i am from India. i am going to apply to Harvard in 2015 September early decision for engineering.
my class 11 grades are
maths-100/100
physics-98/100
chemistry-98/100
English-96/100
computers- 95/100
class rank - 1/537
act score - 32/36
certified in photography from the Nikon school of photography
school captain
certified in calculus and algebra by an organization
please predict my chances and thank u in advance.
no comments till yet
Just so you know, all undergrads apply to Harvard College, The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is a grad school. Still, you can certainly do engineering at Harvard,
I think the most impressive thing about your application is your class rank. And while I think you’re a strong candidate, it will be tough to get in with a 32 ACT, let alone as an international student. As it stands right now, I think your chances for Harvard are low.
Your chances are looking quite low… especially with the lack of notable extracurriculars
Harvard SEAS is the engineering school - it includes both undergraduate and graduate programs. The undergraduate engineering, computer science, and applied math programs are all part of SEAS. But as @Tman1005 said, you don’'t apply to SEAS, you apply to Harvard College, and chose a concentration (major) later. You can list an intended area of study on your application, but listing engineering or computer science could only help you if you were are female or a URM, and it’s clear from your background that you have a sincere interest and talent in the field you list.
Your ACT score is within range, but a bit low for Harvard - what were your individual scores? You might want to consider some additional preparation, then retake it next fall. You should also take 2 SAT subject tests - no longer required, but highly advised, with the goal of getting 800 on both of them.
As an international applying to Harvard, especially coming from a country that is likely over-represented in the applicant pool, it’s going to be important to stand out, not only in a academic sense, but also as a person, through your extracurricular activities, essays, and recommendations. You have not listed any ECs - be aware these play a major role in selective college admissions.
The odds are going to be long, but if you can stand out as an exceptional candidate, you would have a chance.
Why do you want to attend Harvard? Why Harvard and not MIT or Stanford?
I GOT 34 IN THE ACT IN THE JANUARY TEST DO MY CHANCES INCREASE NOW
Oh, you have the test scores, and, apparently, the grades, but admission to the most selective US universities requires more than that. They want students who are passionate about learning and accomplished in …something.
my class 11 grades are
maths-100/100
physics-98/100
chemistry-98/100
English-96/100
computers- 95/100
class rank - 1/537
act score - 34/36
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
school government captain
certified in calculus and algebra by an organization
certified by advanced level in nikon school of photography
volunteered in an orphanage
work experience as a tutor for 3 years
volunteered in river flooded regions in india
Great Letters of recommendations will be available from teachers of physics and maths as they love me
A letter of recommendation from a native american engineer
EXCELLENT ESSAYS FOR COMMON APP
A SCORE OF 8.0/9.0IN IELTS
What do your excellent essays talk about?
sorry i cant tell that
but a native american engineer from university of colorado told me that its worth acceptable . he is also qualified from cambridge
is there anything i can add into my profile @justonedad
@justonedad plz reply
@bldrdad after taking the new act my profile is
my class 11 grades are
maths-100/100
physics-98/100
chemistry-98/100
English-96/100
computers- 95/100
class rank - 1/537
act score - 34/36
writing score-9/10
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
school government captain
certified in calculus and algebra by an organization
certified by advanced level in nikon school of photography
volunteered in an orphanage
work experience as a tutor for 3 years
volunteered in river flooded regions in india
Great Letters of recommendations will be available from teachers of physics and maths as they love me
A letter of recommendation from a native american engineer
EXCELLENT ESSAYS FOR COMMON APP
A SCORE OF 8.0/9.0IN IELTS
@go4harvard - you obviously have the academic qualifications. Your ECs don’t sound terribly impressive but if you have a passion for some of them and this comes across clearly in your application, it will improve your chances.
Remember that Harvard does not hand out awards for past accomplishments - they select people they believe to have a promising future,
You asked about SEAS. Once again, why Harvard? Why not Stanford or MIT?
Getting a 34 increases your chances, but Harvard, and most of the top/mid tier Ivys, still reject a majority of PERFECT scorers. Harvard is a reach for absolutely anyone.
@go4harvard i have personal interest in seas because i am very inspired by professor donee ham of harvard.i am also proficient in 5 languages - hindi english german bhojpuri and allahabadi. i came to know that completely focusing on 1 ec is much better than concentrating on many so i concentrated on photography in which i am really very interested.i am also writing the common app essay to show my interest in photography.
I think that your stats are good, but you should definitely book some great ECs like an engineering internship or something. My friend has similar stats but she won a lot of medals in swimming and she got deferred from EA. Good luck! Chance back? 
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1726672-i-will-chance-you-back-p1.html
i do have engineering internship at mindstick pvt limited for 6 months @bldrdad i have personal interest in seas because i am very inspired by professor donee ham of harvard.i am also proficient in 5 languages - hindi english german bhojpuri and allahabadi. i came to know that completely focusing on 1 ec is much better than concentrating on many so i concentrated on photography in which i am really very interested.i am also writing the common app essay to show my interest in photography.
@go4harvard - In your original post, your only mention of interest in photography was “certified in photography from the Nikon school of photography”. I don’t think selective colleges care much about certifications - what they want to see is talent, passion, and commitment. Make sure that comes across in your essay, if it’s about photography or any other EC.
I would recommend you get into the habit of posting with proper grammar and capitalization - if your applications end up looking anything like your posts of this forum, you have zero chance of being accepted to any selective college in the USA.