<p>I was rejected from H a couple months ago. I won't bore with details, however my consolers agree that my grade point did me in. I otherwise scored in the 99th percentile on the ACT, SAT and SATIIs, and had excellent recs and ECs including research. (No need to discuss this part, I've already been over it with my consolers! :))</p>
<p>I'm going to Harvard SSP (summer session) this summer, followed by a PG year at a prep school studying pre-engineering. My goal is to score flawlessly at Harvard and during my PG year. If I applied EA, I would clearly show that Harvard is my #1, and I have demonstrated academic ability from SSP and studying pre-engineering. The downside: if I apply EA, will I not have enough grades in during pre-engineering, or will 1 semester/0.5 semester be enough? I suppose the 11/15 and 12/31 deadlines for EA and RD are only six weeks/four academic weeks...</p>
<p>Any thoughts? Comments? Thank you for your consideration!</p>
<p>It is 11/1 for EA.</p>
<p>How will you have first semester grades for EA? Usually a transcript is requested and the transcript does nt have 4 or 6 week performances listed (I dont know how a prep school works). So you are going with your old file, SSP, and the fact that you are spending the year at a prep school.</p>
<p>Perhaps a list of my current courses and grades, combined with good SSP performance will demonstrate future college success.</p>
<p>HS grades are my central problem. I scored a 3.7 junior year.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t sound so sure of a different decision either through EA or RD. Harvard will of course know you were rejected just several months before and may frown on the fact that you couldn’t deal with this rejection and decided to spend another year in high school (or… prep school, whatever you want to call it) just for a new chance. I think it’s a mistake. You should just go to another college and try to transfer or apply to grad school. Harvard isn’t known for its engineering anyway, seems like you’re thinking with your ego.</p>
<p>Harvard offers engineering science, my sought-after degree, and is one of the VERY few colleges that offers engineering in a humanities environment - certainty the only one of it’s kind. I like Stanford, Columbia and Notre Dame, as well as the very similar (relatively) MIT. So no, I’m not “thinking with my ego” as you said. IMO, admissions officers frowning on a re-applicant is also a jumped-to-conclusion. Harvard is my school of choice, not just because of the well fitting degree programs but also because I certainty like it the best on a personal level. I also have a way to prove my academics. Why would I not reapply? </p>
<p>The issue is whether the extra time between RD and EA is worth it, or if the benefits of EA outweigh whatever few weeks are between EA and RD. 
help!</p>
<p>Why not you say? Well, for starters, you’re wasting another year in High School when you could be in college advancing toward your degree. I agree, Harvard is great, and I plan to apply next year for some similar reasons. However, that one year is not guaranteeing anything (if it did, it MAY be worth it), in fact, with a 6% admissions rate it’s a crapshoot. Now, how disappointed would you be next year if you didn’t get in again? Why go through that again? It just doesn’t make any sense, Harvard is NOT the only one of its kind.</p>
<p>I doubt I would convince you anyway. So you want an opinion about RD vs EA, well I would do EA, the rate is usually higher and you can get deferred instead of waitlisted/rejected, so it’s like a second chance.</p>
<p>I was under the impression that EA was more competitive.</p>
<p>Well the acceptance rate was higher, when they had it in the past. That could also be due to a self-selected applicant pool. Harvard just reinstated EA so it’s hard to say.</p>
<p>OP, if you’re looking for an engineering school in a humanities environment, did you apply to Harvey Mudd?</p>