<p>First off, I didn't know where to post this bc it's not really related to any one area but I thought I'd post it in the Harvard group bc I figured it has the most readers. I'm not saying I went to Harv, but I went to one of HYP (was accepted to all 3) then went to Ox/Cam on a major fellowship for a doctorate, and went to consulting at MBB after that (where I am now). I'm posting here because I remember just a few years ago I was in exactly the same position all of you are in - deciding how to maximize your chances to HYP, how to choose once youre accepted, how to do well in college, how to apply for the national fellowships, how to choose what job to do, etc. I was always so confused and always turned to these forums to ask my silly little questions. College Confidential posters were always super good at informing me and I want to give back. So have at it - high schoolers, college kids, graduates, whatever. Ask me what you want. </p>
<p>I can't promise to answer every single question but I'll try to answer the "high impact" ones, so to speak. The ones that probably haven't been answered before, or have been answered wrongly, or whatever. Don't PM me bc I won't check often and sorry if there's a delay (consulting keeps you busy!). I'll try to at least come by a couple times a week!!</p>
<p>And just a quick background on me, I did science research in high school, went to HYP, majored in econ, interned at the UN and did policy research at various centers around the world, went to Oxbridge for grad school in developmental econ, and am now consulting for MBB. </p>
<p>ha - why would i use my old account (opened 7 years ago)…i dont remember the password and if i used it, i’d be too easy to identify. you can think im a ■■■■■ all you want haha. just trying to offer advice</p>
<p>it was actually really difficult. much more difficult than getting a gig at a lab for bio/chem folks. because “research” in econ is really just crunching numbers, cleaning up data, etc. and if youve seen econ papers, you know that top profs hardly ever have like undergrad (or even grad) co-authors. my suggestion if you go to hyp is to take a research for credit kind of arrangement then reach out to a professor doing work youre interested in. bottom line: hard to get university research exp during the school year. i know that all of hyp have summer research programs for their econ majors so that’s another great opportunity. in general, look to your summers for research.</p>
<p>As an undergrad at HYP, (sci concentration with an eye toward a career in academia) looking at grad school - what are the best ways to get it funded?</p>
<p>depends. as you know, all respectable phd programs in the states are fully funded, esp the ones in the sciences. so depending on your grades, you could go that route. top phd programs are suuuuper competitive so you’d need to have top grades. and if you are set on academia, you’ll want to only look at top programs in your field bc, as youve prob already heard, the best predictor for whether a reputable journal will publish you is the institution(s) with which you’re affiliated. esp if you’re young. and in tenure-track positions it’s all about the journals. i’m guessing you already knew all that though.</p>
<p>perhaps you’re asking about oxbridge? it’s hard to get in but even harder to get funded at oxbridge. both oxford and cambridge have their flagship scholarship programs (clarendon at ox and the cambridge international scholarship scheme at cam), in addition to the gates, rhodes, marshall, and fulbright. and of course, each dept has their own scholarships. there are lots of ways to find money if you’re a top student from a top school (it sounds like you are). be aware though that at oxbridge, it’s all about the academics for graduate studies. they dont care much about personal statements filled with stories of how you became interested in underwater basket weaving. also be aware that scholarships like the clarendon require TOP NOTCH academic credentials - the people from my school that got them were the kind of people who were mentioned at graduation for having the highest gpa’s in the social sciences or whatever. dont think you can slide by with magna cum laude and great extracurrics. the other scholarships like the departmental ones or the various other schemes are easier to get but i think there’s a misunderstanding of how hard it actually is to get a clarendon (in particular). rhodes is more forgiving on academics bc it’s all about the extracurrics. marshall is all about the academics. fulbright is more on the extracurrics-side usually but they’re super competitive for england. gates is all academics since you’re chosen by the dept to which you applied.</p>
<p>haha fireeater - i love all three. i really do. i remember when i was a high schooler making choices i inflated the differences in my head but now having graduated, they’re all kind of the same. yeah yeah some people ARE snobbier at harv, some people ARE preppier at princeton, and yale’s residential college system IS awesome but at the end of the day you’ll have a fundamental similar experience at all 3. i loved my hyp but i may have made a different decision if i knew then what i know now.</p>
<p>Hi Macscreen, I’m interested in your general advice for those in early high school. Our 2nd child has the motivation and the grades (straight A’s) and is in a very rigorous school. </p>
<p>Looking back, what was it that you did that enabled you to get into all 3 HYP - in other words, there are tons of smart, capable kids, what made you stand out? Our child is interested in Oxbridge for undergrad as well - how realistic is that for a U.S. kid? I’ve heard that the English schools are a year ahead…having attended Oxbridge, what are your thoughts on how realistic it is for a smart US kid to try for that?</p>
<p>Ours is most interested currently in science - any advice on science EC’s or summer programs, and how did you do science research in high school? </p>
<p>Any other general advice for a kid who is still rather young and has a lot of time to create an attractive application would be greatly appreciated.</p>