Hi guys, i’m currently a grade 11 student from Canada and its really is my goal to make it to Harvard. Here’s my story so you can get a clearer picture of me: My freshman and sophomore year grades are all A+ but due to mental health issues I got pulled out of school during the end of my first semester during sophomore year. The recovery process was long and exhausting and now i’m back at school where I have to manage my mental health and my academics. It’s been getting hard as I’ve come to realize that I’ve missed out on my life due to my metal illness and now I’m really trying to experience as much as possible. I started taking up dance at an academy again and even am going to go competitive next year. Along with this I’ve also taken up singing and plan to audition for local music competitions in my area as well. Track season is starting up at my school and I thought i reignite my talent and put that to work as well. Science however, is one of my biggest passions and I’ve planned on entering the national BioGenius contest. I was thinking of conducting a study on consciousness and how they differ from average function human beings and autistic human being (my brother is autistic). However due to my recovery process when I was at the hospital I was low on potassium and my brain couldn’t function properly. I ended getting one 67 in one course. Now in my junior year coming back, i’ve gotten a 63 in U math and 72 in Law and now cumulative GPA is a 3.75. I’m really stressed and anxiety ridden over these grades and I’m wondering If these three mucked up grades of mine will affect my possibility for getting into Harvard.
I’m aware that posting this online may seem like intellectual laziness (which I will admit to) but just want to know if I can get in into such a prestigious university and if not I would like to find out how I can improve upon it.
So sorry to hear about your mental health issues. Besides prestige . . . why Harvard? What does Harvard offer you that cannot also be found at McGill, Amherst, Williams, Middlebury, Wesleyan or any other top college in the US?
Dr. Barreira will retire at the end of the 2019 academic year. However, I don’t expect Harvard’s attitude toward mental health issues will change. So, first off, I would not mention your mental health issues in your application as Admissions might wonder, if admitted, will the stress of being at Harvard cause you to have a relapse. (I know that’s not what you want to hear, but I’m just being realistic.)
If that is what Harvard expects from an athletic recruit, you can be assured they want THE SAME from every student, including students applying just based on their academic performance in high school.
All of which means you should apply to Harvard with the expectation of being rejected. While that’s true for most students, I think it’s especially true for someone with your GPA. As such, you really should focusing on other school’s where your GPA would place you among the top of the class regardless of your past mental health issues. Best to luck to you!
You do not have to do so much. You do not have to make up for what you lost right now. You have your whole life ahead.
If what you mean is, that you have to make up for what you have lost in terms of getting into college, that is not a big priority. It really isn’t.
A mental health diagnosis that lands in the hospital can be a blip, or it can be life-changing. My personal feeling is that it is like that saying (which I don’t remember) that you thought you were going to France but ended up in Italy. In some sense, embrace the change.
Take care of yourself and you can still achieve everything you want, but you need to think differently and not just return to what you think was normalcy before your diagnosis.
I would slow down. Don’t worry about grades. (Is your potassium still low? Make sure you are physically healthy.)
Harvard is a high pressure place. And is not as supportive as some other schools. Are you sure that is what you want?
I would try to learn about other schools and try to forget about Harvard. Your chances are virtually zero. Honestly. Relieve yourself of that stress. I always suggest the Colleges that Change Lives website, for starters.
Learn about yourself in this new context, and get help adjusting and monitoring your activities. You will do well if you can learn from your life and make good choices. Avoid false stresses like “getting into Harvard.”