Do I have a real chance?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

Hi everyone, I’m going to share my information here, and I would appreciate if anyone could give some input on whether or not I have a real chance of being accepted into Harvard? Harvard is my dream school and it always has been, but I’m on the fence about whether to apply or not because I don’t know if my application has what it takes for me to get in.

  1. 32 on my ACT
  2. 3.96 unweighted GPA
  3. 2nd in my class of 223 people
  4. Member of the orchestra for 7 years, is concertmaster and President this year
  5. Did not take the SAT or any SAT subject tests.
  6. 5 points away from being a National Merit Scholar (from PSAT) (do colleges even see/care about this?!?)
  7. Taking/have taken all honors, dual enrollment, or AP classes
  8. Member of student council, secretary my sophomore year
  9. Member of National Honors Society
  10. Has some volunteer experience (around 55 hours)
  11. Is a good writer according to my teachers, so my essays may be good, but I can't judge that myself
  12. Has worked a part time job since 8th grade, full time in the summer
  13. Wants to major in political science

Is that enough? Is that good enough for me to even consider applying to Harvard, or should I try somewhere less prestigious? Thank you in advance to anyone who gives input!

2

Many state schools admit students by GPA, rank and test scores – not so at private colleges, like Harvard.

At Harvard, GPA and test sores are a minimum threshold – everyone’s got to have that. Then, Admissions reads your essays, teacher recommendations, guidance counselor’s Secondary School Report (SSR), interview report and EC’s and will compare them to all other applicants in the SCEA or RD cycle. Admissions is looking for students of good “character.” That’s an old fashioned word; it means the way you develop your inner qualities: intellectual passion, maturity, social conscience, concern for community, tolerance, inclusiveness and love of learning. Colleges learn of those things by comments made from your teachers and guidance counselor, as well as what your choose to write about in your essays and the “tone” and content of what you say. And, don’t forget that alumni interview report; here’s a sampling of what is written about applicants – notice what is said for JEROD, HANS and THERESA: http://asc.yale.edu/samplereports

No poster on College Confidential can say if you have a real chance based on your stats, as we haven’t read your teacher recommendations, SSR, essays and interview report and those of everyone else in the applicant pool.

That said, here’s what I see from what you posted. While you have wonderful course rigor, GPA and class rank (Harvard doesn’t consider rank), your ACT score is at Harvard 25th percentile, meaning that 75% of admitted students had that score or better. So, academically Harvard is a high reach for you (but, its a high reach for everyone, including those with 4.0 GPA’s and perfect test scores). In addition, my guess is that one-half to two-thirds of Harvard’s admitted freshman are National Merit Scholars Semifinalists or Finalists so being 5 points away is not going move your application forward. And nothing pops-out from your extracurricular activities that are extraordinary or unique. All of the above indicates that you’re within Harvard’s range, but as so much depends on those other subjective factors . . . who knows? Applying to Harvard is like buying a lottery ticket. You can’t win it, if your not in it!

If you haven’t watched these three video’s you should, as they will help you understand the process a bit better. Everything in these videos applies to Harvard and other selective schools.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UYhTylqC9o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96XL8vBBB7o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-OLlJUXwKU

3

Thank you so much for this!

4

Why has Harvard always been your dream school? To be frank, often that is true for young people who don’t know a lot about other schools out there, or who want a “name school.” By all means apply. But look into and get excited about other colleges. Think about size, location, academics, and “vibe.” I recommend the Colleges that Change Lives website (and book by Loren Pope who also wrote “Looking Beyond the Ivy League.” I don’t know if finances play a role in your choices (one good reason to dream of Harvard is their financial aid!) so keep financial and/or merit aid in mind if needed. Good luck!

5

I know it does sound cliche that Harvard is my dream school, but I have been looking at colleges since 8th grade! Of course in the beginning I was only interested in Harvard because of its name, but looking deeper into it and actually visiting it I realized it is the perfect school for me, especially with what I want to major in. The academics are clearly amazing for anyone interested in PoliSci/Government, but all of the other aspects of the school really make it the reason why I want to go. Cambridge is my favorite city I’ve ever visited, it’s a close trip to Boston, the student life seems to be amazing, and the way their housing is set up into “houses” (similar to a Harry Potter type grouping) seems so surreal to me. Their financial aid is outstanding, and coming from a family that lives right along the poverty line, I would like to attend a school that will offer me as much money as I can get (lol). The students are very close and there are so many extracurricular choices and ways to get involved. There are definitely other schools out there that I am very interested in, but I can truthfully say that if I was accepted into every school I applied to, I would still attend Harvard without a second thought. Thank you for your response!

6

Finances are an excellent reason :slight_smile:

7

@gibby Above you say that Harvard does not consider class rank, but I have seen in other posts that you say that if you are not the Top 1-2% of your class that it is hard to have a shot at SCEA (something like that). can you explain a bit what you mean. I know I had read that you cited something about hooks not mattering as much in the SCEA - because they take the best of the best. Thank you! as always :slight_smile:

8

@hcmom65: While it’s true that Harvard does not consider rank, a student who is ranked in the top 1% to 2% of their graduating class is likely to receive more (and better) accolades from their recommendation writers. And after a student’s transcript, teacher recommendations are the next most important part of an applicant’s file. This from the College Board and Jeffrey Brenzel, Yale’s retired Dean of Admissions: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-started/video-transcription/whats-the-most-important-part-of-the-application

For example, a student who is “internally ranked” as the academic valedictorian or salutatorian at their high school might get a recommendation like the below.

If you are a student ranked in the top 3% to 10% of your class, are your teachers going to be able to say the same kind of things about you? If not, then your application is going to be overshadowed by the polly perfects of this world without an Admissions Officer knowing, or even considering, your rank.

9

thank you @gibby I do know that in some cases, the counselor report does indicate percentile (like Top 1% or Top 5%, etc). Even if not technically considered…well, it is there in writing! I don’t know how that can be overlooked…