Hi all,
I wasn’t sure where to post my question, so I decided to post it here (It seems relevant).
I took SAT this march and Received 650 verbal and 800 math, 6/6/5 essay. I want to pursue (double major) in either computer science or Biomedical engineering.
When it comes to math, I am pretty good (790 Math II, 5 BC Calc, 3.95 raw GPA). But it’s always English that screws me over. I only came to the US 6 years ago (I am perma resident now), and my primary language spoken at home is Korean, not English.
I was just wondering if 1450 is good enough for Harvard ED. Many people recommended 1550+, but because of reading and grammar section, I just can’t raise it. I am also unsure how I can explain to Harvard that I am a foreigner.
if major is CS and BME, Harvard is definitely not the best option. If you’re going to go through the trouble of going for an elite university, at least go to one that is good for intended major. It will be easier to get into UC Berkeley or Michigan, and you will likely save money and get a much better education.
And Harvard doesn’t allow double majors, just a joint concentration which involves tradeoffs. It may be right for you and may not. Like everyone, you are a long shot but look at the curriculum structure before you apply.
@kjake2000 That really depends on the financial situation of the OP. If he’s out of state for Cal, he’s going to almost certainly have far more debt than if he went to Harvard. Same goes for UM.
Anyways OP, I highly doubt Harvard would buy your excuse, and with a 1450, you’re going to be a hard sell (ORM, and below average scores). What kind of ECs do you have? Any Nobel prizes?
While some students are accepted to Harvard with that score, those students tend to have other factors that mitigate their lowish SAT – such as being a concert quality musician, URM, recruited athlete, legacy applicant, or the child of a large financial donor. As you didn’t mention you have any of those things, IMHO you stand a good chance of being deferred in the SCEA round as your application will be overshadowed by the “Polly and Peter Perfects” of this world. In addition, you also stand a good chance of being rejected in the RD round with that score.
Yes, that’s correct. If you look at GPA vs SAT data in the freshman survey chart under APPLICATION, you can visually see that the HIGHER your SAT score (along with a higher GPA), the better chances of acceptance you have. http://features.thecrimson.com/2015/freshman-survey/makeup/
You don’t - Harvard is not looking for explanations; it’s an American university with primary instruction in English, and so expects all admitted students to be able to hit the ground running. Whether your scores will be detrimental to you, well, that’s an unknown, since none of here are AO’s. But @gibby does speak from experience.
The point is, are your English skills good enough to be able to do the reading, writing and research in your classes, especially the 10 required Gen Eds? A score of 650 for someone who has only been speaking English outside the home, and only for 6 years, is actually impressive but how do you feel you will do handling rigorous classes in the various categories of gen ed requirements? You could look at schools that do not have gen eds perhaps.