<p>I am a sophomore in High School with a 4.7 GPA. I am currently taking the following classes:
Pre-AP English II, Chemistry Honors, AP Biology, Spanish III, AP World History and Geometry</p>
<p>**I plan on taking Algebra II online and take the following classes next my junior year
AP Lit, AP Psychology, AP Spanish OR Spanish IV, AP US History, Physics, and Pre-Calc</p>
<p>I have pretty much 0 community service at the moment but I plan on volunteering at Lighthouse Ministries over the summer and get a bunch of hours done</p>
<p>I am in the following clubs: Academic Team, Photo Club (Treasurer), Chem Club and NHS. </p>
<p>I am a Straight A student and don't find it very challenging to maintain good grades. What should I add to my resume that would increase my chances of getting in?</p>
<p>Do extracurriculars that matter to you, well and deeply. Does your chosen community service thing? “Get a bunch of hours done” doesn’t seem like a particularly productive attitude (personally) to take to it.</p>
<p>@ecultationsy by ‘getting a bunch of hours done’ i meant to get the point across that i was aiming for a substantial amount of hours and lighthouse ministries is a shelter which basically houses homeless families and for the summer they need volunteers for the daycare center they have which is where I plan to volunteer. I chose this place because I’ve heard that the kids there are amazing and very appreciative. And @vblock what would a good SAT score be?</p>
<p>75% of accepted Harvard students had SAT scores of CR: 690 and Math 700. 25% of accepted Harvard students had SAT scores of CR: 790 and Math 800. A good (safe) score is in the middle 50%.</p>
<p>i had one more question: if and when i do apply to harvard, i would be an out-of-state student so would that effect any of their financial aid that they provide for not-so-well-off students? and would it be a better idea to apply for early admissions or just do the regular?</p>
<p>Thank you soo much!! That helped a ton! Another question is… how much will being class valedictorian add to my application? and is it important to have a particular major in mind and to be 100% sure what field you wanna go into?</p>
<p>i think that being valedictorian is considered in the context of the size of the class, the quality of the high school, and the history of the high school with the University applied to.</p>
<p>It is taken in the context of the entire application. </p>
<p>I don’t think that the major or the field have much bearing at Harvard, but I defer to others on this.</p>
<p>I think that at some schools (cornell comes to mind), different majors bestow different chances of admission…</p>
<p>Admissions Directors understand that most students change their major at least once during their four years of college, so not one school will hold you to your choice of “intended major.” All matriculating students at HYPS start out as liberal arts majors – that’s true for those interested in math and science as well. You do not choose a major until your sophomore year, so it doesn’t matter what you write down on your application. Write down what is in your heart, even if it’s undecided.</p>
<p>FWIW: You should begin the college process by changing your focus and your way of thinking. Right now, all of your questions are basically trying to second guess what an Admissions Director is looking for. As you don’t know who will read your file and what they are looking for – it’s best to just be YOU! That means study what YOU are interested in, write down on your application what YOU care about, what motivates YOU. Colleges, especially Harvard, want authenticity. They can smell someone who is trying to fit themselves into a prefabricated mold – and they reject those kids by the thousands. If you read nothing else about the college applications process, you should read this article. It is THE BEST article on the subject that I have ever read: [Applying</a> Sideways | MIT Admissions](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways]Applying”>Applying Sideways | MIT Admissions)</p>
<p>Since no one has said this yet, I will: getting into colleges as prestigious and competitive as Harvard is largely a crapshoot. I can name a bunch of my friends who I was SURE would get into the college of their choice, only to get rejected</p>
<p>“getting into colleges as prestigious and competitive as Harvard is largely a crapshoot.”</p>
<p>If you have the credentials to be a viable candidate for Harvard – a transcript filled with rigorous classes, a high GPA and equally high ACT/SAT scores, stunning recommendations, extracurricular activities that demonstrate passion and thought provoking essays – you will get into a top school! It may not be Harvard, or Yale, or Princeton, or Stanford, but if you have the “full package,” a top-tier school will scoop you up. If you’re just shooting for Harvard, yes it is very much a crapshoot. But, if you apply to a broad range of schools (reach, target and safety), you will find yourself at a great school that you love.</p>
<p>That you are volunteering to “help” people just to move forward your Ivy application is something you might want to think about when you look into the mirror in the morning.</p>