<p>Hello everyone , Im 15 soon to be 16 . I started the 9th grade in july of this year and am currently in the beginning of my junior year . I attend online school and work at a fast pace . I plan on finishing highschool by march or april of 2011 , to date I havecompleted 4 AP courses and will be testing for them in May . I plan on applying to Harvard University (I live in Cambridge MA ) but I have some worries . Do you think a Harvard admissions will look down on the fact that I am homeschooled or finished highschool so fast ? Also I have read every book on what it takes to get into harvard or any school thats part of the "Ancient 8" , but seem to get general answer like work hard and get good scores ect . ect. What does it really take to stand out from the other 20,000-25,000 applicants? And the last question I have is this , I have a close family friend who is a Law professor at Harvard , I plan on getting a letter of recommendation from him will that give me an edge ? Please share your advice & answers . - Thanks</p>
<p>It takes great stats and a passion you’ve significantly accomplished something in. They will not look down at the home schooled, but they will want a lot more subject tests to see where you are academically.</p>
<p>Coming from Cambridge makes it extra tough as they have a lot of very connected locals they want to accept. A letter from a pro won’t usually buy you much, most can’t get their own kids in.</p>
<p>My friend is 15 and at Harvard. He is an amazing beast.</p>
<p>So what are the odds of me being accepted?</p>
<p>No one is going to give you a clear answer as to what you should do to “stand out”, simply because that’s what all of those other 25,000 kids what to know also!</p>
<p>Everyone has the creativity to create something unique and great. Harvard doesn’t want to see you create some multi-thousand dollar company, research at a prestigious university, create the cure for cancer, become national president of a club, etc. if that’s not what’s for you.</p>
<p>Find something you are good at, something that you actually LIKE. And don’t say you don’t like anything or you’re not good or anything because an attitude like that won’t get you anywhere near Harvard. </p>
<p>The students who deserve to be at Harvard are the students who find a way to get in.</p>
<p>On top of finishing high school ( and presumably getting a good GPA) you need really good test scores and really good extracurriculars. Once you have those we can chance you.</p>
<p>I definitely understand that Harvard acceptance is not going to be handed to me , but at the same time I do not want to make the mistake of simply being just another applicant who tried and failed at getting into Harvard. I am just looking for advice from people who have succeeded at getting into a top school or better yet what they did different than the people who were turned down; beside the obvious excellent academics and such.</p>
<p>Without grades, activity details or scores, how could we know? Until then your chances are below 6%.</p>
<p>In all honesty here’s what successful candidates did differently:</p>
<p>1)they became star athletes. This is the #1 hook.</p>
<p>2)they are minorities, the #2 hook.</p>
<p>3)they were born to parents that attended Harvard. </p>
<p>4)they have parents that can contribute millions or are powerful politicians.</p>
<p>5)they are national champions at something. This could range from math to baton twirling.</p>
<p>6)they are really smart and from a state that sends few applicants like SD or from a small African nation.</p>
<p>7)they were born with one arm yet became a pitcher.</p>
<p>They are minorites ? Can you explain that one ?</p>
<p>They are black, Native American and Hispanic. Add in very low income for the biggest boost.</p>
<p>Im 60% Native American =D but my parents dont have low income …</p>
<p>Just curious - </p>
<p>How can you be 60% of any race? I can see 50%, 25%, 75%, or any function of halves, quarters, eighths, sixteenths, etc. So I’m curious how you came up with the 60% figure.</p>
<p>In any event, your ethnicity will definitely help you with admissions.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Yes, if you’re registered with a tribe, you have a major hook.</p>
<p>My dad was 100% native american and my mom was 25% native american. Instead of saying I am 62.5% I just say 60 =]</p>
<p>Redroses, I don’t quite understand. </p>
<p>I’m a minority yet my dad is very wealthy. That’s a smaller hook than me being hispanic with a low income?</p>
<p>Oh another question I have is if I do not get into Harvard should I apply again ?</p>
<p>Is their a quota for each race that a school has to reach ?</p>
<p>Your Native American heritage is a huge hook, but you’ll still need to provide real quantifiable numbers, including SAT/ACT scores and grades.</p>
<p>What’s your hurry? Take a couple of college classes, perhaps at Harvard (even if you only audit the class with the professor’s permission). Spend time developing some amazing extracurriculars.</p>
<p>Finishing an online high school curriculum in one year is not really the amazing feat it may appear to be at first glance, although your parents and their friends may not know better and be totally wowed. My son completed 7th and 8th online and he never worked more than 1.5 hours a day.</p>
<p>At least 3/4 of the time in high school is totally wasted: getting from point to point, unnecessary busywork, waiting for the teacher to move on when one lone dumb student still can’t understand a principle, and the like. Based on my son’s experience in taking supplemental online high school classes, you should be able to complete even the very hardest class (e.g., BC Calculus) in no more than 40 hours per semester per class. So you’ve proved you’re extremely diligent and perhaps reasonably smart. But you’ll need to show more than just that to prove you’re “Harvard material.”</p>
<p>Go out and challenge yourself away from the computer screen!</p>
<p>I think their is often a misconception about online schools . Although I completed the majority of my highschool career in a very small time frame does not mean it was any easier than a physical school . Besides the highschool courses , I took half of the 8th grade at a physical school and the other half online , in comparision the only difference between the two is the ability to work 24 hours a day and turning in assignments at any time you chose .Every class I’ve taken has been honors and to date I have never recieved less than a 90 as a final grade . The work is 100% equivalent . On another note , I still am a bit confused about the whole heritage advantage thing .</p>
<p>The big difference between an online school and a sit-in-class school is that every minute you spend online working at your own speed is PRODUCTIVE time; only about 1/4 of the time spent in a classroom is productive time, if you’re an above average learner – and you can’t do a darn thing about it in most cases, except daydream. Ever have a really slow Internet connection where the vast majority of your time is spent waiting for pages to load? That’s your traditional classroom experience (and it’s frustrating)!</p>
<p>You may indeed be a brilliant kid, but you couldn’t complete conventional high school in one year, there aren’t enough hours in the day. It’s actually quite liberating to be able to work at your own true pace without artificial restrictions. I have two kids of exceptional ability (one graduated high school at 14), who I’ve seen repeatedly absorb new knowledge at 10 times classroom speed. I know this is possible when you’re not stuck in a traditional classroom.</p>
<p>But Harvard’s not going to reward you for finishing the high school curriculum in record time. You’ll need to be more than a computer appendage. Take a little time to try a few college classes and to develop at least one WOW! extracurricular, if you really want to get into Harvard. The younger that you are when you apply, the higher the bar you’ll face for admission (the “emotional maturity” issue). Take that extra year to experiment with other forms of self-directed learning – you’ll be a shoe-in at 17 with a more rounded set of life experiences. </p>
<p>As far as the heritage advantage goes, Native Americans are the most under-represented minority on college campuses and every school would like to improve its diversity percentages, so your odds of acceptance are high IF your portfolio of skills and experiences are in sync with Harvard’s vision.</p>