<p>If you 8th graders live in California, Virginia, or Michigan just go to your state school. It’s just as good for getting into med school admissions wise and you save 100 thousand dollars. I know you’re just in 8th grade so you aren’t capable of thinking about how much debt you’ll have going into residency but it’s just one of those things you learn. Don’t kill yourself in high school, it’s not worth it.</p>
<p>isn’t it a little presumptuous of you to think that just because people are in eighth grade that they aren’t “capable of thinking about how much debt you’ll have going into residency”. And there is a big difference then say UCLA and Harvard. Harvard is number 1 and UCLA is number 25</p>
<p>Number 1, number 25, so what? I just created my own college rankings and I put Harvard #25 and UCLA #1. Why are yours better than mine? It’s all hoop-la. Maybe Harvard is a good place for some people, but it’s never the <em>only</em> good place. Not going to an Ivy won’t make people think less of you. And if it makes you think less of yourself, then you’ll at least have thousands of dollars to compensate.</p>
<p>Besides, who the hell knows what they want to do in middle school? I wanted to go to Art School so badly when I was a sophomore and now I love Econ. I still have no idea what I want to do with myself.</p>
<p>I’m sorry, but there’s really nothing you can do. Your future has already been determined when you were in the womb.</p>
<p>But in all honesty, don’t focus on Harvard/MIT. Put that in the back of your mind (it’s nice to have it as a motivator), or else you’re gonna end up as one of those cutthroat competition people are gonna hate…and people wouldn’t vote you for those coveted leadership positions.</p>
<p>^Also, it will be easier to get a 3.9+ GPA at UCLA than at Harvard, and GPA is far more important than your undergrad school for med school admissions.</p>
<p>Work for Harvard. It will pay off.</p>
<p>Be smart.</p>
<p>ololololololol</p>
<p>Don’t work for harvard. You probable won’t get in and you’ll become a bitter old man filled with regret waiting to die alone.</p>
<p>Enjoy you’re life. Allow high school to be a catharsis for you. </p>
<p>see what i did there?</p>
<p>Lol.
Why does every single middle schooler not only think they have a chance of getting into Harvard, but why do they all think it’s the ONLY way to have a good life? Unless you have connections, a Harvard degree doesn’t do THAT much more.</p>
<p>^
It’s true.</p>
<p>But the name itself makes you sound great.
Besides that it’s nothing much.</p>
<p>The campus is old, beautiful and whatnot but the classrooms are horrid.</p>
<p>The area surrounding is full of creepers and cool stuff, but tons of creepers.</p>
<p>On one hand I think, “Way to go OP!” You have to have goals, yours are high, and I think that many MIT & Harvard admits did have the goal to attend top schools in 8th grade - or even earlier. I know my youngest son set his goal to get into NU, or MIT in 6th grade - and he’s on target to get there.</p>
<p>On the other hand, the posters suggesting not to limit yourself, or not to over-invest yourself into getting admitted to H and MIT are also correct. Your HS career is before you, and you have a lot of time to see what you can do, and not do, and how likely you are to achieve your early goals. I think the key to future success is to be flexible, so be prepared to adjust your goals as the years go by. It’s the smart thing to do, and you’ll be a lot happier than just obsesssing over what might turn out to be a non-obtainable goal. </p>
<p>Good luck to you, work hard, and enjoy whatever happens.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your feedback.</p>
<p>To make one thing clear, I am not EXPECTING to get in to Harvard, BUT it the goal that I am setting for myself.</p>
<p>I have a couple questions.</p>
<p>I am residing in Canada, and I want my plan for HS should be.</p>
<p>Should I do the IB program? or AP Courses? What looks good?</p>
<p>I also understand that I should get involved in EC activites, but do activities I’m passionate about, not just a whole bunch of randoms.</p>
<p>Also, does schools in the States like MIT/Harvard have different tuition fees for International (Canadian) students?</p>
<p>Thanks Again.
-Isaac-</p>
<p>Some tips. Most of my knowledge is derived from College Confidential and a handful of other forums. Much credit goes to Silverturtle’s wonderful admissions guide.</p>
<p>-~-Great grades (3.8 or higher): As long as you have good study habits, that is, you don’t procrastinate, you know how to effectively study without wasting time, and you’re reasonably intelligent (and I think you are, because your grammar, while not the best indicator of intelligence, seems to indicate some degree of brightness), getting a 3.8 gpa or higher isn’t too impossible (unless you got to a school renowned for difficulty, in which case different standards apply).
If you have trouble setting deadlines for yourself, studying effectively, or time management I heartily recommend StudyHacks (the site I linked previously). It has many useful tips.</p>
<p>-~- Great relationships with teachers: Building good relationships with teachers is essential. Having teachers who think of highly of you is important because:
1. They’ll inform you of opportunities to excel outside of the classroom, like competitions, and probably be willing to spend some of their own time helping you with those kinds of things.
2. They’ll be willing to write great recommendations for you when you request them for college applications.</p>
<p>-~-Challenging classes: Taking a schedule that shows intelligence and dilegence is something that’s very valuable. Why? A student who achieves straight A’s in a schedule that’s rigorous and hard will be much more impressive than a student with a comparable GPA taking joke classes. Additionally, one’s weighted GPA often rises when taking harder, honor or AP level classes. This doesn’t mean a schedule designed to cause massive amounts of stress is necessary, rather, a schedule that showcases your talents without draining you of all sleep is ideal.</p>
<p>-~-Going beyond the high-school level: Don’t be satisfied with what you encounter at the Highschool level unless your school is notoriously good (Stuyvesant High, Thomas Jefferson,…). Find your ** passion ** and push beyond what a typical student would attempt. </p>
<p>For example, a student interested in mathematics would pursue math competitions or math classes at a level that the majority of his peers would not. A student interested in Biology would find a local internship at a local university, hospital, lab, or zoo and build a reputation. If you can manage it, getting published in a journal is a huge resume booster, as well as an opportunity to get a feel for how a scientist’s life is. Find a passion and pursue it to levels that are exceptional. There are tons of ways to do this, and there’s scarcely post length enough to cover them all. </p>
<p>-~-Get involved outside of the academic sphere: Start playing a sport you enjoy or volunteer at a community service you find meaningful. I know some kids who’ve started temple or church youth groups, or gotten badges in Boyscouts/Girlscouts. A football player I know is getting a full ride to a pretty good uni for his athletic accomplishments.</p>
<p>I’m sure others hear could add to this post, so don’t think of this as comprehensive in the least. I’m just putting out a few of my thoughts.</p>
<p>I wish that I had that list as a frosh.</p>