<p>I am a sophomore in high school right now, and am wondering what I need to do/achieve to even look at going to harvard. I got a 1400 out of 2400 on my SAT in 7th grade and a 174 on my PSAT this year (CR was at 98th percentile). I am in a lot of clubs too! (Marching Band, French Honor Society, FBLA, History Club, Math Team, Mock Trial, Science Olympiad, and Sculpture Olympics + more). I was secretary of FBLA in 9th and am historian this year. I plan on starting to play sports; tennis and track. As for volunteer work, I volunteered during our annual Senior Citizen Luncheon in 9th and 10th. As for other achievements, this is my 4th year straight going to all-county music festival for tuba, i came 22nd and 3rd in 2007 and 2008, respectively, in Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee, and almost have a black-belt in martial arts. I am active in my school and in my community; got many awards from my community for excellence. What other tests/volunteer things do i have to take/do? I am thinking of interning for my state (ny) senator, Craig Johnson, because he asked me to help him out on the basis of my achievements in the spelling bee! So, am I on the right track for being accepted into Harvard?
P.S. - My ethnicity is second generation Indian American, will this help me or hurt me?</p>
<p>I think that everyone here can agree that you are on the right track to being a competitive applicant, but no one can guarantee your acceptance to Harvard. Because of its selectivity, Harvard can hand pick two members from the Saudi royal family, three descendants of Khublai Khan, one Zimbabwe refugee, and one Mississippi River tour boat guide. It's that random and that competitive. </p>
<p>It's not about what you need to achieve more of because someone will always "do more" than you. You have to be able to offer Harvard something more than stellar grades and stellar transcripts. As a HS sophomore, you still have a year or so to prove yourself. But from what I can see, you will be a competitive applicant. </p>
<p>As far as your ethnicity, I think that you will be at a disadvantage because Asian/Indian Americans are overrepresented in most of the Ivies. That's not to say that you don't stand a chance. Someone correct me if I am wrong. =]</p>
<p>Good luck with you studies, and congratulations on the spelling bee! Internships always serve you well in the end.</p>
<p>Oh, and I forgot to add that you may want to kill the PSAT next year. 174 is on the low side, especially since Harvard accepts many National Merit, National Achievement, and National Hispanic Finalists, Semifinalists, and Commended Scholars. You still have a year, so get to steppin'!</p>
<p>You have A LOT of activities on your list. Although that may seem like a positive factor in admissions, it may make it hard for you to represent who you are in an application. It may sound clich</p>