@jpm1234 emails about summer programs are usually because you signed up for their email list before applying, and it has nothing to do with admissions because it goes out to everyone on the email list
can someone rejected from colby still can accepted in harvard? :(( (international with 1360 sat)
Yes. Acceptance (or rejection) from one college does not impact decisions from any other college.
@akrem111 It’s absolutely possible. What I’ve learned from experience is that admissions are extremely unpredictable. I got into Williams and got Presidential at Colby but managed to get waitlisted at Denison. Unless you are a member of the admissions committee, there is no way you can accurately predict the outcomes. So just calm down and hope for the best.
@akrem111 each university is looking for something particular in students. So Harvard might see something in you that Colby didn’t see. And you might have some qualifications that Harvard wants and Colby doesn’t.
My S also got an award at the State level. Do you think it is worthwhile to submit (i.e. will it be read by an AO)? He lacks the STEM awards a lot of students on this site have so I was considering taking the time to submit. He has the sports-related accolades, high GPA and some good leadership roles though.
How much do recommendation letters help in admission.
I’m an intl. student.
I’ve got 1500/1600 SAT, 800 Math 2, 780 Physics, 4.0 Unweighted GPA, top 2% class rank, relatively strong extracurriculars in community service/volunteering, Model UN (international award), Debating and a lot of leadership (one of the head Prefects, President of Model UN club/ Debate Club, Vice-President of Social Responsibility Club - won 3 national community service awards).
The teachers I’ve asked to write recommendations are ones I’ve known for years and I’m sure they wrote incredible recommendations and my school principal wrote an amazing one as well. I also have a great recommendation from a Head Professor at a University Im doing research at as well as one from a very selective educational training commission in my country.
I applied to a lot of ivies but the chances are really tough, would the recommendations play a huge role as to get me into the university? Would they separate me from a lot of the other candidates?
How many international students had an interview? I talked with a relatively high number of students from my and neighbouring countries and none of them had an interview.
@Wolowizard no one in my country had an interview (tunisia)
@Wolowizard i had an interview, me and my friend back in November, she got accepted ED i got deferred. We’re from Palestine but our interviewers were from the “israeli side”.
@larry.deqauvo, I spoke to one of the oldest serving admissions officers at H/Y/P and asked her which of the application components was the most under appreciated by applicants. She indicated that, in fact, it is the recommendations. She went on to say that all of the very selective schools view the applications similarly and that it is nearly impossible to gain admissions to any of them without at least one compelling recommendation. The reason for this is that the recommendations corroborate the narrative and provide context to an application. This is necessary in order to identify the truly exceptional applicants…and that is who all of the most selective schools are looking for. They are looking for a recommender who describes a student as one of the best they have encountered, a student who regurally moves the class forward with their exceptional insight, or a student who is simply uncommonly kind. My son was asked for a second interview at Harvard. In this interview the interviewer volunteered that the Harvard admissions committee was taken with two things, one of his activities and a compelling recommendation from one of his teachers (speaking to his character, not his academic prowess). Hope this helps. Looks like you’re in good shape. Good luck!
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@madam that’s the same thing my college advisor told me. My teachers showed me the recommendation letters they wrote for me after they submitted them. I gotta tell ya, all three of them wrote a two page essay talking about me giving free tutoring to my fellow school mates, participating in science fairs, giving advice to Younger scholars, bringing new ideas and innovations into my school, and they even talked about my actions outside school and inside my family (they know alot about me because i made special bonds with my teachers). My recommendations and Essay are probably the strongest things in my application.
Thanks, That info really helped a lot!
@Harvard2022maybe great! With your compelling recs you are likely in the hopper from which students will be selected. By that, I mean that a big group of academic superstars who otherwise have lackluster recommendations are likely not even in the hopper for serious consideration…and they don’t realize it. Have you ever noticed how many students with near perfect grades and test scores, and substantial EC activities appear to simply get shut out of the selective colleges. It’s not simply a crap shoot as many contend. What these students have in common is that there was no one (recommender) to corroborate or validate their substantial impact to school and community life. Again, good luck to you!
@madam my friend who got 1210 in SAT got accepted ED, because of her outstanding essay and her awesome recommendation letters, and her extracurriculars. I got deferred with a 1350 SAT. And I’ve seen people in the 1500s getting rejected in ED simply because their extracurriculars are not that great.
@skieurope Do you think Harvard has more or less made their admissions decisions already?
@LOA1000 They probably have. There are only ten days left between today and the date in which they’ll release their decisions so I’m pretty sure they are just finalizing everything right now.
So I have a new recc to send…more about my personality… don’t know if it’s worth sending.
Yes. I would guess they are pretty much done. They night be doing a last check - dotting i’s and crossing t’s, but that’s about it.
I am an international student who has applied