What further information will Harvard receive about me after being admitted? Thank you!
(Future school transcripts?..)
Your guidance counselor must send in a “Final Report” to Harvard College Admissions at the completion of your senior year with your final high school transcript. If you took any AP tests, you need to have the College Board send an “Official Score Report” to Harvard College so those scores can be added to your file. If you attended Harvard SSP, you should have your transcript sent from Harvard Extension School to Harvard College, so you can get credit for those courses. If you took college courses at another university, you should have that transcript sent to Harvard College as well. Harvard will not give you credit for college courses taken at another university, but you may be able to use those courses to skip an intro class. If you received any outside scholarships, you need to report those to the Financial Aid Office. And, of course, you need to reply “Yes, you will attend” in the Fall of 2016. Unlike other colleges, Harvard doesn’t require a deposit when you reply yes. The Financial Aid Office will send you a bill in June/July for any amount due. You need to pay that bill or you will not be able to pick up your dorm keys or register for classes. During June and July, there are on-line placement exams you will need to take. That’s about all the information that I can think of…
@gibby alright I see. Thank you!!
Do you need to send the Official Score Report? Is it required as a part of the Final Report or is it only required if you are trying to receive credit for the course?
The “Final Report” which is sent from your GC that includes your transcript and an “Official AP Score Report” from the College Board (which you have to pay for) are two separate things. BOTH need to be sent. Although Harvard doesn’t give AP credits for courses taken in high school unless a student opts for Advanced Standing (with foreign language AP being the exception), some AP classes can be used to skip an intro class. So, it’s well with it to pay the few dollars for an “Official Score Report” from the College Board, as the registrar’s office will only accept the “Official Report.” Of course, if you want to repeat a college class that is similar to something you have already taken in high school and don’t care about being exempted from Harvard’s Foreign Language graduation requirement, then you don’t have to pay for the “Official Report” to be sent. Just have your GC send the “Final Report.”
@gibby Thanks! Does Harvard require that I take all of the AP Exams associated with the classes I am taking? There are several courses where I am not planning on pursuing Advanced Standing. I would rather not pay the money to take the exams for these courses.
I don’t think Admissions cares if you take the AP Exam at the end of a senior year AP class. However if you are taking AP Calc, I would recommend taking the AP Exam, as it can be used as a prerequisite for many classes, and can even be used to fulfill the math requirement if you go the pre-med route. The other AP test you should consider taking is the AP Language Exam, as scoring a 5 on the exam will exempt you from taking a year of foreign language courses at Harvard. Other than those 2 courses, the AP Exams are not that valuable for your Harvard experience.
Last year when I called and asked if there was an issue with not taking the AP exam, the lady laughed at me. L-) So, I’m going to say no. 
Scoring high enough on the SAT Subject Test will do the same thing, as will scoring high enough on the Harvard Placement Test (which is free).
Other AP’s are really dependent on what courses you plan to take in the future. For example, if you plan on taking Econ classes past 10a/10b, the Micro/Macro exams are worth taking. Otherwise, not so much. Similarly, AP Psych allows psych concentrators to bypass SLS 20. But these are really specific examples that may not apply to you.
Another question- what do the placement tests look like over the summer? Are these only used for certain classes? Should I prepare for them?
Math and writing are required for all. Bio/Chem/Foreign languages (only some language tests are offered during the summer) are optional, but if you are planning to take further courses in those areas, you should take those exams. The math test is a 3-part exam; testing pre-calc, Calc AB, and Calc BC and beyond in each section respectively. IMO, they really are not worth studying for. No point in over preparing and getting placed into a class above your level, even if the placement is more of a recommendation.