Harvard University (2023-2024)

[umbral garden]

of all the US cities, i prefer boston and los angeles though

though nyc is quite nice

i've actually applied for classics and history as my first and second choice. business is my third

if i get into harvard (highly unlikely lmao), i'd like to take a dual enrollment course with MIT for sure

i visited and it's about 10 minutes away from central Boston

quite convenient

sorry what's ISEF?

and do you mean to Harvard or MIT?

ah i searched it up and it seems to be for engineering and the sciences, so not for me 😭

neat!

i applied for theatre, dance, and media as my first choice and history and literature as my second choice

i believe either business or classics was my third

what does that mean?

i'm half korean 😭

if i go for drama, i'd probably be paying most of my tuition

i believe they'll only pay if i do business

my mum went to school in seoul and my dad went to school in the UK, so that probably doesn't count

yeah, i thought so

[stable pecan]

You guys are high school grads ?

[umbral garden]

sorry i had to google that too

[umbral garden]

i'm sixth form so i didn't really know what to put

is that grad or senior?

for americans

[stable pecan]

Last year of sixth form is equivalent to high school senior if that helps

[umbral garden]

oh omg i'm so sorry

[stable pecan]

Year 13 right

You’re fine

[umbral garden]

i already took my A-Levels 😭

but i'm year 13 yes

[stable pecan]

Oh dang

[umbral garden]

can I switch roles?

so sorry

thanks mate

got it!

my bad 💀😭

[rancid mural]

ur good

[umbral garden]

omg its 02:30 already 💀

[rancid mural]

go to sleep

[umbral garden]

i haven't been able to

i got home from rehearsals about an hour ago, and i've been worrying since then 😭

for sure i should be worrying about my show since it opens in a week, but all i can think about is what might happen if i get deferred or rejected

[rancid mural]

bro what

u got home at 1:30 am?

thats insane

[umbral garden]

lurking on the subreddit is getting to me

[umbral garden]

we open next week so the tech rehearsals are insane

fucking crazy it is but at least they're paying me 😈

[mossy mortar]

boooooo

L rea choice

[minor pecan]

holy Princeton

my beloved

[jolly lichen]

L princeton

[plush loom]

L princeton

[strange wedge]

I’m submitting BU and Wpi tonight too🐟🐟

[pulsar pond]

That’s so sweet of you

Tysm

[minor pecan]

they don’t send any in the early round

[jade saddle]

Got an email from AO asking for supplementary materials in history research for faculty review (applied history concentration) - anyone know if this is a good sign?

[frigid herald]

I'm not sure if Harvard does the committee approach (I'm p sure they do)

But if they do, then you can maybe take solace in the fact that you are still being discussed this close to the decision.

But really it's not much of an indicator, just that they need more info lol

[rancid mural]

it just means u made it to main committee and they wanna discuss it

just means u werent rejected yet

so take that as u will

[minor pecan]

Possibly

[jade saddle]

Yea that’s what I was thinking that they just need more info to make a consensus

*reach

Anyone know how many students make it to committee?

[rancid mural]

no

[minor pecan]

no

prob just the borderline people

[rancid mural]

most ppl who get in are never contacted by an ao tho lmao

[jade saddle]

Damn 😭

[rancid mural]

doesnt mKe it a bad or good thing

[minor pecan]

a girl from my hs was contacted for additional info similar to this and she eventually got in

[rancid mural]

just an uncommon thing

[minor pecan]

it was rd tho

not to raise your hopes or anything

but means you aren’t rejected

at least not yet

[jade saddle]

Yea, I’m guessing it might be similar to second AO interview? (Borderline applicants)

[minor pecan]

prob yeah

obviously they could just say fuck it we can’t decide yet even after getting your additional info and defer you

[rancid mural]

fuck, im so scared for dec 14

its officially 2 weeks now

[jolly lichen]

they do

[jolly lichen]

it does not mean this, you can get asked before main committee

[rancid mural]

they were asked now though

[mossy mortar]

i’d just write more rd essays

it will ease your fears

[jolly lichen]

it means you got past first read, which is good

[jade saddle]

Are they in main committee or subcommittee right now

[jolly lichen]

I think the process is less homogeneous than you might think? like decisions are being made up to the last date possible

[jolly lichen]

in similar spirit to my above message, probably a combination of both

[mossy mortar]

yes

they make til last day

it’s all very arbitrary

[minor pecan]

sounds like copium

[jade saddle]

Was she contacted during REA round?

[minor pecan]

.

[jade saddle]

Oh sorry, i was thrown off by the she got in eventually

[jolly lichen]

me too ✌️

[minor pecan]

all good

[minor pecan]

[jade saddle]

Sheesh, what year u in?

[minor pecan]

he graduated already

[mossy mortar]

i am in college 😭

[jade saddle]

Oh nice nice

[minor pecan]

copium lingers from earlier in the year then

[jolly lichen]

Harvard '23

I'm outta this bish

[pulsar pond]

At this point it’s probably my estrogen and LH messing with me

Today I suddenly feel quite hopeful about Harvard

[jade saddle]

Ayyy

[jolly lichen]

ama

[opal night]

They say delulu is the solulu but delulu will crush you so I highly recommend not obsessing!

[mint portal]

in the meantime read this poetry about grass: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45034/grass-56d2245e2201c

[minor pecan]

Thought that said auschwitz

[frigid herald]

LMAO

[umbral garden]

oh my

[umbral garden]

omfg

i'm going to die here

i really hope my profile is strong enough 😭

i heard they defer like everyone

[pulsar pond]

sigh bro I read this stat so many times I could probably memorize it

we're all in the same ship down to terrifiedland

[umbral garden]

LMAO

terrifiedland pls

it's only like a 5% acceptance rate for those who were deferred

that's so crazy omg

[pulsar pond]

I mean if you think about it

either way the acceptance rate is low

In REA your acceptance rate is 7.56%

deferred acceptance rate drops by abt 2%

you're not that much worse off even if you're deferred

just the pain for having to wait for 3 more months....

[umbral garden]

it's always gna be low, i'm just so surprised after seeing the cornell stats

they admit such a high rate early

ig it's just bcs harvard has a lot of applicants because half of them are there just for fun or hoping for luck

[pulsar pond]

we can't forget Cornell is ED and Harvard is REA

lowkey diff actually

it's normal that ED schools have higher acceptance rates

[pulsar pond]

oh how I hope man

[umbral garden]

i'm sure of it, most of my friends apply to such schools to fuck around and find out tbh

[pulsar pond]

there's statistical bias maybe

I'm trying to pull out from delusion

yk I'm literally almost doing everything to boost up my hopes

helping people open the door or pick up stuff they've dropped in hopes that God will reward me for the good deeds I do

God how desperate am I

[umbral garden]

PLS

i be manifesting in my journal and shit

[pulsar pond]

also a miracle happened to me today

in IB we're graded on a 1-7 scale, 7 is the highest

originally I'm supposed to get 6 in math

I've accepted that, but then my teacher suddenly decided to drop the percentage point to get a 7

now I'm getting a 7 in math wtffff

[umbral garden]

omg see

ur so in

[pulsar pond]

but dude yk

when this happened rather than happy I was worried

[umbral garden]

that's wonderful

[umbral garden]

oh?

[pulsar pond]

I was worried wonder the amount of miracles or unexpected luck is going to run out

I NEED ALL THE LUCK I CAN POSSIBLY HAVE IN 2 WEEKS

[umbral garden]

that's just bollocks 💀

[pulsar pond]

I'm sure lots of ppl are gonna tell me to touch grass

[umbral garden]

i think that the 7 is a good sign if anything

[pulsar pond]

yeah a very nice start for the month

[umbral garden]

did you do the questbridge thing?

[pulsar pond]

no I'm intl (technically)

[umbral garden]

me as well

[pulsar pond]

I'm a US citizen but I go to school outside the US

plus I looked up and questbridge is for low-income

[umbral garden]

ah

[pulsar pond]

bro my family is too much in the middle class we don't qualify

[umbral garden]

ic

and ur the one with the really strong profile in biology, right?

[pulsar pond]

depends on what u mean by strong

I did an internship at a molecular biology lab

[umbral garden]

like good or heavy

[pulsar pond]

joined a synthetic biology competition called iGEM

(I wasn't really doing the research part of the stuff during the project but nonetheless what I did was deeply related to biology anyway)

[umbral garden]

see 😭

ur so good

[pulsar pond]

did a fun little project on how to extend the shelf life of bread

didnt know what I was doing, didn't win anything in that comp but at least I was team leader

[umbral garden]

i may need that bcs my bread always goes stale too quickly 💔

[pulsar pond]

dude my experiment was a big fail

[umbral garden]

oh nvm 😭

[pulsar pond]

have you ever seen bread that does not get mouldy until after one dang month

THAT WAS ALL MY BREAD

[umbral garden]

its bcs u don't age the bacteria or something, right? it depends on the type of bread

[pulsar pond]

no bread got any mold until we passed the one month mark

[umbral garden]

like my sourdough always goes stale

[pulsar pond]

nah we just randomly found a recipe for making dinner rolls

added some diff ingredients

and after it's done we just let it sit in a box

and begin the wait

God I regret it so much I should have used that competition as an opportunity to do independent research

[umbral garden]

it's totally fine, what's done is done and if u had fun and learned something that's all that matters

[tepid sphinx]

What does A2C discord image change mean

Ah QuestBridge

[mossy mortar]

80%

[umbral garden]

crazy

genuinely

[pulsar pond]

😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

we gotta touch grass and stop thinking about it guys

we got a life to live

whatever it is we will be going to college somewhere

[umbral garden]

i'll touch grass in the courtyard when class is over today

dw

[pulsar pond]

maybe not the best place you wanna be at but at least some college will want us

[mossy mortar]

it’s not a good policy

it only benefits themselves

[late zenith]

you wouldnt worry if your app was acc amazing

just be self-confident

if u spent so much time and its rlly fucking good then ur chillin

[umbral garden]

i rly don't like it, like why give people false hope?

you're just adding so many more people to the regular cycle

they should just do rounds or something

[mossy mortar]

so that they can sort through

and have more options

ie if someone is good in rea

but they think they might find someone better in rd

then it’s beneficial for them to defer and make the best choice later

[umbral garden]

they pick so many though

like thousands

surely not everyone should be pitted against each other like that, no?

[mossy mortar]

not everyone

but it’s not just as ethical lol

[rich wren]

if im the only person at my hs applying to harvard and live in a sparsely populated area how do colleges compare me to people if nobody is there lol

[mossy mortar]

not that pton or yale are ethical at all

but the admissions processes are better

rejecting in rea is good

so kids can move on

[mossy mortar]

nah it’s not always about location or demographics

your area of interest

[rich wren]

idk i kinda live close to nebraska but im in iowa so i imagine not a lot of people apply

[mossy mortar]

personality

achievements

etc

[small nacelle]

Omg i was looking at last year's harvard mega thread to see what it was like during the REA release date to prepare myself and I found @minor pecan 😭

[mossy mortar]

they might want a rural celloist

[umbral garden]

i agree

[rich wren]

wait how is this fair if someone from nyc does all this gov stuff and i dont rlly have many opportunities for that. i still have ok ec's i dunno tho

[rancid mural]

Same

[small nacelle]

OMG NO WAY LMAOO

[umbral garden]

i think they should let ppl move on rather than make 80% hold on

[mossy mortar]

and if you’re a good rural celloist but they think you could be better, congrats you’re deferred lol

[minor pecan]

who the fuck looks at threads from a year ago

[rancid mural]

Bro seemed so much nicer

[minor pecan]

bunch of weirdos

[mossy mortar]

it’s an example. ao’s can use whatever criteria they happen to need for the class they wanna make

[minor pecan]

reject activities

[mossy mortar]

that’s not an excuse though - not the right mentality

[rancid mural]

To see the dif reactions

[minor pecan]

It’s just a defer chain

same as this year

nothing will change

[mossy mortar]

im from michigan and did politics work in hs

you can do a lot virtually

outside physical constraints

[rich wren]

ohhh ok! do they ever compare applicants across states??? like if i live by a state border would my app be judged by that state's AO too

[rancid mural]

Why were u so much nicer before harvard 💀

will i also become a troll

[minor pecan]

Yes

You realize you’re gapped

[mossy mortar]

most kids become assholes after getting into ivies💀

if you go to one you’ll see

the social scene is a mess

bunch of over zealous valedictorians and nepo babies

[rich wren]

yeah i did a ton of things virtually but a lot of things prevented me from going to the capitol and stuff

[mossy mortar]

that’s not what they care about lol

[rancid mural]

Tf does gapped mean

[umbral garden]

so cynical LMAO

[rich wren]

wait fr

[mossy mortar]

there are substantive ways to show achievement that aren’t getting invited to the white house

[rich wren]

i meant state capitol

not the white house 😭

[mossy mortar]

i worked in the dnc in hs and never went to the capitol for it

oh lol

same idea

[rich wren]

dnc???

lmao

[minor pecan]

Basically a skill issue or skill diff

compared to everyone else

[rich wren]

yeah im on a state gov board but thats my only good ec i think

[mossy mortar]

democratic national committee

[rancid mural]

When i hear cabinet i think alexander hamilton

[minor pecan]

I can no longer lie

[rich wren]

how

lol

thats so crazy

[umbral garden]

i auditioned for the hamilton musical and it was a nightmare pls

[rich wren]

ik high school dems works w the dnc tho

[mossy mortar]

yea you’re right lol

these early rounds are brutal

if you’re not a legacy or athlete, don’t expect to get in

[rich wren]

true thats why i didnt rea

[mossy mortar]

sub 1% chance for most people

they’re designed to keep rich alum and their nepo babies happy lol

not for like regular working class students

[minor pecan]

eh i wouldn’t say sub 1%

[mossy mortar]

maybe 1-3%

[minor pecan]

lol idt this is the case

[mossy mortar]

but sub 1 if you don’t have a notable spike

[minor pecan]

though a large chunk of the early admits are indeed legacies, athletes, donors, etc

[mossy mortar]

that’s my point

no like there are low income/working class admits

[minor pecan]

this would probably be true RD aswell

[mossy mortar]

but it’s a lower chance than it seems

7% is def misleading

[minor pecan]

yeah, it’s probably more around 4-5%

or nearly same as RD

[umbral garden]

sigh

[rancid mural]

Why'd you get in luck

Like what do u think got u in

[mossy mortar]

depends a lot on geography race and other demographics imo

[umbral garden]

i wish it was more even

[minor pecan]

I got a 1 on my personality score

prob that’s why

[umbral garden]

what's that mean?

is it 5-1 or 1-5

[minor pecan]

1 is best

[umbral garden]

omg stop they still rate u on personality 💀

[minor pecan]

Out of 6-7 i believe

[mossy mortar]

well ik the hs dems dnc kids but i never did hs dems, silly grifter org lol

[rancid mural]

I think i have a chance at rea

[vague hemlock]

damn what's your personality like

[rancid mural]

Hopefully

[mossy mortar]

i was more involved in climate work specifically and the progressive/socialist left

[umbral garden]

luck, did you see your admissions file???

[minor pecan]

same as on line

[umbral garden]

help me out here mate

[minor pecan]

I’m just kidding, I didn’t check my admissions file

[umbral garden]

im in trouble then (joking)

[minor pecan]

idk what got me in

[rich wren]

oooh env policy stuff??

[mossy mortar]

i had just been involved in politics for a few years

people knew my name and i got appointed to something

[minor pecan]

but my interviewer was a goat

[rich wren]

lmao what is a personality score

[umbral garden]

see u guys later i have rehearsal now!!

[rich wren]

that sounds so subjective

[umbral garden]

i hated mine

[rich wren]

yayy!!!!

[minor pecan]

we planned to only talk for like 30 min and went for like 2 hrs or smth

[mossy mortar]

not really, more so movement organizing. electoral work, protests, legislative campaigns etc

and just basic base building and community organizing

[minor pecan]

Why Princeton @mossy mortar

answer in 150 characters or less

[small nacelle]

YEA LMAOO I know it was literally like deferred x50 on last years thread

[mossy mortar]

cause we’re better than harvard 🥱

[minor pecan]

[small nacelle]

How did you get a 1 on your personality score 😭

[minor pecan]

I was jk

Idk what I got

Probably not a 4 tho lol

[small nacelle]

o yea i just read it as you said that lol

[small nacelle]

o lol

[rancid mural]

Crazy

[small nacelle]

gosh my interview was only 1 hour i'm so worried 😭 everyone I know had like a 3 hour interview

[rancid mural]

Idk if theres even 50 rea applicants this year

[rancid mural]

Was it virtual

[minor pecan]

probably fine

[small nacelle]

no it was in person it was at harvard cuz i live in the boston/cambridge area 😭

[rancid mural]

Mine was 45 mins but he had me submit a resume and all of my interests beforehand

I assume he doesnt have google meet premium

So he had an hour limit

[small nacelle]

he said I reminded him of his cousin and that his cousin makes no money

or something maybe he said his brother

[rancid mural]

💀

[small nacelle]

LMAOOO

[rancid mural]

Crazy statement

Whats ur majoe

Like whwy did he say that

😭

[small nacelle]

because I said I want to be a novelist 😭

[rancid mural]

Ah

[small nacelle]

lmaoo

and he said his brother is a novelist and makes like 2 cents

[minor pecan]

Sounds accurate

[small nacelle]

LMAOO

[minor pecan]

@ humanities majors

[small nacelle]

😭

[vague hemlock]

😔😔😔

[minor pecan]

I feel like the interview matters a bit more for harvard than other schools

could be wrong

[small nacelle]

Yea I totally agree

[mossy mortar]

it doesn’t matter much

the interview matters but the specifics are like eh

if you did a good job then you’re good

[minor pecan]

I think it can only help

unless you fuck it up

[reef forge]

Luck what's yo major

[minor pecan]

I want to ask my interviewees technical questions so bad in 4 years

assuming harvard still exists then

[small nacelle]

LMAOOO

this is the funniest thing

[minor pecan]

idk

[minor pecan]

I know you’re going to come to this channel and scroll through all the messages that have been sent already, so you should definitely do this abnon

[uncut canyon]

oh my god

i was reading that as if it was a good thing

until the next message

[small nacelle]

BAHAHHAHAHAHHAH LMFAOOOOOOOOO

[stable pecan]

funny guy LMAO

[pulsar pond]

my interview lasted 2 hours

my interviewer lowkey forgot about the time

i think I did well considering the time

but I know some of the stuff I said could've been a little red flag

[small nacelle]

like what?

[pulsar pond]

I talked briefly about how I was bullied in primary school

and then how I got out of it by acknowledging that I was a little bitch with a bad personality

(ok it wasn't phrased like this but the same meaning)

and then I was able to show them what I could bring to the table that I had the ability

I talked about how I was a swimmer at school

I was so good at swimming that at the school swimming competition, even if some of the classmates didn't like me, so what? they still cheered for me

because they damn well know I'm the person who's gonna get them that champion trophy

idk if that sounded too arrogant

[minor pecan]

a little

[pulsar pond]

I mean I likely would've phrased it a little bit less arrogantly during the interview

[vague hemlock]

lumina you concern me

[pulsar pond]

and also I might have side tracked too much

why

[minor pecan]

you’re probably fun

fine*

[pulsar pond]

let's hope

[pulsar pond]

why girl

[small nacelle]

OMG NO THIS IS FUNY AF LMAOOO

[vague hemlock]

gee i wonder why

[small nacelle]

for my interview the first question was why harvard and I was thrown off so bad like there was no how are you or anything

[pulsar pond]

that's so not nice😭

[small nacelle]

nah nah he was fine lmaoo i was just thrown off nah there prob was a how are you i was just too scared to remember 😭

[pulsar pond]

I'm too obsessed with details right

[small nacelle]

was your interview a girl or guy?

[pulsar pond]

a guy

[small nacelle]

it makes a great story tho like I could really visualize what was happening and everything

nice

[mossy mortar]

LMFAO

id accept you

[pulsar pond]

kind of like my mom's age

[minor pecan]

BAHAHHAHAHAHHAH

[pulsar pond]

yeah unexpected but as long as you managed it well you should be fine

[small nacelle]

thanks ❤️

[pulsar pond]

also there's an interesting thing

I talked about how I wanted to go to Harvard because my best friend's sister went to Harvard

and he was like oh what's her name and which School did she go to

after I told him about that he was like wait I know her

I interviewed her when she applied

so that was quite funny haha might have gave him a deeper impression of me

[small nacelle]

OMG NO WAY

that is such a coincidence

like not even the fact that he knew her that he interviewed her omg 😭

[small nacelle]

yea that's actually really good honestly

[haughty dew]

Did you do handlers?

[strange wedge]

Have my interview super soon!

[minor pecan]

Ok

[tepid sphinx]

good luck!

[strange wedge]

Thank you!!

[tepid sphinx]

Just remember: their main goal is to hear you talk, to know you have something to say and are passionate about what you do! Don’t always fret over giving the “right” answer.

[minor pecan]

you’re too nice to them

[strange wedge]

It was 2 hours long!! But wow have I gained so much knowledge just about life. we had such a good conversation about change and how it’s so important to recognize that changing is ok! Sooo many good conversations. Even if I don’t get in, I’m grateful to have had that conversation cuz damn

[rancid mural]

whats a handler

[haughty dew]

Merit scholly

[rancid mural]

what

explain

[tepid sphinx]

That’s fantastic! Glad you had that opportunity.

[strange wedge]

Thank you 🫶🏾🫶🏾

[minor pecan]

https://admissions.rochester.edu/blog/my-experience-as-a-handler-scholar-at-the-university-of-rochester/

[limpid herald]

she is not kinda

she is hell nah

[minor pecan]

?

bro criticizing women

i guess it was normal for your time tho

[rancid mural]

oh damn i shouldve applied for that

i never knew abt it

they didnt tell us abt it at the fly in either

[minor pecan]

Yeah cause uroch is ass

[jade saddle]

How impressive is coca cola scholars semi finalist?

[minor pecan]

probably helps but not very in my opinion

because it’s just based on stats i believe and there’s a computer algorithm used to pick semifinalists

[jade saddle]

What about that Bank of America leaders program? I know a friend who did it

[minor pecan]

Never heard of it

[late zenith]

Meh

[late zenith]

P decent

U did it?

[jade saddle]

No I’d never heard of it before and one of my friends today was telling me about it

[late zenith]

It’s pretty decent nothing too prestigious tho

[jade saddle]

Oh I see

[small nacelle]

did you get coca cola scholars semi-finalist?

[grizzled dragon]

Guys do you know like the last day one can expect an interview in the rea cycle as an international?

I’ve heard some get their interviews like a week before deadline. Is that true?

also why does everyone seem so inactive here compared to other university threads😭

[vague hemlock]

bro the activity in this channel has peaked in the last week 💀

[grizzled dragon]

Lol my bad

[rancid mural]

just cus harvard isnt that popular in terms of a2c

[pulsar pond]

I have this unhealthy habit of checking this thread when I wake up

pls I'm hungry for new information

[vague hemlock]

lmao me with all my threads tbh

13 ish more days trust

[pulsar pond]

oh crap I just looked at reddit

looks like people have already been getting AO interviews

[vague hemlock]

damn

[pulsar pond]

I saw one guy get an AO interview

according what that guy said he got an invite before Thanksgiving

https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/188raf1/harvard_ao_interview/

[rancid mural]

thats been happening awhile back

[tepid sphinx]

AO interviews are the same as alumni interviews unless it’s the dean giving them.

[jolly lichen]

mechanically or in terms of signal?

[pulsar pond]

just saying I didn't know

[tepid sphinx]

They have the same impact if that makes sense

[grizzled dragon]

not if you're international tho right?

[grizzled dragon]

please give me some hope!

[jolly lichen]

nah nah nah that's so false

[tepid sphinx]

Well AOs and alumni interviewers are assigned or are in a particular region, respectively.

I’d bet you that most of the time receiving an interview from an AO will have just the same impact as a non-AO alumni one would.

That is unless you receive an interview from the Dean of Admissions, which hardly ever happens and is not by chance.

[tepid sphinx]

I would think it’s the same but I don’t have any knowledge about international interviews specifically.

[jolly lichen]

AOs are assigned to a region, but that's for familiarity with schools.

I'd bet you that most of the time receiving an interview from an AO will have just the same impact as a non-AO alumni one would
I'd take that bet in a heartbeat lol, statistically it's far from true. AO interviews are like 50% odds of admission, per lawsuit

[minor pecan]

nah, AO interview matters a lot more

[pseudo hawk]

So, I've been thinking. My dad is a retired naval officer of 20 years. Because of his duty, I am entitled to the yellow ribbon / post 9-11 gi bill. If my EDs don't work out how I want, I'm thinking of taking a shot in the dark for Harvard. My friend is an underclassmen at Harvard rn, so he can look over my ECs and essays. I guess my question is can I use my situation to leverage a better acceptance rate at Harvard?

I'm pretty sure Harvard values ROTC / military quite handsomely, as it adds "diversity".

[minor pecan]

I don’t know all of it works but theoretically you could as long as it doesn’t mask your own accomplishments and life

and assuming you actually have the stats and whatnot to be considered qualified then I don’t see why not … you don’t have anything to lose by applying

[pseudo hawk]

My stats aren't necessarily up to par, but I'd like to think my ECs carry me and I think I make for an interesting guy 🤷‍♂️
1440 SAT (1460 super score) 3.955 /4 weighted

9 APs?

[minor pecan]

SAT is below Harvard’s 25th percentile but idk I can’t rate your app since im not an AO

[pseudo hawk]

Idk, I intern at one of Indiana University's financial departments, so I've made some contributions there, I'm a state record holder in the sport of powerlifting, I'm projected to win Nationals this year, more organized sports accomplishments, etc

[minor pecan]

plus idk how rotc works really

[pseudo hawk]

Yea I'm not submitting 😅

[pseudo hawk]

Yea, if I needed to say I'd do it to get in I would, but I'd try to nope out if I actually got in 🤷‍♂️. Again, I'm not sure how rotc works either.

My dad was in the navy, just using that as leverage.

Besides, my parents met and lived in Boston for some time, so I'm no stranger to the region.

[minor pecan]

does that even qualify you for it

[pseudo hawk]

Yes

[minor pecan]

Ok

[pseudo hawk]

If anyone else wants to give an input, lmk

[minor pecan]

just do it

[pseudo hawk]

Well the thing is I don't know how I'd leverage my chances

[jolly lichen]

not umless you are actually going to do rotc yourself?

[minor pecan]

just list that you’re doing rotc?

[pseudo hawk]

I've considered it, but I'm not fully onboard with the idea. I'm mostly gauging if I got into Harvard through ROTC, could I back out of ROTC?

This is mostly just whimsical, fairy tale wishful thinking

Again, this is if my EDs don't work out

Random shot in the dark for funzies

[foggy rune]

Not sure if you can back out after accepting an ROTC scholarship

[minor pecan]

Not sure if it’s this easy

otherwise i’d assume people would do it often

https://universitying.com/can-you-drop-out-of-rotc/

idk about harvard’s policy (our rotc program is held at mit apparently)

[foggy rune]

Yea

That means ROTC won’t be much of a benefit for Harvard anyways

Because it isn’t the host institution

[grizzled dragon]

Are you paid for helping students out? Or are you just kind?

[minor pecan]

I’m kind

[jolly lichen]

also.... seems pretty disingenuous to do this

[minor pecan]

^ kinda fucked up

[foggy rune]

It’s not gonna help especially if you don’t have a scholarship

[small nacelle]

wait how do you see on reddit like who's getting ao interviews like how do you find that specifically

[minor pecan]

just search harvard or ao interview and filter by recent

[small nacelle]

Oo thank you!!

[minor pecan]

https://tenor.com/view/asc-gif-22146012

[foggy rune]

What

Harvard does AO interviews?

[minor pecan]

Yeah, mostly for international students

[foggy rune]

I thought they only did alumni

[minor pecan]

Nah

[pseudo hawk]

Of course its disingenuous. Just like lying -- even just a little -- on college apps. I can't speak for everyone, but everyone I've talked to at my school (myself included) has stretched the truth, written a white lie, or been disingenous in some kind of way on their application in hopes of getting some edge over their peers.

[foggy rune]

Oh that’s interesting

[pseudo hawk]

It's a man-eat-man world we live in

[grizzled dragon]

luck please tell me if there's still hope for interview like we have 2 weeks left right?

[minor pecan]

probably still some chance

[small nacelle]

is there a chance an ao interview is bad or is it always good

[pseudo hawk]

unless you you bomb it, you'll be fine. alumni will generally write the same positive feedback on you as they do for everyone else

[foggy rune]

Harvard isn’t a host for any rotc programs so they won’t be able to influence admissions

[minor pecan]

Probably more good than bad

[small nacelle]

interesting

[small nacelle]

ok good

[pseudo hawk]

In either case, only the extremes bare much weight

Don't stress about it, don't overthink it

[small nacelle]

interesting

very interesting

[agile drum]

how do any of you know if your essays are good enough?

[pseudo hawk]

You don't

lol

[small nacelle]

have another person read them

[pseudo hawk]

^

[small nacelle]

has anyone gotten an AO interview in this chat

[pseudo hawk]

Have people proofread and hope for the best

[agile drum]

it’s so hard to know if someone’s feedback is good

[pseudo hawk]

Not harvard, but Northwestern yes

I'll probably apply harvard RD if I don't get into NU

[small nacelle]

Wow!!! Omg!!!

[grizzled dragon]

helped a lot! Like I'm applying from southeast asia and all the admits (from here) I've talked to always get an interview!

[small nacelle]

decisions are coming out on the 14th right?

That's in 12 days how exciting!!

[grizzled dragon]

are they??

[grizzled dragon]

u mean scary??

[small nacelle]

Yes I believe so 🙂

yea true but like what if you get in

then it's exciting

[minor pecan]

Yeah, almost all admits had an interview

especially internationals

[grizzled dragon]

right

do we even have someone here who's done with their harvard interview?

[minor pecan]

Plenty of people

but they’re all domestic

[grizzled dragon]

has harvard decided not to take international students or something?

[minor pecan]

what

I’m sure some international students have gotten interviews by now

just the ones who have aren’t in this server or haven’t mentioned it

[grizzled dragon]

uh i see

[minor pecan]

Maybe they just don’t want you?

could be a possibility

[grizzled dragon]

that was harsh 🙂

[minor pecan]

[grizzled dragon]

so u aren't that sweet after all

[minor pecan]

do you want me to lie and say you have a chance if you got no interview as an international and that it doesn’t matter all

[rancid mural]

Ok lets be nice

[grizzled dragon]

YES 🙂

[minor pecan]

ok, you got a shot then

good luck

[grizzled dragon]

thanks 🙂

[pseudo hawk]

Rejections aren't sweet either, but harvard still dishes them out to ~96.7% of applicants

[rancid mural]

at the end of the day, luck is a first year at harvard. he doesn't know everything, however he is right that interviews matter for internationals. we cant judge whether u will get in without an interview, although it is a rare occurrence

there's still two weeks before decisions

they can interview tons of people by then

or u could be deferred

and interviewed later

[grizzled dragon]

luck is a first year at harvard

[rancid mural]

its not something that can be predicted by a server of college students and high school seniors

[rancid mural]

yes? He is lmao

[grizzled dragon]

should I go to a fortune teller then 💀

[grizzled dragon]

💀

[rancid mural]

just wait 2 weeks

or if ur spiritual, pray abt it or smth

[grizzled dragon]

last thing I wish to do at this point

[rancid mural]

im just saying a2c cant predict whether u got rejected

[grizzled dragon]

huh ur right! Guess I'll have to WAIT

[grizzled dragon]

what exactly is guardian of rankings if I may ask?

[rancid mural]

college megathread managers

or megathread mods if u wanna call it that

[minor pecan]

Small scale discord moderator

[rancid mural]

basically i make sure ppl arent being out of pocket in the threads 💀

[grizzled dragon]

the name is too fancy then lmao

[rancid mural]

and making sure luck isnt being too mean

[cedar salmon]

bro got that crazy high emotional intelligence

[grizzled dragon]

he always is it seems

[reef forge]

You failing in this chat 💀

The glazing and random statements is out this world

Harvard is the most out of pocket thread

[grizzled dragon]

I thought it was just me 😦

[rancid mural]

harvard chat is so out of pocket that i can no longer tell whats normal and whats not

[reef forge]

True

When does Harvard rea release

[rancid mural]

dec 14

[reef forge]

Sheesh

Thursday is brutal

I wouldn't show up to school on Friday ngl

[rancid mural]

💀

i get out that tuesday lol

[grizzled dragon]

what's out of pocket? Aren't we building a community here? That's how things should be 🙂

[reef forge]

HUH

[rancid mural]

so ill be texting all my teachers

abt my decision

[reef forge]

Bro my school is Dec 21

😭

[rancid mural]

supposed to get out on the 15th, but i only got one exam

[grizzled dragon]

also what is Luck Sr. ? Is that a role too?

[rancid mural]

so i get out earlier

[reef forge]

No I'm lucks dad

[minor pecan]

It’s not

He’s just a dumbass

[reef forge]

Rule 1?

Where the mods at

What happened to civility

[minor pecan]

I am the mods

[grizzled dragon]

ah u went to Harvard too? Is luck a legacy then?

[reef forge]

This generation of kids man

[reef forge]

Yes

[minor pecan]

Yeah, you’re ngmi

[rancid mural]

luck can u be nice for 5 minutes

[minor pecan]

ok

I’ll be back in 5 mins

[reef forge]

[rancid mural]

is this what harvard does to a man

[grizzled dragon]

not looking for your advice anymore

[grizzled dragon]

literally questioning my harvard dreams now 💀

[rancid mural]

luck said when i get in, next cycle i will become mean as well💀

[pseudo hawk]

its a prophecy

[grizzled dragon]

@rancid mural U get all of respect my respect! Sure not easy to moderate people like luck

[pseudo hawk]

it must be fulfilled

[minor pecan]

your loss

[pseudo hawk]

@minor pecan Would you be willing to share your essays / ecs if you don't mind

lolz

[minor pecan]

No

[pseudo hawk]

ok

[minor pecan]

they’re pretty average though

[grizzled dragon]

expected*

[grizzled dragon]

[pseudo hawk]

You've said in the past that that you think you got admitted largely due to your essays?

[minor pecan]

Yeah, assuming you stalked me

[pseudo hawk]

Wasn't my intention. It was at the top of your messages when i searched "i got in"

[grizzled dragon]

@rancid mural If someone gets rude, can we reciprocate lol?

[pseudo hawk]

I was trying to be resourceful

Don't take it the wrong way

[minor pecan]

ok no interview international hehe

[minor pecan]

Yeah, all good

but yeah

I think essays were a strong part of my app

[pseudo hawk]

gotcha

[rancid mural]

no ill just make u both stop

[pseudo hawk]

what'd you write about?

[minor pecan]

The prompts changed so it probably wouldn’t help you if I told you

but I wrote about a book

[grizzled dragon]

u never had an interview too so please! And the fact you were domestic and still 💀

[rancid mural]

he did get an interview

and was intl wasnt he

[minor pecan]

yes

bro just yapping

[grizzled dragon]

.

[rancid mural]

both of u play nice

[reef forge]

I'm back my son

I forgot the milk tho

[rancid mural]

get ur son to chill 💀

[pseudo hawk]

what about your personal essay

still the same?

[grizzled dragon]

delete ur old messages before lying atleast!

[reef forge]

My son is trippin

[minor pecan]

What

[rancid mural]

huh

[reef forge]

He is cranky

Needs nappy time

[rancid mural]

what is this about

[grizzled dragon]

definitely!

[pseudo hawk]

😭

ts is hilarious

[minor pecan]

Personal essay as in commonapp?

[jolly lichen]

why assume just read your app

[minor pecan]

shhh

I already know the truth abnon

no need to rub it in

[pseudo hawk]

Pretty sure they always have a prompt for whatever you want to write about. Yes, the commonapp personal essay.

[jolly lichen]

so what was it then

[minor pecan]

I’m a legacy admit that got in through my dad Kenneth griffin

[rancid mural]

kinda sad no one has a similar background for me here

[minor pecan]

i did the first one

but you’ve already written this essay

[rancid mural]

#1 is the best

[minor pecan]

so idk why you’d change it

[pseudo hawk]

i don't plan on changing it

[minor pecan]

Ok

[pseudo hawk]

Does your selection even really matter

[minor pecan]

No

as long as you write smth good

[pseudo hawk]

Didn't think so, that's why i selected the last one

I wrote about like discipline and how i learned that at a young age through my dad and taekwondo, yap yap yap

I think it was decent, don't really have anything to compare it with though

[minor pecan]

Ok

prob fine

[reef forge]

Dawg 💀💀

[pseudo hawk]

prob 🤷‍♂️

[rancid mural]

WHAT

ik its like impossible but still

[reef forge]

5>>>>>

[reef forge]

....

[rancid mural]

i need a friend who happens to have my exact background

[reef forge]

😭😭

[pseudo hawk]

also

off topic rant

[reef forge]

Bro remember the goal is to write a hero story

You are the hero

That's all

[pseudo hawk]

when you're really good at a niche sport >>

🤑

[reef forge]

For me 5 was the best way to do that

[reef forge]

There is 0 money involved in niche sports

[pseudo hawk]

I want to write about my talents but nobdy gaf!

[pseudo hawk]

exactly!!

😭

[minor pecan]

True

[reef forge]

Which sports

[pseudo hawk]

powerlifting

[reef forge]

that's not niche

Well at least not anymore

[pseudo hawk]

still niche

[grizzled dragon]

Damn your advises rock! Teach your son something too 🙂

[pseudo hawk]

niche enough for ao to probably not gaf

[minor pecan]

I own him

[reef forge]

Actually it's the opposite

Pipe down bud

[jolly lichen]

unsurprising

[rancid mural]

didnt someone here write about beekeeping and get into penn

[reef forge]

The names griffin Kenneth griffin

[grizzled dragon]

To you handfully select people to be rude with or is it just everyone for you?

[reef forge]

I mean random topics make u stand out

[pseudo hawk]

i thought we were over the petty arguing

[reef forge]

But at the end of the day it's about passion and the message ur conveying through the essay

Not the topic itself

[rancid mural]

do u think i'll stand out

[reef forge]

No

[minor pecan]

everyone not in vv

[reef forge]

You are the run of the mill applicant

Bang average mate

[rancid mural]

so true

[minor pecan]

actually

[grizzled dragon]

that could make me an admit then!

[reef forge]

Nuffin special

[minor pecan]

just people in this thread

[reef forge]

I apparently raised my son wrong

I apologize kids

[rancid mural]

im still shocked ppl thought i was fake before ngl

[reef forge]

[rancid mural]

i disnt think my backgrohnd was very odd

[reef forge]

I still think you are AI sometimes

Kace.ai

[rancid mural]

can an ai get into harvard or nah

[minor pecan]

yeah

good number of bots here

[reef forge]

Ye fs

[minor pecan]

(I am one)

[reef forge]

Mfs at Harvard got respawn and despawn points

They not real

[pseudo hawk]

a bot who got into harvard, unlike most people here

🤖

[reef forge]

Acc this is all a simulation

[rancid mural]

luck, what are ppl at Harvard called

[reef forge]

TC is the only real person in this chat

We are all boys

[rancid mural]

yale has yalies, jhu has blue jays

[reef forge]

Bots

[rancid mural]

wtf are yall

[pseudo hawk]

🤝

[reef forge]

Harvard has dipshits

Priveleged pricks

[minor pecan]

Idk

[grizzled dragon]

npc behavior

[minor pecan]

Nerds

?

[reef forge]

Losers?

[minor pecan]

Crimson?

[reef forge]

Tryhards?

Daddys money?

[pseudo hawk]

was gonna say!

[reef forge]

Mommy's credit card?

[pseudo hawk]

classic

[storm condor]

Luck plz get me in Harvard

[reef forge]

Building named after grandpa?

[storm condor]

😭

[pseudo hawk]

@minor pecan can you buy me vbucks

[rancid mural]

i feel like theres not many middle class at harvard

[reef forge]

There prob are

[rancid mural]

mostly super poor and super rich

[reef forge]

Although some 400k mfs consider themselves middle class

[storm condor]

lol

[minor pecan]

median income at harvard is like 180k

[reef forge]

Like bih stfu

[reef forge]

Shi I'm poor then

[storm condor]

luck income is 300k

thats why he got in

[pseudo hawk]

real 😭

[rancid mural]

im poor everywhere 💀

[storm condor]

im poorer

[reef forge]

Luck is fgli

[minor pecan]

In poorest

im

[rancid mural]

im still considering whether its worth it to rd after getting in rea

[minor pecan]

But soon to be rich

[reef forge]

I got a css fee waiver but not for anything else

Im like middle class? Idk

[grizzled dragon]

not if you're majoring in history

[reef forge]

Maybe a little lower

[rancid mural]

kinda wanna see if yale would accept me but like, harvard better

[reef forge]

Honestly idgaf

[minor pecan]

thankfully i am not

but history majors r cool

[rancid mural]

im paranoid abt being rescinded and having no school though 💀

[reef forge]

Humanities majors on their way to poverty!

[reef forge]

Then apply

Stanford > harvard

Fight me

[storm condor]

every major on their way to poverty

[rancid mural]

finance bros make bank

[reef forge]

Rank hypsm

[minor pecan]

M
H
S
P
Y

[rancid mural]

harvard
yale
mit
stanford
princeton

[grizzled dragon]

does harvard rescind acceptance offers? I've literally stopped studying 💀

[rancid mural]

yes...?

every school does that

[reef forge]

S, M, H, Y, P

[storm condor]

mit
harvard
stanford
princeton
yale

[rancid mural]

if ur grades drop significantly

[minor pecan]

idt u need to worry about this

[reef forge]

Luck please stfu

[grizzled dragon]

yeah ik what's coming

[reef forge]

You wouldn't have got in without me

[minor pecan]

They don’t rescind

[reef forge]

I'm the fuxking goat

[grizzled dragon]

[minor pecan]

like ik people who just slacked

and no rescind

[grizzled dragon]

U ARE!!

[rancid mural]

they give warning letters tho right

[grizzled dragon]

You mean you?

[rancid mural]

i heard someone got a warning for getting one B 💀

[reef forge]

Luck you got opps now

[grizzled dragon]

luck must've got one

[reef forge]

That's bullshit

[minor pecan]

i slept thru hs anyways so it didn’t matter for me

[pseudo hawk]

mentor me? 🙂

[reef forge]

Ye I gotchu

You can be my favorite son

[pseudo hawk]

1st period sleep clutch

academic lab

[rancid mural]

blind leading the blind

[reef forge]

I'm actually blind and deaf

More diversity

[grizzled dragon]

now I wana know how u got in so bad!

[reef forge]

[pseudo hawk]

-5 karma, you're going to cc now

[minor pecan]

Essays probably

[reef forge]

Nah it's bc of me

I funded a building

[grizzled dragon]

anyway it's way essay for domestic ppl

[rancid mural]

if i get in its prob essays, cus my academics aren't that spectacular

[grizzled dragon]

look at us

STRUGGLING

[reef forge]

If u get in its prob holistic

Just like everyone else who gets in

[pseudo hawk]

me too!!

[reef forge]

[minor pecan]

sounds like a skill issue ngl

[reef forge]

Idt Luck was struggling

Ngl

[rancid mural]

luck where r u from

like country wise

[reef forge]

North sentinel islands

[grizzled dragon]

U love being mean huh?

[minor pecan]

Yes

[pseudo hawk]

this again?

😭

[late zenith]

Truth hurts icl

[grizzled dragon]

skill issue ngl

[rancid mural]

moving on

[pseudo hawk]

bluntness is more fruitful that sugarcoating it

[late zenith]

Yo u got a crazy back how much do u squat

[pseudo hawk]

545

[late zenith]

😳😳

Bench? 330

[pseudo hawk]

290 paused

poverty bench

[late zenith]

Damn niceee

[pseudo hawk]

😢

[late zenith]

Kinda low yea

[pseudo hawk]

im a powerlifter

[late zenith]

Ohh nice

My friend does 325 bench

[pseudo hawk]

body weight?

[late zenith]

170

So 2x

Roughly

[pseudo hawk]

good shit

[late zenith]

Ur squat is insane

[pseudo hawk]

ty

[late zenith]

Bro is Larry wheels

[pseudo hawk]

im 83kg

[late zenith]

In pounds?

170

[pseudo hawk]

uhh

~184

[late zenith]

I’m 170 but I haven’t benched in soo long

I got 155 newbie gains

In 2 months but has to stop

[grizzled dragon]

are there any good chance me out there?

[pseudo hawk]

dude we dont know

[rancid mural]

i alrdy said college kids and high schoolers cannot adequately guess ur chances at a school

the statement doesnt change by going elsewhere

[storm condor]

yeah if u dont have 300k u wont get in trust

[pseudo hawk]

in layman's terms: idk

[grizzled dragon]

I meant some AI tool

[storm condor]

??

[rancid mural]

AI is even worse

college applications are not looked at objectively

it is subjective in many aspects

[grizzled dragon]

yeah so a holistic chance me ai tool

[rancid mural]

thats not possible

[storm condor]

bruh

if that was possible we would have robots with emotions

[pseudo hawk]

you mean like something that calculates ur chances of getting in?

cuz those are bullshit

[rancid mural]

yeah, the AI would need to have the same emotions, biases, and ideals that every AO at every single school could possibly have

which is not possible

[grizzled dragon]

what are harvard kids doing? they gotta create this (before I do)!