Surfer boy's chances

Colleges & Universities Harvard University
1

<p>Hey, this is Jason</p>

<p>Senior at Northern Cal Public High School (Good scores, not great)
Weighted GPA- 4.43
UC GPA- 4.34
UW- 3.95
ACT- 31, but my best scores are:
Math- 35
Science- 35
Reading- 33
English- 28
which makes a 33 composite (1460 equivalent)
Hopefully, I can get my good scores together on the upcoming ACT test
Sat II:
750 math II
730 bio M
680 Writing 2</p>

<p>Honors: every year social studies and english, Chemistry
APs: US History, Calc AB, Calc BC, Biology, Government, Psychology
Sciences- Biology, Chem H, AP Bio, Physiology, Physics, Independent Research</p>

<p>ECs: Tennis Tennis Tennis
I play 10 hours a week</p>

<h1>1 on varsity last two years (MVP)</h1>

<p>Won 3rd singles in Ebal (East Bay Regionals)
Taught tennis junior year
String rackets since freshmen year (2 hours a week)
Wash tennis courts in summer (12 hours a week)
Taught free tennis lessons (total 48 hours)
Captain of Ball Boy Squad since freshmen year (train for Seibel Open, which is a big pro event in San Jose Arena- pressure pressure pressure)
Biology Department Tutor-Junior/senior
Judged city science fair for elementary-high school along with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists
Junior Class Senator</p>

<p>Recs: Awesome (one is from my biology teacher who I have had for 4 classes in high school and was my science teacher in elementary school)</p>

<p>Peer: Absolutely awesome by my friend who just got into Stanford</p>

<p>Extra rec: Grandpa excellent (chair of anesthesiology at UW in Seattle)</p>

<p>Essays: 1) Surfing</p>

<p>2) Mom with carotid dissection (brain received only 1/2 amount of blood) How I had to take care of her for a year in freshmen year. It was likely she would never recover and would be subject to more strokes. After the experience, I wanted to become a doctor. My grandpa proudly taught me about medicine. He was main editor of the anesthesia text book for college. Great grandpa was director of anesthesiology department at UCSF and became dean of UCSF med school </p>

<p>How are my slim to none chances.</p>

2

<p>anyone please…</p>

3

<p>Are you good enough to be recruited for tennis? If so, your chances are decent. The EC’s outside of tennis are a bit weak, especially if you plan on doing pre-med or something similiar. On second thought, I actually can’t really evaluate your chances…sports ppl would be better at this. in any case, good luck!</p>

<p>PS: if you put this in the chances forum, you’ll probably get more posts.</p>

4

<p>A letter of rec from your Grandfather? Are you sure you want to do that? I 'd be pretty sure that Bush didn’t write a rec for his Grandaughter at Yale, and he was an alum. Lots of people have relatives who are academics, extremely wealthy, powerful and well known. Who would consider a reference on a Grandchild unbiased? I would really rethink this. If he has good contacts, ask him to work the back door.</p>

5

<p>Um…I’m a good tennis player, but I haven’t put too much emphasis on it in college. I might go on as a walk-on, but not for recruiting.</p>

<p>The intention of the rec was not for a hook. He just has a good perspective on me and the letter clearly showed that. Do you think it would really hurt me?</p>

<p>By the way, I totally forgot to add my research…I work 2-3 hours a day on my anesthetic research project. I’m testing the effects of mepivacaine, lidocaine, and bupivacaine (all local) in various concentrations ranging from .025 to .5 on dH5alpha bacteria that I transformed with plasmids containing resistance to kanamycin and ampicillin. It is my major focus on my short answer. I work with biologists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. I’m actually getting an internship this summer with a biotech company, but I didn’t put that down in my app.</p>

6

<p>If able, you definitely need to go the tennis-recruiting route, I would say…It will help you a lot and make up for lower scores.</p>

7

<p>Is your research in any way related to or inspired by your mother’s health problem? if so, definitely play that up on your app. Otherwise, it’s not going to look <em>that</em> impressive against other ppl’s research…however, if you were recruited for tennis, the research would be a boost into getting you admitted.</p>

8

<p>I would have to say that everyone’s grandparents have a unique understanding of them! Personally I would not consider submitting such a letter. It sounds like you are hoping that his being an academic will be of help. What you need to understand in that Harvard could fill every freshmen class with the rich, powerful and connected many times over. Those groups do not include fellow academics. I think you would appear misguided.</p>

9

<p>Well, it looks as if he didn’t send it yet so I guess I can still stop him. you thnk it would really hurt me because it is just a funny letter about me. It doesn’t tell why Harvard should accept me.</p>

10

<p>JC, I really have no idea if it would hurt, but I’m pretty sure it won’t help. In my opinion the risk is that they think you are naive to think the grandfather being an academic would help. Meaningful letters come from objective sources who can say you are outstanding among those they have those with no ties to other than as a teacher or mentor. Focus on getting that kind of letter.</p>

11

<p>The thing is…I really never thought of asking him to write it (family relation)but my dad/mom kept pushing me to do it just before the stanford app was due. And when I asked my grandpa, he was so thrilled that I never questioned its validity again. Do you think I should call each admission office (Amherst, Dartmouth, and Stanford) and tell them to ignore the letter.</p>

12

<p>JCOliver, DO NOT under any circumstances, DO NOT stop your Gramps. </p>

<p>I talked with Harvard Adcoms in November, and they said that any letter of rec from someone who KNOWS you cannot hurt you. It will always be a positive thing unless the recommender says something bad… this is directly from da big H… so let your grandpa write the rec :)</p>

13

<p>to jazzpiano…</p>

<p>no offense or anything… but about Bush’s daughter didn’t need a rec. She probably made sure that the adcoms KNEW she was related to Bush and … her last name… well… ya, you get the point.</p>

14

<p>I agree to just let it go. Do not call! However, Lmell, the point I think JC made in the original post was that he thought his grandfather’s position was important and would make an impression at Harbard. I was just trying to gently say that anyone who has important connections for thm to matter at Harvard, will not have to parade them Of course a Bush gets a boost at Yale (or any school for that matter), but no Bush writes a letter! Um, power is, shall we say, best understated?</p>

15

<p>Thanks Lmell. Yeah, I really don’t want to use my grandpa just because of his position. I would be fine not using his name in my app…I just thought he was the best candidate for showing my personality. I guess I could have gotten my lab biologists or Condi Rice to write it…</p>

<p>Thanks for all the advice.</p>

16

<p>Is there really a contest? Condi is your woman!</p>

17

<p>Yeah, her brother works for my dad…but I haven’t met her yet. I guess I might be going to the inaugural afterparty at the White House…we will see. My dad says I can get a rec if I meet her soon…but it would pointless now.</p>

18

<p>Yeah, you probably don’t want an impersonal rec like that–it’d be dumb.</p>