I just finished my sophomore year in high school and I am about to be a junior.
-Gender: Female
-I am half brazilian, part African, and part Jewish.
-My high school has the IB program which I will be apart of my Junior and Senior year.
-Class rank: 11/566
-GPA: 3.9 (UW) 5.1 (W)
-I have been a straight A student my whole life.
-Girl Scouts when I was in elementary school.
-Volleyball for 5 seasons.
-Band for 4 years (I can play the trombone, baritone, guitar, and drums).
-I also participated in Jazz and Pep Band throughout middle school.
-I was the student liaison in 7th grade.
-I participated in the QUEST academic competition in middle school.
-I was just inducted into National Honor Society and will be apart of that for my next two years of high school.
-Spanish for 3 years so far (going to take Spanish my junior and senior year also).
-I volunteered at the Medical University of South Carolina the summer of my freshman year, and I am planning on doing it again.
-This summer, I am volunteering for the Feline Freedom Coalition.
-Last year, I went to DC because I was invited to attend the National Academy of Future Physicians 3-day conference.
-2 years ago, I attended the National Young Leaders State Conference in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
-My sophomore year I was apart of Soylent Green Club.
-I took the ACT as a 7th grader and got a 21 without preparation. I am hoping to get a 33-36 when I take it this upcoming year.
-I haven’t taken the SAT.
Assuming I maintain my A average and GPA, get a 33-36 on the ACT and and 2200-2400 on the SAT, graduate with an IB diploma, get a job next summer, and continue my volunteer work, what are my chances of getting into Harvard or another Ivy League School? If my chances are low, could you tell me what I need to do in order to higher my chances?
Welcome to College Confidential!
You’re new here, so possibly you haven’t seen this thread. It’s written by an MIT Admissions Director, but holds true for Harvard, as well: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/massachusetts-institute-technology/939227-reminder-no-one-not-even-me-can-give-you-an-accurate-chance-at-mit-p1.html.
You sound like a wonderful candidate, as are the vast majority of students who will ultimately be rejected. With more academically qualified applicants than they have room for in their freshman class, Harvard uses a student’s essays, teacher recommendations, guidance counselor reports and interview reports to help them select individual’s who will make a difference on their campus. As you haven’t posted those items – nor can you – no one here can say what your SCEA or RD chances are. If you haven’t, please read this thread stickied to the top of the Harvard Forum: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1420290-chance-threads-please-read-before-posting-one-p1.html
Let me start by saying that I am impressed that you can play valves, slides, and percussion. As a brass and percussionist player I never could pick up the trombone somehow. So props.
That said, there really isn’t enough information here (or at all, coming into your junior not having taken the standardized tests) to guess at your chances, which is an inaccurate process in the first place. But, I will address some of the things in your post as far as admissions goes.
First, none of your elementary or middle school achievements or activities really count, unfortunately. You should find what you are passionate about and pursue those (few) things as much as possible in your next years, and your junior year especially. If it’s band, great - become a leader in your ensembles and practice often, play a lot (maybe some independently) and submit a music supplement as some evidence of your dedication. If it’s something else (service, clubs, sports, etc.) do the same.
While I like those medical related summer activities, you should spend your summer doing something you are passionate about and want to continue with (if you want to go into the medical field then that’s great). Keep in mind that community service only stands out if you put A LOT of time into it, like 800+ hours. Also, that paid “National Academy of Future Physicians” means nothing to Harvard. A ton of kids get those flyers in the mail.
In order to have any sort of chance (which, again, is almost impossible to prepare for) I’d say that high test scores and a near-perfect/perfect GPA are a start, but you need to supplement those with a consistent dedication to and leadership in a passion of yours. After that, your chances are the same as the other SWRKs, which is to say, still low. But good luck, and maybe I’ll see you on campus one day!