I’m a 7th grader and I want to know what I can do now to help my chances of getting into HarvardAnswered
I’m a 7th grader, and I already know that I want to become a psychologist when I get older. I want to get into Harvard, but I know that’s very difficult. I want to know what I can do now, so that I’ll be able to better my chances to get in.
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2 answers
Hi! It's a little early, but I would recommend a couple of things:
1. Start planning your high school courses
This could help you balance out your workload according to the classes your school offers. You can create a four-year plan on Google Sheets and try to maximize the APs and Honors courses you take as the Harvard applicant pool is very competitive.
2. Experiment with different ECs
Try to start seeing what ECs you can put on your application. Try to get a few really good ECs rather than many standard ones to stand out among the other applicants. If you're involved in a sport/instrument/etc that you're passionate about, focus on it while you still have time so you can use that as your spike activity.
3. Start learning a language
Some languages such as French or Chinese have more than 4 levels, so I recommend starting next year so you'll be able to take the AP before/during senior year (learned from experience). If you can't take a language class next year, try learning over the summer or outside of school so you can level up to French 2/Chinese 2/etc when high school starts.
4. Look at college applications that got accepted into Harvard. (here's ten successful essays + a review of each: https://www.thecrimson.com/topic/sponsored-successful-harvard-essays-2021/)
There are college applications available from people who got accepted into prestigious schools such as Harvard and Stanford that you can read to get a scope of what GPA, SAT/ACT score, AP score, etc to aim for and some sample college app essays.
5. Read!!
Seeing that tests like the SAT involve vocabulary and English Honors classes require you to write essays and reports, read more challenging books to broaden your vocab. You can check out some nonfiction books too (Malcolm Gladwell's books are pretty good seeing you're interested in psychology; his books have good vocab too so win-win).
6. Get involved in community service
Start researching and getting involved in volunteering and community service now to get a head-start. You can list them as an EC and there are also a few awards related to the number of volunteering hours you did. (Ex: The President's Volunteer Service Award - https://presidentialserviceawards.org/eligibility)
You can also check out some of the Collegevine blog posts about getting into Harvard:
https://www.collegevine.com/blog/search/harvard
7. Get more familiar with the college application process
It really helps if you have siblings older than you to help you with the college application process. I was so confused as a freshman and took a while to research everything such as Early Decision, Spike activities, etc. It's good to know the parts of the college application process early on so you can prepare for it and know what to do, but even as a freshman it wasn't too late for me, so don't worry too much about it.
Best of luck!!
to get into harvard, you need to stand out from other candidates and have a strong resume. this can include:
-being well balanced! do extracurriculars/activities in every area (be in sports, performing arts, clubs, etc)
-take a language (and as many years as possible) for example go all the way to spanish 4/5, etc
-choose more difficult classes in high school and aim for high grades/a good gpa (take honors/pre-ap then eventually AP classes, and try to get all A's and B's)
-get in some volunteer hours or internships!
-practice (essay) writing or creative writing so when the time comes, you'll be a pro and be able to write an amazing college essay
-read; personally when i read alot (60 a school year) my reading/writing scores were very high, but when i stopped during covid they dropped! its very important for a smart brain, really advances your mind.
-apply for scholarships!!! any amount matters/helps, and you can usually start applying jr high-high school
- possibly take the psat sophomore/junior year, it can help you grow and progress in your skills
-create good studying/homework habits! this will help you get good grades, become good at test taking and prep you for college
But most of all, don't stress and enjoy your time in jr. high and high school, it only happens once!
~as a current sophomore/rising junior, i personally play volleyball (school and club), play flute (have played since 4th grade), take honors/pre-ap classes and will take all AP next year as a junior, am taking spanish 3 next year and spanish 4 senior year, and planning to start volunteering/do community service or do internships!
remember to keep a balanced plate and just don't stress!!! Good luck w/ your dreams, you can do it!
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