Anyone from Harvard? What kind of student do they specifically want?

Question

What kind of student does Harvard specifically want? Does the student need MANY extra-curricular activities AND good grades? Which is more important, or are they equal?

Answer 1

No one can positively tell you what will get you in because no one really knows. I was talking to a Harvard student the other day, and he said he wasn't even sure. Heck, no one is really sure of what gets them into the top colleges. Here are some basic guidelines to help you though:
Grades/Transcript- This is obviously at the top of the list. If you can't get it together in high school then how are you supposed to get it together in college? They want a student who can settle down and study.
Extracurriculars- Despite the hype- these alone will not get you into Harvard or any other good school. You do need to show that you are focused, and that is usually why these are so vital. Service organizations such as Key Club show your spirit while sports and dance show your ambition and dedication. There are lots of extracurriculars out there; find some that fit YOU. Don't do something just because you think it will get you in to a good college.
Service- Like I said before, this shows your spirit. A person who does community service and does it from the heart is a person who will try to help others succeed in a college environment, and that is what colleges really want. BEWARE though; too much volunteering can make you look fake and unconcerned.
Essay and Recommendations- These are huge!!! Essays show your character. Don't write your essay with the intention of wanting to get in; write it with the intention of showing them who you REALLY are. Don't put too much drama in, but also don't be too light about it. Find a nice balance and stick with it! The recommendations are also vital. Don’t butter your teacher up, and make sure to give them plenty of time to fill them out! Loads of teachers mention if you ‘accidentally’ forgot to give them an envelope or if you only gave them a week to write out what they think of you.

Good luck in your future, and remember these tips!

Answer 2

Guy, this is not a reasonable question.

Harvard is probably the most famous university in the world. Every year 20,000 or more of the very best students in the world apply, and 19,000 of them are turned away.

They turn down at leat 1000 valedictorians a year. They turn down kids with 800 score SATs who were presidents of their classes and captains of the football team.

If you want to get into Harvard, (assuming you are not the son of a billionaire who is going to give them a new building or two!) you need to be one of the very best, if not THE best student in your school, provided that your school has a reputation for very good scholastics. In addition, yes you need Extra Curricular things, but it is not useful to just line up a list of clubs you belonged to. Schools like Harvard and just a few other are inundated with kids who are really good. But what they want is someone who is exceptional - who is a leader, a mover and shaker, an individual who clearly stands out from all the other excellent students.

Provided that you have VERY good scholastic records in every department, and that you have done the usual extracurricular stuff - being in a few clubs and so on -- then what have you done that makes you stand out, preferably on a national level, from all the other capable kids in America and the world?

If you dont have a very good answer for that, then you need to start looking at some of the other excellent colleges that are not so competitive as Harvard. There are over 2000 schools in the USA that give Bachelor's degrees.... look around and see which one is a match for you.