Chance a fourth generation legacy

Colleges & Universities Harvard University
1

<p>I’m a fourth gen. legacy… seriously (fifth gen if you count med school). and lots of my family work there (uncles + aunts are tenured professors at the med school, grandparents were tenured professors, parents didn’t work there). and i work there (see ec’s)! also, my great grandparent was a notable alum and famous scientist who went there. what d’ya think? </p>

<p>SCORES
SAT: 2290 (800 writing / 760 / 730)
SAT II’s: 760, 720 (meh)</p>

<p>GRADES:
GPA: UW=3.68 Weighted: ~4.3 only because I didn’t take many honors freshman year. But in soph, junior, senior year my Weighted GPA would be around 4.65. No class rank. I am sending uw gpa.</p>

<p>CP= college prep i.e regular level not honors
H= honors
AP=AP</p>

<p>9th:
English CP A-
Geometry CP A-
Physics CP A-
World History CP: A-
Spanish H B+
Studio Art 1: B+ (silly)</p>

<p>10th
English H A-
Spanish H A
Chemistry H A-
US History H A
Algebra 2 CP B (my teacher was 20 yrs old, incompetent, and got fired after 1 year- very arbitrary grade)
Studio Art 2 B+ (silly again)</p>

<p>11th (3.8 GPA junior year)
AP European History B (5)
AP Economics (micro+macro) A (5 on both AP tests)
English H A
Biology H A (took AP test, got a 5 if that helps at all)
Spanish H A
Pre-Calc CP A</p>

<p>12th: (4.1 UW GPA senior year!)
AP English A
AP Physics A
AP Spanish A+
AP Psych A
Honors Neuroscience (double course mandatory for AP Psych) A
Calculus CP A+</p>

<p>Extra-Curriculars: 1=freshman year, 2=sophomore year, 3=junior year, 4=senior year</p>

<ul>
<li>School Newspaper: 1,2,3,4 — Editor in Chief </li>
<li>Research assistant at Harvard neuroscience research lab (relative runs it…): 3,4</li>
<li>Attended overnight camp for 8 summers</li>
<li>Captain of basketball team at camp (at summer camp, not school) - 3</li>
<li>On programming council at camp (ran activities for younger kids) - 4</li>
<li>Hebrew School: 1,2,3 (max.)</li>
<li>Was a “big brother” in the big brother + sister program at heb. school to 3rd grader- 4</li>
<li>Gardening club (3,4)</li>
<li>Teacher at Hebrew School: 3, 4 </li>
<li>Jewish youth group - 2,3,4</li>
<li>Spanish Club: 4 (co founder)</li>
<li>Improv Comedy- 2</li>
<li>National Econ Competition</li>
<li>Math tutor: 2,3,4 </li>
<li>Volunteer 2-3 hours a week at local nature trail: 3</li>
</ul>

<p>*I have a HUGE upward slope (practically vertical), especially with rigor of classes! And I explained reason in app (there’s a good reason). also, i talked about my legacy in my additional essay. </p>

<p>i also go to a “feeder” public school which sends like 8+ kids to harvard each year (3 got in early). </p>

<p>HOW MUCH does the legacy help? am i considered good enough that it would be enough to “tip” me into the admit pile? or am i too far away (even with my huge legacy?)</p>

2

<p>also, i go to a VERY rigorous public high school. i would guess that i’m approximately top %15 if i include sophomore and freshman year, and without those i’m definitely in the top %10. we send a lot of kids to ivies.</p>

3

<p>unfortunately, you will probably be admitted.</p>

4

<p>You’re going to be the first reject from your family if you keep up the snootiness on 4th gen. This is speculation, but I bet your essays and short answer are reject material. If you listed anywhere outside of your interview that you’re fourth gen, you’re probably toast. Why weren’t you accepted EA? I really hope your parents know what they’re doing.</p>

5

<p>Last year, I know a girl who had slightly better stats than OP. Both of her parents attended Harvard undergrad, as well as her two siblings (one of whom was a senior). The girl was waitlisted and is now a freshman at Georgetown. Nothing is a sure thing!</p>

6

<p>Gah, why would you do that? Harvard doesn’t, officially, care about any relatives going to Harvard except parents: aunts/uncles no, great-grandparents definitely no. (Exception if your last name is attached to a dorm i.e. Cabot.)</p>

<p>One thing I am really not getting from your post is why you want to go here. Do you have any earnest reasons? Any reasons that don’t have to do with your family? Would you give a flying monkey’s arse about going to Harvard if it weren’t for the prestige? Basically, how many times in your application did you present yourself as a person, or as a student, vs. as a legacy? I would not want to admit somebody who talked about themselves as a legacy first and foremost; I’d be looking for people who seem likely to contribute to intellectual discourse on campus or run its clubs or volunteer or whatever.</p>

<p>Where else did you apply? Did you apply anywhere EA?</p>

7

<p><a href=“Exception%20if%20your%20last%20name%20is%20attached%20to%20a%20dorm%20i.e.%20Cabot.”>quote</a>

[/quote]
</p>

<p>My wife used to say that if Martians landed in Harvard Square, they’d think Cabot was the definite article. Cabot House, Cabot Hall, Cabot Science Library…</p>

8

<p>Assuming this is not a ■■■■■ post, bill, you need to prepare yourself for a certain rejection. If you did that in your additional essay, there is hardly anything at all you could do, no matter how good, in the rest of your application or today to fully compensate. Good luck.</p>