Should I apply to Harvard and Yale?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Okay, well the thing is, I'm applying to Stanford and Columbia for sure, and I'd go to either of those school than Harvard and Yale. And chances are, if I get rejected from both Stanford and Columbia, it's highly unlikely that I'll get into Harvard or Yale, right? So is it worth it to apply to Harvard and Yale?</p>

<p>This is from my "what are my chances" thread...</p>

<p>Majoring in psychology, and then planning on going into psychiatry.</p>

<p>Gender: Male
Resident: Southern California
Race: Korean
School: Offers 15-20 AP's, pretty decent. Sends a couple to Ivy every year, but usually no HYPS.
Rank: 3 out of 750</p>

<p>GPA w/ Freshmen:
3.92 UW
4.50 W</p>

<p>GPA w/o Freshmen:
3.92 UW
4.75 W</p>

<p>APs
Soph: Biology, European History
Junior: Calculus BC, English Lang, Computer Science AB, Spanish Lang, Physics B, US History
Senior: English Lit, Physics C, Chemistry, Economics, Psychology</p>

<p>SAT:
2280 CR:710 M:780 WR:790
Planning on retaking and getting 2350+</p>

<p>SAT Subject Tests:
800 Math level 2
800 Physics
780 Literature</p>

<p>ECs
- Jisan Research Institute - Computational Research for 3 years. Average of 11 hours a week
- City of Hope - Volunteer for 3 years about 4 hours a week
- FIRST Robotics for 3 years
- Key Club 4 years, treasurer 10th grade
- Mu Alpha Theta 3 years
- Speech and Debate 3 years
- Work experience as a math instructor for Jisan's math program
- Several tutoring jobs
- Planning to get a job as a waiter</p>

<p>Hook/Why I'm Unique:
Low family income (25k~), plus parents are going through a divorce. Will explain why I had to get jobs and etc.</p>

<p>I doubt it helps much, but my sister went to Stanford.</p>

<p>Essay/Recs:
I'm a pretty good writer, so my essays will be fine.
Recs 1 teacher rec and 1 additional rec are guaranteed to be excellent, but 1 of the teacher recs will be only above average.</p>

2

<p>You don't need to retake the SATs. Once you pass a certian threshold, SATs won't matter anymore and you def pass for all schools. Don't waste your time on that. It will help that your sister went to Stanford though maybe not as much as real parent legacy. You should apply to Harvard and Yale anyways because you have a chance and you never really know about highly selective colleges. Sometimes their selections could be quite puzzling.</p>

3

<p>Do it, as long as it's not a problem financially and you won't be distracted from your Stanford and Columbia apps.</p>

4

<p>if harvard and yale are your 2nd and 3rd choices, then you should apply. it's not a guarantee that harvard/yale would reject you if columbia and stanford rejected you. college admissions is very unpredictable. there have probably been numberous accounts of people being rejected by stanford/columbia yet accepted at harvard/yale. in conclusion: you should apply.</p>

5

<p>Sorry, I'm going to retake. No one will ever convince me that a 2400 and a 2280 are the same score. Especially a 1490 vs a 1600, since many schools only look at CR and math.</p>

6

<p>Dude...you already proved your point to the world that you're smart and you can get in most colleges...don't bother taking the SAT again...it won't matter. You're 120 points from PERFECTION, so what are you worried about? You know you'll get in a top college either way.</p>

7

<p>I know several people who have been accepted into Yale and Harvard and Stanford and been rejected from Columbia. I share your train of thought because I would definitely take Stanford and Columbia any day over Yale and Harvard. Yale and Harvard are common app, and if you think that the application fee is worth it, then I say go for it. Spend time on the schools you care about most, though!</p>

8

<p>^Thanks for the great advice.</p>

<p>And are you guys really saying that 120 points on the SAT is not worth 4 hours and $40? Because I'm pretty confident if I take it one more time I can get close to 2400.</p>

9

<p>^Then take it. Only, if your score drops it'll cost you ;)</p>

10

<p>Just apply to GUCCI schools.</p>

11

<p>Are you saying there's something wrong with Gucci? I'd rather take Gucci then generic any day, especially if both are free because of my low income & fin aid eligibility.</p>

12

<p>I'm fairly sure that if accepted to Harvard, you'll be given a free ride if your family's annual income is less than $60,000. Might be something to look into.</p>

13

<p>Go ahead and apply, two best schools in the country.</p>

14

<p>your SAT scores are fine. deal with it.</p>

15

<p>One quick look at the CDS will show you a 2400 would more than double your chances. I don't think an Asian from CA would get into any of those schools with a 710CR. The low income initiatives are in place to attract URMs, they have tons of Asian applicants at every income level.</p>

16

<p>Apply to Harvard and Yale, retake the SATs one more time.</p>

17

<p>ye lay off him for retaking, especially since his scores are skewed and all he has to do is focus on CR the next time around. With some work, I wouldn't say 2400 for sure, but a 2350 superscore is well within reach</p>