Chances for Harvard

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I'm here in northern Indiana. I am an Indian who is a native Urdu speaker (and US citizen).</p>

<p>GPA: 4.0 out of 4.0 (not weighted, never gotten below a 90% for semester)
SAT: Math 800, Verbal 760 (will take new one in Nov)
SAT II: none yet, will take WH, Math IIC, and Bio-M in Oct
PSAT: 225, Math 76, CR 75, Writing 74
courses of interest
9: Bio honors, Alg II/Precal honors, Eng 9 honors, orch
10: Bio II (first sophmore ever allowed in), AP Physics C, Ap Calc BC, Am. Lit honors, orch, debate/speech
11/12: (graduating early): AP Chem, AP Eng Lit and Lang, Ap Span, orch hon, debate</p>

<p>AP scores: 5's on Environment Science, Calc BC, both parts Physics C, Bio, and Human Geography
I will take AP tests in psychology, chemistry, eng lit, eng lang, span, stats, us history, and world history this next year</p>

<p>accomplishments: 1. placed top 3rd in national congress in debate/speech
2. placed 7th in state competition in debate/speech
3. first chair of school orchestra
4. first ever student council VP elected out of 10th instead of 11th grade
5. placed 30th precentile on USAMO test (2nd person ever from school to take USAMO)
6. tied for first (but lost tiebraker) with perfect score in state mathcounts, and got full ride to purdue for my results
7. was school winner on continental math league tests for two years
8. was top in state on amc 10 in 8th grade (last time that i took the test) (got something in the 130s)
9. placed 4th in state in natl geo bee in 6th and 8th grades
10. was top 5 in state in AAA travel challenge high school geography bee
11. took algebra at purdue in summer after 4th grade
12. got perfect scores at state spelling bee
13. was principal 2nd violin in top orchestra in a great lakes music summer camp
14. member spanish honor society
15. captain of school science team
16. did boy scouts for 4 years and weebelos before that</p>

<p>minimal work and volunteering experience
have done many outstanding projects (biography of Voltaire, analysis of antioxidants, and background paper on structure of iris) but nothing nationally recognized or with a professor</p>

<p>father has legacy to carnegie mellon, both parents have ph.d's</p>

<p>questions: what are my chances for Harvard, MIT (Purdue is safety)?
should I stay for senior year and take even more AP tests, get work/volunteering experience, maybe some research, and take several purdue classes?
what will I need on the SAT IIs?</p>

<p>thanks so much!</p>

2

<p>also, my school doesn't rank, but I am most definitely top decile, and my guidance counselor said personally that i would be the top if there was a rank</p>

3

<p>Your chances look very strong (or as strong as any other candidate). Unfortunately, Harvard and MIT are reaches for everyone, but you're definitely on the right track. If you can focus on a passion in your application and essays, you'll be well set. Academically, you are definitely on par with qualifications, and chances are, you'll do well on your SAT II's as well. Good luck</p>

4

<p>Harvard and MIT are both reaches, but it looks like you've been a star in your area, which will be appealing. I'm not sure how they look upon early graduates, though.</p>

<p>If you could stay for a year and get a research internship or something - and enter a local or national science fair - you'd have a great shot at MIT and maybe Harvard.</p>

<p>you'll need 750+ on the SAT II's to match the caliber of the rest of your application.</p>

<p>Can't you apply as an early entrance applicant rather than graduating early? If you don't get in, just stay in school. Then again, I don't know how your school works.</p>

5

<p>how can you apply for early admittance without a degree? I am assuming that this means you would just skip your last year of high school if accepted to the college, right?</p>

<p>how do you work with a professor? If you are helping them with their research, how are you allowed to present it at a science fair as your own?</p>

<p>sry, guess it shows that I'm a newbie in some of these areas...</p>

6

<p>My high school allows students to go to college and skip their senior year if they're admitted. The only requirement is that you have to pass the equivalent of Language Arts IV.</p>

<p>I know Carnegie Mellon advertises an early entrance program.</p>

<p>If you're just helping a professor with THEIR research, you can't present it as your own. However, if you're assisting him/her by conducting your own research - as a friend of mine did with a Princeton faculty member - you can present it as your own.</p>

7

<p>You're certainly in at CMU. I don't see Harvard as your ECs are typical. MIT maybe, but I would take the extra year and get some math/science competitions in to make chances better there. Apply to RSI for next summer, that would almost guarantee MIT.</p>

8

<p>Hey, man. I did what you did and applied as a Junior. But our stats are very dissimilar. I wasn't the "go-get-em" school type. I was more the let's destroy the SAT and the Collegeboard and do stuff outside school. I think it will be very difficult for you gain admittance without your senior year unless you have a very nice hook. If you maintain your current status, you will no doubt be set for some very nice schools after your junior year. Just for ref: I got into UPenn, Cal Tech, UT-Austin, UMich-Ann Arbor, Rice and Juilliard. I was deferred from Harvard EA and ultimately rejected(although their music prof sent me a special letter =) ]. If I were you I would apply to Cornell, Dartmouth, Princeton, UChicago, Northwestern-the last three places, especially, look for excellence. What do you want to do?</p>

9

<p>hey indiandude, i was thinking about biology or biochem.</p>

<p>do you think that rsi would really help my chances? i've heard that it might just look like a fancy schmancy summer camp thing that you were fortunate to attend.</p>

<p>if i stayed the extra year, what would i need to do to solidify Harvard, MIT, and Caltech?</p>

10

<p>Very strong candidate. The only thing is your stats are excellent but also generic. Many people who apply to Harvard have the exact same statistics as you. Everyone is like everyone else, cookie cutters. </p>

<p>Anything amazing or special about you? This is Harvard...</p>

11

<p>Not that great, sorry to say. You are just another Asian brainiac competing against all the other asian brainiacs, many of whom have 1600 sats. Now with your record, if you were a rural american, you'd be hot stuff. You sorely need a singular passion.</p>

12

<p>Hehe, RSI being a fancy schmancy summer camp...</p>

<p>RSI is incredibly selective (~5% admission). It's a general rule of thumb that any RSI attendee can go just about anywhere s/he wants. However, it's been rumored that one student got rejected from MIT.</p>

<p>Then again, it's just a rumor.</p>

13

<p>
[quote]
I don't see Harvard as your ECs are typical. MIT maybe, but I would take the extra year and get some math/science competitions in to make chances better there.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>What? He's an USAMO qualifier. He's already mastered the realm of math competitions. </p>

<p>
[quote]
You are just another Asian brainiac competing against all the other asian brainiacs, many of whom have 1600 sats.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Luckily, less than 100 of those others are also USAMO qualifiers, so he easily stands out as an amazing math competitor.</p>

14

<p>pfft only 30th percentile for USAMO, thats awful :P</p>

15

<p>Why does everyone look at a kid who has a 225 PSAT, solid USAMO position, and great GPA and say: "You should have done better?" He should stay for senior year but as for scoring higher? In most of your dreams...</p>

16

<p>ya..I was being sarcastic, hence the :P face at the end</p>

17

<p>thanks for your ideas, guys</p>

<p>there seems to be common agreement for staying on the extra year. But should I just try EA somewhere? That way, if I get rejected, I could stay on the extra year.</p>

<p>and my problem is that I like everything, but i know that i dont have enough time to do all of it really well. What do you think, should I focus on math (like USAMO stuff), geography (AAA travel challenge), or debate (congress)?</p>

18

<p>also, RSI during summer or some kind of internship?</p>

19

<p>RSI, if you get in. But don't plan on it.</p>

20

<p>RSI without a question if you want Harvard.</p>