Should I bother applying to Harvard?

Student Lounge Hispanic Students
1

I feel like I’m doing the most I can living with my mother and three other siblings. Whenever I see other kids wanting to go to my dream school (Harvard) they normally have tons of abroad stuff, multiple ap classes and schools that don’t see it strange for a child wanting to push him/herself.

I’m currently in ninth grade, and I’m halfway through the year. My school only lets upperclassman take more interesting and harder courses, so my schedule is relatively easy.

Honors Geometry (Next year will be H. Algebra 2)
Honors World History 1 (Taking the AP class next year)
Honors English (My teacher is semi-crazy and giving us 11th grade tests to take and counting it as a grade.)
Earth Science (My teacher last year was kinda racist so she didn’t recommend me for honors, even though I received the highest grades in her class.)
French 2 (My middle school didn’t let you take language until 8th grade.)
Principles of Business and Marketing (It’s required before you’re allowed to take any other interesting classes)
And I was gonna take AP Spanish, but I had no room. So I’m self-studying right now to polish my skills and take the exam later on.

I’m planning on enrolling in beauty school during junior year so I’m guaranteed some career to keep me going in college.

Extracurricular:
I tried some clubs, but most are after school and since I don’t have internet at home, I stay after in the library to get work done. So, I haven’t done much.
Next year, I’m getting a year-round job to help my family pay the mortgage on the house we’re planning to buy. So I won’t have time for extracurriculars.

I’m also involved in two legal cases because my mom can’t speak English, and so I have to deal with the lawyers.

As for the summer, I travel to Florida and work in the fields. So, no fancy prep school for me. I’m also waiting for my mother’s visa to finally arrive so I can go to my grandmother’s village and look for opportunities there.

Though, I’ll also be prepping for the SAT test on my own. And I’m currently writing four novels for fun. :slight_smile:

My GPA: 3.8 (unweighted) I’m not too sure on my weighted, since I have no APs.

Anyway, I feel really determined to apply to Harvard, but every other candidate seems much more accomplished at my age. So I’m starting to lose hope bit by bit.

Oh yeah, as for family income… Around 40k per year or so. Yeah… I sleep on the couch since I don’t have a bed or room. xD It’s actually great!

2

First of all, there are many awesome schools besides Harvard.

But if you take the most challenging courses you are allowed to AT YOUR SCHOOL, and get awesome grades and get awesome scores on SAT/ACT, you are still a good candidate for Harvard. Why? I think they would want someone who is very smart and has kept up with academics event though they are working in the fields over the summer.
Working a job to help with your family IS Your extracurricular. Do the best you can at that job. See if you can move up to a management position. Keep up your grades. Read extra books. Get help from teachers if you need to. Make the best of your situation and don’t worry about others. Make sure to apply to a variety of colleges, especially those who are generous to need-based scholarship students.

3

If you can get better grades, then you should do it, even if you feel it makes you “stick out” or draws attention to yourself. You need to eat up those courses and squeeze out those teachers for everything they’ve got.

You can get into a good school, but if you want Harvard (or Stanford) you have to be willing to adopt that top level of academic performance.

Then, we’ll talk about your other activities.

4

Harvard actually interested me for its academics, but also for the financial aid. I’ve read that if your family earns lower than a certain income, you won’t have to pay anything at all. It’ll relieve a burden on my family that still have three other kids. xD And I won’t need to find work so early in college, so my complete focus is on school.

5

Harvard does have great financial aid. All the Ivies do. They want students with a unique story to tell. You have plenty of time to craft a really great application. Keep taking the hardest classes available at your school and getting A’s in them. Focus on leadership opportunities wherever you can find them. Maybe you could do some entrepreneurial work to make additional money. Maybe you can self publish your novels on Amazon. Just think of any way to keep pushing yourself. You have tremendous focus and drive. Keep it. That will get you far. Don’t get bogged down by what other students are doing. Your story is much more unique than the 1-week school building project in Haiti that every kid does.

6

Funny that you mention that! ^-^ I have been thinking about starting a salon with my mother, since she is getting her Cosmetology licence. She’s an immigrant that doesn’t speak much English, so I’ll have to deal with the legal stuff. xD But I think it’ll be a great way to get experience. I’ve always wanted to manage a little business. :slight_smile:

7

As much as the cosmetology course might help financially, remember that the AP courses junior and senior years will take a lot of time and it is crucial to get A’s in those to be competitive for the Ivies. Also you will need time to prep for the SAT/ACT with online kits or prep manuals. You need to set your priorities, there will not be time for both goals, unless you can walk into the PSAT and SAT and score 2400 without study.

8

I think I’ll figure it out when I get there, because I know some teachers are more strict than others. I know my school system likes to scare kids from taking harder courses, and it’s no difference when it comes to AP classes here. So I’ll focus on my courses and then see if my second study will be manageable. I’m kind of a procrastinator, so I need the busy schedule to keep me on my toes, otherwise, my motivation lowers. Either way, the cosmetology course is only part time, so I’ll find a way to squeeze it in.