This discussion was created from comments split from: Evaluate my Chances of Getting into Harvard.
This may be a bit early, but I am a high school freshman that wants to apply to Harvard in my senior year. I know that no one can predict someone’s chances for sure, especially if that person is a freshman and especially if the school is Harvard, but I wanted to post this to see how I compare with other people. Could anyone evaluate me? (This may be really long)
GENERAL INFO
State: North Carolina
General Area in State: Charlotte-area
Ethnicity: Indian
Applied Major (most likely): Biology
Hooks: Being part of the first generation in my family to attend a United States college (both my parents completed their college education in India and got master’s degrees)
Current Grade: 9th
School Size (number of students): ~1337
Size of Your Grade (number of students): ~ 340
Your Rank (if any): 1/380 NOT REAL RANK, BUT ON TRACK FOR THIS RANK
How would you describe the academic opportunities at your school?
My school has good course offerings, including about 25 AP classes. I feel like I should have some good opportunities at this school for the next 4 years. (no IB classes are offered)
TESTING
SAT (breakdown): 1470/1600 (710/800 R&W, 760/800 Math) PRACTICE ONLY
ACT (breakdown): n/a
PSAT (breakdown): n/a
PSAT 8/9 (breakdown): 1330/1440 (650/720 R&W, 680/720 R&W)
Other: n/a
School’s Average Test Score (any): ~1250/1600 on SAT
COURSES/TRANSCRIPT/GPA
Courses from Middle School (if any):
- Math 1
- Math 2
- English I
- Spanish I
- Biology (Tested out of this class)
- Earth and Environmental Science (Tested out of this class)
- World History (Tested out of this class)
Unweighted GPA (include scale and how GPA is calculated at your school): -/4.0 (Should be a 4.0 by graduation)
Weighted GPA (include scale and how GPA is calculated at your school): -/5.0 (Should be about a 4.75 by graduation, and 4.0 GPA points are given for an A in a CP (regular) class, 4.5 GPA points for an Honors class, and a 5.0 GPA for an AP Class)
Note for below: I should get all A’s in all my classes (most likely)
9th Grade: NO GRADES YET
- Health and Physical Education (CP; Honors isn’t offered)
- Math 3 Honors
- Civics and Economics Honors
- English I Honors
- AP Computer Science Principles
- Pre-Calculus Honors
- Chemistry I Honors
- AP World History
10th Grade: PLAN TO TAKE
- Advanced Calculus Topics AB Honors (AP Companion)
- Advanced Biology Topics Honors (AP Companion)
- English III H-AP Companion Honors
- American History I Honors (AP Companion)
- AP Calculus AB
- AP Biology
- AP English Language and Composition
- AP U.S. History
11th Grade: PLAN TO TAKE
- English IV H-AP Companion Honors
- Advanced Chemistry Topic Honors (AP Companion)
- AP Physics 1
- PLTW Introduction to Engineering Design 1 (Weighted the same as an AP class)
- AP English Literature and Composition
- AP Chemistry
- AP Calculus BC
- AP Government and Politics - U.S.
12th Grade: PLAN TO TAKE – at this point I would have limited courses to choose from
- Some CC dual-enrollment course
- Some CC dual-enrollment course
- Health Science I Honors
- PLTW Principles of Engineering 2 (Weighted the same as an AP class)
- AP Statistics
- AP Environmental Science
- AP Macroeconomics
- AP Psychology
AWARDS/HONORS
List below:
None yet because I am a month into my freshman year of high school.
EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
List below (Clubs, volunteering, leadership roles, sports/martial arts, etc.): ONLY FROM FRESHMAN YEAR
- DECA
- FBLA (Currently running for Treasurer)
- HOSA
- World Health Occupations Society
- Engineering Club (Robotics)
- Interact Club (Applied for officer)
- Science Olympiad (Probably varsity, not sure yet)
- Will try out for the Battle of the Books team
- Submitted an application for the Principal’s Student Advisory Council (2 per grade)
- Running for Student Government Class Officer
- Achieved a 1st degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Use this section to explain anything from your “resume” that needs to be addressed and/or anything not included in this “resume”:
I don’t have any grades or SAT/ACT scores yet, as I am a freshman, but I am a consistent 96-100 A student and I should be scoring in the 1530-1570 range on my SATs by the time I submit my college application. I also have little to no extracurricular activities and awards yet, but I should be able to join some honor societies, volunteer a lot, do some research, and maybe win a few awards (not sure how big or small those awards will be).
Sorry if this was a bit too long, but please do take the time to read it.
This is way too early. I imagine you are getting pressure from family or somehow think that getting into Harvard or some other prestigious school is absolutely essential for your life, but it isn’t. Please try to relax and enjoy high school, and don’t live your life during high school with a focus on “getting in.” Just explore interests, work hard, and try to be a good person. You will end up at the right school. If you feel a lot of pressure, seek counseling help.
Agree with @compmom . Besides, from the above list, there is no sign of an achievement that no other students can accomplish, even at the same school.
It is way too early to think about specific colleges (especially the hyper-competitive ones). You don’t even have one full year’s GPA and you have no standardized testing. You also need to recognize that HS should be an experience in and of itself – a time of learning and growth and not just a 4 year college application prep experience.
It is good to take school seriously and know that college will be on your horizon, but it is too early to start planning for specific colleges. I would highly recommend that you get off of CC until your junior year.
For now you should focus on:
–Working hard, learning, and doing as well as you can in the most challenging curriculum you can manage.
–When the time comes study for standardized tests.
–Continue your involvement in activities you care about and work towards making meaningful contributions to those activities.
–Enjoying spending time with your family and friends.
When the time comes asses your academic stats (including GPA, standardized tests, course rigor) as well as your financial needs and apply to a wide range of reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable (you will have to run a net price calculator for each school you consider) and that you would be happy to attend. You need to expand your horizons and recognize that there are many wonderful schools out there where you can have a great 4 year experience and get where you want to go in life.