<p>GuitarManARs: my son is loving Harvard. He's happy with his classses, and really likes his suitemates and new friends. He's working hard, of course, but also having time for fun. He's playing club-level tennis, and joined a political action group. He really feels the school is a good fit for him in every way.</p>
<p>Good luck on your interview. I don't think it's necessary to specifically bring up your contacts with faculty-- unless it happens to flow easily from your conversation (since you mentioned it in passing in your ap, that's all you need). Just be yourself, and let the interviewer get to know you and your passions.</p>
<p>Blah!! I had my interview today and I forgot to mention my meetings with the Harvard people. Hmm...although I left with her some papers that mentioned it, so maybe she'll see. Anyway, I don't think it'll sway my decision one way or another, hehe :) Thanks for all the encouragement though everyone! Just a few more days, no?</p>
<p>Dude I'm like a WASP California version of you, only without all of those...what do you call them again?
Oh yeah, accomplishments. And I applied to Princeton ED. I hope I got in before they found out about you, or else I'm totally screwed.
As a fellow future astrophysicist, what do you think of the astrophysics programs at Princeton/Yale? I think Penzias and Wilson was at Princeton...I don't really remember but I definitely used that in my interview anyways. Well I'll be happy to get into Berkeley, because my Berkeley alum AP Physics teacher has promised to set me up with his Berkeley astrophysicist friends for marvelous research purposes.</p>
<p>GuitarmanARS: how did your interview go besides that? As I mentioned above, I don't think that bringing up your faculty contacts at an interview would necessary be a plus --the interviewer is not judging you on your level of interest in Harvard or your connections to people there, but rather your personal qualities, so if it didn't come naturally to the conversation, its probably better left out. Good luck again!</p>
<p>Nice! :) Always nice to meet a fellow (future) astrophysicist in HS. Very few people our age who aspire to do astro and even fewer who are actually doing it. And this year is especially bad--I'm the only high school student presenting at AAS this year, there's almost always a few more...</p>
<p>Princeton has great astro, and so does Yale but I'd say it's a step below. Either is great, and over the summers you can do an REU elsewhere if you want. This past summer I worked with a lot of REU students and there was one from Princeton and another from Yale and they seem to be going places, so...and listen, honestly, if you want to do nothing but astro, then Berkeley is about as good as you'll get. I mean, the research opportunities there are insane. But if you want the best education all-around, of course you'll look towards a Harvard/Princeton/Yale type.</p>
<p>Note that of those three, Harvard is probably the best for astro, which is why I picked it, so it might be worth applying RD there if Princeton defers you...</p>
<p>And o yeah, astro rocks. AIM me sometime :)</p>
<p>lol, Yea Harvard does have a kick-a$$ astro-research department. In fact, I saw on the Discovery Channel just a few hours ago about Harvard's radio-telescope antennas. The narrator said one of the purpose of the radio-telescope is to broadcast radio transmission in hopes of luring extraterrestrial to our planet. Sounds like a neat idea, but chances are - if we can't live in peace with fellow humans...what makes it possible that we won't try to kill them those aliens the first chance we get? lol</p>
<p>Anyway, seriously- you got a great shot at Harvard. I see you in charge of that Radio-telescope antenna in like 5 years. If there's a chance of finding or luring extraterrestrial to our planet; well....I'll bet my bucks on you.</p>
<p>Donemom--Thanks!! :) I think it went pretty well. She seemed like the old, formal type but I got her to laugh a bit and we had a good conversation for about an hour and 15 min or so until my mom rang the doorbell (because we told her to come after only an hour, lol), and we discussed lots of things from music to literature to philosophy to politics. Relatively little talk about science so I think I got my personality across. I think I did about as well as I could have :) So we'll just have to wait, and see how it went...</p>
<p>That radio stuff sounds awesome, even though radio is my least favorite form of EM radiation...it's so, I dunno, long-wavelength. And Guitarman I shall be in touch. I, too, am burdened with AP Chem and AP Physics C in the same year - how are you dealing with it?</p>
<p>I agree. I find radio astronomy rather dull, although I might end up finding more interest in it as time goes on. It's the kind of thing that has great scientific value but isn't immediately "sexy" (to use a term my mentor uses to describe astronomy sometimes--hehe that was actually the inspiration for my supplement essay). But if I really wanted to do radio, I'd have applied to Cornell ;) But personally, it's optical, UV, and IR for me :) My current research is solely far-red optical and near-IR and I sorta like it like that, hehe.</p>
<p>And I've actually been doing VERY little AP Physics C so far :\ No time. It's an independent study so it's on my own schedule. I'll have to catch up soon...you?</p>
<p>Well I've been going to class but I haven't actually been reading the book very much...it's like so dense it hurts. Luckily, we get an A in the class if we get a score of 4 or 5 on the upcoming Fall final (which is like a practice AP mech. test). And at least you have research. Like at my school astronomy research is basically "let's take pictures of the moon!" But they're very lovely pictures I guess. Physics C is okay if you were good at Physics B I guess...it's just with many more variables and so much algebra it erodes your brain. They should call it "AP Physics with a bit of calculus but a hell of a lot of algebra and trig, with a good lot of geometry thrown in there too." I do not know your instant messengy screenname, but mine is "assmar2000" I hope you catch the blatant Lord of the Flies reference.</p>
<p>My screen name is the same as my CC name ;) Click the little AIM icon underneath my post count.</p>
<p>And yeah, Physics C seems like B with much harder problems, and calculus as just another tool thrown into the mix. Oy!! And I was lucky enough (and annoyingly persistent enough, lol) to get some research experience in in high school, but definitely try to do a bit at Princeton or wherever you end up ;)</p>
<p>guitarman, are you farmiliar with Alex Dalgarno? He is a brilliant astrophysics professor at Harvard that wrote me a rec. He's probably the nicest guy ever, a true genius too. Anyway, if you do end up going, take a class with him! (he is very generous with his time and in helping students with graduate opportunities I hear)</p>
<p>No, I've never heard of him but I'll look into him, especially if I get in to Harvard. His research doesn't seem easy for an undergrad though ;) How do you know this guy?</p>
<p>friend of my family, Im no astro-physicist :) I asked him about his classes and whether they were large, he said that they are only large for the first day, then everybody drops out. So yes, I would say his classes are tough.</p>