Deferred from Harvard...do I even have a chance at other Ivies RD?

Chance Me / Match Me
1

I was deferred by Harvard last night…do I still bother applying to Ivies RD? Chances of getting in?

PSAT: 1480

SAT: 1530 (740 W/EBR) (790 M)

GPA: 4.0 UW (Number one in my class entering senior year)

APs: World History, US History, US Government and Politics, Chemistry, Spanish Language, Psychology, Calculus BC, English Language and Composition, Statistics, English Literature, Spanish Literature, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Physics II

ECs:

  • Founder, President; Model UN club (9 - 12)–President all 4 years
  • Member, then President; National Spanish Honors Society (10 - 12) President for one year
  • Member; National Honors Society (11-12)
  • Varsity baseball player (9 - 12), captain senior year
  • Pianist, Arizona State Univerisity jazz performance ensemble; auditioned, (9 - 12)
  • Understudy with professor of jazz performance at ASU (7 - 12)
  • Member; Ruhi Institute Study Circle
  • Instructor; Ruhi Institute Children’s Class
  • 150+ hour internship; Arizona State University professor of African American Studies
  • 200+ hour internship; Baha’i Office of Public Affairs, Washington DC
  • Founder, Director Jazz4People nonprofit; Merged my interests of urban economic development and jazz to form nonprofit Jazz4People; a program designed to bring jazz study and performance to inner-city youth; (10 - 12); 350+ hours
    -100+ hour volunteer Tempe Community Action Agency
    -Using Jazz4People and ASU internship, published research in undergraduate journal regarding correlation between musical expression and economic urban development.

Race/Ethnicity: Mexican

Sex: M

Religion: Baha’i

Intended major: Economics

RD Schools:
Columbia
Brown
Yale
Stanford
UPenn
Cornell
Dartmouth
USC
UNC Chapel Hill

2

Yes, absolutely you could still get in but every school you have listed is a reach so be sure you have match and safety schools.

3

Your Harvard decision is not a reflection of your chances for other schools, but you need to have some matches and safeties on your list

4

Do you suggest sending supplemental letters of recommendation to Harvard?

5

Not if they don’t say anything different than the ones already sent. For 99%+ of applicants, they already have what they need to make the decision. Sending more “stuff” will not help.

6

Most of the top schools will reject/defer even the most deserving of candidates. You have a strong profile - just don’t let the decision affect you and go forward with the regular applications

7

You have no match schools.

8

With respect to your interest in economics, you might want to consider a school such as Wesleyan from this analysis, as well as perhaps a less selective choice or two: https://ideas.repec.org/top/top.uslacecon.html.

9

Also, consider adding schools like Colgate, Davidson, Wake Forest. Great schools where your stats should make you very competitive.

10

I’m really struggling to find match and safety schools that are financially feasibly for my family. Do you all have any suggestions? I have already applied and been accepted to Barrett, the Honors College at Arizona State University and the Honors College at the University of Arizona, but I feel like I could have slightly more selective schools as my safeties given my stats and ECs. Any thoughts?

11

Also, might wouldn’t USC and UNC be matches, given that my SAT and GPA are far above average?

12

Safeties need to be affordable. What’s your parents’ EFC? Can they pay it?

13

Does it help at all for Princeton that my professor/research at ASU who is writing one of my letters of rec is a Princeton graduate?

14

UNC caps OOS students. Plus matches have to be affordable, or they’re not a match.

15

You would have lots of match options intermediate in selectivity between Harvard and UNC, at least by general admission standards (https://amp.businessinsider.com/the-610-smartest-colleges-in-america-2015-9). Colgate, mentioned above – and a top-notch school for the study of economics – would be one example. The University of Richmond might be another. Your choices will ultimately depend more on what you are seeking than on where you would be accepted.

16

Your choices will ultimately depend more on what you are seeking than on where you would be accepted.

Are you saying that I stand a fair chance of getting accepted multiple places? Also, do you have suggestions for schools intermediate in selectivity?

17

Yes, your academic profile indicates you could get into multiple top-level schools.

Williams, Claremont McKenna, Middlebury, Wesleyan, Hamilton, Colgate, URichmond and Vassar represent colleges with top economics programs that would be intermediate in general selectivity between Harvard and UNC. If you are looking for well-funded schools with excellent academics that are not ultra-selective, then choose from the three or four less selective colleges within this group. Or research further, up to about #20, through this aforementioned analysis: https://ideas.repec.org/top/top.uslacecon.html.

18

You should think about the type of school to go to not just the name. What kind of economics do you like? Anyone in particular you want to take a class with? Class size? Other activities on campus?