What are my Chances of getting into Harvard?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I am an URM (specifically an African-American female). I really want to go to Harvard but I'm not sure of my chances. Can you help me? Oh, I will also be a first-generation college student (the highest education my parents got was high school).</p>

<p>*I am in the top 10% of my class
*I have taken 9 AP classes and I take some classes at a local university
*I have particpated in a summer program at a medical college (only 25 students in the nation were admitted).
*I have lived in India for a year (study-abroad) and I can speak what I call "survival" Hindi (meaninig that if I were to be stranded in India, I could understand and be understood).
*My GPA is only a 3.5 because I have maladaptive daydreaming disorder (yeah, I don't see that too often either) and it's kind of hard to concentrate.
*I have a 30 on the ACT (I plan on retaking because that's kind of crappy, I know)
*I have done an internship with a leading neurologist at a medical college. </p>

<p>I'm kind of scared because I haven't done any community service besides what I needed for JROTC because I have to babysit for my parents when I'm home as we can't afford daycare for my younger siblings (talk about a run-on sentence! lol). I also haven't won any international awards and I am not a super genius so I'm not sure if I can ever compete with the students who have done all of that.</p>

<p>I'm also interested in Notre Dame (I'm Catholic) so do you think that maybe you can help me with that as well?</p>

<p>Thanks :)</p>

2

<p>are u a junior or a senior? i guess u could get in, just retake the sat nd raise ur grades. the guy who got in at my school got a 4.7 gpa with over a 2300 ( apprx 35 ACT) SAT score.</p>

3

<p>The same as every other person who applies to Harvard. 7%. There are a lot of people with similar stats for only a limited number of seats. Cross your fingers and pray you win the lottery.</p>

4

<p>Your GPA and ACT will make Harvard a long shot. Notre Dame is less so.</p>

5

<p>raise your gpa and act score and you are set. bring gpa to 3.8 and act to 32 and you have over 50% chance of getting in as long as you write a very emotional/good essay</p>

6

<p>thanks, my gpa will be a lot higher after this school year (when GPA is recalculated at my school). I also have no idea what my weighted GPA is so maybe that’ll help.</p>

7

<p>no,it’s not the same for everyone Rhume123</p>

8

<p>I don’t know that much but my mom has done extensive research on college admission and I’ve heard from her that being a URM is a big hook in itself.</p>

<p>Your GPA is low for H, but I’m sure you’re aware. However, H probably won’t take the daydreaming disorder as an excuse for a low GPA. That’s like trying to excuse a 1.0 because of retardation. I’m not trying to say this in an insulting manner (sorry if I come off as such), but what I’m trying to say is that you’re going to college to learn. It’s acceptable if you’ve faced severe challenges and situational drawbacks since they are merely situational challenges. For maladaptive daydreaming disorder, you’ll still face that in college and it’ll be a drawback to your education at college. Again I don’t mean to say this in a rude way, and I’m sorry if I come off that way.</p>

9

<p>I’ve been browsing around this forum, and I’m sad to say that I’m not impress of how students rank and judge each other base on GPAs and test scores. Seriously? Is it these types of students who are attending Stanford, Yale, UC Berkeley, and Harvard? I doubt it. From my contacts and visits to Stanford University, students are extremely humble and quiet about their GPA and test scores, because they know it doesn’t define them. </p>

<p>If you first meet a person are you going to ask him or her “Oh what’s your SAT score? or Oh, what’s your GPA?” A college admission officer once asked my peers and me that question. </p>

<p>My answer:
I’d like to get to know that person for who he/she is, not what he/she scored on a test. Furthermore, I’d definitely not like to know that person based on his/her GPA. College admission officers are the same. They rather look at who you are.</p>

<p>Yes, GPA and SAT scores are critical factors. However, DO NOT let them define you. You define yourself, and all of us have done that through our essays.</p>

<p>About your ACT score: Your score of 30 is impressive. As I’ve always been telling many of my peers, ACT and SAT test scores do not even shed the slightest glimmer of who they are–and this goes out to everyone. </p>

<p>In all honesty, I don’t like these “Chance me” threads at all because they hurt peoples’ self-esteem and confidence. It hurts the person being judged, and it hurts other students who have lower test scores and GPAs than the person being judged. </p>

<p>To sum it up, love yourself and don’t let others judge you or your chances of getting in to any school. If you get in, embrace yourself. If you don’t it’s perfectly fine because God, the Universe, whatever being that governs you needs you somewhere else. </p>

<p>emileleah, don’t let these people bring you down. </p>

<p>This goes out to everyone who puts up “chance me” threads.</p>

10

<p>to address kisho3, i think you have valid arguments but you cannot deny the fact that we are trying to help her get into harvard. try to get a 32 or 2150 on the SAT AT LEAST. Being an URM really helps. i think you’re on track</p>

11

<p>Affirmative action will help you.</p>

12

<p>Chocofever, I never planned on telling Harvard about the malaptive daydreaming disorder because I also view it as an “excuse” (for the sake of argument). It’s quite a shame that you actually said “■■■■■■■■” when surely you understand the stigmas associated with it. I sincerely hope that a person who has neurological problems does not get offended because of that. You must understand that the brain is an organ and like other organs, it too is prone to disease. Surely you wouldn’t call a person with cancer a derogative term so I fail to see why you chose to use one on this site. If you were truly sorry for “coming off in an insulting manner”, you could have always deleted what you wrote. <em>sigh</em></p>

13

<p>Thanks everyone for helping. I didn’t study for the ACT the first time, but I’ve purchased a Sparknotes ACT guide and hopefully, that’ll raise my score. </p>

<p>Kisho3, I understand that my scores will never define who I am but realistically, they are vital for college admissions. I have a friend (who is also a URM).She plans on applying not to only Harvard, but Stanford and MIT as well. She believes that the fact that she is a Mexican-American will override her 1.5 GPA and lack of any activities outside of school. If GPA and scores did not matter, then she would have no problem getting into those schools. It is a sad reality that she will face when it is time for her to apply. I do thank you for your response however :)</p>

14

<p>I think people are forgetting here that while she may have a 3.5 GPA she is still in the top 10% of her high school, which is good (it could also mean that she attends a competitive high school, maybe even on of those schools where a 4.0 is basically unheard of).</p>

15

<p>

</p>

<p>On the contrary, I believe that chocofever was actually using the word very literally, which does not give cause for offense. Mentally ■■■■■■■■ students often have lower GPAs, after all, due to learning disabilities and impaired cognitive functioning. It is, on the other hand, offensive when used outside of its definition to connote something negative.</p>

<p>If, while referring to a plot twist in a television series, someone exclaims: “Oh, that’s so ■■■■■■■■!” Yes, that would be offensive. If used to refer to a student who displays learning difficulties and has been classified as “mentally ■■■■■■■■,” then it is simply acting as a descriptor and is not offensive in and of itself - or at least, no more than “gay” is offensive when used to refer to someone who is gay.</p>

16

<p>just my tidbit. i actually think your “malaptive daydreaming disorder” is a good essay topic… talk about how it has affected you and how you think etc… just saying</p>

17

<p>I think your chances are okay. They will look at you within your personal circumstances so be sure to explain about your family’s situation and why it has limited you from extracurriculars and community service. Also, like everyone said, focus on raising GPA and test scores. I like using Acceptly’s My Chances tool to see my chances of getting into different colleges.</p>

18

<p>@kisho- These threads can be ridiculously encouraging at times. They are not always discouraging to those who post and read them.
Example- I make a chance me thread for Fordham. I post my stats and get nice comments like “You would be in the top 25% at the school, I’d say it is a near definite acceptance.” From this not only I have gained confidence, but also those who are reading the thread and applying to Fordham with higher/better stats than mine will have a significant confidence boost. </p>

<p>The bottom line is, these threads serve little purpose, but they can certainly have both negative and positive effects on the posters and the readers.</p>

19

<p>“malaptive daydreaming disorder” sounds like an excuse for “Lazy”</p>

<p>Hell, I think I just might have “malaptive daydreaming disorder”</p>

<p>I’ve been diagnosed with ADD and ADHD on four different occasions yet I refuse to take medication for it and nowhere on my application will I mention that because I don’t think that it defines me as a person and I don’t need an excuse for my academic achievements which I’ve worked hard to attain</p>

<p>i swear they’re coming out with more ambiguous and long-winded ‘disorders’ every year…</p>

<p>sorry this sounds hateful but i swear it isn’t meant to be… more of a rant towards to medical community in general.</p>

<p>To answer your question:
You have a shot.</p>

20

<p>I think you have a good shot. You don’t meet an AA woman who speaks Hindi every day.</p>