Chances of getting into any of the Ivies, especially Harvard please!

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>okay, yubi, i'm sure you can understand why I was a little confused how someone who describes herself as "not really the brightest girl in the world" would want to go to Harvard, or even think Harvard would accept her. is that really the most accurate description of yourself, or were you just being self-deprecating? </p>

<p>i tend to think that your description of yourself is accurate, as confirmed by your overly defensive response. you confirm it yourself: "I don't work amazingly hard academically." Well, gee, why don't you write your essay about how your "philosophy" doesn't include hard work or effort in academics? I'm sure that one will fascinate Harvard. </p>

<p>You don't have a shot in hell.</p>

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<p>Is this a joke? "You don't have a shot in hell"? I get the feeling that you're saying that not because this person actually doesn't have a shot, but simply because you don't like her. Give me a break guys, although she probably doesn't stand out much in the applicant pool, who knows what her essays will be like (obviously they won't be about not working hard, although I did kinda write mine about that and got into Penn, so who knows), and she's a top 2% student. You have no basis for saying that she has no shot (as she doesn't have any test scores either) other than the fact that you just simply don't like her. I'm not really sure what those awards all mean, but seeing that there's a 1st in the nation in Russian (don't know how big that is here though) and a ton of club involvement, I'd say average non-URM chances for this girl, which means 7% (not sure about that). The only applicant who doesn't have a shot is the applicant who listens to asses like you and doesn't apply.</p>

<p>I'm pretty sure when she said she's not the brightest girl in the world she was trying to sound humble and not sound like a lot of the stuck up pricks that want to get into Harvard. I've never seen someone take that the wrong way, but apparently it's possible.. Since when is not working hard = not too bright, or being defensive = not too bright? You make zero sense. I don't think I work very hard (I mean I do 30 minutes of homework a night), but I got a 2330 on my SAT? Yeah, I must be stupid.</p>

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<p>there is something i'm curious about.. the things that people say. for example, the girl who said that if i claim to be not bright, why i think i would be able to get into an ivy. and this big nerd who says that i have nothing special about myself. i'm going to revoke my entire thread in 24 hours because it seems that this place is not really the place to ask for chances, but rather a place where people are skeptical and more egotistic than i ever thought i was. there is a far difference from saying "you don't have a large chance of getting into an ivy" and telling another person that he/she has nothing special about him/her.</p>

<p>also - no, i don't see why you would be confused, because i think that i do have a fairly strong application. by the way, you should watch your language. also, if you were serious about looking into the ivies you would know that harvard is famous for their emphasis on personal and unique qualities rather than academics. but another thing, as my parents like to say, it's all talk now and so much competition and foul-mouthing, but it's all about in the end who gets in and who doesn't. since you're so negative about my outlook on life (though NO ONE has the right to be, LEAST OF ALL you) i would like to discuss it a little bit. i went on this site, because yes, i was interested in some feedback regarding my (currently incomplete) resume. i wanted to hear from other students who were curious like me. but not psychos who spend their entire lives aiming to get into college without a real purpose in life except money. i love learning. period. i'm not going push for that A++++ because i spend my time doing other things that are MUCH MORE IMPORTANT to me than grades. yes, grades do reflect to some degree a person's diligence, but what about other things? working at the red cross, i can tell you that everything you've ever learned in school is BS when a 9 year old girl calls 911 gasping in between breaths whether or not she'll stay alive, if she has the right number, she doesn't know, this is the number her mommy told her to call if she ever needed it. then when you arrive she's half bleeding to death, her nose is also bleeding from fear, she's shivering and cringing on the floor. won't let you get near her while her leg's half ripped off because she had fallen into some contraption that shouldn't have been there at all. i don't want to sound all moral and enlightened because i'm not, but that's just once of the experiences i've had that brings about part of my philosophy. so yes, i do work hard for grades, but i spend the rest of the time that i can helping people, listening to others, and trying to build a better world. that's why i decided to apply to cbyx. not because i'm aiming for a college (posting here was because i was curious, although i am serious, not something i will commit-suicide over if i don't get into harvard). unlike the majority on this forum i think, i commit myself to learning and experience, not learning and experience to get into harvard. so i'm sorry if i'm not special and i'm sorry if i don't have a shot in hell. thanks for all the info. good night and good bye.</p>

<p>i'm also sorry to say, but if you're going to go to harvard, give me a heads up so i can revoke my application.</p>

<p>some other comments to you, who are made in usa (sic): self-deprecating is a harsh word and i hope that you learn to use it correctly in the future. as gmman said, it's called being humble, something you probably can't define as well. and i doubt that you are going to harvard with that kind of attitude either, unfortunately. it's hard to see people like you who actually exist in the world, it's like a bad fairytale come-to-life. i've looked at your other posts and haven't seen one that was put in a nice fashion yet.</p>

<p>GMMAN ! lol thanx =p >< though, you sound in doubt of my application. <em>sigh</em> i guess i really don't have a chance, but i've been looking at a lot of other colleges. the boston/cambridge area looks good, but so does d.c.! maybe you can tell me about campus life in the former?</p>

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<p>Well, this thread is sure enough getting out of hand. 'Bout time to back off all the ad hominem stuff and respond to the stats and ECs she's posted...</p>

<p>Yubi, your GPA and class rank are in definitely in the Ivy/Harvard ballpark, and your ECs are fine. Clearly, you do a whole bunch of stuff very well, and I'm sure that will sit well with the various Ivy adcoms. But, for us to assess your chances at Harvard or any other school, you've got to give us your tests scores. So, SATs? ACTs? SATIIs? If you haven't taken them yet, close this thread down and come back when you have the scores.</p>

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<p>thank you! some reasoning. and i will take your advice, which were all helpful. the GREATEST thanks!</p>

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<p>I actually find people who spend all their time working on their grades instead of doing other things to be quite selfish. I wasn't expressing doubt in your application, yubi--anywhere else, your app would be very, very strong. It's just the reality of college admissions that even though you're a wonderful person and all, that there are tons of people who will look just as good on their apps. It's your job in your essays to stand out. Check your private messages btw (top right corner)</p>

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<p>ahh.. lol the reasoning.. makes me so calm and peaceful. i checked out the bignerd guy and rugby too. they're all telling people negative things. lol my confidence is regained. thank you gmman again =) ! lol as long as i'm not stamped with 0% chance across my forehead i'm content. =p i did!! you're not online! boo!</p>

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<p>You can reply to private messages without the other person being online, just hit reply at the bottom right.. :p</p>

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<p>okay yubi, here's the deal. well, first off, i'm a guy. second, i agree with you that there are many more important things than grades in LIFE. but in applying to colleges, there is nothing more important. on my visit to harvard, yes harvard, they explicitly said that the number one thing they look at is your transcript. ECs are very important, i'm the first person to stress that to all my bookworm friends. but harvard and all the other schools look for people who can excel at their ECs WHILE, not instead of, excelling in academics. you can tell harvard all the sob stories you want about your job, and they will really eat it up, but if the rest of the application isn't up to snuff, who's to say that you'll get in? </p>

<p>finally, that you're not "bright" is a very strange thing for a harvard applicant to say. especially as the very first description of yourself. if you will be honest with yourself, you will admit that that's a weird description. and if you look back to my first question, i was inquisitive, not critical. i only became critical when you reacted like you did. finally, saying that you're not very bright, in this context, absolutely is self-deprecation. it's not being humble, because from your other posts i can tell humility is not your strong point (though it's not mine either, at least i don't pretend to be). </p>

<p>finally, i'm almost always TOO optimistic in analyzing chances. looking back, i probably would have given you a big thumbs up if i wasn't so damn curious about whether you're really "not very bright." i'm sorry i even asked.</p>

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<p>hey gmman, if you can get good grades only working 30 minutes a night, more power to you. those of us who do work for our grades (maybe because we attend real schools) salute you.</p>

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<p>Quote: "also, if you were serious about looking into the ivies you would know that harvard is famous for their emphasis on personal and unique qualities rather than academics."</p>

<p>This comment was way off base- why do you think harvard is so well respected? It's not that Harvard doesn't value academics; the admissions guys just have to base their decisions on the EC's when everything else is equal. The reason that EC's get emphasized so much is that so many ppl have the same impressive academic stats (gpa, rank, sat, etc.). If, however, Harvard gets an applicant with true academic promise beyond the norm (IMO, Siemens national winner, etc.) then they will probably not trash that person's app just because his or her EC's are weak. Basically academics are a starting point for most apps but they are extremely important nonetheless.</p>

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<p>that comment was totally invalid since i NEVER said harvard didn't care about academics.</p>

<p>madeinusa: thank you for your honesty. i do respect your opinion. however, you must admit also that that question would not have been taken in an inquisitive nature. secondly, many admission officers will say many difference things. if you want, there are numerous articles out there discussing the difference levels of education and transcript "qualities" of the difference students and professors who are at harvard, i can so without a doubt, definitely not all of them (but also a substantial amount) are not the valedictorians in their schools. also, i'm not looking to tell you sap stories as so many other people have, but i would like you to realize yourself too that grades are not lives and lives definitely aren't grades (it doesn't make complete sense =p but since you're bright you get the picture). it was NOT self-deprecating because "bright" as i stated before i was talking about academics and in a cursory tone. just like how the word "love" is used commonly and without depth now-a-days, is the way i used the word "bright." i do admit i probably wouldn't say that as the first thing to my interviewer, but i will not admit that i would Never say it, because that is the way i speak and i was definitely not being pretentious. ahh, speaking of that, another thing i noticed on this forum, the way people accuse others of fake applications and behaving in such and such a manner. well before discussing that i would first like to point out how this thread reflects much of how the other threads look and i think that really says something. so about those accusations, i think, these are all just opinions, that people think they know a person and what they're doing/saying really just from these forums. i Know that people behave differently here than in their natural environments and i doubt any of us knows each other. so i would like to say AGAIN, please BACK OFF of anything unrelated to my original question. but sadly, i have no interest in this website at all from such a horrible and adverse first impression. so please do not visit this thread again. if you are interested in corresponding (BUT PLEASE NO FLAMING) but would just like to get your last comments in, you are welcome to pm me. otherwise, i think this is Enough. thank you very much. and i do extend my apologies to you if i offended you or SOMEHOW as you put it made you sorry.</p>

<p>and once again i'd like to point out, that people on this forum enjoy flames rather than true commenting. i've only heard two people reply to my question in any way, shape, or form.</p>

<p>I OFFICIALLY END MY THREAD HERE. PLEASE DO NOT COMMENT, POST, DO ANYTHING ON THIS THREAD ANYMORE.</p>

<p>**I have yet to find out a way for a user to shut down a thread, my apologies.</p>

<p>***i've also received numerous e-mails commenting on the amount of inefficiency and lack of maturity on this thread regarding the other users. thank you to all of you! =)</p>

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<p>** GAH i'm spending so much time on this ridiculous reply. strangely addictive, but definitely definite. but a few changes, well there are a few typos, i'm sure you know where they are. and i said i wasn't bright also because i seriously Know i'm not too bright with academics. i'm confident about my EC's but not academics and that's why i wanted comments, to get a whole picture, see if my weaker grades will affect my overall app. and of course i know that harvard still places great weight on grades, or i wouldn't be so worried DUH =p (trying to be humorous? <em>sigh</em>) well so, that's it. and actually madeinusa, i'm glad that you didn't mean it in a hostile way and i think that we can empathize with each other in both our misunderstandings. lol and in the end =p i guess i did get the answer to the question i asked. and i'm sure =p as put so eloquently by colonel wilhelm klink "...I don't hate you. Perhaps if we had met in another place and time, we might even have become friends."</p>

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<p>you arent getting into harvard</p>

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<p>you still havent said your sat's either yet. i bet they are abismal since you didnt mention them</p>

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<p>i know you =p you've said this to everyone. yea yea yea i think the one who has 0 chance is YOU. i'm taking them in april for your information.</p>

<p>AGAIN: PLEASE DO NOT POST ANYMORE. THANK YOU.</p>

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<p>Your info seems to emit waves of quantity/quality. You did too much to be able to properly discover yourself. Your dream of being a manga-ka is not too original or Harvard appropriate, and sorry to say, you may not be a very good artist. Manga is beautiful at its best, but often simple, stereotypical proportions. I am sorry!! But you WILL get into a great school nonetheless…</p>

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<p>Sorry for the reply!!</p>

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<p>I would try looking on Acceptly’s My Chances tool. It gives you your odds of getting into colleges all over the US. But you will need your SAT or ACT scores which I didn’t see on the thread. Harvard is super selective but it looks like you have the right things in place.</p>