^^ For the class of 2019, Harvard accepted 16.5% SCEA not 22% and a record low 2.8% RD. Bottom line: it’s getting harder and harder to get in.
@codemachine But Yale and Harvard have much the same RD acceptances and pretty similar SCEA acceptances too. What’s the real benefit of Harvard over Yale, especially if as you say, it’s mostly legacies and athletes?
@Falcon1 2.8% is ridiculous…like how is it that low…
Yale rejects people SCEA and defers few, while Harvard does the opposite. If you’re deferred, you can still appeal to the university and increase your chances for RD. Last I checked, and correct me if I’m wrong, Yale had a SCEA acceptance rate in the teens while Harvards was still higher overall.
@codemachine I think you’re correct on that. I don’t know though, it just feels like Harvard is such a long shot for me and I would love to go, but I just don’t know anymore. I think I need to just take a break from college stuff lol…
Yale was 16.0% and Harvard, as @Falcon1 pointed out, was 16.5%. Not a statistically significant difference.
@codemachine I noticed your comment that Yale early action is bogus. I was planning on applying to Yale early action, so would you mind elaborating a little more on what you mean/ why you say Yale SCEA is bogus? Thanks!
^^ With all due respect @codemachine just completed freshman year of HS. The SCEA acceptance rates are pretty similar between Harvard and Yale. There is nothing “bogus” about Yale SCEA. You should apply to whichever school you are most drawn to.
@Ohio2city I never said they were bogus but if you’re playing your chances, you’re playing Russian Roulette with Yale. For the other two prongs of the Big 3 (Harvard and Princeton) they will usually accept a similar amount, but defer around 80% of the remaining to regular decision. This is advantageous because you have demonstrated interest and could have your chances raised. Also, it’s not uncommon to send a follow up letter to H or P explaining improvements, new achievements, etc. since your deferral.
Yale (and Stanford) on the other hand, “like to make final decisions whenever possible” so reject about an equal amount to what H and P defer. If you’re rejected, that’s it. Lights out. They’re done with you. It’s really a matter if you liked Yale but could take the rejection should it probably be given to you.
EA deferral rates for the class of 2019 for HYPS were: H 73%, Y 57%, P 76%, S 8%. The numbers are somewhat lower for Yale than Harvard or Princeton, but still most are deferred. Stanford is the outlier, deferring <10%.
In reality getting deferred is just a delayed rejection for the vast majority at all four schools. The highest admit rate for those deferred is at Stanford (around 25% of deferrals ultimately admitted) but it’s a much smaller group deferred.
Well now I think I should apply to Harvard REA… Those numbers are pretty startlingly different. Surprised that Harvard would have so much higher of a deferral rate than Yale. And as for Stanford, what a crapshoot that must be.
Actually, you did.
I don’t think it is wise to base your admissions strategy off of deferral rates etc. It should be based on which school is the best fit for you and visa-versa . Each school looks for something different so your odds might actually be better at Yale based on your profile, idk. If you are deferred, as was previously commented, it is in almost all cases a polite rejection. Stanford does most of their candidates a favor by rejecting them early instead of having them cling to some false hope.
As I said earlier, Harvard accepted just 2.8% of it’s RD candidates. That means even if you are deferred, for every acceptance there will be 32 rejections of some pretty outstanding candidates. Keep in mind that many kids who are denied early from their top choices will apply to Harvard RD. Many of them are incredible and could have easily been accepted at their top choice or even Harvard early but there are just so many early spots to be had. Also, many kids who ARE accepted early to other top schools YPSM etc. will also apply to RD to Harvard- because it is Harvard. You are competing against kids that clearly made the grade at an elite school. I repeat that you should apply to where you are most drawn to because admission to any of the very top schools carries is a low probability to begin with. Trying to game the percentages thinking about deferrals is really kind of a fool’s errand.
And another way to look at this is: if you are not confident that you could even make Yale’s pretty enormous 57% deferral pool, why would Harvard choose you to be one of the “chosen” 2.8% kids they accept RD assuming you made their deferral pool?
@Falcon1 Those are a number of valid points. I’m just taking a while to sort of digest all of this great info that I’ve been given on this thread alone, all the advice of which I have taken with a grain of salt, as people say one thing and then someone else says the opposite. But I most certainly appreciate your attention to and verification of statistics for me - that helps put things into comprehensible perspective.
Also, I’ve learned that you really can’t play the EA game like I thought you could. It seems to me that the reason the rates are higher is because the people are incredible. Maybe some people get luckier in early than they would in regular, but my sense is that the difference is so minimal that it would be unwise to change application plans on the basis of the admissions rates etc.
@Senior2016M I think your GPA is fine. A 3.88 UW GPA is nothing to sweat but what is more worrying is your weighted GPA. A W GPA of a 4.06 with an UW of a 3.88 heavily suggests a lack of AP, Honors, IB, Accelerated etc. Top colleges care a lot about course rigor. A 3.8 UW with all honors or AP’s means a lot more than a 4.0 UW with none of them. The SAT score could also hurt. I’d advise getting the SAT above a 2200 and then seriously consider. Best of luck!