Application Questions

[Admiral]

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On the Common Application, in the section where you may report your IB/AP scores…</p>

<p>is it true that Harvard does not want to see standard level test scores (even if they are 7s?), and only wants higher level scores (although most IB students do not take HL until senior year)?</p>

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<p>I have no knowledge of this, but that doesn’t sound true to me. Anyone else?</p>

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when should you ask your teachers? before summer so that they have time to start the recs? or after summer so not to bother them over their break?

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<p>After summer is fine- there’s still plenty of time! But if you want to give your teachers a “heads up” before the summer, they might appreciate it (as long as you don’t rush them and expect them to have it done over summer).</p>

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Does Harvard have a foreign language requirement to get accepted? If so, where is that on the application?

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<p>There is no simple “requirement” as to what courses Harvard expects applicants to have taken, so it’s not as though there’s a place on the application to fill that in. This note on Harvard’s admissions FAQ might help:</p>

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There is no single academic path we expect all students to follow, but the strongest applicants take the most rigorous secondary school curricula available to them. An ideal four-year preparatory program includes four years of English, with extensive practice in writing; four years of math; four years of science: biology, chemistry, physics, and an advanced course in one of these subjects; three years of history, including American and European history; and four years of one foreign language.

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<p>[Harvard</a> College Admissions § Applying: Frequently Asked Questions](<a href=“http://admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/faq.html]Harvard”>http://admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/faq.html)</p>

<p>It is thus fairly typical for applicants to have taken four years of a foreign language, BUT that is not by any means required, or the best choice for every applicant. (I took only three years of high school Spanish, so that I could switch to taking AP Chemistry, and was accepted). It all depends on the circumstances. What are yours? Did you take a foreign language in high school? In that case you have nothing to worry about :)</p>

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If you wish to take a class at the local university that you are greatly passionate about, but it would lower your weighted GPA, should you still take it?

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<p>What a good question! When you say that it would lower your weighted GPA, is that because the course is not counted with the same weight as high school honors classes, or because you don’t expect to get a good grade? If it is the former (the weighting), I would suggest you take it! Harvard admissions doesn’t just look at a GPA by itself, and would never penalize you for taking extra college courses that you’re interested in.</p>