<p>1880 SAT
4.16 GPA
30 ACT</p>
<p>Mexican American
2/300
from Compton</p>
<p>no significant EC just college prep programs and school leadership positions</p>
<p>Would I have a chance for acceptance at Harvard?
Am I in the top 10% of SAT Latino scores?</p>
<p>Hey, I am a fellow Hispanic and I wish you well in your Harvard application process!</p>
<p>I think you have a chance, but I’d get those SAT scores up to at least a 2000!</p>
<p>Your GPA and rank are quite good. Whether you have a shot at all depends on what you’ve done with your school leadership positions–if you’ve been influential within your community, that is a significant EC, and you might have a shot. Nobody really has a shot without having substantial ECs. (Although I’d like to note that part-time jobs or helping out with one’s family can count, too.) On top of significant extracurriculars, assuming you’re downplaying your own achievements, if your recommenders really go out to bat for you, then you will have a shot. If you’re correct in your extracurricular self-assessment, though, I’m not optimistic about your chances. Even beyond that, though, those standardized test scores weigh about you like an anchor:
If my back-of-the-envelope calculations are correct, an 1870 isn’t even close to the top 10% of scores of Hispanic applicants to Harvard. The scores of students here are, in general, very high: a ridiculous 25% of the university is walking around with a 790+ on each section. I can’t find any data for the pool of rejected applicants, but Harvard adcoms are always talking about how 80-90% of applicants could do the work if they were admitted. I’m assuming, therefore, that the average SAT score of an applicant isn’t less than a 2100, the 25th percentile of accepted students’ scores. The scores of Hispanic applicants are probably a little lower than that average, but that average does include all the groups that traditionally have lower scores forgiven them–mainly varsity athletes (20% of the student body) and underprivileged minorities (not so much so for the daughter of a Cuban-American lawyer and a Cuban-American professor at Georgetown, probably; her odds of admission are still higher than if she were white, because she stands out more, but I’d guess there’s less forgiveness on the scores). (And we can argue about legacies another time, because the average SAT score of an admitted legacy is only 5-10 points lower than that of an unhooked candidate, so they’re not really relevant for this discussion.) Anyway, out of the morass of parentheticals. Let’s assume, then, that the average Hispanic applicant’s SAT scores are a full 200 points lower than the average applicant’s (which I doubt); at that level, you’re still only at about the 50% mark of Hispanic SAT scores. If you can spend some serious time studying for either the SAT or the ACT, your chances at Harvard are still slim. I think that having higher scores would really increase the selectivity of colleges you can expect to get into, though, so I advise you to do that, and wish you the best of luck.</p>
<p>@matt2013, I am in a similar situation as you. My SAT scores were a little lower than yours as and I was told that being Hispanic wouldn’t compensate for low scores so I still needed to improve my scores significantly. After three SATs, I brought up my score by 210 points (1810—>2020). I would definitely work on that; definitely take an SAT prep class and buy the Blue Book (from Collegeboard). I wish you the best of luck and don’t get discouraged because no matter what anyone else says, we all have a shot :)</p>
<p>“Am I in the top 10% of SAT Latino scores”</p>
<p>Well your not just competing with other latino students, your competing with students all around the world who has actually done something substantial during their high school career.</p>
<p>Its great that you have ambitions, but dont just assume you are going to get into Harvard because your a minority from Compton.</p>
<p>i got that 1940</p>
<p>I’ve been an alumni interviewer for Harvard College for over 15 years. Hispanics are in a special category. I would encourage you to apply as Harvard and other Ivy League universities are actively looking for talented minority students. So please don’t be dissuaded. If you have any questions, please contact Harvard College Admissions.</p>
<p>SeattleBulldog is partially correct. However, Harvard is looking specifically for talented Hispanic students and other minorities. Having interviewed for years, I can assure you that your individual circumstances will be evaluated. It is realised that minority and other disadvantaged students, are not necessarily able to receive tutoring or participate in many extracurriculars.</p>
<p>How do people find these threads?</p>
<p>Yes, OP would be in the top 10% of Hispanic/Latino SAT scores - see
<a href=“http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/SAT-Percentile-Ranks-by-Gender-Ethnicity-2012.pdf[/url]”>http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/research/SAT-Percentile-Ranks-by-Gender-Ethnicity-2012.pdf</a>
(as an aside to exultationsy, Hispanic scores at the top percentiles are indeed 150-200 points lower than the White equivalents, according to this data).</p>
<p>As other posters have pointed out though, top 10% is generally (other things being equal) not going to get you in to Harvard; the entire Ivy League could fill their Hispanic ‘quotas’ just by skimming the top 1% of Hispanic SAT-takers if that was all they were to consider.</p>
<p>Surviving Compton is a world class EC and one of the best that I’ve read, Try to get your ACT/SAT up higher and then who knows-GL</p>
<p>1800 SAT (Retaking in 3 weeks)
SAT II: 660 MATH I 670 USH
4.5 WGPA
3.8 UWGPA
100% Ecuadorian
All Honors, expcept when I had to skip spanish III CP freshmen year
AP GOV, APUSH, AP English, AP Psych, AP Music Theory, UCONN SPANISH V, AP SPANISH (Self-study)
Second Performing arts school in the afternoons (no extracurriculars as a result, this IS essentially my extra curricular), 4.0 there as Regional Center for the Art’s first violin major, and later electric violin player.
My Leadship comes mostly in the form of my hard academic work and loving dedication to music. I have been transcribing, arranging, assistant directing, and directing songs since my Freshman year at RCA. It has taught me many things concerning the charisma, intelligence, and work ethic needed regardless of talent when leading a group of people to a seemingly overwhelming goal. This is only the tip of the iceberg, I should have more things on my Resume. But I also plan on Applying EA to Yale and Harvard RD. Any thoughts? I know I probably have a lot of competition with other Hispanic applicants, but I want the admissions more than anything to know that if I cannot surpass my competitiors in skill, then I will surpass them in effort.</p>
<p>sebdon9. Welcome to College Confidential. As a new member, what you just did is called “hijacking a thread” – taking someone else’s thread and adding your question to it. That’s a non-no. Next time, create a new post with your question.</p>
<p>In addition to what gibby said, please use old threads for information only, do not post and revive them.</p>
<p>Please see the Hispanic Students forum (under College Admissions, Specialty Topics) for more information about college admissions for Hispanic applicants. Start with the Resources sticky thread for links to old Results threads, fly-in opportunities, scholarships, etc. Chances threads are not particularly well received there, but help with developing a realistic list of admission and financial safety, match and reach schools is available.</p>