Chance Me? Probably Screwed

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

Hi!!! I’m a EA applicant to Harvard who knows not to expect too much due to the arbitrariness of the process and a multitude of other factors, but my expectations aren’t too high based on my GPA :confused: I was contacted today for my interview, but I’m not sure how much it will help given how close it is to the admissions date

** I’ll start with my negatives: **
3.73 GPA- struggled a lot with my mental health junior year, resulted in a number of B’s plaguing my formerly pristine high school record. I’m almost sure that this on its own means I have zero chance, but I have some positives that may mean I have a chance. I can’t really change the past so I just gotta be positive. We don’t do weighted GPA’s but I was in only AP’s and honors classes my junior year, although I still got 5’s on all of those AP exams.

^this part really really sucks

** Positives!!! :slight_smile: **

36 composite on the ACT first try: 35 math, 35 reading, 36 grammar 36 science, and 11/12 on the essay

1570/1600 on SAT 1st sitting (not gonna retake): 790 math and 770 English, I forget my essay score I’ll update this later maybe.

Nationally ranked policy debate champion who has qualified and attended the Tournament of Champions twice, which is kind of a big deal I guess?? I am super interested in debating in college and have reached out to the Harvard debate coach and such- not sure how much that will help or how much pull they have with admissions. My debate coach wrote me a rec in the context of the work I do within debate and the life skills it has taught me and the person it has made me.

Other EC thingies I will type up as a I think of them: was a member of student government for three years, have been a member of a capella groups @ my school for three years, have been active in our schools council for Social Justice in advancing change on campus, etc. for the past two years, as well as leading discussions about contemporary events on campus.

I had all ten EC’s filled out on my app but I’m totally blanking out rn, my bad.

I have a sibling legacy as well, my sister is currently a junior at Harvard.

I have a huge passion for singing and have participated in school a capella groups and choral groups for the entirety of my high school career- I sent in some recordings of me singing via Slideroom

My Common App essay was about music and the ways in which it has led to the formulation of my identity as a QPoC and an Asian American within the United States

My Harvard Supplemental essay was about my grandmother and all of the lessons she taught me on living life and the ways in which i integrate those in my daily approaches to life.

I attend a small private school with a class size of around 100 people,

SAT II test scores: 770 Biology (M) and 800 Literature
Past AP exam scores: 4 on AP Bio and a 5 on AP Euro, AP US History, AP Spanish Language, AP Calculus (AB)
Current AP classes enrolled in: AP Macro Econ, AP Gov, AP Statistics and AP English Language

I know the GPA is probably going to devastate and crush my chances of getting in which kind of sucks, but I know it’s not the end of the world and that there will be other opportunities, although none quite like this one. Was just curious on what y’all though my chances were.

Please be honest but not too mean :slight_smile:

2

Did you stay in school during your struggle with mental health issues? Did you have any accommodations via a 504 plan? What role did stress play? Have you been in treatment and was it effective? Did you or your guidance counselor mention these challenges in the application? (That might have been a good short supplemental essay.)

Many people with mental health challenges go to the most selective schools, but be aware of the rigors of the curriculum and consider fit for you going forward.

Your GPA may not be a big deal, who knows, but in the light of your test scores for AP’s and standardized tests, you clearly can do the work. Your extracurriculars are mainly within your school which is wonderful but may not help with admissions, except for the debating.

Noone can tell you what your chances are and you will find out soon. In the meantime, think less about fitting a school and more about finding a school that fits you.

If your sister got in and you don’t, you are not a lesser person!!! College admissions does not create a hierarchy of value for human beings :slight_smile: Meeting mental health challenges at a young age makes for resilience and wisdom in the long run and I am sure that in the end you will contribute a lot wherever you land.

3

The GPA isn’t a huge deal IMO but that may be up to the admissions officers to decide how much of a deal it really is. I also wouldn’t worry about the interview because it really don’t have that much bearing on the application, it’s typically only used to flag extreme cases.

4

Update: deferred :frowning:

5

Will post later asking for advice on what to do once I have rested a bit. Thank all of you for all of your support :slight_smile:

6

So, am I completely done for? statistically, it would seem so- and it’s not exactly like they were short on deferrals

7

No, but as you point out, the odds are against you. So what to do? Do an excellent job on the rest of your applications and when RD decisions come in, love the school that loves you back.