Evaluate my Chances of Getting into Harvard

GPA: 4.41/4 (Highest in School’s History)
Rank:1
SAT: 1550 (800math, 750 english)

SAT Subject:
800 Math 2
800 World History
800 Physics
770 Chemistry
770 Biology E

AP Scores:

World History:5
European History: 5
Human Geography: 5
Calculus AB Subscore: 5
Calculus BC: 5
Statistics: 5
Psychology: 5
English language: 5
Physics 2: 5
Chemistry: 4
Biology: 4

Honors:

1. Thailand International History Olympiad Team (2015,18)
2. International History Bowl Champion of Asia (2015)
3. National History Bowl Champion (2015-17)
4. Research Paper Published in Academic Journal
5. AP Scholar (obviously)

Activities:

1. Thailand International History Olympiad Team (2015,2018)
2. Research assistant in the National History Museum of Thailand's Excavation team ( 2 field studies conducted in 2017 )
3. Published Scholar of the Royal Siam Society (2017)
4. Historical Journalist, 5 publications in the best Newspaper in Thailand (2016-17)
5. Captain of history Bowl Team (2015-17)
6. Intern at National History Museum (2016-17) 7.Captain of School Varsity Football team (will be in senior year)
7. Vermiculture farmer
8. Metal Detecting (for fun)
9. Editor at the School's Newspaper ( 2017-18)

I am currently a junior, and i expect to apply to Harvard for early. It would be really appreciated if you could leave comments on strengths, weaknesses, and my chances of admissions to Harvard and other prestigious colleges…

Did u get in?

The original poster is a junior.

To the original poster, your stats and extracurriculars are certainly impressive. The fact that you had to note that your GPA is the highest in your school’s history makes me a little concerned. Try to value learning and forget about external rewards like grades, which are supposed to measure learning and not be an end in and of themselves. Selective schools won’t care that it is the highest in history, believe me.

It does look as if you have an authentic interest in history, which you have followed with some depth and with diverse experiences, which is wonderful.

Harvard’s admissions policy is “holistic”, which means that your grades and stats can keep you in the running but then it tends to be about other things, mainly your ability to contribute to the interesting mix of a class.

You are applying in a year. Good luck.

So PeterLim what’s your hook? In your own words. What do you want Harvard to see in you during their 5-10 minutes of discussion to decide on your application during their board of review? I don’t see it on your profile, not clear at all, just nice data points. You see where I am taking this! What’s your hook!

I agree w/ Patriot4Life. There’s a lot that you have going on and you’re only going to have so much room in your application to make your case. Focus on just a few aspects of your life that you find interesting and convey those clearly.

Also, just note that the jump from high school to college is a big one and admissions officers take note of that. Many people start college a year late: it is comparatively rare at institutions like Harvard to find students there a year early.

But are you hoping for a history/humanities major?

accaccacc I think the original poster meant early action, not applying a year early.

There is no need for a “hook.”

I think your interests and activities have enough cohesion to present a picture of who you are. Clearly history is a strong interest.

Wait and see what happens in the next year and make sure you think about the best college that fits.

Hey @compmom i have a few questions:

1. Do you think my history hook is good enough for Harvard?
2. I am an Asian applicant, but my intended field is either history or archaeology (as you could see in my ECs and awards), does that help me stand out when taking into account my ECs?
3. Recently, one of my research papers related to archaeology received direct funding from the Thailand Research Fund and published, how much does that add to my history/archaeology spike?

Thanks a lot!
Peter

I think that it is worth applying. You stats and interest in History are both very solid.

@DadTwoGirls Hey! As an Asian applicant with an intended major in history/archaeology, do you feel i would stand out in the applicant pool with my ECs and awards in those fields?

I think you should stop worrying so much about this. You cannot fix on one school or on any set of selective schools and have absolute certainty (especially as an international applicant).

You are eminently qualified, obviously, Your extracurriculars hold together and show some depth in your interest in history and archaeology.

I was interested in your vermiculture and metal detecting, by the way.

You have a very good chance but no one can really tell you for sure.

I am more concerned with the ways in which you feel you have to present yourself, As I said before. It does not matter whether your GPA is the highest in the school’s history. What matters is that you have genuine interests that you would hopefully pursue, regardless of college admissions, and that you be a nice person who contributes to the mix on campus in a good way. I think that interning at the museum is a good thing, because it is helpful, not competitive.

You mention prestige as a criterion for your choices and you can most likely achieve that goal. But think about fit too. In particular, check out the history departments. And check out Brown and Amherst and other schools that give you latitude in course choices since you already have well-formed academic pursuits.

Your application looks as great as everyone else’s. Getting in is basically dumb luck.