<p>I'm new to this forum, but I thought I could give it a shot.</p>
<p>I'm a freshman at Harvard and I thought that something which helped me alot was meeting the admissions representative from my school. Heres what happened: I went to the Harvard meeting in New York where they talked about the school. I just happened to talk to one of the reps to ask a question. When I mentioned that I went to Bronx Science she told me that she actually is the rep from there. </p>
<p>So, obviously, I took down her email address and emailed her about 8 times over the course of the next two months. I think that this made a really good impression on her and I showed that I was really interested in applying. </p>
<p>I think that those who are applying should actively seek out the person that reps their school, since they are the ones that will rep your application in the meetings.</p>
<p>Thats why you have to go to the regional meetings and sort of try to put it out there that you go to bronx science and afterwards talk to everyone (usually around 4 people are at a meeting) and try to find out where they rep. Don't flat out ask them.</p>
<p>"I think that this made a really good impression on her and I showed that I was really interested in applying. "</p>
<p>As a former chair of my local alumni committee that interviews Harvard applicants, I can guarantee that demonstrating one's level of interest does not help students get into Harvard. </p>
<p>Harvard knows that it is by far most applicants' first choice college.</p>
<p>Unless one has some questions that aren't answered on Harvard's comprehensive web site, it's not a good idea to e-mail one's admission officer. The admissions officers have heavy schedules and aren't likely to be impressed by students who e-mail them simply to try to show interest.</p>
<p>Northstarmom, I respectfully disagree. What you said might be true before 2008. However, the dynamics have changed since Harvard eliminated early action. How do you explain that Harvard took over 200 people off the wait-list last year. </p>
<p>Also, I know for fact, there is one person who is benefited by contacting AO relentlessly (by her and her GC) even though this person is not as qualified as other students in her school, everyone was surprised. In fact, this person did not get in to Y, P, S, Dartmouth, Brown and Columbia.</p>
<p>Many highly qualified students cross admitted into HYPMS, H knows that. Every school is sensitive to its matriculation rate, H is no exception, especially in 2008.</p>
<p>I would also have to disagree with Northstarmom for different reasons.</p>
<p>The key is not asking about things that you could find out on the website. For instance, drop in a line about something that interests you (hockey, philosophy, etc.) and ask questions about particular courses/activities.</p>
<p>I also disagree with northstarmom, but then again, SHE is the one that worked for the alumni commitee that interviewed Harvard applicants. Who are we to tell her what we think is true or false when it was HER who worked in the whole admissions process office. I think she knows better than us who Harvard accepts or rejects (Not to seem rude or snobby or anything, I want to improve my chances of getting into Harvard too...)</p>
<p>Ahem...anyway...in other matters...is it possible for any of you to find the school representatives list for Harvard? I go to The Mary Louis Academy (an all girls school in queens- i dunno if you've heard of it...-) and I want to find out who my school rep. is, or if we even have one at all! It's a great school, but it's really small...</p>
<p>Yeah it's hard to find the representatives and it's really annoying how they hold the meetings at the "better" schools, as in not mine haha, and it's hard to get out there to attend one</p>
<p>"How do you explain that Harvard took over 200 people off the wait-list last year. "</p>
<p>Harvard was being cautious in admitting because of its new financial aid policies, which it assumed would greatly increase the number of students who'd accept its offers. In the past, some of the students who rejected Harvard did so because of generous merit aid offers from less competitive colleges. </p>
<p>Harvard wanted to make sure that it didn't over enroll and then have to house students in nearby hotels as it has had to do in the past.</p>
<p>Also, I know for fact, there is one person who is benefited by contacting AO relentlessly (by her and her GC) even though this person is not as qualified as other students in her school, everyone was surprised. "</p>
<p>Only the admissions officers know why any individual was admitted. I highly doubt that anyone was admitted because they relentlessly contacted the AO. I suspect the person was admitted despite relentlessly contacting the AO. I remember a student who was admitted after relentlessly contacting me, and I assume also relentlessly contacting his AO.</p>
<p>His contacts included phone calls, a letter, and leaving a gift of on my doorstep when I was out of town.</p>
<p>He happened to have been the best applicant whom I had ever interviewed, so my interview report (made before his repeatedly contacting me) reflected that. Because he can only guess why he got in, he may think that his relentless contacts with me made a difference. He even may think that he impressed me by managing to stick around and talk to me for a half hour after his interview was over. (He'd had his mother drop him off at my home, and then had to call her for a pick-up. With his continuing to sit in my livingroom, I had no choice but to make polite conversation, but I was irritated as heck by his continued presence.)</p>
<p>The admissions officers deliberately don't post their names and contact info on Harvard's website. That's because they don't want to be deluged with calls and e-mails from students trying to brown nose their way in. Students who genuinely have questions that aren't answered on the website, and students who wish to send additional application info, can simply use the generic e-mail for admissions.</p>
<p>"Harvard was being cautious in admitting because of its new financial aid policies, which it assumed would greatly increase the number of students who'd accept its offers. "</p>
<p>Then how do you explain that Harvard's matriculation rate dropped in spite of its fantastic new financial aid policies. I highly doubt that Harvard's Admission Office completely miscalculated the anticipated acceptance from accepted students. 200 people are A LOT people.</p>
<p>
[quote]
He even may think that he impressed me by managing to stick around and talk to me for a half hour after his interview was over. (He'd had his mother drop him off at my home, and then had to call her for a pick-up. With his continuing to sit in my livingroom, I had no choice but to make polite conversation, but I was irritated as heck by his continued presence.)
[/quote]
</p>
<p>HAHAHA I think it's great to see the interview from the other side. You should make a thread about this Northstarmom. AdmissionsAddict (the alumni interviewer on the Yale forum) has really helped a lot of people out and I feel like you probably have some great things to say.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Then how do you explain that Harvard's matriculation rate dropped in spite of its fantastic new financial aid policies. I highly doubt that Harvard's Admission Office completely miscalculated the anticipated acceptance from accepted students. 200 people are A LOT people.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You're forgetting that there are other colleges in the world. Some people may have applied to both Harvard and Princeton, planning to go to Princeton if they got into both. Same with Harvard and Yale. Since abandoning early admissions policies, colleges had a very difficult time predicting how things would turn out with matriculation rates. It in no way surprises me that there were 200 cross admits from the single RD round that opted to go to Yale, Columbia, Stanford, Brown, 8 Year Med Programs, etc. over Harvard.</p>
<p>"You're forgetting that there are other colleges in the world. Some people may have applied to both Harvard and Princeton, planning to go to Princeton if they got into both. Same with Harvard and Yale. Since abandoning early admissions policies, colleges had a very difficult time predicting how things would turn out with matriculation rates. It in no way surprises me that there were 200 cross admits from the single RD round that opted to go to Yale, Columbia, Stanford, Brown, 8 Year Med Programs, etc. over Harvard."</p>
<p>You missed my points here. I agree with you. Therefore, I believe H Admission Officer should have not overestimated the matriculation rate by 200.</p>
<p>Rather than arguing with Northstarmom, you might do better by heeding her advice. Much of what she says applies to any top school as well. Demonstrating interest is one thing; stalking is another entirely.</p>
<p>I, rather than argue with what northstarmom is saying, will heed her advice. I want to go to Yale, and, well, I'm willing to use whatever help I can get. I really want to be a Yalie...</p>
<p>Even if she does end up being some random internet web-surf loser who likes to go to college forum sites (such as these) and pretend to be an admissions officer so she could talk to unsuspecting teenagers (or twenty-something year olds), her advice seems pretty concrete to me. It takes common sense to realize that an admissions officer is NOT going to like being stalked by some crazed Yalie wanna-be. We should give her some slack....</p>
<p>As wonderful as it is spending all our time talking about northstarmom, that's not what this forum is about. Does anyone else know any good advice or tips in relation to the whole application process and such?</p>
<p>I believe that lots of theories can be considered as to what is going on with Harvard. However, I have to agree with Northstarmom as she has the credentials to back up what she's saying.</p>
<p>well I went to the informational meeting in my area.. and the representative wasn't very helpful. He showed up about 45 minutes late, and then all he did was answer questions from the seniors. Afterwards, he talked about all of the art pieces that he drew and how he loves people who also draw.<br>
I asked him for his email and he didn't want to give it out... He wouldn't give me his name either so I couldn't quite look it up.</p>
<p>Maybe it was just the representative from my area, but he didn't make a good impression for Harvard. or maybe it was to ward off prospective students...?</p>
<p>Harvard WAS being cautious. They admitted fewer students than in previous years. They intended to go to the wait list to fill the class. Given the space issues in the upper class houses, they could not afford to bring in an oversubscribed Freshman Class.</p>
<p>From GADAD</p>
<p>"Very interesting. One of the few industries in which a glut of clients can pose a potential catastrophe, so the corporation is "breathing a sigh of relief" when a sufficient number of their potential customers decline! My D was accepted RD at both H and Y this year - one brief call and one letter from H during April, but calls, letters, e-mails, t-shirts every few days from Y. Clearly, H was concerned about too many students, Y was bracing for too few."</p>