I am new to this website and have some inquiries.
I graduated Highschool and am currently taking a year off before college to peruse my passions. My education has been anything but traditional up until this point.
Freshman and Sophomore year I attended two different private schools.
I was homeschooled prior to that for middle school just for reference. Anyways, I transferred out of my first high school due to an improper fit (the bullying didn’t help as well but that was not my reason for leaving). I missed 100 days of school between my Freshman and Sophomore years due to severe mental illnesses (depression, bipolar, personally disorder, and a few more). Freshman and sophomore year were very challenging due to missed days and almost being institutionalized many times. My combined GPA for F and S years is 3.5:/
I decided that college was a better fit for me than highschool, and that it would be more beneficial to my non-traditional way of learning. I attended a state university (under the title “dual enrolled homeschooled”) and earned 24 college credits my junior year. By this point I had been in therapy for a few years and was significantly improving due to new medication (after trying many). GPA for junior year-4.0
I attended two Ivy League extension courses for my senior year which included an on campus weekend. Senior year GPA-4.0 (8 credits)
SAT score-2200
My question finally(forgive my long explanation): It has always been my dream to attend Harvard. It is a good fit for me in many ways.
The last thing I want is to put a sob story on my application…but my illness has been such a large part of my growth, and the medication changes obviously made an impact between F/S and J/S years. Unfortunately there is such a big stigma. The point is I improved greatly after hard work in therapy and new medication. I also took a different route instead of trying to suffer through traditional high. I earned perfect grades for 32 credits of college courses and the schedule/personal time management worked splendidly for me instead of daily homework assignments etc in private high school.
My ECs are slim due to the obvious…I have a few passions that kept me going during those especially hard times, but I didn’t earn any awards or recognition or compete.
What is my chance of getting into Harvard, or any of the top tier schools for that matter (just for curiosity sake). Lastly, how do I explain my growth if I can’t mention the thing that brought me where I am today?
Once again I apologize for the long post, I just would like some feedback. I really appreciate it:)
I can’t answers with regard to your chances for curiosity or reality sake. I would want you to consider the impact of the pressure that goes with such a top tier school on all of the hard work you have done to get your mental health problems under control at this point. An excellent, but less intense school might be a better option if your goal is successfully graduating. Why not stack things in your favor?
I agree with @NorthernMom61. I understand you really want to go to a top-tier school, but you should be very sure you’ll be able to handle the stress that comes with Harvard or else you’ll be miserable.
Considering your academics and such, I think you’ve got a solid base to your application. Your freshman and sophomore years can be explained as you’ve stated it now, and your SAT score is good as well. I don’t think I have a right to say what sort of chance you have of getting into Harvard as I’m applying to colleges right now myself, but I do wish you the best of luck and congratulations for finding a solution that works for you.
Thank you for your responses…I appreciate it. In response to handling the stress, I completed my last two years at universities (one being an Ivy league program) and did well due to my recovery. @IBscholar , do you think it’s a good idea to explain my mental illness to the universities though considering the stigma?
@Slytherin616 I’m thinking about it, and to be honest with you, I’m not sure. While I applaud you for your ability to control your mental illnesses which demonstrates a clear sign of resilience, from what I’ve read universities may be rather wary of students with mental illnesses because if anything happens to you, they are liable for your well-being being compromised. At the same time, explaining your mental illness and going into the stigma that comes with it seems to me a great topic for your essay, as not only your academic but also your personal life was/is influenced because of it.
I would wait for more responses before considering definitively what you should write your essay on, as I only have a limited scope of knowledge as an applicant.
Why exactly do you want to attend Harvard, and why do you think it is a good fit for you in many ways? It sounds like a terrible fit.
I applaud your perseverence in managing your illness and your openness in discussing it. What I don’t understand is why you would want to put yourself in an environment which is very likely to create extreme stress.
Your odds are quite slim with limited ECs. Slimmer if you need are a transfer student. My advice is to focus your attention on schools with a somewhat higher acceptance rate. You can certainly apply to H, but odds are very high (as they are for all applicants) that you won’t be attending there. Start looking at other schools – there are thousands of colleges in the U.S., and tons where you can get a great education besides the top few schools.
It wouldn’t be considered transfer because I’m not transferring credits, those credits went towards my last two years of “highschool” since I wasn’t actually in Highschool. I had a transcript put together and the college courses are listed under my junior and senior years and count toward my high school credits…just at the college level.
@renaissancedad I have a whole list of pros and cons and the pros outweigh the cons. Also since I’m on medication and have been since junior year I am able to deal with the stress of college classes, even those at an Ivy League extension school, and produce 4.0s. I was hoping my application would show that after treated, I suceeded at college level course without any problems. Even have a letter of rec from the Ivy Extension school professor. But I appreciate your feedback
You wrote severe mental illness, I would say no. My kid had a high school classmate commuted suicide at Harvard, the last year, just a few days before she graduated. I don’t think she had exhibit any mental health issue. College is hard, and not just Harvard.
I don’t think it a good idea to disclose or go there.
I’m going to try to answer several different questions, although perhaps not exactly what you asked:
Should you explain your situation, including your illness, in applying to selective colleges? In your case, I think you should. You need to explain the unorthodox path you’ve taken, as well as the lack of ECs. Also, you can point to your good grades the last couple of years as part of your story of how you have overcome your illness. That’s crucial, I think–selective schools don’t want to buy into problems, but they do like people who have overcome hardships.
Are you likely to be accepted by Harvard? Probably not–even with your story, your overall grades and scores are probably not going to get you into Harvard, or any other super-selective school. As you say, you don’t have a lot of other achievements, and most admitted students there have multiple achievements. While overcoming severe illness is indeed an achievement, it’s probably not a plus in the sense of other achievements.
Should you apply to, or attend, a school like Harvard? Probably not. There’s a lot of pressure, not only from academics, but from extracurriculars. Although you’ve done well the last couple of years, you’ve apparently been at home–being in college, in a more stressful environment, may not be the best for you.
Where should you be looking? I would advise you to look at liberal arts colleges–smaller size, smaller classes, more contact with professors, good student support.
@Syltherin616, there’s a big difference between succeeding at a college level extension course and being able to handle to full time pressure of Harvard. My brother was miserable at Harvard. I went there for medical school, and it was the only time in my life that I’ve had to be treated for depression. There are great resources and many wonderful people, but it’s not an easy environment.
I’m curious as to what your carefully weighed reasons are for being so set on Harvard. I agree with @Hunt that you need to explain your situation - otherwise your high school/dual curriculum path is going to look bizarre. And I think you will have a hard time finding an elite school that is willing to risk it - student mental illness and suicide are already hot topics, even in those who don’t have a documented history. I sympathize with you and admire you for pulling yourself out of a tough situation, but I think the odds are not in your favor. I’d be glad to be proven wrong.
A reasonable course might be to start somewhere less ambitious and then attempt to transfer. That’s not an easy path, but at least you’d have more of a track record of being able to handle to pressure. I agree about looking at liberal arts colleges - a more intimate academic environment would be highly to your advantage. There are many superb ones.
Good luck. I sincerely hope things work out for you.