<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): not good enough to list (~2000 but retaking soon) (700 on writing though)
ACT: Retook recently probably made ~30-32
SAT II: Taking them in Nov. or December
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97 total unweighted (so close to 4.0 lol), 4.0 college / dual enrollment GPA (made all A's in APs / College)
Weighted GPA: Assuming I did calculated this right ~4.74. I don't know if that's good.
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Valedictorian out of senior class of around 115 students
AP (place score in parenthesis): 19 Dual enrollment college classes thus far, 26 completed by graduation, A's in every single one (we have dual enrollment / take college classes instead of APs)
IB (place score in parenthesis): ---
Senior Year Course Load: Total of 7 college classes and 3 high school classes (College Trig, College French, College English, etc.)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing national </p>
<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Tennis Team, another Tennis Team, Quiz Bowl / Academic Team, State Tennis Championships (didn't do well but made it multiple years), Used to play 2 instruments including piano for 8 or 9 years, Volunteer at local hospital, (hopefully) future member of GSA, National Honors Society (member), Beta Club (member), Community Service at soup kitchens and other places, a few other clubs relative to tennis and some other things but they are minor or too specific to list here
Job/Work Experience: Job in retail starting end of summer right before senior year started
Volunteer/Community service: Probably 50-100 hours this year
Summer Activities: 2 college classes over the summer, started first job, volunteered at the hospital
Essays: Haven't written them yet, but will probably be an 8 or 9 out of 10.
Teacher Recommendations: Haven't completed them yet
Counselor Rec: Same as above
Additional Rec: Same as above
Interview: Haven't gotten it yet
Other
State (if domestic applicant): Rather not say
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public that is very competitive
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Rather not say but not too little not too much
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy (grandparent graduated from Harvard with a Master's Degree)
Strengths: Valedictorian, sports / state championships for tennis, GPA, ECs (maybe), legacy, will have dual associates degree by graduation
Weaknesses: Test scores are around the 25%tile for Harvard, nothing too special about me / no sob story or impressive savant-like talent to flaunt </p>
<p>When reviewing your application holistically, they’ll admire your EC’s, as they are spectacular! Better than mine, at least (lol). However, the only downfall would be the test scores. Your scores aren’t up to the 25-75 percentile. Usually, those whose scores fall below that range who get accepted have won numerous national-level (or similar) awards and scholarships in athletics or any other thing. I suggest that you take the October test. Have you signed up for that one? For SAT II’s, take it in November, and have your scores rushed in for Early Decision! There will be a smaller pool of applications, but fierce competition, as people who apply to such schools early have great applications and know where they want to go. However, chances of getting accepted do increase during ED - it can’t hurt to apply. Every little thing that helps you counts! Good luck.</p>
<p>It’s good to know my EC’s are at least somewhat impressive lol I’ve been stressing about those. My GPA and rank couldn’t be better, and I know my biggest downfall is the ACT / SAT. I don’t know how my lowest grade since middle school was a 95 yet I can’t get a good score on a standardized test. Will it look bad if I take the ACT a total of like 3 times? I took it once before, just took it this past weekend, but I think I’ll need to take it again to get a better writing score. I only got a 7 the first time I took the ACT on the writing score on a 2-12 scale and when I took it last week it was without writing. Does it look bad if you take the ACT and SAT like 3 times? </p>
<p>Also, any ideas of Acceptance chance? I know EA acceptance is around 20% compared to RD which is like 5% lol. Considering legacy status, Valedictorian, etc, do you think my chance would be any higher than 20%? Or no because of test scores and lack of uniqueness </p>
<p>“I don’t know how my lowest grade since middle school was a 95 and I can’t get a good score on a standardized test.” One of the most platitudinous assumptions and misconceptions about the ACT/SAT. The tests DO NOT measure your intelligence or what you learn in school. Heck, if they did, my 142+ IQ which is gifted level and top 2nd percentile would correspond to the SAT 98th percentile - 2200+. Clearly did not happen. Only the math tests basic concepts you learn in Algebra. Everything else, the tests are only testing how good you are at TAKING them. Strategies are the fundamentals of getting high score, not intelligence.That said, a 2000+ score is a solid score. You can get accepted into tons of colleges with your valedictorian status, GPA and score. Ivies are long shot for EVERYONE. Have you tried searching for other colleges? There are many in top 50 that will accept you. I’d even say many in top 25. As for ED, I believe the percent of acceptance is the same. Sure, it’s higher, but it balances out. If in Regular Decision they choose 500 out of 10,000 applications (5%), and in Early Decision they choose 50 out of 1,000 (5%), it’s the same. Do you know what I mean? You are a strong candidate because of your status, but I have to admit test scores are going to be your banes. Try to get at least 2150 and 700+ on Subject Tests. What do you want to major in? I can suggest shools if you’d like :D. </p>
<p>But Harvard is my top choice (I probably won’t get in although that’d be like best moment of my life), followed by Vanderbilt (also very hard to get accepted). I was originally thinking of Stanford (too far away and even lower acceptance) and Columbia (wayyyyy too expensive), but I think Harvard would offer the best education and options for my family and I. I have several siblings also in college / about to go to college and my parents can’t afford a $67,000 COA like Columbia has. </p>
<p>As for major – I’m most likely going to choose either law or biology. I’m not certain as to what career I would like to have in the future, and hopefully I will decide soon. </p>
<p>Looks like I need to research myself. I’m sorry for my ludicrous example, haha. And I totally understand your concern. Cost is a very important factor to consider when applying. But, so is scholarship or financial aid. If you’re on the east coast, I’d suggest Yale or Cornell. Cornell has a high acceptance rate. ED that, and you’ll have a big advantage. If you only look at ranks, top Bio schools are honestly the hardest to get into. MIT, Duke, Harvard, Princeton, Colombia, and CIT are just to name a few. I’m on the east coast, and I’m going out of state - I have to. Best schools that I can get into are outside of NJ. If you can, apply to UCLA. My school’s valedictorian is applying there. She’s also majoring in Bio. It’s a great school. However, if you can’t, look towards Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, University of Pittsburg, and Rutgers - New Brunswick. These schools have strong Bio major fields. As for law, Boston University and UIUC are great schools. </p>
<p>I’ve been thinking of recommendations … some schools want them to be recent teachers but I only had 1 teacher at the high school last year. Can I ask a teacher from sophomore year? Harvard says to choose a teacher who knows you well (preferably who taught you in the final 2 years of high school). But there’s the word – PREFERABLY. Can I get one from a teacher from sophomore year? They know me pretty well, and considering my senior year teachers have only known me for a few weeks, I have limited options. Will it look bad? If I get one recent and one teacher from 2 years ago? </p>
<p>Unfortunately, you are not considered a legacy at Harvard.I’m pretty sure only children of alums are considered legacies for admission purposes.</p>
<p>@peetaisonfire - recommendations can play a critical role in admissions decisions so make sure you chose wisely. I would think you could use a recommendation from one your dual enrollment instructors if the class counted towards your HS graduation requirements. If you have any question about it, don’t hesitate to contact Harvard admissions. I am sure they will be happy to help.</p>
<p>To clarify ejcclc’s statement, Harvard only gives legacy preference to children of Harvard College alumni.</p>
<p>As far as your chances go:</p>
<p>The EA applicant pool includes large numbers of recruited athletes and legacies, and it’s pretty clear that it is a more selective group than the RD pool (few students will apply EA to colleges they believe they have little chance of being accepted to), thus the 20% acceptance rates is somewhat misleading. That being said, I do think the odds are better when applying EA than RD.</p>
<p>Your test scores are going to hurt you unless you can improve them. You also need to plan on acing the SAT subject tests, sign up for two of them and prepare with the goal of getting 800 on both.</p>
<p>We know nothing about the classes you’ve taken dual enrollment, and how rigorous an institution it is. If you’ve earned As at 19 advanced classes at Berkeley or Caltech, it’s going to be viewed differently than 19 intro classes at the local community college. The first clearly proves you have what it takes to thrive academically at Harvard, the second proves nothing.</p>
<p>Does your high school have a history of sending students to HYPSM and/or top LACs?</p>
<p>I’m not sure, as it is a small school with less than 500 people total. I know a year or two ago the valedictorian went to MIT. </p>
<p>@BldrDad it isn’t super rigorous for me but it’s definitely not a willy nilly high school class. The A’s I’ve earned are A’s well deserved. I’ve taken some very rigorous courses (including one I took sophomore year in high school that is meant for sophomores in college – I was a 15 year old in a class with 19 and up). </p>
<p>And man, that sucks about the whole legacy deal. I thought it counted because it does for most colleges. Oh well. Even if it doesn’t help my chances it still isn’t a bad thing. Doesn’t hurt. </p>
<p>A lot of the better colleges disregard the writing section. So on math/critical reading you had something like a 650/650, give or take?</p>
<p>You are not getting into Harvard without a hook–sorry. Anyway, why do you want to go there? There are lots of great schools out there. Why not look at less-prestigious LACs where you might have a chance at merit aid? At many of them, it will help that you’re a guy.</p>
<p>@sally305 - the OP clearly stated he would be retaking the SAT soon. We don’t know his full story - he could well have taken the SAT in 10th grade without preparation - so I think it’s unreasonable to tell him he has no chance. If he gets 2200 on the SAT retake, and 800/800 on SAT subject tests, I think he would have a decent chance applying SCEA, given the rest of his credentials. And why shouldn’t he try for Harvard? Applying SCEA on one of HYPS is not mutually exclusive to being offered merit aid from LACs…if he’s good enough a candidate to be offered merit aid, he will not need to apply early. In fact, if he applies ED to a LAC, applying early may hurt his chance of receiving merit aid.</p>
<p>We don’t know his financial situation. It could be that he is a full-ride candidate, it could be that his family is happy to foot the entire bill, and it could well be that Harvard without merit aid is cheaper than a LAC with merit aid.</p>
<p>BldrDad, I based my reasoning on the facts the student has before him–not the “what if.” If he wants to ask people for advice AFTER he’s brought his scores up (which he doesn’t seem that confident about), I might suggest something different. And I didn’t suggest applying ED to an LAC. I agree with you that that is NOT a good idea and I have seen it backfire with kids I know who were seeking merit aid.</p>
<p>Also, the OP did speak about his financial situation. He said he has siblings in or headed to college, and that his parents couldn’t afford $67K a year.</p>
<p>@sally305 I’m not too confident considering a 31 or 32 on the ACT which is like the 98%tile in the nation is still considered bad. They don’t just accept 2400 and 36s. Savants and million dollar alumni. Plenty of people with the straight 2400, 4.0, 36, valedictorian status get rejected each year – Harvard, as well as other schools, need people to balance it out. If everyone who got accepted was the same bland homogenous pool of smart rich white kids, who would apply??? </p>
<p>What I know is while I may not have the best test scores (I’m working on improving them), I am still going to try my hardest. I’m getting strong recommendations, and I couldn’t do any better on my school work than I already am. I might not be the best, but I think I shouldn’t be discouraged from applying. </p>
<p>peetaisonfire, you should do whatever you want. Obviously, as you say, 90+ percent of kids who want to go to Harvard get rejected and move on with their lives. If you can afford the application fee and have time for the essays and sending scores and everything else, great. Some kids wouldn’t go to the trouble and expense against such long odds.</p>
<p>So what I need is either answers or suggestions. I don’t need a pity party nor do I need to be praised. </p>
<p>My questions at the beginning were:
What are my chances (just a guess)
How can I improve
Is it OK to get a recommendation from a teacher in 10th grade instead of 11th or 12th (I don’t know about college professors – whether they have time, whether I can get it from them, or whether they even remember my first name – they have had hundreds of new students after me) </p>
<p>Also, I’m not sure what I should write about. Harvard basically leaves their essay open ended. </p>
<p>I don’t have a sob story to tell, but if I can think about some things that are different about me than a lot of people:
-I’m accepting of all people AND I’ve stood up for my friends. One friend was made fun of in middle school for his religion, so I went to the principal and comforted him. We’re still in touch.
-I’m currently growing up in a homophobic household, and after recently coming out, the struggles I’ve faced from family are a lot more extreme than I ever would’ve dreamed of. I don’t know if I could write about this, or if they’d hate it.
-I love diversity, work at a place where diversity is the key to success, and am taking 2 languages (hopefully more) to learn more about other cultures. This is probably a sappy and <em>platitudinous</em> topic, but I have limited ideas.
-As far as sob stories the only one I have is that a family member died a slow and tragic death, which changed my views on life and happiness. </p>
<p>These are probably all terrible ideas, but I have run out of ideas. </p>
<p>To answer your first question, your chances aren’t great, but Harvard is a lottery school, and no one has “great” chances. Prep for your retake on the SAT and improve your score, but you knew that. At this point, that is the only objective thing you can do. I would really try to find a teacher from 11th or 12th grade who knows you well to write your rec. You don’t necessarily have to have been the top student in the class. I would think it more likely that someone who knows you well will be able to write a more personal, therefore better, recommendation. For that reason, I would not ask one of the college professors. I’m a little confused about the potential essay topics you described. Would these be for your CA personal statement or the H supplement? </p>
<p>You don’t have to tell a sob story. It does suck that you are living in an unsupportive environment, but you seem to be making the best of it. I hope your family comes around eventually. You sound like a kind, compassionate person and maybe they are too, under their fears and biases.</p>
<p>I would try to get a junior year rec but if you have a great one from sophomore year you could use that. My son did because he really connected with one of his sophomore year teachers.</p>