I know I haven't the slightest chance, but could ya'll take a look?

<p>Objective:
• SAT I (breakdown): 760 Math, 760 CR, 790 Writing (Took it only once)
• ACT: 35 Comp; 36 Math; 36 Reading; 36 Writing; 36 Science
• SAT II: 800 Math II; 770 Chemistry
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
• Weighted GPA (out of 5.0): 4.67
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top Decile
• AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH 5; AP Calc BC 5; AP Spanish 5; AP Euro 5; AP Physics B 5.
• Senior Year Course Load:
-Semester 1: College Philosophy course (A), AP French (A-), AP Eng. Lit. (A-), AP Chem (A-), AP Macro (A-), College Calc 3 Class (B+).
-Semester 2: Political Thought, AP French, AP Eng. Lit., AP Chem., AP Gov, College Linear Algebra Class.
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist, John Steinbeck Writing Award, NHS Bronze/Silver Service Awards, Outstanding Social Studies Scholar, Illinois State Scholar, AP Scholar w/ Honors, Gold Honor Roll for all 8 Semesters.
Subjective:
• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): </p>

<p>-JV Volleyball: Sophomore Year.
-Varsity Volleyball: Junior and Senior Year Starting Right-Side hitter (Captain), All-Conference, All-Academic, Regional and Sectional Champions.
Club Volleyball (Captain): 4 years and we came in 12th at nationals twice.
Self-Taught Languages: French and Italian Fluently, German, Russian, and Hebrew conversationally.
-Jazz Drummer: 4 years in school jazz band and multiple other musical shows.
-Foreign Exchange: I hosted 2 Peruvian students for a month and spent two weeks with a family in France.
-French Club (Treasurer): Organized loads of events, 3 years.
-Peer Tutor in French and Math: 2 years.
-Hunger Awareness Club: Member for 3 years.</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience:- I started a small tutoring business and created a Spanish course for middle schoolers over the summer of 2011.
-I worked at a Mexican bakery over the summer of 2010.</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service:
-Hispanic Youth Services (Founder and President): I founded this organization which mentors, tutors, and fundraises for over 200 underprivileged Hispanic children at the beginning of my senior year.
-Volunteer Counselor for poor Mexican kids for the summer of 2011.
-NHS Member
-I have volunteered at a facility that helps special needs kids ride horses as part of a hippotherapy regiment the past two summers.
-Over 200 hours of community service.
Summer Activities:- *several of the volunteer activities articulated above
-I taught myself French fluently in 3 months this past summer and was able to pass into AP French without ever having taken a French class before.
-I taught myself all about car mechanics over the summer of 2010
• Essays:
• Common App Main: I wrote a fantastic essay about volunteering with underprivileged Hispanic kids this past summer inspired me to start the Hispanic Youth Services organization
• EC Short Answer: I wrote a very solid few paragraphs about my passion for volleyball and how it has contributed to the relationships with both my family and my teammates.
• "Profile" questions: I very carefully wrote each of these.
• Intellectual Vitality Essay: I wrote a very strong essay about how the novel “Atlas Shrugged” has affected me both philosophically and ethically.
• Letter to Roommate Essay: I wrote a fairly good essay about the importance music plays in my life as a source of both detachment and empathy.
• What matters to you and why? Essay: I wrote a great essay about how the “little moments of life” shape have shaped who I am and included 3 very powerful anecdotes.
• Teacher Recommendation: One from my Sophomore Euro teacher who said I was one of the best students he ever had, and one from my Junior English Accel. Teacher who really liked me.
• Counselor Rec: My school’s 2ndary education counselor, a nationally renowned lecturer about college, wrote a personalized recommendation, including my special relationship with her.
• Additional Rec: A detailed, professional-looking, well organized resume
• Interview: Yes, it went for 2 hours and at the end the Harvard alumn told me that she wished the interview counted for more than it done so she could help me some more.
Other
• Applied for Financial Aid?: No
• Intended Major: Material Sciences
• State (if domestic applicant): Illinois
• Country (if international applicant): United States
• School Type: Public. VVVEERRRYYY Competitive
• Ethnicity: Caucasian
• Gender: Male
• Income Bracket: 100K+
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
Reflection
• Strengths: Foreign Languages, Essays, and Recommendations.
• Weaknesses: Awards, EC Depth, and maybe Junior Year course load (I only took 3 AP’s and two accel. Classes)
• Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I won’t find out ‘til March.</p>

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<p>Oh please. This sort of rhetoric only has its place for applicants with SATs 2000 or less (although really 1900 or less for no chance)/equivalent ACTs and/or GPAs <3.4. Obviously, a 36 ACT and 3.9+ GPA don’t guarantee anything, but you’re insulting the applicants who are actually wondering not whether or not they will get in, but whether or not they have a shot in the dark of being competitive to get in.</p>

<p>Geez! Don’t put yourself down, you have a good chance! Harvard is a reach for everyone, but you’re above the average applicant by a fair amount, I would be by far more surprised to find out you got rejected than I would be if you got accepted</p>

<p>Yeah, sorry if I came off sounding like a prick. It’s just I’ve seen so many amazingly talented kids from my school get rejected during REA, and then idk, it just seems like everyone who got accepted had some kind of hook: like some international/national awards. Uber talent at one instrument, sport, or sciency thing. I feel like I’ve got some decent stuff, but nothing that will make the adcom take a double take.</p>