Does everyone on this thread have like a 34+ ACT/1550+ SAT? lol I feel so intimidated.
@ap012199, I believe that Harvard says they use a “holistic” approach to applications, so I would not worry if your scores are lower than those posted. Likely letters are only given to a few, highly qualified applicants, and that is what i see posted above. However, most people don’t get in to Harvard anyway so keep hope, but keep a realistic hope. If your statistics don’t place you in the mid-50% of admitted students, then you would probably have to have something really special in your application/essays/recommendations to assist you. Good luck!
@Sam-I-Am my single score ACT puts me at the bottom of the middle 50%, but my superscore puts me above average (although they don’t recalculate a superscore, the look at all subsections). My GPA is higher than most applicants’ though. I am also a legacy applicant whose mother works for admissions as an interviewer. I guess that’s my “hook.” She’s also somewhat acquainted with the dean of admissions if that helps.
@ap012199 No! My application basically has the same odds as Guildenstern’s coin landing on its side.
@rice2019 major congrats!
@TortuousProcess are you replying to my comment above or…? Lol sry don’t get why u said “no!”
@ap012199 Yeah, your second last post in this thread (“Does everyone…”); I didn’t see the most recent one before I posted.
Remember there are only 300 likely letters, and 100 of them are for non-athletic purposes. There is a very small chance you will get one so don’t expect one.
@TortuousProcess oh lol ok that makes me feel better haha!
Yeah @hhjjlala I’m definitely not expecting one.
@rice2019 Is your daughter a recruited athlete?
First, thank you all for the congratulations:
In addition to what I wrote before, here are more stats about
my D, just incase it may help someone else:
She is 16 years old.
She is fluent in 4 languages (English , Turkish , Arabic and Somali).
In her Sophomore year, she won a language competition two years in a row and was awarded
a month-long summer language immersion program in a foreign country. She wrote her CommonAp
essay about that experience. The admissions officer commented on how much he liked her essay.
Jokingly suggested that she should be an English major.
In her Harvard optional question, she wrote about Sylvia Plath and how Sylvia’s
poems and writings inspired her calling in life to be psychiatrist. When I read
the essay, I can honestly say I shed a tear (for Sylvia Plath).
She started the Japanese Culture Appreciation in her school (one of the
teachers lived in Japan as child and speaks Japanese). The club has been very
active for 4 years even though there are no students of Japanese descent in the small
the school.
She Started a non-profit organization to help specific hospital in Somalia (she volunteered at that hospital
one summer). Collected enough money to hire one janitorial person for one year to help the
nurses with cleaning duties.
Did History Fair one year and won 2nd place at regional.
Did Science fair (did not go past regional).
4 years of all-girl college prep and leadership program at school.
Chick-Fil-A sponsored leadership program at school- 3 years (founding member).
Social Justice club (Started this year).
She sent every test she took, good/bad/or ugly (no exceptions). They are all in her transcript.
Mostly very good.
Finally, As you can probably tell, she is URM.
@rice2019 wow, she sounds amazing. Still, I wouldn’t have guessed she’s URM. What ethnicity is she exactly?
@rice2019 I can’t even begin to imagine how proud you are of your daughter. She sounds amazing and I’m sure will be a great psychiatrist some day. Congratulations to you both!!!
@rice2019 I wrote my Harvard essay about Sylvia Plath as well! No likely letter though 
Congratulations for her!
@ap012199. We, parents, are immigrants from Africa.
@ap012199 Hahahhaha My SAT score is 1220, still an applicant. Just praying for it
Sorry to burst your bubble or anything, but unless you have some enormous hook (URM, recruited athlete), you will likely get rejected.
@hhjjlala I have hope…
Embrace your rejection like so many others who have succeeded despite Harvard’s rejection. They may still love you, but they can’t take all who are qualified. DD got on the waitlist, but in the end didn’t pursue it because she loved another college. There are so many great colleges out there to love and that are waiting for you to help you succeed. For all students of great potential, someone more articulate than me said it best, “All roads lead to Rome.” Harvard is not the only road to success. Embrace your destiny and good luck to everyone. The world is your oyster. (yes, I know lots of cliches here).
I’m banking on a rejection even though my stats are in the 98th-99th percentile…
@preppedparent All cliches I needed to hear right now 
Not in regard to Harvard (don’t think I’ll get in and it’s not my favorite school) but it helps with waiting anxiety.