<p>This cycle of discussions go on like every year on the same day.</p>
<p>@jsungoh. I read both my recs, interviewer really liked me. I only sent my personal statement to 2 Harvard students and my older sister. The 2 Harvard students said it was the best they’ve ever read.</p>
<p>My sister had stats just a little lower than me and was rejected/waitlisted everywhere.</p>
<p>w/e I’m tired of all of this and just messed up on some of my finals. Gonna go sleep…</p>
<p>“A kid in a family making 30k will have to get a part-time job.”</p>
<p>That’s a pile of crap. Obviously that number has to be adjusted based on a person’s geographical location. But in many states, and particularly in my own, $30,000 annually for a typical family of THREE is more than enough to make sure that a child is adequately educated at the same public school that a child living in a household making five times that amount would be educated in.</p>
<p>@asianandproud: Are all much smarter than me at least (note the correction later on)</p>
<p>Thanks for telling me the statistics, and honestly, if their parent knows how to get into Harvard, wouldn’t the kid have a higher chance? That is obviously the case. Also, think about it in the perspective for Harvard benefits: it is better for Harvard to hold onto Alumni connections / source, thus it is important that they accept kids of Harvard graduates. Also, the only way that Harvard is so powerful as of today is from the donations and support from their alumni, thus why so many of us work so hard to become part of Harvard. That being said, they don’t blindly just select all of them (thus why they are still rejected). Even if they didn’t have the legacy and were held on the standard of ORM, they may still get in (just like the many other applicants). Harvard admissions stated before that they can literally re-select the 1,600 students they accept every year, and they will still have just as deserving of a Harvard class (that’s how many amazing students apply).</p>
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<p>Okay, it’s a bit too radical to suggest that being a legacy should count against someone. But to say it shouldn’t be considered — I totally agree.</p>
<p>If H only admitted Asians, would that make you feel better?</p>
<p>tony, the comments your making on this thread are kind of telling of how you view minorities who earned their spots into top colleges like Harvard.</p>
<p>Chill out and move on. You’re not the only one who got rejected/deferred.</p>
<p>There is somewhat no diversity in Asian applicants? You would mostly see high achieving scores and GPAs, awards etc but nothing else that make them unique from other asian applicants. And they will pick out the best or “active” ones from that pile. The motivation behind these outstanding scores is probably that they had poor backgrounds only think that high scores will get them into top schools when really, these top schools wants to see future leaders.</p>
<p>Starktony
I’m sorry, and you’re correct, I cannot relate to you. From what you’ve said I believe you should’ve been accepted. Maybe you just weren’t the right fit for Harvard. I’m sure you’ll get into a top school.</p>
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<p>Loook. The single biggest correlate with educational achievement is a kid’s family’s socioeconomic status. If you don’t think that difference comes from a lack of opportunities and resources, then where? </p>
<p>Growing up poor and succeeding well enough to apply to Harvard is an achievement. Something is actually overcome.</p>
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<p>The pouty way he’s been taking his decision might be a hint.</p>
<p>“If H only admitted Asians, would that make you feel better?”
You obviously haven’t been reading my posts completely or you can’t comprehend them. I am all in favor of diversity, and of affirmative action relating to a person’s level of income.</p>
<p>“Okay, it’s a bit too radical to suggest that being a legacy should count against someone. But to say it shouldn’t be considered — I totally agree.”
I’ll give you that, I was just being a little creative, but using your own theory of lower incomes and opportunities -> lower standards be manipulated to something like higher incomes and opportunities -> higher standards? And if not, why is it constantly manipulated that way for Asians and whites?</p>
<p>“There is somewhat no diversity in Asian applicants? You would mostly see high achieving scores and GPAs, awards etc but nothing else that make them unique from other asian applicants. And they will pick out the best or “active” ones from that pile. The motivation behind these outstanding scores is probably that they had poor backgrounds only think that high scores will get them into top schools when really, these top schools wants to see future leaders.”</p>
<p>That was more ignorant and racist than anything I’ve seen so far. You’re generalizing Asians as robots, but if I were doing that with African Americans I would be chastised. You have no understanding of the diversity within the Asian American crowd, and I’m ashamed of you for thinking like that.</p>
<p>I completely accept my deferral, and I can see how I lacked some of the qualities that those that got accepted had. Upon some speculation, though, I rather don’t like this “Early Decision” process. If the vast majority of applications are going to get deferred, then it barely really is a “Decision” date. At least, that’s how I feel. I might still be a bit spiteful due to the deferral, but that’s just how I feel. The sheet number of deferrals is… not uplifting. </p>
<p>Personally, I’d just rather they make more concrete decisions with their applications. Then again, it’s Harvard, with a applicant pool of geniuses. We have infinitely more to lose than they do, I suppose. Oh well. Cheers.</p>
<p>Can this PLEASE not turn into Columbia’s thread? COME ON GUYS.</p>
<p>NewYork94. Very happy for you! You seemed to want it just so bad! Congrats!!!</p>
<p>I’m applying RD, and is harder to get in then than it would have been if I had done EA?</p>
<p>You just did that to African Americans. You assumed they all get in bc AA. Now you’re mad when shots are taken at your own culture?</p>
<p>Pathetic.</p>
<p>“Loook. The single biggest correlate with educational achievement is a kid’s family’s socioeconomic status.”
WRONG. It may look that way on paper, but the biggest correlation with educational achievement is PARENTAL motivation, I acknowledge that with higher incomes comes higher parental motivation, but it’s not always the case. For example, I know tons of rich families from my area whose children have gone down the toilet, not because or a lack of resources, but because of a lack of parental motivation.</p>
<p>Seems like Harvard is much more focused on ECs, essays, and work/intern experiences than in years past.
Not sure if that’s a good thing or not…</p>
<p>Anyways, congratulations to all those accepted and for those who got deferred, the best of luck when RD comes around.</p>
<p>"You just did that to African Americans. You assumed they all get in bc AA. Now you’re mad when shots are taken at your own culture?</p>
<p>Pathetic."</p>
<p>Never, ever said the words,“African American,” before the post preceding my previous post.</p>
<p>Never, ever assumed that they “all” get in because of affirmative action, and a casual observer would say that that person generalized and marginalized Asian Americans MUCH MORE than ANYBODY here has generalized or marginalized other minorities.</p>
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<p>I definitely don’t think lower income people should be judged according to lower standards. I think doing well academically in a low income family is an achievement just like winning USAMO is (doing both would be awe-inspiring — tell me that I’m wrong).</p>
<p>It’s not holding people to different standards, but more deliberately including economic situation as a variable of that standard.</p>