<p>^^ Everyone has a chance, since GPA/class rank is not the only component of admissions. But keep in mind that there are a lot of people who take the most rigorous curriculum AND get perfect GPAs. That is the type of people Harvard wants.</p>
<p>@boomshakalaka: I’m talking about non-hooked applicants.</p>
<p>^I have a question about GPA. I’m from Canada and our high school system gives us an average (always unweighted) of the courses we took in Semester 1, Semester 2, then both semesters in the year combined for a final grade. </p>
<p>Right now, I have around a 94-95%. What would this be converted to a “normal” GPA? I heard that anything about 90% is a 4.0, but I’m not sure if this is true.</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>Let me ask - what’s a great “hook”?</p>
<p>Being Obama’s long lost son</p>
<p>
What about the movie made you want to apply there?</p>
<p>I think these are good hooks: URM, nationally/internationally-ranked athlete, celebrity, author/published a research paper, and legacy.</p>
<p>Can someone answer my quick question up there^^^?</p>
<p>D’s school an A- starts at 93% (3.75). All schools are different, but an average of 94% would be a 4.0 most places in the US.</p>
<p>The thing about the holistic review is that they will not convert it to a 4.0 scale. It is what it is. I know that seems unhelpful, but it is true. GPA does not mean much. Every school is so different. You CAN, however, see students’ course selection. It is obvious that you are doing well in your courses. That is what is important.</p>
<p>A person with a 4.0 may have made 90s in every class.
A person with a 3.9 may have had one B freshman year and a bunch of 98s in classes.</p>
<p>That is why UW GPA does not mean much.</p>
<p>Very helpful of both of you, thanks! I took one spare this year (because I took 2 extra credits in my freshman year hehe), but my counsellor mentioned in the rec that I was taking the “most rigorous courses offered at _____”. This helps, right?</p>
<p>My grades range from 91%-99%. Everything is unweighted because it’s Canada and we don’t do that weighing stuff.</p>
<p>That does help. You are fine. Honestly, it is not about your stats at this point.</p>
<p>@RainbowSprinkles–</p>
<p>The part where Mark tells his girlfriend “you don’t have to study, you go to BU.” did it for me. Yes, that part alone. :D</p>
<p>But I WAS seriously considering Harvard before that too!</p>
<p>That was me, not RS, who asked the question.</p>
<p>No offense, but that is a really terrible reason to want to apply.</p>
<p>Well, who are we to judge, right? (: There are probably hundreds (maybe even thousands) who applied to Harvard just because it’s Harvard. I am sure that if someone had a genuine interest in the school, their application will shine through. Of course, nothing is guaranteed with schools as selective as this. It’s a lottery system, basically. You can only do so much, but after a certain point, you just have to sit back and relax.</p>
<p>Well I’m sorry I confused who posted the question.</p>
<p>And yeah, it sounds like a pretty bad reason to apply to college, but I probably won’t get in, and I have plenty of other reasons to go to Harvard. That one, though, was the emotional kick for me to add Harvard on the Common App.</p>
<p>What iceui2 said is almost 100% untrue. </p>
<p>I have no idea where he got that information so I would really like him to back that up with some sources and prove me wrong.</p>
<p>^^^^ Agree. Especially the part where s/he said “Most of the time (not always), Harvard only takes the valedictorian of each school. If your high school is very competitive, they might take the salutatorian as well.”</p>
<p>The reality: Harvard has many “feeder schools” such as Stuyvesant, Thomas Jefferson, Andover, Boston Latin, Windsor, Exeter, Phillips Academy, etc. Those schools typically send upwards of 20 kids each year to Harvard. See: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/187272-high-school-has-most-students-harvard-college.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/187272-high-school-has-most-students-harvard-college.html</a></p>
<p>^^^ Also, this quote from iceui2 is blatantly false: “But keep in mind that there are a lot of people who take the most rigorous curriculum AND get perfect GPAs. That is the type of people Harvard wants.”</p>
<p>See: [Guidance</a> Office: Answers From Harvard’s Dean, Part 1 - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/harvarddean-part1/]Guidance”>Guidance Office: Answers From Harvard's Dean, Part 1 - The New York Times) where William Fitzsimmons, Dean of Harvard Admissions, states what Harvard is looking for:</p>
<p>"Our goal in admissions is to attract the best students to the college. Many people believe “best” ought to be defined by standardized tests, grades, and class rank, and it is easy to understand why. Such a system, another Harvard dean of admissions, Bill Bender, wrote in 1960, “has great appeal because it has the merits of apparent simplicity, objectivity, relative administrative cheapness in time and money and worry, a clear logical basis and therefore easy applicability and defensibility.”</p>
<p>“While we value objective criteria, we apply a more expansive view of excellence. Test scores and grades offer some indication of students’ academic promise and achievement. But we also scrutinize applications for extracurricular distinction and personal qualities.”</p>
<p>“Students’ intellectual imagination, strength of character, and their ability to exercise good judgment — these are critical factors in the admissions process, and they are revealed not by test scores but by students’ activities outside the classroom, the testimony of teachers and guidance counselors, and by alumni/ae and staff interview reports.”</p>
<p>“Personal qualities and character provide the foundation upon which each admission rests. Harvard alumni/ae often report that the education they received from fellow classmates was a critically important component of their college experience. The education that takes place between roommates, in dining halls, classrooms, research groups, extracurricular activities, and in Harvard’s residential houses depends on selecting students who will reach out to others.”</p>
<p>That whole spiel is just to get people with average grades to apply - that is why there are 35000 apps.</p>
<p>That advertising disgusts me to be honest.</p>
<p>Here’s a gr8 mocking/sarcastic yt video of H:</p>
<p>[YouTube</a> - Harvard University: rejected commercial](<a href=“Harvard University: rejected commercial - YouTube”>Harvard University: rejected commercial - YouTube)</p>
<p>I love all the jerseys tied around their necks…</p>
<p>“That whole spiel is just to get people with average grades to apply - that is why there are 35000 apps. That advertising disgusts me to be honest.”</p>
<p>Say what you like, it’s not BS. Having a daughter at Harvard – one who didn’t get there with hooks or perfect SAT scores – I can attest to the authenticity of William Fitzsimmons’ statements. Although my daughter knows kids with perfect scores, the vast majority of her friends are just great all-arounders. </p>
<p>BTW: The increase in numbers this year is probably due to the elimination of the 3 SAT requirement, and that Harvard has been actively recruiting URM’s.</p>