Deferred Applicant Has Some Questions

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>This is a rather long post. Feel free to skip the first two paragraphs. </p>

<p>I applied to Harvard SCEA and was deferred. </p>

<p>I'm a homeschooled applicant. My stats are reasonably good (from a Harvard point of view) and I've taken quite a few undergraduate/graduate level math/physics/cs courses at a nearby university (which is a top 10 private school (not Harvard itself though)). I got recs from professors there. I only have a few main ECs (including research), but I devoted way too much time to those ECs, thus, I wasn't able to pursue more ECs. However, I've won several prestigious EC-related awards. </p>

<p>Thus, I thought I had a somewhat realistic chance at Harvard. Though I'm applying to other Harvard-caliber universities (including the university that I took courses at) as well as some safety schools, now that I'm deferred, I'm wondering where the weakness in my application is, so that I can try to do my part in preventing rejections/waitlists from all the other schools I'm applying to. </p>

<p>This website (MyCollegeCalendar</a> Blog: Deferred for Admission? Here’s What To Do . . .) says the following:</p>

<p>"If your early application is deferred, you can increase your chances for admission by finding out WHY you were not accepted. Within a few days of receiving word of your deferral, call the admissions office and ask to speak with the officer responsible for your application file. Be very respectful and polite, and emphasize that his/her college is your first choice and you are very disappointed with the deferral decision. </p>

<p>Go on to ask if there is anything in particular that held you back from being accepted. If the admission officer gives reasons, you may be able to correct them. If the officer is reluctant to give you a specific reason, politely ask if you have a realistic chance for admission because if there is, you will work toward that end. If it appears you do not have a realistic chance, thank the admission officer and pursue admission to other colleges."</p>

<p>Is this an acceptable thing to do Harvard-wise? How will admissions officers take this? </p>

<p>A few more questions I have:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Is the fact that I only had a few ECs to which I devoted a lot of time a weakness as far as colleges go? (At this point, even if it is a weakness, I don't regret doing that. I focused on the ECs that I did because that was what I wanted to do. However, I can safely say that I did miss quite a few resume-beefing-up opportunities because of that.)</p></li>
<li><p>I mentioned earlier that I took courses at a nearby Harvard-caliber university. I actually finished the whole undergraduate math curriculum there, so I've essentially finished the whole Harvard undergraduate math curriculum. So if I go to Harvard (or some other university) next year, then the only courses I can take are graduate courses. I'm not sure how this will be viewed by admissions officers. Especially as I'm Asian, will they think I was "pushed by my parents" or something like that?</p></li>
</ol>

2

<p>Regarding the second to last question: Devoting lots of time to just a few ECs is definitely not bad. In fact, I think that’s why I just got in. During freshman/sophomore year, I did a million clubs and activities, without becoming particularly engaged in any of them. Then, the summer before junior year, I was an intern at a research institute. I discovered that scientific research was my ultimate passion. So, I dropped ALL of my other ECs to work at the lab after school every day. </p>

<p>In the back of my mind I worried that Harvard would be turned off by having only 1 EC for junior and senior year. But I told myself that thinking like that is the exact opposite of what Harvard wants HS students to be doing. Trying to tailor your resume to Harvard, as opposed to doing what you love, is the worst thing you could do. So, I continued as an intern, and eventually got a paper published in a national peer-reviewed journal, and have been invited 2 years in a row to give presentations at national medical conferences. </p>

<p>Because I chose to do what I love, it was very easy to write my essays. I simply decided to trust Harvard to be able to tell that I am truly passionate about research. Harvard admissions is smart - they can tell when you’re resume-padding and when you’re for real. They saw that I was being honest, and accepted me. </p>

<p>If you think about it, the whole point of high school ECs is to find out what you love to do. If you figure out what you love, but keep doing things you don’t, then you have defeated the purpose of ECs. </p>

<p>I hope this helps.</p>

3

<p>“I’ve taken quite a few undergraduate/graduate level math/physics/cs courses at a nearby university”</p>

<p>“I actually finished the whole undergraduate math curriculum there”</p>

<p>How many credits do you have? It sounds like you would be considered a transfer student.</p>

4

<p>’‘Is this an acceptable thing to do Harvard-wise? How will admissions officers take this?’’
I was deferred as well and I wonder the same thing. Can I call (or send an email to) the admissions committee and ask why I was deferred?</p>

5

<p>@dune: HS students taking college course b/c they’ve exhausted their HS offerings is not unusual among the top level applicant pool such as Harvard. It’s not anything that would bear down negatively in this scenario.</p>

6

<p>Although you could call and and ask why you were deferred, applicants will most likely receive an answer along the lines of: “I’m sorry, but we do not release that kind of information.” If your guidance counselor has a good relationship with their regional Harvard Admissions Director, the GC might have better luck finding out why you were deferred.</p>