<p>that decision is all up to you – my advice is to apply for the College Match program. The program selection is very competitive and the application is time consuming, but once it is done you will have a leg up on regular college applications (you will have already done essays, contacted teachers, etc).</p>
<p>If you are accepted into the College Match program, you can then decide whether to apply to partner schools – you don’t have to accept the match process. Next fall you may have a better idea of exactly what you want – you may decide you hate Harvard, you may decide it is the only school you want.</p>
<p>If you choose to apply through the college match program, it is binding – however, you choose the schools you are willing to be matched to. So if you are only willing to match with Princeton or Stanford, you wouldn’t be matched to any other school. The process does not always result in a match – students may choose a few schools, but those schools may not choose those same students. The student is then free to apply during the RD round.</p>
<p>I think that deciding whether you would want to do the college match because you think you want to go to harvard is putting the cart before the horse – you may not be selected and then it is a moot point. if you are selected, you would have some good choices.</p>