Chance me please for Harvard EA 2020

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hi guys! This is my first post on CC and I recently applied SCEA to Harvard and I am sheer terrified, considering I had more likely admission options elsewhere ED. However, financial aid is such a concern to me, I decided to take a shot at non-binding Harvard. If anyone out there does read this, please chance me!
Also feel free to chance me for any of these other schools: Brown, Dartmouth, Yale, Penn, Boston U, Boston College, Georgetown, UNC - Chapel Hill. Thanks so much !!

SAT I: (Breakdown) (Superscored) 2090; 670CR, 740M, 680W ):
ACT: 31 (Math: 34, English: 30, Reading: 34, Science: 27)
SAT II: 680: US History, 690: Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): approximately 3.9 [My school uses a weird scale (same for weighted and unweighted) that
goes up to 4.33. On that scale I have a 4.31
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School Doesn’t Rank, Top Decile
AP (place score in parenthesis): U.S. History (4) Chemistry (3) World History (4) English Language and Composition (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Latin, AP English Literature, AP Physics 1, AP Biology, AP Calculus BC
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): No National Awards, but within my school, I have earned a couple of Track Awards,

earned induction into the Cum Laude Society( Top 10%) and received the Harvard Book
Award.
Subjective:

Extracurriculars
Athletic Trainer (Sports Medicine) Student Intern (First in my school)
Senior Leadership Council
Young Democrats Society (Co-Founder)
Varsity Track and Field (Captain To Be)
Global Union (Diversity Club)
Varsity Basketball,
Math Team
Yearbook (Editor)
Job/Work Experience: Cashier at a local grocery store
Volunteer/Community service: Leader of the Christmas Toy, Book and Clothing Drives, Latin I Tutor and School Recycler
Summer Activities: Shadow at Hospitals when able, work with my parents on their farm
Essays: Common App about how I was pressured to basketball on account of my height, but through quitting, discovered the values of pursuing my dreams, being myself and writing out the plans for my own future.
Supplement: How I traded popularity for being a smart, outgoing, approachable LGBTQ African American and how I

overcame the social stigmas surrounding those qualities of mine.
Teacher Recommendation: Have three, I am sure they’re all great. All of the teachers liked me a lot.
Counselor Rec: graduating class of about 90, likes me a lot, have been going to her since sophomore year -should be good
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview:
Other

State (if domestic applicant): South Carolina
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc) URM --does LGBTQ count?

2

Ehh, your stats are pretty low. And yeah, I hope LGBTQ counts as a hook, lol. But your essays have to be super good, otherwise I’d put your chances at a little below the acceptance rate, because SATs. But don’t pay too much attention to me, I’m still a frosh who reads these threads a ton :3

3

All your scores including AP’s are low for those Ivies. All Ivies are reaches for you. No chance for Harvard.

4

LGBTQ isn’t a hook.

We can’t say “no chance for Harvard,” because as soon as you send off your application you have a chance. But I’d be very surprised if you got into most of the schools on your list (You do have a shot at BU and BC).

5

Ok @NotVerySmart ,if you want to look at it philosophically, then I consider a 1% chance for OP in that case!

6

@uclaparent9 Just to be clear, I’m not looking to be pedantic, but absolute statements (especially on the black box that is college admissions) are something I prefer to qualify. In all likelihood, you’re right, but every year there are some students who get into a top college thanks to their essays/interviews after looking like sure rejections based on GPA, test scores, ECs, and lack of a hook. That possibility is always something to remember, so the lowest I’ll go on any applicant’s chances is 0.1%.

OP’s chances are probably a bit better than 0.1%, but 1% seems as fair an estimate as any.

7

I hope OP proves you both wrong. His scores are not that bad and he is a URM. I think arguing whether his chances are zero, 0.1 or 1% is insensitive and demoralizing to be honest. We have no idea what others will be saying about him in their recs, how his essays turned out or what Harvard may feel about his life story. Best of luck to you OP!

8

@Falcon1 When a perfectly average applicant’s chances are 5.9%, 1% isn’t an indictment of an applicant. Realistically, with an SAT below the 25th percentile, sub-700 SAT II scores, and middling AP scores, his chances aren’t great.

This is not a reflection of some inner flaw we’re assuming OP has, it’s a reflection of the fact that there are about 40,000 applicants to Harvard each year, many of whom will have perfect or near-perfect stats. For a student who’s not a recruited athlete, special talent, triple legacy, or development admit, the odds are about half the admission rate under the best of circumstances - and this profile, while nothing to be ashamed of, is not the best of circumstances.

Any student who finds the observation that his/her chances at Harvard are low demoralizing is going to have a rough application season. These schools are all crapshoots, even more so for low-stat applicants.

9

@NotVerySmart

The standard line is the above plus "or URM’ which you conveniently left out. Also, I have no idea where you get “half the admission rate”. If you mean SCEA admission rate (16.5%) then his chances would be 8.25%

If you go through past results threads, you will find African Americans with similar stats and ECs who have been admitted. It all depends on how the rest of his app comes together as I said. His gpa may or may not be a concern, it’s hard to know where he stands in the class based upon what he posted.

In any event, I disagree with your 1% assessment.

10

While it is possible to get into any of those schools with your credentials, what are your safeties/matches? Are you applying to Clemson, USC-Columbia, Wofford, College of Charleston, or Furman? I think it’s honestly a moot point to chance for any of Ivies. No one knows with them. It’s unpredictable but test scores are a huge factor. Since financial aid is a concern, you should know that I heard it’s possible to give the Palmetto Fellows scholarship at out-of-state colleges if your major isn’t offered in SC colleges. You chose some really high ranked schools, just make sure you have safeties! You do need a backup plan in case you’re accepted into any of those schools and can’t afford to go.

11

@Falcon1 With athletes/Intel ISEF winners/famous people’s kids, who are invited to apply in many cases, a substantial number of Harvard spots are locked up before normal applicants even start filling in the common app. The best guess of half is what a family friend and recent H graduate estimated the proportion to be. Leaving 1/2 of places in the freshman class for normal applicants, and thus halving the acceptance rate for such students.

URM helps, but is not a magic bullet, and in this case would likely be cancelled out by test scores. A URM at the 75th percentile SAT has an excellent shot. A URM below the 25th percentile, with SAT II scores below 700, less so.

Hence my prediction of low chances. I never said OP had a 0.1% chance. That was a general comment on my stance to Ivy admissions. To wit:

Here’s my reply to his initial post:

I don’t have any evidence to warrant vehement disagreement with another poster’s estimate of 1%. At most Ivies, a typical applicant’s chances range from 1% to 5% in the absence of a guarantee hook (heavily recruited athlete/ISEF winner/Malia Obama), so when H rejects 19/20 students, and some of his other schools reject a “mere” 12 out of 13 or 13 out of 14, this is really the only possible answer.

I noted that OP had a chance (and a viable chance, I should add) at BU and BC. His odds are higher at schools like Georgetown or UNC-CH than at the Ivies, but they’re still reaches.

I feel we both agree that OP has a chance, and I suspect you’ll also agree that no applicant lacking a strong hook is likely to get into Harvard, so I’m going to leave it at that.

12

All right. I think my daughter saw Malia on campus again on Thursday, btw.

13

I’m not saying no chance, but make sure you have safety schools. @Chopinspiano is right.

Good luck, I hope you get in :x

14

The SAT is not bad. It is the AP that poses the risk. (While CC is hung up on admissions chances, the adcom concern is the 4-year experience at the school and whether a kid can manage that.)

And frankly, no one here knows what the possible major is, so how OP’s record will be reviewed int that context. Still, there are a number of reasons they might be interested in OP, based on what’s in his post. CC needs to get past scores and URM and try looking as they do in holistic.

15

@lookingforward How does the AP classes pose a risk? I’ve never seen a college take into consideration the AP score. His grades in AP classes matter. 9 AP classes and so far he’s passed all of them. I’m very confused as to what you mean about AP.

16

No

Nor would it matter; Harvard does not admit by major.

17

Once you hit that submit button, I wouldn’t worry about chancing.
OP should just relax for a bit before he starts on the rest of his applications. Our opinions don’t matter at all. It’s all up to the admissions committee now.

I wish OP the best of luck, hopefully he can join Harvard’s class of 2020!

18

Grades depend on the hs, teacher, and sometimes the level of peers in the class. AP tests are standardized. You betcha Harvard will look.

And it doesn’t matter if a college doesn’t “admit by major” (as in b-school or school of engineering.) It still offers context reference for academics, activities…and a look at those scores. If OP wants stem, the 740 and 34 are good. The chem AP not so much. Then, the rest of the story.

And how do you think H can say they want more qualified humanities kids (or balance in majors in the class and per dept needs and resources,) if they aren’t looking?

19

@Chopinspiano Please post your source for Palmetto Fellows scholarships being available at OOS schools. OP may be eligible for OOS tuition at OOS schools if his major is not offered at instate schools or individual schools may offer the equivalent to a PF scholarship, but from my research the state of SC does not provide PF scholarships to OOS schools .

20

In terms of AP test scores, they represent a standardized way to assess competence and mastery of a class. AP classes can be taught in a variety of ways , and grades in the class are not necessarily the best way to determine mastery of the subject manner. What about the students who may get a B or C in the class and still get a 5 on the exam. IMO , the test score is a more reliable representation of their knowledge of the material.