<p>^ Admissions is not about awarding for past accomplishments, but a guess on the part of the Committee about the future. It can’t be subjected to any objective standard. You have the wrong paradigm if you base it on who has done “everything right” to gain admission. It just isn’t a tick off all the boxes process, as much as one might wish it to be so.</p>
<p>May be Harvard exceeded their limit for home schooled kids from California when they took the guy who won the Intel Science prize and the spelling bee?</p>
<p>To all those who offered sincere replies-- thank you.</p>
<p>To all those who did not – I offer you no response.</p>
<p>I won’t be checking this thread anymore.</p>
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<p>That’s hilarious. XD</p>
<p>Harvard’s turned down people way smarter, and with way more credentials, than probably any of us on this thread. Just some of my friends:</p>
<p>International Biology Olympiad 3rd place (gold medal), got rejected</p>
<p>Siemens 3rd nationally, got waitlisted (eventually got in)</p>
<p>International Math Olympiad silver, International Olympiad in Informatics (competitive computer coding) 5th place (gold medal), Intel finalist, got waitlisted.</p>
<p>So don’t take it personally. You can’t help it if an adcom happened to be PMSing.</p>
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<p>Ah of course. The entire admissions committe was made up of women who were PMSing, i.e. they dared reject your precious unrejectable friends. Nice misogynistic dig among all the immaturity in this thread.</p>
<p>Yes that is exactly what I meant ^_^</p>
<p>I think they may not have wanted to admit a junior standing transfer student, which is essentially what you are.</p>
<p>Here is my 2 cents:
- Based on the OP, it seems that you got all the “right” numbers, but it’s hard to see why you did it and what are you going to do with it in the college and beyond.
- Also based on the OP as well as your correspondenses - It’s all about ME, ME, ME…<br>
Well, Harvard is Harvard, it looks for people who care about more than themselves not those who are smart but only want the brand name to get the personal gains. And that, in my opinion, could probably be WHY (or at least part of it).</p>
<p>Obviously because you got a 35 on your act and not a 36. NOOB</p>
<p>^Ya and only a 32 on Reading. Total nub. I’m surprised he didn’t get rejected from community college</p>
<p>I have a question nobody else seems to be asking. Why don’t you just stay and graduate from UCB? If that’s not prestigious enough for you to appreciate, then I really question your motivations. Why would you even want to start all over when you could be applying to grad school at 17?</p>
<p>Yeah, my older brother was crazy at math; MOsP twice, ARML winner, USAMO upteen times (including middle school, iirc), USAMTS Gold Medalist since like 7th grade, took graduate level classes in Complex Analysis/Topology/Real Analysis, went to this really elite program at the Clay Mathematics Institute (everyone else was Seniors, he was the only Sophomore ever to go, as far as I could tell) and did some original research on Quiver Representation Theory, etc. Plus he had nearly a perfect SAT (like 2380 (ironically the 20 off was on math :P)), pretty much straight As, did other activities. </p>
<p>However he applied as a Junior (without graduating) to HYP and MIT (safety was staying in school another year and reapplying), and he only got into MIT, waitlisted at the HP and rejected at Yale. It was all okay, cause he loves MIT and had an awesome time there (Math and Physics double major). So sorta three lessons to take from this; a) Schools are crazy as far as who they admit and who they don’t, b) Harvard and Princeton don’t like taking young ones, c) MIT (and Yale too!) are pretty awesome.</p>
<p>look, just back off. I think the fact that you applied to eleven schools, all of which have pretty comparable education levels highlights some of the insecurity that you have. I mean, really? if your stats and figures really are true, what were you worrying about. Just to let you know, I applied to only Stanford and Harvard and was accepted to both. as long as the applicant can portray themselves in a reasonible light, getting into these schools is perfectly feasible, especially for a candidate such as you. </p>
<p>And finally, what exactly compelled you to post this?? do you want someone to come along and console you? do you envision an admissions officer from Harvard or Princeton coming along, reading this, and letting you in? how about you just suck it up and go to Stanford, which we all know is a great school. You could go to MIT and still take classes at Harvard Extension Center. Same experience, not as much prestige though - I am guessing that that is the main criterion of your choice. Your two top choices were the top two rankings in the nation. Put two and two together here. not a very impressive attitude about life.</p>
<p>I dont think anyone ever had a formula to calculate if you could get into Harvard or not.</p>
<p>I applied because my parents wanted me to and ended up getting waitlisted, which I though was impossible.</p>
<p>Also, I was rejected from 7 top schools in the nation including Bowdoin, Brown, Swarthmore, etc and waitlisted at Harvard. At least you have 7 more options!! So be happy!</p>
<p>No one in history will ever know Harvard’s formulas and how anyone manages to get in.</p>
<p>You should have been born a black man. Then you would have gotten in.</p>
<p>If I had even one of your seven acceptances, I’d be freaking out in happiness. I’m really sorry that you got rejected by H and P, but keep in mind that as long as you stay positive and make the most of the opportunities available to you, you’ll do amazingly well wherever you go to college. College isn’t where you make it, it’s what you do with it. :)</p>
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<p>That’s because there are no formulas.</p>
<p>why? Harvard doesn’t make any mistakes.</p>
<p>I dont believe the 16 year old thing. I know someone who got into Harvard when he was 15 and he wasn’t even a genius or anything, he just excelled at academic opportunities that were provided by his parent’s connections…</p>