<p>I've seen many examples of strong math/science students (e.g. MOP, Physics Team, Chemistry team members) get accepted by Stanford and Princeton but rejected by Harvard and Yale. (Almost invariably.) I would say that I'm not as good as them at math/science (though I did make USAMO, with a score much larger than 0), but more well-rounded in the humanities, leadership, etc. For me, what would be the key to getting into 1) Stanford/Princeton 2) Harvard/Yale?</p>
<p>^ You sure about that? All 4 are pretty much peers in terms of selectivity. I mean, perhaps Harvard/Yale has the ever-so-slightest higher selectivity, but that doesn’t exactly account for those many examples you mention.</p>
<p>As for what it takes…It sounds like you currently are a decent candidate, given your USAMO qualification. Of course, grades, test scores, ECs, other application things are always integral; after that, it all depends on what the school is looking for and I don’t think anyone can say with certainty what the key to getting into HYPS is.</p>
<p>^^Pretty sure. Some leader who goes to Africa to build houses for thousands of people, yadda yadda yadda, and gets into Harvard, no way they’re getting into MIT or Caltech without a passion for science, and Princeton is unlikely either. Stanford - hard to say, but I think their chances are worse there than HY (the opposite of math people). Does anyone know math/science students (who have not competed in an international olympiad, of course) who got into Harvard or Yale? What non-math/science qualifications did they have? (And what gender/race are they?)</p>
<p>Well, MIT & Caltech are of course going to prefer a math/science based person, but I think that any trend with Princeton and Stanford is more coincidence than anything else.</p>
<p>Stanford/Princeton do have engineering, while H/Y don’t. but Harvard still has great mat/sci departments, and Yale actively looks for math/science focused students to counter its artsy image.</p>
<p>I disagree with your assertion about the schools’ selectivities, OP.</p>
<p>
[Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences](<a href=“http://www.seas.harvard.edu/”>http://www.seas.harvard.edu/</a>)</p>
<p>[Yale</a> School of Engineering & Applied Science](<a href=“http://www.seas.yale.edu/]Yale”>http://www.seas.yale.edu/)</p>