I am currently a Freshmen in High School. My grades have been bad this year. I got two Bs for Honors Geometry and Honors U.S. History I (I probably got a B for Honors Biology). Does this three Bs affect my chances into getting into top colleges like Harvard?
Also, how does a good Harvard Transcript look like? If there is anyone here who got into Harvard, could you please share how you got in? (if you feel comfortable sharing it, of course)
Does it affect your chances? Yes. Why? There will be other students applying, perhaps even from your High School, who received all A’s in those courses. Are your grades so bad that you have no chance? No. Do the best you can for the rest of your HS career, score well on your standardized tests, follow and explore your passions and interests and don’t think about your chances for a couple of years.
Why do you want to go to Harvard? There are many great schools out there. Do your best, and enjoy high school, and when the time comes, apply to some schools that are good fits, whether that includes Harvard or not. No need to stress and worry now!
It would look a lot like my son’s transcript (he attended Princeton). He had an unweighted 4.0 with a very rigorous course load.
But it’s often something outside of academics, as long as applicants meet benchmarks for grades and scores.
If you have to think about colleges now, research other schools. Just so you stop worrying. Harvard is probably not an option- we cannot say- but there are many others.
If your grades improve, it probably won’t make a big difference. Many students have a rocky start in high school. Stanford BTW doesn’t even look at freshman grades.
I definitely didn’t have all As and I got into Harvard.
^^ Yeah, but you’re blond. 
I had an unweighted 4.0 when I got in with honors STEM classes (but it slipped a bit after I got in, in senior year!) Applications are considered in the context of your school and the rigor of classes you’ve taken - it’s good if you’re the kind of person who tries to take the tougher classes on offer (as you seem to be, which is a good sign!)
Having B’s on your transcript is certainly not a dealbreaker, but it’s fairly common among my “unhooked” friends (non URM/first generation/etc.) to have UW GPA’s of at least 3.8+ or so unless they had some other remarkable achievement(s) (major extra-curricular, research, recruited athlete, etc.) or else overcame significant hardship.
It’s certainly not necessary to get straight A’s, but per the most recent Crimson Survey,
http://features.thecrimson.com/2016/freshman-survey/makeup/
The majority of the self-reported class appear to be in the 3.8+ range (but there would likely be significant selection bias, I find people who were satisfied with their high school experience are much more likely to be the ones self-reporting their scores) so I would definitely knuckle down the next couple years of high school and bring it up if you can.
I think there’s definitely weight given to an upward trend in grades and GPA too, and freshman GPA counted the least of all, so don’t be discouraged.
As to the second part of your question however, I don’t feel that what “got me in” was my GPA/grades though, but what I did in addition to those - you get a little note from your admissions officer after you get in and mine highlighted specific details in my essays and specific extra-curriculars/competitions on my app as being what really stood out on my application. Hope that helps!
Transcripts don’t get anyone into Harvard. They can only keep you out.