I’m sure the author of the Gawker piece meant to point out how highly qualified all the applicants he interviewed are, but it struck me how underqualified most of them were (at least by Harvard CC standards). When he lists the percentiles of their SAT scores, he masks it a little. And he makes a big deal that they’ve take 2 or 3 SAT II’s when, in fact, Harvard requires two SAT IIs. Do a quick “Chance Me” on each of his examples:
White female, 4.0 GPA (unweighted), 95th percentile SAT (700, 710, 690,) three APs, double legacy.
White male, 4.8 GPA (weighted), 92nd percentile SAT (670, 690, 660), four APs. All-State Debate
White female, 3.9 GPA unweighted, 92nd percentile SAT (670, 690, 660), three APs.
White male, 4.25 GPA weighted, 720, 720, 700, two APs.
White female, 3.9 GPA, 700, 710, 690, three APs
He seems surprised that only the first 2 got in – I’m surprised any of them were accepted, and attribute the first one’s acceptance to being a legacy.