<p>There is a senior in my high school who is currently 19. She will be 20 in early 2013. The reason why she is still in high school is that she immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea when she was 17. Instead of becoming a junior, she decided to start high school from the very beginning. However, she was already extremely adept at chemistry, biology, physics, math, history, English, etc. Even though she is an immigrant, she speaks English fluently and with no accent. She's already taken 15+ AP tests and has gotten mostly 5s on all of them. She's editor-in-chief of my school's yearbook, school newspaper, and daily newsletter. She is also the co-president of my school's music honor society & captain of the volleyball team. My school has around 2000~ kids and she is dominating almost every aspect of it.
I've heard her brag about how she requires 2-3 hours of sleep every night. One of the reasons why she is so accomplished is that she is much older and mature than everyone in her grade. Will her age offset some of her achievements? Do you think Harvard admissions officers will be impressed?</p>
<p>Q: Will her age offset some of her achievements?
A: No. In 1997, Mary Fasano became the oldest person ever to earn a Harvard degree when she graduated from the Extension School at the age of 89. Did her age offset her achievements? Nope.</p>
<p>Q: Do you think Harvard admissions officers will be impressed?
A: Harvard is impressed by a person’s character. That’s an old fashioned word, it means the way you develop your inner qualities: intellectual passion, maturity, social conscience, concern for community, tolerance and inclusiveness. </p>
<p>Colleges learn about your character from comments made by teachers and guidance counselors in their recommendation letter as well as an applicant’s personal statement. So, to answer your question, it all depends on subjective factors that are pretty much out an applicant’s control.</p>
<p>See: [Guidance</a> Office: Answers From Harvard’s Dean, Part 1 - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/harvarddean-part1/]Guidance”>Guidance Office: Answers From Harvard's Dean, Part 1 - The New York Times)</p>
<p>"Personal qualities and character provide the foundation upon which each admission rests. Harvard alumni/ae often report that the education they received from fellow classmates was a critically important component of their college experience. The education that takes place between roommates, in dining halls, classrooms, research groups, extracurricular activities, and in Harvard’s residential houses depends on selecting students who will reach out to others.</p>
<p>The admissions committee, therefore, takes great care to attempt to identify students who will be outstanding “educators,” students who will inspire fellow classmates and professors."</p>