How does this work out? - this is somewhat a stats thing

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>Hey,
O.K. So I have a pretty major question. I go to a private school that is very limited and has an unbelievably long schoolday. two days week i start at 7:30 and end at 5:30. Btw, when I mean limited I mean SERIOUSLY limited. No clubs. One sports team. Three AP's. You get the point. We run on a dual curriculum learning both judaic and secular subjects. Thus, when colleges - particularly Harvard - see my EC's, will they take this into consideration? Here are my stats (in case this will help you to figure out how to better answer this thread):</p>

<p>What I’ve done:
Freshman:
- Helped at local holocaust center for two hours but then my contact with them fell out b/c they did not respond to my calls
-Won a writing award from a newspaper writing contest
-Attended events of two different religious orgs
-Learned Extra English with English Teacher
-Learned Extra Math with Math Tutor</p>

<p>Freshman summer:
-Art camp/architecture at prestigous local art school
-Started leading group of synagogue youngsters to group home affiliated with a special needs citizens association
not sure how many hours though (at least ten to fifteen)
-Community service program working with people in downtown of my city (three hours) </p>

<p>Sophomore:
-Continued leading that group and then stopped during the winter put have recently restarted
-Participated in stock market competition, didn’t win though
-Got a tutor program for my school approved even though nobody from my school wants to participate (still looks good though, right? trying to be proactive and change school.)
-Member of art club at Cranbrook art school where i went to camp
-Worked at an event for people of group homes affiliated with that association of that group home
-Went to private art tutor with my friend
-Entered two writing contests, didn’t win one but other still pending
-National bible competition (got into national competition but didn’t make it to world) (was part of my high school curriculum and got A's)
-Panim (Political Activism)
-Learned Extra Math with Math Tutor</p>

<p>What I plan on doing (junior summer through senior year (that’s why the list is so huge)</p>

<p>Core Community Service:
Working with special needs citizens
-Continuing to visit group home
-Interning for an agency (we know one because my brother is autistic) (senior)
-Setting up a statewide walk for autism (huge task but absolutely important! we're like the only state that doesn't have one!) </p>

<p>Side Community Service:
-Working with inner city people (there is a summer program)
-Perhaps tutor program (but will probably collapse being that there is no support within my school) (not happening)
-Perhaps some volunteering at local hospital (interested in medicine) (not top priority/senior)</p>

<p>Core Extracurriculars: </p>

<p>Art:
Art School at Institute of Chicago for five weeks
Art Club At Cranbrook (prestigous art school) (not top priority)
Private Art Tutor with friend
Plan on entering contest at local art school and possibly local scholastic awards
Use photography skills I have learned at Chicago
I wish I could start a program to bring art to inner city youth but not sure if one already exists or how to do it (plus I'm already loaded down with tasks, perhaps this could be for senior year)
Perhaps part-time job at local art museum (not top priority) (maybe senior)</p>

<p>Religion/Politics:
Chapter Board of Religious Organization (aiming to get on regional board next year)
Model UN
Member of two local religious organizations
Class trip to Israel (does this even count??)
Involvement in Israeli-American national alliance (communicating with national director)
National bible contest again (don’t want to get into world but want to place nationally (b/c for the world competition one has to study 450 chapters of the bible - literally memorize each verse word for word - and that would mean sacrificing everything else. I love this stuff but that's too much for me. getting second place would be nice) </p>

<p>Writing:
Writing contests (for sure local newspaper contest and scholastic(senior))
Writing for teen section of local newspaper
Try to get in teen writing section of national Jewish newspaper
Working on creative writing and entering contests (omg, can't wait til im in college and can start taking an official creative writing class)
Learn Extra English with English teacher
Speech-writing Contest
Would really like to get NCTE but I’ll just keep on writing and hope for the best! (how do i get that started in my school? i really want to see some significant changes in my school for my remaining two years in high school. i dont want other generations to have to deal with the saem problems we are. a major problem is that the school is poor and that our schedule does not permit clubs. wish i could get school newspaper off the ground but nobody really cares enough to write for it. anyways, just a little aside here to give you a deeper idea about my school.)
?Book club? (not top priority)</p>

<p>Exercise: (not top priority)
Running (perhaps try to get into local marathon)/martial arts (no contests!)/dance (not top priority but would love to learn how to dance. ala, there are no dance programs in my school. i also don't think that dance is something you can just start in junior year)</p>

<p>History:
Enter History Essay Contest (NHD)
NEH</p>

<p>Science:
National Bio Comp. (senior)</p>

<p>Side Extracurriculars:
Stock Club (not top priority)
SAT Prep (online w/ collegeboard)
Math Tutor
Run for Secretary on Student Council(not top priority. wish i could be pres. so that i could revolutionize student council (they do NOTHING! i want to see student council become a representative of the student body that negotiates with the administration. after all, it is just as much the students' school as it is the administration's)</p>

<hr>

<p>GPA (UW): without judaica: 3.96
with: 3.82
(note: my grades for this year (sophomore, for judaica are much better and i know colleges are more interested in 10th and 11th grades. perhaps this is a factor too)</p>

<p>AP's:
sophomore: APUSH - think i did well (used up entire essay booklet and used an extra page!)</p>

<p>junior: AP Eng. Lang. online
AP European History independent study
AP US Govt and Politics online</p>

<p>senior:
AP Lit
AP Bio
AP Psych online (considered social studies, right?)</p>

<p>SATII:
USH: 800
Planned SATII: Hebrew (for sure); World Hist/Bio M (not sure which one yet); possibly Lit but even though i am good at english, as mentioned b4, i suck at 17th century poetry. in fact, poetry in general just befuddles me to no end.</p>

<p>SAT/ACT:
took the plan and the psat but i think these are bad predictors b/c i am working reall hard on those math sections. good @ english though.</p>

<hr>

<p>OK! Wow, there are my stats. some things, like the stock market competition and art club at cranbrook are minor and might not make the cut to my application. also, since none of my extracurriculars has actually been formal so far (except visiting that home) i don't know how i should fill in the hours a week/weeks per year part of the application when that time comes. should i just leave it blank? </p>

<p>Thanks to all who respond.</p>

2

<p>bumpitybumpbump</p>

3

<p>k, this isnt a bump. it's actually a valid question. do my EC's show any form of passion. i grouped them in a way i hoped they would. gosh i wish we had a creative writing course at our school. maybe i could take one in the fre time i will have that doesn't exist. i am mediocre at ficiton and not sure how i am at poetry. but i'm digressing. one of my parents says that i don't show passion about anything. i disagree. do my EC's reflect this statement? btw. it's really hard to fit EC's into my schedulee when my school doesn't offfer them and when my school day is so long.
another thing. does the fact that i'm trying to change my school with a tutor program look good? i'm trying. that particular parent also said that if i really wanted to i could've started the program on my own regardless of what the administration said. i feel that this may be true but i relaly tried hard given the parameters. i did not try to work outside of the parameters. anyways, i could not have started that in the middle of the schoolyear b/c everybody had a sey schedule already (the program was approved around december time). well anwyays, nobody signed up because the conditions they gave for entry into the program were to intimidating (an essay) and nobody i knew would do it unless money was involved. finally, i succumbed and made money a factor in joining the program. when an announcement was made in the cafeteria we got a substnatial list. i trusted that the administration would work with this list. they didn't. does that mean that i didn't try hard enough? i even told one of the administrators to make another anouncement for the program next year, and she forgot.
one last thing. i already want to take 3 AP's online in the coming two years (plus one independent study (Euro) next yr (junior) and two in-school classes (Lit and Bio) senior year. is it feasible to try and take on one more AP so that I'm in the running for national scholar? i mean, don't get me wrong, i wish i could take all 35 AP's b/c they all seem fascinating. but my school only offfers 3 and there is only so much time in a day. the AP i would like to take is Human Geo. the onlin ones would be: US Govt and Politics + English Lang (next yr) and Psych (sneior). any thoughts are appreciated.
G-d I want to go to Harvard so badly, it's not even funny.who wouldn't want to learn from a nobel price laureate? and all the kids there are smart. i can only imagine what convo's i would have there.</p>

<p>thanks to all who respond!</p>

4

<p>sum1 plz respond!</p>

5

<p>No one is ever going to read that: Give the audience the condensed version - a seriously condensed version - if you ever want a response</p>

6

<p>its too long who has time to read that</p>

7

<p>haha. that's true. don't read the stats. just read the second email. i no i write 2 much. um, dont bother reading the whole list of EC's, just read the other stuff mentioned in that post - the part that's not just a list. thanks.</p>