Applying RD for class of 2025
White Male, Lutheran, Living in New York State, Homeschooled
Test scores:
SAT 1510 - 730 reading 780 math
SAT subject test in Math II - 760 (on the fence about whether to report)
Extracurriculars:
Cross country team captain in 10th Grade - multiple sub 18 times in 5Ks
Cellist for past 6 years, planning to submit portfolio
Mock Trial in 11th
Level B2 or C1 in German (conversational fluency)
Probably level B1 in French
very strong math skills. Taught myself Calc I and II in 11th Grade. 12th Grade i took “Calculus III” and “Problem Solving in Mathematics” at a college.
Also it’s worth mentioning legacy. Uncle went to Haverford. My dad and other Uncle went to Swarthmore which is in a consortium w Hav.
But here’s where it gets dicey - I mentioned homeschool earlier, but that’s not really accurate. In 9th and 10th Grade I attended a small waldorf school, GPA around 3.8. In 11th I lived abroad in Berlin and attended a bilingual school, GPA around 3.9. In my senior year, I decided not to return to school and “homeschool” by taking a combo of college and online classes.
This year so far:
4 college level classes - 2As, 1B, one “pass” on a pass/fail course
1 AP Class - B
My wierd schooling situation could be a plus or a minus. i tried to sell it in my interview and essays, but I hope it won’t be a deterrent. I’ve heard that top schools like columbia and yale are going to be relying on “feeder” highschools more and more because of the ambuguity around covid grades… Would that attitude apply to haverford and put me at a disadvantage as a “homeschooler”? How do you think they will react to my unconventional education?
Thanks so much!
As you note…you’re not entirely homeschooled. They may have a sense of the Waldorf and/or Berlin schools.
Who is going to write your recommendations? They may be more critical for you than others.
I wouldn’t worry about the feeder school issue…nothing you can do about that. I would think the Swat/Haverford connections are good to have.
If you’re planning to run at Haverford…that would help as well.
Ah! I forgot to mention -
1 letter from English teacher at Waldorf school
1 from History teacher at Berlin School
1 letter from Philosophy professor at Skidmore College
I waived FERPA so I don’t know for sure but I’m guessing they’re pretty good as I had a great bond with all three teachers - especially the last two.
History teacher was a big part of me learning german. She wrote me to say that if I had stayed at the school, I would have definitely passed the Abitur (german graduation exam)
Also a great bond w philosophy teacher, even though i only did one semester w him. I wrote stellar essays in that class, and when he would schedule group office hours discussions, I was basically the only one who showed up, so we chatted for hours every week about Hume, Kant, Russell…
As far as planned extracurriculars at Haverford, I definitely want to run, and I was thinking either orchestra or chamber music group for cello
I would contact the running coach if you think you can help them (based on times). It can’t hurt. Tell them you’re applying and that you’re interested in running at school.
My daughter, a sophomore at Haverford, had a high school career that was kind of like that- public school, private school, semester in Italy, semester at a semester school in NY, full time DE junior year and partial DE other years. I think I can say that Haverford didn’t care that she was (literally) all over the place. Best of luck to you!