<p>So im currently toying with the idea of applying to harvard..im currently 18, in my final year of UK secondary school. As things stand I have an offer to being studying at the London School of Economics, doing a Bsc in Economics - this is a very prestigious degree - probably the top economics course outside of North America, and definitely regarded as the best in Europe. however the lure of Harvard is great, and if I am to apply it means taking 1 year out and travelling or something while i apply and my decision is whether to take that chance or not...</p>
<p>currently I dont have SATs or ACTs not APs so i presume that I would have to sit all of those fairly quickly...</p>
<p>my academics;</p>
<p>GCSE : 10a* 2a
GCE ASlevel - AAAAAA (Maths History Economics Biology Critical Thinking General Studies)
GCE Alevel :Predicted AAAA (Math Hist Econ Gen Stud)
these are basically the top in my school</p>
<p>EC:
School Vice Captain (equivalent to vice president of entire student body in American terms?)
First Team Basketball player at U19 Level
Music: Keyboard, Bass Guitar, Beginner on the Drums
Head of Mentoring Scheme at School
Stage Manager of 6 school drama productions
Head of Amnesty International at School
Operations Director of a Young Enterprise Company</p>
<p>Work Experience:
Morgan Stanley and Price Waterhouse Coopers</p>
<p>Summer programmes:
NAGTY - 3 week Econ Summer school at Warwick Uni (for top 5% of country students)
CTY - 3 wees at Johns Hopkins
1 month in Peru doing a World Challenge Expedition - trekking in the Andes, teaching in the Amazon
2 weeks in Uganda this summer working at an orphanage and helping rebuild a primary school</p>
<p>with these ECs and with solid grades so far I would hope that I can go on to get good scores in the American tests...and while I am nowhere near a decision as to whether to tak e that year out just yet, having a preliminary look at my info what do people think - worth taking the SATs and risking a year out (keep in mind the LSE would hold me my place for a year incase i didnt get in ) </p>
<p>I think that you should probably have a 1/4 shot of getting in (that's 2.5x the chance of regular applicants, mind you). The impeccable scores will open the door for you, and the decent extra-curriculars and more importantly, work experience will nudge you in.</p>
<p>However, I am concerned about how you are going to take the SAT I and THREE SAT IIs in the span of less than a year (assuming that you are applying for the Class of 2012). You have shown that you are a great test-taker, but the American standardized testing system is vastly different from the British testing system (I know, I've been through both), and it may be difficult to adjust to another format of testing when one is so used to a particular style.</p>
<p>You already have a great offer from the LSE, so why waste a year of your life waiting and preparing for the uncertain prospect of a Harvard education? LSE is every bit as prestigious as Harvard and, even if there is some sort of microscopic difference in prestige level, it is not worth delaying higher education for a year to become eligible to apply.</p>
<p>I honestly think that if you really want to go to Harvard, you should go there as a post-graduate student. But then again, that's just my opinion :P. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>I have actually taken the SAT I once before - aged 14 after no revision, not knowing the test format (that there was minus marking) and i managed to get a 630 on the maths...530 on the writing however my ability with respect to the writing has gone up due to taking History Alevel and becoming a much more avid reader and accomplished essay writer since...so i dont see why doing the SATI in march would be such a huge problem. on the other hand i know very little about the SAT II nor about AP tests - what exactly is required for each of these, and could i take them in line with my Alevles, ie take SATIIs in Maths History and Econ or Biology and APs in similar subjects?</p>
<p>i definitely recognise that the LSE is huge to have, howevr my reason for considering the year out is its something I would quite like to do anyway, and I could get useful work experience lined up either at the Bank of England or a big City firm as well as travel, so the cost of that year out wouldnt be so great</p>
<p>additionally, can you tell me where you arved at the 1/4 chance of getting in from?</p>