This is the official thread for those applying REA to Harvard University.
List your unweighted GPA, any SAT /ACT scores, and ECs. What majors are you going into?
Ask your questions, the CC community is here to help!
My son was in your position last year, applying to various Ivies, near-Ivy private and top state schools and as well as target and safety schools…a total of 17. He applied to Penn ED but due to his initial advancement to the next round for a full-ride scholarship at a near-Ivy, he opted out of ED two weeks before the decision announcement and requested to move his application to RD, giving up his better odds of acceptance at Penn in the hopes of a full-ride scholarship. On a whim, he also applied to Harvard RD. Surprise of all surprises, he was accepted to Harvard! Even bigger surprise, he was declined from several “less selective” Ivies and even 2 near-Ivies. My initial theory of “if he were accepted to Harvard, he would surely be accepted to other less selective schools” was fully debunked! There is NO CORRELATION between being accepted to Harvard and being accepted to other less selective Ivies and near-Ivies!
If you have strong stats and can submit an excellent application by the REA deadline, choose Harvard REA. You increase your chance of acceptance. At the same time, you can still EA to top public schools and then RD to all other schools. Once you have all of your acceptances, REA is NON-BINDING so you can still shop the financial aid packages from other schools before committing to the best fit school! Don’t ED to a less selective school out of insecurity. If Harvard is your dream school, aim for the stars! You just may get in! Best of luck, everyone!
*** 1530 SAT; 4.0/4.75 GPA; Valedictorian / Strong extra-curriculars with leadership roles and quantifiable achievements; NSLIY study abroad in Taiwan; Congressional intern; internships in venture capital and real estate investment / Compelling essays that showed his personal characteristics through story-telling / Strong recommendations from teacher and volunteer supervisor. Planned Major: Economics
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This really isn’t accurate. Yes, the REA acceptance rate is higher than the overall acceptance rate, but it also includes ~200 recruited athletes as well as legacy and other hooked applicants. If you take those out of the equation, the REA acceptance rate is only slightly higher than the regular decision acceptance rate. REA certainly doesn’t double your chances. This is the case for Ivy League and other selective schools.
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Thanks. Noted and revised my write-up.
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I agree with this. REA is Harvard, Princeton, & other highly competitive schools does not help the unhooked applicant. REA is highly skewed for athletes, legacies and donor’s kids. If you are legacy then REA is your shot. That said, if you are interested in a top school, apply to ALL of them. I told my daughter NOT to apply to Harvard because we were unhooked, and I did not want her to be stressed over a long shot. She ignored me and got in RD. 1580, 5’s on 10 APs, leadership roles and exceptional recommendations. ie. , teacher said she was one of his strongest students in his 20 years of teaching. She was accepted to two Ivies and deferred from a few.
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