<p>Recently, my HS counselor told me that I should apply to Harvard. I laughed. Harvard? I am smart but not THAT smart. However, after viewing the threads in this forum, I decided to post my stats and ask the people to give their honest opinion. Hopefully, people will be objective and not rude... Thank you.</p>
<p>I immigrated to US from a small Eastern European country called Lithuania.
I am proficient in Lithuanian, English, Russian, Spanish, and Portuguese.
I live with my mom who earns less than $30,000/year. (I do know about Harvard's policy concerning applicants' parents incomes.) </p>
<p>Unweighted GPA: 4.975
Weighted: 5.425
Class rank: 9/507
I attend a mid-sized HS in one of Chicago's suburbs.</p>
<p>AP scores:
World History 5
US History 5
English Lang and Comp 5
Psychology 5</p>
<p>EC:
Speech Team 2 yrs.
Scholastic Bowl 2 yrs.
Green Grens (environmental club) 2 yrs.
Peer Helpers (help freshman/raise awareness) 3 yrs.
Socrates Society (philosophy) 4 yrs.
Science Olympiad 2 yrs.
Member of National Honors Society</p>
<p>Volunteer activities:
I volunteer at a local hospital and an international office of Nuestros Hermanos Pequenos org. Also, I am a Meals on Wheels driver and a literacy tutor with a program that helps immigrants to learn English.</p>
<p>Work experience:
Babysitter 4 yrs.
Tutor (helping fellow Eastern Europeans with their English skills) 4 yrs.</p>
<p>MISC:
Speech camp at ISU
Internships at local hospitals during the summers in Lithuania
I have been accepted an exposure program where professors form U of I at Urbana-Champaign will teach some fundamentals about medicine.
My photographs have received honorable mentions from local shows, and my sculpture was featured in a district arts magazine.</p>
<p>ACT 29 (English 35, Reading 31, Math 27, Science 25, Writing 10)
SAT (Reading 700, Writing 710, Math low, Writing 11)
(I have taken each test one time w/o taking any prep classes.)</p>
<p>I'm not sure that just knowing five languages in itself will make him stand out, I know when the class of 2012 was discussing how many languages they knew a number of kids seems to know 4-5, especially kids who had immigrated here. However, I think if you wrote your essays about your background, you might stand a good shot. Your SAT/ACT is low, but your grades and AP scores are about as good as it gets.</p>
<p>Lithuanian is my native language, and I am highly proficient in English. My level of Portuguese is conversational. The levels for Spanish and Russian are somewhere between above conversational and advanced. Besides using Lithuanian and English every day, I communicate in Spanish and Russian for my volunteer and work activities.</p>
<p>You are in range, no one is going to look at your application and say "Why is this kid applying?" It will really boil down to the intangible things - what you teachers and GC say about you, how you come across in your essays, whether your EC's seem part of an attractive picture. You can't get in if you don't apply.</p>
<p>I am considering a combination of international studies, journalism, or public health. I want to help out in the developing regions of the world.</p>
<p>I can only think of a couple of reasons why you wouldn't get in:
1. what do you plan on studying? you intern in a hospital but you're aps show you are good at liberal arts things and at the same time you're fluent in a lot of languages. Diversity is good, but they also want to see some depth in what you want to study.
2. Most of your ECs have only been for a few years. Colleges want to see dedication. You were only in one club your freshman year and two in your sophomore.
3. Unless you forgot to mention it, you haven't done much as a leader. Harvard wants students who have shown active participation in leadership roles.
4. You don't really have much experience in a realistic work environment. While tutoring is admirable, they might want to see you do a job that an adult might work.
5. Have you gotten any awards? You have participated in a lot, but for all they know, you merely coasted by. Show them that you did something notable.
6. How good was your essay? Do you have any good recommendations? These also play a decisive factor in the admissions game.
Those are the big ones I can think of. Otherwise, keep up the good work!</p>