<p>I became so in love with Harvard: the appearance, the culture, the endless amount of opportunities at this outstanding university. I was even going to have my mom get out of work early next month to drive me almost an hour away to attend an event where Harvard will be talking about their school, along with others.</p>
<p>I am a Sophomore in High School, and I have a 2.9 GPA. I'm tremendously upset with myself that I made a poor choice not to work to the best of my abilities 9th grade year, but I didn't expect it to crush the dreams I have now. I have been told to look for other universities because I have absolutely no chance. I have read very discouraging things. The fact that I will not be able to pursue my interests and attain my goals at this place I admire so much is heart-breaking.</p>
<p>I'm still going to start the organization I was planning either way, and I will still try to get the best grades I possibly can even though my hopes have literally went down the drain.
But anyways, are there any good universities out there that are easier to get into, yet almost as good?</p>
<p>I was told no matter how hard I try, no matter how much I dedicate myself to bringing up my grades I have no hope. Are there any universities who are more forgiving, I guess? /:</p>
<p>Not sure how to answer such a question. It all depends on what you want out of your undergraduate experience – what you want to do when you finish. Fit not prestige matter much much more in colleges-- find the place that FITS-- not just one that has a “name.” Visit many, look at the materials, speak to students and you will know when you find the place that is right it may be Harvard, it may be a wonderful LAC or a terrific state university…all are very different experiences and all are equally valuable for the right person…Gosh, it could even be that place in New Haven…</p>
<p>Having no hope is only an illusion created by those who refuse to try. Harvard is a crapshoot for everyone. I got into three Ivies and MIT last year, yet was denied by Harvard. A lot of it is luck. Harvard likes to see an upward trend in grades. See if you can get mostly A’s in your next three years - you still have plenty of time. Find a passion for an activity and devote yourself to it - that says so much more to a college than joining dozens of clubs and having passion for none. </p>
<p>That said, if you don’t apply, you will have no hope. Hope is always there for those who are willing to look for it hard enough.</p>
<p>Yes, there are many schools that look like Harvard, offer many opportunities and have smart, motivated kids. (Full of all those kids who just plain old didn’t get an admit to H, but are still worthy.) You need to look at a big college guide like Princeton Review or Fiske Guide, for ideas.</p>
<p>I second pton’s thoughts about hope. What kind of naysayer disses you based on 9th grade? You can’t succumb to that and be the sort of person a top school likes. So, get going. </p>
<p>A nice, broad and deep set of ECs matters. Don’t get CC-itis about founding an organization and neglect the rest of what shows adcoms your stuff.</p>
<p>Okay, here’s my final piece of advice for you. Do NOT - I repeat, do NOT - fall in love with a school before you’re admitted, especially if that school is a top Ivy. Admissions is such a crapshoot. You could have made the best out of your situation, had top scores, found the cure to cancer, won every science thing there was to win, and still not get in because they simply weren’t looking for a scientist when your application came up (of course, I’m exaggerating a bit, but not much here). </p>
<p>I was in your situation, albeit early my senior year. I drove two hours to go to a college fair that Harvard, Georgetown, Duke, Stanford, and some other school held. Harvard was my second choice college and I, too, was very much in love with it. I listened and got some information from the admissions officer. I submitted a research paper that was submitted for publication. And come December, I was disappointed. I was disappointed again in late April. So remember this. Harvard is not everything. Going to a college fair that far away won’t help you much - you can get most of that information online. Though it may be beneficial to meet the admissions officer and speak to him/her, it is hard to do so because he/she will be swamped during the Q&A session unless you want to stay really, really late on a school night, a hundred miles from home. Don’t fall in love with it and don’t go out of your way for it.</p>
<p>Ugh! I try to stay away from “chance-me” threads, because they are sooooooo stupid, but then I read something like this where the OP has taken stupid things people say in a chance-me thread seriously.</p>
<p>OP, it’s true that you have practically no chance of getting into Harvard. It’s also true that if you had gotten a 4.0 GPA your freshman year you STILL would have practically no chance of getting into Harvard. As far as colleges are concerned, there are two schools of thought about 9th grade grades, good or bad: (1) They are meaningless. (2) They are almost meaningless.</p>
<p>It’s way too early for you to be thinking about Harvard or any other specific college. It’s great if you use your desire to go to a good college to inspire you to do the best you can in school now, but don’t hang your hat on any particular place. When it comes time to look seriously at colleges, you will find that there are dozens, maybe as many as 100 or more colleges that offer amazing opportunities for you to achieve your dreams. Harvard may be super-special, but the next hundred colleges probably get you no further than 88% of what Harvard offers, and no one student can actually take advantage of more than 1-2% of what any good college offers. There are many, many colleges that you can turn into Harvard for YOU if you are willing to work hard and make smart choices.</p>
<p>I’m a current Harvard student and I think Harvard is great. But the differences between what this school can offer you and what most schools can offer you is minimal. I had an internship this summer with students from universities across the country, some of which I had never even heard of. Do you think I had some special golden aura following me around because I went to Harvard? In the real world, what matters is how motivated you are and what you accomplish on your own initiative, wherever you are. No school can give that to you. JHS’s point about no student being able to take advantage of more than 1-2% is right on.</p>
<p>I think you can feel better in that you didn’t ruin your own chances, because your chances (and everyone’s) are already so bad to begin with. No one should ever bank on getting into Harvard, no matter how well they do. It’s something to vaguely hope for, and if you happen to get in, be thankful for. It’s not a goal you set that, when you fail to achieve it, becomes a source of self-criticism.</p>
<p>That’s true. I need to try my hardest so I can have a number of opportunities, not a letter from a specific school. Anyways, what is the lowest GPA someone has gotten in with? In a book by Harvard Crimson, I read that someone got accepted with a 2.75. It’s probably a typo. But I know people have gotten in with a 3.75.</p>
<p>Do the work this year, take rigorous courses, excel in them, find legit, relevant activities to throw yourself into, grow as an individual- and check in next summer. Btw, the health awareness thing isn’t quite what we mean by “responsibilities and impact.”<br>
To be prepared for a reasonable list of great colleges to apply to, colleges you like and can thrive at, you have to stand back from CC and do the conventional hard work, in school and in life. Dreaming about Harvard is…dreaming.</p>
<p>I’m glad you’re only a sophmore, because the people I tend to give the following rant to are usually seniors who could have used the advice earlier on (including me). Firstly, Harvard is an amazing university, that is not debatable in any way, but it is not alone. There are at least five or six universities (famously grouped as HYPSMC here in CC) that are seen as the same level as Harvard, and that is just here in CC, where high school students tend to believe that there is some sort of exponential effect of decreasing quality in the US News rankings. The truth is that there are many other amazing universities and LAC’s that offer what you will be looking for once you further define your interests. You might, or example, be better off going to Wesleyan if you suddenly develop a huge interest in film studies and want to attend a high caliber LAC with a very liberal atmosphere. That would be an example of FIT, which SHOULD be what determines where you apply to and ultimately attend. If you go to a college that you feel serves better your specific interests, both inside and outside the classroom, then you’ll maximize that institution’s resources in a way that you probably wouldn’t in what could be a more prestigious uni but with a different focus. That’s not to say a school like, say, Harvard would not be capable of offering you opportunities in film and an educational experience similar to that of an LAC, but Wesleyan would match that criteria better.*</p>
<p>Now, listen (or read?) closely. Do NOT let the rest of your high school experience be dictated by the college you CURRENTLY want to get into. Of course, you should keep in mind that you need basic things like very good grades, good ACT/SAT scores and commitment to a FEW EC’s, but those are just general rules. Don’t, for example, take AP Chemistry if you hate the subject because you believe it will impress adcomms. You can take AP Art History instead if that’s more your cup of tea, because more often than not they can see your intentions, and worse, you will be MISERABLE in hard classes you have no real interest in. Take the classes that you honestly WANT to take because the subject sincerely interests you and participate in a few EC’s that you enjoy so much that you’ll feel compelled to excell at not because you want it to look good in your application, but because you would have either way even if Fate had personally come to your house and announced your future enrollment at a community college. Do what you LOVE, without taking on too much work please, and trust me that you will end up at an excellent institution (which can fall under any top 50 or more Uni/LAC) that you’ll enjoy and whose resources will allow you to further your passions or explore new ones. Do not let the prospect of applying to a college define your high school years, it should be what you do in those years that defines the colleges you will apply to.*</p>
<p>Typed really fast on smart phone, please excuse any grammar and/or spelling mistakes.*</p>
<p>I’m just going to do my best in school and do things related to biology/health/english and helping others, because that’s what I like. If I get rejected, oh well. At least I’ll be content knowing I did things I enjoyed</p>