This is interesting considering that over 60% of Harvard students were admitted on the basis of their legacy status. So that seems to contradict the advice here. It seems the best advice to "stand out" is to make sure daddy went to Harvard and contributes huge amounts of cash to the institution every year.
@xChuckNorrisKickx You have your facts wrong. A legacy student has a 30-60% chance of getting into Harvard, depending on which study you believe, versus 10% for the non-legacy applicant. But only 10% of the freshman class is composed of legacies, not the number you quote.
@WheelQuestions That's interesting considering the admitted to rate is 12-13 percent according to the crimson(dot)com/article/2011/5/11/admissions-fitzsimmons-legacy-legacies/ Mind you this is the admitted to rate, which we naturally presume is corrected down. It's interesting also that around 30% of legacies are admitted according to the article, which means that rate is likely higher.
@WheelQuestions The other classification of admitted students similar to legacies are the "daddy paid Harvard lots of money but he did not go there" type. While not actually a legacy, it is of the same order. That number is quite high although no where is it disclosed and I would never suspect it would be. While 60% might be high, it is still accurate to say that the most successful way to get into Harvard is to be a legacy or to have contributed money.
I am Tunisian and I am 2nd year student in chemistry and I would like to do my mastere in Harvard University in United States. So I want to know how come? if you can help me please do not hesitate
@1990sabra Do something very impressive by working with a local business or professor -- something that proves that you can do great research, turn theory into a practical product, or even raise your own grant funding. Then choose one or two Harvard faculty members and write them directly doing a bit of friendly bragging and asking for their advice. Don't forget that there are dozens of top-tier masters programs in chemistry. Apply to several programs & make all the personal connections you can.
@cincyblows this question is fairly obvious. A school like Harvard is great for networking and meeting some rich and powerful people. Also famous professors tutor there.
haha I'm the one who asked this question. Kind of surprised this is up here! I ended up not applying to Harvard and now I go to Columbia. Thanks wheelquestions!
@choastyrant You're welcome! If you put in a written question as well, you can find it organized by date on the Wheel Questions website. And psst, I'll tell you a secret. The Harvard thing is a lot of hype. The top 40 colleges, including of course Columbia, are similar and ultimately, it's really about you, not where you go to school.
@starwarsfreakgeek Harvard does have a reputation for shady tactics like favoring alumni children and bestowing honorary degrees on celebrities, unlike similar schools such as MIT which do neither. However, it's not as biased as you might think. Overachievers from any background have a decent shot at getting into Harvard or any of the frankly similar if less hyped top 40 schools.
@Ninjadelusion Anybody can throw out an insult. It doesn't make you witty or better than other people. It doesn't bring you respect. It just makes people think that you're ugly, on the inside.
I went to Harvard. I was driving by the campus, had to take a massive dump quite desperately, and there wasn't a gas station close enough, so I stopped in to address the most immediate concern. Afterward, in my relief the rest of the trip went smoothly.
@JeffersonDinedAlone I once pahked my cahr on Hahvahd yahd. Twice a year they open the campus to families to drop off or pick up students and I happened to know a student's name and dorm. This video was shot at MIT though.
Pol Pot had a plan for changing the world. Jim Jones had a plan for changing the world.
And - Fatima0607: It's really sort of a mishmosh of stuff on the board. First year differential and integral calc mixed in with some more advanced multivariable calc, gradients and partial derivatives. What kind of course would have a mix like that??
@BasmntMadman This is what I would call an idiot comment. You couldn't resist trying to look smart, when in actually, it's obvious to everyone what I meant by "having a plan to change the world" to impress college admissions. Please take your idiot comments elsewhere.
@BasmntMadman This was an actual blackboard at MIT in the physics building, so clearly it was some kind of course. My guess is this was a physics course and they were actually using the calculus instead of teaching the calculus, thus the wide variety of techniques.
@trush122 I don't think anybody in college really cares about your grades until you get to 9th grade. And even then, your extracurricular accomplishments are most important, then your SATs, then your recommendations, then your grades.
Why do so many people want to go to ivy league schools? If you want a quality education, you'll find it in passion to learn, good decision-making, and working your ass off. Harvard is a great school, yes, but it isn't the only great school in the world. The greatness is in those students who want to learn -and that can be found on every college campus.
One of the benefits of a school like that is the job placements. That is the 'why' that attracts many people who want to go to an ivy school, although there are many other reasons. The most valid one, in my opinion, is the job placement 'edge'
@laurayu70 I wanted to film both questions and answers to 250 questions in just two weeks, so I went to MIT's campus in an attempt to find a lot of visually different backgrounds for each film. Getting into Harvard is off-putting, calculus is the same. I think it works. :)
My SAT scores were crap, I am utterly apathetic, and evidence no genuine motivation or ambition for anything. Could I get into Harvard on the custodial staff? Possibly buffing the floors on the night shift?
@KaTieZCrAZyCasTZ I'm not an expert on admissions standards. I can only tell you how to stand apart from the pack. If you do something that gets you in the nationwide press, it doesn't matter your grades or your test scores because you have shown potential. Look at the newspaper. What are other high schoolers doing that is newsworthy, notable? And don't forget to have a bunch of backup schools even if you ARE at the top of the pile. Sometimes bad luck happens.
I want to go to Harvard, but i want to know if i have the credentials. I'm beginning 9th grade and its still early to think about college, but i still want to know if i'm up for it. I'm starting a fundraiser for children with cleft palates and cleft lips and have good grades. Can I get in?
@Freakenomics A good rule of thumb is to ask, How newsworthy is what I am doing? If you get into the local newspaper, that is pretty awesome but only a start. Aim to get into your statewide newspaper or beyond. Stuck for ideas? Just read newspapers and magazines and see what other high-schoolers are doing to stand out from the crowd. Then give it your own special twist. :)
@Freakenomics You're starting 9th grade so you have basically no credentials yet, work as hard as you can for the next four years and you can get in... (Awesome Extracurriculars, Sports, Top 1% of Class, 4.0 GPA, SAT Score above 2250)
@Freakenomics You're starting 9th grade so you have basically no credentials yet, work as hard as you can for the next four years and you can get in... (Awesome Extracurriculars, Sports, Top 1% of Class, 4.0 GPA, SAT Score above 2250)
I have a question, some of my accomplishments have been getting the Best Delegate award in a Youth G20 in Toronto, and got 3rd Place in an Ontario Parliament essay writing contest. I have many more honors and achievements. I'd just like to know if this is a good start. I'm going into Grade 10 this year and I dream of getting into Harvard someday.
@moscarellimichele This is a great start! Don't forget that Harvard is only one of about 40 excellent colleges around the world. To get into any of them, the best thing you can do is read the newspaper and see what other high school students are doing that is newsworthy. Consider these superstars your real competition, not your local classmates. What can you do to build on your past accomplishments that makes you stand out?
@Omegafrost69 Probably not for grad school. I'm sure age plays a factor undergraduate. They also have a night school with zero admissions requirements. Anyone can go.
@Fittykent That was probably true 50 years ago. But Harvard now has one of the most extensive financial aid and scholarship programs around. Practically everyone from an underprivileged background now receives a full scholarship at Harvard. It's very progressive.
can I get into harvard if i have 4.0 gpa ( probably gonna get higher only a sophmore).
volunteer at hospital, library, assisted living
extra activities-drum, electric guitar, science club, academic club, PA Junior academcy of science, Tennis, National Honors society, taking all honors and AP classes avaliable, Future Bussiness leaders of America, Medical club, Westing house
- and I just helped my dad start a business ( but not listed until 18)
@vsharm14 Hi! It sounds great so far, but brush up on your spelling and separate out your major accomplishments from the minor. Tennis: no. But starting a business is worthy of print in a newspaper that is not just in your hometown. Before you apply, can you find a way to step it up? How can you take your success in founding a business (or anything else you have a passion for) and take it to a bigger level? Read the paper about high schoolers who get into the national press to get ideas! :)
For specific career intentions, a college or a university, and often advanced degrees and internships, are neccesary. However, for simply a personal education, nothing is superior to a public library.
@wheelquestions I apologize for the comment. Yet, I find the video comical because for younger viewers they will be easily intimidated by the background.
@Fatima0607 It's remarkable the kinds of uninformed comments that I get. There is no "they", and you would know that if you watched the video. I made this video as part of a community project where I give answers and advice on life. It is not owned or supported by Harvard. I shot the answer in a classroom at MIT because I thought it matched the collegiate theme of the question.
@WheelQuestions Yes, but what I assume he is talking about is that you make harvard out to be special yet have highschool grade maths in the background.
Also having a plan before you get to uni? Some of the most intelligent people I know did not have a plan going apart from learning. You get a plan together once you meet with companies and decide the direction and intent of your thesis, sure a general outline helps but having tunnel vision at the start of uni is missing the point.
I guess you're unaware of Harvard's generous grant program. They offer 100% scholarships for students from families with incomes less than $60,000, and there's plenty of help for the middle class above them as well. It's really uninformed to suggest that only rich people can get into the school.
Get your billion dollar daddy to pay for it like Bush. Have a Plan well the Rothchilds and Rockfellers will tell you theirs at the cross and bones. Then all you have to do is leech of the rest of us for the rest of your life.
@Bristow42: Smart, and not necessarily rich, people go to these places. But I guess you need to believe in something so stupid, in order to make yourself feel better about being a worthless academic failure that you are. Have fun with your pathetic life.
@Bristow42 It's skull and bones, buddy, and poor people get the big scholarships to Harvard. Harvard graduates tend to contribute to the world, not drain it.
lets see um no?
normandyangel 2 days ago
0:54 This is what any Graduate school is actually looking for in a potential student.
Paquitosito 2 days ago
You should also make a video of yourself standing in front of a chalkboard filled with Calculus equations. That'll impress the folks at Harvard.
MikeDunn 5 days ago
This is interesting considering that over 60% of Harvard students were admitted on the basis of their legacy status. So that seems to contradict the advice here. It seems the best advice to "stand out" is to make sure daddy went to Harvard and contributes huge amounts of cash to the institution every year.
xChuckNorrisKickx 1 week ago
@xChuckNorrisKickx You have your facts wrong. A legacy student has a 30-60% chance of getting into Harvard, depending on which study you believe, versus 10% for the non-legacy applicant. But only 10% of the freshman class is composed of legacies, not the number you quote.
WheelQuestions 1 week ago
@WheelQuestions That's interesting considering the admitted to rate is 12-13 percent according to the crimson(dot)com/article/2011/5/11/admissions-fitzsimmons-legacy-legacies/ Mind you this is the admitted to rate, which we naturally presume is corrected down. It's interesting also that around 30% of legacies are admitted according to the article, which means that rate is likely higher.
xChuckNorrisKickx 1 week ago
@WheelQuestions The other classification of admitted students similar to legacies are the "daddy paid Harvard lots of money but he did not go there" type. While not actually a legacy, it is of the same order. That number is quite high although no where is it disclosed and I would never suspect it would be. While 60% might be high, it is still accurate to say that the most successful way to get into Harvard is to be a legacy or to have contributed money.
xChuckNorrisKickx 1 week ago
I am Tunisian and I am 2nd year student in chemistry and I would like to do my mastere in Harvard University in United States. So I want to know how come? if you can help me please do not hesitate
1990sabra 1 week ago
@1990sabra Do something very impressive by working with a local business or professor -- something that proves that you can do great research, turn theory into a practical product, or even raise your own grant funding. Then choose one or two Harvard faculty members and write them directly doing a bit of friendly bragging and asking for their advice. Don't forget that there are dozens of top-tier masters programs in chemistry. Apply to several programs & make all the personal connections you can.
WheelQuestions 1 week ago
Lol those equations on the board, that's high school stuff.
Cappuccino8537 2 weeks ago
@Cappuccino8537 I shot this video on campus at MIT in one of the classrooms.
WheelQuestions 1 week ago
@cincyblows this question is fairly obvious. A school like Harvard is great for networking and meeting some rich and powerful people. Also famous professors tutor there.
drpiddleton 1 month ago
I know someone who appeared on the news for getting into harvard. Will that kind of splash help him get into Harvard.
mariomaruf 1 month ago
haha I'm the one who asked this question. Kind of surprised this is up here! I ended up not applying to Harvard and now I go to Columbia. Thanks wheelquestions!
choastyrant 1 month ago
@choastyrant You're welcome! If you put in a written question as well, you can find it organized by date on the Wheel Questions website. And psst, I'll tell you a secret. The Harvard thing is a lot of hype. The top 40 colleges, including of course Columbia, are similar and ultimately, it's really about you, not where you go to school.
WheelQuestions 1 month ago
Haha the big equation in the center on the board is the Euler Lagrange equation but he's swapped the two terms...
millamulisha 1 month ago
i have a gun. can i get into harvard now?
NANDO218 1 month ago
Do you have the right connections? Then no.
starwarsfreakgeek 1 month ago
@starwarsfreakgeek Harvard does have a reputation for shady tactics like favoring alumni children and bestowing honorary degrees on celebrities, unlike similar schools such as MIT which do neither. However, it's not as biased as you might think. Overachievers from any background have a decent shot at getting into Harvard or any of the frankly similar if less hyped top 40 schools.
WheelQuestions 1 month ago
After watching this vid the last thing you wanna do is get into Harvard.
swiv2d 1 month ago
Your Video Is Very Useful Sharing Nice
bundawartini 2 months ago
@Ninjadelusion Anybody can throw out an insult. It doesn't make you witty or better than other people. It doesn't bring you respect. It just makes people think that you're ugly, on the inside.
WheelQuestions 2 months ago 7
Is he wearing a guru pitka shirt?
revolutionaryraisin 2 months ago
@revolutionaryraisin yes! my little joke being the guru of high volume (hopefully high quality?) advice giving.
WheelQuestions 2 months ago
I went to Harvard. I was driving by the campus, had to take a massive dump quite desperately, and there wasn't a gas station close enough, so I stopped in to address the most immediate concern. Afterward, in my relief the rest of the trip went smoothly.
JeffersonDinedAlone 2 months ago 3
@JeffersonDinedAlone I once pahked my cahr on Hahvahd yahd. Twice a year they open the campus to families to drop off or pick up students and I happened to know a student's name and dorm. This video was shot at MIT though.
WheelQuestions 2 months ago
Pol Pot had a plan for changing the world. Jim Jones had a plan for changing the world.
And - Fatima0607: It's really sort of a mishmosh of stuff on the board. First year differential and integral calc mixed in with some more advanced multivariable calc, gradients and partial derivatives. What kind of course would have a mix like that??
BasmntMadman 3 months ago
@BasmntMadman This is what I would call an idiot comment. You couldn't resist trying to look smart, when in actually, it's obvious to everyone what I meant by "having a plan to change the world" to impress college admissions. Please take your idiot comments elsewhere.
WheelQuestions 3 months ago
@BasmntMadman This was an actual blackboard at MIT in the physics building, so clearly it was some kind of course. My guess is this was a physics course and they were actually using the calculus instead of teaching the calculus, thus the wide variety of techniques.
WheelQuestions 3 months ago
If I failed 1-7 grade do I still have chance to go there?
trush122 3 months ago
@trush122 I don't think anybody in college really cares about your grades until you get to 9th grade. And even then, your extracurricular accomplishments are most important, then your SATs, then your recommendations, then your grades.
WheelQuestions 3 months ago
Why do so many people want to go to ivy league schools? If you want a quality education, you'll find it in passion to learn, good decision-making, and working your ass off. Harvard is a great school, yes, but it isn't the only great school in the world. The greatness is in those students who want to learn -and that can be found on every college campus.
cincyblows 3 months ago
@cincyblows I agree totally. My best friend doesn't have a college degree and he's been my business partner throughout all of my adventures.
WheelQuestions 3 months ago
@cincyblows
One of the benefits of a school like that is the job placements. That is the 'why' that attracts many people who want to go to an ivy school, although there are many other reasons. The most valid one, in my opinion, is the job placement 'edge'
highon74 3 months ago
Lol, what's the point of showing basic Calc as the background?
laurayu70 4 months ago
@laurayu70 I wanted to film both questions and answers to 250 questions in just two weeks, so I went to MIT's campus in an attempt to find a lot of visually different backgrounds for each film. Getting into Harvard is off-putting, calculus is the same. I think it works. :)
WheelQuestions 4 months ago
Go to a community college and then a state funded college. Not worth paying for a BA or BS at the rate top universities are asking.
LorenzKamo 4 months ago
My SAT scores were crap, I am utterly apathetic, and evidence no genuine motivation or ambition for anything. Could I get into Harvard on the custodial staff? Possibly buffing the floors on the night shift?
JeffersonDinedAlone 4 months ago
@JeffersonDinedAlone Sure, but I hear the janitors at MIT are all geniuses who say, "How do you like THEM apples?"
WheelQuestions 4 months ago
I have around a 3.7 GPA, I do a lot of outside community service/work but my test scores are at around a 1400; could I still get in?
KaTieZCrAZyCasTZ 4 months ago
@KaTieZCrAZyCasTZ I'm not an expert on admissions standards. I can only tell you how to stand apart from the pack. If you do something that gets you in the nationwide press, it doesn't matter your grades or your test scores because you have shown potential. Look at the newspaper. What are other high schoolers doing that is newsworthy, notable? And don't forget to have a bunch of backup schools even if you ARE at the top of the pile. Sometimes bad luck happens.
WheelQuestions 4 months ago
@WheelQuestions Okay well thanks, I'd say I stand out I do lots of things. And I am lol thank you.
KaTieZCrAZyCasTZ 4 months ago
LOL. Well placed calculus in the background. Deliberately done no doubt.
Tradd20 4 months ago
i see partials!!!!
dragomanrd2 5 months ago
I want to go to Harvard, but i want to know if i have the credentials. I'm beginning 9th grade and its still early to think about college, but i still want to know if i'm up for it. I'm starting a fundraiser for children with cleft palates and cleft lips and have good grades. Can I get in?
Freakenomics 5 months ago
@Freakenomics A good rule of thumb is to ask, How newsworthy is what I am doing? If you get into the local newspaper, that is pretty awesome but only a start. Aim to get into your statewide newspaper or beyond. Stuck for ideas? Just read newspapers and magazines and see what other high-schoolers are doing to stand out from the crowd. Then give it your own special twist. :)
WheelQuestions 5 months ago
@Freakenomics You're starting 9th grade so you have basically no credentials yet, work as hard as you can for the next four years and you can get in... (Awesome Extracurriculars, Sports, Top 1% of Class, 4.0 GPA, SAT Score above 2250)
Strikey222 5 months ago
@Freakenomics You're starting 9th grade so you have basically no credentials yet, work as hard as you can for the next four years and you can get in... (Awesome Extracurriculars, Sports, Top 1% of Class, 4.0 GPA, SAT Score above 2250)
Strikey222 5 months ago
OMG Calculus........................-____-
FLIGHTCOMPANY 5 months ago
Great video! Thanks so much,
I have a question, some of my accomplishments have been getting the Best Delegate award in a Youth G20 in Toronto, and got 3rd Place in an Ontario Parliament essay writing contest. I have many more honors and achievements. I'd just like to know if this is a good start. I'm going into Grade 10 this year and I dream of getting into Harvard someday.
Thanks in advance,
moscarellimichele 6 months ago
@moscarellimichele This is a great start! Don't forget that Harvard is only one of about 40 excellent colleges around the world. To get into any of them, the best thing you can do is read the newspaper and see what other high school students are doing that is newsworthy. Consider these superstars your real competition, not your local classmates. What can you do to build on your past accomplishments that makes you stand out?
WheelQuestions 6 months ago
@WheelQuestions Thanks so much! Your advice is extremely helpful. Keep making videos!
moscarellimichele 6 months ago
@WheelQuestions Is there a age limit to be accepted into Harvard?
Omegafrost69 5 months ago
@Omegafrost69 Probably not for grad school. I'm sure age plays a factor undergraduate. They also have a night school with zero admissions requirements. Anyone can go.
WheelQuestions 5 months ago
@moscarellimichele Go to cambridge
Snipeout101 5 months ago
Can you get into Harvard? Short answer: No. Long Answer: Only if you've got buckets and buckets of duckets.
Fittykent 6 months ago
@Fittykent That was probably true 50 years ago. But Harvard now has one of the most extensive financial aid and scholarship programs around. Practically everyone from an underprivileged background now receives a full scholarship at Harvard. It's very progressive.
WheelQuestions 6 months ago
Welcome to Harvard. The first rule of Harvard is: you do not talk about Harvard. The second rule of Harvard is: you DO NOT talk about Harvard!
dgester 7 months ago
can I get into harvard if i have 4.0 gpa ( probably gonna get higher only a sophmore).
volunteer at hospital, library, assisted living
extra activities-drum, electric guitar, science club, academic club, PA Junior academcy of science, Tennis, National Honors society, taking all honors and AP classes avaliable, Future Bussiness leaders of America, Medical club, Westing house
- and I just helped my dad start a business ( but not listed until 18)
I just want to know if I have a good chance
vsharm14 7 months ago
@vsharm14 Hi! It sounds great so far, but brush up on your spelling and separate out your major accomplishments from the minor. Tennis: no. But starting a business is worthy of print in a newspaper that is not just in your hometown. Before you apply, can you find a way to step it up? How can you take your success in founding a business (or anything else you have a passion for) and take it to a bigger level? Read the paper about high schoolers who get into the national press to get ideas! :)
WheelQuestions 7 months ago
Interesting... I will check to see if that response is true.
Katalyzt
Katalyzt 9 months ago
the love guru shirt .....lol
1000jamesm 9 months ago
For specific career intentions, a college or a university, and often advanced degrees and internships, are neccesary. However, for simply a personal education, nothing is superior to a public library.
cosg9531 9 months ago
@wheelquestions I apologize for the comment. Yet, I find the video comical because for younger viewers they will be easily intimidated by the background.
Fatima0607 10 months ago
Haha, funny how they want to intimidate by showing Basic calculus on the board. Hahaha. Integrals and derivatives! XD
Fatima0607 10 months ago 46
@Fatima0607 It's remarkable the kinds of uninformed comments that I get. There is no "they", and you would know that if you watched the video. I made this video as part of a community project where I give answers and advice on life. It is not owned or supported by Harvard. I shot the answer in a classroom at MIT because I thought it matched the collegiate theme of the question.
WheelQuestions 10 months ago
@WheelQuestions And, she's done.
Braxtonmccoy 8 months ago
@WheelQuestions Yes, but what I assume he is talking about is that you make harvard out to be special yet have highschool grade maths in the background.
Also having a plan before you get to uni? Some of the most intelligent people I know did not have a plan going apart from learning. You get a plan together once you meet with companies and decide the direction and intent of your thesis, sure a general outline helps but having tunnel vision at the start of uni is missing the point.
MeakerSE 7 months ago
can I get there if I've got a lot of money but my grades suck?
fearlessftw 10 months ago
@fearlessftw Maybe 50 years ago, but the idea that Harvard is just for rich kids is completely out of touch these days.
WheelQuestions 10 months ago
Yeaaa, anti-derivatives and integrals!
tubeuser147 1 year ago 3
@tubeuser147 Uber awesomeness!! :3
12Action34 10 months ago
wow power rule. basic 1st year (AB) calculus. Then I see some partial derivatives (with respect to x).
joejacksonriley 1 year ago
@joejacksonriley lol i noticed that too, hes probably a lowly assistant prof
afgnaz 1 year ago
@joejacksonriley but it is the Euler-Legrange equation that really catches the eye.
sd19791 10 months ago
when i look at the board all i see is bunch is squiggly lines, can I get in?
suren105 1 year ago
I guess you're unaware of Harvard's generous grant program. They offer 100% scholarships for students from families with incomes less than $60,000, and there's plenty of help for the middle class above them as well. It's really uninformed to suggest that only rich people can get into the school.
WheelQuestions 1 year ago 28
Get your billion dollar daddy to pay for it like Bush. Have a Plan well the Rothchilds and Rockfellers will tell you theirs at the cross and bones. Then all you have to do is leech of the rest of us for the rest of your life.
Bristow42 1 year ago
@Bristow42: Smart, and not necessarily rich, people go to these places. But I guess you need to believe in something so stupid, in order to make yourself feel better about being a worthless academic failure that you are. Have fun with your pathetic life.
bcosby5252 1 year ago
@Bristow42 It's skull and bones, buddy, and poor people get the big scholarships to Harvard. Harvard graduates tend to contribute to the world, not drain it.
Tdog283 1 year ago
Thanks!
MegaPeople45 1 year ago