<p>OK so I did poorly in high school (3.3ish gpa unweighted) but a lot of GT classes and a few regular/honors. Im probably going to UMD. What can I do in college so I can do better when applying for graduate schools (My dream is harvard). Other than just getting 4.0 in all my classes. Are sports as important? Isnt that a lot different in college since its much harder to get in/time consuming?</p>
<p>Read the Grad Admissions 101 to get your answers.</p>
<p>And um, enjoy college. Seriously. Get involved!</p>
<p>there’s lots of good graduate programs aside from harvard.</p>
<p>extracurricular activities are not so important, unless they are related to ur area of study. Research experience is important.</p>
<p>They don’t care if you played sports, they care if you have research experience or published papers. Just get a 4.0, excellent GRE scores and awesome recommendations.</p>
<p>As ticklemepink has pointed out, the “Graduate school admissions 101” thread has all the answers you’re seeking.</p>
<p>But just to answer your question re: sports: No, sports aren’t important at all - unless you’re going into some sort of physical education discipline, that is.</p>
<p>Also, you should really chill a bit and enjoy college. 
Just FYI, UMD isn’t a bad school at all.</p>
<p>ok because in high school, ECs and sports are important as well. (volunteering, private lessons, etc.) </p>
<p>so wat about ECs in college? No? unless theyre related to your research?</p>
<p>ECs don’t matter in college unless you are pre-med. Otherwise, research! Maybe one other thing on your CV won’t hurt to show you have a normal life, otherwise, don’t worry.</p>
<p>Also, I second whoever said there are some great programs out there besides Harvard. Let me put it this way, to judge a grad school, you need to know a lot about your field of study, and you need to know who’s who in that field. I just don’t think out of high school you have that kind of knowledge right now. Believe me, grad school is a different game, and a school’s undergrad reputation does not matter at all. For all you know, the best graduate school with the most elite people in your specific field might be at Georgia State. You can laugh at that idea, but that sort of thing happens more than you might like to think. Trust me, at the graduate level, the talent is far more spread out across the country, and you may have to get used to the idea that you will have to move to obscure places to find what you want.</p>
<p>And oh, by the way. I had a 3.3 GPA in high school (UW). Took 5 APs total and 1 Honors (English). </p>
<p><– Look where I got in (in 2005 for UG and 2008 for MA program)</p>
<p>It’s all about your willingness to work your butt off, having a drive to succeed, and good luck to climb the ladder. I have dreamed of Ivies but when I researched grad schools, I found that the Ivies had nothing, or very little, to offer in my field.</p>
<p>Why is Harvard your dream? What kind of program are you planning on going to graduate school in? Harvard, like any other school, has some grad programs that are excellent and some grad programs that are meh. I’m at an Ivy grad school now but that’s only because the school is strong in my field - public health. Picking a grad school is based upon the strength of the program, not the overall reputation of the school.</p>
<p>o ok that makes sense. I dont want Harvard just the #1 top school that is best for me. </p>
<p>I feel if I tried as hard during high school as Ive been trying lately I could’ve gotten into a better/best grad school. But now since its kinda too late Im aiming for grad school but I know the game is a little different and how to get in is a little different/what they want. I read the thread u guys told me to, didnt help much. So youre saying its just GRE and GPA and that reputation doesnt matter anymore?
So youre kinda saying my dreams of greatness are pretty much over (at least education-wise) since high reputation schools may not be the best for my field? Im just gonna be an average UMD stupid person while all my friends went to great Ivies for undergrad? :(</p>
<p>@pilsung Im thinking about premed…</p>
<p>Did you really read this?</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/348756-graduate-school-admissions-101-a.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/graduate-school/348756-graduate-school-admissions-101-a.html</a></p>
<p>Take particular note of this section:</p>
<p>From molliebatmit:
… if you can’t specify your field and the degree you want, you really have no business thinking about going to graduate school. Grad school isn’t something you have to do, and you should be very comfortable with studying in a pretty specific area for several years. (Also note: if you are interested in medical school, business school, or law school, this is not the forum for you. Those are professional schools, and this is the grad school board.)</p>
<p>Were you stoned when you typed the post at 9:32? If not, re-read the 101 topic and the other posts in this thread 
If so, hide your computer next time.</p>
<p>Since you want to study Pre-Med, I suggest you look into the research of the Professors who study Pre-Med in your school’s Pre-Med department. US News and Review rankings for graduate programs in Pre-Med might also help you get your bearings.</p>
<p>I hear Harvard has a great Pre-Med MS/PhD program. Several of my friends also want to get their PhDs in Pre-Med from there.</p>
<p>In response to your original question: to get into highly competitive programs, you need to possess a combination of demonstrable desire, prerequisite knowledge, and prior accomplishment. This means you need to have a great GPA, great research experience, and perhaps a rudimentary PhD thesis idea IN YOUR APPLICATION. </p>
<p>GRE scores aren’t that important, but if you score too far below the average, you will be eliminated. </p>
<p>Letters of reference (see how I didn’t call them letters of recommendation - it’s really presumptuous to ask someone for a letter of recommendation) are important. I suggest you take the most difficult courses in your discipline taught by the most influential PIs… and do extremely well in these courses while making sure your PI knows your name, not through brown-nosing, but because you scored 2 standard deviations above the mean in half the time. </p>
<p>I wasn’t the most stellar student. I scored 48th percentile on my Subject GRE, 95th percentile on verbal, and 78th percentile on quantitative. My GPA was 3.82, and I had two years of undergraduate research and one Summer internship in Germany… somehow, I managed to get into programs ranked #1 in my field, which is a physical science. And yes, I attended a California Community College and a non-brandname UC. </p>
<p>So… </p>
<p>you don’t need to attend Harvard College as an undergrad. You don’t need to go to an Ivy. You just need to differentiate yourself in all the important ways.</p>