Chance me for Harvard and NYU?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Sophomore in HS? Chances for Harvard? Question about Extracurriculars?
Im so stressed thinking about this, but i really need help and advice.
Im a sophomore. At a small (somewhat prestigious?) all girls parochial school. </p>

<p>My GPA right now is a 3.8.
I rank 13 out of 56 students in my grade.
On my sophomore PSAT i got a 166. I didn't know much geometry but i started studying it in summer. I came in the 77th percentile.</p>

<p>I REALLY want to go to Harvard and study neurobiology and possibly minor in dance or theatre if i can. </p>

<p>Ive been doing a lot of research into what can help my college app look better. Extracurriculars are what's scaring me. ):</p>

<p>Ive cheered for so far 3 years. Never competed.
Ive been on drama since 6th grade and plan to continue.
My school doesn't offer a debate team so I started Debate. (Leader)
My school also doesn't offer a dance team so I started Dance. (Captain)
My school has a lot of cultural clubs but I've always been particularly interested in East Asian Culture so i started the Asian Cultural Society. (Leader)</p>

<p>Other clubs im in are just campus ministry & gaelic society, for fun. I also love to sing and dance and act (even though my parents dont approve).</p>

<p>I LOVE languages, so i can speak Yoruba (I'm Nigerian), Korean, German, and Russian.</p>

<p>So far, i have about 815 volunteer hours.</p>

<p>Im trying to make something stand out (extracurricular wise) on my app.Ive been doing research and realized that admissions officers wanna see what i can bring to their campus.</p>

<p>I don't know what to do. I don't have the money to go take all these classes that id like to so i have to decide on ONE. </p>

<p>Im very athletic and like to run track (but my school doesn't offer track. Might start a struck team), play volleyball (i was captain in 8th grade), kick box, and do yoga.</p>

<p>Other than all of this, i just like singing, dancing, acting, writing plays and creating clothing.</p>

<p>I haven't won any awards at all however. Or competed. I wrote a couple of songs, i want to create/write a mini web series, or start a small clothing line.</p>

<p>My family doesn't/can't blow money on a $10,000 summer program that probably won't help.</p>

<p>Are there any tips for extracurriculars? Like how important are they? Are these enough, even if i haven't won any awards? Are there any awards to scholarships i should apply for? Im sorry this is long, I'm just really stressing and need help. ):</p>

2

<p>Don’t make the mistake of pursuing what you think adcoms want to see with your ECs. They can see right through that and they do not like it. Do what you love and do it extraordinarily instead.</p>

<p>Your GPA is in range but your class rank isn’t helping much (not top 20%). Also your test scores need to improve significantly. Your URM status will definitely help. </p>

<p>Just remember that Harvard is a reach for everyone. Don’t waste your high school years chasing a prestigious name.</p>

3

<p>You’re gonna need to improve that GPA and raise your SAT to at least 2200 to have a chance at Harvard.
For NYU, get that SAT up to at least 2000 to have a chance</p>

4

<p>What does URM mean? sorry I’m new to this forum ;-;</p>

5

<p>That means under-represented minority.</p>

6

<p>thanks so much! <3</p>

7

<p>Harvard rejects thousands of qualified students every year. You shouldn’t waste your time on doing something you think someone else wants you to do. High school (though it might sometimes seem like torture) can and should not only consist of studying and thinking about future, but also to make some memories. :slight_smile: Do what you are truely passionate about.</p>

8

<p>Just because you don’t qualify for Harvard doesn’t mean you are a bad student. I’m being blunt here: you have probably get immediately rejected if you were to apply now if you were a senior. Look at other universities. Explore LAC’s (Liberal arts colleges). Just because Harvard is a good school doesn’t meant there aren’t any other good schools. You have plenty of time, so you may get that 2400 and get accepted. Good luck!</p>

9

<p>Just don’t stress too much. Keep working hard but also find time to relax your mind.</p>

10

<p>Don’t stress so much! You’ll probably change your mind about what you want sometime in the next year anyway! Also you might want to consider a broader range of schools besides just Harvard/NYU. Start researching other schools with strong neuroscience departments.</p>