<p>pugmadkate…mine loved the princeton and harvard letters (not low income here either but alabama) so probably score driven…wont be applying (no chance at financial aid that would make it do-able)…and we want to keep undergrad as low as possible as he wants grad school etc) but bet he keeps those letters somewhere for awhile…i agree with you and let him feel proud and excited.</p>
<p>Harvard uses a variety of factors in choosing which students to send the apps to. All of the students have some factors that indicate they would qualify for admission. There are many students, however, who would qualify for admission who don’t get the letters. Something like 70% of Harvard students got some kind of letter or call from Harvard encouraging them to apply. I assume that students who are in places (i.e. zip codes, high schools) that send lots of applications aren’t likely to get the solicitations unless they are in some special segment – like being a URM – that Harvard particularly is seeking.</p>
<p>There is a box that the kids can check when they take their SAT’s, saying that they would like to receive materials from colleges. Then, schools get the names of kids in certain score ranges that they request, I believe.</p>
<p>My oldest checked the box and got piles of stuff. My middle child did not check the box, and got nothing. She is at Harvard now.</p>
<p>The 2100 score for a kid in a low income area (with single parent) will do fine w/an application to Harvard. That score puts her in the running, and then they look at other things too.</p>
<p>Financial aid at Harvard is amazing (free if you make under $60,000 as a family), also at Yale, Amherst, others…</p>
<p>Good luck to your daughter.</p>
<p>Harvard’s application (unless it’s changed recently) is easy to fill out too.</p>
<p>I have second what NSM & T26E4 have said. There is a genuine interest at the very top universities and LAC’s to find students with strong academic credentials from low income families. The financial aid packages at places like HYP & Williams, etc. are really extraordinary & there are several programs such as NCAN and National College Advising Corps that have been designed to find and support students from low income regions to pursue some form of post-secondary education.</p>