<p>I'm currently a freshman in high school (taking 1 AP course, AP Stat.) and have decided I really really really want to go to Harvard...just in general, I would really appreciate advice from anyone...since i'm younger, I feel like I have time so if anyone here has anything to share, please tell me! Also, our school announces the top 5 students, then the Top 1...but never ranks the other students. I was the top student all 4 years of Middle school...but my main competitors are taking really easy classes and I have heard they have extremely high GPA's. I'm keeping all my grades above 96 at the moment (which pretty much gaurantees me a spot in the Top 5), but there is no way I can get first this year. I'm worried that when I apply to colleges that they'll see that I wasn't even at the top of my class...let alone getting into a prestigious college. According to my parents, colleges will recognize that I chose to take harder classes. However, at the same time, I must admit I'm really worried about the end result. I would really appreciate your advice and comments on this particular situation...and also, please note whether you were accepted or rejected. Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>relax, have fun, find something you're passionate about</p>
<p>delete your CC account, and don't come back until you're a junior</p>
<p>"delete your CC account, and don't come back until you're a junior"</p>
<p>hahah couldn't say it any better... except I wasn't interested in this site until I was a senior. Anyways, take your SAT II as soon as you finish the subject. That's the main thing I wish I would have done.</p>
<p>Here's the deal..</p>
<p>Harvard likes kids with a special talent, no matter how useless in life that talent is. why? because being good at something, even if it is a stupid something, shows dedication and passion and commitment and all that good stuff. so u have to show that stuff somehow. but my dumb advice if you aren't good at a dumb sport or aren't an obsessive-compulsive perfectionist genius, here are a few recommendations:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Be a minority. You cant change your race, but if you say you are gay or like a buddist monk or somthing that adds some diversity.. that is good, because harvard loves diversity. For example, me, I am a chinese-american who also adds diversity to the SAT scores of harvard, by bringing down the average considerably with my humble score of 1%@.. (oops! Sorry I dont type much gooder than I write). 3 cheers for diversity!!!</p></li>
<li><p>Sign up for a ridiculous number of community service groups and work a night job and give your money away to something charitable, because harvard loves good samaritans, especially if you have a noble reason.... such as, you help retarded kids because your brother is retarded, or you help cancer patients because your mom has cancer. NOT like you help dogs cuz you just wove wittle puppies! It has to be deep. But be careful, and dont write down more than 120 hours of service per week, because there are only 120 hours in a week to begin with, and you cant do more than that unless you have a time machine or something/</p></li>
<li><p>Have some kind of uncommon hardship that makes you have to struggle to overcome diversity. Wait.. not diversity, thats the wrong word... what am I trying to say......... uh...... errr...... nevermind you know what I mean... and if you dont have a diversity, then make one up. Lie on the railroad tracks and get your legs cut off, and then you will have to fight diversity for the rest of your life and you can make them feel bad for you in your essay about how you had to learn to walk on your hands and still take care of your sick mother and work 3 jobs to take care of your 13 younger siblings. I mean, you dont have to do that exactly, but use your imagination and overcome a self-made diversity. Oh yeah and by the way.. I just realized that I meant adversity, not diversity. But both are good! Harvard likes diverse kids with adverse backrounds.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>GOOD LUCK!!!!</p>
<p>~crystal</p>