<p>so one of my essays was really dramatic. it had to do with seeing one of my relatives killed infront of me, which is very true and i've had a hard life, living in a civil war area where the danger of getting killed was increasing dialy. i tried to express this in my essay in a poem format, and my counciler raved about it and made sure i had two copies in my application. that being said, i have a good GPA and class rank, although the sat scores are not that great. i had an interview with a harvard alum. and he said "if i could go to the admissions committee and pound on the desk with my fist to get you in, i would." obviously he cant, but he clearly said that he will write me a very good letter for the admissions committee.
Will my past experience help me get in? i tried to show the potential i have in both my application and interview. I am also from africa {not african america}. i am just curious, bc i feel i have alot to offer to harvard and im not sure if they are willing to overlook my not perfect academics [although mine are pretty good, but not perfect] to add diversity and experience to their campus.
thanks so much! i really appreciate an honest opinion. :)</p>
<p>You don't need perfect academics. Good luck.</p>
<p>P.S. why 2 copies?</p>
<p>can you be more specific about what you mean by "pretty good, but not perfect"? it's all relative. i think very few people, if any, have a "perfect" academic record.</p>
<p>I am a college sophomore trying to transfer to Harvard. I have a 4.00 UW in HS and 4.0 in college with #1 ranks in both. Is this considered perfect? :)</p>
<p>yeah, if you can top that off with some sterling standardized test scores. :]</p>
<p>well, i have a 4.0 UW gpa. but my main question is if experiences such as that weigh heavily or not. my interviewer said that scores only give an impression and that when they look through your entire application they get the sense of the person that applied. i didnt meant perfect in absolution, i meant perfect as in harvard standards perfect.</p>
<p>and the reason for the two copies of the essay was because she thought it was "beautifuly brilliant", and she said that "just in case they overlook it in you're application, they'll see it next to your transcript {which are sent at two different times}. i dont know, it wasnt my idea, but hey, two copies cant hurt, right?</p>
<p>anyone else have any ideas?</p>
<p>your academics IS quantified by Harvard. yes they still get a sense of you.
if you really want to know how things are viewed go to B&N or Borders, find How to Get Into the Top Colleges. Inside there is a sheet that adcoms use to summarize you. I don't think it is the Harvard one but it gives you an idea.
harvard gives out little perfect academic score (1) to people they perceive to have summa cum laude potential. stellar academics is in most cases a 2.</p>
<p>in harvard they won't miss your essay. harvard makes sure they review their applicants very very thourughly. it is a painstaking process. harvard's reputation depends on it; the admits are their assets.</p>
<p>the SATs aren't that important for transfer.</p>
<p>lol martini did you just come to this thread only to brag about your perfect gpa without provocation, and then when asked about your standardized tests say they don't matter? </p>
<p>wow</p>
<p>"well, i have a 4.0 UW gpa. but my main question is if experiences such as that weigh heavily or not. my interviewer said that scores only give an impression and that when they look through your entire application they get the sense of the person that applied. i didnt meant perfect in absolution, i meant perfect as in harvard standards perfect."</p>
<p>I don't understand what about a 4.0 UW GPA isn't perfect. And what do you mean by "harvard standards perfect"</p>
<p>and martinibluex, where did you come from spitting out your 4.0,valedectorian gibberish in a thread like this.</p>
<p>WOW, sometimes i dont understand how CC'ers think.</p>
<p>Is everyone here really that insecure with themselves that they feel the need to get so defensive about hearing someone say that they have a 4.0 gpa? Not a big deal...get over it.</p>
<p>btw, martinibluex, congratulations on being able to maintain such high grades - you obviously worked hard for them.</p>
<p>Transferring is really tough. Harvard will want to see that you can handle the academic courseload that it offers. If there is a specific program you would like to attend or a specific Harvard professor with whom you would like to work, Harvard might be more inclined to accept you, since you'd have actual reasons for transferring, other than prestige. Good luck.</p>
<p>i simply replied to the following assertion:</p>
<pre><code> " i think very few people, if any, have a "perfect" academic record."
</code></pre>
<p>to all interested in my SATs: looking at all sections i have above 760 on everything except verbal... some 800, and 780.
it is a fact that the sats are more like a cut off for transfers and the subject tests have 0 to 5% importance. anything above 1400 sells, partly beacause they are not included in the US News ranking reports. i took the sat log time ago so i don't look at it as my current accomplishment.</p>
<p>moreover, my stats are no threat to you, because by 4 standards (two of which being that i am a transfer and i have been out of school for a bit) i am in a different cathegory than you.</p>
<p>p.s. to the only nice poster: i transfer solely because of lack of academic challenge and impersonal campus. if that is not enough for them, i will go elsewhere.</p>
<p>Our envy sustains you? Well, we'll see if it gets you into Harvard, martini. :) Good luck.</p>
<p>lol and i suppose the ones that exibit the abovementioned emotion are ok for admission? if we cannot put on a facade at a simple discussion board and play all day where is the joy of life and pretense??</p>
<p>Er.. as in "abovementioned emotion", do you mean envy?</p>
<p>what would you call it? jealousy, hatred, aggression?</p>
<p>don't take life so seriously... life is light.... you should read the unbearable lightness of being and understand that words are just noise...
i am done entartaining on this tread, it's been pleasure...
time to remove the mask...</p>
<p>p.s. so much for the nice poster.</p>
<p>I'm confused about what you're implying. Please move past the rhetoric, and explain to me what you're in the world you're talking about.</p>
<p>If you mean that we're being too uptight, I can assure you that nobody likes arrogance. We're not necessarily envious, since many students on this board also have 4.0's at very competitive high schools, along with many other qualifications. I didn't mean any harm, if that's what you got from my comments.</p>
<p>i thought it was clear. i asked a question that you could read if you scroll up to the top. i wasn't being arrogant, but i realize that my statement would be perceived in as many different was as there are readers. even if i was being anything i did not deserve to be attacked. but go ahead throw a stone at Mary Magdalene. i am free to be proud of my achievements and most of all human and frail. there will be many students on campus proudly professing their achievements. are you sure you can handle it? are you sure that you can distinguish confidence from arrogance?</p>
<p>good day.</p>