Reply to http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-02/harvard-targeted-in-u-s-asian-american-discrimination-probe

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[quote=Anonymous]I've been a Harvard interviewer for over 15 years, so I talk to the admissions officers a lot.

1) There is no federal affirmative action policy that is binding on private universities in the US.

2) Harvard gets 15 applicants for every spot.  If you have over 750 on every SAT I and II test, at least 3 5's on AP tests taken as a junior, and a GPA over 4.5 weighted, you will be in about the top 30-40% of the applicant pool at best.  The rest of the cut is made on other factors.  That example of the kid cited earlier would only be a top applicant in the DC area if at least 6 of those10  AP test scores were 5's.

3) What Harvard is most interested in are people who will either make a buttload of money after they graduate and give some back, or make the university look good by excelling at something.  They really do value motivation and initiative a lot, and that's why leadership and extra-curricular participation are so highly valued.

4) Test scores, the end all be all of university admission in every other country in the world, are not well correlated (maybe .2) with college performance in the US.   Go to any MENSA meeting, and every person in that room cranks on standardized tests.  You will meet neurobiologists, but you will also meet janitors.  The latter have high IQ's, but lack the motivation, ambition, or, sadly, sanity to succeed in a profession.  [/quote]

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