Official Harvard EA Decisions - Class of 2010

<p>apfreak, what happened with you? did you get deferred, too?</p>

<p>Yeah....with a 1220 :)....they must have seen something interesting in me. My scores are from years ago. I will retest to get around a 1300 and I MAY get in from there. I mean seriously...deferred with a 1220...most people are deferred with 1500s... I am a bit shocked!!</p>

<p>prpltrmpt, if you were takling to me, I am President/Founder of Science Research Club, President of Spanish Honor Society, VP of Speech and Debate, VP of NHS, and I have a black belt in karate (9 years).</p>

<p>I'M waiting for anybody with low stats to get in for some inspiration!</p>

<p>*Accepted *</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I: 2310
[</em>] SAT IIs: Math IIc-800 Bio-M-790 US Hist-790
[<em>] ACT
[</em>] GPA:4.4 cum (?)
[<em>] Rank:3
[</em>] Other stats:blah
4 leadership positions three clubs, most notable is drum major of 170+ band, fundraising coordinator, Animal Rescue Adoption Program launch coordinator with chairman of the board and vice president, etc.
[/ul][ b]Subjective:[ list]
[<em>] Essays:Ahahah my AP Eng teacher gave us an article about what not to write about for college so I picked the one on the top of the list cuz I was being a dork: I wrote about the meaning of life and McDonald's and it was just weird...
[</em>] Teacher Recs:Dunno.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Probably decent
[</em>] Hook (if any): Fantastic interview? I LOVED my TWO INTERVIEWERS! Father and son both went to Harvard!
[/list]
Location/Person:[ list] Northern CA (yay bay area!)
[<em>] State or Country:CA
[</em>] School Type:public
[<em>] Ethnicity: CHINESE (I'm sure that...helped)
[</em>] Gender:female
[<em>] Perceived Strengths/Weaknesses:too shocked. Thought I would be deferred
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: Had to be just personality in the interview. I really am interested in improving the social life and learning to improve my own social life
[/list]
Other Factors:**
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations,etc:</p>

<p>Congratulations to everyone who got in!!! And I'm sure many who were deferred will get in during RD!! <em>sends cookies and holiday treats</em> I'm still terrified they got the wrong person and sent the acceptance to me when it was a diff person with the same name they want. I think I'll call tomorrow to make sure...heee :) And sorry if the format is messed up. I'm computer challenged.</p>

<p>you know what? i am really getting sick of seeing all this...why in the world would AWESOME students like zogoto be deferred? i seriously cannot believe my eyes. i had to scroll up like five times (seriously) to make sure i read his/her decision correctly. i have been hearing about how unexpected college admissions really is, and now, i am thoroughly convinced it is true. i cannot believe this. most of us should have been accepted. it is our dream to go to harvard. we are dedicated people. i seriously spent hours on this site trying to find ways to improve myself. the last three and a half years of my life in high school have been spent studying and busting my a** to get to where i am today...many, many, many long nights.but you know what, i don't care...we should not care. wherever we go, we will be successful. it is very simple. harvard is simply missing out on some awesome people. </p>

<p>congrats to all the accepted students. you guys obviously have that spark that caught their eye. you really should be pretty damn proud of yourself.</p>

<p>Decision: Deferred!</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
SAT I:2250 (770V/ 760M/ 720W)
SAT IIs: Biology M 730 Math IIC 770 French Reading 740</p>

<p>GPA:3.7 uw
Rank:school doesn't rank
Other stats: AP French 4, AP Calc BC 4</p>

<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
Essays: I thought one of them was really good, the other one was ok
Teacher Recs: one amazing, one decent
Counselor Rec: good
Hook (if any): well-roundedness... multiple interests
[list]Location/Person:[/ul]
State or Country: CT, Russia originally
School Type: private... very competitive and hard-grading
Ethnicity: russian
Gender: male
Perceived Strengths/Weaknesses: weak scores, but many things I'm good at
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: I personally think it's the scores</p>

<p>[/list]
Other Factors: Um. Very hard school. Good ECs, I thought.
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations,etc: Congrats to all who made it. I get to wait till April to get my rejection letter.</p>

<p>DHA - You are going to do amazing things. I saw your post about your rejection just as I was receiving news of another person getting in (who is crazy crazy rich and...)... as a fellow poor kid, it just stings even more seeing something like this happen... because people like you deserve it more...</p>

<p>I am so sorry... I hope you get in everywhere else w/ full rides. You deserve it.</p>

<p>On another note - I wish everyone good luck with your other apps if you have been deferred/rejected, and congrats to those accepted.</p>

<p>Looks like I'll be sending off my Stanford app just in time for the deadline tomorrow...</p>

<p>*Decision: deferred *</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I: 770CR 770M 700W
[</em>] SAT IIs: 790 WH 710 USH 670 Math1
[<em>] ACT
[</em>] GPA:4.24
[<em>] Rank: 5 out of 230
[</em>] Other stats: national merit semifinalist</p>

<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Essays: the teacher who proofread it asked if he could put it up in front of all of his other classes. "best they've ever read" blah blah blah meaningless
[</em>] Teacher Recs: i thought they were really good..."shows incredible growth...amazed by his talent in writing....blah blah blah" not as good as I thought apparently
[<em>] Counselor Rec: top 5%s
[</em>] Hook (if any): really low income (thanks for the boost, Harvard low income initiative) and state/national level in rudimental drumming/ drum corps
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[<em>] State or Country: PA
[</em>] School Type: Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: White
[</em>] Gender:M
[<em>] Perceived Strengths/Weaknesses: writing sat was way below what i expected
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: poor white kid from a state they probably got a load of apps from. no legacy. hey at least i can say that i might be the rejection that puts Harv over Yale in the U.S. News Rankings!</p>

<p>[/ul]Other Factors:
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations,etc:</p>

<p>Although I was mainly a "lurker" on the boards, thanks to everyone for your posts and such over the EA ordeal. Hey, at least I didn't pay thousands of dollars for a counseling service and get deferred anyway, and there's always Harvard Law har har har. If you were good enough to apply to harvard ea then you'll probably end up going to some other kid's dream school, so don't despair.</p>

<p>I seriously cannot believe zogoto was deferred. He has so many things that I tried to achieve but somehow fell short. RSI, Siemens regionals, ISEF, AIME...</p>

<p>Perhaps in the end they are just trying to teach you a life lesson, zogoto, (a cruel one, no doubt) and will invariably, incontrovertibly, admit you for regular action.</p>

<p>most siemens national finalists were deferred as well...</p>

<p>Decision: ACCEPTED </p>

<p>STATS:
SAT I: 2230 - 790w/730cr/710m
SAT IIs: 800, 720, 720
ACT- n/a
GPA: 3.72 (unweighted)
Rank: n/a
Other stats: 4 APs (4 on all 4), 3 APs pending</p>

<p>SUBJECTIVE:
Essay: very strong
Teacher Recs: very strong
Counselor Rec: very strong ("one of best in class this year")
ECs: varsity swimmer, flutist, independent research (Intel, Y.E.S., W!SE)
Hook: legacy, URM</p>

<p>LOCATION/PERSON:
State or Country: New York
School Type: NYC specialized high school
Ethnicity: Black
Gender: Female</p>

<p>General Comments/Congratulations, etc: Congratulations to all who were accepted, and to those who were deferred, GOOD LUCK!! I'll keep my fingers crossed.</p>

<p>*Decision: Accepted *</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I: 730 V, 720 M, 690 W
[</em>] SAT IIs: 750, 730, 660
[<em>] GPA: 3.66
[</em>] Rank: school doesn't rank
[<em>] Other stats: National Merit Commended Student
[/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: my best effort
[<em>] Teacher Recs: as good as any rec could be
[</em>] Counselor Rec: same as teacher recs
[<em>] Hook (if any): 4 years of Chinese, 6 years of Latin, 2 years of Ancient Greek, future Marine Corps officer, League All-Star in track, classic "well-rounded" applicant
[/ul]
Location/Person:[ul]
[</em>] State or Country: Boston, MA
[<em>] School Type: "Exam" school - Public, but there is an entrance exam
[</em>] Ethnicity: Irish!
[<em>] Gender: female
[</em>] Perceived Strengths/Weaknesses: strengths: ECs, goals, variety in accomplishments. weakness: GPA
[li] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: wanting to major in Classics, and mostly because i've tried everything and taken on leadership positions in almost everything[/li][/ul]
Other Factors:
Senior Class president, Student Council president, Captain of indoor and outdoor track teams, one of only 2 females on the boys golf team, concert band, declamation, Chair GBRSAC, SSAC, anchor on morning news, dance (ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, pointe, Irish Step), prom committee, etc....numerous science fair awards and Latin/Greek awards
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations,etc:
if i decide to attend harvard, i'll be doing NROTC - Marine Corps option; sweet deal!</p>

<p>good luck to everyone deferred and those applying regular!</p>

<p>-shawna</p>

<p>*Decision: Deferred *</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] Fee Waiver Used?: Yes
[</em>] SAT I (by section): 600M, 680V, 710W
[<em>] SAT IIs: 800 Spanish, 740 French, 720 US History, 580 World History, 570 Eng. Lit
[</em>] ACT: 24 (I took it on a whim. I was used to the SAT format… eh… my essay was good though)
[<em>] APs: Spanish Language 5; US History 5; Psychology 5; French Literature 3; World History 3, English Lit 2
[</em>] IBs: --
[<em>] GPA, Weighted and Unweighted: (my school doesn’t weight GPAs); 96.4 (out of 100) converts to a 4.0 at my school (unweighted)
[</em>] Rank: Top 5% (no specific rank)
[<em>] Senior Yr Courseload: AP Biology, AP Physics B, You & the Law, AP English Lang. & Comp, AP Calculus AB, AP French, Independent study of AP Italian, Independent study of Economics
[</em>] Number of Apps from Your School: I was the only one crazy enough :D
[<em>] Other stats: Using Harvard’s (S)peak, (R)ead, (W)rite system for language fluency: English – S,R,W; Spanish – S,R,W; French – S,R,W; Italian – S, R, W; Portuguese – R; Foreign Language Dept. Award (at my H.S., when I was sophomore.. even though Dept. awards are traditionally only awarded to graduating seniors – so I was the first and only underclassman in my school’s history to win one); AP Scholar with Distinction; Voted “Most Likely To Win An Oscar” by my senior class (superlative) – for my acting
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] ECs listed on app: Mock Trial Club (Student Attorney & Lead witness – 10 hrs/wk; 20 wks/yr); Drama Club (Lead roles in musicals – 15 hrs/wk; 11 wks/yr); Spanish Club (President & Heritage Committee Leader – 3 hrs/wk; 40 wks/yr); Spanish/French Honor Societies (President; Ad. Committee Leader – 6 hrs/wl; 40 wks/yr); Varsity Men’s Tennis (10 hrs/wk; 18 wks/yr); Robotics Club (Fundraising Liaison w/ Student Gov’t – 15 hrs/wk; 18 wks/yr); T.A.S.K. (Teachers And Students Keystone: Founder of Student Court System – 5 hrs/wk; 40 wks/yr)
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Dish washing (12 hrs/wk for 5 months, freshman year); Sanitation for the Dietary Dept. at hospital ( 40 hrs/wk summer job: 2 months – summer leading into junior year); Promoted to Passing Food Trays at the same hospital (20 hrs/wk for 2 months during junior year); Tutoring Elementary School child in math (2 hrs/wk – still tutoring – it’s been over a year now); Sanitation for the Dietary Dept. at a different hospital (20 hrs/wk – currently working)
[</em>] Essays (subject and responses): Common App essay – Topic 5 on diversity. I wrote about a friend and peer in my senior class who was killed in a tragic car accident and about how her example (while alive and after her death) has impacted not only me, but my whole community and has showed me the meaning of diversity – VERY touching essay: it brought tears to everyone I showed it to – it was also well written and had a unique style; Additional essay – I wrote mainly on identity – Being Colombian, having two cultures (Colombian and American) being gay, and all of the implications that these have had on my life up to the present – I was able to write about how paradoxical it is that I LOVE to act (on stage, in musicals), yet that it is killing me to be in the closet and act like something I’m not around those who I love – while no one else read this essay, I feel it was very personal and strong (very introspective and gave an impression of maturity).
[<em>] Teacher Recs: One: GLOWING (an English teacher that I had for 2 years: in Honors 11 English and in AP English Lit) – She wrote about my strong drive, haha, how I was the only one who gave her a carefully detailed 4 page letter AND my ec’s/honors/awards info for her to write me a recommendation – she called me a RENAISSANCE MAN in reference to my well roundedness (and special talents w/ the foreign languages, history, etc.) – she confirmed that whether I’m on the courts (playing tennis), in the court (mock trial), or on stage (Drama) that I’m a home: natural talents; 2nd letter: Good-bordering-on-Strong – from AP US History teacher and Student Gov’t advisor – he attested to my passion for the subject – I was determined to score a 5 and turned out being the only one in my school to do so – he attested to my driven involvement in in-class discussions, debates, and trials (and how I was the head and shoulders of the class - I supported all my peers) – he also wrote about how I ran for school office in 9th, 10th, and 11th grades and lost all three years but that I would have made a commendable gov’t leader if my peers had only given me a chance – it was a short but to the point letter – he ended w/ me being the type of student teachers wish for each September
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Amazing! She called me a consummate professional, a brilliant young man – she remarked that everything I do, I do w/ flair – she referred to my feat w/ the foreign language curriculum in my school (mastering 3 foreign languages in one year) – anyone could tell that her writing was very heartfelt and genuine!
[<em>] Interview (feel and general location): Stony Brook University; EXCELLENT – it lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes (MUCH longer than it should have) – the interviewer and I had so many deep things to talk about – we got into fascinating discussions about French Literature (Candide in particular) and about Illegal Immigration into the U.S. – he was utterly impressed by my academic caliber (especially at my initiative to study independently for many courses – designing my own curricula); he was impressed w/ my language talents (and especially at my fluency in English, believe it or not) – I had a strong feeling that my interview would be helpful in admissions
[</em>] Hook (if any): Poor family, URM (Hispanic – more specifically: Colombian), gay,
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[<em>] State or Country: NY
[</em>] School Type, Average Stats of School (if available): Public school; Not sure about SAT/ACT averages; Ethnic makeup – 81% white; 12% Hispanic; 4% Asian/Pacific Islander; 2% African American; <1% American Indian
[<em>] Ethnicity: Hispanic
[</em>] Income Bracket: lower middle class - poor
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Strengths/Weaknesses: Strengths - Strong leadership; Involvement in many ec’s of different types; Passion for certain clubs & further develop my talents; Foreign language fluency; Strong Academics; Devotion to Community Service; course load; several great standardized test results (APs, SAT IIs). Weaknesses – Decent but not impressive SAT scores; EC involvement is not nationally renowned (only slight involvement on the NY state level but most was in my own community).
[li] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: (See weaknesses above); I was probably a strong applicant and on par with those at the top (in many but not all respects), but perhaps due to my weakness I was not accepted. I don’t feel that I would have gotten rejected (at least not in this round) due to my strengths, hooks, and many other positive seemingly positive factors.[/li][/ul]Other Factors: --
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations,etc: I’m just relieved that it wasn’t a rejection! I’m happy to still be in consideration and I hope to submit some new info to update my app in order to make it stronger. Congratulations to all of you who were accepted. Congratulations are in order for all of us! We all applied to Harvard! We’re either insane or courageous, but we all got through the process! For those of us who got deferred, I can only say: hang in there. Don’t give up. Apply to your RA/RD schools but don’t forget that you’re still in the running – no matter how slim the chances may seem! For my fellow EAers who were rejected, I’m very sorry. We are all handworkers and a rejection must be very disheartening! For everyone who got deferred/rejected: bigger and better things are ahead! Harvard is not the “end all and be all” in this world – there are plenty of other GREAT schools – schools were you may very well thrive much better than at Harvard. Take care everyone, and good luck to you all in your future college endeavors…. whether they be at Harvard or elsewhere!
-Jon :)
</p>

<p>I like all the encouraging words on CC! This is why I come to this site! Thanks everyone! I especially liked jcr's PM. </p>

<p>I do not bear any anger towards Harvard. Harvard does not make mistakes in admissions. They have a bigger adcom than any other college and pick the best kids. I do not believe I'm actually "meant" to go there but they just overlooked me. </p>

<p>Does anyone have any clue what I may have been rejected for? I have to cover any holes in my other applications (which I am now just starting...)</p>

<p>And dualityim, although your words are reassuring, I remember saying the same thing to staticsoliloquy who was not only from RSI, but also socioeconomically disadvantaged, and he was also rejected in the regular round.</p>

<p>DEFERRED:</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I: 1500
[</em>] SAT IIs:630, 720,720
[<em>] GPA:4.4 W, 3.8 UW
[</em>] Rank:15/489
[li] Other: national merit commended, NHS, 5 on all AP tests, founder and leader of many clubs...</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>]Essays:supposedly excellent and humorous
[</em>]Teacher Recs:top of careers
[<em>]Counselor Rec: top of her career
[</em>]Hook (if any): big environmentalist/animal rights activist. Produced and hosted talk show on animal rights for local TV station. Traveled to Ecuador to volunteer on ecological reserve. not amazing</p>

<p>[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[<em>]State or Country: Connecticut
[</em>]School Type:Public
[<em>]Ethnicity: Asian
[</em>]Gender:Female
[<em>]Perceived Strengths/Weaknesses:Low stats, good essays and recommendations
[</em>]Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied:Not strong enough academically, interview was shaky?</p>

<p>[/ul]Other Factors:
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations,etc: I sort of expected this since my scores were so low. Congrats to everyone who got accepted and for those who did not, don't worry, you will end up in your perfect school!!!</p>

<p>this thread sickens me... i cant believe so many amazing people got deferred.</p>

<p>*Decision: DEFERRED *</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I:780 M 760 CR 710 W
[</em>] SAT IIs:730 Math IIC 730 US History 720 Chemistry
[<em>] ACT none
[</em>] GPA:3.96 UW 4.63 W
[<em>] Rank:14/379
[</em>] Other stats: 5s on AP Lang and US History, 4 on Calc AB
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Essays:I thought it was pretty good
[</em>] Teacher Recs:Good
[<em>] Counselor Rec:Good i'm assuming
[</em>] Hook (if any):errr
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[<em>] State or Country:MD
[</em>] School Type:Competitive public (last year we had acceptances from: Harvard (2), MIT (5), Stanford (6) and other top schools)
[<em>] Ethnicity:Korean
[</em>] Gender:Male
[<em>] Perceived Strengths/Weaknesses: Dunno/Weak SAT IIs, weak class rank, not rigorous enough courseload jr. year
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied:I don't stand out...
[/ul]Other Factors: Did not submit optional essay, 5 APs sr. year 4.0 first quarter
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations,etc:
Oh well, there's still a chance for RD and if not, tomorrow's a new day!</p>

<p>*Decision: Accepted *</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I: 800 M 800 CR 800W
[</em>] SAT IIs: 800 Math IIC 800 Chem 800 Physics 800 US History
[<em>] ACT: Never took it
[</em>] GPA: I don't know what it is
[<em>] Rank: Unsure
[</em>] Other stats: Not sure
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Essays: Good
[</em>] Teacher Recs: Good
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Good
[</em>] Hook (if any): Not asian
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[<em>] State or Country: USA
[</em>] School Type: Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: White
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Perceived Strengths/Weaknesses: I wield a large blade and I can cast Supernova? (couldn't resist) Seriously, scores helped. My essays could have been better.
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: Unsure
[/ul]Other Factors:
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations,etc: Congrats everyone!</p>