Be harsh please! chances.

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
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<p>I've already posted up the same thing in "What's my chances" forum... Sorry if you see a same post again!</p>

<p>Hi, I am a Korean Female, a junior in Canada applying as an international. These are projected stats by next year. I want to study bioinformatics, computer science or biology. I want to apply for few top schools, I know it is going to be a very big reach for me... but might as well try anyway.</p>

<p>SAT I: 2210
SAT IIs: Above 700s, probably literature, math II, and one science</p>

<p>GPA: Low, but keep in mind, in Canada we have a very big grade deflation, especially at my school. My school is a very competitive public school that is one of the top in Canada. 80-100% is an A here. We have about 2 or 3 people going to Ivies every year.</p>

<p>9: 86%
10: 75% - explained below
11: 84%
12: around 90%</p>

<p>Rank: Our school doesn't rank</p>

<p>Counselor Rec: Worried about this because my counselor really doesn't seem to like me because I constantly bother her with courses stuff, and she's one of the lazy kind who tells kids "Just go to local college" and discourages you from applying anywhere good</p>

<p>Location: Fairly small city in Canada</p>

<p>Volunteering/ECs:
- 9 - 60 hours in school board's international language school
- 9 - Relay for Life volunteer, an event held by Canadian Cancer Society as a fundraiser
- 11 - Multicultural Show Executive (Manage performers, dancers, call practices), also a show dancer(grade 10, 11)
- 11 - a 12 hour dance-a-thon executive; fundraiser for a Christmas party held at our school for underprivileged kids (I also volunteered for this every year)
- 11, 12 - Multicultural Dinner Executive (in charge of putting together food for a large dinner for 300 people), and volunteer for this in grade 9 and 10
- 10, 11, 12 - youth symphony orchestra (violin)
- 11, 12 - Sunday school at church weekly
- 11, 12 - Nursing home: 4 hours a week
- 11 - Organized a science olympic for local elementary students at our school in a committee</p>

<p>Other stuff:
- Qualified for AIME in grade 9
- 9, 10, 11, 12 - attended McTic (Math Challenge Team Invitational Competition)
- 11, 12 - attended ARML
- 11, 12 - Qualified for Regionals of ECOO Computer Science competition
- 11, 12 - Attended many science olympiads held by universities in Canada</p>

<p>I have suffered from an eating disorder(diagnosed with bulimia nervosa) and depression. Worst was the 10th grade, where my average was very low as you can see in the top. I also have ADD contributing to my procrastination, inattentiveness and impulsivity - therefore low GPA. But my school has never known this and I never got any different treatments because of this(such as a longer test taking time). Would mentioning this help me explain my low GPA? Would it do harm to mention the depression part since the Virginia Tech Cho tragedy? (also since that I'm Korean, it might have a worse impression) I just think it will help me explain my low GPA; I was thinking about writing an essay about my recovery from the eating disorder, but it seemed too generic. What do you think?</p>

<p>Sorry for the very long post! Thank you in advance :D</p>

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<p>I also want to know what I can improve on, etc.</p>

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<p>hi smugg, i'm unfamiliar with international acceptance criteria, so i'm just going to look at this using a west coast standard.</p>

<p>test scores: unexceptional but still v good</p>

<p>grades: hard to say, but improving trend in last 3 years is helpful, especially if you discuss reason in your essay. </p>

<p>recc letter: if you're unsure about counselor letter, make sure to get some strongly positive letters from people who know you well, e.g. someone you know from your volunteering. </p>

<p>ecs: looks like a good wellrounded list. it's usually better to have more indepth work in fewer areas than to spread yourself too thin. see below...</p>

<p>accolades: you should try to place in some competition on a provincial level, whether it's in math, or music, or something else. depending on where you live, this may be harder or easier than average. </p>

<p>overall: looks fine. i'd be a little concerned about the grade. also, in general, i'd work on being really good at one of your ec's, and make sure that you can find some way to mark the amount of work you put in. good luck</p>

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<p>Harvard Wants High SAT 2260+ [No Affirmative Action Advantage Here]-SAT IIs Should Be 700-800, Best Would Be 750-800. Hopefully Your Rank Top 5 or 1. You Are Going To Have To Explain Grade Deflation [Harvard Wants High 90s Unweighted][Send Letter Explaining Drops in Grade][I Wouldn't Explain Too Much Toward the Depression~I Don't Think Harvard Wants Any Hints of A Mentally UnBalanced Student~You Have To See From Their Perspective Here(Dangerous Kid Can Scare Away Applicants)(Not That I Am Implying You Are)][Explain Some of The Issues At An Interview Would Help~If It Is Innate=Dont~If It Is Due To Family Circumstances or Events=Do] I Don't Want To Step On Your Toes But You Should Consider Some Other Ivies Besides Harvard Too. Unless Your Essay is Superb, You Might Have Problems Just Getting a Full Read~It's Difficult Explaining 80s and 70s to Harvard When The Applicant Pool is Top Notch Strong 90s to High 90s on Average. However Kids With Low 90s and High 80s Do Get In, That Is Because of Some Outstanding Talent or Some Unparalled Determination to Succeed;That From the Information You Gave, I Just Cannot Gather What Would Help You Easily Stand Out[Good Extra-Curriculars Though]. Unless You Overcame Major Obstacles In Your Life; Harvard Is An Amazing Reach. I Would Apply to All Ivies If Your Parents Are Bent on You Entering One. Regardless, Best of Luck!</p>

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<p>Why Are You Beginning Every Single Word With A Capital Letter, It's Wierd.</p>

<p>@ OP:</p>

<p>Your best bet would be to write your essay on your disorder: how it has affected you, and how it has changed you.</p>

<p>SATs aren't very important, and no one really knows what Harvard "wants."</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>what AY8888 said about "not talking about your depression",</p>

<p>I mean, if you (OP) have overcame bulimia and, as kwu said, has changed you (in a positive way, I hope), I don't see the reason why you shouldn't talk about it. After all, one thing that most people on this board agree on is that colleges love people who have faced a challenge (or challenges) in their life that eventually enriched them.
And I agree with kwu again, nobody knows what it takes to get you into Harvard.
So just do the best you can while in high school and then when the time for applications comes, do your best in presenting your strongest features, experiences and insights :)</p>

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<p>I mean mental disorder not eating disorder lol. If you're a raving lunatic, I don't think you should tell Harvard that or albeit even apply. I said if it is something that you overcame and don't have anymore, than it is unique hence"Some Outstanding Talent or Some Unparalled Determination to Succeed[Missing Words : Triumph over Poverty, Disease, Trauma, etc etc]" Although no-one knows what Harvard Wants, 80s,70s and almost 90s are hard for the admissions to ignore even if it is improving grades. I am only talking respective to the Harvard applicant pool. Although I wish her the best of luck, it might be wiser to aim to some less competitive ivies.</p>

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<p>Also: The Difficulty Level of Your Courses Will Also Be Factored In Relative to Your School. Since it is international, class rank might have some weight. In the end, it is you compared to the opportunities available to you at your school and your environment.</p>

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<p>I'd advise against mentioning the ED -- it's a very touchy topic. ED's are brought on by stress, and relapses in an overly stressful environment (ex: an Ivy's curriculum) would be all too likely.</p>

<p>The best would be to mention you went through a tough personal period, perhaps offer the reasons that lead to your ED, but refrain from actually mentioning it. To be frank, schools don't want a health hazard. Especially in the form of an ED, because they are all too common and are too easy to relapse. (Speaking from experience, please don't think I'm just a snob.)</p>

<p>Regarding ADD, be sure to mention it. But if you have no medical records to back it up, they may look at it as just an excuse. Admissions are lenient, but remember they also have a plethora of other better equipped students, and they can't make several exceptions just for one.</p>

<p>I think if the Harvard Admissions applied what one nutcase did at VT to an entire race, their entire Ivy League status should be revoked. If you feel it adequately explains your GPA then of course you should mention it.</p>

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<p>I doubt Harvard is going to apply what one nutcase did in VT to an entire race{It's Harvard after all}{Harvard cares about talent not race}. But it is difficult to make up reasons for low grades{I can easily come up with excuses if I had low grades=Family business pushed me to work 72 Hours a week during the school year and 84 Hours during the summer for 5 years of my life and I still maintain a 99+ unweighted}. The best advice is to apply to more schools because if you're 100% set on Harvard, the odds are that you are going to be disappointed. I applied to 6 schools and would be happy to go to 4 of the 6. Better cast your net wide if you want to get a large catch. Good Luck!</p>

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<p>^WHY ARE YOU TYPING LIKE THAT!</p>

<p>You'll probably be fine if you work on your ECs more and focus on getting really good SATII scores/a high senior average</p>

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<p>"I'd advise against mentioning the ED -- it's a very touchy topic. ED's are brought on by stress, and relapses in an overly stressful environment (ex: an Ivy's curriculum) would be all too likely.</p>

<p>The best would be to mention you went through a tough personal period, perhaps offer the reasons that lead to your ED, but refrain from actually mentioning it. To be frank, schools don't want a health hazard. Especially in the form of an ED, because they are all too common and are too easy to relapse."</p>

<p>Guys, if you read ED as "Early Decision" ...
XD</p>

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<p>Low chances. 10-15%.</p>

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<p>10-15% is pretty good. That's Harvard's typically admission rate :p. You sure Mr Payne?</p>

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<p>Low enough to start looking at other schools. :)</p>

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<p>Thanks everyone!</p>

<p>Well, I do agree with what most of you think. I know harvard is a very big reach for me. My main goal is just to get into around top 25 schools I guess. hmm do you think that's possible!?</p>

<p>Yeah, I thought I shouldn't mention the eating disorder part either. it's definitely true that it's very easy to relapse. But an eating disorder can really explain a low GPA(for people who understand mental illnesses) because the disorder takes over everything. But you never know who is going to be reading your application and what they think about mental illnesses. Eating disorders are supposed to be a pretty big problem in colleges and the college probably doesn't want another person who has(or had) problems with it. But I've also heard of a person who wrote an essay about the recovery and it really helped her explain her GPA, and she got accepted.. Both sides(mentioning it/not mentioning it) has good and bads I guess...</p>

<p>As for my ADD, if I am mentioning it, Do I just get my doctor to write a short note?</p>

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<p>I would say mention it, definitely. You can't control what they're going to think of you, but you can control their knowing every aspect of context that explains your application. I think an essay about the development of your disorder and what you learned from it could be amazingly touching and profound - IF it has shaped you as a person. Generally, I'd suggest showing yourself as completely as possible on your application, because how can they decide if they want to accept YOU if they don't know who YOU really are?? And I would always regret not showing some side of my personality if I were rejected - I would think, wow, but what if they had just known this about me? Maybe then they would have better understood this about me, and maybe then this over here would have made sense, and maybe then things would click, and I would have been accepted? At least if you throw yourself out there, and show who you are, in the most complete and positive way that you can, you will KNOW that if you are accepted, you are accepted because you are YOU and the admissions committee thinks YOU would be a great fit for their school. And if you are rejected, you know the admissions committee feels that after completely evaluating who YOU are, they've decided their school just won't completely match your needs and interests! But if you leave something out, there's always that piece of regret if you are rejected. And if it's something as important as an eating disorder, I would predict that your application could seem VERY incomplete without mentioning it - after all, low grades speak to laziness or not caring or something, without some sort of understanding of an illness. </p>

<p>So, I'd say, MENTION IT. I know my essay topic was hard to write because I discussed a time in my life I don't discuss with anybody. But I realized my motivations, my goals, my actions throughout high school all make so much more sense when viewed in the context of that formative time for me, and what I learned. I have a feeling a time like one where you are suffering from such stress as an eating disorder, and when you learn to overcome it(! which is an amazing and wonderful thing within itself) could be similar. So, to disagree with the sentiments you expressed in your post, I'd suggest that you talk about it. After all, If some admissions officer reads that you had an eating disorder and judges you negatively, do you really want to go to that school?</p>

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<p>lalaloo, thanks very much for your reply. I do agree with most of things you said.</p>

<p>Yes, I will probably regret that I didn't explain about my disorder if I didn't get accepted. I was just afraid what they'd think about an another person who is suffering/suffered from ED, since it is a pretty big problem in colleges. I've also heard of people saying, writing about an eating disorder recovery is very generic because a lot of people write about it. And obviously having a disorder is going to count against you, simply because, it is a mental disorder. But if it can explain my GPA I guess I'd take the risk. Plus I do want them to see who I really am.</p>

<p>I'm really getting worried about college now.</p>

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<p>Ay8888 -
When you say these specific numbers of "what Harvard wants", what is that based upon? Is there a list of statistics somewhere or are you just guessing? </p>

<p>I'm just curious. Thanks!</p>

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<p>epic win if you get in
fulfill that asian dream</p>