Harvard University Question?

Question

hi, Could anyone tell me if I have any chance at being accpeted to Harvard (or Yale and Stanford). Could you give me any adivce you might have for my application also. thanks!

AP Exams

AP US History - 5

AP World History - 5

AP Physics B - 3

AP Biology - 5

AP English Language and Comp. - 4

AP U.S. Gov and Politics - 5

*AP scholar with distinction

SAT - 2220

GPA - 3.8

SAT Subject Test Chemistry - 700

SAT Subject Test U.S. History - 790

SAT Subject Test - Biology - 750

SAT Subject Test Math Level I - 600

TOEFL - 110/120 (IBT)

I have 6 reccomendations

Extra curriculars - Soccer Team, Debate Club, Enviornmental Club, Student Council, Leadership Enrichment and Development.

Answer 1

You certainly have a shot at those schools, and will get into some good university. There are a few things you have to realize about these schools -- lots of qualified students are turned down.

Your test grades are great. Your GPA is good -- but many students applying to these schools have GPAs above 4.0 (because AP classes give extra points). If your 3.8 is a raw score -- then your adjusted GPA is probably over 4.0 too -- which improves your chances. I take it that you are a Junior now. If you can bring up that GPA by getting As in your AP classes, then you should get into a few top schools.

If I were you, I'd think about a few of the Ivies, a few Ivy equivalents (e.g., Stanford, Duke, Chicago) A few highly rated schools that aren't quite equivalent to the Ivies (Rice, Emory, Washington University in St Louis), an a few of the very best state schools (Berkeley, Michigan, Virginia, UNC).

Apply to one or two outside this group, depending on your interests.

If you are interested in the liberal arts, think about some of the great lineral arts colleges (Swarthmore, Amherst, Williams, Careton)

If you are interested in Science or Engineering, add MIT, Cal Tech, Georgia Tech and CMU.

If you are interested in Business, then Wharton, MIT, Berkeley, Michigan, NYU and Virginia

Good luck.

Answer 2

Definitely worth applying to the top schools if these are your scores, but plan of course for other schools. It's depressing to point this out, but most of the people applying to Ivy League schools have scores just like yours--so ask yourself, what sets you apart?

One shortcoming I see among your extracurriculars is that they are scattered, not reflecting a single passionate devotion.

But congratulations on such outstanding achievements. You will certainly get into an excellent school somewhere.

Answer 3

Your stats are good, but I don't think they are Harvard good. Didn't the deadline already pass for Undergraduate Addmisions for most universities. Well if you are serious and want to get an idea of your competition than I would go to the discussion board at college confedential.com. You can ask what your chances are, and get responses from people who are very knowledgable about the addmissions process for schools like those.

Here are some links:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/forumdisplay.php?f=29
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/forumdisplay.php?f=32
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/forumdisplay.php?f=43

Answer 4

I'm not sure if I see enough leadership roles; if you're the captain of the soccer and debate teams, it would help a lot.

Answer 5

I would try. What's the worst they could tell you, no? Be sure and apply to several schools not just one.