<p>As far as Harvard admissions go, would having an extremely impressive independent research portfolio and art portfolio do anything to help offset a below-average GPA? My SAT scores are solid, I have a myriad of extracurriculars, leadership positions, internships, and volunteer projects/positions, but my GPA is a fairly low A, with a fair number of Bs during my freshman and sophomore year. Does Harvard care about "upward trends" and will my research and art portfolios help to offset this at all? I'm extremely proud of my art work, but I'm not sure how much Harvard values these other interests. </p>
<p>If you are going to send it, it must be at least at university standard imho… When you say “extremely impressive independent research portfolio and art portfolio” what do you mean?</p>
<p>I’m afraid not. As repeatedly stated, the transcript/GPA is the most important factor in admissions. Because Harvard has so many 4.0 applicants who have other stunning credentials, this type of supplement won’t help. If there were special circumstances involved in your grades, send a heartfelt explanation. Don’t bother with the current supplement unless it is at national/international recognition.</p>
<p>According to Mentos, if I interpret correctly, my admission to Harvard was a mistake. My high school classes were indeed very difficult, but about 20% of my class took equally difficult classes and got better grades in them. I, horror of horrors!, got a B and a B+ or two every year of the three complete years of grades the adcoms saw. (For reference, my high school was among the best public high schools in the nation, so my situation was different than if I got those grades at a high school that sent only 30% of its graduates to college.) I mean, I had really impressive extracurriculars, life circumstances, and SATs, but, golly, transcript and GPA are the most important things, and there must have been loads of applicants who were equally stunning, to use his word, in those dimensions, but managed to pull down 4.0s anyway! Clearly, something went horribly awry. Maybe they mixed up my folder.</p>
<p>Anyway. Although Mentos’s tone got my goat, I am inclined to agree with him on the practicality of actually submitting your portfolios. If they’re that impressive, you should be able to get external validation (i.e., prizes, or prestigious internships where you did the research/that you got because someone was impressed with your art or whatever) for their impressiveness. And in that case, what would submitting the portfolios do that submitting a resume with the prizes you won for them wouldn’t? If you have an answer to that, I’d love to hear it.</p>
<p>Good luck, and despair ye not! Everyone’s admission is unlikely, but you are not nearly so doomed as Mentos might make it seem.</p>
<p>Whoa, that data set^^^ says that class rank is NOT considered (page 6). Surely, this seems like a stat in which Harvard would be interested. Anyone have an explanation?</p>
<p>If your school does weighted GPA on your transcript though, do they skim through your grades or somehow calculate your unweighted GPA? Or I guess look through to see if you get all As or some Bs or etc.?</p>