<p>
</p>
<p>It also seems like a waste of effort and application fees to apply to any school that one would not choose over the safety under any circumstances (and an early acceptance becomes a safety if the cost is affordable).</p>
<p>Now, if even Harvard’s financial aid may not make it affordable, then the student needs to find alternatives among schools with large merit scholarships or low list prices, not other super-selective high list price with no merit scholarships schools.</p>
<p>However, if the OP’s stats are much lower than this student’s stats, then it is unlikely that the OP has much of a chance at the schools in question.</p>