early admit rates) it would be more strategic to apply early to Harvard (my second choice) and apply regular to Yale (my first choice). I’m SO sorry, I didn’t realize that what I wrote would come off so wrongly (I was trying to be funny actually ;_;).
And I mentioned Harvard because I was trying to help people make a judgement call about my chances at Yale; I thought it would be helpful information if they knew my application worked for Harvard (but I paired it with the disclaimer about my school of course).
My main question was about my chances at Yale, which is why I posted my stats and put it in this forum. Then I figured I would save time and post all my other questions with it. If you still don’t believe me and if you’re not going to help me I’m not going to keep trying to explain myself to you. Sorry…
@lilypippili now it surprises me how you got into harvard. you don’t understand a single thing I said and you don’t understand that what you said in those paragraphs could mean nothing.
@lilypipilli, I fully understand the strategy of applying REA/SCEA to a school that is not your first choice if you believe that you have an advantage their (legacy, research mentor, school pipeline, etc.). That said, you should realize that you are in a very envious position compared to many people. You are obviously qualified for Yale as well as Harvard; whether you get in or not is something that no one can accurately predict. No one will shed tears if you are “stuck” with Harvard.
As for the financial question, you should already have a financial aid estimate from Harvard, or very shortly at the very least. Harvard notes:
https://college.harvard.edu/financial-aid/applying-aid/prospective-students
If Harvard’s financial aid estimate is within bounds of making it feasible for you and it is your clear second choice after Yale, then I would not apply to any other schools. If Yale admits you and offers less financial aid, then you can always use Harvard’s offer to appeal. If Harvard’s estimated aid makes it questionable whether you would be able to afford to attend,or if you have doubts about whether it is your clear choice if you don’t get in to Yale, then you should certainly apply to a range of other schools.
@NJCCNJ Okay LAST CHANCE and then I’m not going to bother responding to you. It’s not that easy to get into Harvard from my school, you obviously have to work freaking hard (like I did!!), it’s just easier than it is for most people (and that is not something I’m proud of, I think it’s freaking screwed up and I’ve even written a college essay on how messed up and unfair it is). And the reason I talked about my school was so you could take it with a grain of salt that I was accepted into Harvard. And the reason I mentioned Harvard was so you could better make a judgement call about Yale. And the reason I was asking about my chances at Yale was so I could know if I needed to apply to other schools so I could use their financial aid packages to negotiate. Do you get it now???
And when did I ever mention I was “dejected” about getting into Harvard?! I’m ecstatic, I cried tears of joy when I found out (which I have never in my life done…). I just prefer Yale, that’s not a crime is it?!
Is this for real?
@lilypippili First, you will see why I DESCRIBED you seemed “dejected”, not that you MENTIONED, if you read your post from the beginning to the end. Second, no one said you preferring yale is a crime… where did that come from. Third, if you are “smart” enough to get into harvard, you probably know what this post means to others and the POINT I’m trying to make. Fourth, I don’t know who you think you are but, Fifth, I will give you the LAST CHANCE to think about what people are TRYING to tell you from the beginning of the thread, not just being mad for not understanding your “intention”.
@renaissancedad Oh, I completely forgot I would get the financial aid packages this month (they haven’t come out yet)! That changes everything, thank you!!
(about what you said, I realize that I am very lucky and I am a thousand times grateful for it. It’s just that not many people at my school get into Yale so I feel like I have very slim chances… it wasn’t really obvious to me that I was that qualified. I’m happy if I am though. And I wouldn’t really call it being “stuck” with Harvard, I’d be grateful to go there as well… I’m not expecting anyone to “shed tears” for me, other than tears of joy :p)
I suggest you to create a new post and ask your question in a different way, to avoid misunderstanding of you.
@uclaparent9 That’s actually a very good idea, thank you… the only questions I have left is about the resume and about Yale’s astrophysics, so I can move to a different forum and not have to mention Harvard
Thanks to everyone who helped me 
I think my reply does not good fit here. Sorry for OP.
Can u chance me back OP? @lilypippili
@jackisawesome sure!! Where did you post?
The Harvard Smithsonian center for Astrophysics has the best research facilities in the NorthEast. In terms of facilities the Leitner Observatory at Yale is not impressive at all. Then again, both institutions are primarily PhD focused in Astrophysics so as an undergraduate you will not have much direct experience or interaction with the equipment or any original research. If your goal is to go on and get a PhD in Astrophysics neither Yale nor Harvard may be your best bet. Rather, some of the top LACs (Swarthmore, Wesleyan, Williams) offer more hands-on experience with direct access to co-authored peer-review publications. On the other hand, if your interest is more theoretical physics and cosmology, then a more math focused program like at Princeton or CalTech or even UChicago could be a better program. But in any case, Harvard has a better program in Astronomy/Astrophysics than Yale.
@Regulus7 SIGH I was really afraid of hearing that… my heart is telling me yale and my brain is telling me Harvard… WHATEVER I have to get in first lol. Thank you so much for that information, that was extremely helpful!! (I think I’m more interested in theoretical physics and cosmology but still I’m sticking to either harvard or yale)
I’m certainly not privy to the details, but Yale seems to be making something of a push to assert a presence in astrophysics and related areas. The Yale Quantum Institute had it’s opening ceremony October 23, and next summer Yale will be starting a summer astrophysics program for advanced high school students similar to SSP:
http://quantuminstitute.yale.edu
http://yspa.yale.edu
These seem to suggest a desire on the part of Yale to become more prominent in these areas, and they might react favorably towards qualified interested applicants.
@renaissancedad Ah that gives me hope! Maybe they’ll improve even more in the coming years!! I knew about the summer program (which unfortunately came too late for me to participate in :((), but I had no idea about the quantum institute… Thank you!! (You are ridiculously helpful and knowledgeable about everything, btw… thanks a million )