<p>starting thread</p>
<p>I want to go here so bad, but how to pay for it?! Harvard is only $39k a year, compared to $46k at GWU!!</p>
<p>Anyway, what do people think my chances are here? I rate them as relatively low (somewhere around 20% - half of what the normal accept rate is):</p>
<p>I am a senior-
GPA: 3.0 right now, will be 3.2 by end of 1st semester [I will explain that I didn't realize how important college was until this summer when I attended a program at Yale University, went to school and started working like crazy senior year to make up for doing nothing the past 3 years (e.g. the 3.0 average)]
SAT: 670 Math, 600 Verbal (retaking in Nov, hope for a 1400)
ACT: taking end of Oct, hoping for a 30 or above</p>
<p>Honors/AP courses:
Math IIA [counts as an honors course @ my school], B-
English 10H, C+
Global History 10H, A-
Accelerated Latin I/II, A</p>
<p>AP Macro Economics: tba
AP US govt: 2nd semester</p>
<p>In general, everything else is A to B+, its just these few courses that killed me, although I had the following bad scores [no Fs]:</p>
<p>English 11R: C
Math IIIA: D</p>
<p>Essay: outstanding
Recommendations: best you can imagine</p>
<p>Awards:
Merit award in technology, '03-'04 school year
Merit award in home/consumer sciences, '03-'04 school year</p>
<p>Other:
Attented Junior Statesmen of America summer school at Yale University, 2004 [month long course in AP US Govt, Honors Speech + Communication] - got a lot out of it but didn't report scores to my school because I spent too much time partying and making out with girls :p - retaking AP Gov for an A to A+ (the courses @ Yale were taught by a college professor and were much harder and faster paced than normal AP classes - we had this class 3 hours a day, 6 days a week!!!)</p>
<p>Extracurriculars:
Seeing how I live 15 miles from my school, and have no transportation home besides the bus at the end of classes, I am unable to participate in any clubs/sports. In my community, however, I am active in/work for the following:</p>
<p>Community things:</p>
<p>Spindle City Historic Society - 8 hours a month, joined Sept, 2004 - designed + coded website, gave historical presentations to groups of people
Intern with Mayor - 4 hours a week, began August, 2004 - policy analysis (city budget)
City Beautification - 4 hours a month, began July, 2002 - maintain a city park, assist in city cleanup several times a year</p>
<p>Work:</p>
<p>Hyperpipe Webhosting, Technical Consultant - 4 hours per week, began in March, 2004
~commercial website coding & design - 40 hours per week when I have an order, began in April, 2003
Hyperpipe Webhosting, President and Founder - 60 hours per week, April 2003-January 2004 [invested several thousand $$$ of my own money into this, working another job to make that money]
Dunkin' Donuts - 25 to 40 hours per week, began in July, 2002 - clerk, food preparation, maintenance
Cohoes Community Center - 24 hours per week, June 2001 to Sept 2001 [summer employment only] - maintenance</p>
<p>Senior year courses:
AP American Government
AP Macro Economics
Health
Issues: Vietnam
English: Forms of non-fiction
English: Fantasy
French 4
Latin 1/2 accelerated [honors]
German 1</p>
<p>Okay, whats my chances? :)</p>
<p>idk about you man</p>
<p>Hey i have already applied to all of these schools what are your predictions. thanks</p>
<p>Harvard
Boston college
Boston University
U of Michigan
George washington u
NYU</p>
<p>White male, 17 from Michigan
SAT I- Math (800) Verbal (610)
SAT II- Writing (580) Math IIC (640) US Hist (560)
AP-CALC AB(4) EURO HIST(3) ENCVIRO SCI(3) COMP (2)</p>
<p>ok well heres another killer GPA- 3.2 . my school doesnt weight ap classes,
My sophomore year so I was a rebel and an idiot so I got bad grades.</p>
<p>Ok well I havent taken a gym class i won the math "medallion" in my school. I have won 2 programming team contests at university of Michigan. I am currently taking calc II and III at Oakland community college and also the most important thing is i have worked close to 30 hours a week since i was 13 i am currently at a financial planning firm that works with many fortune 500 company presidents as well as controlling the assets of the current and former presidents of GM Chrysler and Ford. </p>
<p>I am also a 4 year letterman in football and track , i am a football capt. and a top pole vaulter. I have played sports as well as holding a job for 4 years.
I have over 300 hours of community service at grace centers of hope and Pontiac rescue mission in Pontiac MI and have been in a leadership role in my church as well as being in the chess club and what else i have a Halloween costume dynasty i have placed top 5 for 3 years in a row. And I was voted best dressed in my junior year. ok well i am an extracurricular animal. I have a life, Ive been through a lot and I am somewhat smart. so what do you say. </p>
<p>My recs were from , counselor, calc teacher, programming team teacher, and my boss. </p>
<h2>ok here is his recommendation </h2>
<p>To whom it may concern:</p>
<p>Perhaps the best way to preface my letter is to relate an actual incident that occurred this morning. </p>
<p>An associate of mine and I were in a conversation. The two of us are in our fifties and each of us has been in the business world for over thirty years. Brad Flaughers name came up. </p>
<p>We agreed that Brad may just be the sharpest human being we have ever met on the entire planet earth in our lives.</p>
<p>What makes this even more interesting is that my associate said he had a conversation a short time with a principal of our firm who said the exact same thing. </p>
<p>My associate guessed that Brads age was 23. When I told him that Brad was 16, you could have heard his jaw drop to the floor.</p>
<p>What makes this even more interesting is that our clientele is made up of high net worth individuals with average investment portfolios of $10,000,000. Our clientele includes many Fortune 500 company CEOs and several past or present presidents of the Big 3 automobile manufacturers. </p>
<p>So we are comparing Brad with people you read about every day in the Wall Street Journal.</p>
<p>As a point of interest, my son is an airline captain and I am extremely proud of his achievements. He once had an engine catch fire mid flight with an aircraft filled with passengers and, according to his first officer, had only three seconds to put it out. He did so, landed safely, and didnt bother to even mention the incident to me for a week.</p>
<p>I mention this only because Brad projects the same competency, confidence and maturity at 16 as my son exhibits at 34.</p>
<p>Brad will either become an astronaut or US Senator or President of the USA.</p>
<p>Or all three.</p>
<p>I know that Brad is applying at several of the absolute best universities in the world. I have always had a special place in my heart for Harvard, and I hope you land him.</p>
<h2>You will be proud to have him as an alumnus</h2>
<p>Thanks for all of your comments , I am freaking out.</p>
<p>I appreciate brutal honesty, lay it on me.</p>
<p>I can tell you right now that a 3.2 GPA isnt getting you into Harvard unless your father built a new research building there, or unless you are world famous (which you aren't, I suspect).
I wont say a 3.2 wont get you into GWU because I certainly want to get in :p
They are obviously all reaches, but I think the others aside from Harvard are reasonable shots.</p>
<p>Remember that with the number of recommendations that the ad-coms read, they take things with a grain of salt. Saying that you, at the age of 16, are the brightest person they have ever met will likely be met with a good deal of skepticism (whether or not it is actually true). Still, it is a good rec, although <strong><em>I</em></strong> would like to have a rec with more substance and examples than just saying "he's a good kid" - still, these are your boss's words, and I would certainly include such a rec. </p>
<p>Aside from Harvard, you stand a respectible shot at all your colleges. Post back when you find out the results of your application.</p>
<p>Brad: Om, that rec was slightly over the top. LOL</p>
<p>i'm a half asian female from public school in MD</p>
<p>3.75 UW GPA, 4.4 W GPA
ranked 29th/350 UW 13th/350 W</p>
<p>1200 SATs....</p>
<p>varsity tennis captain, 8 years violin, International Student Organizaton....</p>
<p>AP gov, AP hist, AP Calc, AP Psych ....</p>
<p>ahellk: why not ED1?</p>
<p>because im applying ed to NYU also and their date is Nov 1st so i couldnt do both</p>
<p>The rec sounds like it was written by a 12 year old. I hope you haven't used it.</p>
<p>"We agreed that Brad may just be the sharpest human being we have ever met on the entire planet earth in our lives."</p>
<p>Is this a joke? Seriously, you have no chance at Harvard, dude. It's hopeless. this rec will not only be the nail on the coffin for Harvard, but also for GW.</p>
<p>Going through the application process for GW right now..
just thought I'd post my stats and declare to the world that I dream about going there..</p>
<p>Asian American (Indian)
Top H.S. in Northeast
Does not Rank or Weight
GPA:3.5/4.0
SAT: 1500
1st: 740 (M), 670 (V)
2nd: 800 (M), 700 (V)
SATII: 760 (MathIIC)
660 (Writing) * Retake in Nov.
** Chemistry in Dec.
Classes:
AP Statistics(3), Math Honors (1 term), Medical Disease Diagnosis, Biology Laboratory Techniques +
This year: AP Chemistry, AP Calc AB, Intel Independent Research
Awards:
Chemistry Regents Mastery
Commended Student for PSAT
Ex. Curric.:
Volunteer at Hospital
Research at University Lab
Editor-in-chief of science publication(1 year)
Tutor - 2 students in Math, Spanish(2 years)
Independent Study in Spanish(1 year)
Culture Club Member(4 years)
Business Club Secretary(2 years)
Work in Parents' company (5 years)
Work in Accounting Firm (2-3 weeks)
School Dance Shows (2 years)
Perform Indian Dance (Past summer)
Fashion Show
Instrument (4 years)</p>
<p>I should have a nice essay and recommendations..
Want in GW soo bad</p>
<p>How do my chances look?</p>
<p>Probably Rubens. Are you applying ED?</p>
<p>umm.. I'm actually applying to the Accelerated Med Program
If there was an ED for that program I would.. but there isn't
will it matter any?</p>
<p>Well, what you do is you apply ED, and then on your application you indicate that you are applying for that special program. I am 100% sure that you can still apply ED. You still have time though. I think the deadline is Dec. 1. ED II would probably be a better option though.</p>
<p>!!??
are you positive?
because I remember reading that for the ba/md program and the engineering program you must apply regular decision..</p>
<p>"Applicants to the Seven Year BA/MD program must be a U.S. or Canadian citizen or permanent resident and must apply as a regular decision freshman."</p>
<p>Woops my bad!</p>
<p>haha.. just noticed that myself
so without ED will i get in?</p>
<p>I have no idea because that program sounds pretty tough. But with a 1500 I would be shocked if you were rejected.</p>
<p>Hoo_29.. since no one else is around..
what major are you applying for?</p>
<p>International Affairs</p>