TLDR: One of my parents graduated from Yale and the other from Harvard. I’m not as qualified as the average applicant. Do I even bother to apply Early Action?
With a 5-7% admissions rate and a 29 on the ACT, I know my chances at Harvard and Yale are very slim. My parents on the other hand are very optimistic and think that I will have a solid chance as a URM and legacy, if I can bump up my test scores. (I think I can manage a 32 next school year with lots of studying over the summer.) Right now our plan is that I apply to apply to Harvard EA and Yale RD. Harvard’s Restrictive Early Action would still let me apply to state schools I love like UCLA, UC Berkeley, and UC Santa Cruz. However, my high school’s acceptance rates at UC’s with the exception of UC Riverside significantly dropped this year. Last year 4 out of 7 (it’s a small school/senior class) applicants were accepted to UCLA. This year 2 out of 14 were accepted. My test scores are lower than those two girls but our GPAs, amount of volunteer hours, and other stats are very similar.
After talking to many seniors and reading threads on here, would it be more beneficial to use Early Action for a less selective school on my list? I really like Northeastern and I’m hoping to get merit aid through their scholarship for the National Hispanic Recognition Program. I don’t want to be plagued by “What if?” thoughts if I skip out on EA for Harvard.
Did your parents graduate undergraduate from Yale and Harvard? Otherwise I’m not sure the legacy will be considered. Also are you doing more than checking the Hispanic box? Is Spanish a second language? Can you write about your Latino culture and how it impacts your life?
@Dolemite Yes they graduated undergrad. I don’t speak Spanish but my common app essay will most likely be about how my culture and family have influenced my education in and outside the classroom.
I haven’t yet heard you say you even like Harvard or Yale. You like Northeastern and you love the UCs. I don’t get why you are doing this, becasue in reading your post, it seems like you parents are driving your plans. You should apply to the colleges you are interested in, not the ones your parents are interested in.
Don’t know her family income but Harvard might be cheaper than Northeastern - NHRP is 30 or 33K. Make sure you save the certificate as they might want you to scan it and send them a copy.
It does seem that Northeastern EA gives only a slight (if any) advantage, so that alone might not outweigh the slight advantage (at least) of Harvard SCEA.
My D just had a similar situation. She applied EA to Northeastern, Georgetown, Denver, and UVa (in-state) and Harvard RD (legacy with no other hooks). She could have gone Harvard SCEA and UVa EA instead, but didn’t really even consider it. The advantages of applying EA to the three other schools (and maybe getting in mid-December) was much more for her than the possible slight advantage at Harvard (which she assumed wouldn’t happen).
Turns out she got into Northeastern, Denver and UVa EA, and was waitlisted at Harvard. Would Harvard SCEA have made a difference? I doubt it, as I think Harvard waitlists a lot of legacies who are qualified but not that close to getting in. But you never know. In your case, it doesn’t sound like you would be giving up that much with Harvard SCEA, but you do need to weigh all possibilities.
You might be impacted by your ACT scores. Getting it up to 32+ would be very helpful so I assume you are taking the Sept 9th test and you might need the 10/28 test as well.
I really do like Yale and Harvard for different reasons, of course. I know they have very different environments. I try not to “fall in love” with these extremely selective colleges.
My PSAT score was 1360. I’m not really sure what a “good” score would be. I’m studying to take it in June. So far I’m scoring 1380-90s. Although I did very well in AP Calculus AB, my math scores for standardized tests hover around 650 for SAT and 29 for ACT.
I wonder how you can have 3.99 GPA and low ACT score, how hard is your course load, and if both of parents are HY graduate, that means you must be in a decent school district. Low SAT, I can see but low ACT score …, you must bring Score up, good luck