Official Harvard RD 2016 Applicants' Discussion Thread

<p>Where did you guys see the Feb. 1 due date for CSS Profile? I thought I saw March 1 on the website. Can someone please clarify? Perhaps send the link where you saw it?</p>

<p>I am so confused too.
On one site it says financial aid deadline in March 1st. which I had written down until I read this forum today.
And then I checked a more specific site in the FA office, and it says the CSS Profile was due on February 1st. I emailed them. So we’ll see.
I hope I can believe what superkelpie said.
gosh i’m freaking out.</p>

<p>Financial aid is really flexible. I’ve heard of people being late for months for financial aid and still getting considered so a few days is nothing to worry about :)</p>

<p>^hershey00, will the financial aid info be included in the hopefully acceptance letter even if u turned in financial aid a few days late?</p>

<p>No, I’d assume at this point they’re still processing the huge amount of paperwork that’s been sent in so yours will probably just get filed along with everyone else’s from before the deadline</p>

<p>I’m just scared I’ll get put into an auto-reject pile…</p>

<p>Harvard is need-blind, which means that your application will be viewed by people who have not seen your financial aid application. No need to worry :)</p>

<p>I just got a likely letter (non-athlete, Australian).
Anyone else get one too?</p>

<p>^no but what was your stats, if you don’t mind me asking? XD</p>

<p>Academics:
*ACT - English: 32 Math: 35 Reading: 36 Science: 36 Writing: 9 Composite: 35 (First and only attempt, English and Writing were a challenge as I didn’t learn grammar or persuasive writing in High School)
*SAT Subject Tests - Math II: 800 Chemistry: 800 Physics: 780 (First and only attempt, self-taught as I sat this just after starting my Senior year)
*Valedictorian National Percentile: 99.90 and GPA: 4.0</p>

<p>Awards/Honours
*Robocup Junior Australia National Champions, State Champions (3x)
*Australian Chemistry Olympiad Qualifying Exam - 4th Place
*Australian Physics Olympiad Qualifying Exam - 11th Place
*National Chemistry Quiz - Certificate of Excellence (100%)
*Special Course Award in Computer Science (Top score in state, taken as an accelerated Junior).
*Australian Computational Linguistic Olympiad - Gold Medal
*High School Honours (highest award that can be given at my school, is given as rarely as once in 5 years)
*Full Academic High School Scholarship
*High School Musical Tuition Scholarship</p>

<p>ECs:
*Robotics Team Member (5 Years)
*Robotics Team Mentor (3 Years)
*Interschool Debating Team Member (4 Years)
*Interschool Chess Team (5 Years)
*Various volunteer work with charities (5 years)
*Student Council House Captain
*Various orchestral and ensemble involvement (8 Years, Cello)
*Interschool Ultimate Frisbee Captain (1 Year)
*Interschool European Handball Member (2 Years)</p>

<p>I’m not sure how much my stats will make sense to you as I’m an international student, but take from them what you will. ECs in particular will be a bit difficult to understand, but rest assured that I’ve taken basically every opportunity that has been available to me (I like keeping busy). My school has never sent anyone to an American college before and I don’t know of anyone from my state that has gone to an Ivy League college as a non-athlete (and neither does my local US consulate). I have barely received any advice or mentoring (apart from what I can get on CC), and have had to do all the necessary research and preparation for my applications on my own. </p>

<p>To be honest, when I look at other CCers stats I am amazed that I got in at all, let alone via likely letter…</p>

<p>well, i applied to economics so im not sure if its fine</p>

<p>got deferred EA…does this mean my chances are even worse in the RD pool? damn</p>

<p>Nah, all the literature I’ve read suggests that EA-deferred applicants’ chances in the RD round are about the same as RD applicants’.
Though, it’s possible you might have a slight advantage since you did take the step to apply SCEA, implying Harvard is your first choice school… so, all things considered, if the adcom had two identical applications in front of them, with the only difference being that one was deferred SCEA, they would probably accept that one.</p>

<p>@HighOracle, Good on ya Mate! Those credentials are impressive. Being from Down Under, I am sure, just may have caught the attention of the AdCom. Start packing your bags and get ready for back to back Fall season.</p>

<p>Academics:</p>

<p>ACT Composite: 34 Math: 34 Science: 34 English: 33 Reading: 33 Writing and English: 34
SAT (submitted with ACT): Verbal: 710 Math: 640 Writing: 700
Sat II: 780-Chemistry 750-US History 640-MathIi
GPA: 5.0 weighted/4.0
Rank: 1, Valedictorian</p>

<p>Awards/Honors:
Rotary Youth Leadership Award
QuestBridge College Prep Scholarship
Student of the Month
Employee of the Month
Academic Decathlon- Highest Individual Score in County, 10 gold medals, 3rd place team, qualified for state
Chemistry Olympiad Finalist
Elks National Foundation Finalist
Gates Finalist
Mensa</p>

<p>ECs:
American Cancer Society (Raised 11,000 at my school, $70000 as a community; I was very high up in the Relay for Life City Committee)
Worked at a Restaurant since Sophomore year
Hospital Volunteer
Invisible Children’s Club
Academic Decathlon
Constitution Quiz
Debate
Pre-Med Club
1800 community service hours</p>

<p>Essays:
10/10. They mentioned them.</p>

<p>Interview: Great. He said my personality fit Harvard and gave me a high-five for my personal statement</p>

<p>Teacher Recs: excellent
Counselor Rec: Above Average
Additional Rec: from American Cancer Society Manager</p>

<p>I also received a likely letter from Columbia University. The Ivy Leagues are a crapshoot though; I’ve met smarter kids who were rejected. Oh, we’ll. They picked me :p</p>

<p>Congratulations.
How did you find out this? Did they call you? If they gave you an email you can contact with, can you write it to me in pm? Please, help :).</p>

<p>They called me.</p>

<p>Chunkliver53,</p>

<p>minus your perfect GPA, I have extremely similar stats to you…I shouldn’t get my hopes but I’m glad you got in!</p>

<p>Hey guys…</p>

<p>I was wondering something.</p>

<p>If somehow, purely hypothetically, I got in, would I have to report my IB scores to Harvard? I know the final report should be submitted, but does Harvard really care about our final IB grades or not really? Assume that I don’t want Advanced Standing or any credit for courses taken in high school.</p>

<p>I have heard that AP senior year scores are not requested and that you can even “forget” to take the AP exams, so I was wondering about the case with the IB.</p>

<p>PS: I am not considering at all the option of not sitting the IB exams because I have worked my butt off the last two years, so I have no intention of bombing it all at the end. :)</p>

<p>IB Scores can be reported for advancement in certain classes, iirc. I think they only take 7’s on HL courses, though.</p>