<p>Yeah, I’m pretty freaked out because of the Columbia thread. My friends who applied to Dartmouth and Purdue are getting their results tomorrow, and the Stanford ppl might get theirs too! I’m jealous…</p>
<p>So, to get y’alls mind off of those schools, what are some things that everybody thinks makes their application stand out? Anybody have unique essays, stellar ECs, or great scores?</p>
<p>Does Harvard take in unhooked ppl in early round… </p>
<p>such a dumb Q i know, it would be nice if some anyone w/ credential would like to answer it, thx</p>
<p>I have been hitting up the the Columbia decisions thread as well…it reminds me how random the entire process can be…but it is slightly reassuring that where one student may lack, s/he may excel in other areas. I am just trying to take one day at a time!</p>
<p>I think one of the things that makes my application stand out is my location–a URM from rural Georgia where no one has ever applied before. Also, I am happy with my essays and ECs. </p>
<p>I have been passing the time of no homework and waiting for the decision by watching endless amounts of MTV–Ridiculousness or Awkward. anyone??? :)</p>
<p>^I wish. I had good scores, but I’m Asian. I have a lot of leadership and have really tried at school, but I don’t have a real focus. I wrote about a pretty unique topic and I liked my essays, but that doesn’t mean the admissions counselors will like them. </p>
<p>All in all, I’m a pretty standard Asian applicant. Hopefully they need some regular Asians too. 
I mean, they’re a stereotype because of something or the other right?</p>
<p>/end Self-pity.</p>
<p>Sigh… I try to pep-talk myself into believing in the application elements that ‘set me apart’, but at times I hardly think that they do. For me, the hook would be a glut of national/international honors. I’ve won two national scholarships from the Department of State, and was the first student in the US to receive an NROTC scholarship to the Harvard/MIT detachment for the coming school year. I just won a place in a Stanford correspondence course on Japanese Studies. I’ve had a strong collection of long-term leadership positions at school. On the surface, I shouldn’t be worried. My parents, my teachers, even my interviewer; all were almost comically optimistic on my behalf.
But here’s the clincher- I really don’t think any of that will be enough. Seriously. I was a varsity athlete, a class president- my scores are up to snuff, my coursework was difficult, I picked up the obligatory National Merit and AP Scholar stuff- and yet I have a horrible fear that, in spite of having done all that I loved and lived my high school life to the fullest, it won’t be enough. And if it isn’t, I honestly don’t know what I could have done to be any more worthy of this school that I’ve dreamed about for so many years.
But with prayer, and time, I’m learning to be at peace with the fact that four years at Harvard might not be a part of God’s plan for my life. :)</p>
<p>If it helps, you nervous future college students, I know people here who didn’t really have any hooks. Kind of. </p>
<p>My roommate doesn’t have any hooks that spring to mind. Actually, he’s probably one of the only people I can think of who was essentially unhooked. Then again, I don’t know that many people closely enough to say clearly who was or wasn’t hooked, but he’s basically the only person in my blocking group without a pretty clear-cut hook.</p>
<p>I’ve always thought that hooks were, literally, pieces of info that would catch the attention of an admissions officer. But after looking around on CC, i’ve noticed a lot of people use spontaneous things as their “hooks”. For example, being an asian male. ← is this a hook?</p>
<p>I once thought I stood out, then I found CC xD
I sit on city council and i’ve passed a few laws, won a few national/ international awards, etc… But everyone on here has done those things, so i’m pretty mundane. Maybe if I triple cross all my fingers…</p>
<p>I’ve also heard rumours that harvard will take all the asian SAT scores and subtract 100. I’m hoping this isn’t true //sob</p>
<p>I think my essays were my strong point. My teacher read them, and they really made her chuckled, which is my goal! I have a very strong commitment to theatre, which I think someone up there will appreciate, but otherwise, everything else is about average.
I seek to entertain, and if someone up at Harvard HQ realizes that, then I just might have a shot!
Break a leg you guys!</p>
<p>@VirginianRobin: IKR. I can’t afford to lose 100 points on ma SAts //sob. The funny thing is, i’m actually one of those asians who has an interest in humanities 8D</p>
<p>Wow, everyone has so many unique and interesting ECs and awards. You all are amazing. Haha, why am I so Asian-male-tastic? Brb, I’m going to go cry in a corner. </p>
<p>I’m in a love-hate relationship with CC. It’s filled with so much real and useful infromation and really is an invaluable resource. Then, I see you all and all the amazing, amazing things that you’ve done and become disheartened. It keeps me grounded but is such a source of stress… Either way, if I get in or not, I’m going to block CC until at least March 29th (or try to). </p>
<p>Until the 15th though, I holding out hope.</p>
<p>Just dropping in to say that I would readily yield to an Asian applicant with better scores and a resume similar to mine. So sick of race being an issue in admissions. Socioeconomic diversity should be of far greater significance.
aaaaand @VirginianRobin; mea culpa! Didn’t mean to be a Debbie Downer all up in here. I think my anxiety is seeping into my posts >w<
Please, watch the cute/funny cat video of your choice, and let it be my penitence to you :3</p>
<p>^are you low income? when ppl are saying socioeconomic diversity is important, do they really mean it? like if an applicant who’s in extreme poverty and works to support family, is that very significant? assuming his marks and ECs are very impressive too…</p>
<p>Gosh, this is consuming my life right now. Every second of every minute of every hour of every day, I wonder whether or not I’ll end up getting into Harvard. I can’t concentrate on anything else. It’s absolute torture. I can’t even go to sleep at night anymore. The only time I didn’t think about it today was when I was trying to convince my friend that Zac Efron is hotter than Chace Crawford. She’s just delusional :)</p>
<p>@VirginianRobin</p>
<p>Me too… But recently I’ve started perusing CC at school too… It’s an addiction.</p>
<p>@sebelius i too, have begun CCing at school. its really really sad. i spent no time doing hw, and now am awaiting my week to doom. the more i read about you people’s stats, the stupider i feel. -_- expecting my rejection in 166 hours</p>
<p>I thought I finally gave up my addiction of fb, and now CC is my new fb…</p>
<p>Don’t worry, it’ll be all over in a week’s time</p>
<p>actually, makes that 6 days and 18 hours</p>
<p>@TomKat
Zac Efron is hotter. Much hotter. I don’t even think Chace makes hottest guy on Gossip Girl. Penn Badgley might even beat him out for that.</p>
<p>@Everyone
Trying to validate yourselves by posting stats only gives you a very fleeting feeling of security. Don’t do it. Instead, just enjoy this week of not knowing, as hard as it may be.</p>
<p>Do you want to know what’s keeping me going? I bought three of my favorite chocolate bars on Sunday, and plan to savor every morsel of their deliciousness Thursday night regardless of the news from Cambridge.</p>
<p>You all should do the same :)</p>
<p>I am no different to you guys. How pathetic it is to constantly Google “How to make time go faster”, “How to take your mind off something”, or “How to kill anxiety” -_-</p>
<p>At least I still have a few RD essays to work on. By the time Harvard’s rejection arrives my mind will have been occupied by those RD essays, and hopefully I will get over it in no time.</p>
<p>@TomKat zac efron is hotter. hands down!!!</p>