General

If memory serves me correctly, it's probably this one : http://www.basilmarket.com/forum/2888985/1#46506951

[quote=avatar]Honestly, if you couldn't understand sezbeth's verbose in that thread about meditation then don't waste your time and effort trying to apply to Harvard.[/quote]
which thread are you talking about, give me the link to it.

Honestly, if you couldn't understand sezbeth's verbose in that thread about meditation then don't waste your time and effort trying to apply to Harvard.

@setget: I believe you. Academia isn't a financially profitable profession. Even if you make substantial contributions to your field, finding a good tenure position is absolute hell (especially if you specialize in a humanities field).

It's annoying and sometimes the lack of funding for some universities puts students behind, but it's still workable if you put some real time into it.

@sezbeth: I'm going to the lower end of universities and the professors here are amazing people who have made huge breakthroughs in their fields. The only reason it's considered lower end is because of the students. The reason why harvard receives such a huge amount of funding is because of the type of students they allow in; either really rich, or the cream of the crop. My university allows anyone to study there. The community is the only real difference.

Any decent school will provide you with the same level of education necessary to fulfil a job requirement. You should minimize your debt for the sake of your future self.

Unless you have rich parents associated with the university in some way, the only way to get in based on merit is if you're an URM.

Psh, f dis, all about attending Everest! Call today! Ladies, you can still work and take care of yo kidz!

[quote=setget]Just because you go to harvard doesn't mean your education is any better than someone else's. The only reason to go to harvard is to build a contact list for the future since they will be running the world given enough time.[/quote]

Well, actually Ivy League schools tend to receive incredible amounts of funding while being absurdly exclusive with tenured professors. In theory, one's education would have the higher potential when compared to a middle-ranked university.

Of course, this says nothing about the quality of the students themselves.

[quote=mechibi]actually i heard colleges dont look at AP scores untill after u get in to get credit
but def take AP courses and have your extracurriculars in order. Someone mentioned volunteering doesnt matter, however, my math teacher told me how a few years ago this girl with a 91% gpa got into harvard because she had hundreds of hours of volunteering and other stuff.
Have great recommendations and dont write a boring essay[/quote]

AP scores don't impact your admission decision.

Just because you go to harvard doesn't mean your education is any better than someone else's. The only reason to go to harvard is to build a contact list for the future since they will be running the world given enough time.

Accept Drew Faust into your heart, admit your shortcomings (Drew is omniscient and knows about your ACT score and GPA) and read from the good book (The Official SAT Study Guide: Second Edition) everyday. Maybe then she will let you through the gates and not send you to.. you know. Community college.

Ayy you're all forgetting one thing
Harvard has to like your personality. From what they can see from your application.
Undergraduate schools have a large pool, too large, of applicants to choose from who would do just fine at their school. So instead, they opt to choose a more diverse undergraduate group to admit to the college.
Actual academic excellence (aka best in the world/super smart/better than others) doesn't come until grad school.
That being said, you still need to perform very well in high school. Academic workload still is pretty hard.

Also depends on your major, some are less competitive than others. Regardless, you still need academic excellence.

4.5+ Weighted GPA
2400 SAT or 36 ACT
Varsity sports player (worthy of recognition)
Extracurriculars, a shipton of them.
Be president of a big club in your school (UNICEF, CSF, etc)
Volunteer (especially big if you apply for science field)
Internships
Fundraising to the point of recognition
A job (this one is meh)

I'm not saying you need ALL of the above to get into Harvard, but you need a good majority. It's easier if you have connections through either your parents, friends, whatever.

The one kid that got into Harvard from our school had a 35 ACT and about a 98% average (our school doesn't do GPA normally). He had good extracurriculars too. He played on the football team and was involved in many clubs within the school. However, the main reason why I think he got in was because of legacy; his dad went to Harvard too and so did his sister. If you aren't accepted though, don't freak out. I heard that it's much easier to transfer in than to just apply and get in

actually i heard colleges dont look at AP scores untill after u get in to get credit
but def take AP courses and have your extracurriculars in order. Someone mentioned volunteering doesnt matter, however, my math teacher told me how a few years ago this girl with a 91% gpa got into harvard because she had hundreds of hours of volunteering and other stuff.
Have great recommendations and dont write a boring essay

[quote=lilikoby]@sezbeth: Considering how science oriented programs are ranked based on graduate level research, i'd say there's no huge difference in terms of education quality between schools. I do believe that top tier private schools give a much better liberal arts education than lower ranked schools however, the sheer number Nobel prize laureates and other prominent people who teach give a much more well rounded and wholesome education.[/quote]

There usually isn't. My program is at GMU, which is a #130-ish ranked university in my field and I have some connections at VTech which is ranked significantly higher, but I keep up with them just fine (though, an anecdote is an anecdote).

I can understand the difference with the liberal arts colleges, though. You have to be a damn star just to have a chance at a decent tenure position after post-doctorate and a low-tier school is bound to set you back quite a bit.

@sezbeth: Considering how science oriented programs are ranked based on graduate level research, i'd say there's no huge difference in terms of education quality between schools. I do believe that top tier private schools give a much better liberal arts education than lower ranked schools however, the sheer number Nobel prize laureates and other prominent people who teach give a much more well rounded and wholesome education.

@lilikoby: I agree, Ivy League colleges on your degree tend to give you a bit of a passive boost. However, I would contend that someone who reached similar heights with a middle tier university would seem more promising, given that they would obviously have far more experience than the person getting a fresh start with an Ivy League degree.

It's generally the same principle with science-oriented graduate programs. You'll often hear that there's no "best" program, rather your future post-doctorate would be largely based on the quality of your research leading up to that point.

@sezbeth: my take on college education is that when finding a job, people are looking for diligent, smart people. Having a name brand education not only gives you opportunities (try finding community college graduates on wall street) but also gives you less to prove about yourself to your employer, since they know getting into that college is difficult and requires a certain degree of excellence. While, if one goes to a lesser university, they still can reach similar heights through their own hard work, but they have a lot more to prove about themselves.

I feel it should be mentioned that whether or not you get into some Ivy League school, your post-high school academic career is largely what you make of it. Yes, that university's name on your degree tends to catch an employer's eye, but you can easily keep pace with a mid-tier university stockpiled with loads of undergraduate experience in whatever field you're going for. You just need to play your field right.

Just make sure to avoid diploma mills; those things are awful.

[quote=unfaltering]Get perfect sat
get all 5's on aps
do volunteer work
and clubs[/quote]

lol this wouldn't get you into harvard please

UW GPA at least a 3.9, weighted GPA 4.5+, really depends on your school (how many AP's are offered, IB/AP system, competitiveness and rigor of school)
In my case, one of our Harvards had a 4.0 UW and a 4.78 weighted GPA, and our school is quite competitive, that's about 14 AP classes, a bunch of honors, and straight A's.

Also, you need to have extracurricular activities. Volunteer work is BS, unless you can fundraise insane amounts of money through your nonprofit work (50k+). You want to have around 2 extracurrics that you specialize in, once again, using the Harvard girl from my school, she plays club softball competitively and is one of the best in the country, she plans on playing D3 softball at Harvard.

or you can be filthy rich,
the other kid that got into Harvard has a father who was both an NFL player for the 49ers in their glory years (he has 3 super bowl rings) and a surgeon. Similarly his grandfather played for the NFL and was a surgeon as well. They have a building in Stanford named after them, and of the 4 children in their family, 2 went to Stanford, 1 went to Brown, and now he, the youngest, is going to Harvard. However, he had a competitive GPA (3.8/4.4) and was a 3 sport varsity athlete, playing qb for football, center for basketball (won ccs championships this year), and baseball (he is going to continue at Harvard).

Goes to show the kind of people admitted.

be a nerd

Be as pretentious as possible.

Show them your level 250 characters on maple

take every ap, join every club, and cure cancer

[quote=sezbeth]
Have filthy rich parents.[/quote]

I hate this

Get perfect sat
get all 5's on aps
do volunteer work
and clubs

Have an extremely high GPA.

Absurd amounts of extra-curricular activities while being top-tier in all of them.

or

Have filthy rich parents.