A very different student

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
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<p>I still believe that a degree is very important, that's the whole reason why you want to go to a TOP 10 school.</p>

<p>No. If I could go to a top 10 school and do all the work and not get the degree I would do it right now. Because supposedly they have the best teachers, brightest students and hardest classes. Because apparently the education you get there is the best.</p>

<p>I find myself learning more out of class, than in class and I'm sure you have learned more finding your own way than you would have learned going to any college. I doubt college can enlighten you further.</p>

<p>This depend on what you are studying. With a degree like business, yea that makes sense, however I doubt its the same with other fields like medicine, or law. Even though I have a lawyer friend who tells me law school has nothing to do with being a lawyer.</p>

<p>*In response to your statement about "money itself is the most disappointing goal you will ever achieve": It is only disappointing if you use it for your own self-interests. You bought a large house, fancy car and dated a superficial whore. If you're so confident in your money-making ability why don't you keep making money and use it to solve world problems instead of spending it on yourself. I don't mean to be philosophical, but I think that the reason why we were born into a world of opportunity here was not by chance but was so we could use our skills to help others around the world who can't even find water, let alone start their own company. You also allude to people who have done great things for humanity, why not use the money to help people out in third-world countries, create some sort of charitable organization. I know that money isn't what buys happiness, but it can certainly buy others the opportunities they need and deserve. Use what you know and apparently your great money-making mindset to earn money to not only sustain yourself but perhaps others in countries that are less fortunate than you. *</p>

<p>That wouldn't be bad way to go, but for me it doesn't work like that. Unfortunately I'm not one of those people who wakes up everyday with the first though being about helping others. My first thought, selfishly, is about me. I could make money and donate to charity, but I wouldnt be happy. Why? Because any idiot can do that. I want to achieve the pinnacle of achievement, and coincidentally, the way to do that IS by being a force for good in the world...but it a direct, memorable way. So yes donating to a charity is a good thing, but that would not have satisfied me then and it won't now. Because I want to be there confronted with the worlds most difficult problems and I want to solve them. That will satisfy me and yes help others as well. So you see my goal is still as selfish and simply making money is, but it just happens to involve being a huge force for good in the world. I doubt however that the people who are positively affected by charity, or any other kind of good deeds really mind what the true motives behind the good deeds were.</p>

<p>Don't waste your time going to college to learn the life lessons that you obviously have already mastered. Use that time to earn more money the way you know how to pursue your life's goal of helping as many people as you can. I don't know man, I just think that if you go to college you'll waste your time.</p>

<p>You could end up being right, but I'm not going to simply memorize facts, I want to go and take classes that will deal with the difficult issues the world faces, and I want to hear what other people think, I want them to hear what I think and I want to grow as a result. Its much more complex than that, but the general idea remains the same.</p>

22

<p>This thread was supposed to be about the original poster's chances to be accepted at Harvard...everyone has gone off topic.</p>

<p>True. Probably my fault. So it seems the general consensus is "yeah right", but I still dont understand why.</p>

23

<p>This thread was supposed to be about the original poster's chances to be accepted at Harvard...everyone has gone off topic.</p>

<p>True. Probably my fault. So it seems the general consensus is "yeah right", but I still dont understand why.</p>

24

<p>OP chances at Harvard? With the story posted here? none</p>

<p>Based on OP's own representations, OP lost a ton of someone's money (his own, or his family's, or his partner's, or the bank's). Yet, OP presents this as an accomplishment.</p>

25

<p>I never said losing money was an accomplishment. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who was heavily invested in real estate that didn't lose money. This is off topic, but I will tell you that losing money (not necessarily making it) teaches you far more about business than you could ever hope to learn sitting in a classroom, I promise you that. Anyways what's with the hostility? Does my lack of a degree offend you to the point where you feel the need to attack me?</p>

26

<p>Try Harvard Extension School. Competing with high school seniors for a place in a freshman class will be tough. After all, these kids did try their best in high school, while you were slacking.</p>

27

<p>Thanks I will look into that. You are right, my high school record can't compete. But my main question is what I asked before: What are the admissions people looking for? Are they looking for grades, or are they looking at people who they think will be successful after college? If they are looking for the latter, does it make sense to look at my high school grades or track record in business? Honest question, I really don't get it. If my track record in business just isn't up to par then that makes sense.</p>

28

<p>Yeah, but this is not Harvard MBA where work experience matters. It's academic record that comes and should come first. You're not applying for the job here, and telling them, 'Ok, this is what I did so far.'
You don't need Harvard to become successful after college. Just ask the Facebook founder who is a Harvard dropout. It seems like you're more after the name, The Harvard brand, than anything else.</p>

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<p>I'm after the best, and from what I've heard (which could be wrong or right) Harvard is the best. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the academic record. Judging by what you said then, we can conclude that Harvard wants to admit people who will simply be good students?</p>

30

<p>Some of are being mean to jonbig04. All he wanted to know was if he had a chance in the freshman class of H in 2009. Maybe he does, maybe he does not. How does it help to put him down?</p>

<p>Just go ahead and apply man. Who knows what they are looking for this year. Sure, if you had a 4.0 GPA and a 2300+ SAT, you are better off but you already know that.</p>

31

<p>Thanks sinus. The hostility is regrettable, but not unexpected. It's something I've grown accustom to. One person accused me of being arrogant when I was telling him what I (think) I have accomplished. Fair enough, but I doubt he says the same things to people who come in here showing of their spectacular grades, because isn't that what this forum is about? Showing off your accomplishments and seeing if they are good enough? One person scoffed at what I consider to be my accomplishments. That's fine, but you have to wonder if someone came in here showing their academic record which wasn't good enough to get into Harvard, would he have said "HA, you will never get in, that's not even an accomplishment". It's doubtful. I did things a different way, and I always will; a surefire way to cause people to contempt you. Thanks for the advice...it seems like the alchemic admissions process of Harvard isn't as easy to quantify as I had hoped!</p>

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<p>That is certainly true for all of us. No one on CC has ever been able to predict with assurance who will and won't be admitted.</p>

<p>But to your case, on this thread I see you repeatedly asking questions and trying to draw broad conclusions about what type of student Harvard wants to admit: do they want ones who will succeed later in life or ones who are good students? I don't think that it can be that neatly defined or separated. My own guess (and by no means do I speak for Harvard) is that they want students who are both.</p>

<p>And in your case you have amply demonstrated your ability to succeed, but there are major question marks around your academic talent. So the approach I would recommend would be to first erase some of the question marks around your academic abilities and <em>then</em> apply to Harvard. That way you won't be asking them to take such huge leap of faith. Because I can guarantee you that Harvard is NOT interested in enrolling students who will fail academically.</p>

<p>So to prove you have the academic chops to get the job done in the classroom, I suggest you enroll in a local university or community college and absolutely ace your classes. Pull down a 4.0 in a challenging curriculum. Then with that proven academic record to back up your career success, you'd be a much stronger candidate to apply to transfer to Harvard or other top school.</p>

<p>Now due to a housing crunch, Harvard is not accepting transfers this year. But the chances are good that this might clear up by time you have enrolled and completed a year of school work at another school. And if not, there are the other top tn schools to shoot for too.</p>

<p>I think if you just apply as you are you will very likely not be admitted. You would be asking Harvard to accept too big of a risk that you can't cut it in the classroom. So show then that you can and your chances will be significantly enhanced.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

33

<p>Thanks so much. That makes complete sense. There IS a big question mark around my academic ability. What you have said confirms what I already thought about doing, applying to a less exclusive university first. I live in Denver and there are plenty around here. Denver university comes to mind, but honestly I wonder if I can even get into a more standard school like that. I suppose I will find out!</p>

34

<p>You're just wasting more of your time now, since you have to go to a CC to "prove" yourself first. I just don't understand it. You really are a different type of person. You want to learn even though you know you can make a lot of money. Not a lot of people want to do that, that could work in your favor haha..</p>

35

<p>OP</p>

<p>my point is that you haven't been successful in any objective financial sense.</p>

<p>You were in business. You lost money - somebody's money. That is not success.
(Won't get into the magical thinking you presented with regard to RE Development.)</p>

<p>Can "life experience" be useful in getting into an elite college? yes There are a several ex Marines up at Dartmouth right now who got in because of their life experience.</p>

<p>Can someone learn from failure? absolutely. </p>

<p>However, that is not how you framed your experience. You described it not in terms of an expensive real life education, but in terms of a rousing money making success.
If you personally indeed made money, then you got your cut while losing someone else's money. ...and if it was your own money you lost, then you had more money when you started than what you have now. </p>

<p>Basically, you have misrepresented yourself. That won't get you in to Harvard.</p>

36

<p>my point is that you haven't been successful in any objective financial sense.
You were in business. You lost money - somebody's money. That is not success.</p>

<p>Wrong. As of right now, in real estate no I am not successful. However you said "I haven't been successful", thats not true. I had many successes and many failures. You can't simply say that I am unsuccessful any more than you can say that I am successful. The two go hand in hand for your whole life. If Warren Buffet stopped working completely right now while his stock is down could you simply say he is unsuccessful? I'm not comparing myself to Warren Buffet, but the fact is that success is an ebb and flow and not a measurable yes/no. No offense, but I would bet you aren't in business.</p>

<p>However, that is not how you framed your experience. You described it not in terms of an expensive real life education, but in terms of a rousing money making success.</p>

<p>I didn't need to "frame it" that way. It should be obvious that anyone who achieves successes only does so by overcoming failures. You said i described it only in terms of "rousing money making success", when actually I admitted freely that I have lost a great deal of money too. </p>

<p>If you personally indeed made money, then you got your cut while losing someone else's money. ...and if it was your own money you lost, then you had more money when you started than what you have now.</p>

<p>haha. You definitely aren't in business. If i make you a million dollars 1 year, then you give it back to me and I lose $250,000 of it is that considered successful or not successful? It depends on how you look at it. Me and my investors lost fractions of what we had already made. it's not as cut and dry as you tried to describe it</p>

37

<p>jonbig,</p>

<p>I'm pretty sure Marines at Dartmouth are older than you, and they've transferred from at least a community college. You need to do the same.
You're competing with straight A kids for a freshman spot, and since Harvard only accepts 7 percent of its freshman applicants, they will not give someone with a horrible high school record a place over some brilliant straight A kid. </p>

<p>You need to go to community college (if you can't get into DU), try your best, get straight A's, try to transfer and let Harvard know that you can succeed academically.</p>

38

<p>Thanks superdrive, that's what I'm going to do. I've just emailed DU so I guess we will see what happens. It's not that I don't respect what the straight A kids have done, I just know a lot of them and frankly I wouldn't want to go into business with them if you know what I mean. It just seems like a lot of students know only what they need to know for the grade, and do only what they are told to do. I know thats generalizing and I know not everyone is like that though. I will let you all know what DU says.</p>

39

<p>OP</p>

<p>If you had to sell your Real Estate assets for 20% of your cost, you and your investors took more than a bath. That is an 80% loss in the best case scenario that there was no mortgage attached. If there was a mortgage attached, that means a capital call to the investors to pay off the mortgage excess over the sales price. </p>

<p>The RE market has been soft for at least 3 years. The spit started hitting the fan in the mortgage markets in late '06. This is when you enter the market and make such a killing seemingly overnight that thereafter giving some 80% of your invested capital back in losses is a mere pittance in comparison. uh huh</p>

<p>Go ahead try to explain what it was you did "developing" real estate in your three years since you got out of HS. .. and explain how you attracted "investors" to fund you ... and provide your net profit numbers for each year.</p>

<p>Please show how you were a net success</p>

40

<p>Oh I see, you first say I did nothing, and now apparently you simply don't believe me. I find it strange that you don't believe me, when according to you, I never really accomplished anything anyway. Whats there to be suspicious about? I could go into detail, but I've been in enough internet debates to know that there is really no point. You will simply be never heard from again. You can simply not believe me if you want to, that's ok. At least I know you think highly of my accomplishments...highly enough to doubt them. You said the real estate market has been soft for "at least 3 years". lol, trust me that statement alone betrays your lack of education on the subject. </p>

<p>By the way, its easy to be a net success when 100% financing was available :). Think about it.</p>