<p>I am an Indian Student. I went to high school tried to be best in everything. I topped my class in tenth with 10 cgpa and then however got poor in eleventh due to some unusual financial and family circumstances (on a very serious note which includes an accident where i nearly lost my eye) but tried very hard and recovered in twelfth and stood among top 15% of my class.( I do know about IIT trend but never felt like belonging to there so decided to try for Harvard and have taken a gap year to apply for Harvard the only problem now I face is my low grade (not much but still comparative to other potential applicants it seems low) as a consequence of some unavoidable circumstances and my Extracurricular Activities and also that my teachers dont know how to write a strong recommendation letter, as they have never written one! (I fear they would end up showing me on wrong side) what to do?</p>
<p>My stats
SAT 2380 (first time) aiming for 2400 in second time.
SAT Sub Maths 2 (800) physics (800) latin (800) spanish (800)
ACT 35
High school GPA 4.0
Senior secondary school GPA 3.87</p>
<p>EC
school prefect 2 years
Astronomy Group President, Financial chairperson (Self Started) 4 years
School Newsletter Astronomy column 2 years
Indian classical vocal diploma 3 years
State football team 1 year
MUN (Participant :( )
National Merit Scholar 1 year ( guess this is not EC)
Piano 2 years
Summer Jobs: worked as private tutor, at a local tourist spot as guide.</p>
<p>Thanks for answering but my real question is about REC’s. My teachers are too reluctant to write anything. They simply say it’s not their responsibility or job and they’ll not do it. It’s not that I am on bad terms with them, as I was school prefect and everyone seemed to like me, had academic excellence…etc… but still they refuse. I also fear even if they’ll agree, they would end up winding the essay too short or too general which would be in no way helpful in making me stand out in the application pool.</p>
<p>I echo PsychoDad’s comment - you already had a 35 ACT but decided to take the SAT anyway (or vice versa)? you already had two or three perfect SAT II scores, but you took more? and now you are planning to take more standardized test(s)?</p>
<p>Based on information that is obviously tremendously limited, I would venture to guess that you fail to realize how your personality can be perceived by others as arrogant and abrasive.</p>
<p>Perhaps your teachers are uncomfortable writing LOR for you simply because they would feel obligated to write about both your academic excellence as well as your obsessive perfectionism. Even though no one has yet written a LOR for you, you are already criticizing them and pointing out ways that they fail to measure up to your standards: “too short or too general which would be in no way helpful”.</p>
<p>I find it hard to believe that there aren’t a few teachers who know you well enough and would be willing to write a LOR. I won’t assume anything here, but if you can’t get someone to write a LOR, then it makes me wonder if you have focused too much on academics and not enough on developing your personality.</p>
<p>Thank you all for replying, but I am very sorry to write it in a wrong way. Actually My teachers say they are not responsible to write any such thing as I am no more in school. It’s not that they don’t know me. I was their favorite and they made me represent school even though I was busy preparing for my exam, they voted me to be a prefect and everything like that… It’s not that I have not focused on personality development or anything as such… so please consider that I am really popular and in good books of my teachers but still they say that they cant write the letter for me and make excuse that they have never done it (maybe they think they won’t write it to my benefit, just second guessing, actually my counselor said that to me directly). What do you think should I do? I mean from where should I get Rec’s.</p>
<p>You don’t seem like you possess any distinct personality except possibly arrogance. Harvard looks for a personality and a passion. You look like you are made of great grades, ACT +SAT scores, and things that look good on a transcript. I feel like in your application essay you will talk about how other people’s incompetence is holding you back. I mean retaking the SAT after getting a 2380? Right now your only real personality quirk is obsessive perfectionism bordering (or perhaps there already) on arrogance.</p>
<p>Actually if you really do care that much anout going to an Ivy League, I suggest taking the SAT again and getting a 2400. A 2400 looks better than a 2380. Also, try to get a 36 on the ACT instead of a 35. Aside from that, try taking the SAT subject tests in Biology E/M (take (M)-Molecular, its more accepted and challenging) and Chemistry and remember to get an 800 in both of them. With those stats, it is almost guaranteed that you will stand out from the applicant pool, academically.</p>
<p>*Biology E stands for Ecological which is easier when compared to Biology M- Molecular.</p>
<p>@JJoy - What??? I have never heard any adcom from any college give any indication that a perfect test score has an advantage over a nearly perfect test score. Quite the contrary, I have heard an adcom from Northwestern describe concerns about applicants who retake standardized tests when they already have a nearly perfect score - indicating a lack of maturity. Similarly, the Dean of Admissions from Duke is on record as downgrading an applicant who submits an excessive number of SAT II scores, even if they are all 800. Harvard’s Dean of Admissions points out every year how many perfect scoring applicants were rejected.</p>
<p>OP has already established that he can take standardized tests well with his existing scores. Taking more tests would only increase concern about his arrogance and lack of self-awareness.</p>
<p>I am writing this because he fails to realize that he already has a near - perfect academic record. I meant to write *about but I wrote anout in my previous post.</p>
<p>OP - Perhaps this is a cultural difference, but I don’t understand why your teachers are hesitant to write LOR. You state that you were their favorite and that “I am really popular and in good books of my teachers”.</p>
<p>Even if an LOR falls outside of their duties as a teacher, if they genuinely like you I cannot understand why they will not do you an important favor. In my experience, teachers consider it an honor and privilege to write LOR for their best students. They know how important college admission is to the goals and aspirations of students. It does not make sense that teachers would devote their professional career to developing students’ passions but deny a request that is a crucial step along that path.</p>
<p>My best guess is that you are badly misreading your teachers’ opinion of you. This is admittedly pure speculation, but nothing else makes sense. You need to find two teachers who you can persuade to write a letter. The Common Application instructions are clear, “You must list at least one Teacher who will complete the Teacher Evaluation for you.” Perhaps a meeting with your GC or principal would be helpful to better understand the uniform reluctance.</p>
<p>Also, if you really want to go above and beyond, I suggest taking the SAT Subject Tests in World History and United States History. However, be sure to get an 800 on both of them.</p>
<p>Hey folks, thank you all for valuable comment but I am not trying to be arrogant okay!!! Please try to understand my situation …after three years of good interaction theres a sudden ‘no’ from my teachers, seems like a shock to me. Hey, let me tell you I am not from Bombay or Delhi like big cities but a small town of Firozabad and here no one in recent history has ever tried to apply for any US schools… and as you are all talking about myself retaking SAT, I was taking because someone here at CC told me that it would improve my application. Yesterday I again went to my school and had chat with my principal he said - " Son you are among the best I have ever seen in my career of over 30 years and I would really ask my teachers to write recommendation for you but none of us are really well acquainted with you on personal grounds (every year we had different set of teachers to teach) on which we have to write recommendation for you and moreover I don’t want to see you get rejected…" Now can someone notice what is the problem without messing over me retaking the SAT’s Please ??? </p>
<p>Common people you all are getting me wrong … I am not score perfectionist as you can see my senior school GPA was low…and neither I want to be and if i would have been then what’s the whole point of going to an University, huh? </p>
<p>@JJOY15 …Thanx …Yeah lot of people said me to go to some IIT’s but do you think should I not study what I am actually passionate for and is not available in my country?</p>
<p>@originalguy609 …Thanx for replying…but no one can consider someone arrogant just on basis of what he writes as I have already apologized for the wrong way I asked question in my previous reply, didn’t I?</p>
<p>@rmldad…Thanx man I won’t be taking SAT, okay, It was just that I was too much worried, after I saw the competitiveness and as I have already said that someone one CC said that it would improve my application!! and as I have quoted what my Principal Sir said to me…what do u think have I done something really bad…and would get straight rejection from Ivies.</p>
<p>@all It must be hard to realise that something like this is happening, maybe It doesn’t happens in US but here it’s different totally different …believe me you all would’ve realised it, once you would’ve stayed here…anyways any opinions and solution to this problems are still invited. Thanx once again and apologies for my bad way of conversing with ya’all…</p>
<p>Ok I think I get it now. You just didn’t get to know any of your teachers that well. I thought of arrogance because you were worried your teachers wouldn’t write a good LOR due to their poor writing skills. But I don’t really know anyone of my teachers well either. I see your problem. There has to be at least 1 teacher that would write you a rec. Keep looking and be sure to show personality on your essay because you said your teacher don’t know you that well.</p>
<p>@originalguy609 …So will any teacher do? I mean If he/she is not my high school teacher? Actually here in India the student teacher ratio is so huge (240 students/ teacher and sometimes even more) that teacher don’t have time or energy to concentrate over one child and that too at personal level; it becomes impossible to do so and moreover every year we get new teacher because here schools are divided into various levels like primary , high, sec, senior sec…etc therefore we have different sets of teacher for each level of education. Also in my case, my father has had a transferable job so I have been changing school almost every 6 months or so therefore it has not only affected my grade but also to the level teacher know me. For Instance, I was enrolled in my last school since past two years and I had two different teacher for each science subject these two years. Added with all I have said, is that teachers don’t involve in classroom discussions but continue giving notes and feed us with facts therefore they have quite less interaction even with their most admired students.</p>
<p>Perhaps you need to have a backup plan. Most highly selective universities in this country look for more than just GPA and test scores. They want to know what you will add to the quality of life at the school- will you be a leader, will you contribute to a vibrant campus life, etc. if your teachers can’t do this, then you may need to rethink where you want to apply. I was born in India and know that there is a huge difference in approach to education. You seemed to have been a victim of an impersonal system that emphasized rote memory skills over character development.</p>