Just a dream, or worth a shot?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
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<p>Hello!</p>

<p>I'll try to make this as concise as possible -- sorry for writing something terribly long. </p>

<p>I'm a Canadian student enrolled in the IB diploma program. I expect to apply around December 2011 -- approx. a year from now -- and to be honest, I'm not sure if I should. I'm not looking for a chance-me type response (nor do I intend this thread to be one...hopefully). What I'm curious about is how the admissions would look at my application. </p>

<p>My high school years in a nutshell consisted of several personal and academic highs and lows -- a downward trend. I was struggling with family and mental issues, notably with schizophrenia. Despite this, I took the most challenging program offered at my school and managed to achieve "decent" grades, albeit nothing too stellar. </p>

<p>Fast forward to today, I'm studying in a CEGEP (comparable to U.K's 6th form; grade 12-13) and as stated above, I'm enrolled in the I.B. Diploma program. I have achieved very good grades so far, and it seems likely that I will continue to do so.</p>

<p>Now, I guess this is where I would like you to give me some advice/opinions: I don't have any stellar ECs/awards/"hooks". For the past year, I have been taking care of my family (financially) -- my mom and my two sisters (my parents are divorced) -- as well as being treated for depression/schizophrenia. My mom is also schizophrenic and I often have to take care of her as well, sometimes taking days off from school to stay with her. </p>

<p>My entire time is often dedicated to this: family and studying. In terms of academics, I do believe in somewhat of an upward trend -- picking up from a relatively "bad" grade 10-11 performance to a very good (and if I may say so, "stellar") one. My teachers also believe that I can potentially earn between 40-45 points (official predictions are to be released around September 2011).</p>

<p>With this being said, if I do apply (I'm tempted to do so very much no matter what) -- will I be even regarded "decent" amongst a pool of candidates who have brilliant scores, are all-rounders, have shown great leadership and other such "stats". What do you think? </p>

<p>Kind regards/wishes,
Quarks!</p>

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<p>really hard situation to chance; i think you needed a couple ecs despite your current situation. sorry not much help</p>

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<p>Conner, thanks for the reply. Thing is, I don’t have much space (time) to do anything beside taking care of my family (job – to help pay certain bills) and studying!</p>

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<p>Anybody? :)</p>

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<p>I think if you do a good job at explaining your situation on the application you may have a chance. Do good on the SAT and SAT II. the thing I would be afraid of is haveing a blank page for ECs, that is hard to counteract.</p>

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<p>Helping to pay bills/ taking care of the financial aspect of your family speaks immensely of your maturity and responsibility and is in itself a huge, impressive extracurricular activity. With that said, without knowing anything else about you, it’s impossible to for anyone to give any sort of accurate “chance”.</p>

<p>Also, if you are thinking about attending college in the U.S., make sure to research the financial aid and merit scholarship options now so you know what to expect.</p>

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<p>The head of Harvard admissions explicitly says that taking care of family responsibilities is very much respected in the admissions process, in an interview posted elsewhere on CC. Overcoming obstacles in a way that shows maturity and empathy would also count for a lot.</p>

<p>I would say that you should live your life as you need or want to do, go ahead and apply, but also find other schools that you would like to apply to. Wonderful as Harvard might be for many, there really is nothing magical about it: it’s just a school. And it is not worth rearranging your priorities in life in order to get in: your priorities sound more than fine to me.</p>

<p>Check out the book by Elyn Saks, who is an academic with schizophrenia. Very inspiring story.</p>

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<p>^ watch a beautiful mind, its about John Nash, a mathematician who has schizophrenia. It’s my favorite movie.</p>

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<p>@xrCarlico23: Thank you for your advice. I’m glad that paying bills/taking care of family can be considered an extracurricular activity! I was getting worried about not having done anything outside of school, but your words reassure me. And I will definitely look into the financial aspect – cost/expenses, financial aid, etc!</p>

<p>@Compmom: Thank you for your kind and sound advice! Oh and I will definitely check out Elyn Saks’s book - although just to make sure, are you specifically referring to “The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness”?</p>

<p>@conner: Yes, I have seen A Beautiful Mind. Truly inspiring :)</p>

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<p>Wow, there are quite a few similarities between me and you! My situation is also somewhat similar to yours. </p>

<p>I personally think you should go ahead and apply, make sure your situation is explained by your guidance/academic counsellor. If it’s a rejection, simply take it with a pinch of salt!</p>

<p><strong><em>Though I don’t think Harvard really cares about any of that (mental illnesses/severe personal circumstances affecting your academic life) :S I’m not being harsh, simply stating my honest opinion…</em></strong></p>

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<p>photon1, thank you for your honest opinion. While I don’t completely agree with everything you’ve said, I do agree on not taking any rejection too close to my heart :)</p>

<p>P.S.: I should also add that I’m the first person in my family to attend college…</p>

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<p>There are mixed opinions on being a First Generation Student. Some go on to consider as a major “hook”…or so I’ve read.</p>

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<p>You should consider applying through QuestBridge. Although the match process is (mostly) for US students, the RD process is open to international students, and it sounds like it would be a good fit for you. Harvard does not participate in QuestBridge, but if you list your finalist status. </p>

<p>In fact, the website states that evidence of overcoming financial hardship may be looked upon favorably by the admissions committee. Having a job is an extracurricular activity, just not a conventional one. You can use your unique personal experiences and low-income status to your advantage. Feel free to drop me a PM if you need help crafting your application to show your experiences in a good light.</p>

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<p>UPDATE: @Mentos, I’ve read over your post a second time and you are RIGHT about applying as a finalist through QuestBridge!</p>

<p>@Mentos, thank you for your kind advice – I’ve read about QuestBridge and it does not seem to accept any applicants outside of US (I’m a Canadian citizen), so this option is probably ruled out for me…</p>

<p>I’ll definitely PM you within the next few hours, I really appreciate the help and attention you’re giving :)</p>

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<p>I don’t have anything constructive to say but as someone who grew up with schizophrenia in the household, I respect what you’ve faced and I wish you the best of luck.</p>

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<p>@DwightEisenhower: Thank you for the kind words! </p>

<p>@Mentos: Your inbox seems to be full, I was not able to send you my message – I’ll try again later :)</p>

<p>To every poster/reader, I practically know none of you and yet, there is something quite personal to all this. I know that our interaction is virtual, but your words go much beyond the virtual realm – it inspires me and invokes so many other emotions. There’s a certain warmth and comfort, and it is an indescribable feeling to know that somewhere, someone at a given time wrote to me, had given his attention to me despite being complete strangers. I acknowledge and genuinely honour you for not having disregarded me, for being human (not just another mere online user) despite the physical distances. I rarely encounter such individuals in ‘real’ life.</p>

<p>Sorry for the long post, I got carried away…!</p>

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<p>From what it sounds like, you sound like a stellar student. Such a challenge like schizophrenia is not easy to achieve over, as I’ve studied AP Psychology and in depth about that disorder. Definitely write about it in your essay, while portraying your own personality. I personally think you have a chance! (:</p>

<p>Like others said, keep up on grades and do some extracurriculars. Good luck!</p>

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<p>You have an amazing story, and I wish you the best of luck. Make sure to describe your situation in the utmost detail. </p>

<p>Just so you know, there are only two Qu</p>

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<p>Yes, Good Luck !!! Wow, shot at >40 for IB and with your circumstances will look super duper favorably… What are your higher levels in IB?..Plus I wouldn’t worry too much about EC’s because, well lol, like you said, taking care of your family is practically like an EC. Supporting your family is sooo much more important than any EC because you are dealing with multiple lives in the balance. Please don’t take an EC over your family’s well-being just for Harvard…I’m pretty sure your low EC’s will be looked over in light of your maturity and your ability to not give up. Some of reasons EC’s are looked favorably upon are that they show an applicant’s ability to be committed, to have perseverance, and to have initiative, which of course, you have already shown by supporting a family - without an EC. Just do well on the SAT’s - if you have the capability to do well in your IB exams, I’m sure you have the capacity to do well on the SAT’s… hope this helps, if at all :slight_smile: Again, the best to you!</p>

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<p>@jsungoh: Thanks :slight_smile: I very much hope as well to efficiently and transparently represent my personality with my essays!</p>

<p>@misterg: Wow Awesome, look forward to my PM :slight_smile: I’ll love to know more about them and their journeys (if possible)!</p>

<p>@nine9knives: Thank you for the kind words!! Hopefully I’ll do well in my exams and SAT’s!</p>

<p>:)</p>