Chance of me getting into Harvard? Im int' student from AUS.

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>Hi im a int' student from Australia and am wondering whether i have some chance of getting into Harvard. i have 0 legacy, 0 connections 0 anything... but i can pay full education fee. is that a bonus? ... what else should i focus on. I realised that i dont have alot of awards to bring me up... Any help is greatly appreciated. thanks please dont try to be nice be realistic :). Thanks to all.</p>

<p>Comm Service</p>

<ul>
<li> 150+ hours of community service</li>
<li> Antipodeans China tour of 30 days to aid a small poverty stricken village in the mountains of Lijiang. We donated $20,000 Australian Dollars and provided them with our team effort to build sanitation facilities for the small community primary school. (Late 2007)</li>
<li> Barker College Archive support for the library on a weekly biases during my free periods.</li>
<li> Regular participant in 40hr famine World Vision.</li>
<li> Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Scheme.</li>
<li> Regular participant in the Red Shield Appeal.</li>
<li> Member of the Red Cross Y- Challenge.</li>
</ul>

<p>EXTRAC-</p>

<ul>
<li> Prefect Barker College 08/09</li>
<li> Student Representative Council Barker College - President 08/09</li>
<li> Leaving Gift Committee Barker College – Chief Coordinator 08/09</li>
<li> 4th Tennis Team Barker College 08/09</li>
<li> A division SUNS Youth Table Tennis Team 07</li>
<li> 2nd Debating Team Barker College 09</li>
<li> 1st Chess Team Barker College 08/09</li>
<li> Senior Choir Barker College 08</li>
<li> Black and White photography Team Barker College 08</li>
<li> Peer Mentor Barker College 08</li>
<li> Fundamental Art 08</li>
<li> Public Speaking Team Barker College 08</li>
<li> Guitar 07</li>
</ul>

<p>Leadership positions held:
- President of Student Representative Council Barker College 08 ($50,000 x 2 years donated by SRC to Vietnam Charities)
- Chief Coordinator Leaving Gift Committee Barker College 08
- Prefect Barker College 08</p>

<p>Cultural Leadership Positions:
- Translator/Student organizer – China Lijiang Antipodeans Community Service Project 07</p>

<p>Sporting Team Leadership:
- Vice Captain – SUNS youth A division Table Tennis team 07</p>

<p>Awards Won:
- Duke of Ed. Gold
- Ilford Schools Photographic Competition – Senior Division – Merit Prize 08
- Australian Mathematics Challenge High Distinction 06
- Australian Mathematics Challenge High Distinction 07
- Australian Intermediate Mathematics Olympiad High Distinction 07
- Barker College Distinction Prize 06 - 13/350 - GPA 4
- Barker College Distinction Prize 07 - 16/350 - GPA 4
- Barker College Distinction Prize 08 - 8/350 - GPA 4
- Barker College Advance Mathematics Prize 06
- Barker College Advance Mathematics Prize 07
- Barker College 2U Mathematics Prize 08</p>

<p>Scholarships:
- $600 Australian National University Scholarship
- $10,000 x 3 yrs Barker College Scholarship</p>

<p>Summer Schools
- NSLC - 07
- Columbia Summer School - Us Econ - Globliasation 07
- Harvard Summer School – Psychology and Law – 4 University Credits
- Australian National University – National Mathematics Summer School (selected student of 75 secondary school students nationwide) 09</p>

<p>Affiliation: YouthConnected junior leader</p>

<p>SAT -2400
SATII - 2400 (math 1, math 2, us history, chinese (i did it for fun))</p>

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<p>Based on your extra currics, APs, SATs, etc, I would say that you're basically a shoe-in, if that even exists at harvard...unless your GPA is extraordinarily low, you're in.</p>

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<p>thanks for your commentS!!! Others please also comment thanks!! im foreign to the ivys chose their students. Maybe some ivy students could help me on this as well??? =D ^^ much appreciated! thank you all!</p>

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<p>No IB OR APs… That hardly screams most rigorous classes taken. As far as I know, there has to be one or the other available in Australia. Ivy students with no access to the classes in either take regular classes and then self-study to take the tests. You don’t show that academic strength. I would question in the first place if Harvard is even right for you. If you can’t handle APs or IBs, Harvard will kill you. Harvard is not a joke.</p>

<p>Really weak awards, virtually a grocery-list type of ECs.
You make your listing of awards look like you’ve achieved a ton of incredible stuff but on second glance not really anything on International/National level. Admission officials will notice that in 2 seconds.</p>

<p>That Summer school thing may help, but no guarantees.</p>

<p>Harvard is need blind to all Internationals as well as nationals, so no you being able to pay will NOT help your shot at getting in.</p>

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<p>Barker’s not that bad. They’ve had Rhodes scholars (most recent one being a girl who is currently absolutely plastered all over USyd’s law brochures and advertising material). All in all it’s not a bad school. </p>

<p>Private schools always do well at the Ivies thing, and I think at 49, Barker won’t be looked down on at all.You also remember that ivies also heavily recruit for sport, they seem to also really like Aussie rowers and potential football (gridiron) players based on rugby and such. Barker seems like a pretty decent pool for this actually (not assuming that the OP is such an applicant though).</p>

<p>Besides any applicant (or HSC student for that matter) hoping to ride on the coattails of a high ranking school…<em>chortle</em></p>

<p>My school (well ranked in the state etc etc) doesn’t actually rank applicants btw. I’ve been told a few other private schools have policies not to rank for colleges either (dux or not), after all quite a few ppl end up with the same ATARs.</p>

<p>Doesn’t mean I don’t agree with you on some aspects of your post regarding your evaluation of the OP’s ECs btw. :p</p>

<p>OP - some of those prizes/scholarships are a wee bit irrelevant. I won a $13k pa scholarship from ANU, a 10k pa one from USyd and UNSW and I didn’t feel the slightest inclination to report it to my college applications. It would look abit strange for one.</p>

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<p>You have a chance, it’s not high though. And I agree with pretty much what everybody’s been saying. EC really isn’t up to par. Btw, full score on the SAT isn’t necessarily a good thing.</p>

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<p>I didn’t think Australia had APs because honestly, why would they? They’re from an american company, aren’t they? For IB, you have to go to an IB school - what if there isn’t one in the OP’s area? Remember they’re also studying for exams in their own country (leaving certificates, etc) so unless they have a schedule considered weak in Australia, none of that should be an issue.</p>

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<p>Being realistic, can ANYONE be chanced for Harvard?</p>

<p>I’d say it’s a reach, because it’s a reach for anyone, regardless of their stats.</p>

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<p>This is resume padding, plain and simple. I can’t see anything you’re truly passionate about from this list. You might just as well omit most of it. The awards you listed all have to do with mathematics, but as several posters have pointed out already, they’re nothing outstanding. As an international student, you will be competing with internationals from other countries, some of whom have made it to prestigious competitions like IMO and earned medals. </p>

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<p>2400 in 4 SAT II’s? You must have averaged a score of 600 on each of them. With this in mind, your SAT II scores are incredibly weak as well. That definitely will not work to your favor in the eyes of the Harvard adcoms.</p>

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<p>If the OP could take SAT II’s, why wouldn’t he/she be able to take AP exams? Both come from the College Board. Lack of course rigor is often a killer to anyone’s app.</p>

<p>EDIT: Disregard the last comment; I forgot that you have to register with an AP Coordinator at your school in order to take an AP exam, whereas you could just register for SAT II exams online by yourself.</p>

1 Like
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<p>Just as a note, the OP posted the following on another thread: </p>

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<p>That comes out as a 2150 total, which is certainly not enough for an international applying to Harvard and whose first language is English (presumably, since he/she lives in Australia). Also:</p>

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<p>If the OP is of Chinese ethnic origin, his Chinese score won’t look the least bit impressive, and I’m not sure Math 1 and Math 2 are counted as 2 separate SAT II’s. Also, quite frankly, 600 on U.S. History is a rather unflattering score.</p>

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<p>Why are we chancing someone from a year ago?</p>

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<p>^ Wow. I actually never noticed that. O_O </p>

<p>Thanks for pointing it out! (Oh well, at least I got to boost my post count ;))</p>

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<p>Haha! Just the facts, man… :P</p>

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<p>2400 is very impressive. But the rest are not. Reach.</p>

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<p>Are you honestly perceived as not taking rigorous courses if you don’t study IB or APs?</p>

<p>I’m another Australian student, and if that’s the case, there’s almost no point in me applying. My school (which I selected because it’s the best in my state) doesn’t offer IB and you can’t sit the APs in my city to my knowledge. IMO, it’s a bit unfair for adcoms to disadvantage students who don’t have access to these assessments - you can only make use of the resources that you have.</p>

<p>In regards to the OP, I don’t think your ECs are stellar. They’re good, and they’d probably score you merit scholarships if accompanied by an amazing ATAR at somewhere like USyd, but considering that the Australians applying overseas are generally the cream of the cream, I don’t think they’re up to scratch. I could be wrong though. </p>

<p>Your summer schools sound good though.</p>

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<p>No, not at all. </p>

<p>I’ve spoken to a few admissions officers (one of who personally admitted me!) and this is what she said. </p>

<ol>
<li><p>They DO in fact understand the Australian system. You will be compared with other AUSSIES. Not other Americans, or other Ukranians or other Mongolians or what have you. Hence the HSC or VCE is absolutely acceptable. They care more about your transcript (grades on the school report) anyway.</p></li>
<li><p>They’re totally aware that not many schools offer the IB, and that we can’t “choose” our curriculum to the same extent that Americans can. Some admissions officers may even be aware that the IB is usually only offered at a few exclusive private schools or specialised intl schools. Frankly, they’re not going to be all that much more impressed by a 45 on an IB than a 99.95 ATAR. It’s considered exactly the same. </p></li>
<li><p>I’ve heard it said that an Aussie taking APs just looks like he/she has way too much time on his/her hands and is a lacking-in-life nerd. But definitely, your time could be spent FAR better, ie. improving HSC/VCE performance, or working on your ECs.</p></li>
</ol>

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<p>EXACTLY.</p>