Any Chance at Harvard College?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>Hello!</p>

<p>As you can probably tell by my user name, I am a huge Duke fan and will probably (hopefully) attend Duke next fall.</p>

<p>On a whim, however, I decided to apply to Harvard as well. I submitted my application a few weeks ago, and I was contacted today for an alumni interview. I'd like to know if I have any shot at all before going into the interview, so I can know what to expect.</p>

<p>Here are my stats:</p>

<p>Personal Info:
• White
• Male
• North Carolina Student
• Both parents attended college, brother did not
• Applied for need-based aid</p>

<p>School/Grades/Classes:
• GPA: Weighted: 4.71; Unweighted: 4.0
Scale is 4.0; Honors are 5.0, AP are 6.0
• Rank: 1/195. None tied.
• Small public school in NC; about 1000 students.</p>

<p>• Classes
Freshman:
Honors English I
Honors Geometry
Honors Biology
Earth/Environmental Science
World History
Bible History I
PE
Visual Art I</p>

<p>Sophomore:
AP European History
Honors Algebra II
Honors English II
Honors Chemistry I
Civics/Economics
Spanish I
Drafting I
Yearbook</p>

<p>Junior:
AP English Language and Composition
AP Environmental Science
Honors Pre-Calculus
Honors English III
Honors Chemistry II
Honors Drafting/Architecture II
Honors US History
Spanish II</p>

<p>Senior:
AP English Literature and Composition
AP US Government & Politics
AP Statistics
Honors Calculus
AP Calculus AB
Honors Biology II
Honors Psychology
Honors Spanish III</p>

<p>Test Scores:
• SAT I: 2350
Critical Reading: 800
Writing: 780; 8 essay
Math: 770
• SAT IIs:
Math Level II: 770
Literature: 690
US History: 660
RETAKING IN JANUARY!
• AP
European History: 3
Environmental Science: 4
English Language and Comp: 5</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
• Student Council - Student Body President
• Youth Commission International - President
• Junior Civitans - Director
• Interact - Vice President
• National Honors Society
• Bible Club
• Drafting Club
• American Patriots' Club
• Spanish Club
• Science Club
• School Improvement Team</p>

<p>Awards/Honors:
• National Merit Semi-Finalist (almost guaranteed Finalist)
• George C. Knox Citizenship Award
• Boys State Delegate
• RYLA Attendee - full scholarship
• AP Scholar
• Chief Junior Marshal</p>

<p>Community Service:
• School's Service Committee Chariman
• Volunteer weekly at town shelter
• Volunteer w/ church youth group frequently
• Set up a tutoring academy at my high school to help underperforming students</p>

<p>Recommendations:
• Teacher #1: Amazing; English teacher with whom I am very close
• Teacher #2: Great; not as good as Teacher #1, but still great
• GC: Great as well, very close with both counselors at my school</p>

<p>Essay:
• Talk about my brother, who is mentally/developmentally disabled, and how he motivates me to succeed academically</p>

<p>EC Essay:
• Talks about my role in Student Council and how I've helped improve my school</p>

<p>Any input is appreciated!</p>

2

<p>You are a competitive applicant, but there is nothing so striking that would identify you as particularly likely to get in. I would highly encourage you NOT to apply to Harvard merely on a whim; this is a generally poor reason to apply to/attend a school. Either learn some more about the school or focus on what is clearly your preferred choice, Duke.</p>

3

<p>How can anyone chance you? Merely listing the name of clubs indicates nothing.</p>

4

<p>agreed w/ mentos. you don’t have a hook. you prob won’t stand out against the hundreds of others who have the same stats as you.</p>

5

<p>Your academics look strong (even though the number of AP’s you are taking are quite low compared to other competitve applicants).</p>

<p>Harvard wants students who have a passion for their future endeavors/pursuits, and based off your numerous club affiliations, it shows that you have no real “passion” for anything you do, correct me if I’m wrong.</p>

<p>I agree with the above posts. You can’t simply apply to Harvard just “to apply.” At least do some research on the school and not just apply simply because it’s #1, this will show in your interview when the EC asks you questions about the Harvard campus and “Why Harvard?”</p>

6

<p>Perhaps I misspoke when I said I was applying on a whim. What I meant to say is that while I would love to attend Harvard, I didn’t believe I was a strong enough applicant to be accepted. I applied because I would love to prove myself wrong on that front.</p>

<p>“based off your numerous club affiliations, it shows that you have no real ‘passion’ for anything you do, correct me if I’m wrong”</p>

<p>Oh no, you’re completely right! I have no passion for anything! Hence my peers electing me as their Student Body President, you know, because I have no passion.</p>

7

<p>I agree with the others saying that there seems to be no real focus in your extracurricular activites. Also, your AP scores, compared to other Harvard applicants, are low. Your GPA and SAT score however is good. Since you took the initiative to apply, you have a decent chance although it’s probably not as high as the other applicants who are more passionate in their EC’s.</p>

8

<p>You’re competitive so applying wouldn’t be a waste of the $60 or whatever it is. I don’t see what else there is to say.</p>

9

<p>People are being really harsh here. My academics are nowhere near as strong, and I’m going to a Harvard interview on Wednesday. My class rank is 38 out of 412, and I’ve only taken 3 AP’s since high school began. Here’s the thing about places like Harvard: with thousands of valedictorians applying that have ridiculous SAT scores, academics don’t count as much, and overall creativity on your application does. Someone that stands out to an admissions officer is someone that is really passionate about going, and gets really in depth to one or a few of his extracurriculars, rather than a math genius at the top of his class that is president of thirteen clubs. Admissions officers at Harvard can see through the ones that get good grades to satisfy personal ambition alone.</p>

<p>You’ll totally get into Duke, and that’s a great school, but I wouldn’t recommend applying to Harvard on a whim. Do it only if you really want to go, because, if you don’t, it will show on your application. Good luck!</p>

10

<p>You’re definitely a competitive applicant. And don’t listen to anyone who tells you “not to apply to Harvard on a whim” because that’s just bad advice. If you for any reason want to go there, even if it’s just for the name, and you are at least moderately competitive, you should apply because you just might get in. You, like me, probably did ECs because you enjoyed doing them. I really dislike the fact that people do certain ECs just because they think it’ll help them get into college. I did mine because they were things I thought were interesting to do.</p>

11

<p>Essay:
• Talk about my brother, who is mentally/developmentally disabled, and how he motivates me to succeed academically</p>

<p>Put your heart into this essay, and this could be what makes you standout. You’re very competitive, but you still need something to help you standout, and I think you can do that with your essay.</p>

12

<p>Honestly, with those horrendous SAT scores, that subpar GPA, valedictorian (lol), and barely being student body president of your school, you don’t stand a chance. You’re not even slightly competitive. Consider your $75 a donation to the school, and expect the interviewer to laugh at you for even thinking you had a shot.</p>

13

<p>“I’d like to know if I have any shot at all before going into the interview, so I can know what to expect.”</p>

<p>I don’t understand; how will this tell you what to expect? I bet if you posted a thread called “Harvard Interview, what should I expect?” you would get better responses than you’ve gotten so far.</p>

14

<p>@WedgeDawg: going to a college based on the name alone is a great idea, if you’d like to be miserable for the next four years. The ‘prestige’ factors of Duke and Harvard are comparable, particularly in the United States.</p>