it seems like you are only listening to people who are saying yes you sure have a chance. quote “And when I get into a good school I’ll surely let you know”
please take other peoples OPINIONS not criticisms into account
The closest thing to a “guarantee” of admissions that I’m aware of is for athletics. The OP plays varsity tennis, but there is no indication that she is an athletic recruit. The Ivy League does not use the National Letter of Intent Program, nor do they issue athletic scholarships. A coach might be able to “promise” admissions and suggest that the applicant would met the qualifications for full aid, but they can’t make binding promises, and coaches have been known to be over-zealous in making promises that they can’t keep in the hopes of luring recruits. Duke is another matter, as they can sign athletes to National Letters of Intent and issue athletic scholarships.
Other than athletics, I am totally unfamiliar with any kind of “recruiting” for the Ivy League. Of course, colleges send out notorious amounts of unsolicited mail encouraging applications in order to drive up their admissions numbers, but that’s a different story.
Mr falcon, your daughter goes to Harvard not you! Get over yourself and please stop commenting on my post.
I have a college counselor, she was also an admission counselor at duke, she helped me come in contact with the recruiters. I’ve been in contact with them since the middle of my junior year. They have my sealed transcripts sent by my counselor (high school counselor) and my stats sent by my coach.
All I wanted was a little reassurance because my college counselor was saying all these big things about how I can get into Harvard and Yale and all the schools she mentioned were in the top 10, that is why I asked the other guy for schools because I don’t know any schools just the schools my counselor mentioned…
Just because your daughter got in to Harvard does not make you a Harvard guru. I don’t know what your problem is, I really don’t know. You’re a proffersor? i’d expect a little decency from a proffersor at an Ivy, that’s what you’re claiming.
The way you write suggests otherwise.
Anyways, in the end all I have to say is, if I was lying I would have used a fake name but i didn’t, unlike you. That says something. It says a a lot.
And even if I am lying, which I’m not. That shouldn’t concern you. Your job was to say yes or no. And please don’t show off you being a proffersor at an Ivy or your daughter going to Harvard.
If you have a little decency, don’t comment.
I’m done with this thread. Take care.
Recruit for what? I don’t see anything on the info you provided makes you deserve a full scholarship at any school. After all, merit scholarships at Ivies are rare, if any. There are so many thing do not make sense on this thread.
you probably wont get in wih ur sat and extracurrculars
^ thank you for your honest opinion. That’s what I wanted. A precise answer.
@saaria1, yes, rude and arrogant. I would be ashamed if my children spoke to anyone like that, much less an older person who deserves their respect. Is that how you plan on speaking to your future professors when you get a grade you don’t like?
No one is trying to “ambush” you. People are generally very generous on this forum, and supportive of young people who have put tremendous time and effort into school and outside passions, and who are trying to take the next step. People are confused by what you have claimed and how you have presented it, and they have stated that several things you have claimed fly in the face of what is commonly understood. If we all have this confusion, I suspect adcoms will as well, so it is something that you will quite possibly have to deal with. That is not “ambushing” you, but trying to prevent you from setting yourself up (or being set up by someone giving you bad advice) with unrealistic expectations. You might try listening to what people are saying without the filter that you are being mocked and attacked.
How would I react? If I asked for advice, I would try to listen to that advice and consider it. That doesn’t mean unquestioned agreement, but it does mean not reacting defensively to anything that is not what you want to hear.
If you have undergone years of “mockery and judging”, perhaps you are doing something to invite that. Regardless, no one should be mocked, and I am sorry if you have felt that way.
There is no ‘precise answer’ or accurate way of chancing anyone, but based on your behavior in this thread, I would ‘honestly’ predict that you will have difficulty with the application process, no matter how deserving you may actually be. I think you are your own worst enemy, but you are apparently too arrogant to take advice without mocking and insulting well-meaning people.
@saaria1 I’m sorry if I upset you but with each new post you throw in some incredulous pieces of information and it’s hard to know what to believe. If you are being recruited at top schools, have a private counselor, and have all these other wonderful things going for you, why are you soliciting the opinion of strangers (a lot of them being kids your age in HS) about your chances at Harvard? I think the intention of my posts was clear, for you to be confident in who you are and not to embellish in your application in order to try to become someone you are not. Again, some of the things you have posted are hard to believe. If this is who you really are then fine, shoot for a better SAT score and good luck to you.
Yes, you are correct. It is my daughter who goes to Harvard and not me. I only brought her situation up to underscore my point about how unlikely it was that you have true academic recruiting acceptances in hand - especially, since she does attend the school you are inquiring about. I did not go to Harvard but I did attend top Ivies for both undergrad and grad school and I am on the adjunct faculty of another. The only thing that this qualifies me to say is that you won’t fare very well both in college admissions and in life if you don’t lose the chip on your shoulder. Top colleges not only look for academic stars but also for kids who show incredible character - integrity, humility, compassion, etc as well as leadership capabilities. I hope these are the qualities that define you and not what you’ve shown here. I wish you the best of luck.
The story ended when I said, I’ll provide the schools with reference emails. It you keep provoking the lion, the lion will roar.
I’m sorry if you felt I was being disrespectful. Like I said that was never my intention. Like I said before if you or anyone would have presented it like a suggestion I wouldn’t have reacted the way I did. You chose criticsm over suggestion.
I’m sorry you’re telling me I was rude yet you claim what I went through. I deserved. That isn’t rude? It’s okay I understand that’s exactly what I did. Because I was being critical you chose a “rude-r” approach that’s exactly what I did. That’s how human beings function.
My anger wasn’t towards the things you said but towards the way you approached to convey it.
i really appreciate your honesty.
Take care.
Dear,
Mr Falcon
I wanted to aplogize for what I said. I was rude and I said things that were hurting. That was never my intention, your lack of faith was very discouraging and it’s senior year. The stress is really getting to me. I don’t know much about universities here. I don’t want to blindly trust my college counselor that’s why I started that thread, for a little reassurance, but I promise everything in there was the truth. Your criticsm wasn’t helathy for me. It was pretty discouraging. Maybe that wasn’t your intention but that’s your part but I aplogize for what I said. If it hurt you. I’m sorry.
Take care.
Regards,
Saaria
^ you didn’t get my message. But that’s what kind of a person I am.
I’m a humble, kind and generous person.
You can’t blame me for the way I reacted. After my counselor’s boasting trust in me and your lack of fath. What did you expect?
I’m sorry again if you felt i was being rude, that’s not who I am as a person.
Take care.
That chip on my shoulder isn’t something bad. It’s my battle scar.
That chip on my shoulder came from constant judging of people who mocked me because I wasn’t as smart as my brother.
That chip came from the 3 months I didn’t go to school when I was a freshman because my school was being threatened by terrorists.
That chip came from me being cyber bullied.
That chip came from me giving up everything to start afresh.
That chips came from leaving behind all the luxouries in my life to get a chance to study without the constant fear of dying.
The chip came from not attending my grand mother’s funeral, who always had faith in when no one else did, because I couldn’t go back to Pakistan.
That chip came from attending a highschool my sophomore year.
That chip came from adjusting to the new customs and environment when I was 14.
What you claim is my arrogance is actually my pride. I’ve won all of my battles and I will this one too. Get the grades I have. Accomplish the things I have in the situations I was in and then tell me I should lose the chip on my shoulder.
@saaria1, back on post #14 I simply ‘suggested’ that you be very careful in how you phrase your accomplishments, that you err on the side of modesty and under-reporting, and that you be prepared to back up claims that are far outside of the norm. As I noted, “you may be everything you claim, but you need to present it very carefully”. I’m sorry if you took that as a personal attack. It was not intended as such, but rather as helpful advice.
If I were presenting you based on the limited information in this thread, I would probably have said something like this:
If I have mis-stated any of your information or gotten anything wrong, I apologize. But I think that the above captures much of what you have stated in this thread, while coming across very differently. I include it simply as an example of how you may want to consider presenting yourself and your accomplishments.
Edit: Your pride and determination are great. There is nothing wrong with those, and you have a lot to be proud of. But there is a line between pride and arrogance, and between determination and having a chip on your shoulder, and imaging attacks where they don’t exist. You tend to come off as somewhat combative and beligerant. I don’t think that will be the best approach to take when applying. By all means wear your scars proudly, but don’t open fresh wounds unnecessarily.
I wrote my last post before I saw your apology. There is no need for apologies because I actually wasn’t that offended. It’s just disheartening to see someone write the things that you have written. Nevertheless, I do understand the anxiety and stress that goes hand in hand with applying to colleges.
As @renaissancedad and other have pointed out, we adults are only trying help you applicants achieve your goals. Your initial post evoked a lot of skepticism and if we feel that way then you can bet college admissions officers will feel even more so.
You said you only wanted a yes or no answer if you have a chance at getting into Harvard. Obviously, the answer is yes. You or most anybody else with a halfway decent resume has a chance at getting into Harvard. Beyond that, none of us can say. It is a fact that only a few students attend Harvard from Pakistan each year so the competition is utterly brutal. On top of that, admission into any one college can almost be a random event. You could be the very top applicant from Pakistan and not be accepted. Last year, Kevin Lee, the Intel STS 2nd place Grand Prize winner, Siemens semifinalist, Google award winner, SAT 2400, ACT 36, seven SAT II’s of 800, valedictorian, 3rd degree black belt, President of multiple clubs etc., etc, etc was waitlisted at Harvard (eventually got in off the waitlist).
The point is no one is a sure thing at a school like Harvard and you can only hope for the best but have a good backup plan if you apply early. Once again, good luck to you.
thank you for your insight. I appreciate it.
I realize that too. I was vebose, my lack of information might have made you skeptical.
I may come off as combative but I’m genuinely a very kind person. after everything I’ve been through I don’t let people bring me down, specially people who know nothing about me. I aplogize for my juvenile behaviour, I should have been more enduring, but you also should have been less critical and more suggestive. My grandad says you can never clap with one hand.
I don’t want to argue anymore. I’d like to bury the hatchet. I wish you both a great life. And my dad isn’t ashamed of who I am, he’s rather very proud of the person I am.
Take care.
I honestly feel more confused after reading this thread than I was before I clicked. Still, (if the OP is still checking this thread) good luck in admissions. There were obviously a lot of communication errors on this thread.
Like the first person said, getting into Harvard is difficult- unless you’re a top-tier athlete or legacy, but with your unique background, service, course load, and internships, I think you’ve got great shot. the number on everything are staggering! Do you sleep? Are you Malala Youfaszi? the SAT is a little low for Harvard, but with everything else you might be ok. If interested in IR or Poly Sci, take a look at Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School and Georgetown’s Walsh School of Foreign Service- awesome programs there. I’m an athlete looking at Ivies and I have a 2100, but your commitment to stuff outside of school seems as grand as my commitment to rowing… Go for it!
^^
OP wrote:
I believe what OP is saying in the last line is that they are a top-tier athlete and their stats were sent by their coach to Duke where OP was eventually recruited. Unless I am interpreting it wrong and what OP means by coach is their college counselor, but I don’t think I’m wrong because college consultants don’t ever get directly involved with admissions people - they have to remain behind the scenes. In any event, I am giving OP the benefit of the doubt here because academic recruiting doesn’t happen this way so it must have been athletics. Good luck with your rowing @strokeseat !
When I said stats, I was referring to my tennis and soccer scores sent by my coach (tennis) and my league coach (soccer). Coaches are the only people who have access to your scores and your overall work through out the season.
@strokeseat if you want my college counselor’ email to guide you, how to get recruited and stuff. Let me know. She doesn’t charge much and because a she’s been an admission counselor she helps you along the way. She exaggerates a lot, one of the reasons I created this thread but she’s nive and she’s more like a therapist. Helps you get through senior year.
@saaria1, are you being considered as a potential athletic recruit in either tennis or soccer? That plus your strong service background would be a powerful combination, and would change things considerably. Even being borderline recruitable would help a lot.
And it’s better if you have a video of you playing your sport. Thats what my recruiter demanded with my sealed transcript.