So I’m gonna join the every person ever in highschool on here n ask about college stats. So like I wanted to know if it would b somewhat reasonable for me to get into Harvard REA. My ECs are smth I’m kinda happy with. I started a non-profit that raised about 25K for international education equality, and in a co founder at a nonprofit which helps provide medical equipment around the world (still kinda in the works). I did independent research about mental illness and the neurological basis of it and used it to creat policy change in three states. Im the leader of a nationally based mental health policy change campaign and we’ve gotten a few mental health bills in the making. I’m the debate captain and president. Plus I’m the regional HOSA VP (tho that kinda means nothing). Ummm. I published research in an NIH journal bout neuroscience related things (not like first name or anything lol). Plus a few other like small things. I have some international n state awards too in biology fields :). BUT I kinda messed up my grades n they’re a 3.85 UW gpa and a weighted (unofficial) 4.5. I had a really severe illness from 6-11th grade which got much worse in 10th which is when I got most my B’s but 11th was all A’s btw. My sat is a 1570 and ACT is a 35. Y’all think Harvard is worth trying for or…?
^^oh btw I wanna apply as a neuroscience major
"So like I wanted to know if it would b somewhat reasonable for me to get into Harvard REA. " If by reasonable you mean a 5% chance of admission then yes.
“mmm. I published research in an NIH journal bout neuroscience related things (not like first name or anything lol).” Will the professor with whom you did the research be writing your letter of recommendation?
Be sure your guidance counselor addresses your illness in their LOR.
ya they should b able to write a LOR about it and a rev letter from the prof I just wanted to know if I would b like wasting my time applying. So thnx 
Is that UW GPA 3.85/4.0?
If so, how is that “messed up”?
But also, how does that have multiple “Bs”?
By my school does it by semester so by multiple I mean like 1 B end grade which is technically 2 b ( one for each semester) and like one other B in one semester.
And ya it’s unweighted
Consider Duke University as well as–if I recall correctly–Duke has a brain research institute located on campus.
Harvard is a major reach for any unhooked applicant. Their admission rate is around 5%. If you want to apply, then go ahead and give it your all. As discussed above your guidance counselor should note your illness in his/her LOR.
But also…Expand your horizons. If you don’t get into Harvard there are many outstanding colleges and universities where you can study neuroscience, have a great 4 year expereince and get where you wan to go in life. Spend the time and energy to come up with a well balanced college list that includes reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable (run net price calculator) and that you would be excited to attend.
What would count as a hook? Like I’m from a square state n I have like a patent for an invention related to neuroscience. Would that mean anything in terms of a hook?
My first reaction reading your post is that if you want to have any hope at all of being accepted to a selective college or university then your essays had better be written with greater care than your post.
Very few people have hooks. A hook is a person who fulfills an institutional need of a college …things like being the child of a huge donor, a recruited athlete, someone who would bring positive publicity to the college etc. If you had a hook you would know it.
While it might be a tad helpful to be from a state that gets fewer than normal applicants to Harvard that would not be a hook – Harvard always attracts not just a nation-wide but a world-wide application pool. And I would not consider a patent to be a hook unless perhaps it has famously/truly revolutionized the study of neuroscience. Again very few applicants have hooks.
Focus on making your application as strong as you can and once it is submitted move on and apply to other great colleges.
Lol thnx. Sry for my trashy grammar by the way. I was kinda treating it like a txt convo. Oop
Thnx for ur feedback tho 
MODERATOR’S NOTE: The Terms of Service require that posts are in English. “Txt convo” does not count as English. @YEIInotsure
Personally, I think you have a very strong chance of getting in as long as your essays are good. Clearly, you are very good at neuroscience related stuff, which your extracurriculars back up. Also, you will be applying with strong test scores at a time when not many people have ACT and SAT, so you will get a boost from your scores. Additionally, one B is not going to cause you to get rejected. Having done all the stuff you did with an illness, you have a good chance of getting in.
Based on your profile and your interests, if I were you, I wouldn’t “waste” your REA on Harvard.
A GPA of 3.85, while in the top 5% of higher of all colleges applicants overall, is still in the bottom of the mid-50% of accepted students, if not in the bottom 25% (their average last year was 3.95). That means that, while you still are competitive, your chances are most likely below average. Average acceptance rate is less than 5%. Now, while REA acceptance rate is 13.4%, this includes recruiter athletes with acceptance rates of 80% or higher, legacies, kids of donors, kids on special lists, etc. Non-hooked kids are likely closer to 7%, and kids whose stats are below average of the accepted students are likely even lower than that.
There are many top schools at which your profile + ED application would put you in a pretty high chances of acceptance category. For Harvard, it may move you from 2% (RD) to 4% or 5%. Realistically speaking, a 95% chance of rejection isn’t that different from a 98% chance of rejection.
Good luck, though. As I wrote, your stats make you competitive for a very large range of very good colleges, so I recommend that you start looking through these colleges to find those which are a good fit for you.
I don’t really buy into the “waste” notion on REA or ED. I’ve seen so many kids get trapped by their own game theory… heading off to Penn with dread because they didn’t REALLY love Penn, but everyone told them that if they don’t apply early, they won’t get in (especially for legacies) when they really wanted “fill in the blank” other college. Or pining away for Dartmouth while they head off to Middlebury because early at Middlebury was a reasonably sure thing, but “wasting” their card on Dartmouth was risky. And wondering- did I play it too safe?
This isn’t a game. I know I’m in the minority on CC- but I think kids should apply early if and only if they have a clear first choice, and if and only if their stats and everything else make them a reasonable applicant. And then forget about it- and work on the other applications which hopefully will be to a balanced list of reach, match and safe colleges which are likely affordable and where the kid would be happy to go.
OP- you love Harvard? Go for it. Don’t spend the next four years at JHU which has absolutely fantastic resources in neuro if you’re going to constantly be wondering if you could have gotten into Harvard if you’d applied early. Apply, and forget about it while you work on the “not Harvard but pretty fantastic college” list. You could have a 4.0 in addition to everything else you have and STILL get rejected (in fact, very high probability of that). This could be the year when Harvard has thousands of “I love Neuro” kids but is digging deep to find the kids who have studied Greek and Latin and hope to major in Classics, or the year that the Adcoms get excited to read the applications from the kids who are published poets and playwrights. You have no idea who else is in the pile.
Go for it, and then get going on your likely/safety list.
Credibility is affected here by the style of writing. I am also always curious when high schoolers create non-profits or write legislative bills and so on. If you want a serious discussion of your chances, I would repost in a way that does not resemble texting
@blossom Yes and no. Applying to a school one doesn’t want ED is not a good idea.
However, I also do not believe that there is One True College for every student. So putting all one’s efforts, and all one’s hopes and dreams into a college which is almost certain to reject them is a waste of more than ED, but of the next few years.
The OP should first look through the huge number of colleges out there with Neuroscience programs. They should choose one of the colleges which is the best fit to them if they want to apply ED.
The OP is saying two things, the first is “I want to study neuroscience”, and the second is “I want to study at Harvard”. I think that they should focus on the statement which presents a plan for the OP’s next four years and beyond, not one that presents a plan that ends in December.
I also think that there are much better places for the OP, especially if they are not only looking for an undergrad in Neuroscience, but about continuing on to grad school.