9th grader, want to get into Harvard, what should I do to "start early?"

<p>Hi, everyone, I'm new here and, usually, whenever I join a forum I always break some sacred forum rule on my first post (you know those social rules that nobody bothers to write in the rules and regulations - you know what I'm talking about), everyone gets mad at me and the mods find some reason to ban me. So I want to be very cautious. I know that most people hate "How to get into Harvard" threads here but I really need some help, because I don't know exactly what they're looking for. Everybody says that they want a "well-rounded" student, which makes me feel horrible because I have no sports/band/music, nothing! I'm just another "good student." I only joined 1 club this year, but I will join a lot more next year. So, plainly, if not clubs/talents, then grades. I'm (most likely) going to be graduating with all A's this year (so a ~4.5 weighted GPA), and I hope I'll be able to add one or two A+'s next year. I'm going to be in all honors next year, but this year I wasn't in geometry honors (I'm still in geometry, which is 10th grade math, just not in honors). I'm also going to take all honors/AP electives from now on which bring my GPA up by 1.0. I also hope to do really well on the SAT/ACT to top off my transcript, and then do about 100 hours of community service each summer. I'm also interested in how much the essay counts (the one that you write on your application). If I'm a mediocre (mediocre for Harvard) student but write a sparkling essay, could they consider me? Could someone, maybe, demystify the whole college application process for me? Thanks. Oh, and I forgot to mention the fact that I skipped 2nd grade entirely because my teacher gave me all the 2nd grade material in 1st grade because she saw that the 1st grade material was too easy for me. (no bragging)</p>

<p>P.S. I want to go to a business school (maybe law, too, I don't know yet exactly what I will major in).</p>

<p>Well, getting into any college is the easy part. It’s affording it that can put a major kink in plans to attend. Talk to your parents. Put your numbers in the EFC calculator on Harvard’s website. See if this school is even going to be possible for your parents. The problem with Harvard is that everyone with great stats applies. So, thousands will apply with stats just as good or better than yours, for just the few seats available. That’s part of why Harvard is so attractive; because their acceptance rate is so low. It’s not bad to dream, just have several schools that would interest you just as much as Harvard; and I don’t mean all Ivy league schools! But, first, like I said, see if it’s even possible financially for your family. If you qualify for lots of aid, and get in, great. If you can pay full cost and get in, great. It’s if you don’t qualify for aid, can’t afford to pay the full cost, and get accepted that could really bite!</p>

<p>Here is the Harvard Common Data Set which shows what they evaluate for admission: <a href=“http://www.provost.harvard.edu/institutional_research/CDS2010_2011_Final.pdf[/url]”>http://www.provost.harvard.edu/institutional_research/CDS2010_2011_Final.pdf&lt;/a&gt;. In section C7 you’ll see they look at everything but class rank, religion, and level of demonstrated interest. So, take the most challenging classes you, do well, test high on the SAT/ACT, be involved in clubs or other activities. Even if you fill all the squares you only have a sub 10% chance of admission so find a safety you can afford, to love.</p>

<p>Only Penn and Cornell have undergrad business schools, Harvard does not. Most business and law schools are grad schools, although there are a good number of undergrad b schools. As for Harvard, check the above common data set to find out the stats you need. As for ECs, find a few things (2 or 3, although there is no magic number) that you are interested in, and pursue them with a passion. You’re correct, it doesn’t look good to join every club in your school. I have to warn you now though, don’t go through your entire high school career only thinking about Harvard. There’s a 6.2% chance an applicant will be accepted, so there is a good chance that an applicant will not be accepted to Harvard.</p>

<p>I think an important note to keep in mind is your motivation to go to Harvard. Make sure you have actual justification as to why you want to go there, and not just for the “prestige”. What about it exactly interests you? What makes it stand out to you from other colleges? Of course you don’t have to answer me, but these are just questions you should keep in mind. It’s very easy to get fixated on one dream school that is difficult to get into, but it’s important to have some real, concrete reasons, e.g. X University is the only one that offers such-and-such program, or gives students these particular internship opportunities, or offers certain extracurricular activities. </p>

<p>As for specific advice, to get into a top tier college like Harvard, there’s one line that you may find very helpful: do what you love, and do it well. That’s how to get into a good school. It’s something that will arise naturally, without being done simply to be put on your college application. Explore extracurriculars and look into opportunities, and find your passion. You say you like business and/or law - so maybe check out debate, Mock Trial, JSA, Model UN, DECA, BPA, whatever your school offers in those areas. Take relevant electives. Look into summer programs. Find out what sort of competitions there are in these areas. See if you can get an internship or volunteer at a court or at an office. And remember: don’t do anything merely for the sake of putting it on your application. Do what truly interests you.</p>

<p>Why do you want to go to Harvard? If you can answer that sincerely, posters on here won’t hate you.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Because it’s #1!</p>

<p>/sarcasm</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Not totally true; the acceptance rate for EA applicants was 18% this year and for EA and RD, the acceptance rate is most likely higher for URMs and legacies. In fact, the acceptance rate for legacy applicants is around 30%.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>True. I was simply speaking for the majority of the applicants, since OP didn’t say anything about being a URM or legacy. I wasn’t aware of the EA stats, but thanks for the update.</p>

<p>^ the greater point to make is that acceptance rate =/= chances of admission. That’s because the admit rate doesn’t tell you how competitive the applicant pool is, nor how competitive the admitted pool is. “Competitiveness” is crucial to “chances of admission,” so we can relate acceptance rate and chances of admission only loosely (i.e. there’s a correlation). The fact that the legacy admit rate is 30% proves this: legacies tend to be more wealthy/privileged and thus tend to be more competitive applicants. They would get in at higher rates even if the adcoms admitting them had no idea they were legacies. (Similarly, if you looked at admit rate by income, you’ll see a generally positive correlation.) That’s why legacies get in at a rate of 30%, or why 2400 scorers get in at 75% - not because the colleges are dazzled by their scores, but because the “2400 club” has isolated a subset of the population that is likely very intelligent and very accomplished, and probably would have gotten in even if their SAT score were 2200. You can isolate any competitive group and, depending on its correlation with other factors that contribute to admission (like EC involvement, awards, etc.), find a higher rate of admission.</p>

<p>(The quoted poster wasn’t necessarily making this logical mistake, since he said “an applicant,” but that statistical generalization leading to a completely erroneous conclusion regarding one’s own chances is perhaps the most common error on this site.)</p>

<p>^ Oh I completely agree. Given that OP seems smart, his chances are probably above 6.2%. I understand the generalization, and I apologize for causing any misconceptions.</p>

<ol>
<li>Accept you are not getting into Harvard.</li>
<li>Enjoy your life, keep getting good grades, and worry about college applications later.</li>
</ol>

<p>Baloney, my advice is to make a plan for your classes and your extracurriculars that show continuity over time. You are starting this packaging process at the right time. </p>

<p>Focus on what interests YOU and then go from there. More than anything, make the most of your summers. Definitely check out Harvard’s summer school for high school students. Don’t put ALL of your free time into community service. Obtain a copy of Harvard’s application and study it for the questions they ask. See if they want you to list all of your “paid positions,” and if so, always, always, always make sure you do SOMETHING in the summer toward your goal. Even if it is just one week. Get business cards and keep notes on the people you have worked for or taught you in a binder. This will help you more than you know when it comes time to write those applications, whether it is at Harvard or any other school, because you will by that time have a track record working for you. Best of luck!</p>

<p>And by the way, there are a lot of great schools out there. By “get business cards,” I meant get them from the people you work for/summer teachers etc so you have their contact information later. Then write them thank you letters (not emails) afterwards.</p>

<p>You are selling yourself (to ANY school). Make sure they want to buy what you have to offer by being the best, most prepared candidate who can easily discuss your interests and how you pursue your goals.</p>

<p>What is Harvard and how would you differentiate it from other colleges?</p>

<p>I’m not a legacy. I hate the legacy thing, it’s absolutely horrible and unfair. Who cares if a family member went to the college? But, what’s a URM? What’s EA? What’s RD? Sorry for being a fool. :(</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>That’s all covered. No problems there.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>They don’t care about class rank?? So, say, if I’m the valedictorian or salutatorian, they won’t care about that?</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>That really sucks. Is there anything I could take that’s similar to that?</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Because it’s #1!</p>

<p>/NO sarcasm</p>

<p>Sorry, guys, that’s my reason. I really want that prestige. I don’t understand why people don’t like that as a reason? At least I said what I really think, though. </p>

<p>

</p>

<p>I’m sorry, I’m not following you. How can you be in this “2400 club” if you didn’t get a 2400?? Is the “2400 club” something real or just something you made up to describe all people who get 2400’s on SATs? </p>

<p>

</p>

<p>You sound VERY much like someone I know. But I’ve learned to ignore these remarks.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>I’m sure that’s where most people here would disagree with you. However, I do have a bit of a problem, because, these colleges are taking over my life. I wake up, first thing I think is that I have to get a good grade on the test today so that it improves my marking period grade so that I will have a higher final grade so that it will look good on my transcript so that colleges will like it. As I go through my day certain words are constantly flashing in front of my eyes: “Harvard, colleges, application, acceptance letter,” etc.
I have nightmares about getting acceptance letters from colleges. All this + the stresses of everyday life and my natural extreme pessimism makes me very depressed, to the point at which sometimes I wish I wasn’t born smart so that I wouldn’t have to worry about this. :(</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Is that a philosophical question? I’m bad at answering these questions, but… Well, in my opinion, Harvard is a very prestigious school and the reason that I really want to get in is this. Go to any random person, anybody in the whole world, and if you tell them that you graduated from Harvard they will immediately think higher of you. It’s just that name that’s embedded in people’s minds, that sparks something and they immediately look up to you if you’re from Harvard. That’s why I want to go there. My whole life, I’ve been able to tell people that I skipped a grade and people would always be very impressed, so I guess I kind of expect and NEED everyone to be impressed with me. I’m never arrogant or anything - in fact I’m usually very modest and shy, and I only mention it if I’m asked, but I just love being the best of the best.</p>

<p>No offense, but based on the above post, you either A) will likely not get in or B) will have to do a LOT of maturing in the next three years if you want any sort of chance to get in there.</p>

<p>Enjoy your next few years of high school and come back in junior year…</p>

<p>Frankly there’s a high chance you’ll be miserable in college if you only care about attending for the supposed “prestige”. You don’t sound like you’ve done much research into Harvard - which is fine because you’re only a freshman and there’s plenty of time for college research later on - but that means it’s not enough for you to pin your hopes and dreams onto one school right now because you simply don’t know enough about it. Harvard is also not the best of the best, especially if you want to go into business.</p>

<p>Econ is the closest thing to business, although econ is very theoretical while most business concentrations are practical. Wharton - Penn’s undergrad and grad business school - is about as competitive in terms of finding jobs and prestige as Harvard (I say about because it’s impossible to truly compare subjective traits such as prestige). Here’s a list of top undergrad b schools [Best</a> Undergraduate Business Programs | Rankings | US News](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/business-overall]Best”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/business-overall), but Wharton is the only school that comes anywhere close to Harvard. By the time you’re a junior and looking at colleges, you will probably change your mind about your intended major anyways.</p>

<p>URM = under represented minority (think every race excluding white, Asian, and Indian) - is a “hook” in the admissions process. EA = early action. RD = regular decision.</p>

<p>As for your comment about legacies, colleges do this to keep their alumni happy. Happy alumni means more donations. More donations means better facilities, professors, etc., which leads to an overall better experience for students. I’m fine with legacy policies if it means a better experience.</p>

<p>Anyways, if the only reason you want to go to Harvard is because of prestige, you won’t get in.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Based on your above post on this page, you’re not at all ready for the college process. You don’t even know what you’re looking for yet.</p></li>
<li><p>You’re a freshman. I’m going to tell you what I tell every other freshman. Get off CC and go enjoy your life. It’s too early for you to be worrying about college.</p></li>
<li><p>

</p></li>
</ol>

<p>The number of hours you spend on community service is largely irrelevant. It’s not about the hours; it’s about what you accomplish, the experiences you have, and the impact you make on other people and yourself.</p>

<ol>
<li>

</p>

<p>I don’t understand why you think it would be better to get “prestige” at the expense of going to a school that doesn’t have the program you want. If you want prestige for undergrad business, go to Wharton. There’s an adage that if you want to impress the guy making your coffee, go to Harvard; if you want to impress your interviewer, go to Wharton.</p>

<p>Wharton (at UPenn) is far better than Harvard for undergraduate business.</p>

<ol>
<li>You need to be looking for schools that are right for you - your personality, your interests, what you want to study, and what you want to do with your life. The rankings can only tell you so much. You need a school that fits you, and that’s not always the one that’s ranked the highest. Ultimately, prestige isn’t going to get you as far as the relevant experiences you might have at a school better suited to what you want to do.</li>
</ol>

<p>Also, why not Princeton? It’s also #1.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>URM = underrepresented minority. EA = Early Action. RD = Regular Decision.</p></li>
<li><p>

</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Go to a school that has the programs you want instead of trying to find the next-best thing for you at a different school.</p>

<ol>
<li>

</li>
</ol>

<p>Whoa. Calm down, there. It’s not the end of the world. Many schools that aren’t Harvard care very much about your class rank. In three years, yes, you will be applying to schools that aren’t Harvard. Also, your academic performance is still very much a factor, and that’s presented on your transcript regardless of your class rank.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>The point you quoted was that those with perfect SAT scores probably would have gotten in even were their SAT scores less-than-perfect because getting perfect SAT scores is correlated with many of the other things that get students in to highly selective schools.</p>

<ol>
<li>

</li>
</ol>

<p>Nope. That’s said by many posters here to basically every freshman that comes on to start freaking out for the next four years, especially those of us who have been through the process and come out the other end. There’s more to life than playing the game to get into college, and there’s more to life than going to Harvard. In the next few years of your life, and then in college, you’re going to mature a lot. And in ten years, if you look back and realize you spent all four years of high school stressing over college (or worse, then went on to spend all four years of college stressing over grad school), you’re going to regret it.</p>

<ol>
<li>

</li>
</ol>

<p>You are a freshman in high school. You are far too young for your life to be falling apart like this. Enjoy being young while it lasts. And you don’t have to worry about this at all, regardless of how “smart” you were born. I didn’t stress over the college process until the very end, and even then it was mostly just impatience in waiting for my decisions. That’s not because I’m stupid; it’s because I recognized that there’s more important things in life.</p>

<p>If this is really such a problem for you, you should consider seeing a therapist. It’s not healthy.</p>

<ol>
<li>

</li>
</ol>

<p>No. It’s a question you should be able to answer about each and every school you’re interested in. If you can’t answer it, you shouldn’t be making the decision to go to that school.</p>

<ol>
<li>

</li>
</ol>

<p>Random people don’t matter. The people who matter are the ones giving you jobs, and they recognize that there are many schools that are just as good as Harvard and even some that are better than Harvard, especially in specific areas.</p>

<ol>
<li>

</li>
</ol>

<p>So don’t burn yourself out now.</p>

<ol>
<li>Skipping a grade doesn’t make you super-smart or super-important. It won’t impress most people at all, especially once you’re out of high school. It surely doesn’t make you the best of the best.</li>
</ol>