2400-scorer to study chemical engineering at Harvard

Colleges & Universities Harvard University
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<p>[from San Diego Union Tribune]</p>

<p>"The first time was good, the second time was better, but the third time Dillon Cruz took the Scholastic Aptitude Test was perfect.</p>

<p>“I stared at the 2,400 in shock. I didn’t know how to handle it. I thought it was unreal, I didn’t know anyone could get a perfect score on the SAT,” he said, recalling the very early morning when he checked his scores online. “I just stared at the screen for a while, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I was very happy and very surprised with myself.”</p>

<p>Dillon, 16, is a senior at Bonita Vista High School in Chula Vista. And, not anyone can get a perfect score. This year, more than 1.6 million people took the exam, and he was one of 384 who scored perfectly. Dillon is the youngest of four kids, and the intellectual ability may run in the family. One of his older sisters took the exam when a perfect score was a 1,600. “She got, like, a 1,530 or something,” he said.</p>

<p>He didn’t study the first two times he took the test during his sophomore and junior years, but he was pretty happy with his scores of 2,110 and 2,250. He just thought he could do better, and a friend of his really encouraged him to study this time. People have expressed pride and excitement about his improved score, and a bit of humor.</p>

<p>“My teachers were making jokes about it, like, ‘Oh, so you must know more than me,’” he said, laughing.</p>

<p>He applied to Harvard, Columbia, MIT, Stanford, Caltech and Yale, and was recently accepted to Harvard, where he will begin classes next fall. He plans to study chemical engineering because he’s always been a math and science kind of guy. Chemistry and biology are always growing, he said, and he likes the logic and beauty of the subjects. …"</p>

<p>[Student</a> notches perfect score on SAT | UTSanDiego.com](<a href=“http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2011/dec/29/student-notches-perfect-score-sat/]Student”>http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2011/dec/29/student-notches-perfect-score-sat/)</p>

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<p>I think every one of the 384 has posted a “chance me for Harvard” here.</p>

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<p>How did he apply to so many schools at once or is the paper not making a differentiation between SCEA and RD applications? I was wondering about QB but Harvard is not part of QB.</p>

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<p>Harvard does not have a chemical engineering concentration.</p>

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<p>[from the SEAS Q & A site]</p>

<p>"Can I concentrate in chemical engineering?</p>

<p>While there is no current degree in chemical engineering, students may find the biomedical engineering track within the Engineering Sciences degree program a suitable alternative. In addition, the materials option in the Engineering Sciences degree makes a great option for students interested in the materials aspects of chemical engineering. A new biomedical engineering degree program has a heavy focus on chemical and biological aspects; for those interested in chemical engineering from a biological perspective it is an excellent match."</p>

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<p>Good for him. However, the article is incredibly misleading both in terms of the major and the fact that he could not have applied to all of those schools because of Harvard’s SCEA restrictions. Just poor reporting, I assume…and as we know, a 2400 is certainly no guarantee of admission to any top school. Articles like this perpetuate the myth that high scores are the most important factor in admissions.</p>

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<p>The article also refers to the SAT as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, a name that’s gone unused for years. A bit petty, but I thought it should be pointed out.</p>

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<p>I never got the point of a whole news article just for getting 2400 on the SAT or 36 on the ACT. I think the ACT even has a prepared press release that is sent to all students who score 35 or 36? The last thing I would want to be recognized for is filling in a bunch of bubbles correctly on a Saturday morning.</p>

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<p>It wasn’t just the SAT score so much as the fact that a local hispanic kid got into HARVARD. There are scores of stories in hometown papers when a hometown boy or girl achieves such recognition.</p>

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<p>How did the paper know where this kid eventually would go? He may go to MIT or Stanford if he gets accepted in RD.</p>

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<p>I think the paper said he “will be attending Harvard” because that’s what the kid said.
There was a Channel 10 (San Diego) story about him in November. I deduce that he applied to a number of colleges RD, but to Harvard SCEA. Either that or he got one of those famed “likely letters!”</p>

<p>[Local</a> Student Receives Perfect SAT Score - San Diego News Story - KGTV San Diego](<a href=“http://www.10news.com/news/29741266/detail.html]Local”>http://www.10news.com/news/29741266/detail.html)</p>