The Harvard Chance?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>I want to make this quick and easy, I understand Harvard has a cool name, so yeah, but my visits there, people I have met, and what I have learned from graduate friends from there is outstanding and makes my curiousity grow about Harvard admission:</p>

<p>Give me an idea on my chances based on these facts, although I understand Harvard admissions is a machine that can not possibly be totally understood!</p>

<p>-4.0 unweighted
-2050
-Val. of class as a junior (currently)
-(4) Bio exam, (5) USH, (4) Chemistry (4) Engilsh Comp.
-SAT II- Math I(730), Chem (750), USH (730)
-Senior Year- AP Govt., AP Physics, AP Calc AB/BC, AP Spanish, Honors English 12
-Pres. OF ALL -> (Science NHS, Interact Club, Science Club, Student Council, and National Honor Society)- this is my strength, leadership in and outside of school
(I dont just sit around as president in all these clubs, I have helped increased membership size by 50% in at all of them this past year)
-DE Regional Scholastic Award for Painting
-Donating Paintings to local hospitals
-Founder of AI Hospital Volunteering Group that has been recognized by Brandywine Review newspaper reaching thousands of family homes in New Castle County, DE
-Claymont Firehouse 13 Merit Award for Distinguished Community Service
-A.I. Summer Volunteering Program 2010
-I write articles for local newspaper on community action of high school students
-200+ hours voluntering in local hospitals, dinning rooms for the poor
-Senator Ted Kauffman Forum on Making a Difference
-2009 DE Governor's School for Academics, 2010 DE Boys State
-Delaware New Castle County Councilmen
-Eagle Scout
-Lead in past 2 fall plays
- Varsity Letters in Lax and Crew (3 years each, captain in crew)</p>

<p>I understand I do a lot, and you probably wonder, this kid making some of this crap up. Lets jsut say, I work very very hard.</p>

<p>"So it goes" -Kurt Vonnegut</p>

<p>Thank You on your consideration my future admissions officers haha. By the way, I am outgoing, adventurous, and I am a great public speaker being able to relate to people very well.</p>

2

<p>I think that your academics and ECs definitely make you a good candidate, and your communication skills should help your interview to go very well too. Though, it may be helpful to retake the SAT. The only major potential weakness I can get out of it is a lack of focus. It’s awesome that leadership is your thing, but as a service, effective leadership is usually a means to an end, not an end in and of itself. My suggestion for you if you do apply would be to try to use either your essays or interview to highlight not just the accomplishments you’ve made as a leader, but especially your vision for the organizations and how you use your position as a leader to serve the overlapping idealism of your personal values and the values of the organizations. Underline your quantifiable time commitments with qualifiable passion, in short.</p>

3

<p>ok thanks you for the advice, what do you exactly mean by this: “but as a service, effective leadership is usually a means to an end, not an end in and of itself.”</p>

<p>I will make sure my interview runs smoothly and make my interviewer feel like he has known me as a friend for a long time. It is a good idea you mentioned to reflect my vision I have for all my clubs i run.</p>

4

<p>My advice to you, since the only weakness you have is your SAT score, is to make sure you act like a human being at your interview, and not a high-achieving robot. Good luck! :)</p>

5

<p>He’s saying that you should make sure you do something with your leadership, because they’ll like seeing what you did more than they like the title. Personally, I definitely think you need to retake the SAT. Study hard for it. They may think you’re a fantastic person in your community, but they won’t admit you if they don’t think you can handle the academics.</p>

<p>The other thing is this–and I admittedly don’t know that much, so maybe someone can pick this up for me. Each school has a slightly different criteria for the students they admit (obviously). I’ve heard that Harvard really likes to see that you’re excellent in a certain category, say, you’re a phenomenal chemistry student and you’ve done all sorts of chemistry things and received all kinds of chemistry awards. Yale likes well-rounded applicants, who may not excel in any one category, but maybe play a sport, lead a community service initiative, start a politics club, be president of NHS, and etc. And Princeton likes really high scores and grades mixed with reasonably good ECs, so like someone who’s president of a couple groups, is a National Merit Semifinalist, and has a 2350 and a 4.0 as a Valedictorian.</p>

<p>You would then fit into that Yale group. Obviously, these schools don’t pigeonhole their admissions into the ways that I’ve described, and there will be exceptions, but my inference is that those criteria are the way the admissions decisions lean. If that’s true, you’ll have a decent chance at Harvard, your best chance at Yale, and your worst chance at Princeton.</p>

<p>But maybe I’m totally wrong.</p>

6

<p>What MSauce is saying is completely untrue. Both Harvard and Yale like well-rounded applicants. Even William Fitzsimmons, dean of admissions at Harvard, has stated that the majority of each entering class is comprised of well-rounded students. I view myself as a well-rounded student with a wide breadth of interests. I am interested in music and theatre, but also in math. I was accepted to Harvard and Yale (and Princeton) and chose Harvard.</p>

<p>I would say work your hardest on your essays and perhaps retake the SAT. A better SAT score could never hurt. You seem to be heavily involved in school and the community. This will definitely help you.</p>

<p>Good luck! And hopefully I’ll see you at Harvard next year!</p>

7

<p>Thank you very much for the comments, it is highly appreciated. I am very fond of service the community with public safety and hospital volunteerism in and outside of my school. I will make sure in my application, that I will show how highly passionate I am about these different subjects. I will try to connect this in my essays to another completely unique side of me.</p>

<p>When filling out my app, I am guessing that I should look at it as an admissions officer and see how this candidate is unqiue from all the other “perfect” and “hard-working” candidates.</p>

8

<p>Don’t worry about SAT stuff. It doesn’t matter as much as your ec’s and essay. I got the same SAT score and got in</p>

9

<p>hey meliwq28, out of curiousity, what were some of your unique traits that got you admitted with the 2050 score?</p>

10

<p>I do a lot of volunteer work plus I keep up my grades. I take a variety of courses (I always pick the honors or AP course if available). I think my essay was a also a part of why i got in. It seems like you work pretty hard and have an excellent ec and academic record so i wouldn’t worry about this sat stuff. try to get a better score but if it doesn’t work out then there’s nothing to worry about. As the great Caesar once said, “alea iacta est”
~yes i am a latin nerd</p>

11

<p>what are my chances?</p>

<p>College Class Year: 2015
High School: Private</p>

<p>Academics:
GPA - Weighted: 3.03
Class Size: 200</p>

<p>Scores:
SAT I Math: 710
SAT I Critical Reading: 510
SAT I Writing: 640
SAT II World History: 510
SAT II Math Level 2 (IIC): 730</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Significant Extracurriculars: school magazine, service on saturday program, table tennis school team, piano- played since second grade</p>

<p>Leadership positions: Asst editor of school magazine</p>

<p>Athletic Status - list sport and your level: Table Tennis, 2 years of “JV”, 2 years of “V”</p>

<p>Volunteer/Service Work: 4 years- service on saturday program, 2 years- UNICEF fundraising, 2 service trips</p>

<p>Honors and Awards: NSHSS, Honor Roll</p>

<p>College Summer programs: Columbia SHSP</p>

<p>Senior Yr Classes: AP Hum Geo, AP Stat, Senior English, Chinese Lit, Forensics Science, Human Biology/Sport Science, Creative Writing, PE, Transitions</p>

12

<p>cucclator: It’s not going to happen.</p>

13

<p>so any other suggestions on what I can do now that it is my senior year and since I have participated in DE Boys State and almost went to Boys Nation (House of Reps Bill Clerk, Chaplain):O</p>

14

<p>@cucclater: when they see your SAT score they are gonna think that its a joke and throw your app in the bin</p>

15

<p>Okay… nice joke onemorechance. ?</p>

16

<p>Oh woops! sorry for that rude comment onemorechance, I didn’t see it was towards cucclator.</p>

<p>It is now the fall of my senior year. Are their any other suggestions you all can give me?</p>

<p>Keep chancing!</p>

17

<p>whats your preferred major??
whats your SAT break up??
whats your rank??
one needs answers to those questions to fully decide your chance.</p>

<p>From what I see, your average Sat2 score will HELP as it proves that you are a bad test taker and the admission committee will probably look past it.
Apart from that your app looks stellar. </p>

<p>BOL</p>

18

<p>Thank you chelsearox! That is a very interesting point, saying that admissions can see a trend in bad test taking, and to be honest, I am a bad standardized test taker (especially tests that are made to trick!). </p>

<p>chelsearox: I am hoping that admissions at any of the Ivy League schools (like Princeton and Harvard) are experienced enough to look past “consistently” bad standardized test scores such as mine. I am staying very positive for admissions! That comment has honestly meant the most to me on this site so far!</p>

<p>I am only a couple days away from admission decisions and I am very excited. My stats have changed significantly since this post; awards and whatnot! I read my recommendations and had my interview, both were wonderful! I am anything but nervous this coming wednesday, I am simply excited, happy to have been given a chance to be considered by these schools! :)</p>

19

<p>yeah, your SAT score is way too low for admissions officers to even consider you. try Penn or Brown.</p>

20

<p>I was talking abt cculater</p>