<p>I am only in 8th grade, but I would love to go to Harvard one day. I am prepared to work hard. What should I do to get into Harvard? Should I begin preparing now? No, I don't plan on thinking about it every single day and not enjoying my childhood (I am not like Paris Geller, if you know what I mean), but I would like to know.</p>
<p>What does Harvard look for? Do they care if I play sports or not? What kinds of volunteer work do they look for, what kinds of jobs do they like?</p>
<p>Also, I know not to get my hopes up now, because I know I will probably not get accepted, but in order to try, I must ask this. </p>
<p>The best advice anyone can give you, imo, is ‘depth not breadth.’ Pick a subject area, you probably already have a favorite one, and run with it. Find out about competitions in that field, stuff you can do. Spearhead and join clubs. Standout in that area.
For example if you’re interested in science, get involved in it. Volunteer or intern at places that are related to that field. If your school has clubs, join, if not, make one. Learn about summer schools colleges might have for your area of interest. </p>
<p>As for stats, have the best that you can. Take the hardest courses your school offers and mentally challenge yourself. As for standardized tests, get tons of preparation. I don’t think you need to bother with prep courses, there are plenty of practice tests for PSATS, SATS, SAT subject tests, and ACT tests floating around, just take those. </p>
<p>I think that advice covers pretty much everything to put you on par with other applicants, if not above them, but it doesn’t resolve the issue of character. Colleges are interested in what type of person you are. Build your self. Travel the world, get out of your element and get experience during your high school years. You can demonstrate this in your essays and be really exemplary.</p>
<p>Edit:</p>
<p>“Also, I know not to get my hopes up now, because I know I will probably not get accepted”</p>
<p>Come on! You’re in the 8th grade. You’re a kid who knows what he wants, so let your interest be on the journey and not the fruit of your actions. The world’s your oyster for pete’s sake.</p>
<p>As a current high school junior, I wish I had as much motivation as you have right now in 8th grade. My advice is to start off sprinting in your freshman year - get as involved as possible, find your passions and express them with your school activities and challenge yourself intellectually with your classes. Try as hard as you possibly can and then try harder. But honestly and truthfully, don’t let it stress you out. Recognize the fact that there’s a purpose to life beyond getting into Harvard - being happy. Be social, get close friends and go to parties. Remember to live your life at least somewhat for the now because you will so often get bogged down in the future.</p>
<p>Sorry if this all sounds really bleak and depressing, but you are part of a delightful and painful club now - prospective Harvard students.</p>
<p>I agree with both posts. If anything, try to be calm about it and DON’T fall in love with any one school- particularly not one as prestigious as Harvard. If there is anything I regret about high school, it is “planning” and worry too much about getting into an Ivy. You should enjoy life, do what you love, and work hard. I have found that the things in which I have really distinguished myself are things that I love doing.</p>
<p>Some of the advice you get here may be intimidating, as in, “if you want to go to Harvard, strive to be perfect in every way.” I don’t think you need to excel in every way to get into Harvard.</p>
<p>As much as possible, I think it is better to do what you would naturally do, and then, in the second half of your junior year, look at colleges that fit you. Don’t try to fit yourself to a college.</p>
<p>You are already aware of the dangers of thinking so much about the future that you miss out on the present, and also the dangers of being fixed on Harvard or the Ivies in general.</p>
<p>If you really want to prepare for the future now, I think it might help you to relax if you could read up on some other colleges. Look at “Beyond the Ivies,” “Colleges that Change Lives,” “Cool Colleges,” “Creative Colleges” etc. Look at a few websites. Don’t spend too much time on this, but just so you truly are not fixed on certain schools for the next 4 years.</p>
<p>Then maybe let the whole issue go for a couple of years.</p>
<p>My daughter, who is a freshman at Harvard, did not begin thinking about colleges until halfway through 11th grade. This may sound cruel, and I don’t mean it to be, but it’s really inappropriate for an 8th grader to be on College Confidential. Take the time to be a kid, make friends, find a few extracurricular activities that you are passionate about, and come back in three years. Colleges – especially Harvard – are interested in students who are well rounded individuals. I applaud your enthusiasm, but at this time in your life, find another obsession.</p>
<p>There’s nothing wrong with being intrigued by the college admissions process. However, you should reconsider joining CC, at least until you’ve actually started high school. (There’s only a certain extent to which you can prepare in middle school). </p>
<p>In reference to that last comment, I’d just abandon the whole idea of early preparation in middle school, since you’ve already started this year. And I’ve taken the liberty (a creepy one at best) to look through your post history, and it says that you’re taking Algebra I. So clearly, you’re not en route to becoming a math/science contest winner, or someone who takes college level math courses. But that’s fine; only a minority of students actually do this. So, with that being said, there’s nothing you really can do at this point, since you have yet to pass the threshold. But I do agree that you should pursue a diverse range of interests, (you can even start on this now, if you’d like!), and follow through with them throughout high school.</p>
<p>As a caveat…</p>
<p>In ninth grade, I think I did too much, which resulted in loss of progress and accomplishment.</p>
<p>I took all honor-level courses, at private boarding school, including Biology, English, World History, Spanish 2, and Algebra 2. We don’t offer APs (although I should have self-studied, d’oh). </p>
<p>I did three sports, Varsity XC, JV Fencing, and JV Tennis. Admittedly, I wasn’t very good at fencing, but I was good at tennis; our team and general geographic area is more competitive than most schools, and I could have easily made varsity on other high schools that my friends go to.</p>
<p>I also did the school’s TV news broadcasting, school newspaper, Forensics Public Speaking and Debate, school Orchestra, local middle school tutoring, Community Service Club, French Club, and SADD Club.</p>
<p>Outside of school, I ended up volunteering at a local animal shelter, and raised thousands of food and pet-related items for them. I also worked at the library over the summer, and also the local YMCA/YWCA, and taught ESL, as well.</p>
<p>And most of this was a mistake, to some extent. My weighted GPA was approximately a 96, (we weight by adding 3 points on), so unweighted, it was around a 93. If you disregard my woodworking class that I took last year, it probably would have been more of a 97 W/ 94 UW. Regardless, I think this GPA is still fairly competitive, considering I don’t go to some easy public school, but it could have been improved nonetheless. </p>
<p>But more importantly, (since grades aren’t that important!!!), I shouldn’t have done fencing,<br>
or French club, or any other unnecessary things I was only doing to buffer my resume/application. I should have focused more on my tennis, public speaking, etc. (things I actually enjoyed). Right now, in tenth grade, I’m varsity XC, but I stopped doing fencing. I ended up taking yearbook, since I actually like journalism/publications, and probably will be an editor next year. I was a head staff writer for the newspaper last year (a pretty good accomplishment as a 9th grader), and now an editor as a 10th grader (again, unlikely). I’ll be editor in chief for 11th and 12th. I’m also sticking with SADD, and am the VP, and President for the next 2 years. SADD is my main club, although sometimes I do participate in others. For forensics, I’m now working more actively on my own, since I’ve freed up some room. And I still play first chair in the orchestra, and volunteer at the library/shelter and now the local hospital. </p>
<p>With that being said, you shouldn’t worry too much… but remember not to sacrifice your time with activities you love for other things you don’t really enjoy. They look for passion; there’s no perfect recipe of a 4.0 GPA, 2200+ SAT Score, 32+ ACT Score, 750+ SAT II Scores, X Hundred/Thousand Community Service Hours, X Varsity Letters, X Leadership Positions, “Supposedly” Good Essays (most of them really aren’t, to be honest), “Good” teacher recs (WHAT does “GOOD” even mean, come on!), etc. You have to be human, and the best way to do that is to live your life, and not take this too seriously.</p>
<p>I am currently a sophomore at a good recognized school in India.I have got a 9.6/10 cgpa.
I am a national soccer player and have won many awards for soccer.I play for my high school and 2 clubs.Already preparing for my SAT and hoping it might just work for me.I am a computer programmer and know 11 languages including 6 web programming languages.Have made 2 websites(could they be helpful on my essay?) and several applications for android.
.I have got an international award by the duke for 2400 hrs of social service and an ace mountainbiker(love it!).I am also a black belt in taekwondo and have a state level gold.Kinda physics geek and have made a prototype a a synthesised superlight that i’m currently working on! I have 6/92 rank at my school,(in high competition).</p>
<p>@ harvardlawviolin the only advice I can give you is to do what you like to do and be stellar at it. Pick the activities you really want to do and go as high as possible with them. And don’t forget to keep up with academics. Harvard wants students who takes the most advantage of their available resources, so don’t forget to do just that.</p>
<p>@monudwarka: you have an interesting profile to present but it’ll be almost impossible to predict your chances without any standardized test scores. Assuming your scores will be about the average of an application pool, harvard is within reach. You have some good materials to craft your essays, but keep in mind that you’re not the only one with such attributes.</p>
<p>Harvard, like <em>h</em>t, happens. You can’t plan an assault on getting admitted. You cannot try to be the person they’re looking for; either you are or you aren’t. I think most of the accepted students were more concerned with the trip taken during their high school years than they were with the destination.</p>