I believe the OP was responding to the tone of the post - not the opinion or the content - and I felt uncomfortable with the tone, too. I hope the adults on here remember that these are hard working teenagers asking for advice and I hope that the adults would craft the tone of their posts with the same kindness they would likely offer in person.
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Oh, I’m not mad at all. Sorry if it came off that way. I just meant, I felt the tone was a bit inappropriate for this type of post. I asked for advice, and the way this comment was phrased made me very uneasy. It’s not the opinion, that’s just fine, we all have ours. However, I believe there are ways to express our thoughts so that they actually end up being helpful, and have a positive impact on the cause we’re trying to contribute to. I do not think this comment achieved that goal. Although it might have just been how I interpreted it. Sorry for the misunderstanding.
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This is both a simple question and a complicated one.
Others have already answered the simple question: you’re highly unlikely to get into Harvard.
Even a US domestic student with your profile would be highly unlikely to get into Harvard. Applying as an international student decreases the odds even more. Even apart from the demand for the most famous and prestigious schools, there are only a handful of US universities that guarantee to meet full documented financial need for international students, and Harvard is one of them. So, every high-performing but economically disadvantaged international student is vying for one of the small number of international spots at these schools. There’s no shame in not being equipped to compete in this context.
The question is, what can you afford in terms of college expenses. If you don’t require substantial aid, there are many good schools in the US where you could be accepted and get a great education. This is where it gets more complicated. What are you looking for in an education (beyond a famous name)… what can you afford… and how can you put your best foot forward in the application process?
That last question brings me to the part about reasons/excuses for less-than-perfect grades. No matter how true your statements may be, they will sound like excuses coming from you. If you have a guidance counselor or teacher-recommender who supports this view of your academic experience and can express their opinion that your grades don’t fairly represent your level of achievement, that could strengthen your application. If it comes from you, it won’t. Do you have recommenders who could vouch for you in this way?
If you explain your budgetary constraints a bit better, we may be able to give you suggestions as to where to apply. Given your unconventional approach to high school, you may find your best fit at less traditional colleges, as well.
Also, since you’ve worked so hard at German and achieved a high level of fluency, why not look at German universities? The cost would be massively less for a comparably high-quality education.
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Hi OP! Can’t offer any advice on Harvard et al. (other than I would recommend you have an alternate plan, applying to Harvard is more of a gamble than a plan). I am curious about your level of command of the English language. You say you’re a student from Latin America yet you write as a native English speaker. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but I’m curious.
Well, I tend to be extremely direct and straightforward with students but I do apologize if my tone came off as passive-aggressive. You’ll note that I stated that you should apply, but to know that your chances will be low.
In the past, I’ve worked with local high school students who worked on their apps to some of these schools. I also advised them that if they felt that they needed to apply, then that’s what they should do, but to do so knowing the risks and to have multiple options.
Students cannot set their sights on one school and assume that their chances are “extremely high” when the admissions history, of some of these schools, is, and always has been in the single digits. I’ve had less than a handful of students get into Harvard. These students were going to do well no matter where they went to college. A couple of students didn’t attend Harvard because they got better “deals” at other schools.
The reality is that there are only so many seats available and the schools have to cut and reject students. I don’t agree with the statement that your reported chances of getting in (are/were) extremely high, because that is not true of those schools, but apply and see what happens. You can do biochem at any university; the ivies aren’t the only schools teaching this coursework.
I was straightforward and delineated the process of what gets noticed which should help you to package yourself in further applications.
There are about 4000 colleges and universities in the US; many students go to their instate schools and become successful in their fields.
The ivies are only a handful of schools which were originally based on an athletic conference. They have to limit their numbers because there are only so many seats/beds and too many students who apply with a myriad of awards, sports, thousands of hours in community activities, LOR’s, etc. They cannot accept every student who applies.
You asked for opinions, so here’s mine: you are coming from a different grading system, with different grade expectations on several fronts. It is not impossible that those differences will be relevant in evaluating your application. First, in your country are secondary school grades important for getting into college or is it a set of final exams that matters (like the vestibular in Brazil)? If the exams you sat were essentially equivalency exams to show that you had competed secondary coursework, and there is another set of exams for college admissions then your uneven grades are less relevant, b/c AOs know (or can be informed) about the difference. Second, what is considered a 'good mark in your country? For example, in the UK 40% is passing and 70% is excellent. IF the scale in your country has an 80% average as excellent then you are in a different situation. Of course, if neither of those is true- if 90+ is the mark of excellence and is what gets you into university in your country, then neither of those points is helpful 
You are going to want to think about how you phrase this. Yes, Harvard likes self-confident, assertive students, but in an application you don’t want to come across as arrogant*.
I’m going to guess that you are from a family of some means- are those means enough that you don’t need financial aid for US colleges? Are they enough that you could pay for a UK university? It’s too late for you to apply for Oxford or Cambridge, but if you could find a way to sign up for 5 US AP exams (Calc BC, Physics 1 & 2, Chem, Bio- all of which should be pretty straightforward for you), to sit in May, you could apply for conditional acceptance to study biochem at Imperial in the UK.
Finally, why Harvard vs Yale?
*Of course you might own it an essay that notes that perhaps you made your own road harder by being a 13 yo telling teachers they were unnecessary, bucking the system and winning- and that you are asking to go to their school and be taught b/c you see the merits of being part of a learning. community.
I thought the response by @aunt_bea was helpful and wonder why the OP reacted that way.
I just want to caution you OP that deciding on doing high school on your own can be interpreted in different ways, particularly when you say that you don’t need teachers or tutors and so on. It really is important how you present this decision.
Why did you need to move faster through high school? Are you “gifted” or impatient? And how did you feel losing out on social life and extracurricular experiences? What was the hurry?
These questions may come up in the minds of admissions officers. So think about how you write about your story.
And again yes apply, but learn about other schools.
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I don’t see how anyone can possibly say with certainty what your chances are. No one here works for Harvard admissions. Harvard, and similar schools are longshots for 99.99% of applicants, even strong ones. I would hate to discourage a kid that may have as much of a chance as anyone from applying.
My own two cents is that valedictorians etc are a dime a dozen for schools like Harvard. Kids that achieve outside the box, and the OP may well be one, are much more interesting to Ad Comms.
Of course the OP should not expect to get in – pretty much no one should. But I wouldn’t discourage them from applying.
There are a few posters that seem to delight in telling kids bluntly that they have no chance, I’ve seen them on many threads lately.
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Hi, I learned English at a prestigious local institute during 6 years, up to B2 level, I got a scholarship for three years in a row there, given I had the best grades in the entire school.
Afterwards, I self-taught up to C2 level. Hope this clears your doubts. Cheers.
Thank you, and I’m really sorry if my post came off as braggy or like I’m someone who doesn’t like people. That’s not true. This first semester I got chosen as a class lead for some freshmen college classes I took, and I really enjoy being in social spaces and around other students who’re also working in their projects, and are passionate about the fields they’re trying to build a career in.
This is absolutely true. I need to phrase it in a way that does not seem confrontational, because it was not my intention to begin with. I see a lot of benefits in belonging to a community, I’ve been taking college classes this year with a group of freshmen college students and I tremendously enjoy it. It’s very nice to see how we can all bring different perspectives to the conversation. Each one of us brings something completely new to the table, and that ends up making for very fruitful debates (both college-related but also about other topics).
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These are questions I definitely think I should answer in my essays, given that I do not want them to get the wrong impression from me.
I’m not one to say I’m ‘gifted’ or not, I believe offering my own perspective on that would be very biased, so I’m gonna let my professors talk about my intelligence, I don’t think it would be very appropriate for me to define myself in those terms. Also, yes, I do see a lot of merit in learning in groups and being in a community environment. I can prove this if needed, I have peers who could definitely recommend me as a classmate, and can confirm I’m always up for helping anyone who needs it, and doing my part in a team when necessary.
Are you enrolled in this college or taking courses through your HS? (I’m unclear about where you are in the homeschooling process). If you are enrolled at a college in your country, you may be considered a transfer student which is going to make it even more difficult for both acceptance and financial aid.
For Harvard, and most if not all of its peers, college courses taken before HS graduation, whether DE or not, do not count towards to the credit limit whereby one could not apply as a first-year. On the flip side, those college credits will likely not transfer, and will definitely not transfer to Harvard.
Yes but I wasn’t clear if this student had already completed HS.