Help SAT ? 1 Month for 2200+ ? Anyone done this?

International Students
8

<p>What MeIsHM said is very true, Harvard can be even more selective for transfers than normal admission. If you’re committed to studying in the US, it’s worth looking into some lesser known schools than the usual (Ivies, MIT, Standford) because even the most qualified candidates have no gaurantee of getting into any of those. </p>

<p>In terms of “selling yourself,” this is something that’s really stressed in the American college admissions process. You want to make sure you appear well rounded and interesting. Your ECs are great, a nice diverse bunch but be sure that you don’t underplay their importance. Feel free to gush and be more enthusiastic than you normally would (definitely a lot more than you would on a British personal statement). You also should stress your “hook.” A hook is something that makes you stand out from the bajillion other applicants. In your case it looks like you have 2-3 hooks.

  1. You’re international…be sure to write something about bringing a unique perspective, different experiences, contributing to the vibrant community…yadayada
  2. You’re from a less able background…make sure (either in your essays or the Additional Information section) that this is very clear. Harvard loves this stuff. If you can use numbers (“only 37% of students from my class went onto higher education”) that’s even better.
  3. You’re older/gap year-ed. Your gap year sounds very interesting, Harvard loves when people have “grown” as a result of experiences like a gap year. Writing an essay with this in it would be great too.
    Basically, just be sure that you’re putting your best foot forward, showing them the best of your accomplishments and any adversity you had to overcome to get there. Don’t sell yourself short by not taking full advantage of your accomplishments/experiences. The other people applying certainly won’t. </p>

<p>Oh and Harvard won’t really care where your dad went to school unless it was Harvard. They also won’t really care whether another student from your school got in…in fact, if I were you I wouldn’t mention it if you’re going to play off your background as less advantaged.</p>