<p>Hello, I am a new user on the site, but have used the forums for over a year. Let me introduce myself. I will be turning 17 in Jan 2013, am white, male. As of right now, my unweighted GPA stands at 94.7 (weighted is 99.5). I am ranked 8th in my class. I don’t have too many extracurricular activities though, which is my biggest weakness. This year I will be joining NHS. I volunteered at an animal shelter over the summer (20 hours if it matters), am part of the chess club and will be doing a sport this year. I am going to graduate a year early from high school. (Will this hurt me when applying?) I take advanced classes and will have an honors advanced regents diploma. For the most part, I just listed every positive thing I could write on a resume. I have not yet taken the SAT, but based on my pretests/preparation, I realistically estimate that I will score somewhere between 2100-2200. I am an ambitious and hard worker, have no connections, help from family, or money leaving high school. My question is should I even bother applying to Harvard University? My ultimate goal is to become a doctor, and I am aware that Harvard receives the most funds for medical research and is thus the best choice for future doctors. If there is no reasonable chance of me going to Harvard, could you instead suggest an alternative school? (preferably somewhere in the New England area.)</p>
<p>I am sorry to say Harvard seems unrealistic. Harvard is so competitive and you are lacking in ECs and your tests score while good are not great. It is also concerning that you have not taken the SAT or any subject tests yet.</p>