Hi, so I have a friend who is in the same highschool as me. We both have extremely similar stats, essays, race, and other factors, but he is low income. Considering that the main different between us is his income level, would our similarity hurt either of our chances at schools from HYPMS? If so then how much? Does it hurt both or only one of us?
There is, IMO, no such thing as “all other things being equal:” they never are.
That said, HYPSM do not have min/max/quota per HS. They may admit one/both/none. What you need to do is focus on creating the best application and not worry about what is in anyone else’s application package.
I know that there’s no “quota” but I’m wondering if we’ll detract from each other’s apps. I feel like both of our essay ideas are unique but because they’re so similar would it significantly take away from the uniqueness of our essays and thus our apps? The reason our ideas are so similar is because we brainstormed for many of them together.
Also, is the low income category a boost for my friend? Would it place us in different “buckets”?
The HYPS schools are need blind.
He has a fee waiver
You brainstorm essay ideas together does not mean your essays will be similar. Since we don’t know your stats, we could only say neither of you have a chance much higher than 5%, low income or not.
There is really not much you or anyone could do other than to wish each of you good luck.
You, as an applicant, are not as similar to your friend as you might think; for example, your essay, an extremely important component to your applications, cannot be “extremely similar” to your friend’s, unless you copy from each other. Run your own race, and may good news await both of you.
Stop worrying about things that are not in your control. You and your friend need to run your own race. There will be more differences in your profile than family income so stop focusing on that. You both should put in your best possible applications at the schools you want to apply to and let the cards fall where they may.
You appear to be way too focused on the very top tier colleges. The chance of admission at these schools is under 10% and for some under 5% – a major reach for an unhooked applicant. Both you and your friend need to seek out and apply to a group of match and reach schools that appear affordable (run net price calculators) and that you would be excited to attend. There are so many amazing colleges and universities out there – find them and apply to them.
“Run your own race”
Excellent advice. You’re overthinking things, worrying about things beyond your control (e.g. his family income vs. yours). Submit your own best application, and if you are happy and proud of it, you will have done all you can.
If your friend gets in and you don’t, it won’t mean he took a spot from you, and vice versa. Your applications are not identical, even if you brainstormed them together, and you don’t know which detail in it will be the one thing that the AO picks out as something the college needs and is looking for.
Both you and your friend should have match and likely schools that you would be happy to attend (and can afford). If you’ve picked these matches carefully, there is no reason you shouldn’t be happy for each other regardless of the admissions outcome, because having picked carefully, you know you are both going to get a great education.
Stop obsessing about what other applicants look like, and how they will affect your slim chances of being accepted to colleges which have acceptance rates of under 5%. There are tens of thousands of applicants to these colleges, and no single applicant affects the chances of any other single applicant, no matter how similar the two are.
I can absolutely and unequivocally tell you that there will not be a moment in which any AO at any college will hold your application in one hand, and your classmate’s application in the other, trying to figure out which one of you they will accept.
Apply to the colleges which interest you, and stop wasting your time on thinking about how other applicants may or may not affect your applications.
The most likely outcome at super selective colleges is that both of you get rejected.
Low income is generally a disadvantage in going to college, because your friend will find that some colleges that may be match, likely, or safety for admission are reach for him to get the FA/scholarships needed for him to afford to attend. And if his parents are divorced, that limits the college options even more.