<p>RSI attendees seem to like to apply/go harvard. (like most do Harvard EAs)
i heard many time in CC about this (i can even name some :))
and wonder why RSI students who would be the top science/engineering high schoolers in the nation wanted to go Harvard where, in general, sciences and engineering are not the strongest parts.
i had thought they would have been better off with MIT, Caltech, JHU, or Cornell, and so on??</p>
<p>is that because they(or you, if you went RSI) want well-rounded educations?
or perhaps harvard does have the top of science/engineering?</p>
<p>I really like to know why. and I do not intend anything negative in this post.
Esp. if you're a RSIer, PLEASE let me know your insight.</p>
<p>well i think harvard's undergraduate curriculum is no less rigous than MIT or other engineering school. but i guess it's just different kind of challenge.</p>
<p>For them, MIT & Caltech are easy pie. Only schools that actually rejects (gasp) rickoids are harvard and yale. Maybe this is why they do SCEA to harvard or yale.</p>
<p>In terms of the hard sciences, Harvard is certainly the equal of MIT/Caltech, although obviously not so much in engineering.</p>
<p>Anyway, many of the people who did RSI, Intel, etc. don't actually go on to have careers in science (despite the fact that most do). While MIT while have strong programs in some areas other than science, it does not have the broad strength of Harvard, and Caltech is pretty much science/engineering only.</p>
<p>RSI is about science, not engineering, and Harvard is first rate in the sciences. It has probably the best biological sciences in the world, especially if you include the medical school. Most areas of Chem are either top or at least top 5.</p>
<p>So, OP, what's the problem here? </p>
<p>BTW, Harvard also has liberal x-reg with MIT.</p>
<p>i guess harvard's forte on pure sciences and less stressful but broad undergraduate experiences are parts of the answer.
(I just really want to know why.)</p>
<p>another question that pop in my head is why not Princeton and Yale which seem to be tied with Harvard in many ways. Anyone comment on this??</p>
<p>I read there were only 2 RSI kids (during its entire history) rejected from MIT. perhaps that can be called a piece of a cake.</p>
<p>I know of a RSI kid rejected by U. Chicago last year. He did get into Stanford EA, and is going there.</p>
<p>I don't think these boards are representative of all RSI kids. There's a herd effect here (like in many places) such that I think the non Harvard RSI kids just don't speak up.</p>
<p>"i had thought they would have been better off with MIT, Caltech, --"</p>
<p>MIT and Cal Tech are more difficult to get into. The Princeton Review's "Toughest Schools to Get Into" rankings put MIT and Cal Tech ahead of Harvard.</p>
<p>"another question that pop in my head is why not Princeton and Yale which seem to be tied with Harvard in many ways. Anyone comment on this??"</p>
<p>Princeton and Yale want more than just good test takers. Both schools are also more difficult to get into than Harvard. See the Princeton Review rankings of "Toughest Colleges to Get Into".</p>
<p>alphacdcd, well MIt and CalTech might be hard for us but for RSI students it's not true
I said early "I read there were only 2 RSI kids (during its entire history) rejected from MIT. perhaps that can be called a piece of a cake."</p>