This is basically another one of those 'Will I Make It?' threads.

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>I'm about to start my sophomore year of high school, and during my freshman year, my grades weren't nearly impeccable. I was in a bit of a depression, and obviously, that negatively impacted my grades. They weren't downright awful, but they were not up to my standards whatsoever. Though I'm not sure of my exact GPA (my school does not let you access GPA's until junior year, for whatever reason) I know it was nowhere near the 4.0 that I know I'm capable of, and it definitely was not Harvard caliber. EC's were lacking a bit as well. Through this slump, my dreams of Harvard held strong, but slipped away a little more with every report card. </p>

<p>I wholeheartedly plan on picking up the slack this year, and I absolutely know I can do that. I did not give up completely last year. I continued to take AP's and the most advanced curriculum possible, I was accepted into a three-year long advanced science research program for which I will receive 12 college credits. I've been attending accademic summer programs for the past several years, and I'm hoping to be accepted into the Harvard Summer School next summer. I'm relatively active in my community, and I plan on continuing and increasing my activities.</p>

<p>My question is this: Is freshman year really as insanely important as they say it is? Would it be possible for me to redeem myself within the next two years and be accepted? Or is it time to focus my dreams elsewhere?</p>

<p>Please, be brutally honest.</p>

<p>Thanks,
Emily</p>

2

<p>It by no means takes you out of the running - it just means you need to work harder now. There's more than academics in the admissions process... you could probably start focusing on building a good EC record as well as an academic since that will be what sets candidates apart from each other. </p>

<p>However, just to put the idea out there: Princeton doesn't look at freshman grades, so your odds should be pretty good there if you get back on track. And you are only a sophomore, so you have plenty of time :)</p>

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<p>Thanks so much! :) I wasn't aware of that Princeton fact. I'll have to research that more.</p>

4

<p>No problem haha. Don't stress yourself out too much... you are much better prepared and planned than I was when I was a sophomore. Just be on the lookout for opportunities (scholarships, awards, competitions, etc)... you wouldn't believe how disappointed I was to learn how many things I missed out on because I didn't look for them.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice! I really appreciate it. And I'll keep an eye out for those things.</p>

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<p>If anyone could offer any more advice/opinions, I'd really appreciate it. :)</p>