<p>I would appreciate hearing opinions of anyone knowledgeable of admissions to HYP. My son has no special basis for admission. But he has decent credentials:</p>
<p>His composite SAT is 2290 (1520 math-verbal) including an 800 on the verbal/logic section.</p>
<p>He was #1 in the nation as a Freshman taking the National Geography exam.</p>
<p>He twice was a gold medal winner on the National Latin Exam (score of 4).</p>
<p>He’s active in NHS, academic bowl team, several school bands, and community service projects. He was selected Most Outstanding Student in band (two years) and in Latin, was chosen to participate in various state honors bands, etc.</p>
<p>He’s a junior and will have maxed out on available AP hours by next year. He will likely finish in the top 3% or so of his class. He plans to majorin music composition with a minor in business.</p>
<p>Should he decide to go the HYP route, would he have a decent chance of getting in? Is it even worth the cost of applying?</p>
<p>Your son has the academic credentials so it is worth the try. The thing that you should realize however is that for those who are not recruited athletes, development admits, legacies with connections, or under represented minorities with high academic credentials, it will take more to stand out from the more than 20,000 applicants who apply… Even those who find that they have leadership in their school extra curriculars, ie. captain of their varsity team, editor in chief of the yearbook ect find that their achievements become ordinary in the applicant pool. There are some who get in without having done extroardinary things, and an admission officer might have seen something interesting in their essays or recommendations. Those who are mostly accepted however usually demonstrate exceptional talent, passion, leadership ect many in things outside of school that are often considered extraordinary.</p>
<p>I agree with collegebound. Your son is definitely very accomplished and you should be so proud of him But to be accepted at Harvard and the like, you have to stand out in some way by pursuing unusual or exceptional talents, passions, or interests.</p>
<p>Music composition sounds interesting. Has he done anything along those lines so far? There might be some way to make that aspect of him more prominent in his application. He might also be able to do something this summer that would make him more attractive. I don’t think you can minor in business at Harvard - don’t know about the other schools. You can’t be accepted at HYPSM unless you apply - I think everyone needs to go in realizing it’s a long shot.</p>
<p>And also, decent credentials? Those are far beyond decent. I really hope you’ve never referred to his academic accomplishments as ‘‘decent’’ around him. That’s hurtful coming from a parent.</p>
<p>Fear not, TellETubE. I’ve told him it’s outstanding and I’m very proud of him. I meant “decent” for HYP admission discussion purposes on this board.</p>
<p>My observation from my own competitive suburban area is that a white male without a hook (legacy, athletic recruit) has a small chance of being accepted to Harvard without some stellar accomplishment (such as Intel semi-finalist). That was the case with respect to the students I knew who applied and were accepted a couple of years ago. But this doesn’t mean that your son shouldn’t apply if he wants to attend these highly competitive places. He might just get accepted. But it does mean that one shouldn’t get caught up in the “one dream school” notion. There are a lot of factors that go into admissions, so one can never really say who will be accepted and who won’t. </p>
<p>One more thing. I did notice that the unhooked white males who were accepted (with stellar accomplishments) were very strong in verbal/writing skills even though they were going on to major in math or science. I suspect that Harvard wants exceptional kids who can communicate their accomplishments.</p>
<p>having done this with 3 kids, i suggest you get a copy of the application and start to visualize your son’s EC’s. MIT’s I think lays out the best organization of how the schools like to see it. the best qualified students are competing at the state (winning) and national levels (strong finishers) and even international events. It is a humbling exercise for anyone. But you have some time to help package his accomplishements in the most positive light. There are some good books out there about getting in to the top schools.</p>
<p>You might want to check out the RD 2011 theads in a day or so ( decisions came out today after 5 PM). Many will post their stats and if they were accepted, waitlisted etc. You will get a sense for what a rol of the dice it is.</p>
But to be accepted at Harvard and the like, you have to stand out in some way by pursuing unusual or exceptional talents, passions, or interests.</p>