International Student seeking advice

HKtiger
Fri, 29 Aug 2014 16:39:33 +0000

OP, @"aunt bea"‌ is right that the UCs won’t give you a dime, so it’ll cost you the same, if not less if you apply for financial aid elsewhere, to go to a private school.

I understand why you want to give Harvard a shot - you won’t know if you don’t try - so I support you in that decision. But if I were you, I’d actually wait until RD to apply to Harvard. It’s harder to get in EA than RD, so you’re not increasing your chances like with ED. I’d apply EA to something with a realistic chance (eg UMich cause it’s more about SAT scores there), in the hopes that you get good news in December and don’t have to waste time on safeties for RD, so you’ll get to spend more time on Harvard + other apps.

But honestly, all the best of luck to you.