Hey guys. I’m a junior in high school and I was wondering if there were any tips to get into Harvard University? I’m currently studying for the ACT, but that’s a struggle since I’m stupid. Any advice is fine.
Getting into top tier colleges, especially Harvard and other Ivy League colleges is harder than it has ever been. The best thing to do is take rigorous course work, including AP classes if they are available to you, get a high GPA, and ensure that you have strong test scores, and extracurricular activities.
It’s more important than ever to build a good list of target and safety schools. There are a lot of great schools outside Top 20 and Top 50, including your State’s college. If your career will require graduate school, it’s a good idea to keep undergrad costs down.
Good luck.
- Donate a new building
- Be a recruited athlete in an elite sport that Harvard cares about
- Win the Nobel Prize in medicine
Also, it helps a lot to be legacy or not Asian 
I’m only half kidding. Harvard is a high reach school, so listen to the excellent advice posted by @randommom1 above and build a good list of colleges.
What is it about Harvard that makes it such a highly desired school for you? Just the name and prestige or are there other reasons?
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Take the red line to Cambridge, hang a right and go through the Veritas gate on your left.
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Why Harvard?
Free advice…build your list from the bottom up. IOW, find a couple of schools you like where you have a great chance of admission, and where costs are affordable for your family.
Once you have those sure things chosen, then add to the list.
Harvard should be the LAST school you add because acceptance rates are in the low single digits, and there is no way anyone here, or anywhere else, can give you a formula for gaining acceptance there.
Choice of major also matters. For example if you’re majoring in CS, top technology firms will prefer CS grads from schools known for their strong CS program, over Harvard.
And cost is key. Have you checked to see if you can afford Harvard? What’s the net price for you? Have you discussed budget with your family?
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Is this a serious question? There is no formula or magic trick that will get you into Harvard. If you are “stupid”, as you claim, then you know you won’t get in. If you aren’t stupid, as I suspect, you need to make yourself stand out.
I am assuming you are an unhooked ORM. As such, you will most likely need ALL of these things, at the minimum:
-High grades in the toughest classes at your school.
-Excellent Letters of Rec from two teachers, ideally one in STEM and one in Humanities.
-Excellent essays which clearly demonstrate that you’re a good fit for what matters to them, and that show what you offer as a student. (I.e., why they should say yes to you.)
-ECs that demonstrate your commitment, interests, enthusiasm, intellect, depth, and so on. Those ECs can be sports, clubs, volunteer work, a job, a hobby, or something else.
Plus other factors that they consider. If you can convincingly present yourself as a compelling student who they will find impossible to ignore, then you have a shot.
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And even with all the things @Lindagaf presents…you have no guarantee of getting accepted to Harvard. At all.
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The reality is that April of one’s junior year in high school might be a bit late to start formulating a plan to be a competitive candidate at Harvard and similar schools. It’s not impossible, but neither is it optimal.
Unless you are extraordinarily gifted, accomplished, and well regarded by your teachers/counselors in ways that are not discernible from your post, the sensible thing to do is to think about what you like about Harvard and then research how much of what you value can also be found at schools with less competitive admissions. You might be surprised at how much overlap there really is.
Chances are about 4% with perfect grades and SAT scores. Any “advice” you get to increase your chances are anecdotal at best. I’ve heard everything from ultra vegan diets to acrobatic yoga. Some of the posts are highly amusing.
While you’re doing yoga hand-stands, my advice, PLEASE don’t stress over it. If you want to apply, go ahead. Just don’t expect to get in. There’s a ton of colleges that will accept you.