<p>Okay, so my sister attended Harvard (c/o 2011) and when she was accepted I thought it was kind of cool. But when all the teachers and kids at my school would keep asking, "YOUR SISTER GOES TO HARVARD?!" I got annoyed with Harvard over the years and thought that it was just overrated and that I should attend somewhere more local.</p>
<p>But this year (my junior year) I went to my sister's graduation and fell in love with Harvard. All the people there were so nice and the campus was so beautiful. The classes and all the opportunities there seem amazing. Now I really, really want to attend but I don't want to get my hopes up. </p>
<p>I haven't been doing well at school but these past two semesters, I've had a HUGE drop in grades.
My test scores are low (SATs - 1600). Freshman and Sophomore year I had a 4.0, but junior year I had a 3.0. My cumulative is around 3.75. The reason for the drastic drop was because I'm now an IB Diploma Candidate and the courses I've taken this year were pretty hard. </p>
<p>When I took the SATs I didn't study or get sleep the night before or eat breakfast, I'm sure when I retake them in the fall I can raise it a few hundred points. I also took the ACT recently but haven't gotten my scores back, but I'm positive I did way better on the ACT than on the SATs.</p>
<p>I have extra circulars going for me, but the big question is... will Harvard disregard my application by seeing my 3.0 gpa junior year? Would getting a 4.0 my first semester of senior year help me at all?</p>
<p>Thanks for reading this long post!</p>
<p>I don’t think you have a shot. I’m sorry, that sounds really cold on the internet, but the numbers are really against you. Even a 2100 is not very good by Harvard standards, and most of the not very many admitted students with 3.7-ishes had poor freshman years, or a few Bs scattered throughout, rather than poor junior years. Many of the applicants will also have 4.0s on IB or AP curriculums throughout high school.</p>
<p>Two important caveats:
-What is your class rank, and what does your counselor think of you? If either your class rank is very good, which would demonstrate that your school just grades harshly, or your guidance counselor loves you and would swear that a 3.0 is not representative of your ability, I am underestimating your chances. They are still probably less than average, but not nonexistent.
-If you can afford the application fee, applying might be worthwhile. Sometimes a rejection is terribly upsetting, in which case the application might not be worthwhile. But if you knew that you gave it your best shot, vs. having to wonder what if, it could be worth it.</p>
<p>a 2250+ g.p.a and a 3.9+ U.W g.p.a is almost a requirement for harvard now a days.</p>
<p>I agree with the poster above me.</p>
<p>thanks so much for the feedback, it’s been hard for me to get a solid answer from someone. i didn’t think it was very likely either after my grades this year.</p>
<p>i think i’ll still apply, but i’ll know it’s just a dream school and i’m just applying to see what happens. </p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>Good luck, though!</p>
<p>colleges frown on a downward trend in grades as you move up. Taking harder classes is not accepted as an excuse if you ended with Bs across board for the year.</p>
<p>Do you have any hooks?</p>
<p>hooks, like things that i’m good at that i could talk about to help my chances?</p>
<p>well, one thing i am really good at is music. i’ve played for 7 years and have been in numerous competitions and it’s something i could talk a lot about. this summer, i’m going to ethiopia to teach orphans how to play the flute.</p>
<p>maybe you should wait and see how well you do on the ACT. If you do get like a 33+ you might have a shot. And that 3.75 isn’t so bad, it’s an A- average.</p>
<p>Also be sure to include lots of good ECs and community service. Good luck.</p>
<p>@DannyNobel, you are rather inaccurate with your statement. The Harvard average accepted SAT score is around 2180, and I was admitted as a White Suburban Male with a 2140 SAT and 3.8 UW GPA. If you show great promise senior year and can dramatically boost SAT scores above 2100, and write very passionate essays along with a passionate interview, it is most certainly possible although not nearly probable. Best of luck to you</p>
<p>are colleges able to view your SAT scores the first time you take them? or do they just view your better score?</p>
<p>here’s an idea of my ECs:
tennis/cross country: 9, 10, 11
key club (treasurer): 10, 11
french club (treasurer): 10, 11
sophomore class officer: 10
math team: 9, 10, 11
math team, nationals: 11
band: 5th-11th</p>
<p>those are the clubs i’m most committed to. </p>
<p>for french, i’ve been in the french national honor society for 3 years and have been taking french for 5 years now. i’ve been in the french club for 3 years, and was an officer for two years. </p>
<p>music is definitely something i’m very sufficient in, and it was hard for me to decide that music performance is not something i should do in college.</p>
<p>Solo/Ensemble Regional Contest Superior Rating - 7, 8, 9 , 10, 11
Solo/Ensemble state qualifier - 10th, 11th
Horsfall finalist - 11th
Tacoma Youth Symphony - 11th
Wind Ensemble - 9, 10, 11
Gold Medalist (performed with seattle symphony) - 11th
All-State Concert Band - 10th, 11th
Flute Choir - 8th-11th
Giving flute lessons - 11th
Teaching Flute in Ethiopia - 11th</p>
<p>i’m hoping if i get my SATs up really high, or have a really high ACT score and get a 4.0 my senior year, my ECs can help cushion the blow of my junior year grades.</p>
<p>are these good ECs?</p>