I’ve always wanted to go to the Harvard Business School, after falling in love with the program when I toured it last summer. I want to do something with business for a future career. Other schools I want to apply to:
UC Davis
UCLA
University of Southern California (I have strong legacy here)
Princeton
Columbia
Yale
Cornell
UC Berkeley
Georgetown
UPenn
9th grade GPA: 3.6 UW / 4.2 W
10th grade GPA: 3.7 UW / 4.3 W
11th grade GPA: 4.0 UW / 4.78 W
APs: APUSH, AP Physics 1, AP English
Senior Course Load:
AP Calculus BC
AP Physics 2
AP English
AP US Government/Politics
AP Computer Science
Roman Catholic Church Studies 4 (my school requires me to take a Christian study classes because it’s a private Catholic school, so it’s impossible to get a 5.0 here)
SAT: 2220
SAT II Math 2: 730
SAT II US History: 750
SAT II Physics: 740
ACT: Didn’t take
Race: Japanese/American, but I have dark blonde hair (weird genetics). I could pass off as White, Asian, or Mixed if I wanted to.
Class ranking: Top 6
EC’s:
- Mock Trial (4 years)
- NHS
- Eagle Scout
- Campus Ministry Leadership Team member
*Boy Scouts Order of the Arrow Honors Society
- Sophomore Student Council
- Local church Youth Leadership Council Team
- Student Run certified 501k Webmaster/Treasurer, I was elected President for next year. I’ve contributed over 250+ hours to this nonprofit, and also did most of the work for making it become a nonprofit. I increased member growth from 8 to 50 active members. Our focus is technology, and we’ve made / built from scratch several computer labs in local schools that can’t afford them. We also have received several small awards too.
- CEO of small nonprofit I created, we’ve raised 50K+ in partnership with Free the Children and have built 5 schools in India
- Tennis freshman year
- I am a dedicated amateur bodybuilder. I’ve been obsessed with bodybuilding since Sophomore year, and this coming October I’m competing in my first competition in the Teens Physique category. I have a strict diet/gym schedule, and I work out 6x a week. I’m also a certified athletic trainer at my local YMCA, I have an internship there this summer.
- Self taught C++, Java, Python, PHP, HTML, and I’ve made professional quality websites for the two nonprofits I lead
I know my GPA is crap, and my ECs are probably pretty weak. Do I have any hope at all?
Your ECs are actually very interesting. Very tough high school curriculum. Your GPA is low but if you are number 6 in your class that might not be the end of the world. I would think you would be better served by applying early to a college that is a little easier than Harvard to get into
Impossibe? No.
Likely? No.
Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia - your chances at these schools are quite low ( <10%)
UPenn - 15%
Cornell, Georgetown - these are reaches (25%)
Berkeley - still a reach (35%)
USC - With legacy status + your strong credentials, you are probably about 60%
As for the rest of the UC schools, there is enough publicly available information that you should be able to figure these out on your own.
Your are strong for the following: all UCs, USC and Georgetown. Slight reach for Cornell and Columbia. Sizable reach for HYP. In the end, with all of the Ivy schools, your GPA is going to hurt you…do you have another hook?
What’s your breakdown on the SAT?
I think it’s still low for some IVY’s. 2250 or so will be better, IMO.
2250 and 2220 are statistically identical scores, and if any groups of admissions folks are likely to fully understand that, it is probably the gang at HYP.
Well, it depends. I am not saying that a 2220 will put him outside directly of the list. Anyway, the breakdown can tell us a little bit more.
HBS isn’t for undergrads. Harvard doesn’t offer an undergrad business major (nor does Yale).
Closest actual business majors are at Penn.
Like OrchidBloom said, you cannot attend Harvard Business School as an undergrad, nor can you concentrate in business at the College.
How much can Harvard be your dream school if you don’t understand that?
I also don’t understand why you put that you could pass for a different race…that didn’t work out so well in the end for Rachel Dolezal.
Harvard, Yale, and Princeton are extreme reaches for everyone, regardless of grades. As others have mentioned, Harvard Business School is a graduate MBA program. If you want an elite undergraduate program, Wharton at Penn is the gold standard, but every bit as selective as Harvard or Yale. You would have a stronger chance of admission to the regular Arts & Sciences college at Penn. I suggest adding Notre Dame, Lehigh, Villanova, Michigan, and Indiana for Business. If money isn’t an issue, look at NYU Stern. Is it safe to assume that you are a CA resident? If so, UCI is probably a decent safety for you. Frankly, I’d be inclined to drop H,Y, & P from the list if you want an undergraduate Business program. Your prospects just aren’t that great for any of them. Have Wharton as your super-reach, and then work with other colleges. If you’re a CA resident and you like USC as a prospective college, then you might as well stick to USC and a range of UCs as matches and safeties. Otherwise, some of the public and Catholic colleges I’ve mentioned have world-class undergraduate Business schools.
@boolaHI
I’m in DECA and this year we made it to Nationals, not sure if that’s considerable or not