The Truth about Harvard, Yale, and Princeton (pt. IV-very long)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>ADVICE.
What it came down to was finding a ‘fit,’ a school that matched my personality. It wasn’t about the name. The best advice about choosing a college that I received was from my tour guide in France back over spring break: choosing a college purely for its name is no better than throwing your acceptances down the stairs and going to the college that lands face up. Forget the name; find the ‘fit.’<br>
I can’t stress the importance of college visits. For some people, this isn’t an option; trust me, I understand. If all the schools I applied to hadn’t been within driving distance, I wouldn’t have bothered attending these weekends. But if you’re able to do overnights or even merely college tours, do them.<br>
As far as getting in . . .
To be honest, I couldn’t tell you what these schools are looking for; I don’t know. The ‘it’ factor? That’d be my guess. Sometimes, it’s an extra-curricular ‘hook.’ But don’t underestimate the power of the essay; certain personal qualities may shine through in your writing that will catch the adcom’s eye. Don’t be afraid to get personal (within reasonable means). And ALWAYS be honest.<br>
Work hard in school, that goes without saying. But after class, do what you love. You don’t want to graduate from high school taking nothing with you but pride in your AP scores. Stand for something, and work at it.<br>
The Class of 09 is amazing because of how unique and different we all are. A few of my friends: an ice skater, a math GENIUS, a girl interning at CNN’s ‘People in the News,’ a guy spending a month in Greece promoting his music video and fighting for a record deal, a fencer who plays trombone in a ska band, a geography/history expert, a professional artist (she’s so good she sells her work), and so on. People who are doing what they love for their own sake, not for Harvard’s.
That about wraps things up. Excuse the extreme length, I just had to get all of this off my chest. My AIM screenname is in my profile if there’s anything more you want to know, or even if you need advice.<br>
To the potential class of 2010 (and beyond): GOOD LUCK! Don’t stress. Live a little, will ya?</p>

2

<p>Thank you for taking the time to write this up. Very informative.</p>

3

<p>Thank you for posting your experience with all three schools. I know you will be very successful in whatever you do. My AIM isn't working, and I had a few questions, how can I contact you to get more advice?</p>

4

<p>You can PM me or post them here.</p>

5

<p>I sent you a PM.</p>

6

<p>Why didn't you look at Stanford?</p>

7

<p>I eventually decided to stick to the northeast for travel reasons.</p>

8

<p>Ah, true to heart. I look forward to meeting you this fall, man. :)</p>

9

<p>Thanks! Looking forward to meeting you, too. And the rest of the 09ers that still come to this site. (And I look forward to meeting you 2010ers at Prefrosh Weekend!)</p>

10

<p>wow. you're an amazing writer. hopefully u can teach me something about writing this fall.</p>

11

<p>Of all three, which school did you think had the best looking campus?</p>

12

<p>Princeton, probably.</p>

13

<p>Which one was the worst?</p>

14

<p>Well, some parts of Yale ain't too pretty. Other parts are gorgeous. I wouldn't really call Yale ugly by any means. (The libraries are really beautiful, especially the music library.)</p>

15

<p>i like how i know half the people you name drop :-P (maybe more than that actually?)</p>