I am currently a sophomore. I’d like to know my Harvard chances. Can you tell me if I’m on the right track? I live in India, but I’m a US citizen, and have lived in US for 8 years.
Intended major- Economics and Math, minor- Computer studies
PSAT score- 217/240 (highest in my grade). Will take the SAT this summer.
Class rank- 4/5 out of 100 (definitely top 5%)
9th GPA- 9.8/10
10th GPA- predicted: 10/10 (CBSE)
SAT Math 1: 760/800 (will retake)
SAT Math level 2: 800/800
Physics- 800/800
My ECs…
Piano for 10 years- Reached a very high level, with excellent scores in exams- Played in concerts and fundraisers.
Hindustani Vocal for 11 years- cleared the junior diploma- working on 3rd year exam- performed in many functions and performances
POETRY- Published in several honorary american national journals, alongside poetic laureates- my poem was regarded a ‘leading submission’ in one. Also published in Stanford Review and Southwestern Review.
(Published an ebook, active blog)
Internships with literary magazines and Times of India national newspaper (over 4-5 months)
Community service (150+ hrs)- teaching underprivileged students English
Cleared national level of spellbee international competition
Published in all-India student newspaper
Active participant in MUN
Guest speaker at a literary conference
Won a gold medal of excellence (state award) for English Olympiad.
Founded an online literary magazine publishing only poetry; have ads on many writer’s sites
I will be joining one of the best international IB schools in the world for junior and senior year, which starts in August. So, I have a 5-month break. Here are my plans-
Take SAT and maybe literature SAT subject test
More community service, volunteering and internships with another magazine
Take part in a state and national poetry competition, and international essay writing contest
Take a computer science and french honors course
Prepare for AP calculus BC
TRY to get published in perhaps, an internationally recognized poetry journal- like Yale Review or something.
Start an English club in my apartment, to bring the joy of English to children of up to 10 years
I know Harvard is a high reach for everyone, but could you chance me (I’m a sophomore right now)
And… can you maybe give me some advice or constructive criticism? Can you also suggest a few other colleges you think may be within my grasp?
Thanks!
Go out and play or something.
I really don’t think you have to kill yourself with taking on more at this point. You need time to do well in your classes and commit to the ECs you already have. Also, a lot of the things you listed as ECs would probably fall more under the category of Accomplishments and Honors. IDK how many of the activities you listed are things that you are still currently doing, but those will be the most important to your app, versus one-time experiences or a few sporadic years of something.
It’s very interesting that you’re interested in more math-y fields academically, but all of your ECs are humanities-related. Why is this? It’s an interesting angle, but if you’re ultimately pursuing a different career path, maybe you should consider gaining more experiences / doing more ECs related to your desired field of study…
Don’t take the Math I SAT II again if you already got the max score on Math II, lol. That’s a waste of your time and money.
And finally, why are you interested in Harvard? That’s important to start thinking about now. A good chunk of applicants are just hoping to get in for the prestige / unrealistic ideas about how successful they’ll be in life because they went to Harvard. I’m sure Harvard does not want people like that. It wants people who will really fit into their culture and share their values, and will utilize their resources to the fullest. If you can, I would try to visit or something to explore this further.
I think you have a decent chance, but yeah, Harvard is always a reach. And though the number of things you’ve accomplished is impressive, I’d be much more convinced about your passions if I saw fewer things that you were more committed to (it’s hard to tell because you didn’t put any time markers for your activities). As for other schools, I’d look into anything with strong Economics and Math departments, and also English, since you seem to love that field as well. Basically, think about what you see yourself doing in the future (at the college, or in a job) and pick colleges that will allow you to do what you want. Don’t turn down a school just because it’s not an Ivy; you’ll want some match schools and safeties as well.
Without any non-academic ECs you’re chances are just as low as the acceptance rate. Go out and play sports or somethings lol
OnMyWay2013- thanks a lot for your advice.
My involvement in clubs is very poor, mainly because my old school didn’t HAVE any clubs- which is why I’m changing schools next year.
I’m not seriously considering Harvard (I haven’t done much research about it), but I am still pretty curious about where I stand internationally. My main passions- poetry and music. I’ve been pursuing music for over eleven years, and poetry is a natural talent of mine.
0br0123- are you actually saying that a state level football player will be preferred over an intel finalist?