If I Get Into Harvard, I Won't Deserve It

tmick62
Mon, 26 Mar 2012 14:43:02 +0000

Hi Harvard,
It’s me, your run-of-the-mill average college senior. When you looked at my college application earlier this year, you probably asked yourself: “Why did this guy even apply hear, is he aware that he isn’t intellectually capable to withstand the academic rigor of such a prestigious school”? (or something of the sort) Maybe it was the 22 on the ACT, or perhaps it was the 3.8 GPA…oh yeah, and the lack of college credits; y’know, those terrible AP scores that were (fittingly) the topic of my personal statement? Yes, THOSE. Coincidentally, the personal statement was probably the strong suit of the app. I remember typing the first lines like it were yesterday: “Everything I tried I failed to meet my standards.” Yes, I was the guy that decided to self study 3 APs, and saw my failure as a personal triumph. I described my experiences as “…an [enriching], well-rounded academic experience that not many people get as a high school sophomore.” I proclaimed in my personal statement that this moment in my high school carer made me “…realize what hard work really meant.” But to be honest, Harvard, I was always the kid that couldn’t score high enough on those dreaded standardized tests. This “lesson” was just a broken record to me–I’ve seen this movie way too many times, and I’m fed up with myself and my abilities.

2 weeks after I wrote my statement, I went and took the ACTs for the first time. I took the SATs twice before that and got around 1400 both times(and yes, I’m counting writing too) I knew this was a biggie for me…I spent months prepping for it(just like the APs) but, I knew this time it would be different–it would be my time to shine. A month later, I received a 22. Apparently that was good enough to get into Drexel, Hofstra, WVU, and a couple state satellites, but you know what Harvard? To hell with those schools, because all that mattered to me for as long as I was conscious about schools was you.

I ended the statement like this: “if life’s a stage and we’re all actors, why can’t I audition on Broadway?”

I have no reservations, because I know you are the best that any college-bound can ever go to. But, if you do afford me the opportunity of a lifetime (despite my statistical shortcomings) I really do not deserve it. And Harvard, It Hurts.

See you on the 29th–
you’ve lifetime love interest:
Tmick62