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How can I increase my chances of getting into Harvard or Yale?



QUESTION: I'm a high school junior who is concerned about my chances of getting into Harvard or Yale. This year, I am the in-depth editor of the school newspaper and will most likely be the editor-in-chief the following year. I have also been involved with Model United Nations, the Academic Decathlon team, International Club, Knowledge Bowl and Geography Bowl. I have over 300 hours of community service. My GPA is top-notch, and I'm ranked #1 in my class of 680 students. I am also an intermediate violin player. Obviously, I'm taking the most rigorous academic courses possible. Yet I am very worried that my SAT scores will not be sufficient if they do not exceed 1500 for math and critical reading. Also, I'm wondering if I'm not involved in enough activities outside of class and whether I'm hurting my chances by spreading out my efforts into diverse activities and not on specific ones. Could you please give me some tips or suggestions that I can follow to increase my chances of admission? Signed, Agitated One

Dear Agitated One: To say that you are highly motivated would be an understatement. You are certainly on the right track in terms of your grades and the difficulty level of your classes. This is important in showing that you are academically prepared for college.

If you are worried about your SAT score, the best thing that you can do is study for the test. Take practice SAT exams to prepare. The College Board provides 10 tests you can use in its book, 10 Real SATs. If you need additional help, consider a test preparation class either offered by your school or by a test preparation company. It sounds like you are the type of student who has the ability to motivate yourself to study. And remember that there is no single SAT score that guarantees admission or denial.

In addition to grades and SAT score, colleges will consider your SAT Subject Tests and AP scores. Again, the best way to do well on these exams is to study and take old exams for practice.

For activities, you should concentrate on those that you most enjoy. If anything, you seem to be overloaded with activities. Try to attain additional leadership positions and make significant contributions in a few of them.

Remember too that in addition to your academic and extracurricular record, you can set yourself apart from the other students through your application and essay. For a step-by-step walkthrough of the application and essay examples that worked, refer to our book, Get Into Any College: Secrets Of Harvard Students available at http://www.supercollege.com/store.


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Gen & Kelly Tanabe

Gen and Kelly Tanabe are the founders of SuperCollege and the award-winning authors of 11 books on college admission, financial aid and scholarships. Together they were accepted to all of the Ivy League colleges and won more than $100,000 in merit-based scholarships to graduate from Harvard debt-free.