I’m currently a junior from CT and have been thinking about apps for next year. Should I apply to Harvard (or Princeton or Penn for that matter) on the very very low chance that I do get accepted?
Stats:
1490 SAT
Taking Math II and Spanish subject tests soon (hopefully 750-800 range)
3.9 GPA UW
Rank: 5/111
Recommendations will probably be stellar
ECs:
Student Senate President
School’s Chapter NHS President
Varsity track and XC all four years (captain junior and senior year)
Board of Education Student Representative (hopefully a big hook)
About me:
First generation student but parents make enough to qualify for little if any financial aid
Small but respectable public school
Potential major in economics
Does your high school use Naviance, or some similar college applications tracking software? If so, what does it say about your chances at the colleges you are interested in attending? If you investigate the data you might see, for example, that Princeton accepts more students from your HS than Harvard or UPenn – in which case you might want to consider applying early to Princeton and RD to Harvard or UPenn. Or, you might find that your HS’s track record at those schools has not been as strong as at some other liberal arts colleges, so you might want to consider applying early to a LAC and RD to Harvard, Princeton and UPenn.
If you cannot draw an inference from the data, make an appointment with your guidance counselor and ask them – that’s what they are there for, to help guide you to making the best decision based upon your stats AND the type of student the colleges you are interested in have accepted in the past from your high school. Best of luck!
The problem with our school is because of its small size, most people don’t even apply to Ivies. We’ve had maybe one or two people apply to them and one get in for the past 5 or so years. I know that Ivies (all of them?) only let you apply early to one school, so in that case, would I be better off applying early to somewhere that I have a better chance or just go for the Harvard/Princeton EA and apply RD to everywhere else?
The chances of admissions being improved by applying early will vary by school. Harvard says that SCEA will not improve one’s chances; Penn says that applying ED will give a slight bump. YMMV.
HYP are all Single Choice Early Action. The other 5 are ED. For ED schools, I would not suggest applying if you will need to compare FA offers. But otherwise, if you have a clear top-choice school, and the numbers from the NPC are reasonable for your family, then there is an advantage to applying early even if it just the relief of not having to wait until end of March for your decisions and not having to submit a bunch of applications between the SCEA/ED acceptance date and 12/31.
This is really a question for your guidance counselor, principal or recommendation writers who better understand the curriculum offered at your HS and the accomplishments of the one student who was accepted to an ivy league school in the last five years vs your accomplishments. Please speak with someone at your school who is more knowledgeable than @skieurope or I – otherwise it basically becomes a dart-board game.
FWIW: If you apply SCEA to HYP or S, you should also apply to several non-binding state colleges as well (University of Michigan, College of William & Mary, University of Virginia, University of North Carolina, University of California etc) as your goal should be to have at least one college in your “back pocket” come mid-Decemeber.
Your position on the Board of Ed is not a “big hook.” Most of your activities make you feel like an important person at your school and in your community. But there is no way anyone can tell you your chances. Go ahead and apply and don’t expect to get in: that way you won’t be disappointed. Make sure you investigate all the other wonderful choices out there.