<p>I wouldn’t think so (unfortunately) with your SAT/ACT scores, but you never know. It certainly can’t hurt to apply, especially if you re-use an essay from another college for your supplement. You sound like a good student, though, and you will definitely get into a good school. Test scores do matter at top schools (well everything matters at that level), but a great school that is perhaps not Ivy League would probably be willing to overlook your test scores in favor of your other qualifications. Good luck, and don’t worry about it! You’ll end up where you belong (in a good way).</p>
<p>well, I have read the most part of these 33 pages, and I was just wondering, what if a Canadian student wanted to get into Harvard? I have a 97% average, and I’m in the Gifted / Enhanced Program (whatever you would like to call it) but the thing is, we don’t HAVE an SAT equivalent anymore… so, would I have to take the american SAT? or what… we also don’t have GPAs or anything lol… but I AM highly involved in my school, with activities and such.</p>
<p>There are lots of Canadian students here- I would suggest calling the Harvard undergraduate admissions office and asking what most Canadian students do. They’ll be able to give you the best answer possible.</p>
<p>thank you so very much 
I can take the American SAT in grade 11 (which I’m in right now) and grade 12, they will take the higher mark of the two thanks alot!</p>
<p>No problem - good luck!</p>
<p>Hey guys,
I’m obviously a high school student, and I’m striving to get into this college as an undergrad business major. Whatever I’m doing, it feels like I’m not doing enough. I’m a photographer(shoot for church&school), play the flute in my church’s orchestra, work for my brother’s business (photographer/media/etc), and I am in midst of making a business plan for my upcoming company. I’m pumping out A’s in school but with all normal college prep classes. I’ve been flipping throughout this post daily, hoping to gather some helpful tips and information, and it has cleared a lot of thoughts. As lowelbelle was enforcing that passion and character will get you there, I was thinking, " Am I pushing out enough passion?" The answer was no. I’m really passionate about my future and success. I’m not asking,“What are my chances?”, I’m humbly asking for guidance & criticism.</p>
<p>Only you will know whether you are pushing it or not. Another thing is, I don’t think Harvard has a business major. Another is, this school called Harvard is kind of impossible to prepare for and get into. Many brilliant students don’t get into [And yes, they still are brilliant].</p>
<p>Don’t set your hopes and minds on a single school. No disrespect to HARVARD, or any IVY league, but there are many great colleges. Some, even more easier to get into and more suited to your needs. Good luck</p>
<p>Jeffthekang, the first thing you might want to do is to learn enough about Harvard to realize you can’t major in business as an undergrad.</p>
<p>That was pretty condescending mathmom.
But it is true that Harvard doesn’t have a business concentration. People who want to do business generally concentrate in economics.
Honestly, you don’t really need much of an education to start your own business anyway. Only go to Harvard if you care about learning for its own sake, or if you want a career that actually requires a college education.</p>
<p>I don’t think her comment was condescending- it was just truthful. An applicant who has not even read over the available concentrations offered to H undergraduates to see if they match up with his/her interests is unprepared. Or just applying for the prestige factor. </p>
<p>Economics majors are very unprepared for business jobs or B-school without taking accounting and finance classes- Harvard students can, however, take those classes by cross-enrolling at MIT.</p>
<p>Well how does one get prepared other than by asking questions? And the fact that it was true doesn’t change the fact that it was said in a very condescending way.
But yeah, if you want to study business, Harvard may not be the best school for you.</p>
<p>One prepares by reading the Harvard website carefully, then coming here to ask the questions the site does not clearly answer.</p>
<p>Jeffthekang- Harvard wants to see passion for an outside cause, whether it be arts, sciences, athletics, charitable causes. A passion “about my future and success” would probably seen as self-centered. (Even though half of Harvard students long for lucrative I-banking and consulting jobs once they’re at H, and those charitable-minded essays are history.)</p>
<p>But as advised above, remember there are plenty of colleges that will fit your needs and qualifications, and prepare you for success.</p>
<p>Hi all,</p>
<p>Lowellbelle here - I am pretty amazed that this thread is still one of the top ones in the Harvard forum! I hope people have found some kind of helpful information/input here. </p>
<p>I’m not replying to anything in particular, though I did want to answer a few threads that caught my eye:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>To the “■■■■■” - Harvard has a large and thriving conservative student body. I had several very publicly Catholic friends, including the young woman who started Harvard’s True Love Revolution organization (supporting premarital abstinence). Harvard also is, overall, strongly liberal…but, most importantly, respects a good intellectual debate. As the person who “set the record straight” mentioned (and sorry for not using usernames - I don’t want to click back through all the thread pages), you can generally tell from course descriptions whether the professor is highly biased one way or another, but even given that, professors want to see your thought process and ability to critically use/analyze information, not judge you on your political leanings (which they generally keep out of instruction anyway). I know people who are strongly liberal, strongly conservative, strongly apathetic (haha, not really), fiscally conservative but socially liberal, libertarian, etc. </p></li>
<li><p>Harvard does not have a business major (“concentration”). Nor, I believe, does it have a pre-med concentration - that’s a “track” that you take in addition to your concentration. Therefore, you can be a history concentrator who is also a pre-med. I may be wrong, however. </p></li>
<li><p>What Harvard is “like”: Harvard is a very high-pressure college situated in a generally-high-income part of a generally-high-income city outside of Boston (MIT is at the other end of Cambridge, Kendall Square area; the “square” in between - Central Square - is one of the seedier areas of the city). Academically, it is extremely rigorous and places high expectations on its students (as someone said, “Mother Harvard does not coddle her young”), yet also is willing to help them if they seek it - in other words, a lot is expected of you but if you dare to seek help (people want to be seen as on top of things at all times), it is there in abundance. Harvard absolutely spoils its students in terms of free software, amazing library access, etc. The students tend to be beyond amazingly intelligent, yet not particularly elitist; competitive, but they also like to enjoy themselves: very intense people who work/play hard and don’t sleep a lot. (I should emphasize the lack of sleep - also, the housing is pretty small/cramped/iffy inside, and we do have roaches, just FYI). It’s a big party school in some senses (and I live in a town with a “true” party school so I do know what I’m talking about) but there are options for those who don’t want that lifestyle. There’s not much of a student center - the Queen’s Head Pub doesn’t count - but the Houses make up for that in my opinion; House life makes the College into a series of smaller colleges that are basically dorms with dining halls. I spent the majority of my study time in the dining hall since it afforded me free food, tea, coffee, friends, enough noise to allow me to study without worrying about offending others with any noise I made, access to my room, etc. The professors seem unapproachable but are actually very nice for the most part; TFs are very willing (usually) to help IF you seek them out. (Harvard expects you to be able to handle it; that’s why you’re there, right? Potential, demonstrated before you get in.) What else…the weather is awful in the winter, but coming from a similar latitude I didn’t mind it too much (my Floridian roommate, on the other hand…). Boston is fantastic.
Major downsides: Harvard kids don’t like to seek help, and that coupled with higher-than-healthy expectations is a bad thing. Here’s a particularly relevant article: [url=<a href=“http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2010/4/29/students-one-harvard-bathroom/]The”>The Harvard Crimson]The</a> Writing on the Stalls | FM | The Harvard Crimson<a href=“apologies%20for%20the%20language.”>/url</a>
Also, the very very high expectations can twist your sense of success for years afterward, making you doubt your own accomplishments in light of what your “New York” friends are doing. And yes, you can be slightly elitist for a while.
Major upsides: Harvard is, in a word, amazing. It’s like its own little world, and I can’t overemphasize how much I loved and still love it. If I could get a second bachelor’s, I would not hesitate to choose it again. Also, Cambridge is a really neat place.</p></li>
<li><p>My suggestions for those who are interested in Harvard: Go visit! Keep in mind that the weather is, more often than not, humid and overcast (i.e. don’t fall for the sunny end-of-April visiting days’ view of campus). Walk around the city of Cambridge, not just the Square, and check out Boston. Talk to actual current students, not just other prefrosh/visiting high school students and their parents. Sit in on a lecture or two (check with the professor first). Last but not least, don’t let the money part scare you. Harvard is impressively generous with their financial aid (check out the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative, or HFAI, for lower-income families).</p></li>
</ol>
<p>~lb</p>
<p>Hi, I am a high-school junior. I took the sat for the 2nd time this October and received 800 math, 730 crit., and 720 writing. I also took the test in 8th grade; at that time I received an 800 in math but low 600s in the other areas. I have taken two SAT IIs: math II (800) and world history (770). I go to a small private school (63 students) and am first in my class. I have taken/am taking a variety of AP courses, including BC calc freshman year. So far my AP scores have all been fives.
In addition to the regular school clubs (math league, mock trial, etc.) and sports (soccer and tennis), I have developed a passion for economics and world cultures, especially east asian. I started investing last year, subscribed to the Wall Str. Journal, read numerous online articles, and turned $6,000 into $20,000. In pursuing my global interest, I explored China and Japan during the last two years. I was president of my class last year and started a very active chess team (about 1/3 of the school is involved). I have also been very involved in a local homeless shelter for the past 4 years. Unfortunately I am Caucasian.
My questions are: how high of SAT scores do I need?, should I take the ACT?, would more Subject Tests help?, what else would you recommend?, and what would you say are my chances of admissions?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t go to Harvard even if I got in… There’s always a dark depressing mood that I associated with the Ivy Leagues except Columbia and Cornell + Princeton</p>
<p>wow thats really insightful indianguy 94 thanks for tell us</p>
<p>You have a good chance- take the SAT again to see if you can improve your scores. Everything else but that looks great. Hitting the 2300 mark for your SAT would be ideal, but a 2250 definitely doesn’t rule you out.</p>
<p>And Cornell actually has the reputation for being the most depressing Ivy. They are known for having highly competitive students and a high suicide rate (not that that means Cornell is necessarily a depressing place).</p>
<p>You have mentioned that it may be more important to be in music and arts than necessarily be into your studies or sports. That may just be my perception of what is being said. I will gladly retract my statement if I am the only one seeing it that way, and by no means is this meant to be insulting.</p>
<p>Two years ago I posted on this board for advice for my then sophmore daughter who had dreams of going to Harvard. We were given honest solid advice but since my daughter had not taken ACT or SAT - we didnt know exactly where she stood. So here we are in senior year and Harvard is still at the top of her list of dream schools. She is interested in pursuing a career in biomechatronics and feels that Harvard would be the place to give her an excellent foundation to help accomplish that. She has a 4.00 GPA. She scored a 33 on the ACT and a 2000 on SAT-( low for Harvard we know) All of her senior classes are AP. She has scored 4’s and 5’s on her AP tests. She has taken the most challenging classes offered at our school. She is an officier in 5 of the Honor clubs and is a member and officier in the school robotics club where she has created a constitution for the club to follow. She just earned her Girl Scout Gold award by organizing a concert to raise money for a local food bank. She works at a part time job 10 hours a week. She also is a mentor at our church where she is an altar server. She is also doing an unpaid internship program at Northrop Grumman. Still we know that admission to Harvard is like buying a lottery ticket. Any advive as she fills out applications and writes her essays would be greatly appreciated.</p>