@compmom For some time I’ve been looking at Boston as the pinnacle of the future in technology/science and would love to be apart of the growing advancements. I do admit, there are plenty of other institutions you refereed to that are just as good for me, but truthfully I feel that Harvard/MIT/BU share the same goals as I do - creating a better future with the use of technology. Now that doesn’t mean other institutions don’t want that, I feel that there are greater opportunities and resources I can use at Harvard to not only achieve that goals, but shape who I am as a person down the road. I also really love the atmosphere not just on the campus, but the American history behind the the city of Boston.
Now in regards to my not so stellar GPA (which I assume why you wrote the post in the first place), I realize there are more people with 4.0s, but that doesn’t bother me as much as it does to others, with the hope of continuing my current performance and managing a 4.0 junior/senior year which averages my GPA to a 3.5 I’d feel that I did prove myself in committing to the workload offered at Harvard and should not fret about poor performance sophomore/freshman year.
Although in the end, it is now where I end up, but how I make my decisions and knowing where they’ll take me.
Thanks for the comment!
No I wrote the comment because you said you liked to teach yourself and built small robots yourself. That made me think there might be better schools for you. Take a look at Olin for instance, or UMass Lowell.
@compmom Lol I actually was looking at Olin for a couple of months now, and yeah I’ll take the others you listed into consideration, they seem pretty cool
I am sure you are bright but consider the possibility that Harvard is not the best fit for you 
In a good way.
@ITMAN15 you wrote "…with the hope of continuing my current performance and managing a 4.0 junior/senior year which averages my GPA to a 3.5 " Your second semester senior grades will not be considered in the RD round, and neither will your first semester senior grades be considered in the early round, so your GPA when applying will be considerably below 3.5. According to the latest Harvard common data set https://oir.harvard.edu/files/huoir/files/harvard_cds_2014-15.pdf only 1.35% of Harvard freshman had HS GPA under 3.25 and only 3.78% had GPAs under 3.5. It is also pretty well known that when Harvard is willing to overlook very low (for Harvard) GPA or test scores, it is primarily done for the children of celebrities, presidents, prime ministers, major cash donors and recruited athletes. Harvard is a reach even for the 4.0 kids. Kids with under 3.5 GPA who don’t come under one of the limited categories have virtually no chance. You sound like a great kid who is working hard with a lot going for you. Start looking at schools where you will have a decent chance of being accepted.
@tdy123 I forgot to mention that with the performance now my GPA would be a 3.5 excluding second semester year if applying RD, which is the path I would go down, I should have been clear about that earlier my bad. Regardless I appreciate the comment and the data provided. Anyhow, it is to my understanding that Harvard typically looks for a benchmark GPA indicating whether you have to ability to do work or not, and with that, I have faith in the holistic admissions process. I really do appreciate the advice I’ve been given through this post and will definitely look at other schools.
@ITMAN15 glad to hear that my interpretation of your expected GPA was wrong, the 3.5 will give you (if combined with stellar standardized test scores) a chance at some very, very fine schools. Please keep in mind that even with holistic admissions, out of 36,000+ applications, there are only ~ 2000 acceptances and about 1650 enroll. Of the 1650 who enroll, only about 60 have a GPA of 3.49 or under. These numbers aren’t guesses. They are reality. Even with holistic admissions only 60 freshman at Harvard have GPA’s that low. From that 60, deduct " the children of celebrities, presidents, prime ministers, major cash donors and recruited athletes." How many spots could that possibly leave?
You are probably right that all things being equal “Harvard typically looks for a benchmark GPA indicating whether you have to ability to do work or not.” Unfortunately, all things aren’t equal (the children of… etc.) and the stats in Harvard’s common data set indicate pretty clearly that the “benchmark” is considerably higher then you seem to realize. With 87.41% of freshman having GPAs of 3.75 or higher, that only leaves about 200 spots for 3.74 or below, many, most or all of which (take your pick) are filled with the rich, famous or recruited.
@tdy123 You’re absolutely right with the statement regarding the reality of how things typically go during the process and from that, I should not be fixated on Harvard specifically coming to realization. There are much better schools out there probably much better for me, but I haven’t quite found them yet. Of such a small number, even if I don’t get accepted, it is most certainly not the end of the world. I think your comments really did break down the raw data to narrow down the numbers I would be facing if I were to apply. Aside from the hard numbers, I can only keep doing the things I love and wish for the best whether I end up applying to Harvard or to any other institution. Thanks!
Yes keep doing what you love, and find schools that fit your talents, which are evidently strong in certain areas. You might even want to look at schools that allow some independent work.
I think you might consider not applying to Harvard. Your chances are exceedingly slim. Olin is as selective as MIT, by the way, so though I suggested looking at it, I would say that was more to get you off Harvard!
I think you could benefit from going on the parents’ forum, describing your interests, and asking for suggestions of schools. I always suggest looking at the website “Colleges that Change Lives.”
@ITMAN15 I think you would be a great student at Harvard or any of the top schools. It is just the crazy state of current college admissions that makes your having that opportunity less likely. To put it in perspective, I had a 40th HS reunion dinner not very long ago with about 30 of my classmates who had gone on to IVYs and top LAC’s like Williams etc. We were all unanimous in concluding that if we were kids applying now, with our GPA’s and SAT’s from back then, none of us, ZERO, would make it to the schools we did. To make it even worse, most of my friends had kids who either were going through the application process or had recently started college and were very bitter over the results of those applications. Kids with 2300+ SAT and 3.9+ UW GPA were being rejected with legacy, or even double legacy, status at the schools where their parents were accepted with inferior stats.
@tdy123 @compmom really appreciate the new insights you’ve both given me, thanks so much!
And check out schools like UMass Lowell… Robotics, nanotechnology, biometrics etc.!