Homeless to Harvard? 6th grade dropout applying to Ivies

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hey guys and gals… I’m in a real life “homeless-to-Harvard” situation. I will write a brief history of my life, and my ACT and SAT subject test scores for you to critique. If you’d be willing to, I’d like you guys to look at my situation and tell me what I can do to increase my odds. Also, excuse any typos… Even typing about these things makes me a shaky mess. While I generally don’t dwell on the past, in this case I have to put it out there since it has a direct influence on my future.

Thank you for reading.

I left school in the 6th grade, in 2008, when the recession hit. My dad lost the house, and we lived out of a van and various churches and homeless shelters for nearly four years. I didn't attend school, obviously, but I read a lot of Kierkegaard... It's the only thing which stimulated me intellectually during those terrible years. I was 12 when I became homeless, and I remained homeless until I was nearly 16. I went back to high school when we got on our feet, and found I was unable to do basic math. I was playing an impossible game of catch-up. After one year in high school, my only sibling, my brother, who suffered from clinical depression, committed suicide. My dad (I think) blamed himself for the homelessness as a driving factor in my brother's depression and he had a mental breakdown that lasted two years. I had to take care of him, so we moved to a town with an oil boom and I worked on the rigs. I worked myself hard. 16 hour days were common for two years of truly grueling labor. Then a pipe fell and snapped my knee, at the same time my dad was diagnosed with a serious illness I won't state. I used my savings to pay for his treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, and to save on money we slept in our car. He has since healed both physically and mentally, as have I, and he is engaged to a wonderful woman who supported my efforts to get my GED.

That seven year nightmare is the reason I didn't have a normal education, or any extracurriculars. Can you blame me? Please don't think that I'm a slacker, or complacent. I promise you that I am a very hard worker.

That being said, I'm also ambitious. I'd like to apply to Harvard, of course. Also Vasser, Columbia, Brown, Duke and Notre Dame.

I will be applying towards the end of this year, for 2017. I'm spending the next several months, until November, honing my skills and attempting to reach perfect scores. After several months of intense study, my scores can only be far better than they are now. Knowing this, would you please tell me what I can do extra, or any advice at all, to help me get in to these schools.

ACT 32
Sat subject tests: (rounded down to the tenth)
World History 680
Spanish w/ listening 720
Literature 680
Math 1 700

I have no ECs. I’m not captain of anything or founder of anything. Do I stand a chance?
Again, please remember, I have no GPA to go off of, nor is there a GED to GPA conversion system. Thank you.
I’m a 20 year old male, by the way.

2

I didn’t have a tutor by the way, guys. Just a library card and Khan Academy. Also, I don’t have a guidance counselor or any “teacher references”, for obvious reasons. Is this the death-blow?

3

What do you mean that the subject test scores are rounded? Also, are those actual real test scores?

I am a little suspicious – Mayo, really?

Finally, why Harvard? There are many great colleges in the country. Other than purely prestige? What other colleges do you have on your list?

4

They are rounded because I wrote them in my notes and “screenshotted” them minus the far right column, which is the ones place. I guess I can get the last digit of each if it helps?
And yes, I wrote Mayo clinic, in Rochester.
And yes, those are “real actual” scores. Spanish is kind of a cheat because I am bilingual.
Harvard, for the philosophy department. I NEED to study under them. The only schools that I really need to get into are the ones with the strongest philosophy/theology departments.

5

No one needs to study at any one college.

6

Hmmm… The schools I mentioned are really the only ones I have my heart set on. Harvard (it’s a dream, I know) and Vasser, Brown, Duke, Notre Dame. There’s a few more but their easier to get into.

7

What state are you a resident of?

8

Texas, Jack.

9

Intparent, I feel differently about that.

10

Look into UH, UTSA, UNT and public schools within the state so you have some safeties

11

You have a compelling story but without a GPA, I wouldn’t hazard a guess about your chances. I recommend taking some college-level coursework at a place that you can afford - community college or a public 4-year school. If you do well, then you can consider more ambitious options as a transfer student. Alternately, you could pursue Harvard or equivalent for grad school.

12

Lots of people do when they start their search. 99.9% of them are disappointed if they stick to that view. And honestly, it is usually a view that comes from having little knowledge of the US college options.

Going to be honest, the fact that you didn’t succeed in that year of high school will weigh heavily against you. Colleges want people who have shown that they can compete in the classroom setting . That is, after all, what colleges are. You will have to report that HS transcript, too.

13

I do have a safety. It’s a good school. But I’m trying to shoot higher. Thank you though.

14

How are you planning to pay?

15

Thanks for the info intparent. I didn’t know that they’d make me do that. So the admissions team will hold that year against me? That’s incredible. I’ll take my chances, though. I can’t change the past.

16

Mamadefamila, I hoped my ACT score would solve the issue of not having a GPA… Man, this just gets worse and worse as we go, huh?

17

JackM82, what do you mean? For my safety school I have already checked out the scholarship programs and I qualify for several of them. For the other schools, they basically say on their websites “don’t worry about the money”, in so many words. Other than that, I don’t know what I’d do.

18

It isn’t “worse and worse” that one college out of the over 2000 four year institutions in the US is unlikely to accept you. Or even if the top 50 are unlikely to.

Honestly, your best bet for a fairly highly ranked college is to prove yourself at a community college or lower ranked college, then apply as a transfer student. However, many of them will still want your high school record. But if you have a very strong record in college, you could have some good options. Not likely top 25 options, but strong schools.

19

Well, this was discouraging… I just need to bring that 32 up to a 36, or 35, maybe… Throw in a physics subject test… Some university out of my list has to accept me. I hope.

20

Intparent, I see what your saying. Still sucks to hear it, but your probably right. Maybe transferring is the way to go…