is this enough to guarantee an acceptance from the top universities such as harvard?

Question

1) i got a 97% total in all my school yrs
2)i got gd sat, sat2, and toefl scores
3)i won 4 neasa challenges
4)my team won the All Schools Basketball Championship for girls in my country
5)i won a bronze medal for swimming (the third in all the country)
6)ive done a charity thingy for a disease
7)i worked in my dad's company for 2 monthes
8)i won the bronze math medal for grade 10 from all over the counrty.

ive heard that ppl with much better records were turned down. so i need advice. will this satisfy them? im applying to Harvard, MIT, Princeton, and Yeal

ive been typing really fast. thats y there r many grammar and spelling mistakes. i typing fast right now. anywayz i wrote yeal wrong. its YALE. happy now?:P:P

Answer 1

Let's assume for a moment that you report your volunteer work in more meaningful terms than "a charity thingy for a disease" in your admissions packet, and that you do not spell the name of the Ivy League university as Yeal.

Admission committees are highly personal. Each member has their own criteria. This one might think standardized test scores are the best predictor of success, while a colleague takes SAT scores from older students, minority students, males and females with a grain of salt because she knows those tests are biased. That one might think high school grades tell you nothing, because your parents aren't going to be standing in your dorm room telling you to study when you're in college. Many a high school valectorian has flunked for that very reason.

Yet another member isn't impressed by any numbers, just a well-written essay. One might make decisions based on gut feelings. Another hasn't had time to read everything and is just agreeing with everybody else. We'll cut him a break. It's probably his first time on a committee.

You do not know who is going to draw your essay to read, so there is no perfect prediction for how it is going fall out. Cherish the horrendous sense of uncertainty. It's a rite of passage.

The people who had better records than you might also have had a letter of recommendation that said the applicant can't get along with anybody. Or a criminal record. Or claimed God spoke to them personally (which happens in a surprising number of college admission essays). Or, even more commonly, left the name of the wrong school in the sentence, "I would love to go to Boise State because..." You just don't know unless you're on that admissions committee and read the material that committee read.

You do need to try and hold your self-esteem separate from this process. The thin letter ("Sorry, no. Sincerely, Pretentious U.") doesn't mean you ain't as hot as you think you are. The thick letter ("We are pleased to take your tuition money and ask you to complete this huge stack of forms...") doesn't make you a better person than everybody else.

It's easy to feel like you're being judged as a person, when actually you--or the paper representation of you--are being evaluated in terms of specific criteria for a particular program in a limited amount of time with a limited amount of information. They are not trying to predict your lifetime success, they are looking for some kind of evidence that you will do well in their program next year.

Oh, and some kids think it's cheating to have somebody else look over their essay for grammar and spelling and stuff. As a former admissions committee member, I am begging you in the name of all that is either Sacred or Profane to get somebody else look over your essay for grammar and spelling and stuff.

I was channeling Dr. Cox from "Scrubs" there. How'd I do?

Answer 2

You're looking pretty good. Provided your sat scores fall into the average range for that school.

Workign at your dad's company for 2 months is pretty useless. The bronze math medal isn't as helpful as that basketball championship. However, the really only impressive thing seems to be the bronze medal for swimming. That's if it's actually a big competition, altho you can word it in your resume to make it sound great regardless.

I'd say you have a decent shot. Certainly, no slam dunk, but a realistic shot. For Harvard, Yale, etc, that's all you can really ask for.

I hope your letters of rec were amazing. It's not the greatest chance so a word describing you that's other than the best can tank your chances (it's happened at my school before... teacher said good leadership skills instead of "superb" or something like that; the admissions official actually said that was why the student was rejected).

Answer 3

There is nothing which will guarantee your acceptance at any university, whether Ivy League, State, or other. The previous answerer has perfectly explained why.

There are not many things which will guarantee your rejection, but (1) careless spelling and grammar very well might, and (2) acting at the interview as if you can't imagine why they would turn you down almost certainly will.

Just a tip: try to visit the campus long before the interview. Cruise around. Get the feel of each place. If one of them really touches you, and makes you feel that it could be a second home, then let that come through (but gently) at your interview. It could make all the difference.

Answer 4

Hanan, no one can guarantee acceptance to any school.

However, it sounds like you are very well positioned. All of those schools are great, and I wish you much luck. (Ivy Leagues always look good on resumes :)


I realize we are writing on chat boards here, but I do hope you'll be cognizant of your spelling and punctuation when you compose correspondence in the real world. This is critical when applying to colleges.