Do I have a chance at Harvard ?

Student Lounge African-American Students
1

Okay so i’m currently a junior in high school. My weighted GPA is a 4.5 i believe. My most recent semester grades are as follows:

AP Biology - A
AP Psychology - B :frowning:
Hon. English 11 - A
Hon. Government -A
Pre- Calc -A
and i added Hon Health to this semester which will probably be an A

I just took my SAT and i’m taking my ACT in two weeks. I don’t know either score yet.

Varsity Soccer, Varisty track

Club President of - Black Student Alliance, International Student Alliance, Political Activists, Furture Buiness Leaders

Some awards here and there, nothing serious

I plan on doing Model UN and Science Honors Society

But here’s the catch,

My sophomore year i spent my entire time living and schooling in Lagos Nigeria. I did not do it through one of those expensive Study Abroad programs. I literally got dropped off in a boarding school on the outskirts of the biggest city in Africa by myself. I experienced things such as
harsh discipline (getting caned/flogged for minor acts),
extreme pollution (smog, exhaust from many oil companies, trash burning, etc.),
terrible diseases ( typhoid, malaria, small pox, lacer fever, etc.),
strict education ( 10 hour school days),
wild animals/ insects ( i was bitten by stray dogs, cockroaches in my bed, rats in my room),
very little electricity (there was no electricity from the time we went to bed and when we woke up, extremely hot nights),
limited running water (there was no warm running water to shower with and the shower water was not drinkable, i had to trek
to get clean water sometimes, no electronics (even if there was internet which there wasnt, electronics were not allowed,
terrorism: My schools was actually threatened by Boko Haram and we had to up security
even “witch craft”: my teachers would curse students and weird stuff like that, messed up I know
and a totally different lifestyle all together
etc- there’s a lot more, i could go on forever

However, i did make friends, better my study habits, better my soccer skills haha and so much more. The fruits from such an experience are countless. I still have very good friends there and i really miss my roommates who helped me so much.

The reason i did this is because my parents are from Nigeria and are very successful (Mom is a Harvard Med School Grad, current surgeon and Dad is a business man/ owner with Phd)

I’m from a very competitive family, almost all my cousins older than me have gone to schools such as Vanderbilt, Princeton, Duke, Columbia, Harvard, etc.

The school I go to is the top school in my state. People always say that my chances of getting into colleges is better because i’m from a wealthy African family and I have international perspective.

My ideal goal is to get an MBA International Business (If that even makes sense) and a degree in Environmental Sciences and or Sustainability. The reason being so is because I want to go back to Nigeria and help my country. It is so sad that a country with such abundant resources is so corrupt, poor, polluted etc. The first few weeks there, i was legitimately sick from the smog in the air. Being surrounded by oil giants like Exxon really made me think. I want to increase the use of Renewable Energy in Nigeria, and help people there. I doubt oil will run out there but people should not continue living like that. Nigeria just has so many problems. I am very determined to bring sustainability to NIgeria and the rest of Africa. That’s why International business and environmental sciences fit me :slight_smile:

I know this all just sounds like bragging but i’m trying to be as descriptive as possible.

Let’s say i get at least a 2000 on the SAT and/or a 30 on the ACT

Do you think i have a chance at any of the following schools? Consider the fact that i’m an URM that can (probably) pay most of tuition. The reason i’d like to attend such high end schools is that it increases my chances of success. Trust me, I know how to study hard (I learned that from fellow students in a developing country, we were forced to study for at least 4 hours a day). I’m used to hard work. I’m ambitious. I’m also the first child with 3 younger siblings behind me. I must lead them towards the right direction. It is my duty as the first son to show the way for them.

Brown University

UPenn

UC Berkeley

Harvard U

Carnegie Mellon

Columbia

Boston College

UMD

Penn State

UCLA

Stanford? Yale?

NYU

I understand these are pretty much all reach schools. I am also looking into schools outside the US. Please give suggestions if you have any! I am very open to all opinions.

Thanks :slight_smile:

2

With your story you wont know if you have a chance at Harvard until you apply. If your heart is set on Harvard or Yale I would suggest applying and writing the best essays you can write. They look to fill out their class with students from diverse backgrounds and your experiences may count for a lot in their holistic review.

3

Class rank and test scores would be helpful to this question.

4

I would say you have a fairly good chance especially because you come from a minority group. However Harvard like many prestige school you will never know sometimes even the best students can be denied
-ps id appreciate if you help answer my question http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/athletic-recruits/1737697-should-i-continue-playing-a-sport-in-college.html#latest

5

No one can provide any meaningful assessment of your chances. Test scores, class rank, unweighted gpa and your junior grades are unknowns. Even if we had all of that info who knows, but a projected 30 and 2000 are not particularly competitive test scores for the Ivy league schools. Since you come from an affluent, highly educated family your test scores will be expected to be competitive for the schools you are applying to. If everyone from your family has attended top schools you are better off soliciting advice from them. Also if you attend the top hs in your state certainly your GC, and your school’s Naviance are far more credible sources than this forum

6

Although my parents have never actually went through with their threats of dropping us off at a Nigerian boarding school, I too have experienced a lot of what you said on trips to Lagos during the summer. (OMG if I had a nickel for every time my dad mentions, “When I was in school we had to walk five miles” or his flogging stories or any of his other stories I would be a rich women. My 4 sisters and I always get made fun of by our cousins when we scream about the large mutated creatures (i.e. butterflies) they have there.) I actually wrote about how visits to Nigeria shaped me as a person in my optional essay to Yale, and made me want to give back and help people in Nigeria and the less fortunate in America. Makes you grateful for what you have right? Your family actually sounds alot like mine, my mom just got her doctorate in nursing and my dad owns his own business and also has a PhD.

Anyways, I’m sure you didn’t want to read about me, so back to you. What’s your unweighted GPA? The top schools actually care more about unweighted than weighted GPAs. Also, aim higher than a 2000 (2100+) or 30 (32+) on your ACT. Even though you are an URM, try to get into the middle 50% or above for the schools your aiming for. In addition, junior year is typically your hardest year of high school, so make sure you do extremely well junior year. Please don’t bank on the URM thing. Work as hard as possible and prove to anyone and everyone that you got into those schools not because you’re black but because you hard worker an ambitious. And if anyone ever tells you (especially your fellow honors kids) that “You’ll get in because you’re black” or “You got in because you are black” when in reality you worked harder and never cheated (unlike some of them who cheat on standardized tests) then just show them your transcripts and be done with it.

I think you should add Rice to your list it’s an amazing school (my top choice followed by Brown and Yale; if these all end up being super-expensive once financial aid rolls in then it’s IU for me (middle child problems)). Also, please remember that it doesn’t matter where you went to undergraduate school. You can still be successful and achieve any of your goals at any school. (sorry for the long response)

7

@tola2015 :smile: Thanks for the insight! Thankyou everyone!

8

You have as much of a chance at Harvard, Yale, etc. as the other 30,000+ that apply each year. If you want to apply, then do so. However, I caution you about listening to advice about how your minority status is going to help. Out of a class of 1,300 students each year, Yale has approximately 80 AA students. It stays pretty consistent and has been at that level since I was there from 78-82. Being AA is not going to be a cakewalk, there are plenty of qualified AA students for them to choose from.

This is not to discourage you, but to get you to understand that the thought that your URM status is going to give you a serious leg up is disingenuous. Continue to work hard, keep your stats up and pick the Ivy or other school that fits you the best. These schools are all very different from one another. I recruit for Yale but can give very objective advice about some of the others since I know students that are happy at all of them.

9

Update: My first time ACT was a 29, i’ll be retaking.

I’ve “lowered my standards” lol

I’m aiming for Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, NYU, Tufts, Johns Hopkins, Penn State, UPenn, some UC’s, etc.

I’m trying my hardest to raise my ACT but i keep messing up. Oh well.

I have safety schools and a lot of reaches cause you never know :slight_smile:

10

My question is can you or your parents pay for Harvard? Getting in means nothing if you can’t pay.

11

@Rdtsmith I can pay full tuition, although my parents probably wouldnt LLLIKE it

12

I may be a little off on the number because I’m trying to remember but A family that earns under $60,000 can attend Harvard almost for free then it goes up gradually from there. They offer a ridiculous amount of assistance. Money should only be a concern if you are upper middle class - nowhere near rich and nowhere near poor. Otherwise, it’s all good for everyone else that can get accepted.

13

OP stated that his mother is a surgeon and father is a business owner with a doctorate degree. My guess is that financial aid, Harvard or otherwise is not forthcoming. So if the parents won’t be happy with full pay, then OPs list may need some revisions.

14

Harvard, like Yale, Princeton and few others are what is called need blind. That means after they factor in your parent contribution and your summer earnings, they give you the rest. If HYP is $60,000, if it is determined via financial aid documents that your parents can pay $30,000, then you will receive $30,000. If your parents can pay $10,000, you will get $50,000, and so on. Now the kicker is whether your parents that can afford to pay $30,000 WANT to pay $30,000. Because if you get accepted, them not paying is not an option since there are no merit scholarships to make up the difference. Any outside scholarships you may receive will be taken from the amount they are giving you, not from your parental contribution.

Also, as @Madaboux stated, if your parents make less than $60,000 their contribution is $0. It goes up until your family income hits $250,000.

The hardest part about HYP is not the finances, it is getting in.

15

For what it’s worth, I think you look amazing! And I believe many of these schools will strongly consider you.

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@Tperry1982 I talked to my parents about it. They said that IF I got in to Harvard they’d pay full tuition without a flinch. When it comes to big name schools, full tuition is not a problem at all. Also, I doubt we would get any financial aid in the first place. Maybe just <2,000 per year because I have siblings. They make a lot of money but they are helping a lot with our village in Africa. It’s complicated.

17

@0br0123 As a precursor, I’m not an expert at financial aid. But I highly doubt you’d end up paying full tuition. Unless you (parents) are super affluent, you will receive decent to great financial aid. I dont think your siblings financial situation would play a role in your aid, given that they are adults?

18

@AnewCrown I have younger siblings who are still in elementary, middle, and high school. I assumed that aid is given to families with more children. I’m still not sure if should even apply for financial aid. If the total tuition is around $50k then I could definitely pay all four years. Plus there are many people who truly need scholarships. I shouldn’t take away from them I guess?

19

You’re not taking any scholarships away from anyone. If the college wants you to attend, they’ll try to make it affordable for you within reason. That’s why your family submits the docs that are required. Absolutely apply for FinAid. You’d be doing a disservice to your parents and your sibs if you dont

20

@T26E4 Thank you so much for the information!