Harvard only has about 21 undergraduates from India. That’s about 5 per year. Are you one of the top five students from India applying to Harvard? Will you be in the top five next year, after a gap year? Realistically?
Harvard doesn’t care that you ace senior year. All their accepted applicants are going to - as American’s say - “knock it out of the ballpark” ALL FOUR years. No matter what their personal circumstances are or what they have been through. You’d pretty much have to win an Olympic gold medal or donate millions of dollars in order for that gap year to tip the scales. It isn’t what you want to hear, but read my second paragraph again: 21 undergraduates from India, 5 per year.
Here is the good news, though: Harvard has over 600 students from India total. Where did all those missing Indian students go? They’re attending one of Harvard’s many world-famous graduate school programs.
I can’t show you the odds any clearer than that.
By all means, take your shot and apply. It only costs you a bit of time and $75 (about 5,600 rupees). Just make absolutely sure to have backups in your own country, and - if you can afford it - look further down the rankings for other excellent American colleges.
I know that feeling, @Uma1969 . Unlike what some people may tell you, I would say you can absolutely attend Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, etc. if you work hard enough, even with your past. My circumstances were similar. This may sound crazy, but your circumstances actually give you an advantage! Top colleges love URMs who overcome difficult backgrounds; it is arguably the best narrative for attending. It is much more interesting than someone who had a straight A’s and founded some clubs (no offense). They can’t understand the unparalleled joy of overcoming adversity.
My first advice would be to get the heck out of your abusive situation, if you can. Mental and emotional well-being is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. Next, attend community college (or a state school). Work hard building your GPA, extracurriculars, or sports. Be authentic in your essays, it will shine through.
Understand though, obviously, this will take many years.
Students who really want to give it a go to apply to the top schools should. Buy that lottery ticket. No, you don’t have a good chance. Yes, your junior record is going to hurt you. Still, give it a try, so you can see for yourself, and just maybe something will pan out
However, that’s the easy part of college applications. Anyone can get a list of the top rated colleges in the US. The hard part is researching the colleges that will most certainly take you, and work outgoing to them. Having them work for you, and focusing your attention on them. That’s the challenge of college search.
URM means an under-represented minority applicant (usually Native American/Pacific Islander, African American, Hispanic…may include Asian applicants from less-represented countries.
ORM means an over-represented minority applicant…usually someone of Chinese, Korean or South Asian/Indian descent.Admissions is usually much more competitive for these students applying to elite institutions, especially for STEM studies.