D25 is choosing between Harvard and Yale for the regular round. She has taken the hardest classes in STEM receiving As (Linear Algebra, Graph Theory, Modern Physics, Adv. Mechanical Eng, Optics Astro, OChem, Drug Design, Machine Learning), employed as a research assistant in top science lab (glowing rec letter), co-author for two academic journal papers. Humanities classes are As but nothing special. Competed at YAGP Finals level in ballet, in her 11th year of training. Founder of a school club and external social justice website, elected Student Council, trilingual Chinese/Russian/English. Top private high school. SAT Math 770 R&W 750.
Highly appreciative to receive advice on Harvard versus Yale. She wants to do her very best applying for one of them. The family is equally enthusiastic about the two. Thank you!
She should submit the identical application to both (but check for the names, cities, etc). We all know kids admitted to both, neither, or one but not the other. The differences are very, very subtle (Yale likely stronger in the performing arts but Boston is a bigger ballet city than New Haven, etc). She should apply to both and then make sure she has a safety she loves. She sounds fabulous but you never know…)
Harvard has excellent dance, and I am sure Yale does too. I also am confused about why not both.
Has she visited? Visits can really help get the “vibe” of a place. I have an arts kid and Yale has more required classes so they felt that left less time for their art. Check details if accepted to both to make an informed choice. Many kids apply to both.
Is she submitting a dance supplement with video, resume and dance letters of recommendation (1-2). That can help.
Thank you for valuable advice so far to not skip one but just apply to both! The desire to rank these two comes from the need to apply for many other safer schools. Great to hear that Yale emphasizes STEM retention/recruiting! Any hint that it is about Physics as much as other fields?
We would also appreciate knowing the relative depth of ballet in the dance department of each (and does that imply extra seconds of admissions attention)? Great reminder from above that Boston as a city offers outside opportunities to keep dancing ballet.
I have been to several performances at the Harvard Dance Center. One of my kids is a dancer and took class in Cambridge with Harvard dancers (off campus) but there is excellent dance on campus.
For Harvard, the arts/music/dance/theater extracurriculars are through the Office of the Arts.
I don’t disagree with applying to both, but the supplements are not the same. It would be a mistake to copy and paste without considering the nuance of each prompt.
The fact that your daughter attends a top private high school means that she has access to counselors who are likely best-positioned to advise on which of the two to select, if there are too many other applications to try at both. Her school may be a feeder for one, but not the other, which could be a significant factor.
FWIW, my daughter is a first year at Harvard, where she has found an exceptionally-welcoming and collaborative physics community. She is also an artist and has met most of her friends through the First Year Arts Pre-orientation (FAP), which includes dancer. The arts community is vibrant.
Or the dedicated college counselors have enough knowledge to know which of them is more likely to see the student as a fit (i.e. fulfilling a need or want that they might find harder to get when building a class) from their point of view.
I would apply to both. Especially if you are looking for aid. My kid was a dual admit and had 1 match the others aid package which was $20k different.
Also having know several dual admits they each have a pretty easy time choosing after Visitas and Bulldog days. The vibe and culture are different enough on the campuses to have a preference.
How many? If she has a couple of true likely/safety schools, she should be O.K. If, however, you mean “safer” as in, “still highly selective but not with a sub-5% admit rate,” that’s a different story.
What does her counselor think of her list, have they ranked and stratified it? Is it balanced? Is the middle of her list heavy because she’s chasing merit?
She is applying for Columbia for sure to access Barnard’s ballet. We have heard Barnard needs to be an ED or else. Let us add Barnard! Thank you for the reminder. She is applying to Swarthmore too, for having ballet.