From Australia ...

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>G'day all, I'm from Australia and like most of you guys reading this, I wish to study at Harvard University.</p>

<p>Harvard. Not because of its reputation, but because of the facility and pleasant studying environment it provides. I know I will learn a lot from there. Much more than I would from an Australian University.</p>

<p>However it was only recently that many people recommended me applying for Harvard.</p>

<p>So, to the point.</p>

<hr>

<p>I believe I have a high level of Extra Curricular achieved, but of course, I could add more to it.</p>

<p>But the thing is: here in Australia we obviously have a very different education system.</p>

<p>The materials that we learn in Physics or Chemistry classes, for example, are completely different to those tested in the SAT II. </p>

<p>And as for SAT I, only Math is the familar subject. Of course, being a Commonwealth Coutry it is, we obviously study English, but the way it is taught is different. </p>

<p>For example we never have comprehension, or multiple choices. Instead we have student response answers and long essays that we need to write in an exam (usually 15 pages long)</p>

<p>I have tried practice papers. My SAT I Math score is close to 800, but I know I can hit 800 by the exam date. However Critical Reading and Writing section is going to weigh me down, mainly because of the different system. I am guessing anywhere between 650 ~ 750. Here in Australia I am a strong English student. </p>

<p>And for SAT II, Chemistry and Physics .. it will weigh me again because the material that I learnt in Australia isn't in the SAT. But I think Math I / II C will go pretty fluently.</p>

<p>My Question: Many people have told me Harvard respects and favours international students, and that I have a good chance of being admitted. However I believe that with my SAT I / II scores, it is going to hurt my statistics. </p>

<p>Will Harvard take this into account for international students and be less "harsh" on the impact that SATs have on admission?</p>

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<p>Sorry that it got long, but thanks to everyone who read, and more thanks in advance to those who will reply.</p>

2

<p>australiaboy,
it really depends on the totality of your application.
out of curiosity, what does your 'high level of extra-curricular involvement' entail? Are you applying early action?</p>

3

<p>Harvard certainly values the diversity that international students bring to the campus, and many internationals are admitted every year. However, you should be aware that the overall odds for an international applicant are even worse than those faced by US applicants. Often the international kids who are admitted are among the very top students in their entire country back home.</p>

<p>I'm not saying this to discourage you from applying but only to give you a realistic idea of what you are facing. The people telling you that you have a "good chance" of being admitted have probably never been involved in an application to Harvard and are thus making a lot of unfounded assumptions. Many parents and teachers in the US make the same mistake - they look at some very bright kid, probably the smartest student in their entire high school, and assume that Harvard will surely snap him up. But there are tens of thousands of high schools in the US, and every one of them has a few students like that. Add in all the foreign high schools across the globe who have a few top students dreaming of attending the famous Harvard University, and the odds get even longer. Harvard just doesn't have the room to take them all.</p>

<p>So I say go ahead and apply, but do so with your eyes open and a sensible back-up plan in hand. If you don't apply your chances of getting in are zero. </p>

<p>As for the SATs - there are many cram books commercially available that can be especially useful for the SAT IIs. For the SAT I, I suggest you study using the Xiggi method - it seems to produce the most success here on CC.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

4

<p>did you try the ACT?</p>

5

<p>Thanks again to those replies.</p>

<p>I do not know for certain if I will be applying Early Action, but I am pretty sure I'll be applying Regular. </p>

<p>No, I did not try the ACT.</p>

<p>However another question came about..</p>

<p>I am born in 1989, and didn't go to school early or anything, so I am studying with the fellow '89ers. </p>

<p>Are the '89ers sorted as the class of '11 or '12? </p>

<p>From my calculations we'd be the class of '12. So as for my application, do I need to complete and submit it by December 2007 (if I was '12)?</p>

6

<p>^^The year you were born doesn't matter so much as the year you will finish high school. Unless you take a gap year or otherwise don't go directly on to college, your Harvard class is the year you graduated from high school plus 4. So if you finish high school in the spring of '07, you will be Harvard '11. If you finish in the spring of '08 you will be Harvard '12.</p>

7

<p>I reiterate that test scores are a helpful but not exactly a decisive factor in determining admissions. I had two 630s, and yet I still was admitted. I believe it was because I highlighted the other characteristics of what I was able to contribute here. best of luck.</p>