Do I have a realistic shot SCEA?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

Hey Guys!

By no means do I mean to make this a Chance Me thread, but I want to know if I have a realistic shot at getting accepted SCEA. I’m looking for some objective analysis and your opinions, and from there, I’ll make my decision. I’m also strongly considering Stanford, but I hear it’s nearly impossible to get into EA.

So here are my stats:

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2350 Math 800 Critical Reading 800 Writing 750
ACT (breakdown): Not submitting
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 Math II (only submitting one, but I took 2)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.99
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/251
AP (place score in parentheses): AP US History (5) AP Biology (4) AP Physics 1 Self-Study (4)
(School limits to two APs until junior year)

IB (place score in parentheses): none
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP English, AP Calc BC, AP Chemistry, AP Statistics (might switch with AP Spanish), AP Government
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 10th Place Nationally in FBLA for Computer Game and Simulation Programming. 5th Place in the State in FBLA for Public Speaking I. 5th Place in the State in Science Olympiad for Protein Modeling, 1st place in the region in DECA Business Finance

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):

  • FBLA State President (CTSO for over 8,000 members)
  • FBLA State Secretary FBLA (last year)
  • National Eastern Region Assistant and Communication Director
  • FBLA Local Chapter President (x2)
  • Class President
    ( My school limits me to 2 leadership positions…)
  • Spanish Honors Society
  • National Honors Society
  • Science Olympiad
  • Varsity Soccer
  • Varsity Basketball
  • Varsity Track
  • Opened my own company that designs apps. I picked up programming recently, and app should be released soon.

Job/Work Experience: Summer Internship at IT company,
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteer Tutor at Middle School, FBLA volunteer hours for March of Dimes (planned state-wide event that raised over $1,000), Volunteer at local hospital, volunteer at senior citizen center, volunteer at local mosque (have over 300 volunteer hours)
Summer Activities: Frosh: Summer Internship Sophomore Year: Dunkin Donuts/Baskin Robins Junior Year: Boys State, Governor’s School, E2@MIT (MITES)
Essays: They’ll probably be risky/bold. Expect around an 8/10
Teacher Recommendations: 1) Amazing. This guy wants to adopt me. 2) Showed improvement in his class, and I drove intellectually stimulating conversations in his class.
Counselor Rec: Good.
Additional Rec: Might get one from Dean of Gov School for research
Interview: It’ll go well.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yep.
Projected Concentration: Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): East coast best coast
Country (if international applicant): USA USA USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: low
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first gen, low income

Reflection
Strengths: SAT, GPA, Class Rank, Extracurricular Activities
Weaknesses: Essays maybe, maybe I didn’t do enough to stand out…not sure

2

You are competitive but then again so are most. I think you have a decent chance. If Harvard is your first choice then go for it. I get the vibe you’re unsure whether to use the early advantage on Harvard, but I think only Early Decision really boosts chances (e.g. ED at Penn), and if Harvard is your first choice you don’t want to be potentially committing to a different school.

Just one thing to note: the reason why Stanford’s early acceptance rate is lower is because the Ivies admit most of their athletic recruits in the early round who make up a significant proportion of their early admits. Don’t be put off by the lower acceptance rate - apply to whichever is your first choice.

3

I think you have a decent shot, keeping in mind it’s a reach for everyone etc. Good luck.

4

Btw - don’t say you have an app company unless you have employees. Just say you made an app, and maybe how many d/ls it has if that’s impressive. Put the accent on the fun/discovery of hacking it, not making money off it.

5

If Harvard is your first choice school, then go for it! You certainly have the competitive stats for SCEA. That’s not to say you will be admitted, as many URM and AA students who apply in the SCEA round have similar stats to yours. So Admissions uses an applicant’s essays, teacher recommendations, guidance counselor report and interview report to help them select which high-performing student’s to admit. So, it’s really anyone’s guess as to how it will all play out. Best of luck to you!

6

Most students spend more time on test prep than they do on their essays – and it should be the other way around. I’ve posted this before, but here it is again

If you don’t think you’ve done enough with your essays to stand out, you have two more months to churn out 5 or 6 more essays on different topics.

FWIW: Both my kids wrote about 6 to 8 complete Common Application essays on different topics during the summer between their junior and senior years. It was only after writing so many essays on different topics that they were able to narrow down what story they wanted to tell an Admissions officer.

Good writing takes thought and it takes time. So, get to it. When school starts up in September, give your 2 most favorite essays to your recommendation writers and ask them “Which sounds more like me?” By doing so, you get their valued opinion, and allow them to get to know you better, which will allow them to write you a more detailed, and hopefully better recommendation.

7

“I’m also strongly considering Stanford, but I hear it’s nearly impossible to get into EA.”

I think they’re both equally difficult to get into.

Also one thing to consider: Stanford rejects most of its early applicants while Harvard defers a lot.

What is realistic for you? Both have sub 10% admit rates for unhooked applicants during the early round.

On paper, your stats and EC’s are outstanding and you are absolutely qualified and ‘should’ get into Harvard. But, as you probably know, Harvard denies a ton of truly outstanding applicants like you, and instead admits tons of people who are seemingly under qualified on paper.

8

What is the draw to studying engineering at Harvard? I do not see areas that need shoring up. Good luck!

9

As a very high performing low income first generation African American you have much better than average chances. But why limit yourself? Strive for the best! Apply to Princeton!

10

@harvardfanatic10 - you’re a very strong candidate, and therefore a good candidate for SCEA. I think applying SCEA to Harvard (or Princeton) is an excellent idea. I’ve heard there is little or no EA bump at Stanford, so applying there RD sounds like a wise decision.

I would expect you to get into at least one (and probably more) of HYPSM, if you apply to all five.

11

I may be wrong, but doesn’t Harvard require two SAT 2 subject tests?

12

@AnnieBot No; they are recommended, although I suspect most applicants still submit them.

13

I think the saying is “East Coast, Least Coast; West Coast; Best Coast”. Your version may fly for a Harvard application, but you may want to straighten that out as you look to apply for admission to Stanford! :wink: