post here & I will chance you...

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
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<p>I’m a junior right now, most of what is listed below is what i’ve already achieved unless stated
GPA weighted/unweighted,
I will have 11 APs by the time I apply to college:
9th: Calc BC/AB (Was in the AB class, studied BC and took exam with teachers guidance), Human Geo, Physics B. 10th: Both Physics C (Independent Study), Chemistry, World History, Statistics, 11th: AP Lang, Bio, Java, USH, along with independent study multivariate calculus
12: AP Spanish, AP Psych, AP Gov/Comp Gov maybe?, Indep. Study Linear Algebra, Indep. Study Computer Science, AP Lit
Hopefully a 2300+ SAT, All 5’s on my AP tests except for chemistry so far…
top 1-3 ECs (please don’t list everything you’ve done, only the top 1-3 that you care about/spent time on)
Math Club: President since junior year. Participant in many national competitions and our team has placed within the top 25 in the nation for many competitions. I qualified for the AIME this year and am working very hard to make USAMO.
Knowledge Bowl: Captain Senior year most likely.
9th grade: League: 1st (JV) Regionals: 3rd (varsity)
10th: League: 2nd (Varsity) Regionals: 2nd State: 4th
Hopefully top 3 in state this year along with first in regionals and league
Science Olympiad: Co-Captain Senior year most likely
Regional/State medals for Disease Detectives, Sounds of Music, Chemistry Lab, Technical Problem Solving, Write it Do it, Astronomy</p>

<p>state, WA
hooks (URM, first generation, legacy): nothing
race: Asian (Indian)
Awards: Most of the awards are covered above, I also hope to participate in the USAPhO and UNSCO and attempt to win honors/high honors for one of them.</p>

42

<p>@AstroBlue, I don’t know enough about your Math Club activities and “KnowledgeBowl” to know if they are as impressive as they sound. Hopefully, they are! Whenever you can show a level of accomplishment above the regional area, you get extra points on the alumni interview form and I know it impresses the adcoms, too. So as I read your list, it all looks really good without me being personally familiar with the specifics. See if you can do something this year that doesn’t have the nerd factor. Maybe you are already doing something and didn’t include it on your list. Good luck!</p>

43

<p>Okay, this is only as of Freshman-Sophomore year.</p>

<p>GPA: w 4.1/uw 3.55
-AP US, all honors except for second semester Alg. 2 and second semester Pre-Calc
-No SATs/ ACTs yet
-Years of viola/singing, active volunteering with special needs children, started a club that does a lot of work with Jewish World Watch, an organization that is committed to ending genocide in Sudan and the conflict in Congo and I am a board member in my youth group chapter (my position focuses on Social Action)
-California
-Became an Orthodox Jew by myself and I have a great essay stewing.
-about as middle class white as you can get
-Superior ranked violist and various awards through Jewish World Watch and Friendship Circle (volunteering with special needs kids)</p>

<p>I’m transferring to a small school and I’m taking the most rigorous courses available. A lot of grown-ups really like me so I’ll have good recommendations. I’m very charming and I have a great personality.</p>

<p>Honestly, after writing all my stuff down… I’m a lot more average than I thought. I still have another year to be exceptional… Any thoughts or input?</p>

<p>*Also, another question: does applying for an obscure or joint concentration help? Harvard is one of the few universities in America that offers Near Eastern Studies and a joint concentration type option.</p>

44

<p>@1987crimson actually I got REALLY hooked onto medicine during my 2 month volunteering in Nigeria.</p>

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<p>Judy, two of your items caught my eye. First, the viola is interesting… not too many of those out there… definitely a plus for wanting to stand out. I like the things you have done with it, too. Second, your self-conversion (maybe conversion is not the word?) could be a very compelling story. I would say you are on the right track. I disagree that you sound “average”! As for applying for certain programs, conventional wisdom is that it doesn’t matter. There have been rumors over the years that certain programs (notably classics) would be advantageous for applicants. I don’t know for a fact, but my belief is that it doesn’t matter. What does matter is for you to know if what you want to study actually exists at Harvard. Every year I have at least one applicant who says s/he wants to study accounting, fashion design, or some other field that does not exist at Harvard. I know those kids don’t get in!</p>

<p>@shahrezsyed, I’m glad you really like medicine and I’m sure you could write a spectacular essay about that. My concern is that-- for most people, such an essay topic would be self-indulgent. You would be wise to have someone who knows about college essays to read it, and ask one question… “is it boring?” And if the answer is yes, find another topic.</p>

46

<p>@OP - just wondering, what sort of questions did you ask the students you interviewed: :)</p>

47

<p>@techno, the first thing I ask is for current standardized test scores. Admissions request that we do that as the interview is usually late in the process, and they want to be sure they are looking at the most up to date info there. Then I try to get the applicant talking. I like to ask about family, about out of school activities… about whatever is important to them. I’m more interested in their personality than their resume.</p>

<p>The Admissions Department likes to have direct quotes and specific information from the interview, as opposed to musings about character, quality of their academic work, or assessments about their intellectual abilities. They are not looking for a rehash of the resume… that would be pointless, but maybe something that didn’t show up in the application but is interesting or important in assessing the applicant.</p>

48

<p>Harvard’s got a beautiful campus and my parents want me to apply so I will, but I doubt my chances in comparison to someone like Grinver, so let’s give this a shot.</p>

<p>-My school runs GPA on a 5-point scale. W:5.737, UW:5.0, 4/498 class rank.</p>

<p>-I will have taken 10 APs by the end of senior year, 11 AP scores(Calc subscore), 12 honors classes.</p>

<p>-SAT IIs: 760 Chem, 750 Math II, 610 Spanish(retaking it in October)
-APs: 4 in Euro, 5 in Calc BC, 5 in Calc AB, 5 in Lang, 4 in Chemistry, 4 in Macroeconomics, 4 in US History
-ACT: highest composite = 33, highest subscores = 36 math, 35 english, 34 reading, 30 science
-I will be taking the SAT early this fall once I hear back from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation about my PSAT scores.</p>

<p>-My volunteering is very important to me, I volunteer at the local hospital, the local senior assisted living center for Alzheimer’s patients, and spent this entire summer volunteering at Indiana University hospitals. I also volunteer my time tutoring other students and being a teacher’s aid. Not quite sure of how many hours I have total, I’ll be calculating that later on.
-Co Editor-in-Chief of the school newspaper next year, section editor last year, staff writer for two years.
-Lots of other ECs in general, i.e. Math team, Model UN, etc.</p>

<p>-Illinois</p>

<p>-No hooks</p>

<p>-Indian Female</p>

<p>-As for non-school awards, again I’ll know once I hear back about NMSQT! And I know I qualify for at least AP Scholar with Distinction, but I haven’t gotten anything in the mail yet, so I’ll have to be calling them soon. :(</p>

<p>I’m sure just my stats wouldn’t do anything for me. I mean, they pale in comparison to lots of other applicants. So I would have to have beyond amazing essays plus do really well in my interview (provided I get one), right?</p>

49

<p>Whoops, I meant 9 APs and 10 AP scores, not 10 and 11. :)</p>

50

<p>@rastogr, I’m assuming you are not Native American, when you say you are Indian. If you are NA, that changes my opinion.</p>

<p>Your stats are fine. You have a lot of interesting ECs, but nothing really MAJOR. You will be one that can be a viable candidate based on how much competition there is from your neck of the woods, your essays, and other stuff like your recommendations. There’s nothing that keeps you from being a viable candidate, but I don’t see anything that makes you a shoo-in (and remember when you are talking about Harvard, there is no such thing as a shoo-in!)</p>

<p>And frankly, at your age, you shouldn’t be doing something like applying to Harvard (or anywhere else) just because your parents want you to! Do it only if YOU want. There’s no way your application will be a success if your heart is not in it.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>@Crimson- No, I am not Native American, my parents are from India. And thanks for your feedback! I did do a research project the summer after sophomore year, but it wasn’t very major, it was a week long and on the digestive patterns of grasshoppers, and then this summer I shadowed a Professor who worked on bone strength, muscle rehabilitation, etc. but again, it was shadowing, nothing very major.</p>

<p>I will be sure to work super hard on my essays and find good teachers for rec letters, which is a given anyways, seeing as it is Harvard! Thanks again for your help!</p>

52

<p>Crimson, i was wondering how much group activities matter. I am the leader of a club that raises over 10,000 dollars annually and i was on a championship team for a sport in our state. We also placed 3rd nationally for JETS(physics).</p>

53

<p>Hello Nspired. Quality of activities matter. I’m not aware of a preference for any type of activity.</p>

54

<p>Do you recommend Early Action? There are rumors flowing around saying that the “spots” for EA has already being “reserved” for certain people, is that true? If so, what kind of people are they?</p>

<p>Also, some people said that “first-gen” doesn’t only mean that your family has never attend college, under some circumstances, even parents with regular college degree can be considered “first-gen” (which confuses me…), so is that true as well? If so, under what kind of circumstance?</p>

55

<p>@Jimmy, I have no special knowledge about these topics but I will give you my opinion. </p>

<p>RIDICULOUS that EA has spots reserved for certain people. Absolutely positively ridiculous. </p>

<p>As far as applying EA, you should apply if you are certain its your #1 choice AND you have the best chance (among your top choices) for admission. For example, if you like Harvard a LITTLE bit better than Brown, but you believe (for whatever good reason) that your chance of acceptance is a little better at Brown, you should apply to Brown. You should treat admissions as a business, and do what makes logical sense, as opposed to the feeling/emotion of “oh how I want to be accepted by Harvard!” EA may hold a slight advantage for some applicants, so don’t let your ego squander that advantage…</p>

<p>I can’t imagine that “first gen” means anything other than parents who never attended college. If anyone claimed to be “first gen” with parents who attended college, I feel sorry for them when admissions finds out. If there is some weird circumstance where “first gen” might not mean “first gen”, then I would make absolute certain that is the case by calling whichever Admissions and asking them. And getting the name of the person you talked to.</p>

56

<p>I guess I’ll give this a shot :slight_smile: I’m a rising senior. It’s always been difficult (if not impossible) for me to gauge my chances of admittance to Harvard, so I’d appreciate any feedback.</p>

<p>I plan to apply SCEA, for what it’s worth.</p>

<p>GPA: 4.6 weighted, not sure about unweighted but I’m a straight-A student, so probably around 4.0.</p>

<p>AP courses taken: Chemistry, European History, U.S. History, BC Calculus, Literature, U.S. Government (taking Physics C, Spanish, Computer Science and Language & Comp this year)</p>

<p>AP exam scores: Chemistry 4, European History 5, U.S. History 5, BC Calculus 5, Literature 5, U.S. Government 5, French 4.</p>

<p>SAT scores: Math 800, Critical Reading 770, Writing 800</p>

<p>SAT IIs: Math II 800, Chemistry 750 (is that high enough?), taking Japanese in the fall and expecting a 750+</p>

<p>Top ECs:

  • I founded my school’s Speech and Debate team and have been the captain for four years.
  • was a founding member of my school’s math team and have been a captain for 3 years; was just elected our first-ever math team President
  • member of our National Honor Society chapter and chair of our Chapter Project committee (I organize our major community service projects)
  • tutoring is really important to me; I tutor in multiple subjects but especially math.
  • I’m also fluent in five languages and proficient in two others
  • a bunch of others: black belt in karate, skiing, editor in chief of newspaper, etc.</p>

<p>State: Massachusetts</p>

<p>Hooks: legacy, I suppose - but does this help at all if we’re not high income?</p>

<p>Race: Caucasian</p>

<p>Significant awards: AP Scholar with Distinction, waiting on National Merit (I think I’ll most likely get a commendation, at least), AIME qualifier, captain of the math team that placed 3rd in our division in New England, state-level Forensics finalist, etc.</p>

<p>Do you think it’ll help that I’m a girl interested in majoring in engineering or computer science?</p>

<p>Thank you very much for taking the time to do this!</p>

57

<p>@aalee1213, being Native American will help A LOT. Emphasis on A LOT. Make sure you get that documentation. It will help a little more if you have some ties to the cultural legacy, but even without it, it will help A LOT. It will not get an otherwise unqualified applicant in the door, but it will get a qualified applicant noticed. I think it is 1/64th, but I could be wrong. I’d rather be a NA than a legacy. (MY PERSONAL OPINION<<<< !!!)</p>

<p>@strangecharm, In my view, LEGACY in no way guarantees a spot And I personally know of at least two legacies that were amazing applicants that didn’t get accepted. I subscribe to the notion that the legacy advantage is “a feather on the scale”. That said you have some excellent items there, including speaking five languages (that’s definitely WOW). If I were you, I wouldn’t worry about the 750 Chem score. Your scores are better than fine. Founding the clubs are good, too. The one strike against you is being from MA where, as you know, there are tons of legacies. Please make sure your essays & recs are amazing! You have a great shot. Good luck!</p>

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<p>@strangecharm, oh and also… I don’t think NOT being a “high income” legacy is any less advantageous. Perhaps even its better. (Or maybe that is just wishful thinking on my part!) The two legacies I know that were not accepted, were high income and one’s family has given major $$ over the years.</p>

59

<p>Hello, I am a junior in Vancouver, and I’m Chinese.</p>

<p>GPA: 4.00
APs: Lang, Lit, Chinese, French, Bio, Chem, Phys C, Psychology, Studio Art, Comp. Sci. , Calculus</p>

<p>All 5s. Self-studied for all but AP Lit and Comp.sci</p>

<p>Very good recs, plan to major in something to do with science</p>

<p>Attended John Hopkins CTY and Harvard Summer School</p>

<p>SAT: 2400</p>

<p>Class Rank: Top 5%, out of 200 ppl</p>

<p>ECs: </p>

<p>Art (featured in various galleries
Student council, math club president</p>

<p>200+ volunteering hours, mostly tutoring underprivileged kids on the Downtown East Side of Vancouver</p>

60

<p>Hi. Rising senior here. Thanks for the help in advance.</p>

<p>GPA: 4.08/3.98 (taken most rigorous courseload possible, 1 B+ freshman year)</p>

<p>AP’s: Euro (4), Chem (3), Calc BC (5, AB subscore 5), Eng Lang (5)</p>

<p>ACT: 33 (35E, 32M, 33R, 31S, 10 W –> will retake)</p>

<p>EC’s:
-speech: 1x state champ, 2x state runner-up, 2x state bronze, 6x district champ, 4x conference champ, 1x conference bronze, 1x conference 5th, won Novice of the Year during freshman year
-acadec: 1x state champ in Math & Econ, 1x regional champ in Math, 1x regional runner-up in Econ
-research: lab assistant at Creighton University School of Medicine this summer; researched prion diseases 35 hrs per week for 7 weeks</p>

<p>State: Iowa</p>

<p>Hooks: Iowa? ec’s?</p>

<p>Race: Asian</p>

<p>Awards: in line for NMF; eCybermission Nat’l Science Fair winner of northwest region in Application of Science, Math and Technology during freshman year</p>