How do I get into Harvard?Answered
Hello everyone, I’m currently a high school junior who’s trying to play the right cards to get in to get into Harvard. I was born in Puerto Rico and moved to the U.S. six years ago. It has not been an easy transition, but I am trying to keep succeeding. However, I may have excellent extracurriculars, immense passion, and significant qualities that make me an outstanding unique choice for Harvard. I believe that my only downfall will be my academics, as I have not been able to take any honors courses and AP until this year. Since this was my first year taking more challenging courses, I have struggled a lot. Not with the honors but more with the only AP I decided to do, which is AP U.S. History, the biggest regret in my academic history so far. This led me, along with tragic personal circumstances, to not receive the honor roll for the first time, and I don’t know if this will hinder my chances of getting accepted. Also, I’ve decided to stick with honor courses as AP courses don’t suit me, which I also think may look bad in my application. Moreover, is there still a possibility for me to get accepted if I continue to get honor roll in my honor classes, perform satisfactorily in all my extracurriculars and become a more impactful individual in my school and community?
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3 answers
Hi there! It certainly seems like a daunting journey, since Harvard is home to some of the best and brightest in the world. While I haven't begun my college admissions process, I have some friends who have or are studying at Harvard. They also struggled academically and had an immense passion for whatever they put their mind to, but addressed their shortcomings and made up for them in their application process. As an example, one of my friends recently immigrated to the US and struggled financially and socially. They struggled with certain APs (like we all do) and didn't receive the grades they hoped. However, they created a narrative that it was part of their learning journey and that they wouldn't give up when facing setbacks. This, coupled with good essays and extracurriculars, allowed them to attend Harvard with a scholarship.
From what I've learned, the message of your application should be that you are a passionate self-starter that can face adversity with a smile. It's expected that you'll face obstacles in your journey, and Harvard's goal is to enroll these types of students to contribute to a better world. Nonetheless, your academic qualifications are still a critical part of your application. If you set yourself up as a well-rounded student that is willing to complete more difficult work, I think you still have a fair shot at admissions.
This is what I've gathered from people I've connected with who've gone to Harvard or work at other Ivies, so please take this with a grain of salt
Good luck to you and everyone else hoping to apply, we've got this! :)
I'm afraid that it is not likely that you will get into Harvard unless you receive the honor roll in as many AP classes as you can possibly take at your school - taking 4 or 5 APs each year as a junior and senior is the norm for accepted Harvard applicants. They make an exception for students who attend schools that don't offer that many APs, but even in those cases, they want those students to get near straight A's in the toughest classes available.
Harvard is challenging for any applicant to get accepted to, so I still recommend applying and seeing what happens as long as you have plenty of safeties and target schools on your list. You certainly have the potential to get into some other great schools if you get a high unweighted GPA in honors classes and do well in the other parts of your application.
Hope this helps!
It's not so much of 'how' but more so of what can I do to improve my chances. You can find some really great resources online, but my tip is to start early!
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