<p>My son's highest ambition is to get into Harvard. He comes from a decent public school in Southern California. He is very accomplished in the Speech & Debate Circuit. What do you think his chances are with the following:</p>
<p>Strengths:
SAT's: 2100
GPA: Near 4.0
Class Rank: Top 5%
2 AP Subject Tests: Graded 4 & 5</p>
<p>11th Grade he came in 6th Place in the U.S. in Impromptu Speaking.
10th Grade he came in 6th Place in California in Impromptu Speaking.
He has numerous other district & league titles in Speech & Debate.
He interviews very well and comes across as a really nice guy (which he is!)
Has a passion for and wealth of knowledge in American Politics and International affairs.
Has served in Student gov't throughout High School. Vice-President of Student Body in 11th Grade. </p>
<p>Weaknesses:
He has few community service credits.
He's White and comes from a upper middle-class family.
Hasn't started his common app essay yet!</p>
<p>SAT scores are low, grades are average. NFL debate placement is nice, though from what I have seen from recent graduates, it doesn’t help a great deal. I would call it a longshot - 10-15%, maybe?</p>
<p>Besides SAT scores and the other stuff, what ECs does he have like sports or clubs and even volunteering/awards?</p>
<p>It’s hard to give a good chance off this information and i assume he’s in 12th grade right now. i think Harvard is about a 10-15% chance just like snipersas, but other schools, like NYU, BC, Northwestern/Northeastern, dont seem out of the question, even Cornell seems possible. A girl at my school last year got in the 2100s and had her rank + ECs to back her up and she now goes to Cornell. Maybe if your son increases his ECs somehow, Cornell is a long shot, but a possible reach.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, in this case, NFL achievements won’t compensate for relatively weak academics. (Not to mention that they are in impromptu, a supplementary event, as opposed to Extemp or LD). I agree with herozero that Cornell seems like a more reasonable “reach” school.</p>
<p>Ultimately, however, it’s still a toss-up depending on essays and recs. I recall one debater from a few admissions cycles ago with a 2070 SAT that got into Yale and was rejected at Harvard.</p>
<p>I agree with the responses above, however, the essay can be extremely powerful, so if he writes an amazing one it may turn the admissions’ heads. He’ll have to have stellar teacher and counsellor recommendations as well to increase his chances as much as possible.</p>