Transferring to Harvard

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>I'm a freshman at University of Hawaii this year and was wondering what kind of chance I would have if i were to apply to Harvard as an applied mathematics major. The courses I am/will be taking this year are:</p>

<p>-Math 252A Calculus II Honors
-Math 253A Calculus III Honors
-Chem 181A General Chemistry Honors
-Physics 171: General Physics I
-Eng 200: Composition II
-Econ 300 Intermediate Macroeconomics
-Econ 301 Intermediate Microeconomics: Price Theory
-Econ 321 Introduction to Statistics
-Hist 151 World History (to 1500's)
-Japanese 202 </p>

<p>My high school gpa was 3.5/4.0
SAT I: 700 Math 630 CR 630 Writing
SAT II: 660 Math 670 Chem 650 Physics</p>

<p>-I also have a part time job as a tutor at a private tutoring establishment. I work 15 hours a week.
Assuming I can maintain a 4.0 GPA this year, will I be a competitive applicant given the competiveness of Harvard's applicant pool? Thanks. I appreciate any input.</p>

2

<p>Hanna, a successful transfer applicant herself, can better anwer this question. As of now, your 3.5 and your SAT I/II scores do not make you competitive. At Harvard, most students who are successful at transferring are students at already highly-regarded schools.</p>

<p>If I remember correctly, Hanna says that you need at least a 3.8 cumulative GPA and great test scores to be competitive. Remember, transfer applicants face stiffer competition (admit rate: 5%) than the freshman applicants (admit rate: 10%).</p>

3

<p>I am at an Ivy League school looking to transfer to Harvard. What GPA should I realistically need to be competitive? Still 3.8? A 4.0 would be darn near impossible.........</p>

4

<p>Last year, Harvard accepted 85/964, or about 8.8%, of transfers.</p>

<p>Your GPA should be as high as possible.</p>

5

<p>OP -- you're at University of Hawaii and you want to move to Cambridge? Do you know what March and April are like in Cambridge? Please don't do this.</p>

6

<p>Critical reading of 630 for Harvard?</p>

7

<p>You need to retake the SAT and get out of the 600's. </p>

<p>Harvard students typically have SAT scores from 750-800, though this is not a hard-and-fast rule, but as a transfer you need to be strong. Your subject test scores are especially weak. a 650 physics score is below average or near-below.</p>

8

<p>Realize, too, that you need strong ECs in college, too, because as always Harvard wants students who'll be active additions to campus life.</p>

9

<p>chrisiskey: 75% of Harvard students have scores between 700-800 on the SAT I Verbal and 690-790 on the SAT I Math.</p>

<p>A 650 Physics score would be considered "solid," but not "stellar."</p>

<p>Your scores, basically, are "solid," but not "stellar," is what you really want in the transfer pool. In the freshman applicant pool, with "solid" scores, you still have a chance if everything else is VERY strong.</p>

10

<p>i feel like i should just make a sticky about this...</p>

<p>i was admitted as a transfer last may to harvard. i'm going.
in my acceptance letter it said 1100 applied, 75 admitted.</p>

<p>my stats--
HS GPA-- 3.4 from a top 30 prep school
SATS-- 780 writing, 620 math, 740 CR
College-- the University of Vermont
GPA-- one semester of a 3.73 with some intro and some upper level classes.
extracurriculars-- co president of college democrats, intern for senator leahy, STAND, intern at the ACLU the summer before, john kerry for president in the 04 campaign, hostess at a trendy restaurant, research assistant for a history professor at WUSTL
recommendations-- one from high school, one from college, all excellent and personal. i go drinking with some of my teachers, though, and am always engaged in class, argue with them when i disagree with them, *****ed about UVM with one of them who also hated it...
essays-- the admissions committee didn't forget my applicaiton because of my essays. my book one tied together my reading the bahagavad gita (the hindu bible) and then crying in memorial church in harvard yard a couple of months later. my why harvard was four and half single spaced pages long and was structured around quotes from john kerry's acceptance speech at the democratic national convention, which was when i said my value system took shape inside. i also wrote a letter taking responsibility for my high school grades and asking them to judge me based on who i had become rather than what i had done in the past.</p>

<p>so in short, my stats certainly didn't get me into harvard, they just flat out aren't impressive enough. but i'm smart, passionate, different, mature, brave and i loved harvard fiercly, and i let them see all of that through my application and my interview (for those who are wondering, you can't request an interview-- some time in april, if they are interested in you, they contact you if you didn't have an interview as a freshman and interview you-- mine was a phone interviewer that was supposed to be half an hour, but the man and i talked for almost two hours...)
if you think you deserve to be at harvard there is nothing stopping you from showing the admissions committee exactly why. learn all you can about the school, live your life as excitedly and uniquely as you can and pour your soul into your applications. most of the transfers i've met had GPAs between 3.5-3.7 and i'm not sure about their SAT scores, but they're some of the most dynamic people i've ever met. </p>

<p>please don't PM me asking for my essays or anything else-- this really is the whole story, and reading my essays won't help (right after letters came out in march about fifty people PMed me wanting to read my essays and wanting tips on getting into harvard) and i don't come on here often at all anymore and probably won't respond... haha.</p>

<p>anyway, good luck, i sincerely know what it's like to be at a place you hate and i wish you all well. and remember, once a certain threshold has been reached stats wise, passion, passion, passion will get you into harvard. good luck!</p>

11

<p>i meant "if you didn't have an interview when applying for freshman year" i didn't apply during my senior year of high school...</p>

12

<p>This may be obvious, but just in case: Note that For Shaganov had excellent ECs in college that she obviously did out of genuine interest. There's no indication that she got involved in politics because she thought, "What can I do that will impress Harvad adcoms?"</p>

<p>Emphasizing what she said here: "once a certain threshold has been reached stats wise, passion, passion, passion will get you into harvard. good luck!"</p>

<p>"Passion, passion, passion" is much more than just an extraordinary essay, and it doesn't mean that Havard admissions officers will let you in because you happen to be passionate about Harvard. Probably most applicants are passionate about Harvard, but relatively few have anything else to offer the campus.</p>

<p>Passion means pursuing something at a high level that demonstrates that you have far more to offer to the campus than good grades or stats.</p>

13

<p>Thanks for all the input and advice guys. I'll do my best to take everything you've all said into consideration. Good luck to any other transfer applicants out there as well!!!</p>

14

<p>i have read several posts about showing passion and interest in something you really love......but for me its wierd.... i am very inquisitive and want to learn and do as much as i can...... I like learning in general, but am not crazy about any particular subject(i randomly switch the stuff i read or do outside of class) i like being involved with activities like sports and stuff, but not anything in particular, i just love being out their on the field moving and trying something new..... because its fun and life is all about variety... diversity......</p>

<p>so basically from what people post about showing adcoms your passion about music, or a particular sport, or politics etc..... since i don't have any particular..... subject to tell them about... do i not stand a chance?????</p>

<p>i mean i really love and definitely want to go to harvard..... but thats the way i am, i am not gonna skew my interests and personality for it....</p>