<p>Because based on my reading of these posts, the person who said what I have in quotes doesn't have particularly good reading comprehension skills.</p>
<p>As far as you're concerned, your fixation with Harvard is bizarre.</p>
<p>"Because based on my reading of these posts, the person who said what I have in quotes doesn't have particularly good reading comprehension skills.</p>
<p>As far as you're concerned, your fixation with Harvard is bizarre"</p>
<p>You know, there are ways to say things without sounding so mean. Hmm... i guess i do have an strange fixation over Harvard but it hasn't hurt me yet:D
and no one cares about reading comprehension over the internet. Get a life.</p>
<p>I suggest that you get a life. To come on here and ask people who are not admissions officers what your chances for admission to any college are is a waste of time.</p>
<p>"I suggest that you get a life. To come on here and ask people who are not admissions officers what your chances for admission to any college are is a waste of time."</p>
<p>umm...i never asked anyone about my chances at Harvard. your confusing me with the original poster (wishwash)
looks like you should work on reading comprehension as well</p>
<p>OK - the comment in regards to reading comprehension is directed to Abbie10390 who seems to think that people on here are generating some kind of negative vibe about Harvard. For some reason, people have this view that Harvard is different than anyplace else. There are mean people, pompous people, snobs in every nook and cranny on this planet. Harvard is no different than anyplace else. I would dare say that most students find it to be a rather humbling place as they are no longer number 1 and no longer any big deal. as a matter of fact most learn that they are rather mediocre.</p>
<p>^ok no problem. and i totaly agree with you when it comes to other people's unpleasant view on harvard. </p>
<p>I apoligize for my mean comment.</p>
<p>OK! Talking to a number of Harvard students, I would not only say that most are down to earth but every single one I've talked to, can't believe they ever got in.</p>
<p>
[quote]
can someone suggest some specific places that may be more of a "match" for me, that are similar in size and atmosphere to Harvard?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I have an idea what is the same size as Harvard, which I guess means that the University of Minnesota Twin Cities (the in-state research university for people in our state) might feel too big to you. I don't know what aspect of Harvard's atmosphere is most appealing to you. </p>
<p>I'll open a new thread with the general question of where else people should apply if they are applying to Harvard, in view of the hard reality of Harvard's low base acceptance rate. I hope that is helpful to applicants this year (high school class of '09) and next year (your class, class of '10, right?).</p>
<p>why do you even want to goto Harvard....</p>
<p>dou you have a specific idea what you want to major in?</p>
<p>seriously DO NOT listen to the negative posts. There are sooo many people that get accepted not because of scores and stuff but because they actually have something to offer Harvard. Harvard only uses the kids with the higher grades to make them look good and to be honest, I dont really think they care for those students as much as the student that has drive and personality. You clearly have a balanced life and you do a lot that shows that you're not a slacker. So keep up the work. Make your essays Very personal and let them see that you're passionate about something. But the best advice i can give you is to once again, make your essays extremely personal. Talk about a hardship or the things that you've had to do along with trying to keep up your grades and course load. Or just anything that you've accomplished that has had a significant impact on your life.</p>
<p>I could not agree more with Yass1211. Don't let everyone get you down; just submit your best possible application and have a lot of back-ups in place, as every Harvard applicant should. :)</p>
<p>HEY..i think you have a shot @ it..give it a try
who knows? thw Lord is on ur side..NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE :)</p>
<p>Don't listen to these people. They know nothing about your admission chance. Apply if you want to pay the 60 bucks and if you think you have a tiny glimpse of a chance.</p>
<p>White Bear Lake High School is hardly a "crappy public school in Minneapolis" by the way. More like a privileged high school in the suburbs.</p>
<p>I actually go to a crappy public school that's actually in Minneapolis, and think it's hilarious that somebody from WBL would try to pass themselves as an inner-city student from a disadvantaged high school to get into Harvard! LOL.</p>
<p>I just get the vibe that a lot of Harvard students believe they are superior and can therefore take on this elitist attitude. I've never visited though, so I won't jump to any conclusions quite yet.</p>
<p>I've heard from a few people who visited that the tours really suck...is this true?</p>
<p>Well, just apply! And just ignore all the mean, frustrated people on here!
Since most of you won't get admitted either :) So spare me the arrogance. </p>
<p>I think if you really show your passion in your essays, and have something special to offer to Harvard (any specific talents?), you do have a chance. And please, please, don't listen to the people who say you don't 'deserve' to get in. No one 'deserves' to get in, Harvard wants you, or doesn't. Period. </p>
<p>Of course I am not an admissions-expert, being a junior, but I'd like to address some common misconceptions here on CC;</p>
<p>Don't forget the admissions officers are human beings, and they regard the applicants as being human beings. So, no, they are NOT going to superscore your SAT score (they'll still see your 500 CR-try, and keep it in the back of their minds), essays ARE really important, they'll know if you have a true passion for something or just doing it for your apps, Academic Indices aren't measured (or if they are, play a different role), people with mediocre GPA's DO get in, admissions aren't a 'crapshoot' just because 2400-scoring, USAMO-winners do not get in sometimes (maybe you came across as a boring, anti-social overachiever?), there is no success-formula! aaargh, excuse me for my not very well developed rant.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I've heard from a few people who visited that the tours really suck...is this true?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Not true at all, if my tour on Friday 22 February 2008 is at all representative. The weather was TERRIBLE (Governor Patrick told all business in Massachusetts to close early), but the Harvard student guides were there, and I enjoyed hearing from the Harvard students about their experiences at Harvard.</p>
<p>GuiltyBystander- Right on, I couldn't agree more. Reading everyones arrogant comments on this thread have sickened me.</p>
<p>GuiltyBystander, you come across as waayyy more mature than anybody else in here.</p>
<p>I never would have known you were a junior. Thank you for bringing this thread back to respectability.</p>
<p>Wow, if this is the face of the sorts of students who get into Harvard, I can see now why so many people accuse Harvard of being elitist...</p>
<p>People have gotten in before without amazing GPA's. But let's face it, you most likely AREN'T going to get in. Nobody is likely to. The point is that you shouldn't let the discouraging posters from pursuing your dreams; however, I do advise you look at your reasons for applying. If you're like most people, you want to go because of the prestigious name, and because of the potential for the incredible pride of being a Harvard grad, as well as to pursue an amazing education and be able to meet incredible professors. The problem is, I think, that these "best students" in our country seem to think that they deserve it more than others. Forgive me for making such a blatant accusation, but I mean, if you had a 4.0 and a 2380 and a humongoid EC list, wouldn't you expect to go to a place like Harvard? But it seems to be that they're looking for people of a certain type of character, people who regardless of their background have a sincere love for learning and aspire to use their talent to benefit mankind, people who want to go to Harvard not because of its name and the weight it holds, but because of the immense opportunity there that they love and want to have the opportunity to be a part of more than anything. In such a case, I think every exemplary, hard-working student should have a fair (albeit extremely small) shot of a chance at Harvard. It's just that these people generally get high GPA's and SAT's and do lots of stuff in their community, but as I said before, there are exceptions; people have gotten in with surprising stats.</p>
<p>So what I'm saying is, apply if you truly want to go because of a reason completely different than most applicants, and you'll instantly stand out among the crowd. Of course your B/B+ average will pull you down (I mean, this is one of the finest and most well-known centers of education that the world has to offer, so it doesn't seem fitting for anyone but those with the best high school academic performances to go there), but if you truly think you can make good the opportunity, and make an admission team not regret admitting you, then you have as much as a shot as all the 4.0's and 3.98's here.</p>
<p>It will also help a lot, I'd imagine, if you can highlight any special circumstances that most people aren't familiar with and might have adversely affected your performance in high school. I had to work 13+ hours a schoolweek (that doesn't include weekends) during my junior and senior years in order to support my family without being able to keep any of my earnings (being that we are below the poverty line, according to some chart I found), and I was taking several AP's at same time. I had to get used to staying up well past 3 in the morning many, many times doing homework in order to be even remotely competitive with my peers, and yet I still pulled a B+ average my junior year, which is low by our school's standards. I had an overall UW GPA of 3.67, and wound up narrowly falling out of the top 10% of my class. I got rejected from Cornell just a few days ago, and I felt totally crushed because I felt I had made all those sacrifices, all those hard nights of work where I came home exhausted and gave up sleep in favor of doing homework, was for nothing. I had worked so hard with either Cornell and UPenn as my aspirations, and it's clear that I will be attending neither. I think the reason I ended up disappointed was that I tried to excuse my grades and lack of many EC's to my family's circumstances. The point is (sorry, I know this is really long), don't try to make up for your flaws, but show Harvard and impress them with what you will bring to the school. Do that, and I think harvard just may be willing to look past your GPA.</p>
<p>The other moral is that you can't expect any particular results (no one can really, when it comes to these schools), nor can/should you be too hopeful. You're definitely going to have to make a back-up plan, and more importantly come to terms with yourself so that you'll be okay with going to a state university or whatever. You should try to be realistic, but at the same time, don't let that keep you from making your very best effort to pursue your dream, if Harvard really is what you sincerely long for.</p>
<p>In short, good luck, and make sure to make yourself look as appealing as possible to the adcom. Remember that they're people too. I really do hope that you may somehow come back with incredible news and show all these naysayers that anything is possible, but remember that rejection from Harvard is something that many great students (like yourself, I'm sure) have to deal with. Just be thankful that you can go to college, in any case, as many people don't even get a chance. GOOD LUCK!!</p>
<p>(P.S. Wow, after typing all that, I'm starting to consider applying myself, lol)</p>
<p>(P.P.S. GuiltyBystander is probably one of the wisest people I've seen here, to listen to what he said closely.)</p>