¿What are your thoughts on my Harvard application?

juillet
Mon, 22 Dec 2014 22:20:14 +0000

Also what I was trying to figure out is if adding to the application that not I was not in good conditions during my master was a good idea or bad. I have the feeling that adding negativity to an application gives a bad taste of the person.



It depends on how serious the conditions were. If you had a serious illness during your MS (like cancer, a previously undiagnosed learning disability, mono, etc.) but you have since gotten it under control, it might be worth it to discuss. The ideal way is to have a recommender discuss it in their letter and testify that your grades don’t reflect your capabilities because of your illness or whatever difficulty it is. But if it is something minor - or something ongoing that’s not yet resolved or under control - then you’re better off not mentioning it, probably.



I am just giving an example of how money can influence on someones work and it may be perceived incorrectly by other people.



I think you are overestimating the effect that money can have on the application process. The GRE is the least important part and actually most study materials are quite inexpensive - you can buy a test prep book for $30. And there’s only so much polishing an outside person can do on an essay…you have to have base writing ability. If you’re an outstanding applicant, you can be dirt poor and still be competitive - I certainly didn’t spend thousands on essay coaches and GRE studying, and I don’t know anyone who did.