Hello, My name is Paloma. I am currently a sophomore in a Texas high school and it’s been my goal to attend Harvard University since a young age. I have been at the top of my class since middle school and I take school very serious, especially the STEM field. My life revolves around math, science, and the life-long desire to help people. The University of North Texas offers a program in which sophomores can leave to study STEM at their campus and I have applied. I would like to then transfer to Harvard after my two years there. I am aware of the difficulties getting in and I am committed to making sure I meet those requirements. Does any student currently attending Harvard have any advice for me? It/Any will be heavily appreciated!!! (:
Although I’m not a student at Harvard, my daughter was. The best advice anyone can give you is found on MIT’s website. Every word in that blog applies to Harvard as well as Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and many other great schools. Follow the advice as you would a rubric for a test and you will find that many college doors will open for you. It may not be at Harvard, but it will be at a strong college with infinite opportunities: http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways.
Is the Texas program considered an early college program? Will it make you a transfer student? If the answer is yes, that might be a problem as it is easier to get in as a freshman and not a transfer.
Thank you!
And I believe so. After junior and senior years there, students have the option to stay or transfer from there but by the end of TAMS, a student would have acquired at most 57 college credits. If it gets harder to be accepted, I guess I’ll have to work hard to earn it.
Thanks, so I will have to apply after my first year at UNT?
I haven’t even attended college yet. I’m a sophmore in high school, not college.
Your situation might be a bit complicated. For students who take dual enrollment courses (classes at the local college while in high school), these college credits do not count against them as they are still high school students. When you go to your Texas program, I assume you won’t have a high school diploma, which means you are not a high school graduate, yet you will be a college student. The question is, what will Harvard, and other schools consider you, if you have attended college WITHOUT a high school diploma. Typically college credits before graduation are not considered transfer credits. But technically this is not dual enrollment so, who knows.
You probably want to check with the counseling staff at the Texas program and ask them about acceptance rates and transfer options specifically for their students. I am sure this is not a unique situation for them and they would know best, because they can look at past cases. You also want to contact Harvard, and any other school that you are interested in attending and ask them about how they treat early college. You will be in a unique situation in that you will be attending college but won’t have graduated from high school, kind of putting you in limbo. Typical rules may not apply, but do not depend on random strangers on the internet to translate these rules for you. Speak to people at the colleges you hope to attend and be sure to get things in writing (for example in an email) so you can refer back to what you were told if you find that rules have changed over time.
I think this will be a very difficult path for you. Not only is transfer a more difficult and complicated path, but you will be 2 years younger than other transfer applicants. I think that would put you at a significant disadvantage.
^^ I agree that it will be far more difficult applying to Harvard as a transfer applicant than a freshman applicant. I disagree about the age difference. I personally know a 16-year old admit to Harvard; he was bright enough and mature enough that the age difference didn’t matter. I’m assuming that would be the case with the OP.
^ I certainly don’t believe that the age would be an absolute barrier, but I still think it adds another factor to overcome in comparison with other transfer applicants. Regardless, this is a difficult way to go.
Harvard doesnt mind if you take college classes before you graduate from high school. They wont give you credit for them. They are used for placement purposes only. They can help make you a more competitive applicant. Harvard does have advanced standing but that is based upon performance on AP or IB exams only. I would not apply as a transfer student. It is way too hard
In the classes themselves age doesnt matter as long as you are 18. Lots of undergraduates take graduate courses
If you apply as a freshman applicant that’s true, but the OP is planning to apply as a transfer applicant – and Harvard gives full credit for college courses if those courses do not count towards your high school graduation credits. See: https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/application-process/transferring-harvard-college/transfer-credits
No that’s not true. Here’s a 16 year old who matriculated to Harvard. He just graduated Harvard last year as a 20-year old: http://wordplay.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/28/sing-milo/
I conversed with my counselor over it today, and she informed me that a former student did TAMS and was thriving in it. After he had finished his two year terms, MIT accepted his coursework and all was well. MIT was his number one choice after TAMS. I’ll purse my interests to the ends of this universe and if I decide to apply elsewhere, I would definitely choose MIT. I’m interested in the engineering branch very, very much, but I am not aware which in particular stands out to me…yet. I’m currently involved in programs and courses that enhance my inquiry towards aerospace engineering, software engineering, and nuclear physics.
The reason I posted a thread here, is because I am currently doing a semester final for my College Prep. class and I have to research a career/future I am interested in pursuing. I was also looking for guidance with the whole TAMS ordeal. Gibby, Thank you very much for your detailed input (as well as anybody else who posted). Strangers helping strangers is scarce. (:
Highly selective schools want students that do stuff besides just study.
Of course, that was a frame of the a field I am wanting to major in. Extracurricular activities and the post Gibby made are vital points when applying to any university/college.
Why don’t you graduate from a Texas university in 2 more years after high school and then apply to “prestigious” graduate schools?
My child went to TAMS. A classmate went to MIT, as a freshman, and none of her TAMS/UNT (all A’s) credits was accepted by the university. During TAMS orientation, it was explained to us that TAMS/UNT credits are accepted by majority of the Texas State Universities and other state schools, but top tier schools is another story. These schools policy change every years, they can accept all, some or none, there’s no set rules, and past acceptance of credits have no bearing on current or future policy.
Just my 2 cents (-:
A couple of questions. One, are you absolutely sure you want to leave high school? You certainly have the academic passion and talent, but are there other things you might be leaving behind, including friends, and the opportunity to explore extracurriculars in and out of school? You sound mature, but developmentally you are still a youngish teen.
Second, why have you been dreaming of Harvard from a young age? When young people come on the Harvard forum and write things like that, I worry? There are many excellent colleges and universities out there. For engineering, Harvard may not even be the best, among many good choices.
If you go to UNT, the most reasonable thing would be to finish there. Math, science and engineering classes are foundational and sequential and it is really better to take the whole sequence at one school if you can. Why don’t you want to stay there?
I think you might want to look at the bigger picture here.
And getting in to Harvard as a transfer is nearly impossible. Almost noone leaves Harvard. If you really want to go there, take classes for dual enrollment and count them toward high school, and stay in high school. But again, there is no good reason to grow up "dreaming"of Harvard, only because it is a school everyone has heard of 