What are my chances of getting into Harvard , and how to increase them?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hello all, I am a freshman at Staten Island Technical High School, a school that was ranked #6 in the nation by US News and World Reports
Here is my resume;

Unweighted GPA: 3.8
Weighted GPA: 3.9
PSAT: 186 (Taken in 9th grade in the actual testing area)
SAT: 1950 (Taken in 7th grade in the actual testing area)
AMC: 17
IML: 3/5 on average

Athletics
Cross Country Track: #3/10 freshman; conference champions
Indoor Track: #5/10 freshman (I am weaker in this area)
Tennis: A definite Varsity spot; probably #2 singles

Extracurricular Activity
Math Team: 1 of 7 students granted and accepted admission into the program; 1.5 hours a week (does this count as an extracurricular activity, because it occurs during my lunch period 3x a week)
Science Engineering Research Program: I will be performing an Aerodynamics experiment with Micro Air Vehicles in freshman year. During sophomore-junior years I will be performing independent research through this program. I will be researching modeling data and machine learning through coding Artificial Neural Networks, this is an area I am really passionate about. I will be doing research with a tenured professor from Princeton, Cornell, Columbia or UPenn; 4 hours a week during school year
Columbia Science Honors Program: I will be attending this class 3 Saturdays a month on Columbia’s campus, this is a competitive program; 3 hours a week during school year
College Now Courses: I will be taking courses at CSI (a college) during the summer this year and after school during sophomore+ years; 2 hours a week year-long

Service
Upcoming service projects through NYJTL and helping a local business owner’s tutoring program
I will also probably do a couple of runs and things like that

Hooks
I am a double legacy from Columbia University
Doing research with tenured professors from Ivy Schools (which I will be applying to)
Will gain an associates degree before graduating high school
My aunt + uncle went to Harvard as athletes and I am positive that they are donating significant amounts of money
Assume perfect SAT Scores
I am the only freshman in Math Team and doing independent research
Being Indian? Is that a minority for college admissions?
Assume Intel Semifinalist

Thanks guys for putting in the time to reviewing my application. I understand that I need to demonstrate character and leadership in addition to bear qualifications. I am not part of any clubs, so will my extracurriculars suffice? Do you think that someone like me would basically be guaranteed admission applying ED to Columbia as a double legacy or should I take my chances by applying to Harvard/Yale/Princeton? Also, which one of my hooks are the most attractive

This is a pretty big mouthful, so any help would be appreciated!

2

I also forgot to include that my gpa is projected to increase significantly and I am in the Top 35% of my class at least and projected to be in Top 20% at least by Senior Year

3

When I say assume I mean a reasonably high chance.

4

“Assume perfect SAT Scores” This is a good line. Funny.

You’re a freshman in high school. Why don’t you go to high school and work hard. Come back in a few years when you have actual grades and SAT scores.

Being Indian as a minority for college admissions? Do you mean Native American??

5

When I say “assume” I am just wondering how much that would help my application. Obviously they are just goals right now but I am assuming that if I am putting in the work, I will have a reasonably high chance…right? And no, I mean the actual country.

6

Any advice guys?

7

Your PSAT score is OK but does not come close for national merit. You will need to do better with your SAT and GPA if you want to go to a top school.

Coming on here and asking advice is a waste of your time. Get to work on your perfect SAT score and Intel project.

8

No, you’re normal for what applicants who make the first cut would be.
You’re competitive, certainly, so that’d push your odds to about 30% if you apply ED to Columbia.
Note that being Indian makes you over-represented, not under-represented.
Also, you don’t need perfect SAT scores. If you reach a score above 2100 (preferably in the 2200’s), you’re fine, there’s no difference between 2200, 2250, 2300…, they know you can do the work regardless and move on to the other elements of your application.
Even if we consider everything above is true (and not a projection) all universities with an admission rate below 30% should be considered as reaches, ie., low odds of admission.

9

I already told you to stop worrying on another thread. Live in the moment, not for three years from now.

10

mmm keep in mind that I am a freshman with pretty much no test prep. MYOS1634 thanks so much, but is there any other people who would posses “better” extracurriculars. And does being a double legacy help push my chances? These things are all completely true unless I said assume. The research with professors is 95% accurate and I estimated my AMC score out of 25. I’m taking the AMC on Tuesday…any suggestions? Disneydad sorry but I find this sort of important and I am really compelled to ask this…I will probably stop soon don’t worry :). Thanks guys so much for the help!

11

Also my GPA is very relative, the Valedictorian probably has a 4.1 GPA, weighted

12

My biggest weakness seems class grades, I really don’t find the grading system to be straightforward…Any tips on “raising” GPA?

13

Getting off College Confidential? haha Don’t assume Intel STS semifinalist or perfect SAT score and is the 17 your AMC 8 score from 8th grade becuase Freshman don’t take AMC 8 and that’ll be very very very low for AMC 10.

14

You are bright, there is no doubt. I would not “assume” that a perfect SAT score is going to happen. About one student out of 2,500 gets a 2400 on the SAT. Besides for HYPS once you have a very high score it’s not clear to me whether having a perfect score is that much of an advantage. If if were HYPS would be full of nothing but 36 / 2400 students.
Math Team would be an extracurricular activity. The minorities recognized by colleges are - African American, Native American and Hispanic. Being Asian could actually be a liability vs. an advantage. Legacy helps but it is more of a tipping point factor instead of a shoe-in. With regards to extracurriculars it’s about deep involvement and having a common theme. Your extracurricular’s right now don’t seem to hang together very well. Is math your thing or engineering or what? Summer college work is great, 2 hours a week seems like it could be 8 or 10 or a heavier commitment.

15

@Wje9164be I would be worried if math was his thing, the AMC score seems very low. I assume he’s just a STEM person.

16

I left out that I take AP World right now, geometry as opposed to algebra, TV Production and I take Russian… Do you think that these are good classes for a freshman?

17

Drop TV production.

18

@iambrutus I think if you get an associates degree before high school you have to apply as a transfer. The acceptance rates are much lower.

19

Wje9164be and qp, my main “theme” is definitley mathematics based. It is really about viewing math from different angles. So, for Math Team I would be viewing mathematics from a theoretical angle, whereas I would be applying this to develop machine learning algorithms. As for my 2 extracurriculars I will be taking collge or college level courses, all of them will be STEM related unless I decide otherwise. These would be extracurriculars right, they are outside of school and I am learning more to apply it to my research.

20

Typo, I meant to say my 2 other extracurriculars