Chance for Harvard?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I am currently a homeschooled Grade 9 student in Canada. I have very high grades, a 97% average, and plan to get a B.A. and ultimately a Ph.D in Classics. I already have five years of Latin under my belt, and will be starting Ancient Greek next year. Having skipped several grades, I will be graduating early at age 15. It's my dearest wish to go to Harvard for at least my undergraduate. My parents both agree I have the grades, but I fear I don't have the extracurriculars that Harvard wants. For most of my life, my family has been living in tiny rural towns, where there were few opportunities for community volunteering or extracurricular activities. I have had three years of piano lessons, nothing else. Recently, we moved to a large city, where there are more opportunities. I plan to start volunteering at the food bank. I might be able to go to after-school clubs at a local high school, but I'm not sure about that one. </p>

<p>I have very strong writing skills, am a fast learner and learn languages quickly. My family makes roughly 115,00 per year. I don't have a legacy at Harvard - both parents attended Brigham Young University, and my dad went to York University and Ohio State. My grandpa went to Cornell for medical school, and ended up as Deputy Minister of Health for Canada.</p>

<p>If it's of any use, I'm from racially diverse background, I'm part Arab, part German, part Scottish, part English, part Irish and part Spanish. </p>

<p>Anyway, do you guys have any input on a) my chances of getting in, and b) what I can do to make myself a more attractive candidate?</p>

<p>Thank you in advance for any help.</p>

2

<p>There are many great schools, and to set your sights on one that takes 6% of applicants (and many of those have what are called hooked so the true percent is far lower) is setting yourself up for failure.</p>

<p>What Harvard is looking for is not good high school based ECs. They are looking for extreme achievement is some area or passion As a home schooled student you should have the ability to develop this. Take college classes and do research, pursue national level competitions, write in Latin and get published…</p>

<p>You can do all of that, get a 2380 SAT and will unfortunately still most probably get rejected as far more than 6% of the applicants are extremely accomplished.</p>

3

<p>A big reason for my wanting to go to Harvard is the fact that it offers financial aid to international students. I don’t have US citizenship, and it’s not likely that I’ll get it, seeing as neither of my parents are US citizens. I have two older sisters who’ll be in university then, and there will still be one child still at home. I don’t want to stretch my parents too thin money-wise, and Harvard has excellent financial aid.</p>

<p>The field I’m going into (Classics) is a very small one, and having a B.A. and a Ph.D from a fantastic university already gives me a boost up in getting a job as a professor.</p>

<p>Other universities I’m interested in include Cambridge, Yale and Oxford. If you lot have any other suggestions for great universities for Classics, I’d love to hear. </p>

<p>Thank you for your response Redroses, I really value your advice.</p>

4

<p>It is much harder for international students to be accepted to U.S. schools than domestic students.</p>

5

<p>What are your test scores?</p>

6

<p>She’s a freshman, so I don’t think she has any yet.</p>

7

<p>xrCalico23, I’ve heard stories about it being tougher for international students, and especially for homeschoolers. Again, another way Harvard’s a good fit is that they have a quota of international students they have to let in, and there’s talk that homeschoolers are going to be given minority status…I’ve got my fingers crossed!</p>

<p>Jersey13, I haven’t yet taken the ACT or SAT and won’t take it until senior year. By the way, do you guys think it would be useful to take the PSAT?</p>

8

<p>Then there isn’t any way someone could gauge your chances. You certainly sound like an interesting applicant thus far.</p>

9

<p>I know nobody can give me a yes or no answer for sure. Do you have any suggestions on what I can do to make myself a more attractive applicant, with regards to extra curriculars and volunteer work? As I said above, I plan to volunteer at a food bank, and the only extracurricular I have is piano. I’m working on writing a book, currently, and hope to get it published at some point. I’ve already had one poem published in an anthology. Would being a published author give me an advantage?</p>

10

<p>If we’re to be honest, home schoolers are never, not in a billion years, going to be given ‘minority’ status at Harvard. That’s just crazy! Being from Canada is also not helpful as they get tons of applicants from your country. The fact that it gives great aid is what has half the world lined up. Unfortunately, you need to be realistic.</p>

11

<p>I’m very new to this game, and I’m just trying to establish what “reality” is. If there is anything I can do, within reason, that will give me an advantage, I would like to hear your suggestions.</p>

12

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<p>From the admissions website:</p>

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<p>It is still harder for international students, because most schools in the US DO have some sort of quota for international students that actually hinders your chance of admission, not helping it. Also, internationals who are accepted to highly selective schools tend to be in general extremely accomplished.</p>

<p>You’ll need to take the standardized tests before the end of your junior year, regardless of which college in the U.S. you’re interested in. Yes, do take the PSAT if you can. Also, why volunteer at a food bank? It sounds really boring, like the typically resume padding. </p>

<p>Just do what you love and pursue that to a depth. I’m sorry that you think college admission is some sort of a game that people play… it’s actually kind of sad. How are you going to enjoy your high school years? You’ll most likely be disappointed if you waste the next two years of high school pretending to be someone in order to get into some college.</p>

<p>And I hope you’re not just ■■■■■■■■.</p>

13

<p>haha a 97 average doesnt mean anything when your parents are your teachers</p>

14

<p>I meant “new to this game” as a figure of speech. Sorry for the confusion. I take this sort of thing very seriously, and that’s why I’m looking into this so early. </p>

<p>I’m not really sure what other volunteer work I can do. I am very young, and I have severe asthma, which rule out more physical things, like going to build houses in Mexico or Louisiana, both of which are projects I would love to do. I feel like I have to start doing something, and working at the food bank seemed like a reasonable idea, as they always need workers, and the hours are flexible. I have to start somewhere, after all. I have looked into tutoring projects in South America that I am very interested in, and plan to do once I have earned a bit of money to pay for it. Do you have any other suggestions for volunteer work?</p>

<p>I most sincerely am not joking, or taking this lightly, nor do I consider this a game. I know these are massive decisions that will decide the rest of my life, and I want to have the best preparation and information I can get. If you have any other advice, I would love to hear it. </p>

<p>On another note, if there are any other high schoolers out there interested in pursuing Classics, I’d love to hear from you.</p>

15

<p>By all means plan to apply to Harvard, but please don’t pin your hopes to one school.
There are many good alternatives. For example, Bryn Mawr College has an excellent Classics department, a beautiful campus, and a much higher admission rate.</p>

16

<p>Maybe you should plan some gap time between high school and college since you’re so young. That would give you a chance to accomplish some things colleges will find interesting.</p>

17

<p>I don’t mean to say that you’re not taking college admission seriously; what I am saying is that you’re trying to “game” system and looking at college admission in the wrong way. EC is something for you to explore your real interests outside of the classroom, get involved in activities you truly care about, and find something that engages you and that you can pursue in depth. When you’re joining clubs for the sake of the application or doing volunteer work out of necesity rather than personal choice, you don’t devote yourself completely to it, and this lack of true passion shows. A good activity does not have to be glamorous, like traveling to another country or saving the world, but it should be an interest that is unique to you and can attest to your values and character. If working at the food bank is something that you’re sincerely interested in, then by all means go for it. But are you going to have the motivation to devote hundreds of hours to it? Are you going to sprint to the food bank after your classes everyday, eager to work? Volunteering for a few hours is rather pointless. I’ve seen people spending hundreds and hundreds of hours in community service and were rejected. Don’t do something for the sake of college application, it’s not worth it, and it probably won’t help. You’ll just regret wasting your time on those things a few years later. (though admittedly you may also actually develop an interest in the activity as time goes on.)</p>

<p>Colleges are interested in creating a diverse class of people of varying interests, not a homogenous group of students with the same activities. Find something that you like to do. Also, why Harvard? There’re so many other colleges out there that may fit your interests even better. Have you looked for them yet?</p>

<p>There’re countless threads out there already about ECs, some of which are very insightful.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/914362-interesting-admission-results-my-ss-top-college-prep-school-5.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/914362-interesting-admission-results-my-ss-top-college-prep-school-5.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/82799-how-impress-adcoms-your-extracurriculars.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-admissions/82799-how-impress-adcoms-your-extracurriculars.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/909865-living-lie.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/909865-living-lie.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

18

<p>Of course, I’m planning on taking at least two gap years - there’s no way my parents will let me move to another country at age 15! During that time, I’m planning to get a steady part-time job, so I can save some money for university, and I’m hoping to take several classes at the local university - maybe that will increase my chances of getting in. Maybe I can pull a Christopher Paolini (he’s the author of the Inheritance Cycle, for all you non-Eragon fans out there) - graduate at age 15 and successfully publish a book before heading off to university. </p>

<p>I’m not pinning all my hopes on Harvard - I’d be a fool if I did. I’m currently looking into Yale, Stanford, Bryn Mawr, and a few schools in the UK - I’m going to be getting dual German citizenship in the next year, so I’ll be able to attend pricey schools like Cambridge and Oxford at a discounted rate than a normal North American applicant would.</p>

19

<p>It’s good that you’re optimistic, but Yale, Stanford, Cambridge, and Oxford are just as competitive if not more so than Harvard. Bryn Mawr is not easy either. You really shouldn’t be focusing on the question of “which school” right now, you should be looking at how you’re going to get there. </p>

<p>It really can’t be emphasized enough how difficult it is to get into these schools. You’re an international, and a homeschooler, two things which definitely do not help you in terms of either financial aid or admissions. Your chances of getting financial aid are very, very low as an international. Homeschoolers are not considered a minority (in a way that would be helpful for admissions), nor is being an international a hook. Not to mention the fact that there will be 18 or 19 year olds, just as motivated as you, who have had an extra 3 or 4 years to actualize their passions and interests. </p>

<p>Your young age (I’m guessing you’re 11 or 12 now?) is not a barrier to most activities, if you’re persistent enough. I was a Basic Aid Training instructor (CPR, etc.) at age 12 for the local chapter of the Red Cross, and it wasn’t hard to get trained for. I was also working in a biology lab at age 13, although for some reason many people claim that age 16 is the cutoff. Don’t let that discourage you. </p>

<p>Extracurricular opportunities in Classics are pretty much nonexistent - other than the Latin Exam, and that’s really not even an extracurricular. I would suggest you get involved in other ECs - figure out what else you are interested in. And I really wouldn’t consider volunteering a real activity/passion either, unless you want to pursue it for a career. Volunteering these days is kind of a staple of any application, much like having the SAT or some AP courses. And the only people who get into Harvard on the basis of volunteering are those who have started international non profits - check out Girls Helping Girls (founded by Sejal Hathi). </p>

<p>BTW, what classes are you taking?</p>

<p>So anyway, I suggest you reflect a bit, think about what you’re interested in and what you want to do, and go from there. </p>

<p>P.S. I’m not saying that volunteering is useless, though - it’s a great for character building and is simply a good thing to do. Just don’t think it’s enough to get you into college.</p>

20

<p>I understand that, cartesianpopcorn. I know volunteering isn’t going to guarantee me a place at any of those schools - however, from what I’ve seen, it certainly does help. I know how competitive it is to get into my top schools - that’s why I’m starting on this type of thing now. </p>

<p>Although Bryn Mawr has the highest acceptance rate (49%) of my top schools, I think I’m going to cross it off the list. The financial aid for international students is pretty poor, and only available in cases of extreme need. </p>

<p>Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Cambridge, Oxford, and University of London remain the top choices. At my UK choices, I would be applying as a dual EU citizen, and my parents told me that that will give me a leg up over other North American applicants.</p>

<p>I think my main hook is the fact that I will be an early graduate, and I will have used my gap years to attend classes at the local university. Actually, as a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure I will be attending classes at the university come this September. I will do my best get good recommendations from my professors, and that really helps, I hear. I read a post on another thread, that there was one girl, who was an international student, who had 36 college credits by the time she applied to Harvard, but had a low GPA (3.5, I think), low SAT scores (around 1850), and very little volunteer work and ECs. She had glowing reviews from her professors and teachers, and got in. </p>

<p>How important would you say your teacher reviews are, when applying to an Ivy, or an Ivy-quality school? Also, for future reference, how long should your essay be?</p>

<p>I didn’t know you could be a Red Cross instructor that young! Correct, I am currently 12 years old. How would I go about getting trained for that?</p>