<p>Does anyone know of any miracle acceptances at Harvard College?</p>
<p>What do you consider “miracle acceptances”? Everyone who is accepted is accepted for a reason. People with low scores or test grades get in every year, but that is because they stand out in other ways.</p>
<p>In my opinion just about every acceptance is a miracle acceptance. If you mean truly unexpected one, then I have heard of a guy with a 27 ACT who got in, but even that isn’t that unheard of.</p>
<p>I meant miracle in more of a general way. For example, let’s say the average applicant Harvard accepts has a GPA of 5.22 at your school, and you have a GPA of 4.97. Your extracurriculars are just average–you volunteer, play sports, an instrument, and you’re involved in school clubs and activities, but there’s nothing outstanding. And you got into Harvard. I would consider that a miracle acceptance.</p>
<p>Good thing you had amazing essays and recommendations overflowing with praise.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/stanford-university/891704-do-not-let-anything-discourage-you-applying-stanford.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/stanford-university/891704-do-not-let-anything-discourage-you-applying-stanford.html</a></p>
<p>He got into Harvard and Brown as well.</p>
<p>As a person who lived in China for a majority of my life, I can say that the challenges he said he went through are pedestrian in my country. Not to deflate his achievements, but simply put it into perspective.</p>
<p>Piano.</p>
<p>I don’t know about miracles, but I know a handful of people that just applied to say that they tried, and they got in. My friend’s mother only applied to one university (Harvard, back when it had ED) and she was accepted with good grades, decent SATs and minimal ECs. My father’s friend was accepted with good grades, average test scores, and presumably average ECs and essays. I think that “average” people (and by average I mean the typical overachiever that hasn’t cured cancer or won any awards or started any businesses) CAN get in, but its a bit of a crap shoot.</p>
<p>An applicant whose essays shine new and compelling light on the rest of the application might be accepted in what appears at our end to be a miracle.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>“A applicant”? For shame, silverturtle, for shame! 
Just kidding. :)</p>
<p>EDIT: LOL at your comment under “Reason for Editing”</p>
<p>As others have said, perhaps no acceptance could be called a miracle because all have good reasons behind them. An acceptance with a 1840, however, comes pretty close, I guess. Of course, the applicant had other factors that made up for his low scores.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/845277-my-first-attempt-chance-me-gentle.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/845277-my-first-attempt-chance-me-gentle.html</a></p>
<p>There are surprising acceptances and rejections, certainly. But I think it has to be noted that no selective school, including Harvard, occasionally accepts an underqualified applicant just for the heck of it. They do sometimes accept applicants with weaknesses in their qualifications, but it is because of some other characteristic they have that the college wants.</p>
<p>An applicant with a 1.7 GPA, 1200 SATs, crappy essays/recs, no ECs, no family $$$/connections and a boring life story would be a miracle acceptance.</p>
<p>“it is because of some other characteristic they have that the college wants.”</p>
<p>Yes. And very commonly, the applicant doesn’t realize how special that characteristic makes him/her. So s/he may think the acceptance is a miracle, when actually it makes perfect sense.</p>
<p>I know of a guy who had a 71 GPA and a 1360 on his SAT. He was one of the few people in my school’s history to be accepted. Now that’s a miracle.</p>
<p>1360/1600, right? Nobody gets into Harvard with a 1360/2400 and a 2.84 (if that’s what a 71 GPA translates to).</p>
<p>[Liz</a> Murray - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liz_Murray]Liz”>Liz Murray - Wikipedia) Homeless to Harvard girl</p>
<p>^please explain how that’s a miracle in any way.</p>
<p>She is the most inspirational person I have ever heard of. Honestly. Am I alone in wanting to give her a well-deserved hug for all that she has been through?
And on top of that, her poor socioeconomic status was definitely a booster.</p>
1 Like
<p>It’s a miracle that she accomplished what she did, don’t you think? It’s not a “miracle acceptance” in that it caused everybody to go “but why did SHE deserve it?” Of course she did. But is it “in any way” a miracle? Oh, I think, most certainly.</p>
<p>I get goosebumps everytime I see/hear anything about her. I couldn’t agree more that she is a miracle :)</p>