<p>Hi, I've seen connections mentioned in some threads, and I was just wondering what actually counts as a good political connection. Also, how important are they in relation to recs, scores, essays, etc.?</p>
<p>Well, I'm sure if JFK was your grandfather, you'd get in.</p>
<p>Those Harvard folks seem to like him.</p>
<p>Nah. It's more internationalish. I know only about 20 people applied to Harvard from Fujian in China (like a state but bigger), and 5 got in. They didn't have any special awards or ecs, just perfect (or near) SAT and 4.0s. The thing they do have in common is that their parents are fairly influential in the Chinese gov. or economy. Some kids have the same stats (parents, SAT) but got rejected due to their low grades--Harvard actually TOLD them in the rejection letter their grades were too low.</p>
<p>This thread is BS. Harvard never mentions why someone got accepted or rejected.</p>
<p>How do you know?</p>
<p>Ugh. Never mind. It was the Harvard enrollment people or whatever who said in a LETTER that their grades/scores were too low. Not in the offical rejection letter.</p>
<p>those kids went to international schools right? cause there are not public SAT testing groudns in China. Their parents must be richer than the average folks if they can afford int school.</p>
<p>Actually no. I think they went to good hs's, but not int schools. Some got in the grad school, but the ones that applied undergrad went to hong kong for SATs.</p>
<p>^</p>
<p>thats pretty intense</p>
<p>I'm the king of Maryland actually. Didn't help me yet.</p>
<p>Duke of Baltimore also.</p>
<p>Kilini, the admissions office does not discuss why a decision was made. Check their webpage sometime. It is extremely confidential.</p>
<p>Maybe not in the official rejection letter. -shrug- I think they were told at their interviews, though.</p>
<p>Okay, first you said "Harvard actually TOLD them in the rejection letter their grades were too low." Then you said "It was the Harvard enrollment people or whatever who said in a LETTER that their grades/scores were too low. Not in the offical rejection letter." Now you're saying the interviewers told them. Now, interviewers don't get info on you, and if they request a copy of the transcript or the likes they most likely won't tell you "you're grades are too low" at the interview because they don't want to represent Harvard as a bunch of *******s.</p>
<p>It's not my fault my interlocutor has a bad memory. I'm fairly sure the kids -asked- the admissions people why they weren't accepted and were told that, though.</p>
<p>they wouldn't say that. they'd say "extremely competitive applicant pool" or something like that.</p>