Where should my friend apply EA? Harvard v. Stanford v. Princeton

College Search & Selection
1

Hello!

I am asking this question for a friend who is not on CC. Now, let me warn you. Some of his stats might seem crazy. I have seen people on CC in the past mock people with stats similar to him. But I 100% assure you that the person exists. Just PM me if you want more details about him. I have no intention of wasting anybody’s precious time. He just needs opinions on where to apply early.

So basically, he has already made up his college list and he is contemplating where to apply to early. Right now ,he has narrowed down my choices to Harvard, Stanford and Princeton. He hasn’t visited any of the schools and nor will he be able to in the near future (unless he gets admitted, of course). He would be happy to go to either of them (if at all he gets in). I think that applying EA gives him an advantage (albeit a very slight one), he would do anything that maximizes my chances at any of those colleges.

He is fine with the class sizes at all the colleges. He has lived in a metropolitan city for all his life. Weather can be managed. Research opportunities and the ability to take grad classes matter a lot to him. In addition to that, he plans to major in math/applied math + economics. I know he can’t double major at Harvard, but he had a look at their website and the joint concentration looks fine to him. He might take a few CS classes here and there, but he is 100% sure that he will not major in CS.

HE DOES NOT NEED AID. He can pay full freight.

Here are his stats to help you: he will 99% have accomplished the following by November. I have put an asterix at the awards/accomplishments that he has not yet achieved, but has a high chance of achieving.

SAT 1 - 2270 (second attempt, single sitting)
ACT - 35 - 36 (Taking it in September)
SAT subject tests: 800 (PCM)

School grades: 9th - 84%, 10th - 93%, 11th - 96%, 12th mid term - 96%, 12th board marks - 92% (predicted)
****The average at his school is pretty low. Like really low, something around 50 - 60% So although his school doesn’t rank, he is in the top 5% He has taken the most rigorous courses available to him.

Awards: INMO participant (akin to USAMO in India), Google Science Fair(* He basically created a novel method to diagnose cancer, something better than the first winner of GSF; he might end up winning something if he is lucky), top 50 in the nation at a semi-major CS competition plus a few national/state level scholarships. Published research x 6 (3 of them were very high impact journals, something similar in stature to PNAS, Annals of Mathematics)

ECs: Research in math and computer science (over 4 years), soccer (team captain), basketball (captain), 1 paid and 2 unpaid internships in STEM institutes in our country. 1 internship at a start-up, 1 or 2 clubs in school (president in both) and

The biggest disadvantage, he is from India. So he will be competing with highly competitive olympiad participants.

Again, he does not need financial aid at all. He will stop all these activities after July to focus on essays.

Please give your honest opinions. This has been worrying him for the past few weeks.

Thanks in advance!

2

There are research opportunities and the ability to take grad classes at all three universities; economics and math are great at all three universities; Stanford is obviously great for CS but he can take CS classes at any of the three universities. None of that information really narrows it down.

There’s really no evidence that applying EA gives people an advantage - universities claim that it doesn’t and they really have no reason to discourage EA/ED applications (if anything, ED gives them more control over yield management). People around these parts claim that it does. But Harvard, Stanford, and Princeton’s early programs are great in that they are non-binding - you simply can’t apply to any other colleges early, but you’re not obligated to go. These programs are great because they have basically no catch for the applicant - they know where they are (or aren’t) in early, but they can still wait for regular decision offers and evaluate and compare financial aid and have until May 1 to decide.

So basically…this is really not something he should agonize over. These are three equally great universities where he can get a similarly top-notch education, so he should just pick whichever one resonates with him the most, even if it’s a gut choice. Personally I’d pick Stanford for the weather and the location and my own interest in tech and computer science, but I’m not your friend - it really depends on his interests.

Also, I don’t see why your friend would stop ALL of his activities after July to focus on essays. That seems a bit extreme - you don’t need 4 hours 7 days a week to work on college essays. I think he should continue with the activities that are most important to him and just make sure he sets aside some time each day to work on the essays.

3

My “friend” says "heh. :slight_smile: "

4

I see a lot of "he"s and "my"s. Are you talking about you or your friend?

5

@DarkEclipse @marvin100 Okay fine. The question is for me. I tried to avoid it but made a few errors here and there and could not change it. It proves that I am a human after all :smiley:

The reason why I tried to ask this in guise was that I have seen people mock and jeer any person with very high stats (one prime example: @PurePhysics )

I just wanted opinions on where to apply, not get ridiculed because a few people think that such kind of stats are unattainable.

6

@julliet Thank you for your reply. I really appreciate it.

7

It’s okay. Totally understandable. I completely agree with post #1, but if you absolutely want to apply for EA, my choice would be Princeton. This is a personal choice, since I’m not particularly interested in Harvard. However, considering Stanford considers grades from the 10th grade onwards, you might want to apply for EA in that. Your ninth grade percentage will be overlooked.

8

I agree with Juillet. The EA/RA difference is unlikely to matter at those 3 schools. It’s not as if they are desperate for students to show strong preferences.

Where you ought to be putting more effort, perhaps, is in choosing a few good alternatives to these 3 super selective schools. In the USA there must be at least a dozen other colleges that can provide high-stats students an excellent education in the fields you mention (math/applied math + economics), with research opportunities and the ability to take grad classes. Good options might include almost any of the other research universities in the US News top 20, plus NYU, plus some of the top state universities just outside the T20 (such as UCLA, Michigan, and Wisconsin).

9

@mumbai98 I agree, it’s sad that the egos on CC have gotten to a point that you have to post your stats in disguise. I can only imagine the ridicule if I updated my old stats with things like RSI 2015, ISEF 3rd place in mathematics, more seminars, etc

Just be true to your stats.

10

I also agree with juillet. Go with the best fit. I’m also biased in favor of Stanford - great weather matters to me. And the quarter system is more flexible than the semester system for someone trying to double major (very doable at Stanford, by the way. And if you need an extra quarter or more to graduate, they allow that too - not so at Princeton and Harvard.) The big sports scene is a plus or a minus depending on who you are. But others might find being in the city (Boston) or a smaller school environment (Princeton) to be more important factors.

tk21769 is also on the money when he says you need to focus on alternatives. As good as your stats are, the competition is fierce for admission to these three schools and the quality of education available at many other top schools would be just as good. Just google top Math programs and top Economics programs for undergrads. You’ll get a variety of lists that you can cross-reference. Then go to the Common Data Set (esp Section C), for each school to get a sense of your chances for admission.

11

Your “friend” should probably tone down his ego if he doesn’t want to be rejected.

Don’t say anything approaching that level of narcissism on an essay.

12

You came up with a new way to diagnose cancer? Do tell.

13

yeah, yeah, but the admissions committee only admits the kids who cure cancer…

14

@N’s Mom,
Thanks for you reply. I’ll take those factors into consideration.

@YogSothoth
Really sorry you feel that way. I’ll try not to mess up things next time.

@wayneandgarth
I choose not to tell anybody before the results of a competitions come out/it gets accepted for publication. I haven’t even told anybody outside my family and the 1 other person that I collaborated with on this project. I’m surely not going to tell a stranger on the internet. Sorry.

@PurePhysics
Read about your previous work. Really amazing stuff. I’m mostly focussed on game theory and combinatorics. Best of luck to you for RSI

15

Applying EA doesn’t always increase chances. Those places are huge reaches anyways. People of your stats are a dime a dozen applying Harvard, Stanford, and Princeton. Go off of fit. Do intense Google searching. Try looking at pictures online or taking virtual tours. Go around these boards to the specific college boards and talk to students. Possibly email your regional admissions counselor (if one exists) and ask any non-generic questions you may have.

16

Stanford. All of the three institutions are terrific and extremely hard to get into BUT strategically speaking if you’re an international applicant who doesn’t need aid, you might have an edge at Stanford because both Princeton and Harvard are need-blind for internationals while Stanford is not. I hate to go materialistic like this but you should be aware of your odds.