What exactly goes on behind the admission office doors?

<p>Probably not if you think about there being 4,000 applications last year and that comprised the entire country and all the International applicants. 225 would be a fairly good number.</p>

<p>ok i didnt realize;u were talking about early action apps...</p>

<p>
[QUOTE]
xjayz,</p>

<p>Anytime! Also, if you happen to have any knowledge about Connecticut, would a city like Waterbury help in the application, because that is where I go to school, and the school happens to be public.

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</p>

<p>I don't know anything about CT, but again, I can really say that it is really not easier to get into Harvard from one region than another. Everything is considered in context. If you go to the first page of this thread, you can see my post in which your case is debated among all 35 or so admissions officers before a decision is reached. This means it really does get down to the nitty-gritty, beyond any geographical advantage there may be.</p>

<p>xjayz,</p>

<p>I had initially PMed you a while back, way before I knew that you don't read/accept private messages.</p>

<p>I know this does get to be very irritating with all of these questions (I myself would be annoyed as well), but how much weight is put on the essay? Could an extroardinary essay get you in?</p>

<p>And also, I did a very humorous essay about being overweight. Do you think that was fine? I structured it so it didn't offend anyone, besides myself of course. It was very comical, yet very insightful at the same time.</p>

<p>Once again, thank you for everything.</p>

<p>Harvmath- I know someone who got into Yale by writing an humorous essay about how she was short. It completely depends on how you use it. Just being funny isn't enough- you have to show something important about yourself.</p>

<p>Also, now that you've sent in your essay, why ask these questions? I understand that you're very nervous, but you'll find out in less than two weeks if you got in. Worrying about it now and asking questions just for validation isn't going to help you.</p>

<p>i read in one of those princeton review books that </p>

<p>"a college essay can heal the sick but it wont raise the dead"</p>

<p>just keep it in perspective</p>

<p>Admiral, thanks for the advice. It sounds a lot like what my gifted teacher says to me on a day to day basis, "That ship has sailed."</p>

<p>But on the matter of the essay, I failed to mention that I wanted feedback on whether the topic was fine, because I plan on using it with my other college applications.</p>

<p>FYI - The essay consisted of many anecdotes which show how I fit the mold of the stereotypical fat person, but in the end, I am not defined by my calorie consumption or portly status.</p>

<p>
[QUOTE]

I know this does get to be very irritating with all of these questions (I myself would be annoyed as well), but how much weight is put on the essay? Could an extroardinary [sic] essay get you in?

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>No. An extraordinary essay will not get you in if you do not have the scores (usually 600+ SAT I/II and top 10%-15% of your class). If your essay really reveals something about you that's really positive in the adcom's eyes (and of course, it's dependent on each school as to what that is), then it can only help you.</p>

<p>to XJAYZ, or anyone else who might have an answer:</p>

<p>Harvard's website says that the adcom will consider january SAT scores and feb ACT scores for reg decision. But the jan 1st application deadline(they actually recommend dec 15th) implies to me that the admissions office begins reviewing files in january.
January SAT scores will reach colleges in MARCH; so this means that they will have made decisions on many files way BEFORE they get the january scores! or do they wait on applications that would be truly affected by january SAT scores?</p>

<p>IF they truly consider january scores for reg decision, then they might as well had a regular deadline of february, right?.....can anyone shed light on this?</p>

<p>does anyone know when, after the regular deadline of january 1st, do the admissions committee actually meets to commence review?? When does the ACTUAL review start after all the paper work are sorted/filed??!</p>

<p>BUMP..anyone got the answer??</p>

<p>
[QUOTE]
to XJAYZ, or anyone else who might have an answer:Harvard's website says that the adcom will consider january SAT scores and feb ACT scores for reg decision. But the jan 1st application deadline(they actually recommend dec 15th) implies to me that the admissions office begins reviewing files in january.

[/QUOTE]
</p>

<p>It's funny how you bash me and then ask me for help. Though you probably won't get into Harvard if your persona on this forum is anything like your real-life personality, I will answer your question for the benefit of everyone else who reads this thread.</p>

<p>Let's think about the number of applications that come in for RD. If we look historically, there are 23,000 applications every year. Approximately 4,000 of them are SCEA applicants. That leaves 19,000 RD applicants. To file 19,000 applicants takes a lot of manpower. In fact, I know of many people who work in the file room at admissions and it takes a lot of time. Therefore, by having a recommended deadline of December 15, it gives the students and temporary workers more time to file your application. In addition, if anything is missing in your application, it gives you more time to actually follow up on it as well.</p>

<p>Xjayz: maybe all this animosity could have been avoided if you hadn't chastised "abouttime" in the first place; I would suspect you have better things to do than pick out trivial grammatical errors on an online college forum, evaulating others' personalities, and telling a person that "harvard won't accept them"- completely unnecessary.</p>

<p>the way AboutTime states things is pretty irritating though. it reminds me of spam...</p>

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the way AboutTime states things is pretty irritating though. it reminds me of spam...

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<p>Ninjaturtle: I totally agree with you on that point.</p>

<p>XJAYZ: Remember how you corrected A-san when he said "effects", but actually meant "affects"? I think he's literate enough to know the difference! As for me, you can correct me all you like; I really don't take offence, although I do think you’re being a bit rude.
I don't think I ever bashed you man, I really meant all that as a joke.</p>

<p>As for that prediction that I won't get into Harvard--I thought that comment was very awkward. I don't think you would have said that if you weren't at Harvard already. I think these sorts of comments portray you as an extremely stuck-up and conceited person. I don't think you're such a person though, but you just come across as one.</p>

<p>I sound like spam? hehehe--this is kinda funny.
So who else thinks I sound like "SPAM"? I think my friends, teachers, oration prizes, newspaper articles,etc,etc would suggest otherwise. But I don't think I need people's opinion on how I sound on an online forum. After rereading my previous posts, I do think I could have been a bit clearer. But instead of asking me to add clarity to my posts, people here equate my writing as being irritating/spam?! </p>

<p>And finally, after being on this forum for a couple of weeks, what I’ve gleaned from it is that there's a very palpable sense of desperation in some people's voices. Totally understandable to me, since this is a forum for 17-18 year olds voicing their passionate opinions on college admissions. I'm sure you've been through the same too, XJAYZ, so it wouldn't hurt to be a bit more easy on people who are still going through the process.</p>

<p>I'm not here to bash or ridicule anyone. Like most others, I'm here to learn from the people who've gone through the crazy admissions game. So let’s end this silliness right now, OK?!</p>

<p>^^good point</p>

<p>krazy rabbits. trix are for kids.</p>

<p>I have 2 questions(which may have been answered before). The first question is for those who might actually have an insight into what my question asks.</p>

<p>1) When Harvard (and other colleges) say that they will definitely consider January SATs, do they wait until late-February(when the January scores come in) to start review of files? Does that mean that no one's file will be "rejected" BEFORE the arrival of January scores?</p>

<p>2)This thread provides very nice insight into the actual admissions review process(as detailed in the 1st page of this thread). But is it the same for international applicants? Given the very large number of extremely talented internationals vying for very few spots , won't the process be a bit different?</p>

<p>*Both the American and Foreign applicants' pools are very accomplished. But the American pool has a (definitely) higher acceptance rate than the Foreign pool. Thus it automatically becomes many times harder for foreigners to get in. It might help to look at it like this: The best from America apply to harvard. The best from many other countries around the world(which means many many countries like America!) also apply to harvard. It would be logical to deduce that the second pool would definitely be a more competitive one, right?</p>

<p>jaymz07--What? I didnt get you.</p>