Altright, i was just talking to my mom and she said that i couldn’t get into harvard just because i haven’t done anything EXTRAORDINARY not becaues of academics… shes’ definately wrong right?
<p>well, if by "extraordinary" she means extracurricular, then yes, she is right. Do you speak languages, practice sports, play instruments, have artistic qualities, or at least belong to a minority group?</p>
<p>I don't understand...can you rephrase it please :)</p>
<p>you dont need to have done anything extraordinary (the way you put it), but you do have to stand out. there are many ways to do that.</p>
<p>what I mean is that just having good grades may not be enough because a lot of kids have good grades, and I do know that extracurricular activities sometimes decide who goes to a certain school and who doesn't (unless you really are a mathematical genious, and in that case, the extracurricular thing may be a national merit honour of winning a contest or something besides being valedictorian)</p>
<p>Its almost impossible for even the BEST at everything to get into Harvard. Its that hard. But there are so many good schools, look around. And do your best at what you love.</p>
<p>No she was talking about climbing mount everest and stuff.... that's "extraordinary"</p>
<p>You don't have to climb Mt. Everest, but you do have to have some involvement and achievements beyond just great grades and SATs.</p>
<p>So rare for a mom to understand this.</p>
<p>...being black is a standin for being extraordinary, however.</p>
<p>Collegeboundkorean is black?</p>
<p>And besides unless you were the president of the climbing club and organized that trip to climb Mt. Everest, it would not be that big of a help. :)</p>
<p>Really they want a well rounded student, you don't have to necessarly be perfect at everything though.</p>
<p>M&B: Although I agree with you on AA, this isn't the place to start another argument.</p>
<p>I do think you need to be especially good at something and not just have a long list of superficial activities for Harvard. I had pretty good test scores but no stand out EC's and was rejected.</p>
<p>Say you are a regular member of 5 clubs. Thats great, but if you were only involved in two clubs, but were the president of them both, that would mean a lot more to the colleges. Because that proves that you are a leader, not just a follower.</p>
<p>Geez, climbing everest??? That's crazy yo. Where did she get this idea from? Well, good news for you, because you don't have to.</p>
<p>Takes more than good grades in school to get into Harvard, that's for sure.</p>
<p>President Summers said that kids who got into Harvard were bright, passionate and lucky. I think that covers it. </p>
<p>How do you show brightness? great grades in hard classes (which I am assuming that you have) and great test scores.</p>
<p>How do you show passion? by taking some extracurricular activity and really running with it, both inside the school and outside the school. If you are a musician, are you All-Sectional or all State quality? Do you play in outside bands or orchestras? Same questions if you are an athlete. Sounds like your mom thinks you may have trouble with this aspect.</p>
<p>And how about the luck portion? Well, if Harvard needs a new pitcher next year and you just happen to have a 95 mph fastball--or if they need more oboes for their orchestras and you happen to be a great oboe player, then your chances of getting in have increased a lot. But that is where the luck comes in. Who's to say what Harvard will need next year?</p>
<p>Go ahead and apply to Harvard and any other reach schools--I think the application fees are $75 at Harvard. But I think that in addition, you should spend your time coming up with good match and safety schools that fit your interests, preferences and financial situation.</p>