Chance me for Harvard plz

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
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<p>2250 SAT
770 SAT US, 800 SAT Math 2, 770 SAT Chem
Top 1-3% GPA in school
AP US, AP Bio, AP Chem, AP Micro, AP Macro, AP Lang, AP Stats (all 5's)
AP Physics C, AP US Gov, AP Lit, AP Calc BC (Taking senior year)
Honors: National Merit Semi, National Honor Society, Cum Laude Society</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
1) Research (9th grade-)
Publications- 1 co-author in Human Molecular Genetics, 1 co-author paper submitted (accepted by reviewers), 1 co-author is in preparation for publication.
Intel ISEF 3 times- 9th grade Student Observer, 10th + 11th Finalist
Presented research posters 3 times at International Spinal Muscular Atrophy research meeting.
Invited to give a seminar talk for graduate students on the research project.
Worked 4 years at one lab; during that time, interned for short periods at 2 other labs
Attended a program at a local hospital for gifted high school students, studying molecular biology of cancer.
Employed at Ohio State University as a Student Research Assistant. </p>

<p>2) Neuroscience writer for the National High School Journal of Science (12th grade-)
Wrote 8 neuroscience review articles for the entire summer 2013 issue, reviewing current progress in neuroscience research. </p>

<p>3) Speech and debate (9th grade-)
4th Place and 6th Place in Duo Interpretation at two tournaments. </p>

<p>4) MusicCare volunteer at the James Cancer Hospital (11th grade-)
Volunteered 100 hours at hospital to play piano for cancer patients and visitors</p>

<p>5) Piano Performance (5th grade-)
Finalist at Hope Young Artist Competition.
Honorable Mention at local competition.
Organized and performed a solo piano benefit concert. Team leader of 26 students and 8 teachers, raising $3500 for breast cancer research. </p>

<p>6) Violinist in school orchestra (7th grade-)
Perform in 5 concerts every year; orchestra was selected as a Finalist to compete at National Orchestra Festival competition</p>

<p>7) Ballroom dancer (5th grade-)
1st Place Juvenile International Latin, Riverfront DanceSport Festival
4th Place International Open Latin 3 dances, Arnold Sport Festival (Dancing division)</p>

<p>8) Junior Director at local civic association (12th grade)
Helped to organize and plan community events, such as 4th of July Parade (100 community service hours)</p>

<p>Other awards: Recipient of 2012 and 2013 Presidential Service Award</p>

2

<p>Not bad, though chances to get into Harvard are very slight for everyone. Your SAT score is a little low aswell, though it’s not terrible. I’d say your chances are slight but existent.</p>

<p>What’s your ethnicity? State? Income bracket? Legacy? These also matter.</p>

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<p>Ethnicity: Vietnamese. Moved to the US at age 10.
State: OH
Income: $40K/year</p>

<p>In terms of SAT scores, I’m pretty sure above 2200 is fine (perhaps even 2100). From talking people who got into Stanford, it’s like a check-list. If I’ve met the requirement, they check off the list (say 2100). Once I check the list, it doesn’t make a difference how
well I check it (difference between 2250 and 2350 is minimal:we’re talking to the degree of 3 questions missed/correct here)</p>

4

<p>^^ Not exactly. Your 2250 should be fine for serious consideration but a 2350 is better than a 2250 and certainly better than a 2100. It is not just a box that gets checked above 2100. If you look at the top quartile of their SAT I and ACT applicants, the acceptance rate is higher than the middle 50 and much higher than the bottom 25%. Perfect scorers have about a 25-30 percent acceptance. Of course, correlation does not always means causation because high scorers might have better grades etc. but the SAT and the ACT converted to SAT score is used for the calculation of the academic index.</p>

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<p>Is academic index used for non-athletes? If so, post the evidence.
True, a 2350 is better than 2250, but so is 2360 > 2350. The difference gets so close that it is trivial to compare SAT scores above a 2200 range (2350 for sure is a big difference from 2100).</p>

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<p>According to Michele Hernandez (a former Admissions Officer from Dartmouth) an Academic Index (A.I.) is calculated for every student – athletes and non-athletes. See: [Academic</a> Index Calculator - Hernandez College Consulting & Ivy League Admission Help](<a href=“http://www.hernandezcollegeconsulting.com/academic-index-calculator/]Academic”>http://www.hernandezcollegeconsulting.com/academic-index-calculator/)</p>

<p>Also see: [The</a> Academic Index - Ivy League Admissions Key? - College Confidential](<a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/academic_index.htm]The”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/academic_index.htm)</p>

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<p>Harvard is very, very picky about who they admit-- and it has almost nothing to do with a student’s SAT scores. Harvard is looking – and this is a direct quote – for students who make those around them better! How is that reflected in the applications process? By comments from your teacher recommendations and the “tone” and “like-ability” of your essays – and those are items you have not posted. So, in all honesty, no one can predict your chances. </p>

<p>FWIW: My daughter is a senior at Harvard (2280 SAT), but my son, now a junior at Yale (36 ACT) was rejected from Harvard. Having been through the process with both my kids, I’m convinced that from the outside looking in – it’s all a crap-shoot. Best of luck to you!</p>

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<p>good point. I’m banking on my neuroscience research (one teacher rec speaks highly of my passion for science, and the additional rec is from my research mentor).</p>

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<p>Sorry swagswag but comparing scores above 2200 is not “trivial”. If it is indeed so trivial then why didn’t you score 2400? It is a simple fact that higher scores fare better. Here is what Dartmouth reports [Testing</a> Statistics](<a href=“http://www.dartmouth.edu/admissions/facts/test-stats.html]Testing”>http://www.dartmouth.edu/admissions/facts/test-stats.html). I’ve already said that perfect scorers are accepted about 25-30% of the time (I saw the actual statistics of four very elite schools one year and it actually ranged between 28-32%). That is far greater than the single digit acceptance rate at these schools!</p>

<p>Gibby, your son with the perfect score was rejected at Harvard but accepted to Yale and Princeton I believe. That’s pretty darn good shooting in my book given the ultra, ultra-low acceptance rates at these schools. It is not a crapshoot so much as the schools just don’t have enough room to accept all the kids that would like to and so they have to turn away lots and lots of ultra-qualified kids. You increase your chances with higher test scores, grades, EC’s and recs but even with such admissions is never guaranteed.</p>

<p>Finally, swagswag, all the Ivies have to calculate an AI for each of their students. They have to know what the mean of the freshman class is in order know if the teams are one standard deviation from it. It is a “trivial” calculation to do for each of the applicants. The max is 240, yours will be lower because of the 2250 amongst other things.</p>

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<p>I could not agree more!</p>

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<p>^^Thanks. I forgot to include stellar essays in that statement. I also have to caveat that I do not have any firsthand knowledge about how Harvard uses the AI’s it calculates in the admissions process, if at all. However, I do know about some other elite schools that do use it or some modified form of it so I am simply assuming Harvard does as well. If anyone knows better, I would love to hear about it.</p>

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<p>Falcon1, like you already said, the higher scorers tend to have better EC’s than people who score lower, and thus they get accepted more often.</p>

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<p>This SAT-talk is useless. I’d say you have a good chance of getting into Harvard. Your SAT score would not be a relevant deficit.</p>

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<p>JimboSteve, are you studying at Harvard right now? If so, what major are you?
Gahh early action preferred deadline is in two days.</p>

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<p>“the higher scorers tend to have better EC’s than people who score lower”</p>

<p>@swagswag, if this is indeed true then this throws your argument out the window that there is no difference between the higher and lower scorers. Btw, I actually said they “might” have “better grades, etc.” which implies that they were more intelligent and/or harder workers but I’ll accept that it holds for EC’s as well. </p>

<p>Also, I already said that your 2250 was good enough for serious consideration! I just challenged your premise that above 2100 they check off a list. Leaving aside what I said about the AI, if you take two kids with identical grades and EC’s, the kid with the 2370 will be judged more favorably than the kid with the 2200, period. Higher SAT I’s, SAT II’s, and AP scores are better than lower ones.</p>

<p>My D had an AI of 240 which in the old days would have been virtually an automatic admit to any Ivy after a cursory look at the other parts of the application. Today, however, all parts of the application are carefully scrutinized (EC’s, essays, recs etc) and factored into the final decision, no matter the AI. That being said if the mean AI at Harvard is 220, you would rather have a 240 going into the process than a 215. Anyway, enough said. You’re free to believe whatever you choose.</p>

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<p>@swagswag, proffered early action is in two days? Is this for Harvard? Can you clarify this? I know the SCEA deadline is November 1, and I’m using this as my guideline (hoping to get my application in around October 25), but is it advantageous to have it in by October 15?</p>

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<p>No worries! ** The SCEA deadline is November 1st! ** </p>

<p>Harvard has what it calls “preferred deadline” which is October 15th – that just means that if you have everything ready, Admissions would like you to submit your application by then. Students who apply SCEA between October 15th and November 1st have the same chances as those students that submit before October 15th. It’s a meaningless deadline – a courtesy if you will – that allows Admissions more time to read everyone’s applications.</p>

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<p>If it allows Admissions more time to read everyone’s applications, then wouldn’t the October 15th deadline be advantageous? (I guess it could hurt, too)</p>

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<p>The kids who got their apps in by Oct. 15th last year generally had their interviews scheduled earlier if I recall. My kid sent her app in after Oct. 15th and she is happily studying there now so it didn’t affect her chances.</p>

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<p>The SCEA application process is a very compressed 6 weeks. Harvard encourages students to apply before Oct 15th because it gives Admissions Officers more time to read everyone’s file and schedule alumni interviews. If you send in your application before October 15th, file readers are not as rushed – they have more time to linger over your essays and teacher recommendations. They have more time to email applicants and ask for concrete samples of their supposed superior math, science, or computer science abilities. They have more time to consider the worthiness of your file and decide how they are going to present your case to the Admissions Committee. That said, if you need the extra time to keep working on your essays, your chances are not diminished if you apply at 11:59pm on October 30th. Admissions officers will just have less time to read over your file . . . and that could be a plus or minus, depending upon the depth and strength of your credentials. For the vast majority of students applying preferred deadline will not matter one bit in the admissions process – it will not give you an advantage.</p>