Best of luck 2020! 
I hope you get to join me and my classmates at Harvard. To be completely honest, I applied a s a joke. I did not expect to get in. This is just to show that you just never know! APPLY! 
@CollegeEducation Wow, thats what I might do then. I always get the 2 confused lol
Hello! Fellow 2020’er here. It’s so comforting knowing that fellow juniors have the same goal. Before I was messaged by Harvard to consider applying, I never would have dreamed to reach that far, but seeing as they said that Harvard may be a great fit for a student like me, I put my time into researching different Ivy Leagues and highly selective schools. So far, the news seems good, as I have a good chance of getting into my top 3 schools, besides Harvard. A tip would be to apply early if you truly think that your application needs no more improvement at that time. If you think you can use a fall SAT score that will be better than your past scores, then apply regular decision.
@SmartInTheory Don’t over emphasize that Harvard “messaged” you. Everyone’s odds are infinitesimal. Because you’re a recipient of a mailer or an email doesn’t mean a thing other than you’ve fit a profile of someone who might be viable. Best of luck, for sure. But don’t think you’re in a special club due to the mailer/emails
“I have a good chance of getting into my top 3 schools, besides Harvard” What is considered a “good chance” at schools similar to Harvard? Please make sure your strategy includes a wide swath of solid schools – meaning a few with a +40% admit rate for someone with your GPA/test score
Hello hvbaozi20 and fellow applicants! I am also applying early action this fall. I’m not going to lie, this entire experience has been nerve wrecking. I try to keep myself motived however I recently got my SAT scores and was devastated. From what I have read and researched Harvard begins to accept applicants when their SAT scores are over 2000. Mine was 1680 (Significantly lower than what my prep books projected). I will be taking the SAT in the fall and will also be taking the ACT 3 times. I wanted to ask if any of you had this problem when taking your standardized test and, if so, how did you overcome it? I wish you all the best and I hope to see you all in orientation when we get accepted and walk through those beautiful Harvard gates. :)>-
Before anyone takes the emails and mailers from top colleges as indication of admissibility one should read this.
I, too, will be applying early action & retaking the ACT as well. I wish you all the best. Good Luck :-bd
@ivyfantasist I actually had the same issue with test. The first time I took the ACT I got a 26. Then before I retook the ACT I took 9 practice test (1/2 test per a day for the 18 days before the ACT.) It really sucked, but in the grand scheme of things 18 days of 2 hours of test prep isn’t too bad. Got my ACT up to a 31, so not amazing but it is a 5 point increase, plus I am Caribbean(so Black on the Common app) and Hispanic, so I probably don’t need higher than a 31.
I am going to apply to Harvard’s early action program this fall too!! Its a distant dream, I agree, ( I’m an international student, with an average,if not less,family income.But its okay to dream isn’t it? And there’s always a chance that maybe I will get selected!! xD Oh well, gotta keep trying…
@harvard629 Wow! You, my friend, are one step closer to realizing your dream. I’m actually taking my first ACT this Saturday (wish me luck!). I’m very nervous but I would be content with a 31 as well. I am also Hispanic (Mexican to be exact) and underrepresented in many ways. I know that simply being underrepresented doesn’t guarantee admittance to this amazing school so I am taking on many leadership positions. I must say I’ve never wanted something or worked for something as hard as I’ve been wanting, and trying to get into, Harvard. I wish you all the best on your journey and I hope to see you all soon in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
@Harvard629 and @ivyfantasist: I’m not sure where you both got the idea that Hispanic student’s don’t need ACT scores higher than 31 to be accepted – but the notion is completely wrong. One look at the 2019 Decision Thread should clear up that misconception. See post #6, #7 and #8. All three students are hispanic, one had an ACT of 35 and was waitlisted, one an SAT score of 2340 and was rejected, and the other had a SAT of 2170 and was rejected. Harvard is that competitive, even for URM’s: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1752941-harvard-university-class-of-2019-rd-results-p1.html/6
hey, me too, I’m applying Early Decision (by the way, I don’t think they have Early Action)
Harvard offers Single Choice Early Action, not Early Decision
https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/apply/application-timeline/restrictive-early-action
Oh right, thanks
@gibby I do not expect admissions because I am a URM, but I am proud of my 31 and I worked extremely hard to obtain it. I think the rest of my application is what will allow me to gain admissions.
Also, if you take a look at link, I think it may be someone evident that a 31 is good enough considering a 31 ACT is equal to a 2100 on the SAT by most ACT to SAT conversion charts. You’ll see from this link that I have the same average test score as other Blacks at Harvard, so yes I don’t think I need higher than a 31 considering Harvard’s holistic admissions.
http://features.thecrimson.com/2013/frosh-survey/admissions.html
Are Middle Easterners considered URM’s?
@roadtotheivies98: No, they are not. Under Represented Minority (URM) status is a college admissions term that applies to US Citizens who are African Americans, Mexican-Americans, Native Americans (American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians), Pacific Islanders, and mainland Puerto Ricans. International students, no matter what ethnicity, do not qualify as URM’s for the purposes of college admissions.
@Harvard629: I very much agree with the below advice @T26E4 gave you on another thread
Also, in reading over your other thread on essays, I would suggest you do some more reading on other essays from URM’s: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/05/20/your-money/college-essays-on-money.html
@Harvard629 I noticed you changed your profile picture (with your dad and grandmother?) immediately after someone in the African American students forum challenged your status you’re claiming solely because your father is from the Dominican. I mentioned your integrity in Gibby’s quote above. Sorry but this squishy-ness is troublesome. Please attend to these issues – they’ll likely sink any chance you have at competitive admissions.
@Harvard629: If a student check’s the black or African American box on the Common Application, but a white-looking girl walks in the door for their alumni interview, questions will be asked. And your answer . . .
. . . is to not going to say much for your strength of character, honesty or integrity.