<p>So my friend who is half puerto rican got invited by Harvard to have an interview with an admissions officer, because he is half hispanic. His SATs aren't too stellar (2000-2100) and he's mostly in regular, not honors/ap classes. So is Harvard serious when it does these things or is it just trying to boost its minority application rate? If it's serious, is being hispanic enough to make up for the sub-par scores, average courseload and no exceptional ECs? I don't want him to get his hopes up and then get crushed in April. Thanks...</p>
<p>Sorry, frizle, but your story sounds disingenuous. Has your “friend” applied yet?</p>
<p>Not yet, because the deadline for RD is 01/01. When he told me, I wasn’t too credulous either, because he didn’t get invited by, say, Yale or Princeton or Columbia. Assuming it’s true, however, what are your thoughts?</p>
<p>bump. someone must know…</p>
<p>Bumpppppppppppppppppp</p>
<p>At most, he’ll get waitlisted for a long time and ultimately rejected.</p>
<p>I know a number far worthier Hispanic students with strong grades, respectable SAT scores, and unique life experiences who’ve gone through the college admissions process. Your friend can expect an Ivy League school or a top university, but not Harvard, Yale, Princeton, or Stanford.</p>
<p>Harvard is serious about recruiting URMs, but just because a student has an interview or is otherwise recruited doesn’t mean they are in. Puerto Ricans and Mexican-Americans are the most underrepresented of Hispanics. If your friend is first gen college, is low income, has major responsibilities at home or has faced other challenges, your friend might be admitted to Harvard. The interview would be used to put his academic and EC achievements into context. When it comes to Harvard, however, no one should get their hopes up since most people --no matter how stellar they are – will be rejected.</p>