Chance me - Harvard RD 2024

Hey! I’m an international student from France, and I’m applying RD to Harvard.
Do I have a chance to get into Harvard?

Grades : excellent (no GPA in France)

SAT : 1100/1600 (i know my score is really low, but I couldn’t take it twice due to financial problems…)
I didn’t send any SatIIs (my family is not financially stable)

Extra-curricular activities :

  • Piano : i’ve been playing the piano for more than 10 years. I passed multiple exams with distinctions at a regional level.
  • Bharathanatyam (Indian classical dance) : I’ve been dancing the Bharathanatyam for 7 years. I danced at some events to raise funds for charities. I danced once in 2018 at the Paris city hall, and for an association related to the Indian embassy in Paris.
  • Co-founder of the French sign language club in my highschool in 9th grade with my friend (he’s deaf).
  • Youth ambassador for UNICEF France.

No Awards

Letters of recommandation :

  • History and Geography teacher (She’s been my teacher for 3 yrs, so she knows me really well) she wrote a really good letter
  • Economics, sociology, and political sciences teacher (he knows really well too) he wrote a really good letter too.
  • Counselor (she doesn’t really know me, but she still wrote a good letter)
    so : at least 2 strong recs

ESSAYS :

  • Common app essay : talked about a failure. (a score of 8/10 according to my counselor)
  • Harvard optional essay : talked about an intellectual experience (excellent essay according to my counselor).

future goals : concentrate in economics or in sociology, or I’d like to build my own concentration in international relations.
I’d like to work for international organizations or for French embassies anywhere around the world.

Thank you.

You do not have a GPA, but can you say what your grades on the core subjects are? Do you know what your rank is in your high school?

As an international student, your chances of admission with an SAT that low are extremely slim to nonexistent. About 1% of the students admitted last year had SAT scores in that range. That is no more than 20 students, and almost all of them are kids of donors or top level athletes.

The acceptance rate of RD applicants last year was 2.95%. The acceptance rate for somebody with a low SAT score is most likely to be only a fraction of that.

@MWolf thank you for your answer.
I’m in the top 5% of my class. (total : 150 students)
I’ve got A s on all the core subjects (maths, history and geography, economics,political science, languages…).
I know about my score on the SAT, but I’ve got a lot of hope haha

If you can apply for free or cheaply, there is no harm in trying.

@MWolf yes, I qualified for a fee waiver

Then go for it. You should, however, focus your efforts on colleges to which you have a better chance.

Harvard has a grand total of 6 undergraduate students from France.
https://hio.harvard.edu/statistics
Which means that they admit <2 per year. Are you one of the top 2 students in France? While not telling you not to apply, be aware that with SAT of 1100, even only having taken it once, your chances of acceptances are zero. Focus on schools which are more realistic.

“Hope” is not what gets an applicant into Harvard. Plenty would say it’s not even wise to joke about. It hints a misunderstanding about what it truly takes. And an underestimation of the strengths of the competition.

The SAT won’t cut it for an international except some rare cases of an internationally stellar athlete. Nothing says a retake would improve the score. Many kids don’t retake, don’t need to.

I agree with skieurope and lookingforward.

Apply to schools that are in line with your academic credentials that would also be a good fit for you in other ways. Try to be realistic and happy with what you are able to achieve and contribute to society.

It is a waste of energy to “hope” for something that is beyond reach.