Rate my chances!

<p>bump bump anyone else?</p>

<p>10%...btw..why are u askin students just like you..they arent in the admissions office..they dont know whats goin on..Its unique for every freakin individual..its like askin a dude whats the possibility of u gettin a job whereas this dude is freakin tryna get the job too..(btw..do u guys mind the word freakin?)..only the admissions ppl know..dats it..!..and i siad 10 % because i dont know..and if i said 99%..but that shouldnt make u feel ANY better than the 10%..goodday..</p>

<p>anyone who actually is a critical grader?</p>

<p>sexydesi that was a nice post, i have been trying to tell this guy that shi* for a few months now</p>

<p>4 pgs, nice amit</p>

<p>lololololl</p>

<p>oh man, what an interesting thread. i understand what you mean by taking regular classes, ive done that too. what's the point of taking incredibly difficult classes in areas that aren't of muhc interest to you? it'll just add up your workload and not let you focus on what you truly like. ive been to numerous college info sessions, mainly because i live in the area and have taken courses from harvard and mit. they all say the most important thing is to show your passion. you have a decent chance, itll be a reach though. work hard and try to improve your grades. and if you find smth you truly love, be sure to emphasize that point. its not the well-rounded student that colleges want, its a well-rounded campus. hope this helps!</p>

<p>thanks azngirl! I really love playing the piano..I have around 70 cd's of different classical music and I listen to music all the time every day...I dont get enough time to play the piano nowadays, like only an hour a day because of hw. I want to play in college and minor in it.. In college id like to play at least 3 hours a day because thats what id really like to do...just play until i dont feel like playing any more that day. My future plans include giving concerts but not accepting profits for my playing because i dont believe music should be something u should make money out of..except if u are a composer because u actually create the music, not just play someone else's. I actually dont have a very good piano because my parents cant afford to buy a grand piano, but i want to go to harvard so i can play there because i heard they have grand pianos in every house! I think thats very cool because other colleges ive traveled to over the summer dont even have pianos or have very dinky ones in terrible shape! Id also like to emphasize my involvement with bwb. I didnt put it down in the thread but i am a joint service leader and a board member for the club. The boardmembers and the president plan out the meetings and the fundraising activities. The actual club has around 50 members but only 5 are board members and 2 co presidents. I also love watching and doing standup comedy. I watch late nite with conan o brien every day and i know how he went to harvard. I want to join a club at harvard, if i get accepted, that allows me to perform at local comedy clubs, which is what is planned for the new comedy club that i am president for. I hope to give a very good interview where i get to talk about my interests and expand on what i said here.</p>

<p>Do u think if i improved on my grades that i would have a pretty good shot? Like 50%? Im working hard to get 3 800's on my sat2's and a very near perfect score, maybe even perfect, depending on how quickly i progress. Verbal i have a 750 or so because i take too long reading. I end up leaving the last few ques. in each verb. sectin blank because of that. But i make up with strong consistency on the rest of the ques, like only one wrong. If i improve my reading speed which i want to do and maintain my consistency, i could be staring down a 2400, hopefully!</p>

<p>cool, improving grades would help some but it's no guarantee. it's all in how different you are because im sure there are many many people with perfect grades and SATs out there. on the other hand, having been at harvard summer school and having lived in their dorms, eaten in their dhall, practiced in their rooms, it's a lie that they have a grand piano in every entryway. what's more, their music building isn't all that great. maybe it's because im from exeter and we have an AMAZING music b. but they only have like 8 grand pianos. but it's true that their music program is strong. yo yo ma went there! my friend's dad was roommates with him ;-)</p>

<p>Do all the dorms have pianos though? When I went to Colby College in Maine this summer, all their dorms had (bad condition) pianos.</p>

<p>not the dorms..the harvard info guide says that harvard has pianos in every house...does anyone how many grand pianos are in each house and if they are in good condition? (are they steinway btw?)?</p>

<p>bump bump bump</p>

<p>bump bump anyone anyone please???!</p>

<p>you realize you can't just "really like" to play the piano and be able to do it at a college like Harvard without being exceptional. what kind of pieces have you been playing? </p>

<p>and please explain how you plan to give concerts without collecting profits. that makes no sense. how will you pay for the venue?</p>

<p>Ill pay for the venue with the profits but everything else will go towards charity. I'm pretty good for 10 years, i just havent played that many competitions. I learn by myself. The thing is im too good for the local competitions but im not sure how id match up in the national competitions. My teacher graduated from the royal school of music in london with a full scholorship (given to only two ppl in hong kong) and she comments that i have amazing potential and for only playing 1 hour a day, im very good. Obviously that doesnt say much but im sending in a cd as good proof.</p>

<p>what piece(s) will you send? the number of years a person plays is almost entirely irelevant at the upper echelons of music performance. if i recall, there were a few American pianists who had started at 18 or 19 and in three years began to win international competitions. My friend who is a high-lvl pianist practices 4hrs a day. I don't see how you can compete with this.</p>

<p>Look, I have a friend who wants to go to the Royal Academy of Music in London (best school for music in the world) for piano. If you think you're "too good for local competitions," you aren't going to make it. You need to go through those first steps to get to the big stage! If you can afford it, go for those national competitions! There is often funding to get you there. If you can't play Rachmoninoff by memory, I'd say try to concentrate on something you LOVE as opposed to "really like." You need absolute focus and determination (determination we know you have). But you need to focus in on what's most important and what you feel you can accel at. Just don't get so obsessed over Harvard. It's a school for anomolies... Not a really smart person. Harvard is for those people who can do anything you ask them in their field of expertise. You will not find too many students who are just well rounded, top of the class individuals. You will find those people who were never with their class in the first place, they just happened to be the same age and graduate the same year. As for the music thing... I will definitely tell you that you do not know what is out there if you are confident to make it to Harvard "liking piano a lot." My friend for instance, was completely dumbfounded when he went to national competitions that there were people "better" than him. Then he busted his butt to become the best AT THOSE COMPETITIONS. They are not everything, but it certainly helps you to understand that when you really like music it's a wonderful thing, but there are always people who are more committed and who can outplay you. I am a percussionist, and though I am not going into music, I had similar experiences... You can never be satisfied with the level you are at in music, you must improve every single day. Music is not like math or science which are not able to improve on a consistant basis the same way music can. I am not saying you are limited by potential, but certainly with the attitude you are taking. And you mentioned teaching yourself.... BAD IDEA!!! You can learn so much from a professional player! If you are serious about music, it must be a 220% commitment... not just the 110% needed for a math or science guy (just kidding for all you math/science people out there-I am a math guy, so please don't take offense to that comment!!). Music is so hard, especially at an established University. Just stay focused!!!</p>

<p>so so so sorry for all you piano people, Rachm-A-ninoff, not Rachmoninoff... that "A" always gets me (I'm just glad my last name isn't Rachmaninoff)</p>

<p>For the pieces comment, im sending in chopin's 3rd etude "tristesse" and maybe a piece by bach, like a prelude and fugue, something in a different era. Yea i get what u mean. My parents tell me that too. Piano is something everyone plays, and even if im better than the average individual who plays for 10 years, its going to take tons of more commitment. I want to play 3 hours a day when i go to college. I want to give concerts and i have a dream, but it is going to take a lot of commitment. One reason i want to go to harvard is so i can have the opportunity to practice a lot while still not giving up my academic opportunity. But yea, as my parents say too, im not going to become a professional pianist as my first job. Its only going to be my hobby; just something ill be really good at and will able to show to friends and occasionaly give concerts to raise money. BTW, i take music with a teacher who graduated from the Royal school of music with a full scholorship. Lol, i dont learn by myself. I meant that i study music individually without really going and playing competitions. My teacher recommended me to not play at local competitions because she said the required music for those is too easy. I have never heard of or signed up for national competitions. But the thought of national competitions sounds so scary, soo competitive. I am a tennis player myself and we a strong national tournament at our local club. We see some of the best in the nation play and i am amazed by the drive and commitment exhibted by ALL of them, not some of them. I am sure that is how it is at the national piano competitions, and even though i am much more commited to piano than tennis, i dont think i can stand a chance against people who have been playing like 4 hours a day. My dream is to play pieces like the rachmaninoff 3'rd piano concerto when i get older, but i dont plan to make money off of it. I guess i have different goals than the people who are applying to harvard. Im just wondering, do u think i should send in a cd then when i have to compete with people like those u mentioned?</p>