Official Harvard EA Decisions - Class of 2010

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
181

<p>It seems to me that all the admits were not your 'average' valedectorians with high scores and boring EC's like orchestra and debate. The people who got admitted had EC's that might be considered 'hot' (quoting Paris Hilton). This means that marketing does help, and there is a reason why consultants demanding $10,000 are in business. It works.</p>

<p>In this age people become celebrity for doing things that are outlandish, but completely worthless. That constant message from society influences everyone including Harvard Adcoms. They choose people with 'sexy' backgrounds.</p>

<p>There was a study recently that claimed that smart hardworking people would be successful irrespective of the college they went to. Ivy league education only seemed to help the middling or lower spectrum of its graduate where the Ivy league name helped. </p>

<p>People who are intelligent, and passionate about their work will be successful wherever they go.</p>

182

<p>I got deferred...<em>sigh</em> maybe because I was the only one from Jordan! Who knows?</p>

183

<p>Bear in mind that 91 of the "applications received" were either incomplete or withdrawn. The actual number of completed SCEA apps was 3,781 apparently. Many colleges likewise report an application number which, like this one, need to be followed by an asterisk. You may not find out the "real" number of apps until the CDS form is filed - if then.</p>

184

<p>"It seems to me that all the admits were not your 'average' valedectorians with high scores and boring EC's like orchestra and debate. The people who got admitted had EC's that might be considered 'hot' (quoting Paris Hilton). This means that marketing does help, and there is a reason why consultants demanding $10,000 are in business. It works."</p>

<p>That's exactly right. When it comes to choosing from the EA pool, Harvard takes stellar students whom Harvard knows would be accepted after the regular applications come in.</p>

<p>Since Harvard adcoms are interested in choosing a well rounded class from a pool in which 85% of the applicants are outstanding and definitely have the attributes needed for success at Harvard, the adcoms have no need to select EAs with ECs and achievements that are routine in that outstanding pool.</p>

<p>Consequently, students who are outstanding and have passionately and sincerely pursued paths that are unusual are more likely to get in EA. Harvard is flooded with applicants who have 800s in math, plan to be doctors, and have gotten national and state awards in math and science events. </p>

<p>Harvard also is flooded with applicants who have returned to their immigrant parents' countries and done volunteer work. Also, Harvard gets thousands of applicants who have pursued classical music studies for more than a decade.</p>

<p>Rarer are outstanding applicants whose passion is the humanities or arts (other than piano and violin) and have significant achievements in those areas. "Significant" means achievements above being the lead in their local school play or winning a local art contest.</p>

<p>When it comes to musical achievements, one would truly have to be at the prodigy level to stand out. After all, Yoyo Ma went to Harvard and when he applied was already an internationally renowned musician. That is the kind of achievement that would make an applicant stand out as a musician. Making All State would not.</p>

<p>Marketing is not what gets students in. Harvard adcoms and alum interviewers hate it when applicants have obviously been packaged. Despite what people on CC think, one can not fake intellectual passion or a passion for an EC. Demonstrated passion goes far beyond doing what it takes to get to Harvard.</p>

<p>People who have intellectual or EC passion are not spending their time on CC trying to figure out what to do to get into Harvard. They are not posting chances posts over and over.</p>

<p>The one EA accept this year from my area (whom I had the pleasure of interviewing!) told me last night that she has never gone to a board like this, and was not obsessing over Harvard's decision.</p>

<p>"I forgot until 2 days ago that the decisions came out this week," she told me. She was busy pursuing her intellectual and EC interests. She wasn't trying to make herself into the kind of person whom Harvard accepts. She was being herself, and her true self happens to be what Harvard looks for.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, there also are EA and regular applicants who have intellectual passion and sincerely and creatively pursued unusual paths, but won't get in. That's for space reasons. Harvard is building a class, and some excellent people who would be marvelous fits for Harvard won't be accepted. Fortunately, there are plenty of other excellent colleges where such students may go and flourish.</p>

185

<p>Very Well Put, NorthStar</p>

<p>This is the very reason that Harvard is known to be number 1 univ. on the earth, and always will be.</p>

186

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<p>At my h.s., we have a lot of immigrants and most of them returned to the mother ship this summer to volunteer. Actually, they went on a family vacation, stayed with relatives and volunteered on the side. But on their college applications, it came across as a volunteer mission.</p>

187

<p>"At my h.s., we have a lot of immigrants and most of them returned to the mother ship this summer to volunteer. Actually, they went on a family vacation, stayed with relatives and volunteered on the side. But on their college applications, it came across as a volunteer mission."</p>

<p>And believe me, Harvard adcoms and interviewers know that those "volunteer experiences" are really vacations to see relatives. Most of those volunteer experiences also are basically fake. The students families arranged for the students to do some make work things with family friends and relatives. They even may have arranged very impressive sounding recommendation letters.</p>

<p>Far more impressive are volunteer experiences that students have created in their own communities out of their own passions.</p>

<p>BTW, it's easy during interviews to tell which kind of volunteer experiences (and ECs for that matter) are real. One can't fake passion, interest or the kind of telling details that indicate that one really did something meaningful (even if what was meaningful affected only one person). </p>

<p>It's important to remember that most students at Harvard are avid volunteers. They do this not to dress up their resumes, but because Harvard deliberately selects students with demonstrated sincere interests in making a difference somehow in the world.</p>

<p>Alum interviewers are the same way. Indeed, that's why they bother being alum interviewers, a basically thankless volunteer position that involves more work than most applicants can imagine. Consequently, the interviewers can smell fake volunteer work a mile away.</p>

188

<p>Posts by Northstarmom:</p>

<p>"Consequently, students who are outstanding and have passionately and sincerely pursued paths that are unusual are more likely to get in EA. Harvard is flooded with applicants who have 800s in math, plan to be doctors, and have gotten national and state awards in math and science events"</p>

<p>"Rarer are outstanding applicants whose passion is the humanities or arts (other than piano and violin)"</p>

<p>"People who have intellectual or EC passion are not spending their time on CC trying to figure out what to do to get into Harvard. "</p>

<p>"the adcoms have no need to select EAs with ECs and achievements that are routine in that outstanding pool."</p>

<p>"Harvard deliberately selects students with demonstrated sincere interests"</p>

<p>These are practically the same exact things that I've been trying to tell people on CC. Your "1600 SAT score" wont get you in, more likely it will be your "PASSION". This is especially important for asian applicants since many resemble the same "stereotypical" asian applicant who wants to be a doctor and has the same exact EC's: math, math, classical music, piano, violin, math club, a second math club, no athletics, no "unique" activities. And when these students do get rejected they try to blame other people saying "REVERSE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST ASIANS" lol</p>

<p>just look at the passions of many of Harvard's admits, they are so different. That is the same diversity of interests, activities that's present here at Phillips Exeter.</p>

<p>Congrats to all harvard CC admits. You deserved it, no matter what anybody else says.</p>

189

<p>Odd as it may sound, my No. 1 and No. 2 passions evolved from failure and struggle. That is why I am not afraid of being rejected from colleges because I know something else good will come out of it.</p>

190

<p>"People who have intellectual or EC passion are not spending their time on CC trying to figure out what to do to get into Harvard. They are not posting chances posts over and over"</p>

<p>They only start doing that once they graduate. Just kidding.</p>

191

<p>suck a dick vick you're a tool
its my dream to be president and ****in dictator of the world...if im not smart and get a s-hi-tty 2000 and less (like dha) did and not do that much crap, i wont get it.</p>

192

<p>You know what bothers me, some applicants actually applied to Harvard early "Just for fun" and have another college as their first choice. Dont they recognize that "having fun" may deprive other excellent students from a seat at their "First choice" college!!</p>

193

<p>IHS,
Many people who say they applied to Harvard "just for fun" know that odds are they will be rejected and simply don't want others to know that Harvard is their first choice. </p>

<p>Students who really applied just for fun are likely to have blown off their applications and won't get accepted. I sometimes interview such students. They come unprepared and are lackadaisical. They don't get in.</p>

<p>Harvard has the highest yield in the country, and thank goodness that some students reject it because there wouldn't be room there for all accepted students.</p>

194

<p>I absolutely agree with you DiamondT. I'd like to add that applicants, including asians, can still pursue math, science and music if that's their thing. But what's important is that it is truly their PASSION. Are you doing it because you love it and want to influence the world with it for very specific reasons, or are you doing it because that's what your parents told you do and you don't have anything else? There's more to science and music than just working hard towards some boring goal, like perfecting a concerto and learning as many facts as you can stuff in your head and getting 100's on tests. You can approach it in a way such that they are special and unique and particular to YOU. Play violin? Start one of those cool cutting-edge bands that integrates all sorts of instruments (including classical) with new techniques, styles, etc. Like science? Do a research project that actually accomplishes something significant. Or tutor people and adopt a philosophy for it. In fact, develop a philosophy and deeper understanding for all the EC's that you do. What is its purpose, other than to get you into college? How does it help you and others? For example, you might tutor people in math because "you haven't mastered it until you can teach it," or "it's a good way for a person to help people before a professional career in science" Some of your personality and values should be shown in your passion's philosophy. You'd be doing most of this if you're actually an intellectual, which is technically ideal for higher education. </p>

<p>Hopefully you can decipher something from this rant, but I gotta go eat lunch.</p>

195

<p>Decision: **
Deferred
**Stats:[ list]
[<em>] SAT I: 1540 (M: 780, V: 760)
[</em>] SAT IIs: Writing: 790, Math IIC: 800, Physics 800
[<em>] ACT
[</em>] GPA: W: 4.91, UW: 4.00
[<em>] Rank: 1/660
[</em>] Other stats: AP Scores: 5, 5, 5, 4. IB Scores: 7, 6
[/list]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Essays:Pretty good
[</em>] Teacher Recs: superb
[<em>] Counselor Rec: glowing
[</em>] Hook (if any):
[/ul]Location/Person: **[ul]
[<em>] State or Country: Florida
[</em>] School Type: Large
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian-American (India)
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Perceived Strengths/Weaknesses: Strength: I thought my unique passion of table tennis (founding club) would set my apart. . ., Weaknesses: I don't know, I have leadership positions in 2-3 varied activities, and my AI is 236/240
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: No idea
[/ul]Other Factors:**
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations,etc:
Hope I get into Penn now</p>

196

<p>dpanman, I know exactly who you are (I'm from Michigan, too), and I know that you deserve it! Congrats, and I'll see you at MFD or somewhere else! I hope you won the MMPC! (Oh, and I'm getting my decision by mail, or I would post my decision)</p>

197

<p>wt f this school always startles me w. its descisions. usually when ppl say that 'superstars' get deferred, they just mean 4.0, 1550+, w/e. i would consider the tru superstars to b rsi ppl (zogoto) and people who freaking placed 3rd in simens! i dunno, i always believed that there really was some method in the madness, and i suppose there is, i just cant see it.</p>

<p>btw zogoto, last year i remember thinking that if anyone deferred would get in regular, it would be static. i am still wondering about that sh it</p>

198

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I: M: 800 CR:770 W:700
[</em>] SAT IIs: MathII:800 Physics:800 Chemistry:800
[<em>] ACT: N/A
[</em>] GPA: N/A (No GPA’s in Canada, but my average is 98%)
[<em>] Rank: 1/350
[</em>] EC: President of math club; vice president of robotics team; violinist in school symphony; piano (grade 10 certificate); badminton team member; writer for school newspaper; math tutor
[<em>] AP: none (school does not offer AP’s)
[</em>] Other stats: tied 3rd in USAMO; silver in IMO (representing Canada); 4th in a Canadian National Physics Competition; 1st in a Canadian National Engineering Competition; other random contest awards.</p>

<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Essays: Good, I think
[</em>] Teacher Recs: Should have been good
[<em>] Counselor Rec: No idea
[</em>] Hook (if any): 3rd in USAMO?
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[<em>] State or Country: Canada
[</em>] School Type: Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: Chinese
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Perceived Strengths/Weaknesses:
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: too many Chinese math/piano type at Harvard? EC’s not stellar? No volunteer/work experience?
[/ul]Other Factors:
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations,etc:
Congratulations to all who got accepted. Good luck in April to all who got deferred. Remember, the college admission process is highly dependent on luck, so if you got deferred, don’t take this as a put down to your personal worth. There are many good schools out there, like Stanford, Princeton, MIT, [ insert other good schools]. (Come to think of it, must go finish my Stanford essays.)</p>

199

<p>Silver in IMO? I bet if you got the Gold you'd be in....jk</p>

<p>GOod job regardless of the deferral...</p>

<p>That goes for everyone on this board.</p>

200

<p>With all due respect to Harvard, it may NOT be the best place for many many amazing people.</p>