There is there girl I know who got accepted into Harvard. Although I feel happy for her, I have absolutely no idea how she could have possibly gotten in. In terms of Harvard, her ACT was ridiculously low(23), her grades were average, her GPA was mediocre, and she only does one EC. By no means is she academically specially in anyway. I realize that colleges are not always looking to accept the super smart kids because they want some diversity. However, even if she wrote a killer application, her stats just don’t add up. I honestly feel bad for the kids who got rejected that have had their sights on Harvard for a while. Although she’s cool with me and vise versa, I truly feel like she shouldn’t have been accepted. I’m willing to bet that there were at least 1,000 better application than hers. Any thoughts on how she could have possibly gotten in?
*applications
Is she Native American/Pacific Islander/African American?
(No sarcasm here; being a URM could’ve helped… but with those scores, she would’ve had to have been a princess or something…)
She must be truly exceptional. There were no students who got into Harvard last year with an ACT composite of 23
Ever think about her socioeconomic status? Financial situation? You never know.
@marshmallowpop No, she is Asian.
@JustOneDad I know…it doesn’t really make sense. She might have possibly scored a 24, but either way that score is really low
Maybe there’s just a lot you don’t know (maybe she did more ECs than you knew about outside of school (or a really desirable one like a sport), retook the ACT, did very amazing things with her summers, takes college courses, self-studies for APs, has a low socioeconomic status, etc.). It may forever remain a mystery, but if she truly presented herself accurately and they accepted her, then Harvard must have seen some kind of potential in her, and an indicator that she will be able to succeed and contribute to the school.
Yes, the only way you really know that she got a 23 on the ACT if you saw her results (how is a 23 possibly a 24?). The only way you really know her GPA is see her transcript. The only way you really know her ECs is if you follow her around. Or saw her Common App.
Your post is full of spelling and grammar errors, so it isn’t hard to believe that either a) you just don’t know the truth about her and her application, and she did get into Harvard, or b) she did not get into Harvard.
I know people who lied about getting into top schools. I also know people like myself who some likely said “I can’t believe she got into that Ivy”. But it’s not like I got into Harvard though.
@rhandco First off, I’m typing this on a small screen. Sorry for the grammatical errors. Second off, you’re right about seeing her transcript. It’s not like I’m going to seek it out. I was just courious to see if anyone has heard anything like this that has happened. Whether she got in or not, she isn’t going to Harvard. She is attending Iowa because they are offering her the most money.
Although I have a 4.0, I have a less-than-stellar SAT (2030), I’m not a legacy, and I no AP classes and no big awards. I’m a good student compared to the rest of my school but compared to the rest of the Harvard applicant pool I’m less than average. I have some leadership and several EC’s, but honestly? I know there are more qualified applicants than me. So why was I accepted? The only reasons I can think of are:
- my location; being from a super rural area.
- my essays/interview; both turned out well so I think Harvard got a good idea of my personality (and hopefully liked me! :D)
Harvard has a holistic admissions process; they must have seen something in her that others haven’t. Maybe they accepted her because they weren’t just looking at the stats (;
I can vouch for what @radmadeline says. I have a good SAT score, but my GPA isn’t exactly spectacular. I might have made up for that by getting good grades in my toughest classes, but admissions really isn’t as straightforward as many people think it is.
As a hookless applicant (unless being Asian counts as a negative hook), I can say that they’re not necessarily looking for the valedictorian-student body president…just people that meet a certain academic threshold that can prove they will contribute to the Harvard community as a whole.
That said, a 23 ACT is a bit TOO low. Standardized testing isn’t everything, but it’s important. She might have been lying, but we don’t know enough to tell.
She could also be lying…
A 23 ACT is barely above average. I would worry that the student would not be up to the challenge. Something is wrong somewhere. . . .
Maybe she lied on the app about her EC’s and wrote she cured a tropical disease in china you never know. 
Universities are looking for well rounded people.
If she was truly in need (moneywise, as that would give her some leeway in terms of expected GPA/SAT), I dont see Iowa being cheaper than Harvard. So if what you’re saying is true, maybe she just lied?
If she is going to Iowa, she didn’t get into Harvard. There’s a chance that I’m wrong, but it’s only a very, very slight chance.
That means that she’s not telling the truth.
She could be lying. I had someone tell me a month ago that they got into Yale, Princeton, Harvard, and Penn, but would be a attending a local directional because it was stronger in her program and had better finaid. Of course, it was obvious she was lying since results hadn’t been released yet, and one couldn’t apply to multiple Ivies EA. But I did what you should - just smiled and nodded, and wished her the best. On the off chance that she isn’t lying, at least you supported her decision. Maybe she really did get into Harvard? Could be possible.
She could be lying and she wouldn’t be the first! We have a local family whose kids DO attend Harvard and Yale, but they lie and tell everyone their kids are on full athletic scholarships. We all know Ivy League schools don’t give athletic scholarships.
I doubt she got in with the stats you think she had.