<p>Phoenix, it's at 26 Billion now, I believe. (I remember reading it somewhere... correct me if I'm wrong).</p>
<p>"I lack family support since I was little, and this is what I talked about in my essay and in my interview, for this is really what made me who I am today"</p>
<p>I was always told to bring out the best in you and not complain. I dont mean to attack you musikazngirl, but I could have chosen to write a story on how I am discriminated against, blah, blah but I chose to highlight the characteristics that made me a better person, not the disparities that took away my opportunity. However, I know now, to be admitted to elite colleges, you need to present your sob story. </p>
<p>Furthermore, I believe that it is highly unfair to judge me based on my school. I go to a very rigorous and elite institution. It is full of rich kids and people who are already driven to do well in school because of family ties. Therefore, I believe IT IS A GREATER ACCOMPLISHMENT to graduate top 20% or 30% from a place like that then top 10% from my crappy ghetto home school. IT ISNT FAIR. I could have chosen to go to my stupid home school, and I would have been Valedictorian. Because in schools like that, the teachers are more worried that they are going to get stabbed than about judging whether the only student in the class of 40 people deserves an 'A' or a 'B'. If you go to an easy school, ITS ALL THE MORE REASON for it to be expected that you do well there. I busted my *** to ingress into my high school (20% acceptance rate) ever since middle school. MIDDLE SCHOOL! I was thinkign about college and working on my passion of learning since then. I earned a spot at my high school and went through hell in there as well. I could have been some whiny minority and gone to my home school and been Val. That is what I find the uttermost ridiculous. You have Valedictorians form crappy schools and 1200s SATs getting into Harvard, but they reject the guy who got 1300s (which by the way is very high for a hispanic, let alone a poor one) and graduates top quarter in a very hard *** school.</p>
<p>I am not complaining here, just stating it as it is. For someone in my situation, my test scores were great. I was an AP Scholar with Distinction, and currently am taking 6 freaking APs along with my job and taking care of my sick mother.</p>
<p>If Harvard wants to take people who whine in their essays (not addressing any particular poster here, just generalizing from what I have seen) but become #1 in their below average school, then let them. And thats how I see that Harvard is not the place for me. I am not bitter, or angry but disapointed. Its ludicrous. People can comment on my essays, test scores, etc, but when it comes down to it THERE IS NO REASON WHY I SHOULDNT HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED. And for those of you who talk about my attitude, I assure you it is not the one that was presented to the adcoms. </p>
<p>Just because you are a minority people stereotype you and assume that you are to be naive, a democrat, whiny about the "discrimination" we experience from the white people (which my family has never suffered -FROM WHITE PEOPLE), talk about how much we love being latinos, listen to rap music because we live in the ghetto.</p>
<p>We can be poor and minorities and enjoy British Literature and Rock music. We can appreciate and speak the Queen's English properly and now mangle it into phrases like "what that is" or "theys open?" We can dress in collared shirts and be clean-cut. I hate stereotypes. The people who promulgate them are the ones who criticize them. Goodness, it is so ironic. Hispanic here cant even speak Spanish correctly. They substitute 'Cs' for 'Rs' and can even conjugate their own language properly, much less English.</p>
<p>When people talk to my mother, they get indignant when she speaks English, asking why she isnt speaking spanish (AND THIS IS NOT FROM WHITE PEOPLE). They get insulted when she tells them that English is the language of this country, and she will speak Spanish to them if asked to, not automatically. Its ridiculous. I hate the whole process of trying to smother the truth. Discrimination exists on both sides. If you are a minority it doesnt mean u have to be a damn democrat. If you are poor it doesnt mean you agree with welfare. IT IS NOT RIGHT to assume things about people when you dont know their circumstances.</p>
<p>I still stand by my statement that a person going to an elite school has more merit in doing well there than another who is at a garbage insitution. It demonstrates that the student is willing to go the extra mile to obtain a better education. I wanted to transfer to Andover once I discovered of it's existance, however, by the time I knew about the best high school in the country (which I researched on my own because none of the people around me have a clue) the applications were due and I could not apply. I wanted to go there because I know they give Fin Aid to people as well. SEE THAT IS DEDICATION. Trying to look for the best education possible -even one out of your context- because you want to learn more. I can walk into several high schools in my vicinity and have greater mathematic exam scores than their VALEDICTORIANS. AND MATH IS MY WEAKEST ACADEMIC AREA. Those kids are dumb, and they are better off than I am! Goodness gracious, when will some of you start to look at things more objectively. What kind of Hispanic person doesnt speak Spanish for Christ's sake. I did so damn much with what I was given, and I wanst even defered, I was rejected. It was cruel -like something that chews you and spits you out. I am not angry or sad about being accepted, because I see the injustices in life. Look whatever. I am a motivated person, and so are many of you guys. You will do well regardless. Go Bulldog class of 2010!</p>
<p>Forgive my grammar, I am just ****ed off, this was the last straw. I can accept being rejected, however, I cannot accept people trying to rationalize it by condescending my credentials.</p>
<p>I wish people would stop acting as though they are entitled to an acceptance from Harvard, the most prestigious school in the world. They turn down 90% of their (remarkable) applicant pool, and it's entirely their own prerogative. Personally, DHA, I wouldn't want someone with your attitude at my school.</p>
<p>Harvard makes mistakes. The admissions committee are human beings, after all. There is also no doubt that there is a culture of separatism and victimology among most minority cultures which can lead to intrarace discrimination. What happened to you, DHA, was unfortunate, no doubt about that, but sometimes the best things that happen to us hurt the most. No one's arguing that Harvard's a perfect school, I merely wanted to establish that it is not a common bigot school.</p>
<p>But when the adcom makes a mistake EA, it will mean deferring someone who deserved to get in or accepted someone who didn't. And you can argue that this happens very often or very rarely since it's so subjective, but either way it's a natural result of the fact that there are just so many applicants. But an EA rejection? That's really rough and I don't think it can be attributed to the AdCom merely "making a mistake". They wanted to get a point across. What that is, though, I don't know. I feel for you DHA. I don't get it either.</p>
<p>"But when the adcom makes a mistake EA, it will mean deferring someone who deserved to get in or accepted someone who didn't."</p>
<p>What qualifies someone as "deserving"? I mean, I really don't think any of the accepted kids actually were expecting it, or acted like they were 100% sure they would get in. Even NSM said that at alumni meetings, they all thought there had been a mistake when they got accepted. </p>
<p>Besides, this board is not an accurate representation of overall applicants. Who knows, there could be other kids who worked, helped out their family, were a minority, and got excellent grades. A lot of those kids would be reluctant to share their personal stories on this board. </p>
<p>Harvard has so many kids to pick from that they can put in whoever they want. And if they don't accept you, that doesn't mean that you're an idiot. Harvard is just another college, and most top colleges want to get a really diverse class, so they make some decisions that seem arbitrary to us. </p>
<p>DHA, nobody understands your rejection. But please stop making blanket statements.</p>
<p>eFrom what I hear, the people who get rejected early are the ones who lie and cheat on their application. Also, people who just don't even stand a chance and just applied to the school as a dare. There was a girl, however, from the Yale board who go rejected from Yale straightout EA and accepted to the rest of the Ivys, so who knows. I just cannot figure out why the hell I wasn't atleast deferred. I am going to call them on Monday and find out once in for all.</p>
<p>Magnus--That's what I meant. To point out specific people who were deserving and didn't get in is impossible, since the process is so subjective. But when I say that the adcom can make mistakes, it might be best viewed as, if they were to start fresh with the same goals in mind but, maybe with slightly different circumstances, there will most likely be a few kids who would get in one time and not the other. I highly doubt they would pick the exact same 800+ kids they did before because when you have 4000 applicants, it's just impossible to view them all at once and firmly pick the "best". It's an outgrowth, too, of the subjectivity of the process.</p>
<p>Dha, DUDE, i think the reason why you were rejected is summed up in one sentence from your previous post: "THERE IS NO REASON WHY I SHOULDNT HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED". all i can say is thank goodness the adcoms saw who you really are and didnt defer you so that you can potentially take the place of a MUCH, MUCH more qualified applicant in the RD round.</p>
<p>I wouldn't say this if you were taking this with grace, DHA, but being unable to crack top 20 in class rank or 700 on any section of his SAT I couldn't have helped. I understand there were extenuating circumstances (you went to an elite school, you came from a harsh background, etc.), but maybe they just considered you unqualified. There doesn't have to be some complex plot against you for you to get rejected.</p>
<p>My suggestion? Move on. Apply to other schools. You'll get into plenty good schools, so stop wasting time worrying about what Harvard thinks.</p>
<p>DHA, if you are so poor, how were you able to go to SSP, a program that costs thousands of dollars? Does SSP offer financial aid?</p>
<p>Yeah I think they do.</p>
<p>btw, you kinda are being a little hypocritical. You don't want us to sterotype latinos/hispanics as anything unless it helps you in your application. Everything but the puppy. Come on, man</p>
<p>DHA, having read your post, I really admire all you've been through. You show a will-power I've rarely seen! It must be awful to find out your decision despite all the hurdles you've overcome in life, and that too, all by yourself. Look at it this way: perhaps Harvard wasn't the school for you. With your accomplishments, I'm 100% sure you'll get accepted to many other Ivies/excellent institutions, where you've a good chance of being much happier. Apply to other places RD and you'll be suprised come April, when the acceptances come flooding in! Best of luck!! :)</p>
<p>DHA, I feel for your rejection, just because you were so passionate about Harvard. Other than that, nobody, including myself, should be able to speculate whether you deserve it or not. We only know how you are on CC, not your full application. Similarly, you should not judge others and their applications.</p>
<p>To say that I complained and earned my acceptance letter through a sob story amused me. Anyone who knows me (and I mean in reality, not CC) would say I'm one of the most humble people ever. I have a lot of pride, and I never let people see the worst side of me. It was very unlike me to post my "hook" on CC. I never thought I would do it before, and I only did it recently so people can see the full side of my story. It would not be fair to just show my low scores and say I got accepted or to just say I live on my own and I got accepted. I figured since I already exposed part of my story, I might as well expose all. Perhaps this is my mistake. My purpose to post my stats was just to give hope to those with low scores, and then later, for those who say low income people could not make it into Harvard. </p>
<p>"I lack family support since I was little, and this is what I talked about in my essay and in my interview, for this is really what made me who I am today"
What I said is true, and even if you may have misinterpreted it, I would not take it back. By no means did I flaunt my independence. When I started on my application, I told myself to downplay my independence as much as possible. Still, I have been so accustomed to independence that it's just naturally a part of me, just like it's natural for you to talk about your race and whatnot. I remember reading the essay prompts, and one of them was 'write about an obstacle that you have overcame.' As we all know, you're supposed to talk about a subject that you know well. If independence has been all I really known, then why can't I talk about it? As I mentioned earlier, my essay was 'emotional' but also 'uplifting'. I did not end it on a sad note because in reality, it left more of a positive impact on me than a negative one. My other essay did not even mention my independence.</p>
<p>As for my interview, I never planned to discuss my personal life. My interview resembled a friendly conversation, and we talked about my interviewer's family a lot. Then she asked me, "what does your family think of your application to Harvard?" What was I supposed to say? I couldn't lie and fake my family's enthusiasm. I've done that before in the past, but ever since I lived on my own, I learned the best thing to do is to tell the truth but only when people ask. I hope by now you distinguish the difference between telling a true life story and telling a sob story. I remembered cringing before whenever I read you talking about how low-income your family was in almost all of your posts. What good does it do you really to say that? I just find it very ironic now that you would accuse me of doing something of the sort.</p>
<br>
<p>THERE IS NO REASON WHY I SHOULDNT HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED ... And for those of you who talk about my attitude, I assure you it is not the one that was presented to the adcoms. </p>
<br>
<p>You have not seen your letters of recommendation.</p>
<p>You have not seen your interviewer's report.</p>
<p>You have not seen the applications of the hundreds of other students you were competing against.</p>
<p>It's entirely possible that your report said something like: "I get the strong sense that this kid putting up some kind of front. He had his approach all packaged from the get-go, and he wasn't willing to show me the real DHA underneath." It's also possible that one of your teachers said, "This is a very bright and hard-working kid, but in all honesty, he seems to think that the world owes him something." It's also possible that there were some extraordinary URM applicants from your geographic area who overcame tremendous hardships and got scholarships to tough schools and had scores in the 750's.</p>
<p>There may have been excellent reasons for your rejection. Or it may have been an awful mistake and Harvard's loss. But you don't know which it is, and screaming that you DO know just suggests that it was the former.</p>
<p>I was rejected by Harvard twice, and I was very angry and disappointed. But I hope that I never stooped to accusing Harvard of bigotry and assuming that my OWN choices and actions had nothing to do with it.</p>
<p>"just like it's natural for you to talk about your race and whatnot"</p>
<p>I dont flaunt my "ethinic status." I have never said I should get in because I am "colored, different," or anything of that sort. My main front has been my economic background. I don't believe in affirmative action, but I do believe in equal opportunity for economically disadvantaged people. You can say like AA for the poor.</p>
<p>I did not mean to offend or directly attack you musikazngirl. I was just trying to compare and analyze myself to other individuals in a similar situation with mine to see what went wrong.</p>
<p>Hanna, even though I havent seen my letters of recommendation, I know that they did not criticize me at all. At school, there is a certain image that you have to portray. You guys know I am a very confident person, and I act that way as well. Only the school administrators really know my economic situation. All my classmates assume I am wealthy because I dress well, have proper posture, speak english correctly and am a Republican. If you people were to just see me in life and have a conversation with me, you could never guess I have poor. I dont flaunt it, I dont complain about, or anything of that nature. I know that my interview went well. She even stated that I seemed really confident and could handle the rigors of Harvard. Later, she began speaking in the future tense, how I WILL have cold winters, and how I WILL have a culture shock WHEN I GO to Harvard. Verbatim. </p>
<p>With the help of others, I have been narrowing down why I was not accepted. Dont misinterpret it as something I cant let go of, but if I made a serious mistake, I DONT WANT THIS TO BE REPEATED AND CAUSE MY REJECTION TO OTHER COLLEGES. I need to know what caused my rejection so I will identify it and avoid that angle. </p>
<p>I do not like to brag, but it was an awful mistake on Harvard's part. Not only because they REJECTED me, but also deferred all of my SSP friends who applied (like 30). These kids were international olympiad competitors, another was the highest-ranked A-level kid in Lebanon with a double legacy. Another was an African American with a 1480 (rare as hell) with a major track hook. These were amazing kids. And you know what? They took the 'ho' also from SSP who had sexual affairs with 26 people (she told me herself, and notice I said PEOPLE not GUYS), who was wealthy, and dumb as a brick. She had nothing at all going for her. All her stats and ECs and every other untangible thing was lower than mine, but you know what? She was "hispanic" (not really, he mother was from Spain, not Latin America) and rich. A full pay minority ho, what a bargain for Harvard. I am not so much bitter about my own rejection, but the denial of my friends. Kids with excellent credentials and unique qualities. Harvard does makes mistakes. It is sad but whatever. </p>
<p>I want to thank those of you who encourage me to go on, I thank you deeply. Hopefully I will get into Yale and become a Skull!! lol (I am such an evil republican).</p>
<p>The more I read of your posts the more I think Harvard made the right decision. Please, calm down, your attitude isn't becoming.</p>
<p>My attitude isnt becoming...wow. And who are you? I mean really, who are you? All you seem to do is attack my indignant personality but you cannot refute any of my statistical arguments. If you have nothing better to say or argue than "I dont like your attitude just because" then dont say anything at all. I was rejected from my dream school. I am trying to find the hell out why that was. SO IT DOESNT HAPPEB AGAIN. I am not you. You would probably swallow it or just dwell on it. You are what is regarded as someone with a Type B personality. I am a Type A, driven to compete and suceed. And if I fail, driven to succeed even more. You would probably just give up.</p>
<p>Gavroche--I saw nothing wrong with DHA's last post, at least. What did he say this time? I thought that post was very subdued and it seemed like he was telling the truth, what he's observed.</p>