@SJNccc - There a number of criteria you can look at in trying to figure out which one to use you SCEA shot on:
(1) The programs/schools themselves (in your case it sounds like you are interested equally in the two)
(2) The respective EA and RD accept rates, as well as deferral rates (for instance, you need to try to determine - both in general terms as well as at your particular school - what the advantages of EA might give you.
(3) Stanford generally doesn’t defer EA to RD as much as other schools do – not sure specifically about Harvard.
@Wje9164be
You have to consider that Harvard accepts the majority (if not all) of its athletes, legacies, etc. from EA, unlike Stanford. So the true EA acceptance rate for unhooked applicants is about the same for both universities.
That’s a great point @SJNccc about the athletes. That’s a big thing to factor in when making SCEA choice. If it were me, I’d do Stanford but what does that count for right? I’m applying SCEA to a different Ivy but that’d just be my choice from those two taken all things into consideration. You’re a great candidate for these schools (very similar application to myself actually hahaha), so I’ll be holding my breath for a few of these too come December and January
Hello - I’m surprised that this hasn’t come up earlier. Your stats are fine, however your ECs are fairly mediocre for Stanford/Harvard. You really need to have something that shows international or national significance. The competition is brutal.
The science research sounds interesting. Its also good that you’re applying to Intel and Siemens. But the results from those competitions won’t be available until after the decisions are made anyway, so how will it help?
Harvard and Stanford both openly state that the chances of admission are the same regardless of whether you apply during EA or RD rounds. I honestly think you’ll face an uphill battle getting into either of these two schools. You might consider using your early option on a school where it can make a big difference: Cornell, Penn, Duke, etc.
Do you have Naviance at your school? If so how many students in the last few years have been accepted to Harvard and Stanford?
@sgopal2
Thanks for your honest feedback, the competition at top-tier schools is indeed brutal. As for the Siemens/Intel competitions, semi-finalists are announced before early action deadlines, and finalists are announced before regular decision deadlines, so this could potentially help my application (assuming I even make it to these rounds in the first place). I am reluctant to apply ED to any private schools because that could lock me into an unsatisfactory financial situation. We don’t have Naviance at my school so I’m not sure exactly how many students have been accepted to Harvard/Stanford. I know we have sent students to Harvard/other ivies in the past though. Thank you again for your feedback.
Maybe you can have a candid discussion with your GC to figure out which of the two schools your HS has the best track record with in terms of getting kids with your stats accepted.
Hello: thanks for your reply. You appear to have a solid head on your shoulders, so no doubt you’ll make the right decision.
I agree with other posters to broaden your RD choices in case EA with Harvard/Stanford doesn’t work out. Apply to at least 2-3 schools where your stats are > 75th percentile, this will put you in the position of receiving a great FA package.
I’m not sure I agree with you that the Siemens/STS will help. Even if the semi-finalists are announced before the EA deadline, most of the committee meetings and initial readings on your application will happen about a month before the deadline. Making it to Siemens/STS semi-finalist isn’t likely to tip the scales in your case. I still say to continue on with the science research, as it is impressive on its own right. I just don’t think it will make a huge impact in your case though. However it could help tremendously in the RD round.
Good luck, please post back here next spring once you make your decision, I’d be curious to know where you end up. I’ve bookmarked this thread.
@sgopal2
Thanks for the advice. I will be applying to 3 match/low-reach schools to widen my options: Boston University, Northeastern University, and Wake Forest University. I have looked into these schools before and liked them.
After reading what you said about the research competitions, I feel that maybe I shouldn’t be applying to Harvard/Stanford during the EA round, and instead save them for RD. If I do end up making it to semi-finalist or further in these competitions (I am relatively confident that my research project can make it to semi-finalist in at least one), then it would be disadvantageous to apply EA, since my application could potentially be boosted with the semi-finalist+ status added. What do you think?
I will definitely post back once I have received my results. Thanks again.
I know that Harvard defers a lot of students during EA round. Stanford defers very few. So if you were going to apply EA it might make more sense for Harvard. However without the Siemens I think your chances are a lot lower.
You might want to go back to see what % of students are deferred by Harvard vs Stanford during EA round.
Wow you are a very dedicated person. Your stats far outweigh mine and I just graduated so I know what you’re going through. I only applied to some schools like Duke and Stanford but I got into all of them . GPA, test scores, EC’s, and rank by itself is not good enough to stand out, trust me. The valedictorian and salutatorian at my school did not get into any prestigious schools, even though they had an outstanding academic profile. The essays, recommendations, and how you’ve challenged yourself will also determine if you get accepted or not. Starting now it’s best to develop relationships with your teachers, principal, and your counselor so that they can write outstanding recs on your behalf. Next, the essays are about you. Write something that makes you who you are. For me, I wrote a personal essay about my recent hardship and how that shaped who I am today. Be very specific, express your passion, be committed, and EDIT!! And what I mean by how you’ve challenged yourself is that is there anything you’ve overcome or challenging courses you’ve excelled at. For me, I took the most challenging courses at my school and succeeded in them. Just be yourself and talk about what sets you apart from all the other applicants, because it is very competitive. Hope that helps. Oh and I graduated with a 3.92 GPA, 23 ACT, and rank 10 :D.
@sgopal2
You’re correct. Stanford seems to either accept or reject during the SCEA round. They defer very few applicants. It looks like I will most likely be applying to Harvard SCEA.
@Mustang2k16
Thank you very much for the advice! Congratulations on your acceptances to these amazing schools. It seems that one thing is very clear from all the advice I’m receiving: it is advantageous to convey passion and dedication to something unique. Pretty much any topic that I choose to write about will likely be overdone anyways, so it’s probably better just to be genuine in my essays and tell them exactly what my passion is and how I’ve pursued it. Thanks again for your post.
I did end up getting semifinalist in the Siemens competition, and I am waiting for Regeneron STS results. I have also presented my research at other competitions/conferences (which I will leave unnamed b/c of identity).
I decided not to apply SCEA to Harvard or Stanford - I will be applying to these schools RD. My final list ended up being: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Stanford, Caltech, Duke, Columbia, Cornell, JHU, UNC, UCB, and NCSU.
I hope this thread will be helpful to other students in the future. I will update this thread when I receive college decisions.
Thanks again for your advice with the college application process.
. GPA, test scores, EC’s, and rank by itself is not good enough to stand out, trust me. The valedictorian and salutatorian at my school did not get into any prestigious schools, even though they had an outstanding academic profile. The essays, recommendations, and how you’ve challenged yourself will also determine if you get accepted or not. Starting now it’s best to develop relationships with your teachers, principal, and your counselor so that they can write outstanding recs on your behalf. Next, the essays are about you. Write something that makes you who you are. For me, I wrote a personal essay about my recent hardship and how that shaped who I am today. Be very specific, express your passion, be committed, and EDIT!! And what I mean by how you’ve challenged yourself is that is there anything you’ve overcome or challenging courses you’ve excelled at. For me, I took the most challenging courses at my school and succeeded in them. Just be yourself and talk about what sets you apart from all the other applicants, because it is very competitive. Hope that helps. Oh and I graduated with a 3.92 GPA, 23 ACT, and rank 10 :D.