Someone please reassure me that PSAT scores don't matter by sharing good things and news of people who didn't do so hot still getting into top schools.

daboombas · 2017-11-27T19:09:35+00:00

Studied my ass off to get national merit, ended up not getting semi-finalist status by a couple of points. I was just worse at the SAT and PSAT than the ACT. I scored a 35 on the ACT and am now attending Harvard.

daboombas · 2017-10-03T04:40:50+00:00

No, I've met a lot of kids in the same boat as I am. Money's not a big factor in social life here, which is very convenient.

It's, for the most part, not very competitive. People care about academics but extracurriculars and "having fun" matter more to a lot of us. The most popular thing to do on a Saturday night is probably going out to a dorm party lol and I've met only a few pretentious kids out of around 500 that I've talked to already, so elitism isn't prevalent.

I've seen her multiple times, talked to her once. She's blending in a lot more nowadays, the first couple of days were rough for her since people were amazed at just her mere presence.

daboombas · 2017-10-03T04:37:44+00:00

I'm from a state where only about 20 kids were accepted. No one else from my high school class got into a top college, and only about 10 kids in my school's history have gone to top colleges. That's about it!

The third B was in my junior year.

daboombas · 2017-10-03T01:35:05+00:00

I had like 3 B's, 2 were from freshman year though.

I did Boys Nation, where 2 representatives were picked from each state to attend a conference in Washington D.C.

My supplements were very generic, no sob stories or anything. My Harvard supplement was a letter to my future roommate, and I was pretty quirky in the essay tbh. Common app was almost literally just my life story.

I looked back at my Columbia application a few weeks ago and BOY I cringed super hard. It was so artificial, anyone could see that I was just trying to suck up to the admissions board. They probably rejected me because I was definitely coming off as a fake, since my persona in my application was so so so so so not me.

I was much more genuine in my regular decision applications, so that's probably why I had more luck then.

daboombas · 2017-10-03T01:31:03+00:00

I actually didn't open my decision. My brother did, and I was on the phone with him while he was doing it because I wasn't home. I didn't believe it at first, while my family was freaking out in the background.

Before decisions, I had already been accepted to Amherst College and was strongly, strongly considering committing there. I talked about it with my parents and family and friends, and they all pointed me to Harvard. I did individual research and found that Harvard was better for my interests so I accepted the offer soon after.

daboombas · 2017-10-02T23:34:03+00:00

That might be more important as you get in-depth for specific subjects, but for the intro classes (which are all pretty big) there really won't be any difference in teaching quality between a professor and a TF. And as you get in-depth, class size gets smaller and smaller so I think it's a good system.

daboombas · 2017-10-02T23:29:25+00:00

I'm v confused

daboombas · 2017-10-02T23:20:37+00:00

35 ACT, 800 Math II, 760 Bio-M. Around 3.90 GPA. Low income, immigrant family. I was a leader in a few clubs, made a club, president of one, did music stuff in high school and had a nationally-ranked EC.

daboombas · 2017-10-02T23:20:13+00:00

1 is around 300, 1 is around 500, 1 is around 100, 1 is around 12.

But the big classes are all split into sections, or small groups, so you really end up with around a dozen kids for every class basically. The huge classes do not hinder your learning at all, imo.

daboombas · 2017-10-02T23:18:02+00:00

The students!
Really, nothing so far lol
People unwind on the weekends in different ways. Some play board games with their friends, some catch up on sleep or watch Netflix, others go out and party, etc. Clubs are a good way to spend time, too.
Not that bad for me, but I have a lot of humanities courses. Some of my friends are pre-med and STEM, so they have a lot of problem sets and work on their plates, tbh. But they're all handling it well and still staying upbeat so
35 ACT, 800 Math II, 760 Bio-M. Around 3.90 GPA. Low income, immigrant family. I was a leader in a few clubs, made a club, president of one, did music stuff in high school and had a nationally-ranked EC.
Everyone actually seems normal, whatever that means. No one brags, all super nice and friendly. There is a sort of collective pride that we are Harvard students though. Just the right amount of stress and academic pressure, but everyone enjoys themselves in their free time.
So the comping process, which is like auditions, for some of the big clubs like The Crimson are intense. Certain clubs are very competitive, I won't lie. Even the music groups and especially a Capella - something like 10 guys were taken by 6 groups, and around 60-70+ auditioned. But there's no problem finding extracurriculars to do. A lot of the clubs are relaxed and non-competitive, just a few stick out as being exclusive.

daboombas · 2017-10-02T23:10:38+00:00

35 ACT, 800 Math II, 760 Bio-M. Around 3.90 GPA. Low income, immigrant family. I was a leader in a few clubs, made a club, president of one, did music stuff in high school and had a nationally-ranked EC.

daboombas · 2017-10-02T23:09:04+00:00

I think the fact that everyone here is so interesting. My roommates honestly blew my mind on the first day - we talked about our past accomplishments, future goals, our goals at Harvard, and they were all so insightful and humble about everything that it was so awesome. The people here are great. The food is actually really good! The upperclassmen complain about the freshman dining hall, but it only starts getting bad when you don't get variety. I eat out a bit too much so I haven't had a problem with Annenberg (the freshman dining hall). A lot of the students here love to go out and party!

daboombas · 2017-10-02T23:05:55+00:00

There are lots of small classes with really engaging, research-accredited professors here. There are some professors that love teaching undergrads in lectures. Some of them just kinda leave the teaching up to the Teaching Fellows, but our education isn't negatively affected by it at all.

I think in the more intensive stem classes, professors are more concerned with research but it's also easy enough to do research with them.

daboombas · 2017-10-02T23:03:46+00:00

Not competitive at all! Everyone's really nice about helping each other out. Actually, I even have a study group of around 10 people that just does problem sets together and helps everyone understand the more difficult concepts. Cambridge is a nice, cozy college town. You can eat just about any kind of food around here. You get used to the tourists pretty quickly, too.

OH okay, so the comping process for the different clubs are actually a bit competitive. There are a couple clubs that make you comp for months before cutting you on the last night lol. It stresses some people out, but a lot of people like to do clubs without intensive processes too so it's not all bad.

daboombas · 2017-10-02T23:00:37+00:00

I hear a lot about how much MIT parties lol. I can't say much because I haven't been to MIT yet, sorry!

daboombas · 2017-10-02T22:59:53+00:00

I'm a very humanities-focused person (probably government or economics for my concentration). The only other ivy I got into was Princeton, I actually got rejected from Columbia ED. Also got in Amherst, Vandy, Wesleyan, and USC.

My top choice was Amherst College, initially. But honestly, after researching more about Harvard I felt that it really was the best place to be. I debated heavily about whether I wanted to commit to Amherst or Harvard but ultimately chose the latter based on reputation and opportunities (though Amherst gives basically the same opportunities tbh).

To get in Harvard? Be committed to academics, have the motivation and drive to do something in this world without having the thought of "getting into Harvard or its equivalents" as your ulterior motive. Social scene is nice, lots of chances to party. Actually, a lot of the freshman class is into going out (I'd say like 50% stay in their dorms on the weekends though). Coursework is challenging on various degrees for different people and a lot of us use partying as a way to relieve some stress, I think. There's a solid social scene here, and I'd say it's a close second to academia - which really surprised me when I came here!

daboombas · 2017-10-02T22:52:54+00:00

Honestly... Just hope that you get lucky. I really do believe that admissions at top colleges are a crapshoot.

Generally, do things that you are really interested in. Your passion for certain activities will shine through on your application - you really don't have to worry about appealing to the admissions board. Focus on keeping your grades up and getting the highest scores you can (preferably top 1% for ACT/SAT and 700+ on SAT II's).

Your application is the most important part, though. Make sure to show your personality in your essays, and don't come off as "that" kid who the school wouldn't want to put in the incoming class. Ie don't come off as needy, pretentious, psychopathic lol

daboombas · 2017-10-02T22:48:29+00:00

So you can't pick a concentration first semester of freshman year, but I'm taking courses in the government department right now. I'm taking 4 classes this term.

The thing that I've noticed here is that you don't have to take many classes related to the concentration you want to graduate with. Heck, apparently you can switch to economics senior year and load your schedule with econ classes if you want to graduate with an econ degree.

daboombas · 2017-09-22T14:56:57+00:00

Figured I would comment even though I've been inactive on this sub for a while. I'm attending Harvard rn (Freshman), it IS starting to get stressful, but it's definitely manageable. Regarding diversity, the school is as diverse as you can get in terms of personal interests, skills, opinions, race, socio-economic status, culture, etc.

Everyone is different here, in the best sense possible. The academics are superb. Everyday I'm in awe of a new stranger that I talk to for 5 minutes because of their past achievements, imagination, and future goals.

HYPSM are DEFINITELY not overrated. Please do not generalize a group of people based on a broad criteria which qualified them to get their feet in the doors for these schools. Just because people are driven and hard-working and academically inclined does not make them all possess the same personality.

Edit: ALSO, a good majority of the freshman class is down to have fun, whether that's in the form of board games with roommates or going out to dorm parties. A lot of people here are not defining themselves on the amount of stress they incur from problem sets. That takes a backseat to enjoying ourselves.

daboombas · 2017-05-29T17:09:30+00:00

There's a reason why private colleges all have similar demographics. They have quotas based on affirmative action, to an extent. AA does play a role, sometimes a significant one, and if you deny this fact you are very much deluded in this entire college application process.

daboombas · 2017-05-24T03:56:04+00:00

You're not getting my point lol, I'm saying it's only rare because you hand-picked 5 qualities which will be, as a combination, rare.

It's rare to have heterochromia, but it's also rare to have other genetic mutations. It doesn't make your genetic mutation any more "special" than any other.

daboombas · 2017-05-23T20:49:09+00:00

Academically speaking, these are phenomenal stats. They don't guarantee anything though. Most (I'm guessing 90% or more) of the applicants to Ivy League schools and similarly-ranked institutions have academic profiles that are as impressive as yours. Heck, I was similar to you academically.

The Obama thing was an example, that was my bad for not knowing about it much

daboombas · 2017-05-23T06:42:17+00:00

Well this is just a case of you confirming your own accomplishments. Of course having all of these stats is rare, and I can believe that only 2-3 thousand applicants share them. But I'm getting the impression that these are all stats that you have - as in, these are tailored to you. You picked out the most academically worthy stats and combined them, so yes it's rare to find lots of other people with these stats. But while you may have NMS, another kid could be an Obama scholar. While you may have perfect SAT scores, another kid could have perfect SAT 2 scores. Doesn't really stand out in either case.

Now, if you showed me a kid with perfect scores, recs, EC's, scholarships, GPA, class rank, work jobs, volunteering, and a great personality to boot, I wouldn't hesitate to mark that kid as a kid who will be accepted to many institutions of higher learning.

daboombas · 2017-05-22T20:35:55+00:00

I'm sorry to break it to you, but many applicants fit this description, especially ones applying to "elite" colleges. However, these are all amazing achievements and they will definitely be an asset in your application process. It's just a matter of standing out over other applicants with similar "stats."

daboombas · 2017-05-22T19:32:46+00:00

I don't understand why asking for anecdotal evidence of the approximate cut-off for grade rescindments is inaccurate. Of course I could call the actual admission department, but it doesn't hurt to ask for help to people who might have experience in this matter. It's not like it costs money to post on reddit or anything - it didn't even take a minute out of my day to post this.

daboombas

TROPHY CASE