<p>My younger cousin is currently a junior in high school. He's incredibly intelligent and is just beginning his college search. He's already got his mind set on HYPS. I don't feel like saying which one in particular. He's currently ranked second out of over 300 kids in his high school class and he scored a 1560 on his PSAT (just including reading and math sections).</p>
<p>But he also has a serious disability. It's not life threatening, but it causes him daily severe pain and disrupts his ability to function normally.</p>
<p>So here's his dilemma. He told me that these colleges would consider him for affirmative action b/c he's disabled (he's not URM or anything like that). But he's also against affirmative action and believes that individuals at such highly exclusive schools should be accepted on their own merit. Furthermore, everyone knows the most impressive part of having an Ivy League degree is garnering acceptance. So he feels it might tarnish his acceptance.</p>
<p>Yet, on the other hand, he's fully qualified intellectually. Many AA admits have SAt scores 150 points below average and GPA's 0.5 points below average. He's got all the academic requirements, but we all know it's such a crapshoot for HYPS. Using the disability gives him that extra push for getting admitted.</p>
<p>Should he "game" the system and use this to his advantage? Thoughts?</p>
<p>(P.S. Some peopel may think this is about me. This is not about me. I've already graduated from an Ivy League school.)</p>
<p>Also, just for reference, looking at his application, you can't tell AT ALL that he has a disability.</p>
<p>If your cousin found a school that considers his disability an asset, then he should go for it. Personally, I think he's been misled or is misleading you.</p>
<p>If your cousin is so opposed to affirm action for others, why would he seek to benefit from such a program himsself? (Though I agree w/ toledo.)</p>
<p>What makes you or your cousing think that people who score 150 pts below the average score are less qualified? If those students are graduating, then they were qualified. </p>
<p>And who ever said that grades/scores were all that mattered? Every year HYP decline to admit hundreds of kids with 5.0 GPAs and 2400 SATs in favor of non-affirm-action allicants with lesser grades/scores.</p>
<p>Surviving top prep schools and top colleges is about managing the huge workload that just never stops coming. Having a "pain" day when you have 2 tests and a major paper deadline looming means that you fall behind and fail out. </p>
<p>Go to a school that is not as challenging to allow yourself the slack to accomidate your off days.</p>
<p>well, I also have a disability..physical disability..that makes my life harder in school, but I was accepted into MIT Early action (540 out of 50000 people accepted) and deferred from caltech and uchicago. I am also considerding HYPS and some of other Ivy League. And yes, you can't tell that I have a disablity if you look at my application, unless it was mentioned in a letter of recommendation and your essay.</p>
<p>I had talked about my deafness in my main essay and how it impacted me academically and my life..and the low expectations I faced, and how I tried to work over that. So, yes, I did use my disability as an advantage to my application amongst out of all of the 5000 applicants. After all, how many people such as us and your younger cousin are qualified enough to apply to those kind of schools? But don't write such a sob story..show how you worked hard and succeeded despite your disability...and take initative of your own education and oppotornities around you...which I think that is what MIT is looking for in their early admits.</p>
<p>I thinks its great that your cousin wants to fight an unfair system. He is very qualified and should have no trouble getting into whatever school he wants.</p>