<p>My statistics aren't that great, but I work extremely hard. I was wondering if I should bother applying to Harvard. My Guidance counselor was VERY dismissive. But I wanted a second opinion. </p>
<p>South Asian Male.
Average: 90.8 (unweighted)
12 AP Courses and 2 Honors Courses
AP World History
AP Environmental Science
AP US History
AP Bio
AP English Language and Composition
AP Spanish Language
AP Spanish Literature
AP English Literature and Composition
AP Microeconomics
AP Macroeconomics
AP Chemistry
AP Art History</p>
<p>SAT
CR: 630
M: 650
W: 680</p>
<p>SAT II
Bio: 780
US History: 700</p>
<p>My family lives WAYY below the poverty line, so I work 26 hours a week to keep my family out of public housing. I taught myself to play the classical guitar and I volunteered for some 400 hours.</p>
<p>My Essay got an A+ score from all the 5 teachers who read it. My recs should be in fine order as well. (It isn't a mopey essay - it's about things that inspire me)</p>
<p>Would I be wasting my money (or fee waivers) by applying to Harvard?</p>
<p>You really dont have a chance with a 1960 SAT and that GPA. Sounds like your Guidance counselor is right. Good luck with your other applications.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s a waste of a fee waiver to apply. The marginal cost of an additional application is so low that there is nothing to lose. If it is meaningful to you to know that you gave it a shot, then go ahead.</p>
<p>Apply dude don’t listen to your counselor or cortana w/e. Only time your going to apply to Harvard for undergrad and you have a story you aren’t the typical rich well off asian. Go for it!</p>
<p>Those who come from poverty often (though not always) have certain genuine and authentic characteristics that set them apart. These are very attractive to a prestigious college, such as Harvard, because their applicant pool comprises a number of snotty and wealthy students.</p>
<p>That being said, you should only apply to Harvard if you fit two criteria:
There is something substantial that you will gain from the college, and student population, that is greater than that which would be gained by someone taking your place.
You will contribute to the college in a way that is unique and, again, substantial (Many have come from poverty – if that’s your selling point, what have you learned from the experience? In what ways have you matured in a way that is idiosyncratic?)</p>
<p>I will be applying to the Harvard Class of 2013. One thing, for sure, that I can say is that I most look forward to meeting authentic and genuine people, not snotty ones. If you are an authentic individual, then I wholly hope you apply and are admitted. Good luck.</p>
<p>And by the way, NEVER listen to your Guidance Counselor (or anyone else) who tells you that you can’t do something, when in your heart you believe it’s the right thing.</p>
<p>Apply! No one on this forum knows the extent of the hardship you faced, and most of us come from relatively privileged backgrounds. You are definitely not disqualified automatically because of below average SAT scores.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Are you applying this fall? Do you have time to retake the SATs? Do you think you could do better if you did retake them? Was this your first attempt? </p></li>
<li><p>What is your school like? What’s your class rank? 90.8 can mean totally different things depending on how much grade inflation there is. Keep in mind colleges will see this too when they get your school report from your guidance counselor. </p></li>
<li><p>Guidance counselors are there to help you decide, not decide themselves. Their advice is often good, but can also be very bad. Weigh their advice against advice you receive some other sources. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Honestly your SATs are going to hurt more than help, but Harvard is a longshot for everyone anyway, so I say apply and at least you can say you tried, right?</p>
<p>With respect to the poverty issue, while it’s true that conveying your adverse financial circumstances can help the admissions officer get a more complete picture of you, it’s not going to counter the negative effects of bad objective stats like standardized test scores and grades. The subjectives are good for distinguishing you from others who get the same grades and scores. Most of the accepted students will have higher grades and scores than you do now, which means that the higher your grades and scores are, the more relatively important your subjectives become.</p>
<p>Another issue is that Harvard is unlikely to know the details of your financial circumstances unless you somehow make that clear to them. Usually this happens through your guidance counselor rec or your teacher recs or your essay. Harvard can get some sense of your financial background from your zip code and your parents’ education level but they don’t look at your financial aid application at all when they make their decision. I came from a public housing background but I don’t know how Harvard would have known that since I never made that clear to them.</p>
<p>definitely apply. scores are NOT everything. if you think you can get a lot from harvard and you are not just applying for the name, why let anybody stop you?</p>
<p>Thank you all for your prompt and candid responses. Yes, I have decided to apply to Harvard. </p>
<p>I will be taking the SAT on November 3rd. I will most likely score higher because I’ve actually had the time to prepare for it. </p>
<p>As far as my high school is concerned, I attend a highly selective specialized high school in New York. It’s called Stuyvacent High School, and you have to take an entrence exam to get in. Most students in my school take about 3-4 AP courses. My class size is 750 and my school does not rank. </p>
<p>GC just trying to be realistic and get you focused on colleges where you stand a better chance of admission. If you were in top 1% of class and had 250 more points on SAT than all of your very admirable work and volunteering might get you a closer look (Harvard at least wants the world to think it cares, as it is touting on posters in airports and other public spaces the homeless girl who attends there). But your academic profile is just too far out of the range for Harvard, especially as an asian where many others of low means are stronger academically</p>
<p>Sorry, it’s tough for Stuyvesant. Their reputation was recently smeared by a cheating scandal.
There will also be many other applicants applying from your school with outstanding stats. Few of them will get in, especially in light of this scandal. This year, more than any other, will be the toughest for your school – that is just the sad, unfortunate reality for the 2013 Stuy graduating class. My previous advice still holds, but I think for a school like Stuyvesant, your Guidance Counselor is almost certainly well informed and accurate.</p>
<p>The best you can hope for is to highlight your unique conditions (working multiple hours per week.)
However, Harvard tries to find people who have overcome adversity AND accomplished something extraordinary as a result.
To be honest, unless you are truly outstanding in some way, it is HIGHLY unlikely that you will be admitted. Apply if you are really in love with the school, but if you are just doing it for prestige, I would suggest against it. But remember, there are other fantastic schools that will happily admit you. It’s just unlikely Harvard will be one of them.</p>
<p>Your GPA at Stuy is much more impressive than your GPA elsewhere. Give it a shot. You’re going to be much more interesting than a 98 GPA Asian Stuy kid, and I can’t imagine that’s not a good thing.</p>
<p>I don’t understand your reasoning here. Will he be more interesting because he comes from a poor background and a “98 GPA Asian Stuy kid” is unlikely to be poor? Does a lower GPA make you more interesting than a higher GPA? Is he notable as an “Asian Stuy kid” with a low GPA? </p>
<p>If anyone’s fresh out of stereotypes you have a pretty nice selection here.</p>