<p>@chingstah
Silly - white isn’t URM!</p>
<p>@chingstah do you not have anything better to do on the weekend than type up a bogus CC post? You’re cool.</p>
<p>well I laughed at chingstah’s post. If I’m going to waste time on CC, I may as well get some amusement out of it. and I think there’s a valid point to be made about the insanity of some high schoolers and the impossibility of guaranteeing acceptance to Harvard for anyone</p>
<p>Decision: Accepted</p>
<p>A lot of this stuff is really fuzzy, so I quantified what I could on a scale of 1 to 10.</p>
<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2400 SS
[</em>] ACT:
[<em>] SAT II: 800, 790, 800: US History, Literature, Math 2
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/473
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): 5’s in European History, US History, English, Computer Science, Chemistry, Physics B, Calculus BC, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: I’m doing a lot of graphing this year – bar graphs, stem plots, box plots, you name it. Next semester I’m mixing things up a bit with some Sex Ed.<br>
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMSF, National AP Scholar, AIME 7/15
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): I’m a president, like Obama. Math Club, Science Club – I run that, yo. I don’t mean to toot my own horn here, but when I run I do so without shoes. I’m known to do a little plumbing around the home front when things get rough. </p>
<p>In all seriousness, the list on my application said I am the president of Math and Science Club and I read math books at home.
(6/10)
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: None
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: “113 hours” tutoring (2/10).
[<em>] Summer Activities: Yellow Pig
[</em>] Essays: personal statement about 20 hours (9/10), supplement 4 hours and largely a repeat of personal statement (8/10).
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: I think one was great (9.9/10), the other pretty good (8/10).
[</em>] Counselor Rec: The first time I saw my counselor’s face was when I asked her for a letter of recommendation. She smiled broadly and said “sure thing,” so naturally I assume it is excellent. (10/10)
[<em>] Additional Rec: Yellow Pig
[</em>] Interview: Did not have to use his crapper once – (7.5/10)
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): California
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: decent public (restrooms) (6.5/10)
[</em>] Ethnicity: White and Asian (0/10)
[<em>] Gender: able-bodied male, single, 18 y/o, open to new experiences (10/10).
[</em>] Income Bracket: 170,000
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Hooks are for fishermen.
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: I am a smart cookie. I have much faith in my first teacher recommendation. I never read it, though.
[<em>] Weaknesses: I have very unspectacular extracurriculars compared to the real smart cookies out there.<br>
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: First teacher recommendation, enthusiasm about math.
[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Hoping for acceptances to UCLA and UC Berkeley in April, but I don’t really care.[/li][/ul]General Comments: “We called him Tortoise because he taught us.” Lewis Carroll</p>
<p>On behalf of daughter:</p>
<p>Decision: Deferred</p>
<p>Objective:[list][<em>] SAT I (breakdown): CR 650, M 720, W 730 - 2100 [</em>] SAT II: Maths II 720, Latin 750[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank [li] Senior Year Course Load: Demanding. Essays: Counselor said they’re best. ECs: Excellent depth. African-American URM.</p>[/li]
<p>Best wishes to all!</p>
<p>heh I actually know what yellow pig is! I feel so special hahahaha</p>
<p>just bumping so this is easier to find</p>
<p>wow looking at this thread i see so many amazing harvard candidates, and for my part, i have to just breathe out and understand that after a certain point, it kind of is a crap shoot. i am like every other person in this thread based on scores, ecs, etc. and what’s sad is that two identical people get two different results, so when i apply RD, i (and the rest of you who are hearing in April) should understand that we’re all qualified, but at the end of the day it might just very well be that they’re pulling names of equal candidates out of a hat</p>
<p>Decision: Accepted</p>
<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown):
[</em>] ACT: 35
[<em>] SAT II: 770 Math I, 760 Bio, 770 Lit
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): no rank but I believe counselor put down 1 tied with 5 others (don’t know exactly)
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Lang (5), World History (5), BC Calc (5)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Stats, AP Bio, German IV, Choir
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, 3-time all-state skiing, 4-time Junior Olympian (skiing)
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): USSA Ski Racing, High School Ski Team (Captain), Michigan Premiere League Club Soccer, High School Soccer Team (Captain), Science Math Tech Program, National Honors Society (chapter officer), Choir, Musical
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Vineyard farm labor, bussing tables
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: through NHS and church
[<em>] Summer Activities: jobs, Emergency Room internship
[</em>] Essays: good, dad being deployed post 9/11
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: Phenomenal
[</em>] Counselor Rec: I assume pretty decent
[<em>] Additional Rec:
[</em>] Interview: Very Good, over Skype
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): Michigan
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: decent public- 1200ish students
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: M
[</em>] Income Bracket: less than 200k
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: solid extracurriculars and work experience
[<em>] Weaknesses: community service
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted: I think I was able to stand out being from a small town in Northern Michigan and as a kid who works in the vineyards in the summer, ski races in the winter, plays soccer in the fall, and sings in the spring (weird combo of stuff)
[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: accepted at University of Michigan[/li][/ul]General Comments:
Accepted for NROTC Scholarship
Congrats to all who were accepted and best of luck to all those deferred</p>
<p>Decision: Accepted</p>
<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2180 (800 CR 680 M 700 W) (this is from two sittings)
ACT: 30 (Didn’t submit)
SAT II: 660 Math I, 700 US History (one sitting)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/94 (weighted)
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language (5), World History (3), US History (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Calculus AB, AP Human Geography, AP American Government, AP Macroeconomics, AP Environmental Science, Dual Credit Multimedia, Twp Internship Periods
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, National Achievement Scholar Outstanding Participant, Telluride Association Summer Program (TASP), other small awards in school and in my region
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Mock Trial Team (Captain), Debate (NCX, VCX, mentor, judge), Executive Student Board, Townview Ambassadors, SBDM (secretary) (forgot to mention), one act play (lead male role and stage manager), youth advisory council for the volunteer center of north texas, national honor society (vice president), started this program to teach debate to elementary kids (forgot to mention this on application though)
Job/Work Experience: File clerk at a law firm for two year but started as an unpaid intern (somehow forgot to list this on my application)
Volunteer/Community service: through NHS, church, and random times when I just volunteered
Summer Activities: Napping, doing church stuff, volunteering, and TASP
Essays: commonapp- issue of importance. I pretty much just talked about the history of my education, how I was wrongly placed in special ed classes for three years (this was a flashback at the beginning), then how I have to suffer through classes with boring tests. then lead to how I think we should rethink our approach to education, starting with standardized tests. supplement- all in second person. talked about a friend, who I only referred to as her, and how she influenced your (my) life. pretty much just chronicled my life and our interactions up until this point. I liked both of them and people told me they were good, especially the supplement. Sorry I’m being so specific, but I think specificity will help future people most.
Teacher Recommendation: One from my law cluster teacher of two years/mock trial coach. It was really good. the other from my English teacher, which was just pretty much copy and paste from my resume (incorrectly, might I add) and a lot of smart-sounding adjectives.
Counselor Rec: Same as English teacher’s.
Additional Rec: NA
Interview: the first one was awful, too short and so uncomfortable. The second was about 30 mins but it was great.
Other
State (if domestic applicant): Texas
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: magnet, public, only 400. majority Hispanic and mostly low income students with average test scores
Ethnicity: Black
Gender: M
Income Bracket: about 10K, receiving a lot of public assistance, single, disabled parent
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first generation college, mega poor.
Reflection
Strengths: essays, hooks
Weaknesses: test scores and grades.
Why you think you were accepted: I think I was accepted because of my essays. In them, I made sure to accentuate some of this things I’ve been through that help to add to my knowledge and the unique perspective I can bring to the school. If it weren’t for that second interview though, I would’ve been deferred or rejected for sure.
General Comments: When acceptance rates get this low, who gets in is so arbitrary and it’s going to change from year to year and from school to school. That being said, I am so grateful that I got in. Of course, I know that literally hundreds of other people could have and should have taken my place, but I’m thankful nonetheless. I wish everyone the best of luck, regardless of his or her decision. I know everyone will do great wherever they end up.</p>
<p>Decision: Accepted</p>
<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2320 (800 M, 740 CR, 780 W)
[</em>] ACT:
[<em>] SAT II: 800 Chemistry, 750 French, 720 Math II
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (5), French (5), Chem (5), English Language (5), US Govt (5), Environmental Science (5), US History (4), Comp Sci A (5)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Psych, AP European History, Multivariable Calc, AP English Lit, AP Stats, AP Bio, AP French Lit (independent study)
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National AP Scholar, National Merit Semifinalist
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): NHS (President), JSA (President), French Club (President), Quiz Bowl (Co-captain), School newspaper (Editor)
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Translator for French research organization
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: 4 hours a week on local first aid squad
[<em>] Summer Activities: I did Governor’s School last summer, but that’s pretty much it
[</em>] Essays: I wrote my common app on being raised by a single working mother and what I learned from taking care of my two younger siblings, then my supplement on my passion for human sciences.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: Didn’t read them, but they were probably solid?
[</em>] Counselor Rec: She’s known for writing excellent recommendations but I didn’t read mine.
[<em>] Additional Rec: N/A
[</em>] Interview: About an hour long, pretty informal and relaxed, it was pretty much a casual conversation.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): NJ
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Public (small, about 500 students)
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket:<60,000
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Not sure…
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: Essay, APs, extracurriculars I guess?
[<em>] Weaknesses: No major accomplishments outside of school or national or state recognition
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I guess a combination of academics, essay, and extracurriculars.
[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Oxford University, University College London, Manchester Uni, Imperial College London. (I’m not international or from the UK or anything, it’s just that Harvard is the only school in the US I applied to and UK applications are much cheaper than US ones)[/li][/ul]General Comments: I’m absolutely honored to be accepted to Harvard, and I wish the best of luck to those who will apply next year or have been deferred. People shouldn’t feel like they have to be the best at something in the world or internationally recognized or a certain race or ethnicity to be accepted to Harvard. It’s really about doing all you can with what you have. If any juniors or underclassmen have any questions about the process and applying to Harvard, or tips or anything, feel free to PM me, even if you’re reading this years after I posted it. Again, best of luck to everyone!</p>
<p>bjac10 I was accepted early as well (and am also highly honored). Do you think you’ll be attending in the fall? The financial aid is super generous!</p>
<p>@bjac, you should post your stats and acceptance in the “do regular kids get into harvard?” thread.</p>
<p>Thanks for posting your stats, too. I’m very similar to you in academics and ECs, as in nothing that absolutely wows someone (national, state awards, etc.). Your acceptance gives me hope :)</p>
<p>@NewYork94 I’m pretty sure I’ll be attending in the fall, and yes, as you said the aid is super generous!</p>
<p>@efeens44 I hope I can inspire people with not so stellar stats to apply. It really is about doing the most with what you have. Not everyone has the opportunity to build houses in Sri Lanka, but getting involved in things in your own town can count as much. People also shouldn’t worry if they’re lacking in one component of their application. My subjct test scores weren’t all 800s, I didn’t play sports let alone captain a varsity team, and I haven’t played an instrument in my entire life (things that some believe to be basic necessities for an Ivy League). It’s all about setting yourself apart in any way from other applicants.</p>