<p>I was deferred a while ago under Early Action. Here is my OBJECTIVE stats (without ECs, etc). Do you think the imperfections here were an issue, etc.</p>
<p>SAT I: 2220 (700 R; 780 M; 740 W)
SAT II: 2320 (800 Math II; 770 Chemistry; 750 US History)
UW GPA: 3.985
Class Rank: 1/410
Course Load: 9 AP classes, 5 Honors (+5 more AP tests to be taken through self study) <—this was maximum rigor by far at our school.</p>
<p>My subjective stats were FAR more outstanding than my objective data. Assuming that my ECs, etc are not the issue, do you think I the deferral was caused by my objective data. Or can I rest assured that “even if I fixed some imperfections on my objective data”, it wouldn’t have done anything. That was likely not the issue. Its killing me to think “what if I had gotten my SAT I score up, etc, etc”.</p>
<p>Edit: Also, I am Asian which makes my SAT scores that much worse. No hooks, URM status, legacy.</p>
<p>Also, I heard many people think 2220 is a low SAT score for Harvard. Do you think it is offset by my otherwise good objective stats? SAT 2s are okay. GPA is good, rank is good, etc.</p>
<p>A 2220 not enough? is that a joke?.. a valedictorian is far more important than a 2400. I honestly don’t think a 2400 and val would be even 1% better than 2220 and val, especially when it’s clear you did better on the SAT II (SAT math is easier than Math II, and you scored better on the latter). Don’t worry about it at all. If you have the time, feel free to take the SAT again, but I’d recommend you spend your time elsewhere:</p>
<p>Your EC’s, while you didn’t post them, are most likely very good. While I haven’t seen your app, I strongly, strongly believe your essays, short answer and maybe recommendations are the biggest “problem.” Given your legacy yet deferred status, along with great objective data (i.e. just as acceptable as anything else) put you in the very common category of not having the criteria in your subjective side that admission officers are looking for. Maybe you won’t care to consider this, but I think you should seek the help of whoever you can find who is knowledgeable (i.e. not hearsay teachers or internet mimi’s… not that that isn’t ironic). The vast majority of legacy’s are accepted ED. PM me if you’d like one piece of insight.</p>
<p>Ask yourself these questions:
-Are my teacher recs actually from teachers who like me, or just the best teachers I could find who I don’t particularly like?
-Did I give some objective piece of info about me that I may or may not of shared in my app to my teachers for the recs
-How did you go about writing your essays? Did you read any former Harvard essays of any kind before hand? Did you have a knowledgeable (or unknowledgeable) college/Harvard counselor give you some insight?
-How much research did you do on the admission’s criteria? Did you read the hidden corners of the HA&FO website? Did you find obscure NY Times articles? Did you see any videos of Fitzsimmons talking?</p>
<p>Your SAT scores are good enough. You can find an asian student accepted in EA with similar scores in the EA decision thread. Of course, you can also find asians with perfect or near perfect SAT scores deferred. The real question is what is unique about you that will make the incoming freshman class interesting.</p>
<p>Correction: a 2200 is NOT slightly low. Admission officer’s will not be swayed by a 2200 to a 2300 to a 2350. A 2400 and Val would have a few percentage points extra, at best, but your subjective is by far — BY FAR — the tipping point, as it is in almost every case. Talk to an officer one on one, that is probably the best insight possible (if possible).</p>
<p>Be proud of your accomplishments too. I apologize for coming off as provoking, but there is no more respectful way to say it and still be clear. Saying that score is a little low, especially without any apparent perspective on what goes on (even if you believe so) is rude and unnecessary glamorized hearsay.</p>
<p>It’s true that the importance of SAT score matters less once it crosses a certain threshold, but I wouldn’t discount the value of 200 SAT points so easily.</p>
<p>It’s not the SAT score. My D had a 2150 and was accepted last year with an early likely letter in January (non athlete or URM). She did have more AP courses. It’s the whole package with SAT playing a (non central) role. CC readers really need to stop obsessing about getting the perfect SAT score.</p>
<p>From what I’ve noticed by reading articles/going through actual results threads, Harvard seems to be the most forgiving in terms of scores(compared to other Ivy Leagues), as long as you have the genuine “nice” factor and a great exprience/EC’s to support you.
What you may deem as an outstanding extracurricular activity is likely to be ho-hum for Harvard, though. Keep that in mind.</p>
<p>Thank you guys for the input. I believe my essays were really cliche and might have done me in (too much of my app emphasized “hard work”). For my regular decision apps I started fresh so hopefully I fixed my mistakes. </p>
<p>To Gecko:
Sorry, I might not have been clear. I’m actually not legacy either. I have no hooks at all. (which is a good thing, I’d be devastated to be legacy and deferred). But yeah, thanks for the very detailed advice. And I guess a 2220 isn’t that bad; I didn’t think it was bad either but after the deferral I started to scrutinize every little minor flaw I had.</p>
<p>Also, something I forgot to mention was that I had a second interview very late into the process (after subcommittees met). Though one can’t assume anything from this, I think it means that there was nothing in my app that “killed” my chances though there might have been things that could have been done better that significantly decreased my chances.</p>
<p>Also, if Harvard is known to be the most forgiving of SAT scores, is my 2220 consider OK for other schools like Princeton, Yale, Stanford?</p>
<p>Also, I hope my recommendation letters weren’t that bad… I think they could have been “average” on worst. Is an “average” rec letter something that could counts against you or not at all (since adcoms know recommendations are usually never worse than average). This is all pure speculation, my relation with my two teachers were pretty good, but who knows…maybe I missed something.</p>
<p>Mmm, what’s with the bickering tone of everyone in this forum :o? The OP’s score is slightly on the low side for someone who has “no hooks, URM status, legacy” (and I assume that means no for all three), and that’s the reality no matter how many times you argue against it. While achievements in other areas can easily overcome an average performance on the SAT, and undoubtedly countless students will be and have always been admitted with much lower scores because of other credentials, the fact that other factors play a role does not change the nature of the SAT score. </p>
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<p>If that’s the case, I very much apologize for causing AnxiousMuch such great distress with my rude but fundamentally well-intentioned answer. I thought he/she would be more than smart enough to know how to properly evaluate an anonymous post on an open forum to be able to process everything with his own judgment to his own advantage.</p>
<p>On the Harvard forgiving scores issue, be careful also that in the early round (and previously with early likely letter), Harvard and other schools may have a tendency to pick kids with special/unusual achievements and circumstances whom they know they’ll absolutely want to solicit in the upcoming months, and that might have skewed the statistical outlook a little bit. </p>
<p>In contrast to students with rare accomplishments and other hooks, the applicants with top scores but otherwise average credentials are “replaceable” in a sense, so it’s possible that they might have gotten pushed to deferral pile to be looked at again in the regular round. </p>
<p>Just so that I don’t stress anyone else out, I’ll qualified this- this is pure speculation, for Friday night entertainment/discussion purposes.</p>
<p>Edit: AM, your recs are probably great, and so is everything else at this moment :).</p>
<p>Sorry, that’s what happens when I’m bored on a Friday night- I venture back to CC land even though this site gives me headaches :(. Couldn’ve been worse: at least I don’t have papers.</p>
<p>“On the Harvard forgiving scores issue, be careful also that in the early round (and previously with early likely letter), Harvard and other schools may have a tendency to pick kids with special/unusual achievements and circumstances whom they know they’ll absolutely want to solicit in the upcoming months, and that might have skewed the statistical outlook a little bit.”</p>
<p>Wait what does this mean for me? Skewed which way; towards higher or lower SATs? Does this mean RD will be more or less forgiving/easier than EA?</p>
<p>It honestly means nothing at all. It’s always “easier” for whoever fits the profile of the type of applicant the adcom is looking for, and “harder” for whoever’s credentials are more replaceable, and because I have no idea what the adcom is looking for or the context of what the applicant pool provides, I can’t tell you anything too useful. </p>
<p>“Skewed which way; towards higher or lower SATs?”</p>
<p>Higher if those already admitted have low overall SAT. Or not, who knows.</p>