Track Coach at Harvard offered me...

[sgopal2]

Again, not an AO, but I think this statement is in error. Yes, Harvard ranks athletics, and always has, and has never been a big secret. But I don’t think that it’s a simple arithmetic formula where 1+1+1+1=admitted.

Note that I never said that the total rating is a simple sum. I said that the athletic score is “on par” with the others. For more details see this quote in the Arcidiacono report:

In evaluating applications for admission, Harvard considers factors other than academics, assigning each applicant four component scores and an overall score. The component scores are known as the Academic, Extracurricular, Athletic, and Personal Ratings. The Overall Rating is a score that purports to reflect Harvard’s overall assessment of the applicant; it is not an average of these other scores, but it takes them into account.

[dadof4kids]

Those odds aren’t great, if he has even 5 athletes with your stats apply every year I would expect at least one would get in. That’s not much of a bump.

I think you have to honestly assess what your priorities are. If you don’t get in to Harvard, what are your other options? Are you ok with that? Do you have a guaranteed admissions and team spot elsewhere? If you don’t get in to Harvard, are you now not getting help anywhere?

I don’t really know T&F well, but my guess is that if you are at that level athletically you are probably at a level that at least one NESCAC or other high academic school has a coach that would give you a slot. Personally I would take a guarantee at Amherst or Middlebury over a less than 50/50 at Harvard. But that’s a very personal decision and you have to make that one yourself.