<p>Hello, I am a Ranger with the 75th Ranger Regiment interested in attending Harvard when I get out. I am currently on my third deployment to a very undesirable place and due to OPSEC reasons that is all I can say. Anyway, I have been researching on schools and discovered that Harvard is more veteran friendly these days. Normally, I would have never considered it but I never considered I would ever become an Airborne Ranger when I graduated High School(I am 23). I did two years of college and regrettably during then I did not do as well as I could have. It is my biggest fear with applying especially with the extremely low acceptance rate for transfers. I am going to apply no matter what, but I have been having trouble finding people in my situation. The man I was last time I was in a academic environment and the man I am now are completely different. I believe I have the intelligence, character and experience to greatly enhance the Harvard community. As well as limitless potential for me to further. On another note I would like to concentrate in International Relations. It's very late here so I apologize if the post seems a bit scattered, this is a terrible place to be when you need to conduct business with people in the United States.</p>
<p>Hi! I’m not sure whether or not this will be helpful, but I know of at least one person in a situation that might be similar to yours. He’s currently a student at Harvard; I don’t know him personally, but he ran for Cambridge Council recently, so there’s a lot of information about him out there. He is attending Harvard on the GI bill after serving and being on multiple tours in Iraq/Afghanistan. </p>
<p>I’m not sure what his academic history before Harvard was like, but at least this shows that there’s one other person who’s kind of in your situation. Sorry I can’t be of more help. Thank you for your service and feel free to PM me if you have any more questions. (:</p>
<p>Thank you very much, with no inkling of Christmas in this desolate place, this has been my positive thought. I am just going to try my very best like I did with Ranger selection and show the admissions team what a great addition I would be. Just the 0.8% acceptance I heard for transfers is naturally a bit daunting.</p>
<p>TY for your ongoing service. If I may, I have a question for you that I would pose to any 16 or 17 year old HS hopeful applicant. Why Harvard? What about it makes it your destination – as opposed to A, B or C?</p>
<p>And if an objective person were looking at your answer, why then couldn’t the same be said if you were to transpose college A or B or C for Harvard? </p>
<p>It’s great to explore opportunities but way too often, I see people get enamored with a star name brand but fail to see the 100s of other excellent options at their fingertips.</p>
<p>The typical successful Harvard transferee was someone who was, as a graduating HS senior, already a recipient of admits to extremely selective colleges such as H (Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Amherst, MIT, etc.) or even from H itself but for one reason or another, chose not to attend. That’s why the transfer admit rate is so small.</p>
<p>Good luck to you as you explore this and other options further. Many excellent schools are veteran friendly. May I suggest you look here:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/veterans/[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/veterans/</a> Lots of good advisers there.</p>
<p>Hey there! The transfer rate is low, but if you are worried about your prior college record, you might consider applying as a freshman (especially if your prior coursework is unlikely to transfer or would have a severe negative impact). Harvard does value non-traditional experience. As mentioned, there is one veteran student here that is very well known because he ran for Cambridge City Council. I also know many people who came here from foreign countries after mandatory military service (or in some cases, the students just wanted to serve, and applied here afterwords).</p>
<p>If you are passionate about this opportunity, then apply! You are not coming from a typical student background here, so it is not reasonable to compare yourself to the typical admits. I might also encourage you to check out Harvard Extension School, because they are more specifically targeted at non-traditional students: [Classes</a> and Degrees for the Military and Veterans](<a href=“http://www.extension.harvard.edu/military-veterans]Classes”>http://www.extension.harvard.edu/military-veterans) . Though the program is non-residential (you have to find your own housing), it is otherwise not much different from the Harvard College undergraduate experience. They also have more remedial options, if academics are a concern at all. </p>
<p>Anyways, I am in Army ROTC here (as a Harvard student, though the battalion is actually at MIT) and there are many enlisted to officer candidates here. So prior service people do exist on elite college campuses! Not sure if you would consider that route at all. I don’t think there are any such candidates actually at Harvard, but there are at MIT (a comparable institution) and at Harvard Extension School. </p>
<p>If you have any additional questions, please let me know!</p>
<p>Werner- Thank you for your service and sacrifice! Harvard is indeed supportive of vets these days, and they certainly take into consideration the leadership skills and maturity you have developed since undergrad days. </p>
<p>You will probably need to demonstrate that you are capable of the academics by showing good test scores on the ACT or SAT. Check the transfer requirements online. Since you have already matriculated at another college, you will not be eligible to apply as a freshman as suggested in an earlier post.</p>
<p>If you do need to show Harvard a new zeal for academics, the extension school might be a good idea, then a transfer application into Harvard College. But if you have good SATs or ACT, you might try a direct application to HC.</p>
<p>In any case, please know we are thinking of you in your hostile locale and hoping you remain safe, and appreciate your great efforts. Feel free to pm me for any other opinions or comments. Merry Christmas to you and your unit.</p>
<p>werner: rsivy has given you some incorrect information. Since you have college credits, you’re ineligible to apply as a freshman.</p>
<p>Thank you for all the feedback, everyone, I found it all to be very pragmatic advice. To further elaborate I wouldn’t plan on attending until Fall 2015. So right now I am in the very early stages of choosing a school, and while Harvard is certainly a long shot. I am still willing to try it, it is not the end all be all, but my goal is to do everything I can, if I don’t make it I can at least say I tried my best. And especially coming from the SOF community I would offer a unique perspective to such an already diverse student body.</p>
<p>Yeah, sorry, my bad on that! I don’t know much about transfers - it is a comparatively small pool, and I don’t know any transfer students. I clarified with some students I know who are prior service, and none of them had done college before enlisting. I was under the false assumption that a few of them had taken classes elsewhere and then applied here as freshmen. My mistake. But still, I think you would bring really unique experiences to the Harvard community. Definitely investigate your options!</p>
<p>No worries my friend. How I got to where I am is quite the story, and I appreciate your support. I would look forward to being a member of the community there as well as telling you cadets whats up with SOF since there is so many misconceptions on it. Props to you for doing ROTC at Harvard too</p>
<p>I don’t know your financial situation but UMass and other public universities have free tuition for veterans, and there are many veterans on campus.</p>
<p>Don’t get fixed on Harvard. There are many many great schools out there. And, in fact, these days, even many different ways to do school, including online programs and low residency programs (where you attend for a week or so per semester, or one weekend a month, that kind of thing).</p>
<p>If you are also working when you return, that will affect your choice of school. At UMass Boston, for instance, most students are working substantial hours as well as doing school and the atmosphere is understanding. Also, many classes at UMass Boston are relatively small and fully taught by professors; at Harvard there are teaching fellows (grad students) leading discussions while professors lecture.There is more personal contact with professors at UMass, honestly.</p>
<p>If you want Boston, other options include BU, Tufts, Northeastern (great coop program), Suffolk, Brandeis, Lesley, many more…</p>
<p>p.s. Harvard would certainly be impressed by military service and maturity, but they would need to know you could do the work, and the work is quite difficult once you are there. You may very well be able to handle it well, but you would have to have some way to prove that to admissions I think. Probably with scores unfortunately, since your previous college experience would not be enough (what is your high school record like?).</p>
<p>@wernergoobersmit</p>
<p>The cadets here would definitely like to hear from you! We actually have a Ranger Challenge (through the program at MIT) where cadets interested in special forces can do more intense physical training and compete with other cadets across the nation, and I’m sure there are plenty of cadets who would be interested in talking to someone with a special forces background. Let me know if you are ever planning on visiting campus, and I could connect you with the cadre’s leadership and other people who might be able to more specifically help you out.</p>
<p>Werner: If you’re looking for a challenging college experience and don’t have your heart exclusively set on Harvard, I would suggest looking into Columbia University’s school of General Studies. It is an undergraduate school at Columbia University in New York City, and is meant to bring in a diverse group of non-traditional students into the school. It also has the distinction of being the most veteran-friendly school in the Ivy League. I’m a Marine Corps veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan and was accepted over the summer. I also know of at least one 3/75 Ranger who was accepted and is currently attending. If you don’t mind a big city and tough academics, then I implore you to think about it!</p>
<p>If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. I also have the contact info for the guy who runs the undergrad veteran group at Harvard if you’re still interested in that.</p>
<p>Sorry about the late response guys. I really suck with forums!
@rsivyhopeful I appreciate the support. I am actually speaking to a person from transfer, and have gotten more information of what I need to do. I am also currently studying to retake my SATs as that was highly recommended after so many years. As well as a SAT subject test. And that would be sweet to arrange a visit, I actually used to be a cadet at LaSalle University so I am familiar with the cadet scene. It gets better there is so much I wish I could tell cadet me after serving in Ranger battalion. But my email is mimnar@ and then the google mail</p>
<p>@CelloDiego I was actually looking at that program at Columbia, and I was looking into that one as well. Putting all your eggs in one basket is never a wise choice, especially when it is Harvard. I am originally from New Jersey as well so I am very fond of NYC. I’m not going to lie 3/75 is a bunch of squares 1/75 is where all the cool guys are at. If I wanted to get information on applying to Columbia where would the best step be for us non-traditional guys. Also I am in contact with the Crimson Serves group and they have been helping me. As I said up there my email is mimnar@ and then the google mail</p>
<p><a href=“mailto:gs-admit@columbia.edu”>gs-admit@columbia.edu</a> for all your questions concerning Columbia.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot, unfortunately I can’t reply to the message because I don’t have the post requirements. But I may know a friend of his depending on what company he is in, we are a fairly small organization.</p>
<p>3/75 is where all the squares are at and 1/75 is all the cool kids huh?</p>
<p>I can’t understand if you are trying to sound like a cool guy on the internet or not, but I doubt you are doing yourself any favors by making snide remarks about men who know exactly what it is like to be in your shoes. Not a good way to go about isolating a group of Ranger vets who under normal circumstances would bend over backwards to help you out.</p>
<p>There are more than a dozen batt boys spread out across 5 Ivy league schools.</p>
<p>But go ahead, prop yourself up on an internet forum full of random strangers, and draw a negative light down on the Ranger community by insulting an entire battalion in front of a bunch of outsiders. Then go ahead and call more attention on yourself by referring to being SOF in every post and being willing to come down and show off for a bunch of ROTC kids.</p>
<p>What ever happened to being a quiet professional?</p>
<p>You are right, I should not have said that, it was not the place for such things and unprofessional. I meant that comment in the most light hearted manner as possible but perception is everything and that is something I must keep in mind. I have respect for all the battalions and didn’t mean to come off as snide and insulting. I’ll watch what I say in the future. Thanks for the insight.</p>
<p>Your college grades are far and away the most important element of your Harvard application. Harvard is quite veteran-friendly, but so are a lot of schools that will be more forgiving of spotty grades. You should have a number of good options if you apply broadly. Good luck!</p>
<p>werner I’m actually in the same boat as you as I’m currently writing this from an undisclosed location overseas with 3/75 (one of those squares) and have been scouring the internet for resources on veteran admissions to Harvard College. It’s nice to see a fellow Ranger trying to represent the Regiment at some top tier schools, too many of my buddies here feel like college is out of reach for them or that they simply won’t be able to handle the academic workload/lifestyle after so many years of training and deployments.</p>
<p>As I plan on applying as a freshmen would it be wise to take classes from the extension school? Or focus solely on improving my SAT/SAT II scores? I’ve actually been emailing the admissions rep who has been most helpful but I’d love to hear any perspectives/experiences anyone else here is willing to share with the veterans admission process. </p>