Hello! I already sent in my application but I have been on this forum for years and always wanted to do one. I understand that my chances of getting into Harvard are slim and applied on a whim (did all my tests REALLLYYY last minute)
A little about me:
I am from Ontario, Canada
I am of Caribbean descent (black-although I believe internationals don’t count as URMs)
And I am female planning to become a doctor (so I’ll major/concentrate in something biology related.
I took the sat (November) and act (February) both once
SAT: 2070 (R:720, M:700, W:650) with 8 essay
ACT: 34 (E:35, R:33, M:33, S:36) with 21 essay
I didn’t take the ACT because I was naturally better at it. In fact, my SAT score was around the same as my first ACT practice test (30.5). I took the ACT because it’s a lot cheaper since it doesn’t have the extra fee for Canadians.
I never did any subject tests, but I heard if the tests present a financial burden than it won’t be counted against you.
Extracurriculars: nothing too impressive
-I’m the treasurer of a hospital related charity (we’ve raise over $6000) (1 year)
-volunteer at the hospital (1 year)
-I play volleyball (middle blocker). I’m not naturally gifted at volleyball and tried out for the team many years before I made it in grade 11 (and as a starter!). Hopefully this shows perseverance. I mentioned this in my applications and my Harvard interviewer was also an athlete so he seemed impressed. (2 years)
-link crew (2 years)
-a lot of tutoring (3 years)
-lead workshops for parents that teach them tips on how to better prepare their kids for the transition into school life. I also help to teach the kids basic skills (reading, writing and math) (3 years)
-I was a programmer on a robotics team, but not for very long. But while on the team I engaged in community initiatives that encouraged more girls to pursue STEM. (1.5 years)
-I also am actively involved in Black History month performances, was the MC for the school’s grand opening and was part of a school play (play was 1 year and I was involved in Black history month for 3 years)
-model UN (1yr)
I never planned to apply to American schools so all the ECs I was involved in were out of a genuine interest, not because I thought they look good on my uni apps (especially since ECs don’t matter for admittance into most Canadian universities)
Awards: mostly school related stuff (I.e top grade in drama, bio, etc.) and an award from u of t that my school gives to the top student
Senior year course load: English, 2 maths (one being calculus), bio, chemistry, 2 humanities courses. My school doesn’t offer any ap or ib courses but I’m currently taking two courses at one of Canada’s top universities and I got an A- in my first one (doing the second now) so hopefully that shows initiative.
GPA: grade 9- 90, grade 10- 93, grade 11-93, grade 12-95/96.
I have one of the highest averages in my school so I can safely say I’m in the top 10% possibly even the top 1% (there are around 450 kids in my year)
Additional: I wrote my common app essay about how my mother had a stroke when I was in elementary school and then developed manic depression. During that time, even up until now, I had to really step up and from the age of 8/9 I did majority of the cooking in the house, I had to make sure my mom was on time with bills, and I would have to go out and get the groceries (it’s not easy balancing a bag full of eggs, milk and bread on your handlebars as you ride home). While most kids were going to the park and hanging with friends I took on the more adult role in the house before I even reached middle school.
To be honest I was happy to help and didn’t even think our situation was abnormal until I realized I was getting odd looks as I was riding home one day.
Thankfully, my mom is better now, but I still haven’t got out of the habit of doing most of the cooking
I understand that my chances are slim and I never really got to plan for the American admission process so my application probably isn’t as polished as other applicants. However, I would still like to know if I even have a shot or if I wasted a crap ton of money on standardized tests and uni applications.
