Am I going on the right track?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

Hey everyone!

A)
I’m still a sophomore, but I’m curious and I want to know if I’m doing the right thing or should I change what I’m doing.

First I’m a Palestinian-Arab citizen of Israel.
I go to public school.

My grades in the last semester are as follows (In Israel, students take subjects in Units 1 is the easiest and 5 is the hardest) :

Math (5 units) :97
English (5) : 100
Hebrew (5) : 94
Arabic (5) : 98
History (2 mandatory units) : 100
Religion studies (1 mandatory unit ) : 85 :frowning:
Physics (5) : 100
Chemistry: (5) : 100
Civics (2) : 96

GPA is 97/100 would have been 99 if not for religion studies.

Rank : My school doesn’t rank, but I’m in the top 1%

B)
I volunteer in three places in my hometown :

  1. I volunteer in a preschool 3-6 hours a week. I mainly help the teacher and children, and also clean the yard and surroundings.
  2. I teach children (in elementary and middle school) 3 hours a week.
  3. I go to an after school club (For elementary school children) that face difficulties at school. I help them with homework and/or talk and play with them.

C)

  1. Me and another Junior in my school are working along with our English teacher to start our school’s first ever book club (Probably also the first book club in my town)
  2. I got into a program called MEET - Middle East Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow. The acceptance rate is 7%. The program has Arabs and Israelis working and learning Computer science and Business in a 2 Yearlongs and 3 Summers program. to create a common language between the teens a,d help resolve the ongoing conflict. This program in is partnership with MIT and provides MIT instructors (Grads and undergrads from MIT to teach during the summer). for more info go to www.meet.mit.edu.
  3. I got into a program called “The NIR school of the heart” almost same idea as MEET but the main theme is Medicine. www.nirschool.org. I was not able to attend this program because the dates of the program were the same as MEET’s dates.
  4. During Harvard’s Israel Trek 2014, the students came to my hometown ( One of the students is from my hometown) and they sat for dinner, 15 high school students were chosen to come and talk to them about life in Israel in general and also ask them about their own lives and experiences. I’m still friends with 6 of the students that came here.
  5. I’m part of a program at my school called “עתודה מדעית טכנולוגית” technological scientific reserve? - I’m not sure about the translation- This program is from the education ministry and it offers extra hours for excelling students that take 5 units in mathematics and 2 of the natural sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) and/ or computer science.
  6. I took theater classes for a year and was in a Play at the cultural center in my town during a visit from the Japanese embassy.

D) Basic information :
Sex = Male
Age = 15
Ethnicity = Caucasian
I have nothing more to add.

Thanks for replying!

2

Judge for yourself if you are on the right track. Although this blog is about MIT, the advice applies to all selective colleges, including Harvard: http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways

3

Thanks for the article. I loved it. I think I am going on the right track, I mean, I love the classes I’m taking, I’m doing really good in all of them, I like the places I volunteer in, I feel like I’m actually -even if ever so slightly- changing something, and all in all I think I’m doing the right thing.

4

Now, if you just limit your use of 55 word sentences that are broken up by 6 commas and 2 dashes, you’ll be in good shape come application time!

5

I’m sorry, what? :confused:

6

“Thanks for the article. I loved it. I think I am going on the right track, I mean, I love the classes I’m taking, I’m doing really good in all of them, I like the places I volunteer in, I feel like I’m actually -even if ever so slightly- changing something, and all in all I think I’m doing the right thing.”

@Falcon1 was talking about this. Don’t use 55-word sentences in your essays.