<p>True EAS, that many minority students (like myself) have overcome adversity in light of situations. However, speaking strictly in terms of academics and scores, my argument is right. Fortunately they dont operate that way and people like me have a chance.</p>
<p>Bright future- Last year I was one of the student employees at the Undergrad. Minority Recruitment Program (UMRP). I am a senior now and not working there because I have too many other things to do. Basic job duties include answering phone and email inquiries, calling students to encourage them to apply and then to attend, arranging overnight hosts and day trips for prospective students, attending college fairs to recruit, arranging recruitment trips made by other Harvard students to visit HSs, attending conferences to recruit, etc.</p>
<p>DHA- You and I are just going to have to agree to disagree on the "ideal" make up of a freshman class, or the way that admissions should be conducted. I do not believe it should be "strictly in terms of academics and scores". I have learned way more from the diverse experiences of all my classmates- male, female, people of color, white students, straight people, gay people, international students, rich, poor- than I could ever have learned from a class of perfect scoring, 4.0 students who do nothing but study. The world isn't just about academics, and Harvard is not in the business of preparing students to strictly go into academia and be scholars- in fact, the majority of students don't. I believe the figure is ~12% of students who pursue this life path. Interestingly enough, I am going into academia, but that's a different story.</p>
<p>abeautiful mistake- I do think you are apfreak. If not, though, yes I know a lot of Hispanics with perfect or near perfect stats. I am a member of 2 Latino organizations on campus, and my fellow members are all smart individuals. But remember stats are not everything. Don't feel intimdated to apply.</p>
<p>so EAS do you recommend that I apply even though my SAT is only 1200 (as of now but im retaking it in Decemb!)... I mean do I really stand a chance with all these kids who pull across incredible SAT and SAT2 scores.. I mean sure my rank is pretty good (7/26).. and my ECs are awesome as well
But what it ultimately boils down to are sats (i think i did pretty reasonable on sat 2s)..</p>
<p>any advice would surely help... lets hope my urm first gen pulls through!</p>
<p>beauty- no one can tell you if you should apply. Only you can decide that. If you don't feel confident applying, it will come through..definately in your interview, maybe in other ways (essays, recs) as well. The interview is when you demonstrate that you want to be at Harvard. You need to feel confident and show how you'd be an asset to the class- not be looking for confirmation you should even be applying.</p>
<p>Your SAT score is in the low range. Most Harvard students score between 600-800 on each section. BUT, low does not mean impossible. I suggest you study for the test in Dec. and see how that goes. But your SAT is not the only part of your app- remember that.</p>
<p>well of course when I apply for anything, I'm going to sound like I 'deserve it'... I wont sound weak or ignorant..
confidence is key, I know that :P</p>
<p>As far as SAT's go... well yeh, hopefully I can boost it up at least 100 points.. if not.. well I'll still try my best</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice.. of course I'll apply and give it my all.. hopefully things will work out in the end</p>
<p>I still think its unfair for individuals to have high class rank but do poorly on standardized tests. It shows that either their school is highly grade-inflated or that they cant perform well underpressure. I believe it should be the other way around. GPA is SO subjective. Believe it or not, there are actually teachers who are out to get you. You are racist and despicable, and believe that just because you are poor, you dont have the right to aspire to a "god-forbidding" (words of one of my teachers towards me) school such as Harvard. Standardized test give kids a fair shot to prove what they know. If someone gets a 700 on an SAT II but a 'C' inthe class, is the grading really fair? Is it fair for some rich minority to get a 600 on an SAT II however get an A in the AP course of that subject? Admissions still isnt entirely equal-opportunity. Oh and FYI there is no "test bias"</p>
<p>-some latino kid</p>
<p>"who" instead of "you" for the third line. sorry</p>
<p>
[quote]
I still think its unfair for individuals to have high class rank but do poorly on standardized tests. It shows that either their school is highly grade-inflated or that they cant perform well underpressure. I believe it should be the other way around. GPA is SO subjective. Believe it or not, there are actually teachers who are out to get you. You are racist and despicable, and believe that just because you are poor, you dont have the right to aspire to a "god-forbidding" (words of one of my teachers towards me) school such as Harvard. Standardized test give kids a fair shot to prove what they know. If someone gets a 700 on an SAT II but a 'C' inthe class, is the grading really fair? Is it fair for some rich minority to get a 600 on an SAT II however get an A in the AP course of that subject? Admissions still isnt entirely equal-opportunity. Oh and FYI there is no "test bias"
[/quote]
</p>
<p>But GPA is what you'll be measured by in college. So how well you do among your peers, regardless of inflation (which is rampant at the Ivies), is what's important.</p>
<p>Of course not DHA, unfortunately on that one SAT day I partied a little too hard the night before.. it's all good, im not fretting</p>
<p>Sure kids get angry with affirmitive action, but I fell standardize testing is bootleg... can you really prepare for the sats? sure you can do prep classes, but I cant afford those.. and for those minorities who still rock the SAT, well I applaud them.. Like I said, 1350-1400 is what I should get in Decemeber.. hopefully ;)</p>
<p>It is a bit unfair.. but then again, I'm just a kid whose trying to get through this college process.. I always suck at standardize testing, but teach me the material, give me time to prepare, and i'm golden</p>
<p>But I highly doubt you could conclude that a kid cant perform under the pressure just because of ONE test... be logical.. </p>
<p>kids 'shine' when one analyzes the conundrums they've had to overcome to get to the point they are at now..</p>
<p>and with that</p>
<p>Peace.</p>
<p>DHA-
[quote]
Oh and FYI there is no "test bias"
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Evidence given as testimony in the Michigan cases disproved this. I had the opportunity to speak with one of the expert witnesses, "some white guy", who's worked for Princeton Review for over 25 years, this summer. He also disagreed with you.</p>
<p>Are you even 25 yet? I'm not. I'm 21. That's why I go on evidence researched by others.</p>
<p>EAS I am NOT abeautifulmistake!! I applied EA and have a school with 591 seniors not 26...</p>
<p>260*
silly guy</p>
<p>wowowow!!!! I knew it! abeautifulmistake=apfreak!!!</p>
<p>..your pathetic
grow up</p>
<p>OH wait, no you're not. Lol, I didn't see apfreak's post.</p>
<p>So why did EAS say you were apfreak?</p>
<p>do i know?
jesus quit saying im apfreak
i can care less about that kid</p>
<p>then, why doesn't apfreak post often anymore? it's weird that the replies between you and abeautifulmistake are one hour in between. let's say, apfreak respond at 1:00, then abeautifulmistake respond at 2:00. this happens a few times. i don't know, it's just too weird.</p>
<p>Oh cmon on. What is the bias? That the test is tailored towards the "European" method of education? That subjects such as "Latin" and "Philosophy" arent available to minorities? Give me a break. I come from these situations, and the European format is FINE. Its the only basic format, and best-suittedm format there is. In South America it is the exact same thing. You have your romance languages, maths, sciencies, social studies, etc. If you really have the desire to learn, then against all obstacles you will read "The Economist" instead of "Latina Cosmogirl." It all comes from the individual's passions and intentions. Thats why I choose to take the bus to Barnes and Nobles to read magazines such as that, instead of "Michael Jordan: A biography" like the other minority kid sitting next to me. Harvard was set up after the original European model for christ's sake!</p>