<p>It's been my dream to attend Harvard Law since age seven. I've researched the school extensively, and truly believe it's the best option for me. Based on my credentials, do you think I can get in? (By the way, I'm the high school class of 2012.)
-3.7 unweighted, 4.3
weighted GPA (hope to
raise this during junior and beginning of senior year)
-all honors/AP courses (most rigorous courseload)
-National Honor Society, French Honor Society, Art Honor Society (will be
inducted this year)
-Varsity Forensics (competitive public speaking - Limited Prep. Broadcasting/Writing Editorials) Team
-Tennis Team (hope to make Varsity junior and senior years)
-Editor in Chief of school yearbook
-French Club Member
-job experience: babysitting/tutoring; hope to maintain a steady job during the school year once I turn 16 (no one will hire me
yet!)
-volunteering experience: Safety Town (teaching young kids safety skills, 25 hours per summer for the past 4 years); Arts and Crafts area at local Farmers Market (unsure of the hours just yet); Summer in the City (I live in suburban Detroit, so basically about 80 or so hours of helping the city/its kids this summer and next)
-Caucasian female; redhead (heard that may give me some minor edge, due to the rarity of my hair color?)
-Midwest (perhaps this could give me some sort of edge as well?)
-the husband of my grandmother's cousin attended Harvard, for the record; my uncle attended Yale
-interests/hobbies: photography, saxophone (may pick up some sort of Youth Symphony this year; when I played it in my school's band, I was first chair), guitar, skiing, drawing (have always been told I'm a good cartoonist; hope to pursue this in some way on the side, such as maybe even publishing a children's book before applying?)
-I'm a very good writer, and will probably write
a killer admissions
essay
-As I was only a sophomore this year, I
haven't yet taken the
ACT/SAT. Although my
scores are bound to
be at least pretty good. I took a PLAN (pre-ACT) test and it said my score could qualify me for elite schools; plus, whenever I do SAT/ACT practice problems, I know practically all the answers.</p>
<p>Thanks SO MUCH for your help! Like honestly I can't tell you how much your opinions/suggestions could help me!</p>
<p>What did u get on the PLAN test? YOur predicted ACT score is around 2-5 higher than your PLAN test score.</p>
<p>What concerns me is the lack of awards and the lack of leadership. SO in your junior year, apply to Intel, USAMO, USABO, USAPho, ISEF, and go for the Debate team captain.</p>
<p>Also, getting into Harvard Law and Harvard undergrad are 2 different things. Most harvard applicants get turned down by harvard law.</p>
<p>Yeah, I want to go to Harvard College as an undergrad, as well as ultimately its law school. Thanks a lot for the input! I’ve received some awards in terms of academics (“Principal’s List,” having earned one of the highest GPAs for the trimester), but how would you recommend I earn awards for my talents? And thanks for the recommendation on going for Debate Team captain; I think I’ll try it!</p>
<p>Oh and I lost my scores for the PLAN. But I remember it predicting something along the lines of a composite 30+?</p>
<p>Here is my advice to you:</p>
<p>Go to the Harvard forum and read the profiles of the admitted students. Then make up one that represents the composite of features you see that characterize admitted students. Then spend the next 18 months making that profile you. It will require top test scores, top grades in the most rigorous courseload available, and a passion/excellence represented in your ECs. Don’t get involved in ECs just because they look good. Find some ECs/activities that you are truly interested in, so that that fire drives your performance.</p>
<p>In the short term, you need to be preparing for the PSAT and SAT. You will take the PSAT in October for the NMF competition, and you should take the SAT at the closest test date so that your prep time can serve double duty. Your ultimate goal is an SAT above 2250, and closer to 2400 the better.</p>
<p>But even then, you need to know that Harvard admissions is never a sure thing, and you must have a broader sense of your future and self-worth than merely attending any give university.</p>
<p>Hahahahaha, sadly, as a ginger, your chances are no better than a blonde or a brunnette. Sorry to break it to ya.</p>
<p>A 3.7 GPA is very low by Harvard standards: and yes, I’m serious. You’re only a rising junior, so it’s not the end of the world, but you’ll need to get all A’s next year if you want to be a serious contender for admission: DO NOT take this lightly. Work hard and do good in your classes. I’m not saying that one B will get you denied, but it’s Harvard, so you need every A you can muster.</p>
<p>Your EC’s are average: your test scores need to be high, and from what your PLAN score is, I’m guessing your ACT score will be in the 29-33 range, which is still a low score for unhooked applicants.</p>
<p>Please do not get your hopes up. I’m sorry. 
I like to give good news more than most posters on the chances forms, but Harvard is a high reach for you, so I would not count on getting admitted.</p>
<p>Also, going to Harvard for undergrad certainly does not guarantee you admission to Harvard Law School. I wouldn’t even be thinking about grad school right now, it’s much too far off and you’ve got four years until that should start forming in your mind. Just focus on school; next year is critical.</p>
<p>I hope this all helped… not trying to be mean, I promise, just being a realist. Best of luck! :)</p>
<p>Thanks for all your help, and decrescendo thanks for the honesty; it’s a real wake up call for me to do whatever is
in my power to improve my stats.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Instant admission guaranteed.</p>
<p>^Hahahahaha</p>
<p>It’s no problem. Remember: Harvard is <em>possible</em> but not <em>probable</em> with your given stats. That’s undergrad. If you get denied undergrad, grad school is an entirely different story. So just work hard in school and hope for the best. And if denied admission, you’re no lesser of a person than any other applicant: just understand that the Harvard applicant pool is the most competitive one on Earth.</p>
<p>Do you think if I raise my GPA up to a 4.0 uw I’ve got more of a probable shot?</p>
<p>I don’t think you can raise your UW to a 4.0 but if you get all A’s you might get it up to a 3.85 or something.</p>
<p>…Yeah, of course it helps. But you’ve already gotten B’s, so your unweighted GPA can never be a 4.0 again.</p>
<p>Dang it. Which do they look at more so? Weighted or unweighted? Cause my weighted one will most likely be really high. And idk i heard if you really raise your grades and get like all solid As (no A-s) that shows determination/ability to persevere and stuff. And also did you get accepted or something? (: hahahaha.</p>
<p>Harvard looks at your weighted in the context of the difficulty of your course work. I don’t think your shot is good at all with that kind of UW GPA, a 3.8 is already really stretching it. Unless you get some outstanding award, I just don’t see it happening, sorry.</p>
<p>You aren’t really at the point where you’re competitive for Harvard. Try your luck when it comes time for law school</p>
<p>what people don’t realize is that weighting means nothing. its just an indication of what the colleges consider to be significant. if you say i haved an unweighted 3.8 and a rigorous courseload there is no point in weighting it</p>
<p>What can I do to be competitive then!?</p>
<p>For undergrad? Not much. Get your grades up, do phenomenally on the ACT, and try to win some state/national awards in debate/enter national competitions/that kind of thing. But at this point, it’s highly unlikely. Your best bet for Harvard Law will be to go to the best school to which you are accepted (which isn’t to say you should apply to other Harvard-caliber schools, but out of a realistic pool of schools to which you apply) and get the highest GPA and LSAT score possible. Law school admissions are not like college admissions.</p>
<p>^glassesarechic gives great advice, as usual.</p>
<p>Don’t let this stop you from applying to Harvard. By all means, apply. But your chances of getting in are very, very slim. There are plenty of other top-40 schools that you’d have a much better shot of getting into. Set your sights a little lower for undergrad and be realistic: get a high college GPA and LSAT score, and go from there.</p>
<p>You can’t go from high school to Harvard Law, just fyi. Getting into Harvard undergrad is no indication that you will get into Harvard Law. If you are truly interested in law, focus your ECs on that.</p>
<p>“the husband of my grandmother’s cousin attended Harvard”
I’m pretty sure that will not have any weight on your app.</p>