<p>Does Harvard send out likely letters (I know it would've been a while ago, just wondering)?</p>
<p>Could anyone who got one post their stats</p>
<p>[Yes</a>, they do.](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/665237-likely-letters-non-athlete-non-urms.html]Yes”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/665237-likely-letters-non-athlete-non-urms.html)</p>
<p>My classmate’s stats:
* SAT: 2200
* SAT II: Math Lvl 2 800, Physics 800, Chemistry 800
* ACT: -
* GPA: 4.86/5.00
* Rank: 1st
* Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): Physics B, Physics C, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Statistics, Chemistry (all 5s)</p>
<p>Subjective
* Essays: Main essay talked about my trip to watch sunrise and my realization after that, supplementary essay talk about my childhood and how it made me curious about science. Generally they are acceptable essays, not very fantastic in my opinion
* Teacher Recs: Very very good
* Counselor Rec: Very good
* Supplementary Material: Letter of recommendation from research professor, published research paper on Applied Physics B
* Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize):</p>
<p>Personal
* Location: Singapore
* High School Type: Magnet Math and Science Public
* Ethnicity: Chinese
* Gender Female </p>
<p>Other
* Extracurriculars: Astronomy Club, School Orchestra, Student Council
* Awards: ISEF 1st award, International Physics Olympiad Silver Award (and a bunch of others not so significant ones)</p>
<p>Yes, I heard Philip Streich got one. You can google him to see why.</p>
<p>^ I googled him and damn he’s smart. Though Idk how he even comes up with something like that.</p>
<p>He is the kind of person everyone jokes one needs to be like in order to get in to Harvard.</p>
<p>he’s not human, he’s an alien from another dimension</p>
<p>Well, this guy is a foot in at whatever university he applies to.</p>
<p>How did you come up with your idea for ISEF?</p>
<p>Last spring, I had been working on polymer research with Dr. James Hamilton at the University of Wisconsin Platteville when I wondered whether there was a project I could do on my own, possibly for ISEF. Dr. Hamilton had been discussing looking into nanotube solubility with Dr. Jonathan Coleman at Trinity College Dublin and suggested I use a technique called dynamic light scattering to determine solubility. On my own, however, I realized this was not the correct approach since dynamic light scattering essentially only tells you particle size information, and nothing related to solubility. After looking through research papers, textbooks, and the internet, I figured out that a different method called static light scattering was the way to determine that carbon nanotubes are soluble.</p>
<p>Did you mentor with anyone for your project and if so, how long did it take and how old were you when you started it?</p>
<p>Yes. I started working with Dr. James Hamilton at the University of Wisconsin Platteville last spring, when I was 15 and I’ve been working with him ever since. He is a remarkable person who has generously given his time to guide me and support any ideas I’ve had.</p>
<p>What level of math and science were you learning at 14?</p>
<p>I was taking general university-level courses in chemistry and physics at the University of Wisconsin Platteville, and I was learning calculus.</p>
<p>Here’s the rest: [Cogito</a> - Cogito Interview: Philip Streich, Intel Foundation Young Scientist Awardee](<a href=“http://www.cogito.org/Interviews/InterviewsDetail.aspx?ContentID=16697]Cogito”>http://www.cogito.org/Interviews/InterviewsDetail.aspx?ContentID=16697)</p>
<p>The ISEF competition winners lose a LOT of their lustre when you look at their opportunities.
Google them; high tuition/high funded schools (sometimes both), proximity to renowned research universities, HEAVY levels of oversight and mentoring from leaders in the field. Google their schools, and drool over the course offerings. Philip isn’t an exception in that he was home schooled; He got to focus solely on what he loved from an early age, and saturate himself with it at a university level - from an early age.</p>
<p>To a student in no proximity of a university, whose schooling offers nothing further than a scanty selection of advanced classes let alone APs, and whose time has had to go towards subject not particularly interesting to them, (and perhaps also a job or two, in addition to ECs), the ISEF competition is particularly cruel.</p>
<p>I’m not saying this isn’t impressive. It’s incredibly impressive, humbling, and ultimately fantastically useful! </p>
<p>They are as impressive as their environment.</p>
<p>Wow, he puts CCers to shame.</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>I’m sure with unlimited resources you could further your research as well? :D</p>
<p>No2Eula is correct in his assessment. Extremely impressive. However, if he had done this with only the oversight of a high school chem/phys teacher, then I would be blown away. At most of these academic competitions, the same rules apply. Science fairs, model un, etc. Students and schools with the best resources win.</p>
<p>With an infinite supply of resources I could indubitably extend anything I wanted to an infinite degree. (anything, lol 
)</p>
<p>I’m fortunate that my parent’s resources can currently pay for me to take maths at a university; but I am 18 and haven’t yet taken a proper Analysis class. Having downloaded as much Math55/other materials as possible, this summer, I’m essentially going to have to play catch up with literally thousands of other students, many much younger than I am.</p>
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<p>Don’t remind me. I started on my project for Intel/Siemen’s which was going to study how the type of polarization affects the rate of anisotropy but ran out of money.</p>
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<p>Heck I wish I had this. When I asked my physics teacher for help with my project he gave me three books (college level textbooks) and said the information is in there and I just had to teach it to myself. Though i did appreciate the fact that I didn’t have to buy the books for a change.</p>
<p>^ I don’t usually buy my books.</p>
<p>Most schools will have a DC++ community you can leach from.</p>
<p>One one hand, I like to think I’m rebelling against publishers that simply rework books to put out new editions at inflated prices (So, I bought with money the Rudin family, but I stole with the internet several physics texts)</p>
<p>But on the other hand - I’m cheap.</p>