<p>I’ve seen this too many times that people said that their stats weren’t great (even though it’s so Oh My God types) but because their essay was great they were thus admitted.
Well, I was thinking if some ORDINARY people REALLY DON’T have an outstanding stats but with a GREAT essay, is it possible for them to be admitted?</p>
<p>(Haha, also, what about an unique essay about bicycling?)</p>
<p>XD</p>
<p>In general, it seems to be easier to get in with good stats and a mediocre essay than it is to get in with medicore stats and a good essay, but most applicants have both good stats and good essays. I don’t know how else to answer your question.</p>
<p>Admission to Harvard is very unpredictable. My daughter and son had virtually identical stats.</p>
<p>My daughter was accepted to Harvard, Georgetown and Northwestern, however, she was rejected from Yale and Princeton.</p>
<p>My son was accepted to Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, and Georgetown but rejected from Harvard, even though his sister attends the school.</p>
<p>Does it make sense? No.</p>
<p>Did my daughter’s essay make the difference? I doubt it. Bottom line: College admissions is a very subjective process – and anyone that tells you, with certainty, that they can predict the outcome is not telling you the truth.</p>
<p>And, only the adcoms know if you actually wrote a good essay.</p>
<p>Thank you!!</p>
<p>Every single person on this earth thinks they write awesome essays. No one goes into the friggen Harvard admissions routine thinking they’ll submit mediocre work. Frankly, they give it their best shot. </p>
<p>But that’s the rub: one person’s best simply may not be good enough. Another person’s best can turn heads and raise eyebrows.</p>
<p>I don’t think that there is an objective criteria to decide what is a good or great essay. One needs to keep in mind the goal of this essay is to convince the reader to believe that you will contribute to the freshmen class so you should be admitted. The rest of your application will be mostly stats and numbers. A lot of recommendation letters also are boiler-plate and probably will not make a lasting impression. So the essay has to make a lasting impression and make the applicant stand out among hundreds of well-qualified applicants. What will make an applicant stand out has to be evaluated case by case.</p>
<p>what does “contribute to the freshman class” exactly mean? Does it mean contribute in terms of personality (smart, motivated, etc)? Many applicants will have those characteristics. Or does it mean contribute in terms of talent? An essay can show you have passion for something, but it can’t show how good you are at it.</p>
<p>good point, but I think HarvardParent meant both since Harvard is one of those diverse (some motivated, some talented…) schools</p>
<p>Each successful applicant stands out from the crowd in a unique way and there is no fomula for this. The applicant himself/herself has to figure this out. Philosophically, I am generally agree with this guy who is trying to make money out of some common-sense idea :-):
[Hopeless</a> To Harvard - The Ultimate Ivy League Admissions Guide](<a href=“http://www.hopelesstoharvard.com/ivy-league-admissions-guide/]Hopeless”>http://www.hopelesstoharvard.com/ivy-league-admissions-guide/)
I am absolutely not suggesting anyone to buy his book. However, there are some grains of truth there.</p>
<p>Haha, okay, Thank you HarvardParent, I’ve actually seen the book before, didn’t really trusted it though XD (didn’t buy it since it’s like common sense like you said). What he said about getting accepted with 1300s SAT score do you actually believe him and also is it possible now-a-days?</p>
<p>Harvard is to college admissions what the NBA is to college basketball players. So a basketball player might say “I shoot and pass really well, but I’m not very big. Can I play?” In HS, the answer is “yes.” In college, it’s “perhaps.” But in the NBA, there are good shooters and passers who also happen to be 6’7" and up - the answer is “not very likely.” I think the analogy would apply pretty well to Harvard applicants who don’t have a strong resume across the board.</p>
<p>Damn, great analogy gadad.</p>
<p>gadad</p>
<p>Thank you :)</p>
<p>I love Gadad’s basketball analogy. However, I would argue it is more like predicting who would be a successful QB in the NFL. Th intangibles are as important as the arm strenth (or SAT scores). Therefore, the Ivy’s do not have a hard cutoff for test scores or GPA. While it is true that many admitted students have 2300+ SAT score and 3.95+ unweighted GPA, some applicants with 2100 or lower SAT score or 3.5 GPA will be admitted each year. They are admitted because they offer something unique to the student body. They also help to broaden the applicant pool :-), which is the most important goal of every ivy admission office.</p>
<p>Agree with most of the above analyses in general, but it seems that nobody has answered the OP directly - “Well, I was thinking if some ORDINARY people REALLY DON’T have an outstanding stats but with a GREAT essay, is it possible for them to be admitted?” Let me give it a try:</p>
<p>You don’t have to have an “outstanding stats” to be admitted, as many already indicated before, but you do need a “good enough stats” to be seriously looked further (into your ECs, essays, and special talents, etc.). You don’t want to be screened out at the beginning of admission processes… </p>
<p>What’s the “good enough stats”, then? It depends, again - and it would largely be based on your specific demographic/ethnic background and special circumstances, if any. To be safe, you should be at least in the mid-upper part of the 25-75% pool among previously admitted students. And, try to be at the upper end or beyond if you are an Asian…</p>
<p>haha thanks a lot for the reply, Hparent, you are one of the few that answered my original question. 
I understand what you are saying, it’s just that BECAUSE I am Asian (though without the typical Asian brain) I am afraid that I DON’T STAND A CHANCE… I don’t want to be treated as an Asian because I live UNLIKE an Asian…(not rich at all, not naturally smart, blah blah blah…)
That’s why I’m so nervous about all of these… I’d say that my stats are okay enough to mark the margin for Harvard but for an Asian? Not good enough… XD
But thanks for reply anyway :)</p>