Harvard. The reasons that I have for wishing to go to Harvard are several. I fe (2022-2023)

[vague ice]

You get interviews with availability

Everyone's entitled to one (at least domestics, idk about internationals)

[dark parrot]

ahh gotcha

[abstract tendon]

Harvard

[vital hill]

har bard

let me in

pls

🙏

[twilit niche]

Harvard how about Harvmid 🤣

I'm just playing Harvard you know I love it

[vital hill]

https://tenor.com/view/let-me-in-eric-andre-wanna-come-in-gif-13730108

[kind elk]

speak your acceptance into existence guys

[twilit niche]

Amen to that !!

I will get in exactly 🙏

[keen goblet]

🙏🛐

[glossy parrot]

guys on the harvard app, where did it show the interview option

im looking thru my app rn and i dont see the option(its alr submitted)

[glossy parrot]

no domestic

but all my friends

well not all, some of them got interviews

and i didnt have the option

yea

i think?

so everyones auto considered?

theres no option for it on domestic app

damn

then im dumb and didnt get it

lmfaooo

alr tysm 😭 i thought i robbed myself of an opportunity

[kind elk]

you cannot request an interview if you’re domestic, not sure about intls

an interviewer will likely contact you by email so make sure to check your spam and stuff

[vital hill]

[simple burrow]

hi harvard applicants! i made a typo on my ec essay

[storm vigil]

dw about it

[simple burrow]

im not trust

that typo will not be the reason im rejected amen

[storm vigil]

unless you misspelled "Harvard" as "MIT" or smth 💀

[simple burrow]

oogh

[kind elk]

sneak peek of the 2027 folder thingy for my future rd admit friends in this chat

[gentle plover]

The AOs when they open my file to 5 research supps, a document explaining each supp, and an addendum

insert picture of paper flying into trashcan

[pearl briar]

https://tenor.com/view/ripping-off-paper-trash-bin-rewrite-pissed-off-terry-crews-gif-13251184

inserted

[gentle plover]

If no one else got me, Kate got me

[vital hill]

looks sexy

but why does it look like they photoshopped the whole text on the folder 😭

[knotty violet]

wait is that an actual letter from harvard?

i thought it was legit photoshopped on

[vital hill]

oh wait wtf

yeah that's what i thought but-

[kind elk]

They sent it to me in the mail lol

Maybe I just took a bad pic that makes it look like photoshop

[bronze spire]

ima have one of these in a few months (no im not my application for harvard was horrible)

[twilit niche]

Sometimes you gotta dream, we will have this in a few months

[keen goblet]

Yessir

We will get this in a few months

[queen quiver]

https://youtu.be/bMM3z3o6BAs

I can't not love this video

[keen goblet]

Damn this shit is fire dude

[sterile nebula]

Did anyone submit an art portfolio to Harvard and get accepted?

[midnight girder]

here to say i contributed towards lowering the acceptance rate 💅

[vague ice]

Harvard interview in 4 hours

[keen goblet]

That's hype!

Good luck dude!

[vague ice]

tysm!

[upbeat sandal]

Let us know how it goes!

[small ridge]

I just had my interview

[upbeat sandal]

and how did yours go?

[bronze spire]

How did you guys already get interviews wtf

[vital hill]

are you intl

or not from a major city

if you're either, it explains it

[small ridge]

It was kinda short … 35 minutes

But he did say that’s how long it would be so

Overall it was good ig not amazing or anything
I pretty much had an answer for everything he asked

The only thing I was surprised abt is he asked me what other schools im applying to

[bronze spire]

No

Im from western mass, like 15 mins away from a big city

[vital hill]

ye then possible there aren’t alumni available rn

[keen goblet]

How likely is it that i get an interview since i'm in a somewhat major city in india?

[simple burrow]

how are yall getting interviews

[keen goblet]

Yee

[upbeat sandal]

I was asked that too! I was told by someone else that that’s no longer a question interviewers usually ask because it isn’t helpful to anyone. Like obviously Harvard is a top choice for most people, so what good is saying where else i’m applying 😅

[vague ice]

I submitted Harvard on December 1st

Probably why I got an interview quickly

[fringe badge]

does harvard care what majors that u show interest in

and how many ppl they want for that

or is it just how well u show ur interested in whatever major you chose

[kind elk]

this

they don’t admit by major

[fringe badge]

ok so u wont be disadvantaged if u primary show interest in like cs

and many many others do as well

[small ridge]

Yeah i just mentioned llike 2 schools from each category (safeties reaches, etc) so he thought I only applied to 6 schools but i didnt correect him 💀

[vital hill]

youll only get one if you're one of the candidates they're considering fairly strongly ngl

even i'm from india

for us it's like that

for the domestics it's different, based on availability

that's why interview rq for indians usually comes in jan end-mid feb

cuz they're considering certain apps by then

[keen goblet]

I see i see

Thanks for the info man

[dark parrot]

my only surprising question was what is my favorite book

i think i picked too basic of a book lol

[upbeat sandal]

No book is too basic (any answer to one of those questions) as long as you could talk a lot about it.

[dark parrot]

i talked about Tuck Everlasting and my fear of death

idk if having a fear of death is a bad quality but i talked about how it taught me to live in the moment

and not get caught up in worries of the future

so hopefully that’s insightful enough lol

[warped mango]

harvard

[vague ice]

I just ate downn

We're from the same niche and had a really fluid interview session

Took an hour and 30 mins

[kind elk]

congrats! mine lasted the same amount of time as well

[humble stirrup]

sheeesh

my interviewer was rlly knowledgeable about material physics and i had no interest 😭

but that was rea

i’m going to try to do my loci today

[vague ice]

We were just able to talk about everything lmao

We were from the same area too

[kind elk]

we didn’t even talk about my major and plans in the interview

because my guy was a lawyer and i applied as stem

[vague ice]

Lowkey i would've BSed and talked about ethics in stem, maybe he knew a bit about that

[kind elk]

we just talked about h libraries, favorite places to eat at in h square, elon musk robots and twitter, and chill stuff

[winter smelt]

ew stinky stem

[kind elk]

the humanities are non bene

[gentle plover]

My interview came like first week of Feb last year so that's what I am expecting this year

[bronze spire]

Are you trying to transfer out of yale?

[sinful geyser]

wtf

that’s not allowed💀

huh?????

[winter smelt]

why not

lol

[acoustic ledge]

that happened to me too 😭

[winter smelt]

it's a pretty common interview question

[sinful geyser]

cuz they’re not supposed to gauge ur interest aren’t they

[acoustic ledge]

he asked what other ones i'm applying to in the US and UK, then asked what makes Harvard special/distinguished for me then

[sinful geyser]

obv they know ur applying elsewhere but

[acoustic ledge]

which is fair enough tbh

[sinful geyser]

that puts u in an awkward position no?

[acoustic ledge]

yeah it was a bit weird lol

[sinful geyser]

right i guess for international it makes sense

[acoustic ledge]

but then the question was basically just 'why harvard' so it's calm

[sinful geyser]

i did UCAS as well

[acoustic ledge]

ayyy

[winter smelt]

why not?

[sinful geyser]

and had to explain why i wanted to go to england when i’m in the US

[sinful geyser]

hahah

[winter smelt]

idk I think it's a very natural question

[sinful geyser]

isn’t it awkwars

if u say

i’m applying to yale and mit

🤣

hmm

[acoustic ledge]

yeah i was like

[sinful geyser]

maybe?

[acoustic ledge]

my other top US choices are stanford and MIT

[sinful geyser]

i was told by my counselor they’re not suppposed to ask that

LOL yup

[acoustic ledge]

and he was like OKAYYYY well what makes harvard special then

[sinful geyser]

🤣

right

[acoustic ledge]

they aren't afaik as per the interviewer handbook and stuff

but then he tried to both talk down MIT to me and also hype it up maybe to test me????

[sinful geyser]

bruh 💀

nah i’m pretty sure

ur not supposed to do that

LOL

[acoustic ledge]

he was like hmmmmm i'm sure you'd love MIT's math courses you sound like you'd make the most out of them

and i was like yeahhh but i can cross-register for those 💀 and reaffirmed the reasons i have for wanting harvard

and he was like hmm okayyy

[sinful geyser]

weLL i CaN cOmAtRicUlAtE tHeRe

lmfao

exactly

[acoustic ledge]

but then was like oh i'm not meant to talk down to other unis about you AND THEN HE LIKE

started talking about why harvard would be better for me than MIT

[sinful geyser]

🤣

[acoustic ledge]

internally i'm thinking yo if you're that passionate just let me in 😭 ended up getting deferred just like apparently every other uk applicant so idek

[sinful geyser]

hey u still have a shot

[acoustic ledge]

like he dissed MIT's student culture and stuff which was wildddd to me i like

nervously laughed a bit and said i still like MIT's culture but harvard's culture appeals to me bc [insert cool reasons]

maybe that was a test to see if i'd just agree with him 💀 moments after i said it was my other top choice

[acoustic ledge]

hopefullyyy tbh REA is just insane overall so who knows

[sinful geyser]

yes yes

best of luck 🙂

[small ridge]

aye man idk 🤷🏾‍♂️
after I responded he was like “ok so you’re pretty focused in applying to a few schools since u know some of your peers probably apply to 15-20” or something

[sinful geyser]

interesting

looks like that’s standard harvard question?

[gentle plover]

Reapplying as a first year bc I am basically on a gap year due to a medical withdraw

[bronze spire]

Are ur chances increased since u were already accepted

[upbeat sandal]

Wish you luck.

[kind elk]

wtf is this question bruh

didn’t even ask if they’re okay or anything but just went straight to asking about chances

avg a2c

[upbeat sandal]

Does he even say he was admitted previously?

[kind elk]

I think avesl is a she and I don’t think so

[upbeat sandal]

sry abt that ^

[bronze spire]

I assumed she was bc shes reapplying???

[bronze spire]

Also she said she withdrew, meaning she was admitted

I was gonna say she should get a massive boost since she was already admitted lol

[winter smelt]

there aren't any standard questions, really

interviewers have a lot of leeway to conduct interviews how they like

[sinful geyser]

right

i’ll ask around, see if my friends from other schools got the same question

[wild shore]

oh no 😭 i dissed stanford before she even got the chance to ask about other schools 💀

she actually recommended i apply to mit too but maybe because she was a grad student there

[kind elk]

you would get in if you did

[acoustic ledge]

you too :)

[acoustic ledge]

pahaha that’s wild

[runic sleet]

Yes, "Yale '26"

[upbeat sandal]

I totally misunderstood and thought she was reapplying to Harvard as a freshman having been accepted to Harvard and Yale in 2022.

[vague ice]

I know I was already rejected from Harvard, but it's okay :P

Least I gave them a fun roommate essay to read.

[runic sleet]

Ohh, my bad my bad

[upbeat sandal]

no my bad i misunderstood 😂

[kind elk]

you need to expect great things of yourself before you can accomplish them

have some confidence

[vague ice]

I am a realist, but thank you ❤️

I suppose we shall see if I'm wrong in 12 weeks

[bitter token]

anyone get an interview request yet?

[knotty violet]

nah, we would get an email right?

[bitter token]

yes

i know some ppl got it in 3 days after submitting

[minor locust]

wait was the deadline to submit a supplement to harvard january 1??

but hows that fair if they sent the applicant portal after the deadline??

[kind elk]

no

you can upload supplementary info on the portal

the actual essays and commonapp were due jan 1

[minor locust]

oh so theres no deadline?

thanks

[kind elk]

submit anything asap

[gusty garnet]

Got an interview request

[bronze spire]

Anyone in western mass got an interview?

[gusty garnet]

What a useless CDS

To put coursework on the same level as legacy or work experience 😭

[bronze spire]

I think its more so to show how they look at your application in complete context

[rare bronze]

i think its because they want to be quirky and not like the other girls

[keen goblet]

XD

[wheat wraith]

residence matters?

[gusty garnet]

Not among domestic applicants afaik

[winter smelt]

it matters for context

some regions have more resources/etc than others

[tropic light]

everything is on the same level because they just put everyones names in a hat and pick from there

[bronze spire]

Facts

[kind elk]

lmao

I must have insane Luck then

get it? 🥵

[bronze spire]

No

Explain pls

[kind elk]

🙄

No

[bronze spire]

🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

[upbeat sandal]

bro

[kind elk]

oh yeah, i never asked. what are you majoring in? @upbeat sandal

[upbeat sandal]

At the moment, having taken 0 classes and attended the school for 0 minutes, I’d like to concentrate in Govt./Neuro.

[smoky surge]

literally no reason i applied here... i know full well imma get rejected

[humble stirrup]

same

but we hope 🤷‍♀️

going to update them tmr with my 1st team in region for a math comp & my new leadership positions + emphasize what i want to major in

[minor locust]

why doesnt my optional recommendation leter show up here?

i submitted it on the common app

[vital hill]

yeah it doesn’t show up for me either

But I’m sure they’ve received it

It’s fine

[supple palm]

mine does not appear either, and I submitted everything on November 23

[kind elk]

It will not show up

It did not show up for me at all when I applied REA, and it didn’t show up for someone else I know when they applied.

[undone scarab]

Has anyone gotten interview

[gentle plover]

ME WHEN MY APP IS FINALLY DONE

WOHOO

[clear imp]

Don’t think anyone will get one for another month probably

[kind elk]

someone in this server received an interview request a few days ago

[plain pulsar]

damn i haven’t

[gusty garnet]

I got a request but for a date several weeks from now

[sinful garden]

Should I mail if I haven't recieved my portal yet?

[humble stirrup]

make sure it went through

check commonapp to see it was downloaded

if your application was downloaded you’ll receive it soon

[sinful garden]

Yeah it was downloaded on 3 still haven't received anything

[simple burrow]

maybe email

i applied on the 1st and got my portal on the 2nd

[sacred beacon]

chill for 2 more days - then email if needed

[sinful garden]

@sacred beacon sure

[jagged osprey]

Interview

[humble stirrup]

who should i address my loci to?

[winter smelt]

to whom it may concern is fine

you can address it to your specific AO if you know who they are (but harvard doesn't release this info publicly)

[meager yew]

maybe "Dear Harvard Admissions"

[rare bronze]

I would do your regional AO if that’s released

Likely they’re the only ones who actually read it

[humble stirrup]

idk my regional ao but i might see if i can check

I might just use to whom it may concern

i’m going to watch videos on writing locis

[rare bronze]

I wouldn’t use “to whom it may concern,” it’s really overused

If you don’t know your regional AO, I’d address it to the Dean or “Committee on Admissions,” or both

[humble stirrup]

okay

[humble stirrup]

which of these should i include in my LOCI?

• placed top 2 (unofficial, we are either 1 or 2 atm) in region, qualified for states meet for math league (top 2 teams go)
• competing in Prep level this yr for NPGA (there’s elementary, intermediate, and then prep & prep is the highest level u can take in hs), will be a paderewski gold medal candidate (intl award) in spring
• meeting with both state senators on (x day, will get exact date tmr) to discuss my educational policy research
• met with SBE (state board of education) today to discuss educational research and facilitated an educational policy forum
• helping with scheduling and coordinating this year’s county arts festival

these all happened from nov-now

so i feel like they’re all semi pertinent idk

[gentle plover]

I don't see any a reason not to include them all?

[humble stirrup]

wait how long is a loci supposed to be?

is 250+ fine?

because i also want to add more of a “why harvard” factor since i kinda lacked that rea

[gentle plover]

Like a page, but you can bullet point your accomplishments like you did here

[humble stirrup]

Oh actually? that’s really cool

i thought they had to be essay format

ok i def need to look more into locis

[rare bronze]

My LOCI was 2 pages bc I found it impossible to squeeze it to one without omitting my updates

If they want to skim over it or only read a page, that’s up to them

[humble stirrup]

yeah i don’t want them to get bored

that’s my biggest fear

[rare bronze]

yea I mean they can always stop reading if it’s too long

[humble stirrup]

and i haven’t done anything significant pertaining to my major (oops)

[rare bronze]

but if it has like nothing then oop

[rare bronze]

That’s completely fine, hopefully it’s related to your passions and EC’s

[humble stirrup]

it is definitely yea

it’s related to a possible double major

i want to do astro + policy

i already have big astro stuff so i hope this is fine

[rare bronze]

ofc ofc as long as it shows your passion and interest

[humble stirrup]

did you put any “why harvard” into your loci? @rare bronze

[rare bronze]

oops I should clarify I wrote an LOCI to Columbia, not Harvard lol

[humble stirrup]

like, reference wanting to participate different programs along with your updates

ohhhh

i’m guessing same thing roughly still applies

[rare bronze]

But yes I included details still on whybthem

yea, to show fit yknow

[humble stirrup]

definitely

[winter smelt]

~500

[humble stirrup]

oh sheesh

500

I can do that

[humble stirrup]

how much of it should be why harvard

[rare bronze]

Maybe like a paragraph or two. Try to include new things, not just what you’ve already mentioned in an essay or something

[humble stirrup]

the thing is

i mentioned 0 why harvard

which is why i’m regretting not mentioning why harvard

[rare bronze]

oh they don’t really have why us essays right

[humble stirrup]

because that definitely could’ve been why i got deferred

yep

i think harvard was my 2nd app

and my first didn’t have essays

[rare bronze]

Mk then you could prob do two pars

[winter smelt]

it can be none, it can be all if you don't have updates (but then <500 for sure)

[humble stirrup]

good to know

i’ll probably do 250 why harvard since i didn’t really include my why major essay

and then ~ 300 with my updates

[rare bronze]

I wouldn’t worry about the word limit for each. I’d say two pages is fine. Don’t force anything or cut if it will span two pages anyways

[humble stirrup]

got it! i’m def going to submit tomorrow but i’ve got major exams tomorrow morning so do you think it would hurt to postpone a day?

[rare bronze]

Nah ur good, one day won’t matter

[winter smelt]

I disagree, I think unless you have huge updates, trying to stay on a page is probably for the better

kinda like a resume

[rare bronze]

one page is definitely better. I think two is fine. Just like I think a two page resume is fine if you have lots of activities and updates

Of course, one is preferable if all it takes is making language more concise

My resume was also two pages

[humble stirrup]

i don’t have anything huge but i also didn’t talk about any of this prior except for the bare minimum of my internship (which i didn’t specifically talk about the impacts), and math league and piano which i put prior awards

but i’ll limit it to a page

[rare bronze]

I’d say write it out first and then make the determination

[humble stirrup]

gotcha

[kind elk]

Keep in mind that they’re likely reviewing ~5k other LOCIs

having concise and impressive info on one page is better than rambling for 2 IMO

[humble stirrup]

kk

[rare bronze]

I really attempted to make mine one page but I had to omit some updates. At that point, I asked myself if I’d rather (1) send a one page LOCI omitting some updates that I think are substantial or (2) send in a two page LOCI and they can stop reading if they’d like

In which case the decision was obvious for me

[undone scarab]

should the LOCI have a why section in it?

[rare bronze]

Sure

[undone scarab]

well if i already put that on my actual applciation, wouldnt it be a waste of space to add it again?

[gentle plover]

Where are y'all finding space to put why Harvard? 💀

[meager yew]

shouldnt you put it in the harvard essay

[humble stirrup]

i literally didn’t 💀

and still somehow got deferred

i mean it was my rea that was my why harvard

[gentle plover]

I mean, slightly, but none of the prompts are really targeted targeted to let you do that?

[meager yew]

fair enough

[rare bronze]

yea Harvard has no “why us” essay

[winter smelt]

yeah if you have like 10+ years of experience in industry

there's no HSer that deserves a 2 page resume

it does not exist

[winter smelt]

no, they know everyone wants to go to harvard

[meager yew]

Harvard is kind of mid tho, would choose a lot of my other options over it

[winter smelt]

fake

harvard #1 😤

[meager yew]

:(

[vague ice]

we know this cap

[winter smelt]

if you want me to sell harvard to you ping me 😤

[vague ice]

🤣

[meager yew]

how much does a harvard cost

[rare bronze]

I don’t agree lol. I’ve seen a lot of two page resumes

[meager yew]

if you try to squeeze all of your application into a resume then it'd be 2 pages

[rare bronze]

well for a formal resume you’d pick and choose relevant experience

[winter smelt]

before aid like $76k billed, $80-$84k total cost of attendance.

but aid is probably the most generous on average for any school

[rare bronze]

for a college resume u don’t need to

[winter smelt]

net price calculator https://college.harvard.edu/financial-aid/net-price-calculator

[winter smelt]

wait wait yes you should

unless the college in question is UT

[upbeat sandal]

always ask a college advisor before any of us for the record

[meager yew]

but it's pointless to just reiterate your activities section in your resume tho

[humble stirrup]

I’m asking because I don’t have a college advisor & my counselor knows nothing about ivies

Else I would agree

I’m just at a big disadvantage because of that

[rare bronze]

• some explanation and some activities

Also the resume just is a really easy way to see everything

[upbeat sandal]

okay good

[winter smelt]

it's ok you have us (also most applicants are in this position)

[rare bronze]

I think Penn said on their portal too something like “if you didn’t have the space to elaborate on your activities, you may do so in a resume”

[humble stirrup]

happy to have you abnon <3

[kind elk]

abnon

[rare bronze]

I mean if an AO is gonna personally get pissed off because they received a two page resume then that’s their problem. They can always stop reading

[kind elk]

sell harvard

im looking to purchase it

actually, nvm

[humble stirrup]

I will purchase harvard for $1

[kind elk]

99 cents

take it or leave it

[gentle plover]

Abnon getting in for being a nice person to Harvard: ❤️🧡💝
Abby telling me he is going to woo me just to break my heart: 💀🤪😘

[upbeat sandal]

I would think that is part of their advice for an application specifically, not an LOCI

[rare bronze]

It was for the resume which I was taking about

Not the LOCI

[humble stirrup]

i feel like i screwed up most of my apps

i have so much i can add still

[rare bronze]

yea the LOCI definitely is not the place just to elaborate on an activity you’ve listed already

[humble stirrup]

nah i’m not going to just elaborate on smth i listed

i wanted to be quirky abt my chess stuff but i don’t think harvards into that

• it’s wasted space

[rare bronze]

ayo u play chess

my main theme was chess lol

prob too much of it

[humble stirrup]

ye part of my quirk is chess puzzles

[rare bronze]

oh I just play games online

[humble stirrup]

boring smh

[rare bronze]

cc wants money and lichess puzzles are so boring

[humble stirrup]

i’ve been trying to get into puzzle battles tho

[rare bronze]

u

[humble stirrup]

yeah i pay for unlimited

[rare bronze]

but then u gotta pay

yea

f2p over here

[humble stirrup]

it’s an inexpensive hobby

it’s $50 for a year and i get to brag to colleges about it

[rare bronze]

Why use CC when there’s lichess

[humble stirrup]

lichess is boring

• cc nicer interface

[rare bronze]

brag to colleges about ur rating, but ur chess puzzles rating

[humble stirrup]

and more accurate ratings

[rare bronze]

WRONG

INCORRECT

[humble stirrup]

I’m like 1800 elo blitz on lichess

which is crazy

[rare bronze]

cc interface = boomer interface

[humble stirrup]

i should be like 1300-1500

[rare bronze]

Cc is lichess - 100 for me

[humble stirrup]

fr?

[rare bronze]

not a huge difference

[humble stirrup]

well idk then

[rare bronze]

it might be skewed since I play way more on lichess

[humble stirrup]

maybe i’ve just been smurfed a lot on chess.com

what’s your elo

[rare bronze]

2300 lichess, 2200 cc

[humble stirrup]

i play chess in person sometimes but it’s mainly chess puzzles online

sheesh

that’s crazy tf

[rare bronze]

yea I play too much

[humble stirrup]

nah that’s so cool

[rare bronze]

15,000+ games

[winter smelt]

yooooo you got $100B?

[humble stirrup]

and it’s productive

[rare bronze]

Unhealthy sometimes

[humble stirrup]

you’d probably be like 3000 puzzles

[rare bronze]

Cc only allows u to do like 3 puzzles a day tho

[humble stirrup]

i’m smth like ~2400 puzzles now

[rare bronze]

and u start super low

[humble stirrup]

yup

[rare bronze]

so it’s a grind

[humble stirrup]

peep the puzzle stats tho

[rare bronze]

That’s a LOT of puzzles

[humble stirrup]

that’s what i did during quarantine

how the fuck did i get a 318 streak? idk

[rare bronze]

Same but with blitz games

[undone scarab]

Wait, can someone say the basic info a loci should have?

[rare bronze]

-show you’re still interested and your fit
-significant new achievements and updates

[undone scarab]

what would be some examples of significant acheivements and updates?

[humble stirrup]

here’s a few things i’m including

• placed top 2 (unofficial, we are either 1 or 2 atm) in region, qualified for states meet for math league (top 2 teams go)
• competing in Prep level this yr for NPGA (there’s elementary, intermediate, and then prep & prep is the highest level u can take in hs), will be a paderewski gold medal candidate (intl award) in spring
• meeting with both state senators on (x day, will get exact date tmr) to discuss my educational policy research
• met with SBE (state board of education) today to discuss educational research and facilitated an educational policy forum
• helping with scheduling and coordinating this year’s county arts festival

[rare bronze]

cracked

[undone scarab]

wait you did all of this post november?

[humble stirrup]

yep

[undone scarab]

or after you submitted ea?

[rare bronze]

Basically new honors, positions, or activity since you’ve submitted your application

[humble stirrup]

after i submitted ea yea

[undone scarab]

dang. would it be fine to talk about some new things my club did

[rare bronze]

Like did u get elected president of a club?

Did u win first place at a figure skating contest

[undone scarab]

no i was already president but we did a new event

which was serving at hospitals

[rare bronze]

Did you publish a paper or cure cancer

no I’m just listing some examples lol

[undone scarab]

ok do you think that the hopstial thing could work for updates?

[humble stirrup]

the 3rd and 4th are connect to the same ec, the last was one i forgot to include since i did it last yr and am doing it this yr now, and then the first 2 are connected to 2 different ecs

[humble stirrup]

yep

[rare bronze]

Yea I added a new project my key club did

[humble stirrup]

if you had significant hours

not just “we started a new project”

[rare bronze]

since we got funded

[undone scarab]

yeah imma explain in detail

oh okay. would going on a weekly senior service trip and the impact that had on me also be useful?>

[humble stirrup]

maybe if you had significant hours

[rare bronze]

What was the trip for specifically

Like what did u do

Don’t make it seem like you just participated

That wouldn’t seem significant

[humble stirrup]

like for me, just saying “attended educational policy forum and spoke as guest” doesn’t sound that good, but once i mention that during my meeting with SBE i got acquainted with the exec director of the state board of ed and voiced my work i’ve been doing + facilitated convo and input i’m working into my policy recs then it becomes significant

it’s all about wording

i turned one volunteer event i did for 5h last year and made it sound impressive as well

[undone scarab]

oh yeah i see. ill def elaborate on my things as well, but I just wanted to make sure it was LOCI worthy

[humble stirrup]

it was a church event packing food, I worded it as “packed over 10,000 meals for impoverished families in foreign countries at local church”

numbers help

also expanding on stuff does help

[undone scarab]

yeah that makes sense thanks

it seems like your application is very good. do you have a reason why you think you were deferred?

[rare bronze]

She applied to Harvard

[vital hill]

it's harvard.

REA acceptances for them is p much just legacies + athletes + insanely hooked ppl

[kind elk]

[undone scarab]

is princeton pretty much the same way?

[vital hill]

no

well i mean

to a great extent yes

but i know a few ppl who were really good well rounded students who also got in REA

but then again, they also had the advantage of being from feeder schools

to a great extent it's the same for HYP

[kind elk]

i think you’re right

[humble stirrup]

i also included 0 why harvard

and it was my first application

and i had 0 assistance

so hopefully my loci fixes it a bit

i’ve heard there’s no? disadvantage being deferred from harvard

just gives you time to submit a banger loci

[vague ice]

essay quality is lower no?

same with any EA/REA defer

[vital hill]

not really i mean

it would be specific to the applicant ig

for some ppl they write better essays in EA

and slack off by RD time

[vague ice]

ahhh

lol

well relative to the applicant ig

[vital hill]

totally not me 💀

[vague ice]

idk REAing anywhere without hooks is just

dumb imo

[vital hill]

yeh true

unless ur like

insanely

goated

idk how to quantify that lmao

but sometimes u just know by seeing the overall profile

[vital hill]

no disadvantage but no advantage either imo

as in, REA doesn't rlly demonstrate much interest to them

cuz it's harvard lol they know they're probably ur top choice if u get in

it's like wasting an early chance tho

btw harvard deferrals are v common and usually translate into rejections
while P and Y deferrals aren't as common, they're much lesser in comparison

[humble stirrup]

yea i definitely should’ve planned better

[humble stirrup]

meeeeh yeah

i fr thought i’d get in 💀

I was overconfident just a little bit and at the time thought everything i submitted was fire

then i revamped my PS and ecs + awards

but my essays were generally good. my profile is pretty good given my area (rural, title 1 hs)

we had our first ivy admit this yr and i hope to be the 2nd

the admit this yr was mega hooked although he was rlly competitive too

[rare bronze]

Which school

[kind elk]

probably

could explain why they don’t explicitly have a why harvard question

it’s nice school though, i like it

better than y*le

[vital hill]

nice school

[humble stirrup]

dartmouth

[gentle plover]

Shhhhh

[kind elk]

by nice I meant good

very good

[humble stirrup]

“i love harvard! i just love the way the word harvard sounds!”

[kind elk]

[vague ice]

did u add why harvard

in ur supps

[humble stirrup]

typical why harvard essay

[kind elk]

yep

[vague ice]

i don't think imma get in tbh idk why im even in here

☠️

[vague ice]

oh nice

[humble stirrup]

aghhh

i should’ve

[kind elk]

the last para of my long essay was all why Harvard

[humble stirrup]

but now i have a loci so i should be fine yes maybe

[vague ice]

thats what i did as well

[kind elk]

good

this is another sign

[vague ice]

nah bruh lmfao

[kind elk]

do the impossible and you’ll never doubt yourself again - found this quote on ig reels, i cannot say who it belongs to otherwise ill be canceled

[vital hill]

https://tenor.com/view/andrew-running-gif-21074682

[vital hill]

The reasons that I have for wishing to go to Harvard are several. I feel that Harvard can give me a better background and a better liberal education than any other university. I have always wanted to go there, as I have felt that it is not just another college, but is a university with something definite to offer. Then too, I would like to go to the same college as my father. To be a "Harvard man" is an enviable distinction, and one that I sincerely hope I shall attain.

[kind elk]

Harvard man lmao

[humble stirrup]

my loci be like

[vital hill]

instant rejection simulator

[humble stirrup]

💀

BRO

[gentle plover]

No resume for Harvard

[winter smelt]

I had 0 why harvard in my app--if they wanted it they'd ask for it

[vital hill]

yeh that's what

for intls there's an additional 50 word supp

asking

"What specific plan do you have, if any, for using the education you hope to receive? (0-50 words)."

for this, some ppl took it as a why harvard

but i personally took it as "what do u wanna do after harvard"

quite straightforward tho no flowery language

[meager yew]

How do you make flowery language in 50 words

[vital hill]

idk lmao

some ppl ik didn't have any exact plans so they just made it very vague with flowery language

which i personally don't recommend

[meager yew]

I just said I want to get a phd lol

[vital hill]

SAME

lmao

but i also gave a bit of deets about plans post phd

and also gave an alternative career path

[cyan wedge]

I got deferred too, when is the best time to send a loci

And so do I just upload the loci through the portal or

Thanks 🙏

[tropic portal]

interview just hit D:

[upbeat sandal]

only the advantage of going through another round

[humble stirrup]

with weaker essays and descriptions but w/e. A why harvard + update should do me well

[upbeat sandal]

I might not add the why harvard part

You might make it clear through your activities and the letter itself that Harvard is a top choice and can further your academic goals and extracurricular interests, but there is a reason they don’t (or at least aren’t supposed to) ask that in an interview and certainly not on the Common App.

@humble stirrup

[humble stirrup]

ah fair enough tbh—I planned on making my career goals more known and combining with updated ecs

[upbeat sandal]

Yes do that 🥳🥳

[cyan wedge]

? 👀

Also since I didn’t get interview REA is it possible to get an interview

[kind elk]

now

[kind elk]

probably not, im not sure

[cyan wedge]

👌 and I just upload through portal?

[cyan wedge]

👀

[fringe badge]

wait bruh i didn't see this questoion 😭

[vital hill]

it's there in the students applying from outside USA or Canada section

it's a section on the harvard app

[fringe badge]

oh ok so not canadian students

[vital hill]

yeah yeah

sorry i didnt clarify lol

[fringe badge]

lol np

[kind elk]

im not sure

i think that’s how you’d do it though

[humble stirrup]

yup

[cyan wedge]

👌

[tropic portal]

For the interview w

Did anyone else get this weird form

With academic and extracurricular interests

[kind elk]

I didn’t get any form when I received an interview

[tropic portal]

My rea friend didn’t either

[merry meadow]

Bruh I have like no LOCI updates

All I’ve been doing since then is grinding schoolwork and college essays :/

Only update I can think of is decent AMC scores and some recitals I performed in

But I already have stuff like that in my app

[midnight girder]

real

[vital hill]

fr

same

i had 0 updates for my uchic LOCI

sent it in with stuff abt why uchic and just some research ideas ive been working on

[humble stirrup]

i don’t want to be repetitive tbh

[merry meadow]

should i say harvard is my first choice if it's not anymore ;-;

[simple burrow]

no

you could cause no one will rlly stop you but why lie

[kind elk]

I would say put it

you don’t know if you’re gonna get into your other top choice so harvard may become your top choice again depending on how things play out

and plus, they won’t even know if you’re lying or not because students always have changing opinions

[upbeat sandal]

This is what i said to someone else :

You might make it clear through your activities and the letter itself that Harvard is a top choice and can further your academic goals and extracurricular interests, but there is a reason they don’t (or at least aren’t supposed to) ask that in an interview and certainly not on the Common App.

I wouldn’t lie, and wouldn’t even be so explicit if Harvard actually is your top choice.

[humble stirrup]

it demonstrates continued interest the best

[near surge]

have ppl gotten interviews yet?

[inland sentinel]

i just got the email

[tropic portal]

wait did u get this form that u have to fill out with academic and extracurricular interests

for ur rd intervew

i am asking this to like everyon ebc im so confused what it is and what i even put

[broken sun]

Might be something your specific interviewer wanted their interviewees to fill out.
I have a interview on the 22nd and didn't get anything like that

[kind elk]

@vague ice

what type of legacy

parents?

[vague ice]

hi

[vague ice]

yea

[kind elk]

I think it can help you a little then

are they donors?

[vague ice]

nop

also it snot exactly legacy

hard to describe

[kind elk]

ok

both parents or only one?

[vague ice]

but its probably better hook than nromal legacy

just one

[kind elk]

ok

[vague ice]

i heard i should rea

[kind elk]

I think it will help you

[vague ice]

but also rea is for more qualified applicants

so are u competing w/ those cracked kids?

[kind elk]

prob won’t be crazy or anything bc not donors

but still worth something

[vague ice]

how much u gotta donate

100 bucks?

[kind elk]

no lmao

harvard don’t care abt 100 bucks

[vague ice]

oh

[kind elk]

idk how much would be significant

maybe like 100k or some shit

no idea

[vague ice]

rip

[kind elk]

yes

and the other legacies and athelethes

but if H is really your top choice I’d say just do rea

[upbeat sandal]

Not necessarily.

[vague ice]

wdym

[kind elk]

you’re gonna be competing with the best students from across the country/world anyway whether you do rea or rd

[vague ice]

yeah, my college counselor should have good experience tho

so ill discuss thoroughly w/ her

tbh seems pretty hard if ur under 3.75 gpa tho

[kind elk]

is your gpa below that?

[upbeat sandal]

Well there are enough qualified applicants in every round to fill each class. I wouldn’t think of applying to Harvard REA as giving you lower chances (necessarily) because you believe MORE qualified students would be applying then. It’s a bit more complicated then that.

[vague ice]

a bit

[kind elk]

hmm

do you go to a competitive hs

[vague ice]

i have like a 3.71/3.72

yeah

[kind elk]

okay

maybe it’s not that bad then

but it will hurt perhaps

[vague ice]

yea thats what im worried abt tbh

[upbeat sandal]

I’d ask what your scores are / if you plan to submit but you’re only a junior

what kinda ECs do you have

[vague ice]

sat?

i took the sat

in december

prolly gonnna submit that score

[kind elk]

do you mind sharing score

ok

that’s good news

[vague ice]

i got a 1550 (770 verbal, 780 math)

[kind elk]

ok good

[vague ice]

i actually asked my college counselor

[upbeat sandal]

What kinda stuff u involved in outside of school

[vague ice]

her response was like "its ppretty good, its up to u to retake, but do you think you can get a few more points?"

[vague ice]

uh

[kind elk]

what’s your intended major

as of now

[vague ice]

i have probably more ECs than 99% of my grade

[vague ice]

government/international reltions/politics related

[kind elk]

I think your 1550 is fine then tbh

[vague ice]

anything politics related

[kind elk]

you don’t need a higher math and the reading is good

[vague ice]

alr

im meeting with her on tuesday

so ill def ask her indef about that

[kind elk]

you can retake if you want and if you have time

Ok

[vague ice]

im worried that sutdying for it will affect my other grades

so might not be super worth it

[kind elk]

yeah

I submitted a 1540 fyi

[vague ice]

ah alr

does superscore matter?

[kind elk]

they technically don’t do "superscore"

[upbeat sandal]

You’re well within Harvard’s SAT averages. Definitely ask and don’t sweat the studying for another attempt if you don’t have to.

[kind elk]

they look at both scores individually

[vague ice]

gotcha

[vague ice]

ah

[kind elk]

I think you’re fine statswise

[vague ice]

im hoping my gpa

is ok

considering only 4% of harvard students had a gpa under 3.75

[upbeat sandal]

4% of

[kind elk]

you’re a guy, right?

[vague ice]

ye

[kind elk]

and uh

the other question I think you know what it is

[vague ice]

asian?

[kind elk]

yeah

[upbeat sandal]

lmfao

[kind elk]

ok

dw

im an Asian make too

male

[vague ice]

is doing debate too generic tho

[upbeat sandal]

REA Co27 is 30% asian

[vague ice]

oh

i think that tho

[upbeat sandal]

That’s totally fine haha

[vague ice]

do u guys know anyone connected to harvard

and if they got in without a 3.75+

[upbeat sandal]

no clue

my school’s Naviance has some odd Harvard stats

[kind elk]

the only harvard admit in my school’s history was a valedictorian

[vague ice]

damn

[upbeat sandal]

It really depends on the applicant

[vague ice]

i have a couple things going for me, except my GPA ngl

[kind elk]

well, now the two harvard admits in my school’s history were valedictorians if you count me

[vague ice]

gotcha

[vague ice]

if my gpa is the deciding factor ...

[upbeat sandal]

it won’t be

[kind elk]

^

[vague ice]

4% is mainly athletes ifeel like

under 3.75 gpa

[upbeat sandal]

what’s the complication

actual ?

vs. fake? ☠️

[kind elk]

oh

[upbeat sandal]

That’s considered legacy

[kind elk]

that’s still good though

[upbeat sandal]

yes

faculty counts for something

it wouldn’t matter

[kind elk]

harvard doesn’t have colleges

everything is in 1

[vague ice]

hmm

im rlly worried tbh

i feel like if i were applying unhooked iw ouldnt even think of harvard

[upbeat sandal]

in general?

[vague ice]

but w/ hooks i think i have decent chance

just grades are super worried

[upbeat sandal]

Your grades sound fine.

[vague ice]

they recalculate w/ only core classes right?

[upbeat sandal]

What do you mean

[vague ice]

not counting electives

like AP computer science princioples

for example

[vague ice]

also the fact that ive had 8 B+s

[upbeat sandal]

I didn’t think they did. They look at the school-submitted transcript that would include an unweighted and weighted gpa (if applicable)

[vague ice]

gotcha ty

[upbeat sandal]

They look at your course load relative to what your school offers (so including electives)

[vague ice]

ah

that should be good for me then

do u know what politics majors harvard has?

ik government, but it doesnt seem insanely interesting to me

[upbeat sandal]

Their course catalog is very easy to find online

it gives every concentration and course

[vague ice]

alr

[upbeat sandal]

it’s ~4k pages

[vague ice]

wow

[vague ice]

interesting

[merry meadow]

lol add a couple more zeros

some random kid in my school donated and got in

idt they were even top 40% gpa lmfao

[bronze spire]

i would appeal

what are they gonna do

say no again?

[humble stirrup]

precisely

but tbh

they don’t have to respond

so 🤷‍♀️

[bronze spire]

i mean college admissions is a funky process

another shot is another shot, no matter how bad it is

[vital hill]

harvard legacy acceptance rate is like 33% bruh 😭

or at least was as of 2019 or 2020 or smthng

[upbeat sandal]

lmfao

[cyan wedge]

For the loci for harvard, should I upload it through the applicant portal or send email to AO, i dont even know who the AO is for my region 🫣

under here or? kinda confused

[winter smelt]

yeah portal upload is fine--harvard doesn't release AO names publicly

[cyan wedge]

Through Miscellaneous right, as a PDF

🫡

thanks!

[winter smelt]

yeah that's what i'd do

[cyan wedge]

Emm I'm almost done my LOCI, since I didn't get an interview when I applied for REA, should I express my interest in an interview opportunity by saying that I feel like there are areas/personalities about myself that I think could be better conveyed through an interview?

[upbeat sandal]

No. That’s true of everyone. And as a reminder, if you have a college counselor or advisor, meet with them before taking advice on A2C.

@cyan wedge

[humble stirrup]

nah if you didn’t get an interview you didn’t get an interview

there’s not much more you can do

[merry path]

letter of continued i nterest?

interest*

where we supposed to do that

the portal right?

[vital hill]

yeh

and ideally ur regional AO

[merry path]

how do u know ur regional AO

lemme check hold up

i'm actually so confused

it says submit through your portal

on the deferral letter

but a bunch of websites say

write a letter of continued interest to the school

[winter smelt]

harvard doens't release AOs publicly

upload it to the portal

[cyan wedge]

I talked to my counselor and he adviced me to express interest in doing an interview 🤔

He said to tell Harvard that an interview would help me to tell things about myself that wasn’t able to be conveyed through essays 😶‍🌫️

[vague ice]

yeah tbh i really think you should do an interview if able to

as someone who actually did one, I was indeed able to share a lot more about myself that wasn't present on my app

[cyan wedge]

^ yeah I was thinking of the same, I don’t think an interview would hurt my chances at all. It can only boost it cuz I’d say I’m decently social and when it comes to personality etc.

[upbeat sandal]

That’s an odd thing for them to have said. I think everyone could benefit from an interview, so it would be silly to say.

[cyan wedge]

🤔

his son got into harvard recently so i think i prolly take my counselor's advice, i dont think expressing interest for an interview would go wrong

[humble stirrup]

the worst they can say is no

[kind elk]

This is hurting my head

[vague ice]

A stroke

[kind elk]

lmao https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnQePPVv4ER/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

[vague ice]

lol

[humble stirrup]

is it alright if my loci is 330 words

should i make it longer? i don’t rlly see it necessary to add on a huge why harvard

and 267 is just achievements

[kind elk]

Yes

[humble stirrup]

kk

[kind elk]

How many pages is 330 words

1.5?

[humble stirrup]

…no

it’s like 1

[kind elk]

oh ok

That’s good then

[humble stirrup]

i think my loci is a little more than 330 rn but im going to have it proofread

[kind elk]

Ok

[humble stirrup]

would anyone be available to give my loci a quick read

rn its 397 words

[bronze spire]

id be down

but

im also a senior so idk if i'd be insanely helpful

[humble stirrup]

meh pretty much just clarity checks

[bronze spire]

i could maybe point out grammar mistakes or such but thats abt it

[bronze spire]

u can dm me the link if you want me to read

[humble stirrup]

alright

[worldly hornet]

is that the norm for loci?

seems a little too long

its very possible they wont even read

[rose scarab]

Isn’t it supposed to be no more than around 500 words

No longer than one page

[worldly hornet]

bruh 500 words is a common app essay lmao

[rose scarab]

Yes

It’s also about one page

[humble stirrup]

around 1 page

🤷‍♀️

mine was a little short

i didn’t simp too hard

i had ~300 of updates and ~100 of why harvard

and i did the forbidden thing

i talked about something new i was doing and accidentally kind of rehashed an ec

[queen quiver]

mine is 400, 150 update 250 why 💀

[humble stirrup]

i didn’t want to include too much why

i just talked about a proj i was starting and connected it to prior work & then mentioned a research proj at CfA id like to participate in and said harvard’s multidisciplinary community will help me best succeed or smth

And then included a regional, national, and intl award and then some big state stuff with congressmen, which i felt held more precedence than talking about what else i’d engage with at harvard

[bitter token]

When is the last date to get an interview request?

[humble stirrup]

not for awhile

[opal summit]

Got my interview

Any tips to do well when the interviewer is really old?

Dude is like 70+

[humble stirrup]

ask about what they think of harvard today, how they’ve continued their engagement, etc

mine was in his 40-50s

and we still clicked on a few general things

[opal summit]

Yeah my other interviewers have ranged from 20-50

This one is 73

(He has his birth year in his email, I’m not a creep) ^^^

[upbeat sandal]

Lmfao

[slow garden]

Have any intls gotten an interview yet

[meager yew]

i didnt

[queen quiver]

has anyone in general got them? kinda worried atp...

[keen goblet]

I think there are some people here who got in

[supple palm]

no

[midnight girder]

nope. but i haven't gotten any so far, harvard or otherwise haha

don't they prescreen intl applicants before offering interviews

[balmy widget]

i got my interview request literally right after i finished my mit interview like 20 minutes ago

(i am not intl though)

[pearl lichen]

wait fr?

[clear imp]

Wdym prescreen?!

[keen goblet]

They might go through our applications and then offer interviews only to the ones that are most suitable for the school

[fringe badge]

i find there are opposing opinions to this (internationals getting interviews based on screenings)

I haven't seen any official posts/documents that corroborate this

[midnight girder]

think it's mostly anecdotal i.e. only those who were interviewed have historically gotten in?

it might just be because of my location tho idk

[storm vigil]

How bad is it if I live in a major metropolitan area but haven't gotten an interview email yet?

[midnight girder]

I'd say

not bad at all

[storm vigil]

When do most people get it?

[midnight girder]

im not sure but isn't it all dependent on availability? why would it be bad

it's not a reflection of the strength of your apl

[chrome scroll]

what does it mean to get an interview? does it mean anything?

[hollow mural]

i have gotten none

but im in kansas

[spiral nebula]

No way another Kansan! I’m from Kansas too and haven’t gotten an interview

[wet walrus]

im from ct and i havent gotten an interview yet 🥲

[regal sky]

no fr like do they give everyone one or just ones they’re serious about?

[vague ice]

it means nothing

i got an interview on december 22nd

[vague ice]

however, it is evaluative

so if you get one, you should try your best to ace it

[spiral nebula]

I just got an interview today!

[humble stirrup]

congrats!

[kind elk]

Good luck!

[gloomy token]

Yeah. It's on the 15th floor of some random building, coming up soon

[opal summit]

What do you mean by this?

[bronze spire]

It means the admissions office gets a report of your interview

If you get lucky with a important interviewer and have a great interview, it can be a big boost