Anonymous wrote:Achieving in at least one field at the level of a successful elite 23-year old in that field. For example, doing and publishing original cutting-edge research, publishing a front-page social justice series in a local or national newspaper, composing and conducting their own musical, leading an important political movement, etc.

The only thing that a high-schooler publishing "original research" shows is that the kid has rich connected parents.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This kind of a kid. She is in Stanford now https://www.youthassembly.org/2021/09/21/natalie-hampton/#:~:text=She%20is%20a%20counselor%20for,campus%20of%20Children's%20Institute%20Inc.

Another kid I know attended MOP twice, he is going to MIT to study CS

More on MOP

In 2021, 60+ students were invited to this selective program from a pool of over 132,000 AMC 10/12 participants.

https://www.maa.org/the-mathematical-olympiad-program-mop

I also know a kid who was selected for MOP a few years ago. He applied, but didn't make into HY. Went to MIT.

Looks like H/Y aren't particularly interested in MOP qualifiers (unless they are from Exeter or some such private school). DS probably won't be HYP material (despite qualifying for MOP last year in 8th but being too young to go)!

You’re lying, your kid didn’t qualify for MOP in 7th grade and there’s no age limit for eligibility.

Kid was in 8th. Scored within cutoff but was too young to attend MOP. They do have a limit (14+) imposed by CMU.

Anonymous wrote:A family friend who got in unhooked has perfect stats, Eagle Scout, captain of a sport, all the things on paper. I have no idea how schools could have known this, but he's extraordinary in that he just hustles but isn't pushed. He didn't do SAT prep, the family is wealthy but didn't do tutors or fancy summer programs, his parents are hands off, some of his achievements were genuine because he wanted to do them, not for college. He loves to learn and has a lot of cool experiences based on his interests but they weren't done with college in mind (really!). So I don't know exactly what he said or did to get in, but he's incredibly deserving. Not burnt out by high school, just getting going in life. I imagine his letters of recommendation were full of "best kid I've ever known" statements from teachers, so maybe that's it.

My kid goes to a "Big3 private" and last year and I know an unhooked HYP kid from both last year and this year. Both kids are extraordinary kids---not just smart with good scores but super CHARISMATIC. They didn't just check the boxes--neither was at the top of the class-- but they were among the top 1 or 2 kids in the grade who really stood out personality wise as someone who can motivate others. and will always be the most dynamic person in a room.

I'm not sure who this comes out in the application but it seems to.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This kind of a kid. She is in Stanford now https://www.youthassembly.org/2021/09/21/natalie-hampton/#:~:text=She%20is%20a%20counselor%20for,campus%20of%20Children's%20Institute%20Inc.

Another kid I know attended MOP twice, he is going to MIT to study CS

More on MOP

In 2021, 60+ students were invited to this selective program from a pool of over 132,000 AMC 10/12 participants.

https://www.maa.org/the-mathematical-olympiad-program-mop

I also know a kid who was selected for MOP a few years ago. He applied, but didn't make into HY. Went to MIT.

Looks like H/Y aren't particularly interested in MOP qualifiers (unless they are from Exeter or some such private school). DS probably won't be HYP material (despite qualifying for MOP last year in 8th but being too young to go)!

You’re lying, your kid didn’t qualify for MOP in 7th grade and there’s no age limit for eligibility.

A family friend who got in unhooked has perfect stats, Eagle Scout, captain of a sport, all the things on paper. I have no idea how schools could have known this, but he's extraordinary in that he just hustles but isn't pushed. He didn't do SAT prep, the family is wealthy but didn't do tutors or fancy summer programs, his parents are hands off, some of his achievements were genuine because he wanted to do them, not for college. He loves to learn and has a lot of cool experiences based on his interests but they weren't done with college in mind (really!). So I don't know exactly what he said or did to get in, but he's incredibly deserving. Not burnt out by high school, just getting going in life. I imagine his letters of recommendation were full of "best kid I've ever known" statements from teachers, so maybe that's it.

My niece is at Harvard, unhooked. She is an all around great kid - perfect SATs and GPA (was valedictorian along with 10 others from her large public HS in San Fran area), lots of clubs and activities, including founder of one and leadership in a few, and is a terrific writer. However, that describes many kids. My sister would say her daughter "won the lottery," although she did also get into Duke, Cornell, and Northwestern so there is something more "there" beyond the baseline stats than randomness.

Along those lines, there is a kid in my DD's mcps graduating class who got into Harvard, Duke, Stanford, etc. He is a star but others in the class were, too, who didn't so again there must have been something that multiple AO's at elite colleges could see.

A kid who created that resume on their own- without parents pushing them, organizing them, goal-setting for them, and using their own professional skills and connections for opportunities.

I’m much more impressed by a kid that does less independently than a creation of two micromanaging parents with all the resources in the world.

Anonymous wrote:They’re looking for future leaders, so leadership and a polished, positive attitude are important. Also pay lip service at least to service commitments.

THIS^^^ Majority of Ivy/T20 acceptances I've met seem to have an "IT factor" and leadership qualities that take them above the majority of strivers/applicants. Somehow it just seems more genuine and natural for most of them. That is what the schools are looking for....not someone whose parents have pushed them to do this for 18 years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After H lost its affirmative action lawsuit, lost its effort to have its insurer to pay, it's going extreme by asking its students to apply for food stamps... So apply if your kid can live on peanut butter & jelly sandwich 3x a day. Harvard applicants must not like 3 square meals a day.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/finance.yahoo.com/amphtml/news/harvard-university-encourages-students-food-171022208.html

This refers to graduate students. The request for a 60K stipend is pretty steep and will have knock on effects (e.g. commensurate increases in postdoctoral fellow salaries in the sciences from limited Federal grant funds). An additional 20K/year for several thousand grad students would amount to ~100M/year from the endowment.

They're the ones teaching the undergrads. If Harvard feels it appropriate to charge a charge a family 80k and then tell their kid to go to someone on food stamps when they have an organic chem question, then the parents might wonder where the money is going

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After H lost its affirmative action lawsuit, lost its effort to have its insurer to pay, it's going extreme by asking its students to apply for food stamps... So apply if your kid can live on peanut butter & jelly sandwich 3x a day. Harvard applicants must not like 3 square meals a day.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/finance.yahoo.com/amphtml/news/harvard-university-encourages-students-food-171022208.html

This refers to graduate students. The request for a 60K stipend is pretty steep and will have knock on effects (e.g. commensurate increases in postdoctoral fellow salaries in the sciences from limited Federal grant funds). An additional 20K/year for several thousand grad students would amount to ~100M/year from the endowment.

OP asked for a genuine HYP candidate, didn't distinguish undergrad vs grad. Harvard grad students are all geniuses. In fact, Harvard grad schools filter out undistinguished HYP undergrads. What does it take? To be a H "genius", one must become a starving genius. One must aspire to a low-income minimalist lifestyle.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:After H lost its affirmative action lawsuit, lost its effort to have its insurer to pay, it's going extreme by asking its students to apply for food stamps... So apply if your kid can live on peanut butter & jelly sandwich 3x a day. Harvard applicants must not like 3 square meals a day.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/finance.yahoo.com/amphtml/news/harvard-university-encourages-students-food-171022208.html

This refers to graduate students. The request for a 60K stipend is pretty steep and will have knock on effects (e.g. commensurate increases in postdoctoral fellow salaries in the sciences from limited Federal grant funds). An additional 20K/year for several thousand grad students would amount to ~100M/year from the endowment.

Anonymous wrote:After H lost its affirmative action lawsuit, lost its effort to have its insurer to pay, it's going extreme by asking its students to apply for food stamps... So apply if your kid can live on peanut butter & jelly sandwich 3x a day. Harvard applicants must not like 3 square meals a day.

That's for grad school. Harvard pays for undergrad food as part of need-based aid.

But anyway, if you are choosing to go to school ful time and not work full time, I don't see why the school should feed you for free.
If the government agrees to do it, go get that bag.

Anonymous wrote:After H lost its affirmative action lawsuit, lost its effort to have its insurer to pay, it's going extreme by asking its students to apply for food stamps... So apply if your kid can live on peanut butter & jelly sandwich 3x a day. Harvard applicants must not like 3 square meals a day.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/finance.yahoo.com/amphtml/news/harvard-university-encourages-students-food-171022208.html

After H lost its affirmative action lawsuit, lost its effort to have its insurer to pay, it's going extreme by asking its students to apply for food stamps... So apply if your kid can live on peanut butter & jelly sandwich 3x a day. Harvard applicants must not like 3 square meals a day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This kind of a kid. She is in Stanford now https://www.youthassembly.org/2021/09/21/natalie-hampton/#:~:text=She%20is%20a%20counselor%20for,campus%20of%20Children's%20Institute%20Inc.

Another kid I know attended MOP twice, he is going to MIT to study CS

More on MOP

In 2021, 60+ students were invited to this selective program from a pool of over 132,000 AMC 10/12 participants.

https://www.maa.org/the-mathematical-olympiad-program-mop

I also know a kid who was selected for MOP a few years ago. He applied, but didn't make into HY. Went to MIT.

Looks like H/Y aren't particularly interested in MOP qualifiers (unless they are from Exeter or some such private school). DS probably won't be HYP material (despite qualifying for MOP last year in 8th but being too young to go)!