What are my chances at Harvard?

<p>I am a junior from wisconsin, I want to go to Harvard or MIT. What are my chances to get in?
Academic:
1st in class of about 300, SAT Math 720 Reading 740 Writing 730, 3 APs this year 4 next year (harder courseload than anyone else at my school), 4.0 UW GPA 4.4 Weighted, Scheduled SAT IIs Math 2 Chem US history
EC:
Cross Country: two Varsity letters, team captain next year
Track: one varsity letter
Math team: 4 year participation
NHS
Youth Basketball Coach at local middle school
1st place in regional Chemistry Olympiad
Work at basketball camps in summer as well as a landscaper</p>

<p>Sorry, I am also a student representative on the Strategic Planning Committee for the School District. I participate in making decisions with the administrators on the future of the district</p>

<p>If those are all your ECs then I wouldn't count on Harvard. Possibly some of the lower Ivies</p>

<p>I would say HYPS are difficult for you, despite the great background. I would say Dartmouth, Columbia, Penn, Brown and Cornell are matches as are JHU, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, and Georgetown.</p>

<p>You need a bit more "leadership"and volunteer work on this resume. If you had one more "leadership activity" that showed a real accomplishment (example: raised $10,000 and worked with local leaders to sponsor building a water system for a small village in a low income area or foreign country type of thing), then I'd say your chances would be excellent. Also, the lack of APs--even if it is all your school offers hurts. Why don't you try taking college courses at the local community college during the year--or at a well-known school like an Ivy-league school or even the best public university in your state? You need to show you are going to go "outside the box" to get things accomplished. Then that 4.0 and the great SAT scores will be just the "qualifier" and these things I mentioned will make you stand out in the crowd.</p>

<p>You have to remember that Harvard rejected 3 out of 4 valedictorians who applied there last year. After all, great grades are one thing--but great leadership, community service, academic achievement, and ambition to succeed are another.</p>

<p>One last thing: Most schools want people that are still undecided on what they will do with their lives. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford usually want people who know what they will do in life--and already show their passion in this one area (politics, sports, law, business, charity-work, overseas diplomacy, whatever). Keep this in mind in applications to these schools.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>No chance. average/slightly above average academics for applicant. nothing else. ECs are extrememly poor: jobs, few sports, math club? What do you have that is special to offer them? I'm not seeing it. Application at some of the lower ivies is still doubtful.</p>

<p>I don't know what any of these people are talking about. The "low" amount of AP courses you are taking will not hurt you one bit if that is the most challenging courseload your school offers, and personally, I think your extracurriculars sound interesting! Contrary to what most people on these boards seem to think, you do NOT have to find a cure for cancer or start a nonprofit organization in order to get into the top schools. It looks to me as if you have as much a chance as anyone else.</p>

<p>Just try man, no harm in that. dont worry, dont expect anything, just apply to a raondom list and then go party.</p>

<p>there will be no harm in trying, but as most people are saying, I wouldn't put my hopes up too high for Harvard or MIT if I were you.</p>

<p>Shoot for 2nd tier universities (ones that are in #10~20 range in US News Ranking). =)</p>