Harvard or bust! (Chances please!)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>Chances EA or RD at Harvard</p>

<p>Midwest School ~1 person to an Ivy every year
Caucasian/Asian 50-50
Middle-Class</p>

<p>AP Biology-> 5
AP Calculus AB-> 5
AP Physics B-> 5
AP Statistics-> 5
AP US History-> 5
Taking at end of Sr. yr:
AP Gov't
AP Eng. Lit
AP Calc BC
AP Physics C</p>

<p>SAT I: 2320
Math: 800
Reading: 750
Writing: 770</p>

<p>SAT II:
Math: 800
Literature: 780
Physics: 790
US History: Taking soon probably 750+</p>

<p>Cumulative Unweighted GPA: 3.75
Cumulative Unweighted GPA w/o Freshmen Year: 3.933
Cumulative Weighted GPA: ~3.85
Cumulative Weighted GPA w/o Freshmen Year: ~4.07
(School weighs HORRIBLY)</p>

<p>Class Rank: Top 3-7 percent, not sure as of yet. Definately below 10%</p>

<p>Courseload: 10 APs throughout Highschool, 4 B's and 1 C Freshmen Year, 1 B Sophomore Year, never anytihng below an A Junior and probably Senior Year- all APs were taken Junior and Senior Year</p>

<p>Extracirriculars:
Varsity Lincoln Douglas Debate- national qualifier, top 100 - Vice President of Debate Team
Work experience at Best Buy
100+ hours Volunteering at a Hospital
100+ hours of Community Service
NHS
Treasurer of Philosophy Club
Spanish Club
Medical Club
Secretary of Community Service Club
Tutor 4th grade students this year
Tutor fellow Highschool students in all areas of math for my second year
Varsity Tennis Player going on my second year
Abstract Algebra at University
Internship at a Law Firm
Stanford Debate Camp twice</p>

<p>Awards:
Math Seal of Excellence(97% average or higher in all math classes taken)
Science Seal of Excellence(Same as Math)
NMSF
Honor Roll(lol)
AP Scholar
AIME Qualifier
Debate Tournament awards</p>

<p>Reccomendations: Very confident, two from teachers one from a close family friend who's a professor at a university</p>

<p>Essays: Very confident</p>

<p>Do I stand a chance?</p>

<p>Other Schools:
Yale
Columbia
Princeton
Boston College
UPenn</p>

2

<p>I'd say so, absolutely, thought nothing's guaranteed. Great scores, great grades, great schedule, really extensive extracurriculars.</p>

<p>What I'd be more worried about is that you look like you're getting too emotionally involved in this process. The title of the thread is way off- hey, I love Harvard (I'm a freshman there now) but they're SO many other fantastic schools that you really shouldn't have that attitude. People with the attitude of "If I don't get into X I'm gonna die" just end up losing their hair at 17 because of all the stress.</p>

<p>It's great that it's gotten you motivated to work so hard and all, but really, it's just a school!</p>

<p>Even if you don't want to listen to my "don't lose your hair" advice, realize that your attitude might come through on an application. Some people write essays that are all about how much the student wants to go to College X, or about how perfect College X is. College X doesn't want to know about College X, College X wants to know about you. If you put too much stress into it, you might also choke in an interview or otherwise make mistakes you wouldn't if you were more objective. Just chill out a little- you're supposed to enjoy high school!</p>

<p>Oh, and do NOT take the US History SAT II, even if you're sure you'll ace it. You don't have to! You have three excellent scores! Many colleges now only care about two, and almost none will give any attention to four. It's pointless! Spend that Saturday morning sleeping in! Go to IHOP! Anything besides unnecessary standardized testing!</p>

3

<p>I'm so confused about why this matters. I'm at senior at Harvard now and the past three years have been nothing but frustration. Going to Harvard for undergrad really doesn't matter all that much....you'd probably have a better time both academically and socially if you go somewhere else.</p>

4

<p>Referge, that's a matter of opinion, and one that I've heard lots of upperclassmen disagree with.</p>

<p>Still, you're right that Harvard isn't some ultimate ideal- it's just another school. I think DejectedPanda is much more interested in getting into Harvard than in going to Harvard, and that's just the wrong attitude to have. If you just want to brag about getting into a school, you're never going to approach education the way you should.</p>

5

<p>Didn't mean to come off as a prestige whore, apologies.</p>

<p>To be honest though, the title was supposed to get your attention... pretty much failed.</p>

<p>And I am in love with Boston basically. So- you think that even with a WGPA of ~3.85ish i'm still in the running(ie: competitive)?</p>

6

<p>Columbia sticks out like a sore thumb on your list. Are you sure Brown isn't a better fit? Its much more like Harvard than Columbia and has a similar new england feel.</p>

7

<p>Well, slipper1234, it depends what he's looking for. If he cares a lot about what city the school is in, it doesn't get any better than New York and Boston (at least as college towns go). </p>

<p>Well, Panda, what really does make your chances seem slimmer is how rarely students go to Ivies from your school. Statistics really are against you, to tell you the truth- some schools you need to REALLY stand out to be considered. However, one of my roomates comes from a school that hadn't sent anyone to Harvard in thirty years (and he isn't a world-class cellist or tennis champion, so don't think he's some alien exception). It absolutely happens all the time.</p>

<p>Are you applying early? If it's your first choice, you might as well. Applying to another school ED to try and game the process is overrated. Still, it's good to find out in December instead of in March. (One thing you could do is apply to one school (say... Boston College, but whatever) EA, but still apply everywhere regularly. If you get in somewhere early, it's a huge load off your mind through January, February and March.)</p>

8

<p>The chances are much better than average. 40-50% maybe?</p>

9

<p>Yeah but Boston and New York could not be more night and day. I've lived in both Cambridge and have lived around the Columbia area for three years, absolutely different places. Boston is run by colleges and is a college town, NYC is not.</p>

10

<p>Nah, that's not really true- they're different, but not THAT different. They're both major cities in the Northeast- when you compare them to cities in California, the South, or even schools out in the country like Dartmouth, Cornell, or most liberal arts schools, it ends up being somewhat similar.</p>

<p>As it ends up, NYC really is like no other city in the country. Few are so packed together and have such damn tall buildings. Still, Boston and NYC really aren't night and day, and if DejectedPanda wants to go to a school that's in a major city, they're both good choices.</p>

11

<p>So.. does Harvard really seem like that big of a reach?</p>

12

<p>dont get discouraged...ppl on this board can tell u u have little chance..but theyve said that to me too and I'm still applying DEF
good luck</p>

13

<p>Not really, although its a little discouraging that only one person every year goes to an Ivy from your school. It's certainly worth applying to. If you're looking for some early prediction of the results because you're sick of waiting to hear (hey, I know I had a hard time waiting) you're really not going to get a satisfactory answer until you actually find out if you're in.</p>

14

<p>Yeah but NYC really impacts Columbia in a way Boston doesn't impinge on the campus life at Harvard. I've attended Columbia for 3 years of my life, unless you truly know what you are getting into I suggest looking more carefully. The lack of community is very real.</p>

15

<p>OK... I live in Manhattan, but still, you're probably right. Incidentally, it's probably even worse at schools like NYU that are really fused with the city, to the point where they have no distinct campus.</p>

<p>Anyway, are you saying Columbia sticks out because you're biased against it? :)</p>

16

<p>No, I have no bias against Columbia. I just have found it to be polarizing, if you're intense, very into what an urban scene offers (ie urban music, fashion, etc), or are very into a particular ethnic group it might be a great fit. But I also meet scores of people who aren't that happy and might have preferred a more traditional and cohesive campus based college experience. Columbia has little to no student owned space (no off campus houses, etc), which is a function of NYC. So there is less casual interaction. Also, there is less core infrastructure keeping the community together: the library is very quiet and not social like other schools, aftr first year the dining hall is rarely used, many of the dorms are intensely quiet. </p>

<p>Looking at the list, columbia sticks out. Someone who likes BC, Princeton,and Penn would likely like Dartmouth as well, someone who likes Yale and Harvard would likely like Brown. Columbia just seems out of place on this list.</p>

<p>Yale
Columbia
Princeton
Boston College
UPenn</p>

17

<p>Slipper1234, after reading a couple of your posts it seems quite clear that you are biased against Columbia. My brother attended Columbia and he absolutely loved it. Looking at your list, obviously BC is out of place. I went to Harvard and considered Columbia, along with every other school I applied to. I know of some people who went to Dartmouth and hated it there. Spending four years in NH isn't for everyone, just like spending time in NYC isn't for everyone. Get over it and move on.</p>

<p>Cheers.</p>

18

<p>Its not NH vs. NYC, its a campus community (all ivies) against one that has much much less community. To not be aware of this is a mistake.</p>