Worried :(

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>Ok, let me jump right in -</p>

<p>I'm an Indian sophomore(screw me, right?) and I have a problem - kinda.</p>

<p>I don't study in India - I study in Qatar - the middle east - which is COMPLETELY different from studying in India. </p>

<p>My grade 9 result was FANTASTIC!</p>

<p>I got a GPA of 9.6 out of 10 - or an unweighted GPA of 4.0 in the USA system (I used the official CBSE conversion table)</p>

<p>BUT - there's a problem - I got a C+ in one exam and three Bs throughout the year.</p>

<p>I would blame the teacher - but that would be egotistical and arrogant.</p>

<p>So anyways, I blame the teacher.</p>

<p>I cleaned up my act and by the second semester, I improved from C+ to B+ (Still blame the teacher.) </p>

<p>I got straight As and was the top of my class in most other subjects.</p>

<p>My rank was 3/300</p>

<p>Grade 10 has been INCREDIBLE!</p>

<p>But everything changed after the fire nation attacked - Just kidding :P</p>

<p>Thanks to my new focus and seriousness - I HAVEN'T DROPPED BELOW A+ IN A SINGLE SUBJECT! :D I have been cranking out A+ s in EVERY EXAM (Thank the teacher :D )</p>

<p>I am currently ranked 1st in my entire class!</p>

<p>I will be taking a course in 11th and 12th that I'm sure I'll excel in..</p>

<p>So - here's my problem -</p>

<p>I got an amazing GPA in grade 9 and an even better one in grade 10...</p>

<p>I have AMAZING ECs! Let me sum up my ECs by saying that I am a part of the top 5 public speakers of the country. I'm also an international quiz and MUN champion.</p>

<p>Will Harvard reject me for those bad grades?</p>

<p>The anxiety is keeping me up all night. I haven't slept in over 54 hours.. :(</p>

<p>P.S - For those who think I was being a jerk blaming my teacher - I'd just like to take a moment and say that he had NO DEGREES IN HIS FIELD AND NO EXPERIENCE TEACHING HIS FIELD. He actually applied to teach ANOTHER SUBJECT - the school gave him another job though...</p>

2

<p>I really want this heartburn to end so I can sleep - please help! :)</p>

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<p>“I really want this heartburn to end so I can sleep - please help!” You want to apply to a school with less than 6% admit rate for internationals.</p>

<p>You want the heartburn to end? Don’t apply. Or get some perspective. There is no other answer.</p>

4

<p>“You want the heartburn to end? Don’t apply. Or get some perspective. There is no other answer.”</p>

<p>Thanks for the reply but that was vague.
I don’t do vague.</p>

<p>Will Harvard reject me or not? Bear in mind I showed IMMENSE improvement and still managed a stellar GPA.</p>

5

<p>

</p>

<p>Yes, Harvard will reject you or not.</p>

<p>You want certainty. There isn’t any. As T26E4 said, about 95% of Harvard applicants are rejected; I suspect the numbers may be even bleaker for international applicants than they are for domestic ones. And the overwhelming majority of rejected applicants are not rejected because there’s something the matter with their credentials. They’re superbly well qualified. They’re rejected because the size of Harvard’s freshman class is limited to a little over 1600.</p>

<p>So there are two paths to serenity. One, you can decide not to apply to Harvard. Then you definitely won’t go. Two, you can apply to Harvard, but figure the deck is stacked against you, and it’s a sure thing you won’t get in. Then if you don’t, you won’t be surprised, and if you do, the surprise will be a happy one.</p>

<p>But anybody who tries to reassure you that it’ll be fine and you can probably get into Harvard is either poorly informed or trying to sell you something.</p>

<p>Also, T26E4 has been here on College Confidential forever, and knows as much about Ivy League admissions as just about anyone I know who doesn’t personally work in an admissions office. You really shouldn’t have disrespected him.</p>

6

<p>I’m really sorry if I disrespected anyone, I truly am.</p>

<p>I am extremely new to CC and, so, have never had the opportunity to read ANY of T26E4’s posts. </p>

<p>I once read that many parents and CCers try to dissuade you from applying - so they have a better chance. I was stupid to have a slight doubt that T26E4 was one. I’ve gone through his posts - and you were right, he is an erudite authority on these things.</p>

<p>I’m extremely sorry, once again, for having disrespected anyone and/or acting VERY immature.</p>

<p>I understand Harvard rejects superbly qualified students in the name of limited seats.</p>

<p>I thank you for making me understand that there is no certainty to things when it comes to Harvard.</p>

<p>But could you assume that my SAT/ACT scores are stellar, my ECs are great, my essays are amazing and my recommendations are superb. Please, just assume so.</p>

<p>In this scenario - would Harvard reject me for these few bad grades?</p>

<p>I know there is zero certainty - but what would your best bet be?</p>

<p>AGAIN - T26E4- I’m really sorry if I disrespected you. I have no excuse. It was wrong of me to behave like that. I hope this doesn’t stop you from giving me intelligent, if not friendly, advice.</p>

7

<p>You are only a sophomore…T26E4 is not being vague but just honest…NONE of us are fortune tellers…we cannot divine what will happen to YOU…so, why create such a fuss and give yourself unnecessary acid reflux? </p>

<p>…sorry, to be frank…getting into H, S, Y, P should NOT be your sole purpose in life nor should it DEFINE you…but, rather, you trying to get the best secondary education possible while exploring your outside interests that stimulates your mind and passions…</p>

<p>…I’m reminded of that famous Army slogan…“be all that you can be”…and if you do…one never knows where one will end up come senior year…</p>

<p>…hope you understand.</p>

8

<p>Thanks a lot for that gem of advice! :)</p>

<p>While it’s true that H,S,Y,P shouldn’t be my primary goal and that I should enjoy a great secondary education to the fullest - I’m just exploring my prospects.</p>

<p>You are right - I will try to be all that I can be - but what if these few bad grades pull down the visage of what I’ve become…</p>

<p>That’s what worries me :(</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

9

<p>I respect a sincerely offered apology.</p>

<p>If you’re a top student–and bit sounds as if you are–you should certainly aim for Harvard and its peers. Just realize that whether it’ll work out is completely beyond your control. But if Harvard doesn’t work out, you may still have a lot of very good options.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice - I’ll try my best to abide by it.</p>

<p>I do have my eyes on Princeton, Yale and UChicago too…</p>

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<p>Yeah…that doesn’t help a lot. The probability that one of four nearly-impossible events will occur is still very, very low. I would advise you to cast a wider net if you want to go to university in the U.S. You might want to look into some of the very large, very good public universities.</p>

<p>Also, while I respect your apology, I’m not T26E4. If you hurry, you can still edit that last post!</p>

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<p>Oh, blast! But now it’s too late for me to edit my post!</p>

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<p>aspir: no apology is necessary. If my orig post had been as thoroughly written as sikorsky’s post #5 to begin with, I think you would have fully understood.</p>

<p>Good luck w/your continued college search/admissions</p>

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<p>Btw, Stanford doesn’t look at your freshman grades, if that helps you sleep better. Still a crapshoot though.</p>

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<p>Princeton also does not use grade 9 grades.</p>

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<p>But I need financial aid (most probably) - and aren’t Princeton and Stanford anti-international when it comes to aid?</p>

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<p>The six colleges in America that conduct admissions decisions for international students WITHOUT looking at their need (“need-blind”) are Amherst, Dartmouth, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, and Yale. So I doubt Stanford’s “anti-international,” because it’s very wealthy; Princeton is one of the six least “anti-international” schools in the entire country.</p>

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<p>Thanks a lot! Because Stanford was one of my first choices - but after reading their on their website that a need for financial aid would be a factor in admission - I just went - “NOPE! Forget Stanford!”</p>

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<p>^ I wrote that in a hurry - forgive the horrible grammar.</p>

<p>I read on Stanford’s website that it treats a need for financial aid as a factor for admission if you are an international.</p>

<p>Furthermore, I read online that internationals who can pay the full fees are given first priority. I’m guessing Princeton does too. This worries me because, although VERY few apply to Harvard from my country of residence - their all rich enough to pay…</p>

<p>But tons apply from my country of citizenship - and most of them need aid.</p>

<p>It’s so confusing…</p>

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<p>^ * their parents are all rich enough to pay.</p>