<p>@swingtime thank you very much. Ill broaden my college choices and ill just try to make e most of my years. I did do research and I know you don’t have to be perfect to get in, however you can’t be too much of a mess up like I was. Also, trust me I’m excellent with dealing with stress. I’ve been doing it all my life. :P</p>
<p>Let’s Get Ready is an organization that gives free college preparation/SAT tutoring. My daughter is a volunteer tutor there (there is a group from Columbia University and another from Barnard College). You might want to contact them for assistance with your college goals or even just general questions about Columbia or Barnard:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.wikicu.com/Let’s_Get_Ready[/url]”>http://www.wikicu.com/Let’s_Get_Ready</a>!</p>
<p>[Home</a> - Let’s Get Ready](<a href=“http://www.letsgetready.org/]Home”>http://www.letsgetready.org/)</p>
<p>It is crucial that you have been reaching out and sharing with us. We all really respect your honesty and openness, as clearly you do NOT want to go through the stresses of health, high school, or college selection alone. GOOD!!! </p>
<p>Now, you need to talk to someone about your financial situation and its impact on your lack of health care. My suggestion was someone at your school – high school counselor, school nurse, teacher you trust, as well as your mom. It is hard to do your best when you are burdened by health care worries (particularly that asthma). Work on feeling better, and then worry about college. OK???</p>
<p>And be sure to take seriously the information that StatBeast1 offerred about “Let’s Get Ready,” for free college prep and SAT tutoring.</p>
<p>@StatBeast1 thank you so much! I will definitely look into the program. You’re a life saver. :)</p>
<p>I think you’ve had a very interesting life with a lot of struggles and that is something colleges take into consideration and I do not think you should be discouraged from applying to those schools, at the same time you truly never know whether or not you’ll get accepted into those programs, so i suggest making a back up plan for yourself, if for whatever reason you’re not accepted into the program of your choice, you can always attend a different but decent school, get some more experience, attend some seminars/workshops, join some clubs, and then maybe try applying as a transfer student to those schools or even applying for a grad program at those schools. </p>
<p>Best of luck
- Lola</p>
<p>@swingtime @swingtime Yeah, I have tried to talk to all of them. My guidance counselor has over 1,000 kids to care about and she doesn’t really do anything about my situation. My mom is oblivious even though I keep telling her about it. She really doesn’t stick to what she says :/. </p>
<p>Also, how do you think I can mention these issues to the colleges I will be applying to in the future? Or how can I incorporate these issues into an essay? I know that essay topics shouldn’t be used for sympathy and I’m afraid if I’ll come out as that way. I don’t want my essay to sound depressing.</p>
<p>@LolaCherryCola thank you very much for your reply 
I will try my hardest to do so.</p>
<p>Somehow one of my links got garbled on the way to CC:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wikicu.com/Let’s_Get_Ready![/url]">http://www.wikicu.com/Let’s_Get_Ready!</a></p>
<p>The best advice I can give you is to log off CC until this time next year… And to do your best in school and what not. Take life one step at a time.</p>
<p>@StatBeast1 Thanks so much. :)</p>
<p>@EliKresses You’re right. I should just try my best, make the most out of the next 3 years, and worry about universities later :).</p>
<p>There’s nothing wrong with dreaming about Harvard. Work hard to get there, but always have a backup plan. Since money is at issue, don’t forget about the PSAT test in your Junior year. Nail it and you can pick and chose between backup schools.</p>
<p>@sosomenza I will work hard :). Also, thanks. I study everyday for the PSAT exam. :)</p>
<p>If anyone is still reading this thread, can you please tell me how I can incorporate these issues into an essay or let the interviewers know why my grades were this way freshman year ?</p>
<p>Bump…</p>
<p>I will say this: If you continue your upward trend and get a good act/sat score, along with BEING INVOLVED…you have a very good chance, even at Harvard. However, you MUST highlight your personal struggle in your essays. The reason I say you have a good chance is because of your unique story, and also because you are Hispanic. But like other people said, there are plenty of great schools out there not named Harvard. But anyway, you are just a freshman, so at this point I would just advice you to get involved and keep your grades strong.</p>
<p>Your story is harrowing, incredible… inspiring. Forget “telling your story” to colleges: tell your story to everyone. Seriously, you NEED to sit down and write or type out your story in GREAT detail. You need to edit it, devote yourself to it, and pour your emotions into every word. EVERY WORD. Then, you need to relate it to the broader demographic changes occuring in the United States: immigration, decreasing upward social mobility, curtailment of hispanic civil rights. FINALLY, you need to present this to a publisher or newspaper and… OMG YOU’RE SOOOO GOING TO BE REWARDED!!!</p>
<p>First of all… that was a very touching story. It opened my eyes ( no mean pun intended). In fifth grade I got glasses. Before them I couldn’t see a thing. I felt like a blind animals plundering through life. There is no way I could’ve lived without them, and I took them for granted. If I broke them, we went to the eye doctor. Contacts? No problem. Your story made me appreciate all that I have.
Second of all… keep dreaming. Like others have said Harvard isn’t the only school out there. It seems as if you and your mum aren’t all that close, so I wouldn’t feel bad about checking out some of the west coast schools as well ( California has some AMAZING schools). That said, I could totally see you at one of the other Ivies like UPenn or Princeton.
Thirdly… I have a story to share with you. It’s not mine- it’s my mum’s. When she was a little girl her family was poor. Her dad was an alcoholic and her mum worked in a factory. She went to an normal college and got a degree in education. Through that she got the opportunity to teach in lots of countries and make around $100,000 yearly. Then she met my dad. We now live in lovely house, and I have a younger sibling whom I call Bubbles. My point is her situation was similar to yours ( maybe worse, seeing as her mum was earning around the same as yours and she had four siblings). Everything worked out for her and she’s an inspiration to me. I’m just saying- you will be happy one day.
I hope that helped:)</p>
<p>With this story, your economic background and possibly with being a URM, you may get into top schools more easily if you tell your story without sounding conceited or fixated on Harvard. An upward trend with the correct accompanying story can be just as effective as a 4.0 GPA. You need to work on doing independent work with whatever you passionate about—geoscience?—and prove that you can contribute to not only the programs you describe but also more prestigious ones. </p>
<p>Admissions into top schools is much harder than you think it is. Most people who get into these schools have been at the top and excelling from the beginning. I say this as a Hispanic with near 4.0, 2400 SAT who is, 95%+ chance, not getting into any of Harvard, Princeton, or Yale. </p>
<p>Getting into Harvard is not easy for anyone but a select group of people, and you seem to have an obstacle that was just removed. I think you may be over-estimating your true abilities quite a bit, but without proper perspective we cannot even assume that you are not smart. And don’t forget that there are many places that provide good education and opportunities other than Harvard.</p>
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<p>I agree with Okay. The competition is truly brutal. Harvard rejects roughly 17 out of every 18 applicants. That should sound daunting enough, but the applicant pool is heavily weighed with those in the top fraction of the top 1%. So Harvard is essentially taking only 1 in 4-5 applicants in the top one-quarter of 1%. To pin your hopes on Harvard is to put your ego on the line needlessly. Wherever you end up will provide you a great opportunity if you just take advantage of what they offer.</p>
<p>That said, all the very top schools love a good story of someone overcoming severe adversity and ultimately meeting every challenge. A story of woe will not get you in, but a story of how you overcame adversity to end up on top could well do so. For now, focus on getting your stats up. If and when you succeed, your story will almost write itself.</p>