chances @ harvard (or georgetown)

<p>ok...i'm kinda frustrated b/c i just typed a whole long post, and it disappeared, so i'll give the short version of what i wanted to ask. do you think i have a chance @ harvard? my mom, my cousin who goes to harvard, and one of my teachers really wants me too, but i'm thinking i'd just be wasting my time. so quick summary of me:</p>

<p>i have all As through high school, except for a really awful final C grade for precal last year, and a B in chem. my cal teacher this year is incompetent, so i have a C right now (class average is a 77, and i'm wondering whether i can tell about this in "extenuating circumstances" or whatever.") my gpa is a 4.0, though b/c i take the hardest classes possible, i'm even in a special program called governor's school, and i'll have 30 college credits when i graduate. my rank is 7 out of 151. my sat is a 2070 (580 math, 740 reading, 750 writing), but i'm waiting for scores from my second testing, and i hope at least the math will have gone up a little. my teacher recs will be really good, i already know what one will write. i'm a good writer, and my essays are good (at least the people i've asked have said so. i've tried to make them original). i have a fair # of extracurriculars: school soccer, quizbowl, honor society, a year of band w/ awards, summer camp counselor, religious group, helping to care for my grandma w/ parkinson's last summer, national merit commendation, lots of fund drives/charity stuff. i'm not an activites maniac, but i think i've done ok. i'm also from a rural area where i don't think anyone really goes to harvard, and i hear that the interview can be valuable if u make a good impression.</p>

<p>basically, my greatest worry is my grades. can anyone get into harvard with a C on their record? i'm not feeling quite as doomed about georgetown, but i'm still worried. i 'd just like to know what other applicants, or people who've gotten in, think. thanks!</p>

<p>Actually, your biggest worry is not the C on the transcript, but the fact that the VERY low score on the math section on SAT and grade in Precalc and in Calc this year all match. Unless you raise the math subscore to >700 this time (unlikely I suspect with your math grade) or you are a URM with a big hook, your SAT is not competitive. That doesn't mean you shouldn't apply, because the ONLY way you can guarantee you won't get in is not to apply. Just make sure you have a safety that you love.</p>

<p>Agree with above. You need to loook way beyond Harvard, and by that I don't mean just Yale. Liberal arts colleges don't care as much about math, so look at them.</p>

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You need to loook way beyond Harvard, and by that I don't mean just Yale

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<p>Love this as it is my lol moment for the day.</p>

<p>But seriously, you need to have a good mix of sure bets, very likely , 50/50 and dream schools (in other words, a balanced list of reach match and safety schools)</p>

<p>You need to love your safety, because you may end up there. Look at a vide variety of schools including places where you could be at the top of the applicant pool and inline for some merit $$</p>

<p>thanks for the honesty guys...i actually wasn't even considering applying to harvard until a few weeks ago, when some people started pressuring me. so i'm not going to be heartbroken if i don't get in. i've tried to get a good mix...georgetown, notre dame, and possibly harvard are my higher schools, jmu and salve regina are my mid-level schools that I'm pretty confident about, and then marymount is my absolute safety.</p>

<p>eruanneth, sounds like you have a good head on your shoulders and good selection of schools. Best of luck!</p>

<p>thanks! i'm wondering...has anyone here actually gotten into harvard, and what did your app look like?</p>

<p>check out zumas stat roster on the harvard thread for that info.</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=16882&page=1%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=16882&page=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>wow... that is extremly disheartening</p>

<p>lol yeah extremely</p>

<p>but thanks for the info</p>