Going to either of those schools has been a dream of mine
My stats:
Unweighted gpa: 3.95
Weighted gpa: 4.35
Act score: 31
4 years varsity tennis
My school does not rank students
Summer internship at Boeing
Took AP Physics 1
AP calculus AB
Studio art AP
Drawing and Painting 2 AP
I took a gap year after high school and during that gap year I have been working on a engineering project at a Harvard research lab that was published in a journal. My advisor who is a Harvard professor is willing to write me a letter of recommendation and flag my application at Harvard, but he still cannot guarantee I will be accepted.
I still have a while to apply so is there anything you would recommend I do to improve my chances??? Or do I still not stand a chance. (Please answer honestly)
Thank you!!!
Your case looks special, impossible to judge. Most have a slim chance.
The letter from the Harvard prof will help. But your ACT scores are too low. You need to get the scores up to have a decent chance.
Try to get your academic scores and standardized est scores up. The rec letter will most definitely help your case by a lot. Good luck! What other colleges are you looking into? Also, is the Harvard prof also willing to write you a letter for Stanford? If yes, that would be good for you. Have you won any competitions or engineering fairs with that project? Elite colleges like to take that into account.
Unfortunately I cannot get my gpa up anymore because I’ve already graduated(I know a 4.35 is low) but I think I can get my ACT up to a 34. I haven’t won any awards yet because the work was just published, but it was written about in the New York Times. And yes the professor from Harvard is willing to send a letter to Stanford as well, and he is going to try his best to get me into Harvard. I am also looking at Berkeley ucla MIT and ucsd. I really appreciate everyone’s help!!!
You just graduated? So you’re taking a gap year before college? Also, how many AP classes did you take
I only took 4 AP classes and 3 honors classes I got straight As except one B junior year (first semester only) I had.a 3.95 unweighted and a 4.35 weighted
It is great that you did an engineering research work in Harvard, but your score and lack of a strong math/science coursework (AP Cal AB ?) is counterproductive to your plan.
Sorry I guess I forgot to clarify I’m actually taking 2 gap years because during 2015-2016 I worked at the Harvard research lab and I am planning on applying in 2016 for the 2017-2018 fall semester. I’ve been living in Boston next to the Harvard lab I’m interning at since the summer I graduated (June 2015)
I took honors geometry, honors algebra 2, pre calculus honors, and then Calc BC AP
I think I can get my act up to a 34 but my gpa is stuck at 4.35 
I think the GPA is fine. Why are you taking 2 gaps years? My concern is a 31 ACT. I was accepted into Stanford this fall and I had a 34 ACT but I think that is on the low end for these schools unless you have a hook. How confident are you that you can get the 34? How about the SAT? I think Harvard is your best chance since you have the professor reference.
Congratulations on Stanford!!! Stanford is my first choice. I am very confident I will get my act up to a 34 I definitely have the determination to study. I didn’t take the sat or the subject tests.
How were you able to get into Stanford??? That is just amazing!!! Any advice???
Sure but I don’t know how useful it will be. I just got back from Admit Weekend. Stanford is one of the most diverse colleges that I have visited. I don’t know if you have any diversity to bring to the table but it helps.1) apply EA; they accept a higher rate than RD. 2)I assume you are female and want to study engineering. That is great. Focus on that. Help them to see you as someone finding a place in a male dominated field and thriving. 3) don’t go crazy on AP exams. Stanford only accepts Physics. I can give you all the insight I have if you want to PM me. Good luck.
If you are doing 2 gap years, why aren’t you taking any college courses during this time? Harvard Extension school might be a good option to take a few classes. This would show that you could handle college level work.
Yes, I am a white female planning on studying engineering. If I do apply I will be sure to apply early action, but I don’t know if I should even try to apply anymore because my gpa is so low
Actually I am half Swedish half Armenian (I don’t know if Armenian would help though)