Worst Stats getting into Harvard?

<p>What was the point of that? Oh, for comparing us to Kerry and Bush (oh wait it was gore, but kerry had bad grades too.) Instead of putting that whole chart in, could you just tell us what you mean by it? (wow i sound kind of arrogant today!)</p>

<p>As others have said, low GPA does not mean low rank. Call it what you will, but I have a 3.43, and I'm still in the top 11-18%. Our school, like many others around the country, deflates grades substantially. In the past 10 years, there have been 2 students who have ever received the magic 4.0. Schools like Harvard know this, and evaluate your application in the context of your school, not in comparison to students from other schools.</p>

<p>Quite frankly, we're all just a bunch of kids freaking out about college admissions. Few, if any, of us really know what's going on behind the doors of Byerly Hall, so much of what you read on this topic is mere assumption, and should be taken with a very large grain of salt, not as the word of God.</p>

<p>I was 10th out of a class of 194 or so with a 4.0 uw average (94.5), taking the maximum and hardest courseload offered and taken by anyone in my school (I didn't eat my senior year), competing in a class 2 years older than me. Sigh, I feel so taken advantage of by the system (because of my abnormal academic path). To give you an idea of how crazy our ranks are... our valedictorian took a single AP course (and no honors courses) and was reported to have cheated straight off the teachers desk in that AP course. They claim that they don't weight ranks in order to give the dumber kids a chance... hello? doesn't that defeat the purpose? Sigh, end of my anxious rambling, is it April yet?</p>

<p>4.5 weighted, and 32 act
34/110 people who applied got in from my highschool</p>

<p>...what school do you go to, eskate04??</p>

<p>new trier highschool</p>

<p>Haha...I was reading this thread and got down to the bottom. I was like wow...34/110 that's really high. I wonder what school that is? Then I saw the school. I go there too, lol. :)</p>

<p>By the way ESkate. You're a Jr right? So am I. Any chance I can get a clue as to who you are?</p>

<p>I'd reccomend PM'ing each other if you want to spread personal info. (Personal message by clicking on the person's name)</p>

<p>Also, why does your school have so many Harvard admits?</p>

<p>Good call Shark. Sorry I hadn't thought about that earlier. As for admits, we have a very competitive school with challenging classes, highly paid teachers, and live in an affluent area. I think that contributes to the high performance of students especially with lots of pressure from parents.</p>

<p>We have similar system. We have one of the greatest offerings of AP in the state. We live in a town where the biggest employer is a Huge clinic. Still, we have budget concerns but its not too bad. The only problem is that we are a feeder school for Madison and the other schools of the UW system. I wish we were a feeder for Harvard lol.</p>

<p>Our school is strange. It offers 20-some APs but we can't take any until junior Year and they are very limited until senior year. We're not a feeder school though. Does that mean that you're somehow guaranteed a spot? How do feeder schools work?</p>

<p>They don't mean your guaranteed a spot. It is just that historically, more people are admited from your school. At our school, the Guidence Counslers, the Teachers, and everyone else talks about how great Madison is. It is the most prestigious school in the state and most of our top students choose to go there. (They choose it over UChicago and Northwestern and other top midwestern schools.) Our school offers a ton of Ap's, something Madison really likes from its students. When kids get in from our school, they often choose to go there. Madison is cheaper for us, down to earth, close to home, and strong academically. That is why kids choose to go there. That makes us a feeder school.</p>

<p>So what if your school is not a feeder school? Is that a disadvantage? I mean, lots of people from my school apply every year (8 this year, almost all of them have much more stellar stats than me) but no one's gotten in.</p>

<p>Do you think they would accept someone with a 4.7 weighted GPA and a 4.0 unweighted, and ranks in the .0016% of the his class?</p>

<p>Definitely not.</p>

<p>No? I guess its impossible to get there.</p>

<p>Someone at my school got in with a 1290 and a 3.8 W. But he was recruited as an athlete.</p>

<p>How do you get recruited by the way? </p>

<p>One of my teachers was warning me today that I need to be more well-rounded to stand a chance of getting into Harvard. I'm a freshman, and I'm afraid it's too late for me to start any sports (I'm only good at basketball and badminton, but not as good as those other kids at my school.)</p>

<p>Well-rounded-ness does not guarantee a Harvard acceptance at all. Focus on what you're passionate about, and excel at it. As in, be the best. Then, your chances at Harvard will be boosted, but a guarantee will never happen.</p>