<p>She and her family tell how she did it - with tips for those looking to replicate her achievement. (Sort of a brief, domestic version of the "how I got into Harvard" guides popular in China and Korea these days)</p>
<p>"SHE's HEADED FOR HARVARD
Thirst for knowledge drives Burlington student"</p>
<p>wow... do you know more websites like this?</p>
<p>Here's one "how to" book:</p>
<p>Thanks for the great link.</p>
<p>What I thought was particularly interesting was:</p>
<ol>
<li>She was not programmed to go to Harvard. She was a bright, intellectually curious girl who followed her own interests without her parents pushing her. </li>
</ol>
<p>As I keep telling students and parents who wonder what ECs it takes to get into Harvard -- the #1 thing to do is to follow one's interests and demonstrate intellectual passion. Neither can be faked or created. Both characteristics are rare in society. Adcoms strike gold when they find applicants with this -- and with the gpa and scores to show that they have the brains and work ethic to succeed at a place like Harvard.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>She was from the Midwest (an area which has proportionately fewer applicants to Harvard than does the NE, where every bright student seems to apply to Harvard). She also seems to be Hispanic since she is in the Hispanic National Honor Society.</p></li>
<li><p>And it doesn't hurt that she had a 1580 SAT and 33 ACT. Thosekind of numbers are abundant in the admissions pool, but they are not abundant when combined with being from the Midwest, having intellectual curiosity and having evidence of pursuing one's intellectual passions.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>"Harvard-bound girl a word whiz
BY TAMMY J. OSEID / Pioneer Press
When Gena Haugen speaks, she wins. The Apple Valley senior has won three consecutive speech championships and is only the second to win them all in the same category. Her speaking skills also gained her acceptance to Harvard University and a part-time job not frying burgers but processing checks at a local bank.</p>
<p>(It goes on in this vein at some length, if you want to check the archives. Syndicated all over the upper miidwest.)</p>
<p>Monday, May 9, 2005 (St. Paul Pioneer Press</p>
<p>"She was not programmed to go to Harvard."</p>
<p>is that directed against me? </p>
<p>either way i dont care what any of u think about my childhood dreams. im gonna do everything i can to secure a spot in the harvard class of 2013 whether u like it or not. </p>
<p>GOT IT?!?!?</p>
<p>congrats to the girl tho!</p>
<p>"is that directed against me? </p>
<p>either way i dont care what any of u think about my childhood dreams. im gonna do everything i can to secure a spot in the harvard class of 2013 whether u like it or not. </p>
<p>GOT IT?!?!?"</p>
<p>Wow, you are being really rude!</p>
<p>As is the case with probably most Harvard adcoms and alumni interviewers (and I am one), I don't like programmed applicants and I do my best to weed them out. </p>
<p>No, my comment was not directed specifically at you. I see programmed applicants when I interview and I see plenty of them on line. </p>
<p>But, if the shoe fits....</p>
<p>It amazes me that big cities like Cinci and Minneapolis think that a student's getting into Harvard is worthy of a story. That doesn't even happen in my area where far fewer students get into Harvard than os the case from those large metropolitan areas.</p>
<p>Here's a link on the Apple Valley girl that should work:</p>
<p>how do alumni tell the difference between students who are very enthusiastic and students who have a lot of leadership but have just done it for the sake of college?</p>
<p>lol i don't believe that was directed towards anyone specific...she was just stating a fact...however, coming from a rural school where 3 people applied to harvard and only one getting in..i not being one of them,,,the one student who did get in completely stragegized his way into harvard since the 8th grade...i would find that this is the norm espeically with more affluent families</p>
<p>One of 3 students getting in from a rural school is a very high percentage. I live in a small city, and only 2 people get into Harvard a year from our region, which extends a 2-hour drive in any direction. Many high schools have as many as 5 students apply with no one getting in. Overall, the applicants are good (as is the case of most Harvard applicants), but there's just not room for everyone who qualifies.</p>
<p>Lol she's not hispanic, she got a grant from the Hispanic National Honor Society--I'm in that because I get good grades in Spanish.</p>
<p>Two current Harvard freshmenMiss Korea 2003, NaNa Keum 08, and Won Hee Park 08have written bestsellers about the mysterious admissions process entitled "Everyone Can Do It" and "Nine Points for Studying, Ten Points for Determination" respectively.</p>
<p>People's obsession with Harvard is getting a little over-the-top, I think...</p>
<p>And we don't mean the YALE Bulldogs, either!</p>
<p>Amusing tidbits from the Atlanta Constitution- football recruits</p>
<p>"Jeff Witt, QB, Parkview: Witt (6-0, 200) led the Panthers to the Class AAAAA finals, passing for 1,700 yards and 18 TDs, and rushing for seven scores. Was named first-team all-Gwinnett. A 4.0 student, Witt will attend Harvard and play football. "Before I went up [to Harvard]," Witt said recently, "I had an idea maybe they would be kind of nerdy. But they were just absolutely normal in every way." Conclusion: Makes the right decisions at the right times."</p>
<p>......</p>
<p>"Eric Schultz, LB, Greater Atlanta Christian: Schultz (6-0, 215), an all-state pick, plans to play at Harvard. Had a team-high 107 tackles and five sacks and also scored three rushing TDs. "They have such a great group of coaches, and you get to win some championships, too," Schultz said of Harvard, which went 10-0 and won the Ivy League last season. "It seemed like the right place to go." Conclusion: Smart playmaker; must be what Harvard was looking for."</p>
<hr>
<p>And another amusing quote from young Mr. Witt:</p>
<p>"Jeff Witt quarterbacked Parkview to the Class AAAAA title game, scored 1450 on his SAT and carries a 4.0 grade point average.</p>
<p>But one seemingly simple question leaves him fumbling for the right words: "Where are you going to college?"</p>
<p>The not-so-simple answer: Harvard.</p>
<p>"When you tell somebody that, you kind of sound like you're bragging," Witt said. "The guys up there that I met, they call it the 'H-bomb.' "</p>
<p>thanx people for the links!</p>
<p>In case you folks didn't know, Apple Valley High School is one of the top Speech and Debate high schools in the nation. The top debaters and orators in the country end up attending Harvard and Yale. No surprise here.</p>
<p>In this case, Harvard, I guess.</p>