<p>WOW guys stop being so depressed. First of all, there's not THAT GREAT of a difference between a place like berkeley and [insert other good college here] and Harvard. Like my dad always says, "it doesnt matter what school you go to as long as you work hard at that school." A dedicated, brilliant student at a bad school will be better off/more successfull than an unmotivated student at Harvard. He was students at his college with HUGE IQs while his was ~10 pts lower but they got nowhere and he got somewhere because they werent willing to put in hard work and he was...</p>
<p>I am just going to sit in my room, light a cigarette, put on headphones and listen to some extreme satanic black metal and be at one with my disappointment!!!</p>
<p>No, seriously I don't know what do to, especially because I'm an international. I'll just try submit my high school matric results and other certificates I might get, and maybe another essay.</p>
<p>Hey, siavash, if you know philosophy so well, you should know that college isn't of any importance. In philosophical terms, life is more about facing death, and what important things to do to make death less regretful. I must say...there are probably many people who are harvard graduates that suffered when dying. And there are also some people that must've died in happiness who graduated from a local community college. Cheer up! Life is beautiful, cuz' it's not limited to college!</p>
<p>...to ask what more I could do/what would Harvard like to see from me to make acceptance more likely. (My life doesn't depend on a H admittance, but it would rock for sure.) My adcom was lovely and polite -- which is amazing considering all the work they have to do and all the angry calls they probably get -- but she didn't really help me any. All she suggested was I send in the results from the SAT I took in December, and she said I have until March to send in any additional recommendations/essays/new awards/test scores. But she couldn't (she said) recommend anything specific to do. </p>
<p>She did remind me that deferral is not evil, it's a positive. And it is, so remember that, everyone, as I do so myself. ;) </p>
<p>If our dedicated mod doesn't mind, perhaps this could be the deferred discussion thread instead of the rest of the splinter threads that have so far gone nowhere concrete. If you think it worthwile, PSedrish, you could even splice the deferral threads into one. </p>
<p>Now, I have a few questions for the deferrees -- let's answer them together.</p>
<ol>
<li>Did you call your admissions rep to ask what you could do, and what did the rep suggest? </li>
<li>What are some words of wisdom your parents/teachers/guidance counselors have given you on the subject of Harvard deferral? </li>
<li>What are you going to do to show your best face to Harvard for the regular decision round? Anything extra?</li>
</ol>
<p>If you have other questions or words of insight, they would be greatly appreciated. Please refrain from flaming or "depths of despair" posts to ensure better communication and information sharing. :)</p>
<p>How exactly do you get in touch with your admissions rep? Do you just call the main number and tell them your geographic location? Please let me know. Thanks.</p>
<p>but hey if you could send in another essay, that could prove to be really helpful. Maybe you can show a side of you that didn't come out in your first application</p>
<p>I guess I'll be the first to follow the OP's suggestions:</p>
<ol>
<li>I don't know the name of my admissions rep</li>
<li>My mom said that everything will happen for the best; I told my GC, "I got deferred from Harvard," and she's like, "What's that mean?"</li>
<li>Hopefully this thread will answer that question.</li>
</ol>
<p>I have no idea. I've spent the past four years preparing to go to harvard. Oh well, there's always eternal rest...or possibly penn...I dunno, I'm kinda on the side of eternal rest now...</p>
<p>I'm still pretty ****ed.
At least you guys aren't some sanctimonious parent with a handle like "joesmom21" or something...ha! I hate those people.</p>
<p>I think the thing that really bothered me about being deferred was:
1) I never really made a conscious effort to make friends in hs and I think that's b/c I was so driven to succeed and do well. I never really did anything else. And I tried SO hard!
2) I don't have any excuses (or reasons) to be successful anymore. I know, I know, Harvard isn't everything, but for some people, and I'm sure some will sympathize, it is.
3) Some jerk I know, who spent his entire teenage life chasing girls, got in. And I didn't. He was just a jerk, and I worked so hard.
4) It just feels bad to tell so many people. I wanted to be that person in my school to get in. No one has gone to Harvard from my school for about seven or eight years now.
5) For that one moment I spent in the interview, as well as the summer school, I felt like I was really part of something important. I just generally feel mediocre and marginalized anywhere else. You feel part of something there. It's difficult to explain.</p>
<p>i'm actually elated. to be deferred. yes, indeed.
no, i was not expecting a rejection.</p>
<p>now that i've been deferred, my whole life plans and goals have just become so cut and clear and everything has just fallen into place and there's no more waiting and worrying and it was my mom who made me apply anyways and boston is too crowded and harvard is too expensive and harvard's reputation precedes it and now i can apply to other schools and life goes on and on and on.</p>
<p>The only thing I can think of is to remember that anything you send in pretty much thrown in a folder solely about you. I know that sounds obvious but its meaning is whatever you send to Harvard will be seen by the admissions people so you can go beyond what is required. Send in a resume, another essay, a drawing, whatever you think will show you the want and desire to get into the school. I for one don't go to Harvard (I go to MIT) but I didn't get rejected from any of the six schools I applied to (Cornell included, didn't apply Harvard) because I think I conveyed myself to the best of my ability to the reps.</p>