What would be my chances of getting into Harvard?

<p>Hey guys,
If you would, give your honest opinion if you think of my chances of being accepted into Harvard... Just for a heads up, I am a U.S. citizen and have lived in the U.S. my entire life until after my sophomore year when I made the decision to move alone to Goteborg (It wasn't me moving with my parents for a job), Sweden to study the IB diploma (the entire reason I went is because my mom is Swedish) </p>

<p>IB (Predicted):
History HL: 7
Psychology HL: 7
English A1 HL: 7
Biology SL: 6
Math SL: 6
Swedish B: 5
(38 without core/ 41 with core)</p>

<p>ACT:
34 Composite</p>

<p>SAT II's:
U.S. History: 800
World History: 800</p>

<p>AP's:
World History: 5</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
- (10,11,12)Debate: I first started debating with Friendswood High School in Houston, TX at the beginning of my sophomore year and in that first year earned 'superior distinction', State Finalist for TFL Student congress, UIL State CX (Texas), and qualified for 09 Nationals in Student Congress (Senate) and Domestic Exempt. After that first year, I made the decision to move to Goteborg, Sweden on my own to study the IB program. Sadly though, my IB school (Hvitfeldtska) did not have a debate team (Scandinavia is the only place in the world that has no debating societies... a real bummer) and I ended up founding one for my school (founder and elected president). Luckily for me though despite the lack of debating in Sweden, I found a ex-Oxford debater in Stockholm and we managed to convince our schools to let us get a team together to represent Sweden and compete at the 2010 WSDC (World Schools Debating Championships) in Qatar due to the successes we had with the EU and BP competitive debating system (we went to alot of wsdc tournaments mostly in Europe) that I had got my group involved in previously. Our success in Qatar (Breaking as a first year team) then convinced the Swedish government and a coalition of IB schools to form the Swedish Debating Society which is now blossoming (Sweden now finally has a debating society!)
- (10)Varsity Swim team until I moved to Sweden (I just swim at the local gym here)
-(11,12)Amnesty International co-coordinator of several local and regional campaigns within the Goteborg area
- (11,12)Head editor and writer with World News and U.S. Politics in our school's newspaper.
- (11,12)President of schools recycle club
- (11,12)'IB homework help':Head English, Psychology, and History tutor
- (11,12)Intern with Regional County mayor (Galveston Island)- I worked with his campaign and specialize with ideas for tourism growth
- (Summer of 2010)Texas Governor candidate Bill White's election bid: I served as a local campaign captain and organized local standouts
-(9,10) Houston Zoo Volunteer: Specialized with education for rainforest conservation/Preformed daily presentations with live specimens/Group leader and co-organizer for 2009 Houston Zoo ‘Youth March’
-2008 (Sep/Aug) Fundraiser for Victims of Hurricane Ike :Head coordinator of a two month door-to-door campaign that raised $3,203 for victims of Hurricane Ike.
- Jobs: Soccer Reff/ Life Guard/ Waiter and Busser </p>

<p>For supplementary materials I was thinking of sending in some pictures of an event I organized back in January at my school with the national (Swedish) media to trump up debating in Sweden. Do you guys think it would be a good idea? It's either that or my Student Congress Nationals legislation...</p>

<p>Chance me?</p>

<p>Totally forgot that I am going to be applying with the intention to study poli sci…</p>

<p>.037 - which is pretty good considering it is Harvard. I would imagine you could climb up to a .16 with a really strong essay. Good luck and don’t forget to love thy safety - Upsalla maybe. P.S. If you happen to bump into a co-ed named Lisbeth with a tatoo of a dragon on her back . . . just start running.</p>

<p>You should have a better chance than a lot of people! Great stats. The debate story is interesting and shows that you pursue things. Are there any articles written about it or is there a website? That might be better than pictures of an event. Did you apply to U. Chicago? There are other great schools, of course, if harvard doesn’t work out. Good luck.</p>

<p>You have a good chance of getting in.</p>

<p>“good” is relative, Leinad. I would posit that no one has a good chance of getting in. That being said, it seems the OP is viable and in the running. But given the low admit rate and the serendipity of H admissions, the OP (and everyone else who applies to schools like H) should have a good series of back up schools.</p>

<p>Unfortunately no one without a hook has a good chance of getting into Harvard. It’s just fact. Most valedictorians are rejected, most 2400s are rejected, most URMs are rejected, most legacies are rejected. for anyone to say good chance, well, unfortunately, they just are not familiar with the facts.</p>

<p>Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford and increasingly the other ivies, top LACs and top tech schools reject the vast majority of the world’s best students, unfortunately. Today, the only students with a good chance are top students being recruited for a sport. </p>

<p>This is not to say it can’t happen, it’s just to say it’s a lottery in which no qualified student has a good chance.</p>

<p>^2college2college speaks the truth.</p>

<p>@Hitch
There are a ton of articles about it, but they are all in Swedish unfortunately…
@glido
What are the numbers representing?
.037 and .16
@2college2college and all the others
I totally understand the chances and have six extra back up schools… The main reason that I am applying in the first place is because of Debate (What I did) and me moving to Sweden on my own… How big of an effect would these be on my app? Would it create a sufficient ‘hook’ effect?</p>

<p>Unfortunately, no.</p>

<p>So what is a good ‘hook’ in Harvard terms? (I am finding something more that my debate hook hard to come by with ‘passion’ and activity within an activity)</p>

<p>A hook is being a recruited athlete, a URM, a legacy or a child of the rich and powerful. </p>

<p>Now there are other things that make a candidate stand out, but tha above are the hooks that truly make a candidate’s chances go way up. Doing anything extraordinarily well, as in being very top internationally, will make youbstand our. An Olympic athlete who also has top grades, someone who has achieved something huge in public service like the girl who started the school backpack program and rolled it out across the Country, being a Yo Yo Ma, having a best selling book and a contract to write more…these are the type of things that Harvard can’t resist.</p>

<p>Most people will never have a Harvard sized hook.</p>

<p>“There are a ton of articles about it, but they are all in Swedish unfortunately” So put in a link to the best article, giving a VERY brief precis. If Admissions is interested, they’ll pass it on to a Swedish speaker for reviewr - there’ll be one at Harvard. Don’t worry about this ‘hook’ stuff. Good luck!</p>