Ivy League coach reveals why HARVARD didn't accept me

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Note: I honestly forgot to specify in the video - I was *waitlisted* from all Ivys I applied to :(

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U S E F U L L I N K S (these will be continually updated on new videos!) ~
~🔢MATH COMPETITION RESOURCES
Books...
For MATHCOUNTS:
For AMC10/12 or AIME, Math Olympiad:
- Any Alexander Soifer book (example): Mathematics as Problem Solving
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Books are excellent resources, but you can also just jump into prep with *effective* practice using problems you find online!
Links...

~📚RECOMMENDED BOOKS

~🎥RECOMMENDED DOCUMENTARIES (crazy college stuff. Bro, I enjoyed watching these so much, almost too much lol)
1) Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal
2) Try Harder!

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Tags:
#harvard #IvyLeague #dreamschool #college #stem #collegeapplications #collegeadmissions #prosandcons #collegelife #university #school #studentadvice #student
how to get into Harvard
waitlisted
Harvard rejected me
what not to do
don't do this on your college applications
dream school
college admissions, college applications
STEM university, engineering

Current sub count: 4,597

[luon]

I think instead of looking for a well-rounded student, they look for more of a well-rounded class. A student who has extreme passion and dedication towards a certain subject area is probably what they wanted rather than a student trying to get involved with everything. You are an amazing student, just didn't quite find your passion

[DC-fqmv]

I think it's amazing how you pivoted and took a disappointing experience and turned it into helping others who tune into your channel. Awesome!

[EsotericNY]

As someone who regularly interviews global STEM talent, starting with MS and PhDs, I can usually glance at a resume or application and know what their potential and capabilities are in just a few minutes. Irrespective of someone's Ivy league pedigree and setting aside a candidate's stellar academic achievements, I want to know *who* they are, what drives them, i.e., what makes them tick and, of course, what they want to do. In the professional world, there are other criteria we look for which apply less to your situation, but know these include strategic vision, structured thinking and, well, general pragmatism.

Now, you're coming out of high school so it's understandable you might not know what you want to do, but as this video highlights, laser-focused clarity would've given you an edge over your competitors. Many candidates I see did 1-2 things well since they were very young, e.g., coding/building apps/games/played an instrument/chess/etc since age 9. Another started a Hispanic bank in high school, raised $2M and lent money to low-income members of his community. He didn't have a two-page list of clubs and activities. But if you don't have that experience, strive for depth and precision, which will naturally highlight 'passion' versus the other candidates who *say* they're passionate about [insert trend here].

Examples:
"I want to research cures for retinopathy..." or
"...research and develop biomedical (non-resection) alternatives to [insert type of] cancer "
"I want to pursue quantum computing, especially to solve problems in area [X]" or
"...computer science to research better ways to mitigate large-scale disinformation/propaganda using generative adversarial networks and large scale language models..."
"...research and (eventually) build a company that specializes in micro-plastic and related industrial/environmental hazard remediation..."
(ok, you want to be an entrepreneur, but so do many other business majors with lesser qualifications than yours... tell me what and why exactly!)

Lastly, know your audience - whether it's attending a networking event, an interview, a public presentation or an application. Those reviewing your application probably *do* read The New York Times, The Economist, etc., among others (this is in reference to a prior video you posted). Take a day and actually read through a Sunday edition of the NYT and you will find some of the best writing (along with ideas for essays and careers) on Earth there... just staggering talent and brilliant stories every single day. It would've also helped focus your essay(s) and help you tap into narrative styles that engage the reader.

As for favorite books - the same rules apply... everyone read Harry Potter, but "Wait, this wAmy candidate loved the Brothers Karamazov, Nabokov's Lolita - but Appel's Annotated Edition...now this is interesting..."

Given your stellar academic achievement, I'm sure will do fine no matter where you land. Some of our best hires have been valedictorians and high achievers from *non-Ivy league* schools.

Good luck!

[wamyy]

Two *important* things ~
1. To everyone asking about the *eczema cure*, the doctor was the only one we could find using that particular formulation with a combination of topical and oral herbs. Traditional Chinese medicine varies between doctors and that’s why my sister still has eczema :(

[truthandreconciliation]

Non-traditional student here! I recently got out of the military after 14 years and have been in community college for the past year. I’ve done pretty well and in the process of applying to transfer to a 4 year University. Ultimately I plan to go to medical school (was an army medic) and originally I was aiming for a decent state school.
Until this summer. I worked with a nonprofit organization made for veterans attending college called the Warrior Scholar Project and they offer educational ‘boot camps’ at the best universities across America in STEM, humanities, and business. I attended the MIT boot camp in July. The experience was mind blowing, getting taught physics from MIT professors and phd candidates was insane. And what was even more amazing was watching my cohort and myself grasp the material and slowly gain confidence. Most of us were NOT excellent high school students, we did not imagine we would be at MIT discussing exoplanets and physics.
Towards the end of the boot camp, we had their admissions reps come down and speak to us. They talked about their admissions process and how we all had a genuine shot if we A. Showed recent academic success at community college B. Could write compelling essays. What was kind of a ‘cheat code’ being a non traditional student with 14 years of military experience we have a very generous amount of material to fall back on. Seeing an generic essay question of “talk about facing a difficult moment in your life” gives me pause to answer not because I don’t know what to write, but because I’ve faced so many hardships after 4 deployments I need to figure out how to craft the answer in the best possible light.
I’m wrapping up my applications now, with my now top choice being Princeton. I don’t know if I’ll get in, but I commend everyone aiming high because dreamers like us will typically do something compelling to change the future regardless. Good luck to everyone on their higher education journey, especially the old guys like me.

[tachiruu]

One thing I got clear seeing her all videos is that admission readers wants to know you personally by the application you wrote. That's crazy how she's unknowingly helping people out with their confusions.

[THE-idby]

What differentiates you is after rejection you had the fortitude to seek help to determine why they rejected you and the magnanimity to share it with others. Don't worry or regret. Live well. i think Harvard made a mistake. It happens.

[shadowmt]

you were a great high school student then, however, just don't know why you're so good? Don't just show how great you are, show us your vulnerable.

[theraplawyer]

I was a National Merit Scholar and more qualified than most of my classmates. I went to subpar schools in a violent and poor neighborhood in a poor crime ridden city. I had to navigate gangs and racist schools and thugs on the way to and from school. We had no tutors and no way to get help with homework. i was receuited by over 100 schools, none for sports. I was MVP, all conference in football and track and field and went to a top 20 law school. My goddaughter was raised by an immigrant single parent, domestic violence victim. I live in Berkeley and took my goddaughtetr to visit Cal. She hated it because it lacked diversity. She is Asian and my wife and I are Black. We love her a great deal and she loves us. She was admitted to Ivy league schools but goes to an excellent school in California. Harvard is not heaven. What you make of the experience is on you. This is from a former UC law school admissions officer.

[MsCrissell]

Excellent advice given! However, the whole process makes me reflective and sad. Many bright, lower income students lack the resources to fund lots of activities and experiences that promote self-discovery. I was one of those kids, no summer camps, childhood sports etc. I supposed there's always volunteer work, but a savvy adult mentor to encourage and motivate out-of-the box thinking is critical.

[SaRaH-usuz]

I get that you were rejected, I was as well in highschool and I had 1.5 years of college under my belt. The difference was that the Ivy league school that wanted me, rejected me, only later to find out my application never made it to the Native American representative. Infact it was no where to be found which only can conclude a error on their part. This was brought up in an embarrassing way at a lunch and I got an apology since they missed out on an opportunity with me. I know they had accepted someone who wrote about me in her essay that same year. I knew her and felt sorry that she didn't prosper there. At the end of the day, Stanford would have been the worst decision for me & my family. The amount of money I saved helped us as a unit to get a 30 acre farm that I am building my dream pink barn on to live in. I am not even 30 now and I have lived more of a life than most people. So much prosperity came from not waisting money on a piece of paper and to have no student loans from my Cal State which prepared me to take risks. In college I got paid to speak at various places, I got to go to the Whitehouse for dinner, be featured in books, have my art in a museum, and scored a prop deal with a major movie company. My current job pays more than anything I ever did in my field of study and I am happy than I ever have been. I will say that it took me a long time to reach this point, but it does get better. If I could tell myself one thing back then it would be to get over it fully and take more risks. Ivy leagues are not meant to have every student, and cant provide every opportunity that changes lives. Only you can

[kismetcapitan]

admissions readers are human. rule #1 - you have to be distinctive amongst literally tens of thousands of people JUST LIKE YOU. but therein lies your edge - year in and year out, the same kinds of people with the same perfect grades, write the same kinds of personal statements about themselves. this is advice most have heard, but implementing this advice, now that's the real now trick isn't it? :)

[gmh]

The problem with the essay is that you did not tell the reader enough about yourself. We did not get a sense of "who is Amy?" Learning about being empathetic, etc., is just pedestrian and something that anyone could have said. It's why college essays are so hard to write. It is literally a master class in learning how to BS.

[NoneYa-pgdk]

Don’t even know how this video popped up. I never was interested in Ivy League college so I don’t have a valid opinion, but through out my 30 years of life and evaluating this acceptance process whether through movies and whatnot, I think it’s about being authentic and knowing how to present yourself. So many students wants to join these college for shallow reasons, but that doesn’t beat someone going to a school they know they belong in and it will definitely show in their essay.

[Indigo.Galaxy]

I love how you turn your failures into growth and advice for others! You also show how being perfect isn’t the key to everything and I love that a lot! ❤

[dnomad]

99% Percentile is as high as you can go! I believe that alone differentiates an individual from many people.
You are young and the future is bright. You will find something to specialize in and when you do you will get to 99th percentile of that as well.
I appreciate how you talk about rejection in a healthy and constructive way, and this mindset will only improve your likelihood of success in future endeavors.

Just seeing you work hard inspires me to work hard and plan to go to Grad school.

Thank you,

Don

[suansonna]

I know how difficult this can be, especially because I went through a similar experience when I was in high school. My parents are hardworking immigrants, which inspired me to do everything possible to get into Princeton University. Aside from the institution's prestige, I had actual reasons for going there. I seemingly did everything right, but it just wasn't enough. I, too, investigated discrimination against Asian Americans in the application process, and it really hurt. I ultimately went to a state university for my undergrad and felt depressed every morning for almost a whole year. However, that state university gave me the space to shine and grow as a person in ways that have permanently changed me for the better. I applied to Harvard University for my graduate studies, and I was accepted. I know it's tough right now, but I want to say that you clearly have the brilliance and wisdom now to succeed in your future education. You will have no problem being a success, because you are already one.

[suthiraphanassarat]

Hi, Amy, I wouldn't dwell so much about being rejected from Harvard but I'd be very happy with a BS from Caltech because it will open many doors to attractive career paths in the future!

[adamtki]

What you don't realize is you're competing against other Asians and not against the entire study body. Harvard doesn't want too many Asians since they need to leave some space for other kind of students. As a result, small weaknesses in your essay can make or break getting in since your competition is so tough.

[santiagopalacios]

Watched all your vids and applied to Cornell ED following your essay advice... here we go!