<p>Harvard discontinued its ED programs ages ago.:)</p>
<p>oh i didn’t know about the ED thing. I guess that invalidates what I said, lol. But I would still say not to apply to another school ED if Harvard is first choice. And if your first choice is another super selective school that DOES do ED, it’s worth it to apply.</p>
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Thanks! This is exactly what I was wondering after looking through the stats for CCers who got into Harvard.</p>
<p>Not if the ACT is between a 34 and 36 (which translates to a 2300-2400 on the SAT). They take the better of the two, the ACT or the SAT. So don’t worry about the SAT. You now have a decent chance of getting in. Good luck.</p>
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5 data points compared to the 100+ on the RD Decisions thread, I’d take a blind guess and say the CC statistics are more accurate. Plus two of the admits you know are URMs, which can’t be compared to regular applicants. However, the 2280, 2150 and 2130 that you know do surprise me a little, do you live in an area that benefits from socioeconomic factors or geographic diversity?</p>
<p>One of the girls I know at Harvard, who is White and Asian, got in with a 2280: 760 math, 720 critical reading, 800 writing. As for the accuracy of the statistics, they were published by US News, so, I’m guessing they’re pretty spot-on. She was waitlisted and accepted in mid-to-late May. She is not in a bad situation socio-economically, and I believe Ohio is fairly well-represented (our region, at least, according to the Harvard Club here, is somewhat overrepresented, if not our state itself). She did have a sibling already attending, but most people will tell you that siblings don’t count for legacy.</p>
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<p>Yes, I immediately recall the individual who you are referencing. Her name was Anne Chen, correct? I remember her photograph quite clearly - she was wearing a University of Michigan t-shirt that had been digitally altered to eliminate the insignia (since the photo was taken before her acceptance off of the Harvard waitlist).</p>
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I, too, remember that UMich/Harvard girl from the US News magazine… But her exact name? That’d be kind of creepy if I knew it it… ;)</p>
<p>Sheesh this thread.</p>
<p>No, it would not hurt. I know anecdotal evidence has been dismissed as ‘anomolies’ here, but I’ll tell you regardless.</p>
<p>I got a 35 ACT, and I also noted it strange that some Ivy schools have 90%+ of attending students that reported SAT scores (I’m white, by the way). People say the two tests are considered equal, but that percentage rather threw me off. I took the SAT, and (after stupidly sleeping only a few hours the night before and having very little time to look at the directions beforehand so I could skip them during the test) I got a 2240. I got into Harvard, Dmouth, and waitlisted at Yale (reject at Stanford, and a few more acceptances). My interviewer for Harvard hinted that after a certain point scores do not become a significant part of the decision process, and I believe her. I have a white peer at my school that got a 36 ACT and a 2300+ SAT score, slightly harder classes during our first year, and he was rejected. I have another asian peer who is one of the best classical musicians in the nation, incredible individual math/science awards, much higher volunteering hours, 36 ACT and 2390 SAT that was also rejected. </p>
<p>The only thing I learned is that TEST SCORES ARE NOT EVERYTHING. As wwlink said, sheesh at this thread and people here on CC. Representation here is not real life. Based on your ‘vague’ description, if passion and sincerity are relayed, then your chances are not AT ALL deferred by a 2200-range score. I’ve even read a Yale adcom say that they (and other counselers who do not work at schools where it is mandatory to send all scores) prefer when students actually report ALL scores. It’s a plain example of students being honest, and if the rest of their application also indicates, a very real level of maturity and knowledge that these things really are just tests.</p>
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<p>Well, if it makes Mifune sound less creepy, it so happens that Anne Chen is not quite her name.</p>
<p>^^ There is no score cutoff and to claim so without data is pointless. I’m glad you learned that test scores aren’t everything because everyone on CC already knows it. However, test scores are one of the most important factors of an applicant as they provide a standardized assessment of every student applying and thus emphasizing test scores isn’t necessarily a bad thing (as long as it isn’t detrimental to the other parts of one’s application). Everyone knows a boy/girl who was accepted to H Y or P with a 2200 SAT, but the fact remains that 2300+ scorers have higher acceptance rates at said colleges.</p>
<p>I feel like there’s no rhyme or reason for people talking about the 2300 like its some sort of cutoff. My guess is the actual barrier for the elite is more like 2250–an average of 750 on each test.</p>
<p>But I strongly feel that anyone over 2250 (or possibly even 2200) isn’t going to be held up to another person and said “Hmmm…John has a 2280. But Susan has a 2380. That’s the dealbreaker!” I feel like the much larger factors are essays, academic interest, and etc. I’ve always interpreted the scores as validating what you did in high school academically, and from there they move on to actually deciding whether they want you on campus through evaluation of the other parts of your application.</p>
<p>If it wasn’t Anne Chen, then it must have been Anne Cheng. Is that correct? </p>
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<p>Well, remembering (or partially remembering, in my case) a name isn’t that weird. I actually remember quite a bit from those personal applicant captions since they have always been one of my favorite parts of the annual issue. The title of her profile was “Working Harvard’s Waitlist” and she was involved in ballet, pottery, and piano, received a recommendation from her principal, thought that her senior-year workload would be lighter (but it wasn’t), wrote her essay on race relations, didn’t prepare for college in the “hype-y” kind of way, was one of four class valedictorians, and spoke with her dad and sister late at night to relieve stress. </p>
<p>Did she attend your high school, Millancad?</p>
<p>(Unfortunately, I read the manual at the library and do not have access to it to confirm her name. But I apologize; this is very trivial but it bugs me to misremember names and numbers.)</p>
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<p>Your second sentence contradicts your first. In regards to the 2280/2380 scenario, data has shown that 2300+ scorers have a higher acceptance rate, and 800s in any of the three sections causes a significant boost in admissions chances in comparison to something like a 750.</p>
<p>Adcoms frequently say that the school transcript/rank/GPA are the most important things and standardized tests second. While academic interest and essays are certainly factors, they are definitely not the most heavily weighted.</p>
<p>Jersey13:</p>
<p>I don’t think I’ve read a piece of advice from you yet regarding Early Decision. Do you recommend for me to apply ED to other Ivies instead of holding out for Harvard?</p>
<p>(In the case I missed your piece of advice, could you link me to the post? Thanks)</p>
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<p>I agree. The score cutoff paradigm seems to be firmly embedded in others’ views despite the abundance of data that uniformly points in the other direction.</p>
<p>@Mifune: My goodness, you have a great memory. I’ve been through all of the little profiles from that year multiple times and I can’t recite any of them like that. Well, except for hers, but even that is to a lesser extent and it’s mostly because I know her and did quite a few of those activities with her.</p>
<p>She did go to my high school. I’m also sort of reluctant to post her name on here, but you basically have it. Don’t stress :).</p>
<p>I’d like to point out to those that are saying that there is a higher acceptance rate among those with a score above a certain threshold should note that correlation does not mean causation, and there is an obvious lurking variable in play; a student’s abilities. Yes, I understand that there are certain test-specific skills that some have and others don’t, but overall, those with 750s and above in all three sections will show more ability in mathematical and verbal reasoning than those with less high scores. These skills could manifest anywhere, and given how much of a student’s GPA is defined by exams, the same skills that let some have higher SAT scores than others might very well also give that sample of students a higher average GPA than others.</p>
<p>What this all means is that one cannot know the actual influence higher or lower SAT scores have on admissions officers just by showing a positive correlation between SAT scores and acceptance rates; the first step toward making a legitimate conclusion would be showing such a correlation between two random samples of students without the same correlation seen in any of their other numerical stats (especially GPA). I’d be interested in seeing such data… I doubt it exists, but would love to be shown otherwise. Until then, the idea that a certain SAT score will lower your chances of admission is at best conjecture.</p>
<p>No one claimed otherwise</p>