Okay this is really awkward to talk about. It just is. You’ll know why in a few lines. So Harvard used to be my dream school, LONG ago. However I realized that Harvard was definitely out of my reach as my high school years progressed and this was the result of a several factors that I will not get into. Long story short, I’ve had to work my entire high school career as a full time employee, my GPA is a 3.14 UW, my SAT is a 1990 superscored, and I have some very unusual extracurriculars, but they are consistent with my personality traits. I’m very reluctant to apply as I have faced rejection and feel like it’s sort of unhealthy to continue choosing it. It especially feels like I am choosing rejection if I am choosing to apply to Harvard. I’m kind of reluctant to do so, but I won’t lie to you and say that Harvard is not the least bit intriguing. Anyone who loves learning will have to be drawn to Harvard, even if it’s a remote attraction. My guidance counselor keeps pushing me to apply and I have no idea why with my statistics. Yes, I look horrible on paper, and she understands this. But my recommendations are all excellent. It’s just so difficult because I know that how one looks on paper truly matters to Harvard. I believe that one has to pass a certain academic threshold in order to avoid having their app recycled or shredded or however they dispose of it. I’m a senior and I should be more mature about this but I actually have no idea of what to do. Some part of me really wants to apply to Harvard so that I don’t have to go on wondering what would have happened if I applied. Another part of me is really afraid of this rejection because it will feel like the ultimate rejection and this makes the application feel futile even though I had a lot of fun writing essays for it and college applications in general. My guidance counselor thinks that I should apply and is really optimistic, in fact too optimistic. I mean I look like trash compared to like all of the other applicants. What would you do? I’m super undecided.
Because you have almost no chance of being admitted to Harvard, it would be a better use of your time to focus on colleges where you are likely to be accepted.
@sherpa I feel like I agree with you. It’s just a really weird time in my life
In the RD round 97 out of every 100 applicants are rejected. With that in mind if you were to apply it would be very unhealthy emotionally to have high expectations. If you will always wonder what may have happened if you had applied you should apply. You must realize though there are many amazing applicants that are perfect or near perfect academically and many of these kids have very compelling backgrounds and life circumstances.
If you believe that being rejected would be harmful to you, you shouldn’t apply.
Wishing you all the best!
I will also mention if you are not intrigued by Harvard why would you apply?
Almost two years ago our valedictorian daughter with EC’s and life story to match was shut out on Ivy RD announcement day. Rejected by two, wait listed at two.
This is an example of how competitive admissions are at highly selective colleges.
Lastly, to accomplish what you have while working full time is exceptional and a reflection of your drive. Your sense of confidence and self esteem should be off the charts! You bring that to what you choose to do and you are destined for great things!
Even among the highest recruited athletes for Harvard would face an uphill battle to be admitted with your GPA, I’m sorry. I’ve recruited for my Harvard peer school for 25+ years. I think you can maturely realize that chasing H was a nice dream, but now as adulthood and life come towards you, it’s perfectly OK to say that there are tons of great schools that will fit you fine and it’s 100% ok to set aside Harvard. I once thought I’d play baseball. Not being able to hit or throw very well was a dose of realism. Your GPA = my inability to hit. Time to mature and move on. I think your GC is doing you a great disservice, despite her good intentions.
Want to sate your curiosity of “how do I compare? Would I have made the cut?” Read these (note the GPA and scores of those waitlisted and rejected:
http://features.thecrimson.com/2015/freshman-survey/
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1752941-harvard-university-class-of-2019-rd-results-p1.html
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1714730-official-harvard-university-2019-scea-decisions-only-p1.html
I definitely agree with everyone here. I feel like guidance counselors or people such as family who really want you to succeed sometimes forget about the fact that above all, we are applying to academic institutions. I guess I’ll just use the Harvard supplement that I wrote for another application that would actually result in good news. I mean if Harvard ever were for me, it’s probably not at this point in my life anyway. In the RD results thread there is literally one person who got in and while they had an 1820 SAT, their gpa was 3.29…
I completely agree with T26E4: You are getting horrible advice from your GC and would be wasting your parents money applying to Harvard. Please take a look at this from Harvard’s golf recruitment page: http://www.gocrimson.com/sports/mgolf/faq#Recruiting
If that’s what Harvard is looking for from a recruited golf player, they are NOT going to lower their standards for a non-athlete. Your GPA is probably lower than any star football or basketball player at Harvard. It’s just not going to happen. Your GPA and test scores make you a great fit for any other these colleges: http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/a-plus
@T26E4 @GreatKid @gibby thank you guys very much for your help! I appreciate the honesty and kindness!
I have a different thought. Yes, you should apply. You will join 37,000 students for a chance of admittance to be one of the 5% accepted into the class of 2020. If you do not apply, you will be among the 3.4 million college bound seniors who did not apply to Harvard, thereby having a 0% chance. I’ve read through a few of your threads. You should apply. Just as you have been a great supporter of your family, you have great supporters. Trust them. If your GC says apply to Harvard and you want to, you should. There is not one thing wrong with applying to a school or seeking out an opportunity or a dream and facing a rejection. Apply to your other schools and realize you will love attending each for different reasons. (You can manipulate your supplemental essays for use for other colleges whether you apply to Harvard or not.) I’m sure you’ve been told every college has positive’s and negatives–Harvard included. But, wherever you decide, make sure you pick the college, don’t let the college pick you because of perceived circumstances. Apply to the schools you want to and if the choices present themselves, pick the one you think is the best fit for you. And more to the point, as you go through your freshman year, you will see that whichever school you have chosen (based on fit and finances) to attend is not quite what you thought it would be, but you will come to love it for different reasons as you grow.
And just a thought, unsolicited: Go big–no matter what the school, opportunities are available; set your goals and stick to them; allow yourself to concentrate only on you, your studies and developing friends and fun activities; watch out for PTSD, guilt over going away and getting pulled into family dynamics at home. Their dynamic will change when you are gone and they will need to grow into their new normal–be supportive of them as individuals and their growth and your love for each family member, but don’t go back to the old dynamic. Everyone will need to move forward and grow. Four years will pass quickly, especially if you take full advantage of everything college can have to offer. It really is what you make of it.
Seems to me it comes down to time. OP would have to write the supplemental essay, for one thing, and it would have to be extraordinary. That’s going to take time and energy that might be spent on applications to more likely schools. And deadlines are coming up fast – less than two weeks to go for Harvard and other schools. If OP can afford the time, then going for the long-shot might not be a terrible idea. But if OP feels that the clock is running out, and stress levels are high, then maybe it’s better to let Harvard go.
@marlihydor: Harvard is on record as saying that 80% of applicants could do the work on their campus. That implies that 20% of applicants are NOT qualified, they do not have the stamina and drive to read 200 to 300 pages of dense material per week/per course and write a 10-15 page reflection on what they have read, nor do they have the patience, stamina and scholastic ability to spend 20+ hours a week on problem sets for one class. Harvard professors (rightly or wrongly) believe they are teaching to the gifted and talented and often pile on the work, more so than at other colleges. Admissions doesn’t want to admit students and set them up for failure So, who exactly are those students that Harvard feels couldn’t do the work? My guess is that it’s students who have struggled in high school, student’s with a low GPA.
Your advice is exactly what the OP is getting from their guidance counselor. It’s not advice that a seasoned professional would give you. It’s the “Hail Mary” pass of college admissions. Of course, you’re correct about one thing: The OP will never know what could have happened if you don’t apply. So, OP if you have $120+ to waste (application fee, test score fee, CSS Profile fee), by all means apply. But, be forewarned.
Where else have you already applied? Do you have acceptances in hand yet? And what can you/your family pay each year for your college education? What is your EFC and can you afford that?
You have something much better than grades/stats. Unfortunately, not every top tier school has the flexibility to understand and appreciate the holistic benefits of your story. There are plenty of great schools that would appreciate you and even offer merit aid to you.
Don’t let your fixation on the top keep you from applying to more realistic opportunities. You have the drive and determination to tackle whatever challenges come your way. I can tell you will be a success no matter where you end up attending college.
@powercropper If I did get into Harvard, my income + my father’s income would result in an EFC of $0. This would be the EFC for me at numerous schools. I’m assuming this would not help, as the school would literally be investing in my education. I have already gotten into Iona College with a merit scholarship of $21k per year. So I’m not doing bad. Thank you for kind words and insight!
@WasatchWriter I am done with most of my applications, including Harvard. It’s just a matter of whether to submit it or not. Time management was one of my major weaknesses, so thank God I fixed that before RD season got into full swing.
If you’re done with it then submit it. Not sure why you created this thread other than you secretly want people to say you have a decent chance. I don’t fall into that camp because I think you are in the 0.1% camp - but most applicants only have a 2.8% chance based upon last year’s RD rate, so what the heck, if you’re done with the app and don’t mind wasting the money, send it in and see if you win the lottery.
Don’t apply if rejection will be crushing to you. It’s not worth the application fee for emotional devastation.
There are the two choices:
- Buy a lottery ticket and apply. Anyone who says you have much of a chance either is ignorant or lying. But you have slightly more chance than 0%. Which is your,chance if you don't apply.
- Don't apply. Obviously,you won't get admitted, but you won't have to deal with rejection, which is the most likely outcome by far if you apply.
You must decide.
Well I think I have come to some sort of conclusion that’s going to help me. I wrote the supplement and the CA essay and had so much fun constructing them. Since I have fees being waived, faced more rejection than the average person, and have already hit rock bottom at one point in my life, I feel like I have nothing to lose. I’m just going to apply and see what happens because I’ve done the application so it would be a waste of time to never have these essays read by anyone. I think what got me through the VERY tough times in my life is this belief that whatever was going on shall pass and that I would one day be writing about it, telling people my story. Telling a story gives me a sense of purpose. While my chances at gaining admittance are at ~.1%, there is a 100% chance that someone will read my essay (or story lmfao). I mean I don’t want to feel like my work went towards nothing. I just want someone to at least read it. I don’t know about anyone else here, but the more people read my writing, the more comfortable I feel with myself. It’s probably because it’s concise and the arguments are there. I can’t be in denial of certain things. I think this is what the thread provided for me as well. It was like purging out all of the denial. Again, I would like to thank you for your contributions. Thank you for taking 5 minutes of your time that you’ll never get back to help me! As blunt as this community is, you can’t say people here don’t care.
“Anyone who loves learning will have to be drawn to Harvard, even if it’s a remote attraction.”
Nope students pining for prestige will be drawn to Harvard. Those who love to learn will know that most decent colleges provide mechanisms to get educated. In fact, we are surrounded by ways to learn in a way that was never true in the past. The “great books” and any other book or article is a click away. You can be educated sitting in your bed with our computer. Prestige is another matter.
^^ one can appreciate that one can learn in different places and different ways, but the statement that that anyone who loves learning will be drawn to Harvard still might be true. The possible fact that some people seek out Harvard for the prestige does not negate the statement.
It’s a generalization, and therefore is limited by the natural limitations of geberalizations, generally, but with that understanding in mind, it seems true enough.