<p>Ok. I want to get into Harvard. Thats pretty much it right now. You guys have a decent shot or better then most to get in probably, or at least you knwo more then i do probably. Ok so to the point o this post now. I tell you guys where i am at. You guys tell em what i should do robably. I do it. I get in. Hehe. Ok I go to one of those new schools from the Gates foundation. In 9th grade i will take Honors wolrd Geography Honors world History, Algebra 2 because i have allready taken alg 1 and geo, i will also take pre-calc, English 1 English 2, Earth/Environmenal science, Biology and a pointless not-even real calss called Hummanities. I volunteer at min 20 hours every 9 weeks. I go to this thing caled teen court where you basically have a court and judge first time offenders and acually sentence them to a certain amount of comunnity service and otehr things. I also speak German fluently and read pretty well and am learning to write in German better then i can. I will be takining another 2 languages next year. Next year for classes in Math i will be taking AP or Hnors not sure which it is counted as Calc and AP stat. In Science i will be taking physics and chem. In English i will be taking the next two classes past 1 and 2 whichever those are. In "social studies" will be taking im not sure but two classes whichever ones they are. Then i take college classes at UNCW for two years. I will mainly do business classes but also a variety of other classes to be "well rounded. By the end of all of this i will be speaking 3-4 languages and have a GPA higher then 3.5. Even thought i messed up when i took the SAT the first time in 7th grade because soem kid kept cursing about Germany and i only got a 1070(old SAT of course) i feel pretty confident that i wil score at lest a 1500 on minus writing which i will probably get a 700 on. What should I change/do to improve my odds. All responses are greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>My dream was to go to Harvard too...that was it, Harvard and now I am not even applying to Harvard. It is extremely difficult to get in, even harder than I imagined. I think though that you are on the right start. You are clearly ahead of the game alredy with your classes and extra curricular work. If I was in your mposition right now I would have had a better shot of getting in....I didnt start thinking early like you are now. The one thing you have to do is make yourself stand out and be nearly perfect at everything else (SAT,GPA, GRADES). If you excell in your college classes, that is very good. And make sure you do very well on AP exams, becuase they look at those. The main thing that is keeping me out of the ivy league is test scores (SAT and AP). Start early like you have....take prep courese for the SAT... and as a last word of advice, don't get your heart solely set on Harvard....even with perfect scores, people dont get in....start looking at other schools that arent maybe ivy league schools....but continue to aim high! GOOD LUCK!!!</p>
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It is extremely difficult to get in, even harder than I imagined.
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Really? I thought Harvard to be much easier than I imagined. I haven't applied yet (I'm class of 2012), but judging by the statistics they admit almost 10% of applicants! Sure, the odds of admission are not in my favour but I'm applying anyway.</p>
<p>The first thing you should do is improve your writing. I could hardly understand what you said. Why does everyone want to go to Harvard? It is extremely overrated.</p>
<p>Regardless, I think the best thing you could do right now is improve your writing, so I can figure out what you said :D .</p>
<p>I agree but I doubt that this is an example of his/her writing skills when he/she is trying.....I do believe that everyone underestimates the importance of good writing skills for Harvard looks at your recommendations and essay the most...... Make sure your connect with your teachers on a PERSONAL level. Harvard will look at you based on your personality OVER grades. They have turned down valadictorians for people that weren't even in the top 10 because of personality.</p>
<p>I am sorry for my terrible writing. I wrote the post in three mintues. But anyways. First of all Harvard seems so vauge. Everybody says "have amazing near perfect grades even though they don't decide everythign and do a bunch of stuff besides that" be more specific. Also about everybody wanting to get nito Harvard yet its so oveerrated. I don't care how great it is, its about the name and it is good enough and I am smart enough to learn the rest on my own. Once i get in if I do. So basically any specific tips would be appreciated. Also how to talk to the people on a personal level? Do you i mean.. please specify. I have to go but i will post more about my questions once i have eaten dinner.</p>
<p>Don't worry about your writing - this isn't your college application essay. Although you may want to proofread your posts in future, because your first post was incredibly difficult to comprehend, so I had to disregard most of it.</p>
<p>Make friends with your teachers. You have to like them, they have to like you, you need to interact on a personal level like you would your friends. Most people at my school do it with at least 1 teacher (not 'do it' as in sex, but as in friendship - obviously your relationship is NOT sexual) and get amazing references.</p>
<p>Harvard isn't overrated. The only people who consider it overrated are those who were rejected. I'm being blunt here, although I doubt users such as Jman would make such comments if they were admitted to Harvard.</p>
<p>Don't apply to Harvard solely because of the name, but because of the opportunities it can bring you. Unless you're rich and can donate a building, if you say you're applying because of the name that's a guaranteed rejection. Apply to Harvard because it is your dream and presents everything you could possibly want in a college. That's why I'm applying to Harvard.</p>
<p>Become self-absorbed, but I get the impression you already are (e.g. * ... I am smart ...*). I'm self-absorbed, no doubt, and thats a quality that the admissions department wants (but I could be wrong, I'm not an admissions officer).</p>
<p>It seems as if you're just midway through high school, have u realli looked into and researched Harvard? Don't be blinded by the fact it is one of the most prestigious schools in the world. College is a HUGE investment, and you'll be spending four years of your life there, you want that investment to be worthwhile. Meaning you'll receive a good education AND have a good time doing it. I suggest you visit Harvard and talk to the admissions counsellors to see if you will truly fit in. Prestige will only get you so far, you have to take it the rest of the way.</p>
<p>just a quick thought from parent -- when you say "I want to go to Harvard, that is it" is sounds pretentious. You clearly are only interested in the name and prestigious, since you don't know enough about your interests to know whether Harvard would be a good fit for you.</p>
<p>What you are really saying, I am guessing, is that you want to make sure that your stats, extracurriculars, curriculum, teacher recs, etc are good enough that you have a chance at applying anywhere -- including Harvard. If you say it that way, you will get less negative responses.</p>
<p>A note on the teacher rec front. I get along pretty well with most of my teachers, but I didn't have special friendships with the two teachers I got recs from. In fact, I wouldn't know how to strike up a visit-me-during-the-day sort of friendship with teachers. Nevertheless, I'm positive that at least one of the teachers wrote a very good rec (she told me a little about what she was going to write). </p>
<p>If you're not the type to go around making friends with teachers (like me), then I think attitude in class, respect, and interest in their subject are important. Conversations with them inside the classroom can be just as interesting as conversations outside. What I've heard many people say is that a good teacher rec is not only one where they highly praise you but also one where they have specific anecdotes or evidence to back up that praise.</p>
<p>Of course, I think it's too early for you to start thinking about recs as a freshman, since you will most likely ask for recs from junior or senior year teachers. </p>
<p>Also, in general, don't fall into the mentality of doing things just because you want to go to Harvard. I feel like that's an easy way of hating high school, if you go through it with only one goal. Of course, be involved, get good grades, etc. But it's better to think, "This is an opportunity I can get something out of," than, "I'm doing this for Harvard. Maybe, if I'm lucky, there'll be other perks."</p>
<p>"I don't care how great it is, its about the name and it is good enough and I am smart enough to learn the rest on my own"</p>
<p>I'm just a junior, so I can't claim to be truly knowledgeable about admissions. But, I can tell just from my rudimentary grasp on 'what colleges look for' that you might be in trouble. Colleges want students who love what they are doing and where they are going. I think that you should come up with a better reason to go to Harvard than "the name will let others know how smart I am." That says that you don't really care about the school and learning itself, only the essentially meaningless name. From there, it's easy to assume that everything you've done is nothing more than another stepping stone to your prestigious title. Does that sound like an appealing student?</p>
<p>My main point is, as far as test scores and grades go, you're probably on the right track. But, now more than ever, students need to demonstrate a 'passion' and drive to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Right now, you have the drive but not the passion.</p>
<p>(I'm not trying to sound obnoxious here. When you apply, your application is probably going to be much stronger than mine will be! I'm just trying to help you gain some perspective =) )</p>
<p>Ok. Thanks for that and know that i have re-read all the posts i see that most people could interpret my first post so I will re-wrte it in english so that you guys can better evaluate if i am doing well:). In Middle School i took the SAT in 7th grade (messed up becuase i didn't care and soem kid was cursing behind me the whole time) and got a 1070 (old SAT) took Alg 1 and Geometry and Got 2nd in my category at the science fair in 7th and got 1st in category in 8th at Invention Convention. This year I am taking Honors Alg 2, Pre-Calc, Eng 1, Eng 2, World History, World Geo, Earth Environmental, Bio, and a class called Hummanties. I do 20 hours of community service including Teen Court every semester (Teen Court is every Month). In the summer I plan to get 500 or so hours of community service. Next year i will do more community service and take AP calc, AP stat, Eng 3+4 or whatever they are called, AP chem and physics, two "scoial studies classes", and some college courses. So.....how am I doing?</p>