<p>From an objective standpoint:</p>
<p>You chose not to highlight your independence, or to "tell your sob story," so to speak.</p>
<p>You have an 1880 SAT.</p>
<p>You have a 3.6 UW GPA.</p>
<p>You are in about the top 22% in a competitive high school.</p>
<p>800 Spanish SAT II and 5 on AP Spanish exam, but you are half Hispanic. The rest of your scores include a 680 and a 700 SAT II, and no higher than 4's on your AP exams.</p>
<p>You had a 15 minute interview (not your fault, I know).</p>
<p>The 30 hr/week job and you are an Eagle Scout.</p>
<p>No one is denying that you have gone through a lot or that you are driven, but from an objective standpoint, everything is way below Harvard's normal "standards." If you choose such a difficult education and you are at such an elite institution, why aren't your scores a bit higher? It's not a lack of time from working at your job, because SAT II's don't need to be studied for.</p>
<p>I, like everyone else in this thread, am just trying to shed some light on your not being accepted. This is not meant to be an attack, just a look at the objective part of your application. The way I see it, you would need to have something HUGE stick out to make up for some of it, and you are telling us that you chose not to highlight your "sob story."</p>
<p>Best of luck with Yale.</p>