(PLEASE ANSWER)Should I just give up on Harvard or other ivies? (Honestly)

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>Okay, so I had a very difficult middle school life (7th and 8th) and freshman year with terrible eye sight and my mom couldn't afford glasses for me since she's broke. She makes $26,000 a year and pays $1,200 monthly rent. That's $14,400 annually only on rent. Also, my parents are divorced and I receive only $300 every month from my father for child support.</p>

<p>During 7th grade I took living environment which is included on my transcript since its a high school course and got an 85 in the class. I got a 79 on the regents. In 8th grade I took living environment again because apparently there was a mess up in the system. I got an 87 in the class and 88 on the regents. I also took algebra in which I got an 86 in the class and 81 on the regents. </p>

<p>During freshman year of high school I got:
(English)First semester: 83<br>
Second Semester:93</p>

<p>(Physical Education)First semester: 85<br>
Second Semester:85</p>

<p>(Global)First semester: 98<br>
Second Semester:98</p>

<p>(Earth Science) First semester: 90<br>
Second Semester: 93</p>

<p>(Spanish)First semester: 90<br>
Second Semester: 96</p>

<p>(Geometry)First semester: 85<br>
Second Semester: 93</p>

<p>(Graphics and Design)First semester: 98<br>
Second Semester:95</p>

<p>Also, I only was a library intern and countered in a Junior ROTC program.
Just two things. I also volunteered in my church over the summer helping in blood drives and clothing drives. (Not much I know)</p>

<p>I got turned down when I applied for a new high school AND I got rejected from a Stony Brook University geoscience program. I feel so stupid and I just want to cry forever, but I'm trying not to. I got rejected if course because of my first semester grades. </p>

<p>The reason for upwards trend in the second semester is because I finally saved up enough money to buy classes and get my eyes checked. I haven't had an issue with any subject and my lowest grade on an exam so far was a 93. </p>

<p>Keep in mind I got my glasses about a week ago so I'm not that good yet haha.</p>

<p>When I had decent eyesight, I always had excellent grades. </p>

<p>Now that I have my glasses, I understand everything . I don't know if I have the dunning-Kruger effect going on and I'm actually dumb, but think I have potential when I actually don't.</p>

<p>Also, I'm Latina by the way. (Hispanic) </p>

<p>If I show an upwards trend can I get into Harvard or should I just give up, honestly?</p>

<p>I feel so unintelligent since kids at Harvard probably have never been rejected by anything and I have already been rejected by 2 programs.</p>

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<p>Someone. Please take the time to read this and respond an honest opinion.</p>

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<p>Also , sorry for the terrible grammar. I’m such so tired and stressed that j don’t even care anymore.</p>

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<p>Hey!
Your story makes mine look like I had a cakewalk.
And for that reason, you should not give up. You have worked so hard to get to where you are. Do not let the intimidation of one college’s rejection spur you from attempting to at least ask for admission. If you cast your experiences in an essay about triumph, you could definately stand out. And besides, even if you are rejected, you can still go to another college and do great things.</p>

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<p>If you talk about how you wore your glasses and it like “opened” up your life both physically and intellectually in your essay, I feel like you might have a good chance.</p>

<p>I like your story. As a student who wore glasses all my life, I completely understand where you’re coming from. Without glasses, I feel blind. Keep trying!</p>

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<p>Thanks a lot :). I’ve told my story before however, people say how I should just get over it. Eyesight issues, perforated eardrums, asthma, no medication , no insurance, eczema, and social anxiety isn’t good enough of an excuse. Realistically , Harvard isn’t possible and by the time I graduate competition will increase since smart kids are becoming smarter and dumb kids are becoming dumber.</p>

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<p>It’s too early to give up. Just try your best from this point on.</p>

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<p>Thank you very much and I am :). I really really am. I just hope it pays off. It’s so hard to study and be motivated to at times since I have no immediate family living with me except for my mother. I never had siblings and I stay in my floor all day long from 5 on until 7 am. It’s tough.</p>

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<p>Why are you so fixated on Harvard? Why don’t you spend time researching other schools and find others that interest you as well? You have given no academic reason why Harvard and only Harvard MUST be the one and only school you attend. Or why it is the best fit for you. That kind of thinking leads nowhere productive. I am not saying “do not apply to Harvard.” I am suggesting that you not FIXATE on Harvard, because the chances of admission are slim for EVERYONE. Therefore, please broaden your outlook on colleges and search for ones that fit YOU and your particular academic goals and talents. A successful college search should always be a broad search, not one limited to one “dream” school. You may not be accepted. What then? What’s the contingency plan? Is it Harvard or NOTHING??? Dream, of course. But please be realistic, and be smart about your college search. Broaden and deepen your search and make Harvard just one of a well-rounded list of schools to which you apply.</p>

<p>And please don’t get sucked into the destructive fallacies that if you don’t go to Harvard you won’t be successful, or that if you don’t go to Harvard you have somehow failed as a person, or that Harvard is the only great school in the U.S. None of these things are true, by a long shot!!!</p>

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<p>I’m fixated on Harvard because of its urban setting . I am used to it since well I live in New York City. Also, the financial aid. I want to go to a private school and with my income , my mother might not have to pay for anything. I want to go to a university with dormitories because I’m tired of being alone every day. I get home from school and no one is home. I sleep all by myself and I feel lonely. If you go through it you can relate and it’s really depressing. When I wake up my mom is there, I see her for 30 minutes and then she has to go to sleep in order to function to go to work. I have no siblings. I see my mom on the weekends , but rarely because she has to sleep and I have classes to prepare for regents. I want to be somewhere where I can have people there for me and where I can afford it. If I go to other schools I’d have to pay and I don’t want to be in debt. My mom has been in thousands of dollars of debt because when my parents got divorced my father left. We were about to move into a shelter because she couldn’t afford rent. Every bill including my fathers phone bills and his friends and every electronic owned was under her name and she made even less at the time. My grandmother took us in and we lived in a small 8 by 5 foot room. My mother and I. I never had my own room until I turned 15 ( which is now) . Sure it’s lovely , but guess what now I have wait until Christmas or my birthday to get a few shirts and pants. That’s why I’m so fixated on Harvard. I want to be where there’s many bright kids who worked hard throughout their life just like I did. I didn’t eat for 10 hours everyday just to afford the eye doctor and then I had to do this for another few months to buy an actual pair of glasses. I’ve tried to get health insurance , but I guess my mom just doesn’t know the right people or doesn’t try for me because she’s stressed from what we’ve been through. I hope that such bright students can help me blossom into someone optimistic.</p>

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<p>That’s a really deep story that absolutely outlines why you wish to go to the type of school that you mentioned. However, why not Columbia (NYC), Emory (Atlanta), Duke (Durham), UPenn (Philidelphia)? I mention those schools simply because they have Type A students, similar need-based financial aid, a setting in a large city, and essentially every other quality you mentioned.</p>

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<p>You still have a chance, but don’t worry if you don’t get in. Remember that after you get into college you control your life, you can make the most of it, and reach your full potential. Don’t let current setbacks keep you down, and remember there is always grad school.</p>

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<p>@swingtime that was for you (the why I’m fixated on Harvard reply) Also, I’ve been there and the student body is kind and welcoming. I haven’t encountered any stuck up kids (yet). I want to be accepted. Everyone there is talented and unique. I’m special when it comes to dancing. I never took dancing classes when I was young, but when I did people were impressed with my Latin dancing. I just want to be accepted as a unique individual and feel welcomed into something in life. I’ve never really felt that feeling anywhere. My dad was embarrassed of me and never pushed my stroller (not even once). When I lived in Georgia for a month since my moms friend was helping her out, I didn’t feel welcome. When I went to first grade at another school, I was bullied at first. In middle school , I was bullied too. Now in high school, I don’t really talk to anyone except about 10 people since I come off as that shy and quiet girl . Little do they know why I’m this way. I’m afraid of showing who I really am because I don’t want to face what I had to with my dad.</p>

<p>Also, by the way now my dad and I are okay. I see him twice a year :slight_smile: after begging him multiple times and persuading him that he’s busy. Now he’s a busy man since he’s a disc jockey and has 3 kids (not including me) and a wife. I feel that if he wasn’t alive I’d feel better (not because he’s dead) but because that why I’d know that he doesn’t choose not to see me like the way he does now.</p>

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<p>@RedKnightmare thanks, and I am applying to some such as Columbia when I’m a senior, now I’m only a freshman. The thing is that if I go to Columbia or NYU I wouldn’t live in a dorm and my house is only like 50 minutes away from them on the A train. Also, Boston is only 4 hours away so I wouldn’t have to go on an airplane just to visit my family.</p>

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<p>@BerserkLamur Thanks. I’m also applying to Duke. I know that Harvard does not guarantee success , but it’s just perfect for me location wise , financially wise , and major wise. I want to major in Biological sciences. :)</p>

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<p>I agree with redknightmare. While the Ivies are great schools in settings that would perfectly suit your needs, there are not the only ones that do so. You should also look into NorthwesternU(Evanstan, near Chicago), UChicago, Rice U(Houston), WashingtonU(St. Louis), VanderbiltU(Nashville), and Carnegie Mellon U(Pittsburgh) to name a few in addition to the ones listed by Redknightmare. All of these schools are well within your range and have financial aid to help.</p>

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<p>@xiomara: I admire your willingness to share your story and seek out help. It takes a brave person to put their self out there in the way you have. Keep your eyes set on Harvard, but as stated by others on CC, keep your options open. Most of the schools listed by @primemoat are perfect examples of urban-setting campuses with astounding financial aid. Given what you said about your mother’s income, I would not be surprised if you received close to a full-ride scholarship. But who knows? Keep fighting the good fight. Do as well as you can with what you have, because when you look back at your life you won’t say, “Darn, I didn’t get into Harvard.” Heck, you’ll probably think, “I did it. With all the cards seemingly stacked against me – I still did it.” And that says a lot. Apply to Harvard and other great schools. But remember, they will neither make or break who you are. They will only add to your admirable strength and bold character. Be strong, and use what you have – even if it may all seem negative at the moment – to your advantage; colleges love a feel-good story about people rising from poverty. Best of luck in your future endeavors. And if you’re living in New York, I would research some therapists (and I am not saying so because I believe there is anything wrong with you) to help you work through some of your anxiety.</p>

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<p>@emersongarcia Thank you so much for taking your time to write such an amazing response. I’ve looked for therapists much they’re very pricey. Unfortunately , I don’t have health insurance so I would have to pay about $100+ per hour just for one therapy session. I hope that one day I will find health insurance so that I can get a new asthma inhaler since I ran out, eczema cream, glasses, and braces. That would be a dream come true. Also, my mom thinks I’m a hypochondriac and I’m over exaggerating. Little does she know how I really feel.</p>

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<p>BY THE WAY, EVERYONE IF I DID NOT MAKE IT CLEAR, I AM A FRESHMAN IN HIGH SCHOOL. I HAVE 3 MORE YEARS. THANKFULLY :slight_smile: Thank you all for your help. I feel much better and as if a I’m not weighed down as much.</p>

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<p>I really and truly wish you the best of luck. But I am kind of amazed that you think Harvard is the only school on earth with talented, friendly, NON-JUDGEMENTAL students, and amazing financial aid. That is completely, and totally false!!! You should look into the full range of need-blind schools. And also, with your financial situation, you can be assured that any college that admits you will probably award you excellent financial aid.</p>

<p>In the years you have before applying to colleges, PLEASE do some actual research and stop getting hung up on the Harvard myth of total perfection in all things (students, faculty, financial aid…). It is a myth! A myth that is destructive to too many gullible kids who become fixated on something not true, and therefore lose sight (no pun or insult intended) of so much that is so amazing in the whole of the American education system.</p>

<p>And given your current financial situation, there SURELY must be some kind of health programs that will cover your needs. You need to speak to your guidance counselor at your high school about some of your purely physical and medical needs and get some advice.</p>

<p>And if you are in New York I do not understand how you are getting to Cambridge, MA and spending so much time at Harvard. Or why. New York City has wonderful schools, top among them is Columbia University. Like Harvard it is an Ivy, with incredible students and faculty, the full panoply of undergraduate dorms and EC activities and great, need-blind financial aid. Virtually ALL Columbia students live in Columbia dorms their entire four years in college. Where did you get the idea that they do not? Columbia is a not a community college, or a commuter school. It is an undergraduate residential college. If you attended Columbia you would have a residential college experience just as you would at Harvard. The whole Morningside Heights area is a wonderful little oasis in New York, and a great place to spend four years. Citing the resources of Columbia is just an example of how misinformed you are about American colleges in general. Harvard is just ONE among hundreds of amazing colleges and universities in the US, more of which should be on your radar.</p>

<p>In short, you are selling yourself and all of American higher education short by assuming – falsely – that only Harvard has all of the things you dream about in an undergraduate experience. That is just not true. I can also add, from experience, that the stress level at Harvard and many of these schools is high, and you need to be able to physically and emotionally deal with high levels of stress. Start that learning process now by talking with a health professional about getting your needs met!</p>