<p>I have the grades and the scores but because I attended a public school rather than a private school and for the fact that I went to a community college then later transfered to a university that wasn't ranked extremely high, my chances aren't good? Someone please tell me the deal here...</p>
<p>Wait so you want to transfer, correct? Because that makes it even more difficult</p>
<p>If you mean you are planning to apply to a Harvard grad school, then the answer to your question is that neither your income bracket nor the “ranking” of your university will matter. GSAS, HLS, HBS etc. all regularly accept people from non-Ivy League institutions, assuming they show stellar grades and high capacity for success.</p>
<p>As for income bracket, absolutely irrelevant. I come from a family that earns <30,000 and I am a current student at Harvard.</p>
<p>Actually, Dwight, I thought many here on CC argued that they like high performing low-income students rather than high performing high-income students since it meant that the low income students succeeded despite adversity.</p>
<p>Tb0</p>
<p>I am transfering to a university to get my a double BA and afterwards I wanted to apply at Harvard.</p>
<p>This board is for Harvard undergrad admissions. If you’ll be applying to a Harvard grad school, you should seek advice on a board designed for that kind of grad school.</p>
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Perhaps, but the odds are still stacked in the favor of high income students, because of that adversity faced by the poor. SAT scores correlate with income level, and the availability and affordability of excellent schooling, test preparation, tutoring, extracurricular activities, educated parents, adequate food, adequate housing in a decent area, and good medical care stand in favor of the rich. This is the reason that admissions officers look so kindly upon poor students achieving great things. However, this does not change the fact that rich students (or at least middle class and up) are usually in better shape for admissions, other than those relatively fewer poor students that are able to rise above their circumstances.</p>
<p>Anyway, as for the OP, it does look like the question is whether or not only being able to afford the community college to public university route for undergrad will hurt you. As above posters said, the most important things will be your college grades and scores on any relevant tests.</p>
<p>Thank you so very much.</p>
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<p>Admissions committees are largely unaware of a student’s socioeconomic status unless it is somehow referenced within the application (i.e. relation to benefactors, participation in programs for low-income students, and so on).</p>
<p>^A fee waiver request could give them some indication.</p>
<p>But do they keep track of who used fee waivers? (In other words, is whether or not you used fee waivers also recorded in the application files?)</p>
<p>Yes, a fee waiver certainly qualifies as a possible indication of financial hardship. I don’t have the slightest clue whether it holds any effect in the evaluation process at Harvard.</p>
<p>All I know is that Harvard actively encourages low-income students to apply, targeting them as a group and individually. They may see it as overcoming adversity, but I wouldn’t count on it without an admissions officer backing that claim up. I’m also curious as to whether or not the actual admissions officers making the decisions can see if the application fee was waived.</p>
<p>I’d think that low-income students and high-income students fare the best, with the middle-class students being left behind.</p>
<p>The admissions process is need blind. So it doesn’t matter.</p>
<p>^True, but what I meant is something like this:</p>
<p>If you’re low income, it’s more likely that you’re an URM or first-generation college student.</p>
<p>If you’re high income, it’s more likely you’re a legacy.</p>
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<p>I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t know how you would even get the idea that someone has to be an URM or first-generation college student to be low-income.</p>
<p>This thread appears to have devolved into a debated about undergrad admissions. Since the OP refers to first earning a double BA, I am going to assume that they are actually questioning grad school admissions. Recently my son has begun investigating the grad school application process and Harvard’s SEAS is on his list.</p>
<p>When it comes to the SEAS, most programs are only for a PhD and a few allow for a terminal masters. From the SEAS prospective student page:</p>
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<p>I do not know how this correlates to the other grad school programs but the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences seems to be very clear to me. For PhD applicants, the applicants finances are not important because every admitted student is fully funded. While those applying for a terminal masters must prove ability to pay and include this proof with their application.</p>
<p>For PhD, prior research experience, gpa, gre’s, recommendations and statement of purpose are supposed to determine admission. As for terminal masters programs , I am trying to learn more about that myself.</p>
<p>I hope this gave the OP some ideas of what to check into for their own area of academic interest.</p>
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<p>No? 10 char</p>
<p>^It’s stastically proven that Hispanics and African Americans are among the lowest income brackets in America, and that those who go don’t go to college have a lower income, on average, than those who do.</p>
<p>Look, I’m not saying that all African Americans/Hispanics/non-college-grads live on government welfare. I’m not even saying that most are low income bracket. All I’m saying is that it’s more likely.</p>