Chances for Harvard Early Action? Will chance back!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey guys! I'm hoping to study political science and/or environmental science. I've done a thread like this before, but since my stats/schools have changed...</p>

<p>Female/ Asian/Upper Middle Class
Suburban public school
SAT: 2400 (first sitting)
PSAT: 235 (most likely National Merit Semifinalist)
GPA: 4.0 unweighted
Rank: 1/350
SAT IIs: 800 - US History, 770 - Lit</p>

<p>Junior year classes: AP Language and Composition, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics, AP US History, Debate, School Newspaper
Senior year classes: AP Gov, AP Macro Economics, AP Lit, AP Stat, AP Bio, AP French, School Newspaper
AP scores so far: AP Human Geography (5), AP Euro (5), AP Environmental Science (5), AP Calculus BC (5), AP Lang (5), AP US History (5), canceled Physics </p>

<p>Extra Curriculars:
- TASP
- President: Quiz Bowl Team
- Co-President: Mock Trial
- President (Secretary-General): Model UN
- Secretary: Leo Club (school service club)
- Business Manager/Op-Ed Editor: School Newspaper
- Future Business Leaders of America member for three years
-National Honor Society
- ANNpower Fellow (prestigious leadership conference - one of 50 out of over 1000 applicants chosen. Met with Hillary Clinton, mentored by Kah Walla, etc)</p>

<p>Awards:
- Placed top 3 at FBLA States for two years, qualified for nationals (1st Place - Introduction to Business Communication, 3rd Place - Personal Finance)
- Several Model UN awards (Best Delegate, etc)
- Penn State Essay Award
- Quiz Bowl League Most Valuable Player
- Harvard Book Award
- Nothing major :( </p>

<p>Service:
- 100+ hours with Child Evangelism Fellowship, a religious organization
- Volunteer weekly at local hospital
- Volunteer weekly at a local senior center
- Urban gardening work in Philadelphia
- Maintain the grounds at a local school for the blind
- 250+ hours overall</p>

<p>Teacher recommendations and essays should both be solid. </p>

<p>Applying to 12 schools: Harvard (Early Action), Princeton, Yale, Cornell (College of Human Ecology - PAM major), UPenn, Georgetown, Northwestern, Duke, UMich, Penn State Honors College, Drexel, Pitt</p>

<p>Thank you!!!</p>

2

<p>It may not be Harvard, but rest assured, based on your resume, you’ll get into an unbelievable school. I have not seen very many people as qualified as you. The main thing, though, is your essay. Spend a lot of time in it, because it will be a major factor. Oh, and always a shoutout to a fellow Harvard book awardee! </p>

<p>Harvard REA- 40%
Princeton- 35%
Yale- 35%
Cornell- I actually don’t think you’ll get in. They are known to turn away what they perceive as over-qualified applicants (20%)
UPenn- 50%
Georgetown- 60%
Northwestern- 50%
Duke- 50%
UMich- 80%
Penn State- I think you’re in state… 99.9999999%
Drexel- 90%
Pitt- 90%</p>

<p>Chance me back:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1662544-chances-at-harvard-yale-princeton-mit-brown-columbia-dartmouth-tufts-duke-amherst.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1662544-chances-at-harvard-yale-princeton-mit-brown-columbia-dartmouth-tufts-duke-amherst.html#latest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>So you’re one of those 4.0 & 2400’s haha. Best of luck with applications. I’d say you have a very strong chance at admissions to most schools because, great academics aside, your extracurriculars seem coherent and focused.</p>

4

<p>Omg you stats are AMAZING! If your essays are really good I believe you have a above average chance at HPY. The other schools I think you will get in honestly. Good luck !</p>

<p>Chance me back? Thanks</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1680497-how-much-will-this-increase-my-chances.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1680497-how-much-will-this-increase-my-chances.html#latest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>Thanks guys!
Also, I attended TASP @ Cornell and was taught by two Cornell professors - do you think that will show interest if I write about it in the supplement essay? It’s one of my top choices </p>

6

<p>@virago1 - your qualifications are outstanding - in fact they are so strong, Harvard would have to look for reasons not to accept you. Make sure you don’t give them any! Make an effort on your essays, chose the teachers who write the recommendations wisely, and prepare for your interview.</p>

7

<p>You seem like an outstanding applicant, but Harvard and peers have thousands of amazing students to choose from. Im sure wherever you end up going will be a world class school and you’ll love it! :)</p>

8

<p>@contrametum - even at Harvard, few applicants have qualifications this outstanding.</p>

<p>Of course, this doesn’t mean she will be accepted, but her odds are far better than the average applicant.</p>

<p>FYI, here’s a snapshot of last year’s freshman class, courtesy of The Crimson:</p>

<p><a href=“The Harvard Crimson | Class of 2017”>http://features.thecrimson.com/2013/frosh-survey/admissions.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

9

<p>Harvard- I’d say likely with your stats but most of the top schools can be weird in the application process
Princeton- Likely as well
Yale- I’d say reach
Cornell- Target school, most likely 50 Percent
UPenn- Target school as well
Georgetown- Target school, I’d think you would be accepted
Northwestern- Target, 50%
Duke- Target 50%
UMich- Your stats are above average for u mich, i think this is a good chance
Penn State- Your in
Drexel- Your in
Pitt- Your in </p>

<p>Chance me back?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1680728-chance-me-haverford-college-of-william-and-marry-bowdoin-hamilton-colgate-carleton.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/1680728-chance-me-haverford-college-of-william-and-marry-bowdoin-hamilton-colgate-carleton.html#latest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

10

<p>Followup here, I added some filters to the Parchment scatterplot for Harvard (GPA > 3.95, SAT average > 790, early application, female), and most were rejected, however viewing the profiles, none had ECs close to this level, and all were shown as attending Yale, Princeton, or Berkeley. I would take the Parchment data with a grain of salt but the profiles seemed legit.</p>

11

<p>I strongly agree with the poster who said if not harvard, you’ll attend an unbelievable school. While no one can predict if you can get into one of those schools (because its so competitive that you never know), I can almost assure you that you’ll get into at least one of the top tier schools on your list, but any will be lucky to have you. Chance back?</p>

12

<p>@Bldrdad Yeah I just made a Parchment account for Harvard and it said I had a 29% chance. Thank you! I’m definitely not super optimistic</p>

13

<p>@virago1 - funny, my daughter made a Parchment account last year and it also gave her a 29% chance for Harvard - perhaps that’s maximum possible they will give. Looking at the scatterplots (both Parchment, and Naviance data from her school), I concluded her odds were probably higher. She applied SCEA and was accepted. Her academic qualifications, while excellent, are perhaps a notch below yours, and she had a fraction of your ECs. Her essays were excellent, she had a good interview, and I suspect her recommendations were also strong.</p>

<p>She’s not you, though, and anecdotal evidence proves nothing! </p>

14

<p>Great resume. I think you have an excellent shot. A lot will depend on who else is applying from your region at the same time. ECs will be your greatest weakness, demonstrate how you are different</p>

15

<p>@virago1 - what more is there to add? Your chances are good, and the effort you put into your application could make the difference. People who say “Harvard is a long shot for everybody” don’t recognize that there are some students that Harvard would love to have attend, and for them, it’s not a long shot.</p>

<p>@sgopal2 - great point, and one has little control over this. At my daughter’s HS, two similar students (both with amazing credentials) applied SCEA to Yale, one was accepted, the other was deferred and ultimately rejected. We were surprised as we were sure she would be accepted anywhere she applied. Looking at the group of kids accepted to Harvard from our state (a fairly small group), there seems to be a lot of diversity of background and interests, with few similar kids, perhaps more so than one would expect if the admission decisions were made independently.</p>