<p>Hey, my little sister is going to be a freshman in high school next year. I'm not sure how to advise her about how to get to her dream school (Harvard) though she would be happy with YPSM too. What would you guys tell her in terms of extracurriculars, target SAT and GPA, what summer camps to apply to (RSI and TASP are the only two that I know about). I have no idea what to tell her about extracurriculars (I usually tell her just to follow her interests, but like sometimes there are things that I didn't hear about till it was too late for me, like Model U.N., so things like that that would look moderately impressive on a resume would be helpful). Also, she is very good at math what could she do to turn that talent into a "hook"? She is an asian female who lives in Kansas if that changes anything. Thanks in advance!</p>
<ol>
<li>Sports (better to do 2 sports, fall and spring)</li>
<li>Take a lot of H classes freshman year, one AP, no more. It'll help her and she might get award "Freshman of the year" which is very good award</li>
<li>Community Service</li>
<li>Different clubs and school (Interact/Key), school gov'</li>
<li>Target SAT - 2400, UW GPA 4.0, W GPA 5.0 (or max possible). Too hard? Well it's Harvard, just look at profiles of students who got in there. They all have 2300-2400, their GPAs are perfect, they don't have even 1 B in entire transcript, a lot of 800s on SATII and 5s on AP Exams. I am sure after 4 years it'll be way harder to get in.</li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks for the advice. Keep it coming please :).</p>
<p>just try to be jesus.</p>
<p>seriously?</p>
<p>if you want guaranteeded admittance:</p>
<p>SAT: 2350+
GPA: 4.0 unweighted
all honors/AP no regular/easy classes</p>
<p>have some sort of special thing, like writing a book, or starting a website, (something that is out-standing from the rest of the pack, like you were on TV or interviewed or something)</p>
<p>music ALWAYS works
except you have to be an amazing, top-notch musician that either competes in state or nationally</p>
<p>Prism has a decent idea, but in order to be 'guaranteed' acceptance, you need to write a book that actually sells, do some awesome research and become an intel finalist, become a recruited athlete, be on the IMO team, etc.</p>
<p>Its not easy to become a 'guaranteed' acceptance, many of these things require more than 3-4 years, and I am all for having high standards for oneself, but she also needs to realize 1 or 2 B's is not a deal breaker - the key to a good student is one who can bounce back from a B. So, while you are giving her all of this advice, make sure she knows that a few mistakes are normal.</p>
<p>Also, make sure she is doing things that she likes - if she doesn't she'll burn out before senior year. If she has a passion, it would be a great idea for her to pursue that a lot and try and get some tangible result to show to colleges (i.e. creating a record, prestigious awards, self-made movie, etc.). Not only do colleges love to see well-rounded students with a strong passion, but your sister will achieve so much more if she enjoys what she is doing.</p>
<p>Thanks guys! Any and all suggestions are welcome!</p>
<p>Try for RSI. RSI grads are gauranteed ins at MIT and Harvard.</p>
<p>Everyone's suggestions have been great so far. Another question though, this one's kind of tough. Even if she does all of these things, she's still a math-oriented asian in the end. I myself have had problems with differentiating myself from the thousands of stereotypical asians who apply to the top schools every year. What are some possible ways that you can make yourself stand out (other than have good essays). I really had no idea how to answer this question, and I was hoping you guys could help. Good suggestions so far!</p>
<p>Seriously, essays that reveal your personality, your thoughts and your passions are the only way to truly differentiate yourself from the hordes of other 2400 4.0 asians who are on math team and science olympiad and play the piano and violin.</p>
<p>Would her making USAMO or one of the science olympiads give her an edge over those other applicants? (This one's kind of for me too, I made USAMO, and I've heard alot of different things from different people about how important it is).</p>
<p>USAMO isn't a lock into any of the colleges: HYPSM. IMO will give her a 95% chance though (even though IMO is insane). Although a lot of people don't need to do something crazy and amazing to get into those schools, doing something in this fashion would make stand out. Leading rallies for human rights, starting clubs with many people actually behind you, there are many things that can make you stand out...</p>
<p>actually, I think like some of the IMOer's from the Canadian team got deferred EA, I'm not sure if they ever got in (I was reading the EA thread in the harvard forum). I guess even that's not a lock. But what are some common "hooks" for people into math and science? Also, what are some humanitarian "tiny-little-hooks" to make her seem more diverse? She's honestly not a humanitarian person (She's Asian, come on :)), but what humanitarian activities would make her seem more well-rounded?</p>
<p>Yupp, American IMO'ers in the past have gotten rejected from Harvard as well. The 95% guess I gave was actually for getting into only one of HYPSM. At least one of those schools would accept an IMOer. Habitat for humanity seems like something that is good, but it really comes down to the individual (your sister) identifying a problem, and taking the initiative to fix it. For instance, this year I started a project with a group that was geared toward stopping gentrification, which starts off with redeveloping people's homes so it fits in with all the redevelopment projects in my community. Don't try to look for a hook, it should kind of just come to her; yeah this sounds a little weird.</p>
<p>Meatlovers, I think you'd be better off posting this in the Harvard thread.</p>
<p>It's not necessary to have a perfect 4.0 and 2400. An All-American swimmer from my school with a 1600 was waitlisted last year; a girl with several deep, committed activities and leadership positions (President of the Asian Student Union, Captain of the Soccer and Softball teams) and a 1550 was accepted. And yes, she did have a B on her transcript, so I don't know what Irbis is talking about.</p>
<p>The fact that she lives in Kansas is probably helpful too.</p>
<p>Best of luck.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. I wasn't sure what forum to post this in, so I thought i might as well post it here because this forum seems to move the fastest :). Hope it's not too much of a problem, if you guys mind, I can move it if you want.</p>
<p>O don't take it like that, I just meant that the people over there would have a better idea of where she stands.</p>
<p>Write a book. It's not as hard as it sounds. If she starts now and writes a page every 2-3 days, she should have it done by middle of sophomore year. Then you can find a publisher and get it published by mid-late junior year. A childrens' book might be easier.</p>
<p>The book idea actually seems quite interesting. I think I might run it by her. Thanks for the suggestion guys! Any further insight would also be appreciated.</p>
<p>She seems really interested in this book idea. I'm not really familiar with the whole publishing system. Can anybody just contact a publisher and ask to publish a book? Do you need to get an agent or anything like that? Has anybody actually done this before?</p>