can somebody help me determine my chances at harvard?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
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<p>My parents are clueless about college; my counselors are overworked and are mainly concerned with getting kids in my high school into public Texas universities. I spend my time in between double shifts at work sitting in Barnes & Noble pouring through college guidebooks (because, pathetic as it I can't spend money on them) and trying to figure some of this stuff out. I'm still overwhelmed though. Essentially I have nobody to help me, my parents think UT-Austin would be a good match for me but I'm already in because of Texas top 10% ruling. Both my parents went to college but my dad was the first in his family and went to some tiny private NJ college...basically NOBODY has any experience or knowledge.</p>

<p>I'm a Hispanic female from a public high school in Texas (I'm half Mexican and half white, I don't think that matters though.)</p>

<p>TEST SCORES:
PSAT: 214 (I will probably get National Hispanic Merit Scholar and cross-my-fingers Commended??)
SAT Math: 650 (I hope to raise this to above 700 when I take it again, but I couldn't afford to do a prep course like most other kids I know)
SAT Critical Reading: 800
SAT Writing:800
--I haven't taken SAT Subject Tests but I should probably score high on Spanish and Literature. Kind of freaking out about the Math IC or IIC (haven't chosen yet) though!
AP Spanish: 4
AP Psychology: 5 (I don't know if this one matters much though)
AP English Language: 5
IB Psychology: 6 (on a scale of 7)</p>

<p>** I'm an IB Diploma candidate. I also did the Middle Years Program, which is a 5-year IB track from 6-10th grade. I KNOW colleges could absolutely care less about middle school activities but this was a 5 year program that extended into 2 years of high school, I'm not sure if I'll end up including it in my apps though.</p>

<p>GPA: 4.2 W (have no clue what it is unweighted, but I only have 3 Bs on my transcript)
Rank: 14/468 (this will hopefully go up in the next few months)
Course Load: I have taken the hardest courses possible in every aspect.
Senior Class Schedule:
AP/IB Bio II (fourth year of science)
IB World Area Studies (fourth year of history)
IB Theory of Knowledge (required for IB Diploma)
AP/IB English Literature (fourth year of English)
AP/IB Spanish V aka Spanish Lit (fifth year of Spanish)
AP/IB Calculus BC (fifth year of math)</p>

<p>ECs:
-National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta (my filler ECs, I know they don't matter)
-Swimming
JV 9th, 10th
Lettered 11th
Varsity 11th, 12th
-Debate
5th-place UIL All-District Prose Interpretation 10th grade (not sure if this is anything worth mentioning or not)
-Elected VP of National Spanish Honor Society
-heavily involved in Youth Council (leadership position) and youth activities at church--about 10/15 hours a week for 52 weeks a year for the 4 years of high school
-Elected student body Vice President --requires about 10 hours of work a week
-Physics Club (I only did this junior year, becuase that's the only year I was eligible for it, but I devoted 10 hours a week to it...not sure if it's worthwhile mentioning though)</p>

<p>AWARDS:
-Academic All-District for Swimming 9th, 10th (missed it 11th because I was doing mission work in Honduras and missed the qualifying meet)
-Trustee Award 9th, 10th, 11th (awarded to top students at my high school)
-Outstanding Hispanic Leader Award (awarded to one or two students from each high school in my city's district, I think)</p>

<p>COMMUNITY SERVICE:
I have about 400 years of community service over the past 4 years; none of it is soup-kitchen-type work though. I have taken many trips with my church during the summers and have done everything from repairing run-down churches in New Orleans (pre-Katrina, however) to spending 8 hours a day with inner-city Nashville kids at a Boys & Girls club to re-roofing houses in 110 degree heat on the Mexican border. Last year I received a scholarship to go to Honduras and do mission work. I think I could write great essays about any of these trips (too cliche of a topic, though??).</p>

<p>WORK:
I couldn't get a job until this past summer because I'm young for my grade, but I worked 3 jobs this summer for about 40-50 hours a week.</p>

<p>During the school year I'm working 10-15 hours a week, all of this to save money for college.</p>

<p>My recommendations will be great, the teachers know me well and understand how badly I want to break the mold of settling for what's easy in my family and go to a great school.</p>

<p>Sorry that this post is so long and obnoxious, but I am COMPLETELY IGNORANT AND CLUELESS. I don't know if setting my sights on Harvard is being unrealistic, any advice would be appreciated.</p>

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<p>No, I don't think you r being unrealistic at all...in fact, I believe you have a very good chance. The SAT scores are very good and in fact, your rank isnt all too bad. It could obviously be better, BUT...it's not all to bad. </p>

<p>I think in your situation, your essays will be very important. Use them to present yourself in a good light and you will be set. Obviously no guarantee, but...good chance nonetheless.</p>

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<p>bump??
a lot of other people asking for chances have gotten tons of replies, i know yall are probably sick of these kinds of threads but honestly, could anybody help me?</p>

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<p>Yeah.</p>

<p>First, congrats. I've always believed that economics should be affirmitave action, not minority status, and since you're both, you deserve to be congratulated.</p>

<p>First, essays. Hopefully you already worked on those. If not, don't write about "how bad I have it," (I used to have it much worse financially) intead focus on something to reveal yourself. You should pore over college essay writing instead. Of course, mentioning the hard work you do (you remind me of those stories my parents tell me of kids back in china and how hard they work compared to my lazy self) is certainly a plus. </p>

<p>I really like your Pre-Katrina stuff. My friend got into Stanford with pictures of her in Katrina, which to me seemed absolutely pathetic and openly game playing. At least yours is for real. Congrats. Might want to skip that for the essay though, like you said, it's cliche, but you need to decide individually.</p>

<p>I'm in I.B. too, so your courses are fine. Rank might need a little boost though. </p>

<p>SAT Math is your weak link. Really weak. Do anything you have to do to get that up to 700+. I had 640 Writing in 10th and got it into 730 in 11th so it's certainly doable. </p>

<p>In fact, you're a lot like me.</p>

<p>I'm IB, varsity swimming, Student Pres, MITInventeams pres, but you got real volunteer and work, unlike my hospital and research stuff. Even without your social economic background, you look like a much stronger candidate than me. With your socioeconomic background, I'll say your chances are high. It'll be the essays that make or break you.</p>

<p>Also, do you intend to do Division I swimming?</p>

5

<p>Swimming is a difficult subject...pretty much the only thing I stand a chance with competing in is a couple breastroke events, which isn't that great. So probably a no-go on Division 1.</p>

<p>That's funny that we're so similar though.
My essays should be good...I'm a pretty good writer (at least I think so). I have an essay that I wrote about Honduras for my English class just yesterday, if you want to take a look at it (it is about a billion words too long for a college app essay, but...who knows, maybe you're bored like me and interested in that type of thing??)</p>

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<p>Advice: Get a math review book from Princeton Review and study your heart out on it, focusing on wherever your bad at. Make a data sheet:D</p>

<p>And I'll read your essay if you want me to, but before I do I'll give you some advice you might wanna use first.</p>

<ol>
<li>Don't be cliche</li>
<li>Don't try to overly impress</li>
<li>Be real</li>
</ol>

<p>Number 3 is the one you should always use. </p>

<p>Also, unless you can get it down to at least 700 words, it's really worthless for me to read it.</p>

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<p>And you need to lose some of your Hermione complex, it's hard to describe really what it is, but you need to lose some of it before the interview. Don't paint youself as unlucky or a victim. Never do that. I never do and people automatically assume I'm a special person :D</p>

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<p>Hermione complex? What?
OK first thing that comes to mind is Harry Potter.
I'm a bit confused here.</p>

<p>And I wasn't trying to make myself sound unlucky, sorry about that. I'm not destitute or anything, I have a car and decent clothes and a regular-sized house in a nice neighborhood, my family has just fallen on hard times (wow, how cliche am i?) and just can't afford an Ivy League education (as millions of families can't) and I'm trying to save every penny on the off-chance that I get into one.</p>

9

<p>Okay damn, I've had much worse times that you. </p>

<p>It's not about affording Harvard. Harvard makes sure that families can pay so you shouldn't worry about that.</p>

<p>Don't save your own money, because that will hurt your need based aid chances.</p>

<p>If your parents make under 60k, Harvard is free. Financiall aid is good, so unless your parents just don't care you'll be able to pay for it. </p>

<p>Like I said, Hermione syndrome is hard to explain. It involves "They don't understand, I need all the help I can get, I need to be better, ohh noeeeeeeessssss, I've had such bad times...I'm so unlucky....work work work, that's all I do!" etc.</p>

<p>Throw a party :D.</p>

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<p>haha, maybe i will.
yeah, i was freaking out.
i'd still appreciate any other advice on harvard chances though if anybody else out there is kind/bored enough to read my stats.
thanks kamikaze for being honest though.</p>

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<p>you sound like a very bright girl....and have great potential to increase that math score. try to get at least a 700 and honestly, with your background i think you have a really good shot (i never say that to anyone who applies to ivy league schools, because you never know with them..let alone harvard). theyre gonna want amazing stats but adcoms get annoying with 'perfect' applicants and the 2400, 4.0 ones sometimes do get rejected. you have a pretty diverse bg, if its any consolation, i'd accept you.</p>

<p>and the only correlation/analogy i see btwn the hermione complex is that shes half muggle lmao</p>

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<p>bump?(10 chars)</p>

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<p>she's full muggle :D.</p>

<p><em>raises hand, jumps out of seat</em> haha.</p>

<p>Actually it's good that you're self motivated. I just hope you're not a parent masquerading.</p>

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<p>Does anyone else find it outrageously funny that the OP has posted the same blurb on the Princeton, Harvard, Dartmouth, and Yale threads? (with the school names changed of course.)</p>

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<p>Haha, no way am I a parent. My mom came home from work and was like, "What are you doing?" and I was like "well i'm on college confidential!!!" and she just gave me the why-is-my-kid-soooo-weird-look.</p>

<p>I love this Hermione thing, though. I would love to be her, only because going to Hogwarts would be better than HYP together!! ...kidding</p>

<p>Thanks for the attentiveness kamikaze, sorry that you've had to post on like 30475973 threads of mine.</p>

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<p>gj12789...ppl come to CC to get advice and to give advice, i don't think its 'outrageously funny'</p>

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<p>it's cool. I'm actually doing my own college research right now anyways, so it's no biggie.</p>

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<p>thanks biggyboy, and sorry that i'm "outrageously funny," what else is this site for? i figure people who have intent interest in one of those colleges could tell me more accurately than in the what are my chances forum...those are probably my top 4 schools (for academics and for financial aid reasons, no biting comments about me being a brand-name-lover please) and i just am curious.</p>

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<p>ah okay so i look at all these stats and it's really sorta discouraging me. i don't know why. like my grades are awesome. course load is woah hard. sat math and writing are awesome but since i just came from india i have a very low critical reading score. i wonder if the admissions considers that i am not used to reading under timed conditions. ah very scared.</p>

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<p>w0ah..what are your sat scores?</p>