<p>Hi,
I’m a student from Kerala, India. I created this thread to discuss about invitations from Harvard.</p>
<p>I’ve received invitations from Harvard twice - once by mail, once by e-mail (the e-mail was probably just a follow-up). Each consisted of a personalized letter asking me to consider applying to Harvard. Frankly, I had not considered applying to many top universities till I received these invitations. </p>
<p>Does Harvard send out many invitations? And does receiving an invitation increase one’s chances of being admitted?</p>
<p>Harvard, and many, many other colleges and universities in the U.S. send out these letters and emails and personalize them. It’s part of their marketing plan. It does not increase your chances of getting admitted unless it is a “likely” letter and tells you that you ARE going to be admitted. Don’t be fooled into wasting time and application fees by these mailings. Apply if you are a strong candidate and are interested in the school.</p>
<p>Yes, I do believe I’m a strong candidate and I, definitely, am aiming for a top university. It is just that I had not considered applying to the US; I’ve already applied to a few top universities in the UK.</p>
<p>I want to enter the field of research into renewable energy and I definitely want to attend a research-oriented university, especially one that supports undergraduate research.</p>
<p>If you have actually done some work in renewable energy, it will help. just having an interest on paper does not do much good. for e.g: have you read that inspiring story of an african teen from an impoverished village who devised a renewable energy source for his village from local resources(true story). If you do something on those lines, you can pretty much walk in to any ivy.</p>
<p>Actually I have presented my interest in the lines of the Environment.
Firstly, my preferred major were Environment Science and Public Policy, and Environment Engineering.
Secondly, I submitted a research project titled ‘Waste Disposal in Cochin’. This project combines a survey, my own photography and some write-ups about a co-operative organization, which has done a commendable job in disposing off household wastes within Cochin. Perhaps even more importantly, I did this project out of simple interest; it had nothing to do with my school coursework. I actually managed to send Harvard the original project ie with the original photos and all.
Thirdly, I got accepted for Environmental Engineering at University College London (UCL). I mentioned this in an update of the application and sent Harvard the Personal Essay and Teacher Evaluation out of my UCAS Application. The Personal Essay is basically about my passion for the topics Environment and Renewable Energy: it should be good, since it impressed the admission tutor at UCL. This submission, however, was rather late. But I hope it will be looked at.
On the whole, I have put my best foot forward. I hope it is good enough for Harvard.</p>
<p>And guys, thank you for replying. I really appreciate it.</p>
<p>Karottu - what’s your SAT i and SAT II scores (and with the latter, in which subjects)? It’ll definitely help applying to the top US universities.</p>
<p>I did not mention this before, but the e-mail invitation I received was sent to me by the Undergraduate Minority Recruitment Program.
Do you guys think it could be important?</p>
<p>^I don’t think they mean anything - but since it allured you to apply, then it at least opened a door for you. in that sense, it’s good marketing strategy on Harvard’s side, and a good shot for you since you have decent stats.</p>
<p>I must say you are spot on there. They allured me into applying not only to Harvard but also to MIT, Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Caltech, Cornell. Initially I had not even considered applying to the US universities; I was considering only UK universities.
And thank you for the encouragement.</p>
<p>Everything happens for a reason and maybe this invitation came to me for a reason.
I come from a school that has probably never sent anyone to an institution better than the IITs. At my school, students, even the excellent ones, do not think of the top universities. If I do make it, it will open new paths for my juniors.</p>