Please, an 8th grader should not be “creating a narrative.” I know you are trying to help, all of you. Live authentically and you will end up in the right place. Thinking about Harvard throughout your Harvard years can affect those years negatively, possibly all for nothing. Just live your life, work hard, be a good person, make friends…
@compmom I am assuming you meant “Thinking about Harvard throughout your high school years” and if so I wholeheartedly agree. My son wasn’t even planning on going to college two years ago. He had a completely different plan based on what how HE wanted to spend the rest of his life. He participated in things because he loved them and felt called to do them rather than trying to pad a resume. He changed his mind about a year and a half ago. Luckily, he had very high grades and then when he took his tests he did very well so that he was competitive when he applied to the schools he did this past fall.
I think the idea of “dream schools” can seriously ramp up the pressure when a student sits for the SAT or the ACT & the subject tests. It can also ramp up the anxiety when they sit down to do their essays. In fact, initially my so wanted to apply REA for Harvard, but when he sat down to write his coalition application personal statement he had serious writer’s block. I think it was because suddenly SO MUCH hinged on that essay. I told him no, he’s not applying to Harvard, because obviously he was wrapping too much of his ego up in it. So he didn’t. Then he got down to business and got his safety school app done and our state flagship app done.
In December, after applying to a couple of private schools and scholarships and after school was out for break, he did the Harvard application prior to the January 1 deadline. It was much easier to do at that point, because he’d matured a bit in the three to four months since he first started the application process, he already had written the personal statement without it feeling so ‘high stakes’ and after all the other essays he’d written for other supplements and scholarship applications, the supplements for Harvard seemed like second nature and he submitted an application that got him in.
Harvard is the only Ivy he even applied for and it was because we took tours this past summer at three and it was the only one where he felt like he’d fit.
I think the kind of pressure that parents put on their kids and that students put on themselves during this process is counterproductive. People do their best work when they are confident and relaxed. I think it’s tragic that so many students base their self-worth on what bright, shiny, prestigious school is going to send them admit letters. My son was thrilled for his admission, but he knew if he didn’t get in, he still had a fine option in our flagship and that a ‘sorry’ letter had zero bearing on his value as a person.
oops of course meant “high school years.” Coronavirus is robbing some of us of sleep!
Ever since middle school my best friend growing up wanted to go to UC Berkeley for Engineering and guess what, he achieved that goal he set out for himself as a 13 year old.
He didn’t deprive himself of enjoying high school, he was a varsity athlete, involved in a computer programming club, participated in MENSA, did summer internships at Hewlett-Packard, and worked part-time, among other things. He also had an active social life (partied a lot and had several girlfriends).
My point is that its ok to have reach goals, even if you don’t achieve them, you will be much better for it in the end. Yes, enjoy being a teenager and make sure you have realistic goals for the right reasons, but don’t let people tell you not to pursue your dreams…
@socaldad2002 I think that getting into Harvard can be false goal, because people “dream” of it for the wrong reasons. It is also unattainable for most. This board always has young people who “dream of Harvard” and go through a lot of stress over getting a B, or follow interests that aren’t natural in order to fit their idea of what Harvard wants.
I think a good goal is to work hard, follow interests, and aim to go to a school that will continue that development during undergrad. In junior year the student can start deciding what colleges that might be.
Thank you all for your advice!
Sounds like you have all you need, but here is some backup from a relevant source- an admissions dean at MIT. It applies to anybody who has high ambitions and is considering super-selective universities. Read it, believe it, live it…
@collegemom3717 That’s perfect! I love the advice. Do your best and let the chips fall where they fall. I don’t think there is a magic ticket into any school. But the advice offered is the magic ticket to a meaningful life.
keep being ambitious!!! almost foolishly ambitious if that makes sense. creating goals that seem just a bit tad out of reach is perfectly normal. in fact, Steve Jobs has a famous quote about how only foolish people who think they can change the world actually do it. so keep that drive in you. it definitely helps some times to lower expectations but I think in the long run, pushing yourself is so good. keep those dreams and get into Harvard. plus, there’s no punishment for dreaming high.
also use this year that you’re in 8th grade to find your passions and decide what to drop. it’s awesome how you’re doing so many things early on. that sets the stage for you to identify your niche and hone in and become world class at it in high school.
@AKmath I don’t get why you had to flex with your Ecs, your ecs seem very generic and 1000s of high school students do what you’re doing (no hate, I’m not coming at you. I’m just being real).
@Harvardgoal Wait I don’t get it, you’re attending gymnasium right? But in what class are you? 8th grade=2e klas, right?
I understand what your saying, but realistically you do have to start thinking about the college process and building your narrative as early as middle school. This doesn’t mean you can’t “live authentically”, but acceptance is getting more and more competitive.
Don’t fall in love with any school.
My son decided at a very early age that he wanted to attend Harvard. He didn’t know much about Harvard; he just thought it was the “best”.
Years later, when he was ready to apply to college, he was recruited by one of the Harvard athletic coaches. But in the intervening years he’d learned that Harvard wasn’t “best” for him, so he respectfully declined the offer of support, and has never regretted the decision.
Reading is probably the single most important thing you can do for college admissions.
@Naxiss Ja, Gymnasium 2e klas
@sherpa O no, I’m never going to stop reading. That would be horrible. I actually meant that I don’t know if it helps.
@flowergirl1214 it is just not true that you have to start building a narrative in middle school, or ever. Believe me. I’ve been on this forum for 12 years now. If I were in middle or high school I would also stay off CC!
“I’m in grade 8,…”
I will admit that I will largely be repeating what others have said.
You are young. I think that you are doing very, very well in every way except one: I think that you should relax more.
It sounds like you are doing well academically. Your language skills are impressive. Your participation in ECs sounds great.
You should do what you want to do, and do it well. Keep ahead in your classes and get good grades. Participate in the ECs that you want to participate in and do them well. Remember that “leadership” does not mean getting your way. Instead, “leadership” means helping others, and making things better for the group as a whole. It also means being fair and level headed.
Also remember that “Harvard” is not just a big name. It is also a university that has some strengths and also has some weaknesses and some limitations. It is a great university for some students. However, most students would be better off somewhere else. When you get older you should think about what you want in a university. Do you want a big school or a small school? Do you want a school that is strong at engineering and computer science or one that is strong at medicine and sciences or one that is strong at something else? Do you want to be in the middle of a big city or in a smaller city or small town or in the country?
There are a lot of great universities in the Netherlands and in Europe. There are more great universities in the US, as well as in Canada, Australia, and elsewhere. It sounds like you are doing very well and are on track to get accepted to multiple great universities and to do well wherever you end up.
Right now I think that it is time for ice cream in the Netherlands. I am not sure whether your parents would agree.