Chances at Harvard, EA

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>GPA: 3.88/4.0 (we don't weight)
SAT I: 690/710/730 (possibly re-take)
SAT II: US Hist. 780, Bio. E 750, Lit. 680 (yes the bane of my existence Lit.)
ACT: 31 (re-taking for sure)
APs: Biology 5 (A in class), Comparative Gov. and Pol. 5 (A+ in class), English Language 5 (A- in class), US Hist. 5 (A+ in class)
Next year's classes: AP Spanish Language, AP English Lit, AP Stats., AP Modern Euro. Hist., a religion requirement and a fine arts requirement</p>

<p>--Model UN Exec. Board last year (in an organization with 100+ members), now Director of Conferences (in charge of getting a 200+ delegate conference organized). Last year I helped plan a conference that was called "better" than Northwestern's which was just a few weeks before. </p>

<p>--Forensics/Speech, various awards</p>

<p>--Staff writer for paper</p>

<p>--Internship this summer with the President of The Harvard Crimson for six-weeks </p>

<p>--FDR Award for outstanding & lasting service to The Crimson</p>

<p>--Northwestern CTD after Freshman year, A in Ecology (on my HS transcript)</p>

<p>--Georgetown Int'l Relations Summer Program after Soph. year</p>

<p>--Harvard Summer School SSP after Junior year, expecting an A/A- in International Relations and spoken Spanish</p>

<p>--Have played piano for 12 years</p>

<p>--Over 200 hours of community service (including about 40-50 at Harvard)</p>

<p>--URM status, non URM nationality, but slight diversity card in that I am gay and am planning to start a GSA with my friend at my school this year. </p>

<p>My main interest is international relations, and is pretty much a passion for me. Journalism is also becoming more of an interest (wouldn't mind writing for The Economist one day). </p>

<p>As for a backgrounder on where people from my school typically ended up last year a 3.5/1500 got into Northwestern, a 3.8/1400 Georgetown & Penn (early to Penn), a 3.9/1430 Princeton. </p>

<p>Also applying to besides Harvard: Brown, Columbia, Georgetown (sister went there), Yale, Northwestern, McGill and NYU</p>

<p>Northwestern note: Brother, sister (law school), mother, father all went to Northwestern and my father was formerly on the faculty of Northwestern Medical School and has been asked by the President of the University to serve on at least one committee in recent years.</p>

2

<p>To be honest, I don't think you have much of a chance at those top schools. You need to bring your SAT I scores to at least 2200+, and your EC's do not look too impressive in my opinion. It's just that there are plenty of people with 4.0/and near perfect SAT scores, and you may need to bring your scores up to have an average chance. </p>

<p>What's your nationality? If you are an URM, that the story would be radically different.</p>

3

<p>
[quote]
URM status, non URM nationality, but slight diversity card in that I am gay.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Are you trying to say that you are an URM because you are gay??? </p>

<p>I seriously doubt colleges care about your sexual preference.</p>

4

<p>I'm new here, so excuse my question - what is a URM exactly?</p>

5

<p>No i'm not. URM status is negative. But colleges care about diversity. And it's not a preference. You do realize I said slight? Georgetown for instance will be offering a scholarship to a GLBTQ incoming student based on merit to try to increase diversity. And many people will tell you it actually is an under-represented demographic on college campsuses. But this is a needless distraction.</p>

6

<p>what do you mean its not a sexual preference? if it's not a preference, then what do you exactly mean by "gay"?</p>

7

<p>It isn't a preference. It's an innate characteristic. Calling it a "preference" is offensive. Like I said this is a needless distraction. I'm not responding to this ridiculousness any more. As usual this website, is a waste. </p>

<p>And if my sister, who had a lesser GPA and scores than me had listened to people like you she would never have graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown. </p>

<p>That is my attitude on this situation. If I had listented to people like you I would have seen over 200 people "with perfect test scores and grades" and "more and better experience" with their school's newspapers applying for an internship at the Crimson and never applied. Guess what? I got an internship and they didn't. It's not all about the scores people. </p>

<p>I'm a passionate, interesting and motivated person, and I have the ability to carry a conversation and balance my school life with a social life. Many of those "test scores" people out there can't. If you think Harvard is only concerned about SAT scores in the early pool, you are gravely mistaken. They, like most Ivies, admit people, not numbers.</p>

<p>So if someone is willing to offer a serious critique, please do so. And let me state it is not my expectation to get into Harvard, nor would it really make a difference in the long-run. I will be sucessful wherever I go. No one can expect to get into Harvard. But that doesn't mean you don't try.</p>

8

<p>
[quote]
As usual this website, is a waste.

[/quote]

So now you are asking trash for advice eh?

[quote]
And if my sister, who had a lesser GPA and scores than me had listened to people like you she would never have graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown.

[/quote]

Why don't you ask her then? Sounds like she knows more than us.

[quote]
They, like most Ivies, admit people, not numbers.

[/quote]

no $#!+, sherlock</p>

9

<p>Whether its innate or not, its still a preference. You have a preference towards men.</p>

10

<p>Also, I would definitely retake the SATs if i were you. Get a 750 on each section and you have a much better shot at Harvard. Your only like 30-40 points out for each section, its doable.</p>

11

<p>Sure, his SATs might be low for harvard, but he has great grades. People here really can't look past the numbers sometimes.</p>

12

<p>
[quote]
Sure, his SATs might be low for harvard, but he has great grades.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>You know what "great grades" mean at Harvard? Don't you think just about everyone who gets in has great grades AND great SAT scores? I'd be willing to bet any amount of money that Harvard rejects many more valedictorians then perfect SAT scorers.</p>

13

<p>You don't think if it really helped being gay people wouldn't lie and say they were to get an advantage? It doesn't help at all. But back to the point, no real chance at harvard EA.</p>

14

<p>i think you have a chance, but
the ivies are all crapshoots.</p>

<p>that's really all you need to know.</p>

<p>good luck.</p>

15

<p>hmmm, but internship at the harvard newspaper looks pretty good.
with that theres a definite chance</p>

16

<p>"SAT I: 690/710/730 (possibly re-take)"</p>

<p>definite retake.</p>

17

<p>Hey guys, let's be politically correct. Sexual <em>orientation</em>, not preference.</p>

<p>I think you have a great shot at all your choices. So you aren't that great at standardized testing - but you excel in other areas. Good luck.</p>

18

<p>Well, this will be a true test of whether such internships can pull you in. Who knows, but that's what it would take.</p>

19

<p>No chance at H. Probable waitlist EA, rejected RD. Remember, H waitlists almost everyone, but then takes almost no one from the waitlist. I don't know about this year, but 2004 they took 6 people.</p>

20

<p>okay well if you ask for chances, people are going to give you their idea of your chance. now if you disagree with what other people think, well, that's just their idea of your chance. since you're just going to try anyways.. i don't see what the big deal is. anywho.
Of course you have a chance. Gopher it.</p>