Chances for Harvard Pre-med?

About the Ads
Thoughtfulness

Thoughtfulness

Membership Revoked
Removed
10+ Year Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2011
Messages
64
Reaction score
1
Objective:
  • SAT I (breakdown): N/A
  • ACT: 34
  • SAT II: US HISTORY (770), Bio (800)
  • Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
  • Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 6/605
  • AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (4) Bio and Gov (5)
  • IB (place score in parenthesis):
  • Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Physics C, AP English, AP Stats
  • Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): USABO Semi Finalist, Various Class and Department Awards
Subjective:
  • Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Tennis (Captain), Ethical Issues Club (Founder and President), Youth Group (Founder and Leader), Debate Team (Co-President), Pre-Med Club (Treasurer)
  • Job/Work Experience: Worked at Convenient store during summer
  • Volunteer/Community service: 500 hrs of church volunteering, 400 hrs of Hospital Volunteering, and 100 hrs of shadowing doctors
  • Summer Activities: Working and Volunteering
  • Essays: not bad
  • Teacher Recommendation: not bad
  • Counselor Rec: not bad
  • Additional Rec: amazing
  • Interview: na
Other
  • State (if domestic applicant): ohio
  • Country (if international applicant):
  • School Type: public
  • Ethnicity: middle-eastern
  • Gender: male
  • Income Bracket: 130k
  • Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
Members don't see this ad.
 
Thoughtfulness said:
Objective:
  • SAT I (breakdown): N/A
  • ACT: 34
  • SAT II: US HISTORY (770), Bio (800)
  • Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
  • Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 6/605
  • AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (4) Bio and Gov (5)
  • IB (place score in parenthesis):
  • Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Physics C, AP English, AP Stats
  • Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): USABO Semi Finalist, Various Class and Department Awards
Subjective:
  • Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Tennis (Captain), Ethical Issues Club (Founder and President), Youth Group (Founder and Leader), Debate Team (Co-President), Pre-Med Club (Treasurer)
  • Job/Work Experience: Worked at Convenient store during summer
  • Volunteer/Community service: 500 hrs of church volunteering, 400 hrs of Hospital Volunteering, and 100 hrs of shadowing doctors
  • Summer Activities: Working and Volunteering
  • Essays: not bad
  • Teacher Recommendation: not bad
  • Counselor Rec: not bad
  • Additional Rec: amazing
  • Interview: na
Other
  • State (if domestic applicant): ohio
  • Country (if international applicant):
  • School Type: public
  • Ethnicity: middle-eastern
  • Gender: male
  • Income Bracket: 130k
  • Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
Click to expand...


  • I don't really think anything sets you apart to make it easy to say "yeah I think you have high chances." I def think it would be would applying. I'd say high chance for any other top tier or non HYP ivy. Nail your essay. Impressive volunteering btw
 
Members don't see this ad :)
There is no definitive answer... Obviously you are a strong applicant. Apply and good luck
 
I'm not trying to come off as offensive, but nothing in your application is Harvard material, besides your exam scores and GPA. A 4.0 and 34 is very impressive, but there are thousands upon thousands of kids applying with those stats to almost every single top 15 school. What separates HYP, Stanford, MIT and CalTech from the others, and the others in the top 15 is an application with tons of academic recognition, research and unique service/leadership.

Top 5 schools love Intel semifinalists and finalists, Siemens semifinalists and finalists and those with published or on-the-way-to-being-published research projects.

There's no point in not applying with your stats as they are quite impressive, but just know that even amazingly qualified applicants don't get it. Good luck.
 
In high school, I had similar score/GPA stats to yours and those will get you far if you've considered non-Ivy schools. I went to a great state undergrad for free (full tuition academic scholarship) and came out with absolutely no debt. Now in medical school, that has been a tremendous advantage starting out not in the money hole, and I really didn't realize it until a few years ago how really awesome that is. Apply to schools that are non-Ivy, and you never know, this might happen to you too. And in the long run, you'll be so thankful esp if you're taking out major loans if you plan on med/dental/pharm/grad school and will be paying them back yourself.
 
I appreciate all the responses. I want to participate in those things but I didn't know about them, which I think is quite unfair. My school has never heard of Intel, Siemens, etc. I was hoping starting the club and youth group and various leadership positions, which take up a boat load of time, while pulling great grades would separate me from the crowd. Guess not :/
 
Thoughtfulness said:
I appreciate all the responses. I want to participate in those things but I didn't know about them, which I think is quite unfair. My school has never heard of Intel, Siemens, etc. I was hoping starting the club and youth group and various leadership positions, which take up a boat load of time, while pulling great grades would separate me from the crowd. Guess not :/
Click to expand...

Don't put yourself down already. Apply anyway, just don't be set on going there. Remember, Harvard is the top school in the world -- plenty of people get denied who shouldn't and some lucky ones get in.
 
If you think you're fairly set on medicine, where you go to school will certainly make a difference but probably not in the way you're expecting. To keep a long story that has been rehashed many times and is available in the stickied threads short, the name of your college is a very, very small factor in the med school admissions process. Don't feel like you need to go to some big-name school to take your med school pre-reqs just to get your application looked at.

That said, you're a competitive applicant. Apply wherever you think you'd want to go, and I'm sure you'll be successful.
 
Thoughtfulness said:
Objective:
  • SAT I (breakdown): N/A
  • ACT: 34
  • SAT II: US HISTORY (770), Bio (800)
  • Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
  • Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 6/605
  • AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (4) Bio and Gov (5)
  • IB (place score in parenthesis):
  • Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Physics C, AP English, AP Stats
  • Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): USABO Semi Finalist, Various Class and Department Awards
Subjective:
  • Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Tennis (Captain), Ethical Issues Club (Founder and President), Youth Group (Founder and Leader), Debate Team (Co-President), Pre-Med Club (Treasurer)
  • Job/Work Experience: Worked at Convenient store during summer
  • Volunteer/Community service: 500 hrs of church volunteering, 400 hrs of Hospital Volunteering, and 100 hrs of shadowing doctors
  • Summer Activities: Working and Volunteering
  • Essays: not bad
  • Teacher Recommendation: not bad
  • Counselor Rec: not bad
  • Additional Rec: amazing
  • Interview: na
Other
  • State (if domestic applicant): ohio
  • Country (if international applicant):
  • School Type: public
  • Ethnicity: middle-eastern
  • Gender: male
  • Income Bracket: 130k
  • Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
Click to expand...


  • I'm going to be brutally honest here and say it: Harvard is going to be a very tough struggle even with great essays.

    Here's my analysis:

    ACT: Could be higher. 34 is kinda lowish for Harvard, especially if you're looking for a degree in the sciences.

    APs: Assuming that this is all the APs you have taken, this will be the Achilles heel of your application and will suggest that your school was not very academically rigorous if you ranked 6th.

    ECs: BioOlympiad semifinalist looks good along with your leadership role as a Varsity Captain. However, leadership roles in clubs will not carry very much weight unless you are able to demonstrate that significant activities were accomplished under your leadership. Your volunteer work in hospitals and shadowing could serve as good focal point for why you want to pursue a pre-med degree.

    Honestly, don't go to Harvard unless you're getting a full scholarship or you have a great trust fund. Just the "Harvard" brand name will not carry you very far with Med School ADCOMs since undgrad institution prestige is not given as much weight as GPA, MCAT, and ECs. However, Harvard's GPA inflation may be to your advantage.

    But please listen to me. I had a good shot at the Ivies (My stats were comparable to my other friends who got in) but I turned all of them down for my in-state school since its tuition for all 4 years was still less than 1 year of tuition at an Ivy. By going to Harvard, you'll be getting less bang for your buck. Trust me on this.

    If you have doubts about what I said, I can PM you my stats. I just don't want to post them publicly.
 
ElCapone said:
I'm going to be brutally honest here and say it: Harvard is going to be a very tough struggle even with great essays.

Here's my analysis:

ACT: Could be higher. 34 is kinda lowish for Harvard, especially if you're looking for a degree in the sciences.

APs: Assuming that this is all the APs you have taken, this will be the Achilles heel of your application and will suggest that your school was not very academically rigorous if you ranked 6th.

ECs: BioOlympiad semifinalist looks good along with your leadership role as a Varsity Captain. However, leadership roles in clubs will not carry very much weight unless you are able to demonstrate that significant activities were accomplished under your leadership. Your volunteer work in hospitals and shadowing could serve as good focal point for why you want to pursue a pre-med degree.

Honestly, don't go to Harvard unless you're getting a full scholarship or you have a great trust fund. Just the "Harvard" brand name will not carry you very far with Med School ADCOMs since undgrad institution prestige is not given as much weight as GPA, MCAT, and ECs. However, Harvard's GPA inflation may be to your advantage.

But please listen to me. I had a good shot at the Ivies (My stats were comparable to my other friends who got in) but I turned all of them down for my in-state school since its tuition for all 4 years was still less than 1 year of tuition at an Ivy. By going to Harvard, you'll be getting less bang for your buck. Trust me on this.

If you have doubts about what I said, I can PM you my stats. I just don't want to post them publicly.
Click to expand...

You don't "turn something down" unless you actually get accepted just fyi.

Everything he said was true though...go to the school that gives you the most money. Hey, maybe it'll be Harvard. What'll matter is how you do in college.
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Thoughtfulness said:
I appreciate all the responses. I want to participate in those things but I didn't know about them, which I think is quite unfair. My school has never heard of Intel, Siemens, etc. I was hoping starting the club and youth group and various leadership positions, which take up a boat load of time, while pulling great grades would separate me from the crowd. Guess not :/
Click to expand...

Not to say you won't get in, but successful Harvard applicants tend to be the type of ambitious people that seek out these sort of opportunities, without limiting themselves to the standard options that their schools offer them. Although you have worked hard, it is a big country and there are thousands of students who have worked just as hard and appear similar on paper - and not enough spots at Harvard to accommodate all of them.

Does your school normally send many people to Harvard? This would shed some more light on your chances.
 
I appreciate all the responses. My school does send generally 3-5 kids to the ivies each year. I think you guys are right so since I'm set on going into medicine and the Harvard name doesn't matter much, I'm going to apply to my local bsmd program and see what happens. Thank you all.
 
Am I set for all non top 10 schools though? Pretty much?
 
I'd say for the most part. There are no guarantees though so don't get too carried away. There will be places you will apply and you thought you'd get in for sure and you might not. And it might not have anything to do with your stats/qualifications....sometimes schools are looking for a certain profile and you might just not fit it regardless of how good of a student you are.
 
Thoughtfulness said:
Am I set for all non top 10 schools though? Pretty much?
Click to expand...

I had similar stats (higher class rank too - I was valedictorian) and got wait listed at three top ten schools, and accepted into one. I eventually got in off one wait list, too. Nothing is for certain these days; don't get cocky. The application process was quite humbling for me.

The personal statement is arguably the most important part of the application these days. I didn't know that.
 
there is essentially no way to guarantee acceptance at an ivy
except for this one guy i knew, who finished hs by sophomore year and got a bs by senior year and had a 2400 and was varsity football and was working in the state government building (i'm a poli ******* so i have no idea what it was, but it was something big).

pretty much, don't just only apply to ivies expecting acceptance (knew a kid who did this, karma bit him in the ass and got denied from every school..had to go to a comm college)
 
Yeah, it's pretty ridiculous. I don't really care anymore because any school I go to will make me a great doctor. Also, med school doesn't matter much for residency so **** harvard medical school!
 
Apply, I think you have a great shot. A peer of mine in HS was accepted to Harvard, and other than scoring 1 point higher than you on the ACT, I think your application far and away blows his out of the water. You seem a lot more active than he was in high school.

BTW, nice job on your accomplishments, they're very impressive. I wish I had had that kind of drive in school when I was younger.
 
Eh. You definitely have solid stats and will be a solid applicant but nothing really stands out. You fit the same profile as a lot of other Harvard applicants. I recommend you write a really good essay because that will set you apart from the herd.
 
Thoughtfulness said:
Thanks for the advice guys, I appreciate it.
Click to expand...

Seriously though, know that thousands of others are applying with identical stats to yours. You must make sure that your personal statement catches the eye of the reader. If you think something may be cliche or corny, it probably is. Be genuine and sincere. do not do something because you think thats what a college wants to see. I wrote two personal statements; one was for the college, and one was for me. I submitted the one I thought would appeal more to the adcoms. I wish to god I hadn't (well, actually getting in to other schools wouldn't have a made a difference as to where I ultimately would have decided to attend). Anyways, be yourself. Theres nothing more you can/should do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

F
Baylor University Scholars - Worth it for pre-med?
Replies
1
Views
244
chilly_md
chilly_md
D
Stanford vs Yale vs Columbia vs Princeton for Pre-Med
Replies
4
Views
579
beanie12
B
CoolKid575
  • Poll Poll
UAB or UCSB, which is the better pick for pre-med?
Replies
3
Views
1K
Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight
P
NYU ($400k) or UMD ($50k) for Pre-Med ? Urgent please.
Replies
12
Views
2K
Sandman23
S
O
Tips for selecting a good pre-med school/Any recommendations on good options
Replies
2
Views
710
OverLordMiko
O
Top