If you're like me, you waited until the last minute before worrying about college. Luckily, I pulled it off - getting accepted at Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, and a few other schools. There are some tricks to make this happen - but that's for another article.
I'd like to talk about what you can do when you have several years. When you're a freshman and can plan ahead. Those years can easily make the difference between getting a fat packet to Stanford, and a thin rejection letter to Yale.
1) Make sure you have a strong SAT score, SAT IIs, and a good GPA. Take every AP-level class and test that you can - and get high scores. Harvard expects you to challenge yourself at the highest academic levels with every opportunity possible
2) Participate in a few clubs that really show what your interests and spike (eg, environment, education, poverty, science, etc). Become the leader - and do interesting things as the leader, like increase membership, partner with other schools, plan conferences, etc
3) Sports and music are helpful - they show specific passions and interests
4) You need to think about NATIONAL and/or INTERNATIONAL awards, prizes, and scholarships to distinguish yourself in this competitive environment. Admissions is simply too competitive to only win local or state honors
Finally, make sure that everything you do TELLS A STORY. This is the most critical aspect - make sure this story of your life is reflected in your teacher recommendations, your essays, and your accomplishments.
Rejections happen because applicants do a little of everything, and nothing truly well. They're not DISTINCTIVE in anything they do - and they don't get into Harvard or Stanford because they don't have a story.
Too much breadth can kill you - focus instead on depth.
TELL A STORY in your application. That's the one secret. People forget that 50% of your chance at Harvard is in your application. The other 50% is the hard work you've done to get to this point.
I'd like to talk about what you can do when you have several years. When you're a freshman and can plan ahead. Those years can easily make the difference between getting a fat packet to Stanford, and a thin rejection letter to Yale.
1) Make sure you have a strong SAT score, SAT IIs, and a good GPA. Take every AP-level class and test that you can - and get high scores. Harvard expects you to challenge yourself at the highest academic levels with every opportunity possible
2) Participate in a few clubs that really show what your interests and spike (eg, environment, education, poverty, science, etc). Become the leader - and do interesting things as the leader, like increase membership, partner with other schools, plan conferences, etc
3) Sports and music are helpful - they show specific passions and interests
4) You need to think about NATIONAL and/or INTERNATIONAL awards, prizes, and scholarships to distinguish yourself in this competitive environment. Admissions is simply too competitive to only win local or state honors
Finally, make sure that everything you do TELLS A STORY. This is the most critical aspect - make sure this story of your life is reflected in your teacher recommendations, your essays, and your accomplishments.
Rejections happen because applicants do a little of everything, and nothing truly well. They're not DISTINCTIVE in anything they do - and they don't get into Harvard or Stanford because they don't have a story.
Too much breadth can kill you - focus instead on depth.
TELL A STORY in your application. That's the one secret. People forget that 50% of your chance at Harvard is in your application. The other 50% is the hard work you've done to get to this point.
About the Author:
Hopeless To Harvard is a former Admissions Officer's account of how to get into Harvard, Princeton, and any other Ivy League school. Click here to learn why campus visits matter, the minimum SAT score you must have, and break into the school of your dreams! Discover how to get into Harvard now.
0 comments:
Post a Comment