<p>"anyways is harvard graduate school really hard to get into? for example i go to claremont and comes out with a 4.0, do i have a 80% chance to go to a harvard econ graudate school?"</p>
<p>Grad schools are much harder to get into than undergrad. Harvard Economics has about 25 new students per year, and the vast majority of them are from foreign countries and have very heavy mathematical backgrounds (like BS or MS in math along with econ classes). You'll be competing with people from all over the world, not just the U.S. Almost all the U.S. students are from Ivy-caliber undergrads, with lots of research experience. So I would say that even with a 4.0 GPA from Claremont by itself, you'd have much less than a 50% chance at Harvard econ grad school. For example, here are a few backgrounds from bios of econ grad students at Stanford: BA Economics from Michigan with High Honors and Distinction, BA Math from Princeton, MA Economics from Beijing University (best in China), MA Economics from UC Davis, BS Math and Physics from Caltech with Honors, BA Economics from Seoul National University (best in Korea), MS Econometrics and Mathematical Economics from London School of Economics with Distinction, BA in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from Oxford University with honors, MS Physics from Tel Aviv University (Israel), MS Math from Stanford.</p>
<p>wait wait sir....25 or 250?</p>
<p>dear god. i think i better be a bum O_O</p>
<p>The "Big 5" Economics programs (MIT, Chicago, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford) each take 20-25 students per year, and typically around 10 of them are from the U.S. Competition is <em>VERY HARD</em>.</p>
<p>Bye bye to my shadows and dreams...</p>
<p>1st of all, I would never be dedicated enough to stay in my room all day and study.</p>
<p>2ndly, i am already so far behind. if it was my fellow high school mates then maybe i can catch up but we are talking bout the best out of the best.....</p>
<p>X_X</p>
<p>It seems like you are cheating yourself by saying you have no ECs. You were in debate, that is an EC of sorts, and probably worth more than other ECs. And you work for your dad's company, that is an EC. Your "predicament" is probably not as bad as it seems. You talk about your how your parents would get really mad if they knew your GPA and how they might not pay full price for an LAC, but they would an Ivy. Why is it that Asians in general seem to push their kids so hard? It is like American parents obsessing over sports. It's twisted. After all, no matter where you go you have the opportunity to be successful. I know people who have made a fortune right out of HS making there own business (and one started a TRASH company). There is more than one way to be satisified with life. Harvard Econ doesn't make you instantly happy for the rest of your life. Sometimes I think people on this forum forget that.</p>
<p>thats all ec?...the junior debate was a requirement and i thought working occasional and casually for dad is not legit enough...</p>
<p>well harvard econ wouldn't make me happy but it gives me a greater chance towards happiness</p>
<p>"well harvard econ wouldn't make me happy but it gives me a greater chance towards happiness"</p>
<p>well then I would say your definition of "happiness" is a little offcenter, or more likely, you have been told things like this all your life by people around you who want you to go to Harvard Econ or similar. I think that with all this pressure, you should be thinking about whether you even want to major in Econ or go to Harvard. Maybe when you visited, you wouldn't even like it. Also, while Harvard may be the toughest to get into, no one would call it the best undergrad school, there are other options.</p>
<p>actually econ is my nly interest. ppl always told me science/eng or medi is the way to go but i really hate those stuff.</p>
<p>i regard having trememdous affluence to be the base of happiness and with a good degree, it would bring me closer to my goal.</p>
<p>actually i have wasted my life till now...i have finally realized how tough the real world really is...</p>
<p>I understand. The thing is, that degree may help a little, but not if u arent working hard, which you don't seem to be now.</p>
<p>i love that vehement..we share a life philosophy</p>
<p>oh no i have changed hence my new sat score...i studied harder than usual....</p>
<p>haha college just hack into my school computer system and get me a kickbutt gpa</p>