3.2 GPA
1500 SAT
590 Math 2 Subject Test
I took 10 AP Classes All in total
I am a black male from the hood, who watched his cousin get shot by gang members, and has had to take care of a mom who had a stroke. But I have some very awesome extra curricular activities. I am president of my school’s debate team, and I’ve had to be the coach and president because our school couldn’t afford a coach. I am ranked as the best teenage orator in my city, and one of the top 80 orators in the nation. I started a tutoring program for black students at my school, because blacks were performing way lower than other ethnic groups. And because of that program, all of the failing black students who participated in the program ended up passing. I interned for a state senator, and when interning for him I hosted a debate tournament for inner-city youth. In addition, I wrote a bill called AB 672 which gives assistance to prisoners who are wrongfully convicted. The bill that I wrote was actually voted by the California State senate and signed by the state governor, and now the bill I wrote is now in effect. I also have won several awards for Mock Trial, Academic Decathlon, and I am a columnist for a local newspaper. I also have stopped a lot of peers in my neighborhood from joining gangs and getting addicted to drugs. I applied early to Harvard. My stats are low, but I’ve done amazing things. Do you think that they’ll look past my stats an give me a chance?
You have amazing ECs. Try to retake the SAT, or even take the ACT. If you nail the essay and bring your grades up this semester, it’s honestly possible.
They weren’t seniors, they were just lower class-men who were getting failing grades. Due to the program I started where scholarly black students tutored the academically struggling black students, all of the students getting failing grades, and all of the students who were in danger of not matriculating, received passing grades by the end of the year. Therefore enabling them to matriculate and now they don’t have to retake any of the classes they weren’t going to pass.
Are you sure you want to go to Harvard, though? Is that an environment you could be successful in? You’re going to be surrounded by people with 2400 SATs and 4.0 GPAs. You seem like a smart person who will be successful regardless of whether or not he gets into Harvard. I think you have a chance as anyone else does who applies, but I would say it’s slim.
No way the 1500 is out of 1600. No one, not even Harvard, has to “look past” a 1500/1600, particularly for a poor black male (I’m not saying OP is a shoo-in with a 1500/1600, but the SAT score would certainly not be the reason for a rejection). Not even sure why OP took SAT2 math anyway given what’s written here.
I think in terms of character, you are exactly what Harvard is looking for, but unfortunately, your academics are much too low for Harvard to look past them. You would be miserable at Harvard because your academic preparation is too low and there would be almost no way for you to make up the gap. Kids should always go to colleges where they have the ability to excel and be one of the leaders, not super reach colleges where they have to struggle along in the bottom 10-25%. It’s damaging to their psyche to spend four years feeling like they’re not measuring up when in another environment they may flourish and go on to achieve great things much more easily. Good luck!
I don’t think you want to go to Harvard as another person already said. Academically you won’t fit in. But there will be a great school out there waiting for you.
That’s huge when you can turn something around and push a graduation rate to 100% Folks are gonna want to hear how that was done so they can replicate it.