an incoming Harvard studentās advice for you
Iām sorry for the clickbait title! After a long hiatus, here is basically all my advice for high school and college apps, packaged in one giant (slightly disorganized) post. I wrote this originally for an underclassman from my high school who requested advice on how to navigate HS. I hope this post helps you too!!
Feel free to DM me anytime with questions. I do check my messages and can get back to you with hopefully more specific resources and personalized advice!Ā
For more resources and advice,Ā I alsoĀ highly recommend Reddit (I know...) ā specifically the subreddits r/applyingtocollege, r/SAT,Ā r/ACT, and r/APStudents. This post is not one-size-fits-all and very much non-exhaustive, but I hope it can help in any small way, and encourage you to take what works and leave what doesnāt.Ā
The most important thing to remember, period:Ā I would strongly advise you not to go through HS with "getting into Harvard" (or something like that) as your goal. Consider that college is a means to an end. There are lots of people who get into Harvard, and fail to leverage the opportunities there ā thatās a massive waste of 4 years imo. There are lots of people who go to community college, transfer into a four-year university (or donāt), and leverage their opportunities immensely. There are lots of people who donāt go to any college at all and leverage their opportunities immensely. Getting into college is only the start. The idea that you just need to work hard in HS, get into a āgood collegeā, and then youāre set for life, is DEADĀ WRONG. You will have to continue working as hard (if not harder) in college.Ā
Please don't fixate on a school because of its prestige. In my view, people think school prestige equates to powerful networks and lots of resources. But, no matter which school you go to, networks and resources are factors that you need to work very hard ā and often endure lots of intense competition ā to leverage!! Early on in HS, I had the idea that if only I could get into a "good school", life would be set for me. That idea is not only naive but also dangerous.Ā
Another disclaimer (sorry). I'm not sure I can give a lot of good advice on the application process specifically because the year (2020) in which I applied was very unique. For example, a lot of people weren't able to take their SAT/ACT. I was, and so I might have stood out more to the admissions officers. Additionally, I've been working in a lab for the past few years and was able to continue my research during the pandemic, as it was a fully computational project. A lot of students who were doing lab work weren't able to continue during the pandemic, but I made a lot of progress on my project, and that probably also helped.
OK ā now to the actual advice...
I've been working in a research lab since October 2018. This was an insanely lucky and unique opportunity!! I want to talk a little bit about it because I think a lot of students would love to do it but donāt know how to start, and Iād like to elaborate on what research is all about. Skip this section if youāre not interested.
The summer after my freshman year, I sent out cold-emails to many biology/computer science professors at local universities (some of the people I contacted were science-fair judges that Iād met while presenting at science fairs, so if you participate in science fairs you could try to get in touch with the judges you meet) who were working on topics I was interested in (Alzheimerās Disease specifically, neuroscience in general). I included a brief introduction, some info about my interest, and information on previous science fair projects Iād done (itās ok if you havenāt done any projects before, just go into sufficient detail on your interests/skills/thoughts). Maybe read some of the profās articles and research and formulate some thoughts (or come up with some research ideas, or even create a full-blown research plan youād like to do) to share with them! At worst, you may not get to work in anyoneās lab, but youāll probably get to have some cool and helpful conversations with people in your field of interest.
Alternatively, many programs such as RSI, MITES, TASP, SSP (summer science program) etc. can get you involved in research via a more structured and less arbitrary process. Here are a few more thorough lists: list 1, list 2, list 3
Additionally, here's a guide to science opportunities from students at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, an insane science magnet school. I looked at this like once in like freshman year lol but it might still help. Some of the advice is specific to the school (as itās written by and for TJ students) but much of it is highly applicable. (this guide also does contain some good academic advice, so even if youāre not interested in STEM you may want to peruse it a little bit)
My lab research has been so so helpful ā not only did I grow as a person, develop coding/biological thinking skills, ~learn how to learn~ (as cliche as it sounds) ā but also I had access to TREMENDOUS opportunities.
If you do end up getting to do lab research, know that itāll be hard work (a running theme of this post). Youāll hit many walls and often feel discouraged, stupid, and uncertain. There may be summers where youāre stuck in an office coding/stuck in a lab pipetting all day while all your friends are out having fun (speaking from experience). Stick with it, and remember how lucky the opportunity is. If you persevere ā if you keep trying ā you will, at the very very least, experience tremendous personal growth.
A recommendation of a few resources and programs (incredibly non-exhaustive):Ā I reached out to Phillip Compeau, who does a lot of amazing computational biology education work at Carnegie Mellon University.Ā I highly recommend checking out his work, including his book, courses, and open online education resources, if youāre at all interested in computer science, biology, or computational biology. Even if youāre not interested in those things. His work is awesome.
He helps run Carnegie Mellon Universityās Pre-College Program in Computational Biology. I didnāt participate in this program myself, but itās very cool and I definitely recommend it if youāre interested. Additionally, check out the UPMC Hillman AcademyĀ if youāre interested in research. Itās competitive but requires no previous research experience and is free and very fun! I participated in this program and know lots of other people who did, and I highly highly recommend it.Ā
Other extracurriculars and general EC advice (EC = extracurricular)
In general itās good to commit fully to any ECs you choose to do rather than spread yourself thin and do a mediocre/uncommitted job at many ECs. Prioritize having fun and having unique experiences. Also, if youāre in a leadership position, you should prioritize concrete achievements (e.g. doubled club membership, fundraised xyz amount, talked to local legislator on xyz issue) rather than stuff that just sounds good but has no real substance.Ā
So if you find that you donāt enjoy an EC, donāt just continue because itās āprestigiousā. Strive to a.) do your very best at the ECs you do, b.) spend as much time as you need on them to do well (while NOT allowing them to infringe on your mental health, academics, life etc.), c.) do as much concrete stuff as possible via ECs, d.) MOST IMPORTANTLY actually enjoy them!! Gain something genuine from your activities, thatās the whole point.Ā Just try to do stuff that you think is cool, you feel passionate about, and that will make an impact/difference in your community.Ā (and some programs, like the she++ #include fellowship and NCWIT aspireIT can help you with community outreach!)
And donāt underestimate the possibility of getting very cool experiences from random opportunities. For example, I attended a few local council meetings last summer over zoom and ended up doing lots of local politics stuff, which I found that I really enjoyed and actually ended up writing an essay about.
Many colleges offer paid pre-college programs. I would not recommend doing these unless youāre truly interested in the subject and specific activities, content, and instruction of the program. Doing a paid program at XYZ university alone will likely not increase your chances of admission there.
Several lists of extracurriculars, awards, etc across a variety of disciplines - sourced from reddit
extremely important note:Ā A lot of ECs have certain lurking prerequisites: lots of time, parents willing+able to drive you around, potentially $$$ etc. So they may not be accessible to everyone.
If youāre someone who (for example) spends lots of time (even just a few hours a week) taking care of siblings/other family members, or doing chores at home, or working to support yourself/your family, or youāre generally in any situation where you donāt have access toĀ āfancyā/unique/whatever extracurriculars (or you simply donāt want to do those ECs), just remember that you can write about anythingĀ (including childcare responsibilities, literally any jobs, etc.) on your college apps.
Write all those things in your activities list and, if you feel that these activities are an important part of your life and youād want to talk about them, go into more detail about these parts of your life in your essays. Donāt devalue your own hard work!!!Ā Iām probably not the best person to talk to regarding more advice in this vein, so check out the resources on r/applyingtocollege for more in-depth advice.
My biggest advice is to try your hardest to find interest, joy, and excitement in each subject you take, and aim for true understanding rather than just superficially good test results (obvi, you need to work v hard to do this). Not only will this help you vibe better with teachers and do well in classes, it will lead to an overall far better, easier, and more fun school experience, and a more fun life. After all, youāre spending like 7 hours a day in class (plus even more on HW), so you may as well try to enjoy it and get something out of it.
Finish your homework as soon as you get home (maybe after a snack). You will be tired, but push yourself. It makes a difference. I used to be REALLY bad in this regard (iād come home, waste time for hours, then work extremely late into the night) and found that I just had to brute-force push myself to work and do whatever it took to avoid distractions.Ā
Donāt try too hard with teachers in hopes of grubbing for rec letters (itās gross and a bad use of your time + mental energy). Just try to build a genuine connection to the subject, show a genuine interest in doing well in the class and IMPROVING (no matter whether you think youāre already doing well or not), and ask your teacher for help when you need it. Additionally, you could maybe share things with your teacher outside of class (e.g. articles related to class content, even tangentially, that you find interesting; also, share stuff about your individual projects that you think theyād be interested in). Youāll get to have some really interesting and fun conversations!Ā In short, treat teachers like the interesting, dedicated, human beings that they are and try to learn as much as you can, and have fun doing it. (Does not apply if your teacher is a truly terrible person, but lots of teachers are unappreciated. Try to find out whether your teacher is actually bad or is just unappreciated.)
Some colleges recommendĀ taking AP courses in core subjects (English, Math, History, Science) and getting at least up to calc BC. AP courses are not (at least, youĀ really shouldnāt consider them to be)Ā a status symbol or something that makes youĀ ābetterā than everyone else. Take AP courses for actual reasons: bc it fits with the major youāre thinking of pursuing, bc you want the challenge and feeling of accomplishment, because you actually enjoy and want to learn more about the subject!!!
Beyond that take whatever course you want. As I stated before, enjoyment and learning are the main things. So if thereās a course you really want to take and itās not AP, donāt let that stop you from taking it!! For example, I took a linear algebra course (non AP) in senior year. I probably couldāve replaced it with an extra AP, but I had so much fun in that course and truly enjoyed it. If I had sprung for an extra AP credit ā in favor of āstatus,ā bragging rights, or misperception that itād help my college apps ā I mightāve had less fun and missed out on a wonderful experience that would give me a good foundation for future college classes. AP classes are not enough to ensure admission into any college.
AP EXAMS:Ā Try to get 5s in those AP exams, only because it will help for college credit. 5s are more important if itās an AP class that aligns with your intended major/ECs/interests. Fiveable is a good resource to help with that.
Random note on productivity apps: I really like to schedule out my day in chunks using google calendar and I use Notion for my todo list.Ā I schedule basically everything in Google Calendar.Ā Whenever I start a task (or a bit before) I put a block into Google Calendar of however long I estimate the task will take, then when Iām done I adjust the block to reflect how much time I spent on it. Itās very helpful for organizing your time and for looking back and seeing how you spent your time. It also helps you find out how long you take to finish certain tasks, which is very helpful. Finally, it encourages you (and gives you some extra motivation) to complete whole tasks in large blocks, which I find more manageable than spread-out work. I also use the app Block + Focus as a combination website block/pomodoro timer, as well as the Forest app (on stopwatch mode) and the Self Control app. Finally, I keep my phone in another room when I work.
Standardized tests - FOCUS ON THESE IN JUNIOR YEAR
TBH standardized testing kind of depends on which schools youāre applying to. For example, if youāre just applying to all UCs donāt bother as theyāre test BLIND (e.g. they will THROW OUT TESTS even if you send them). Most schools are test OPTIONAL (so test RECOMMENDED to be as competitive as possible). Iād advise getting tests out of the way in junior year or senior summer/early senior autumn (which is tbh cutting it close). Trust me, college app season is stressful enough even without SAT grinding!!!
Aim for a 1550+ for most āāāātop schools.āāā (not the end of the world if you donāt get a 1550+ ā there are way more important things in life ā but some colleges consider it important) If you start out with a relatively low score (e.g., for SAT below 1400s ā remember this is still great for the vast majority of good schools) maybe try a prep course, or for a cheaper or free route, a prep book (cheaper) or Khan Academy review of concepts (free) (I personally liked Khan Academy a lot for skill-building).Ā
With some grinding on that, you should be able to hit the ālaw-of-diminishing-returnsā point, at which extra practice will result in ever more minimal improvement. At this point, if youāre not getting to your goal score, Iād advise starting to work very hard on practice tests, at least one per weekend, starting a few months before your scheduled test. If itās summer and you have time, try to even do a test every day or every other day as it gets closer to your scheduled exam. Leave a few days right before the exam free for relaxation, though. Very important:Ā After each practice test, look at what you got wrong and figure out why!!! (you can even order a list of answers from your official standardized test score sittings, Iād advise doing so if you can)
r/SAT and r/ACT has plenty of free practice tests for you to use, including the legal college board-released tests and tests from moreā¦ questionably obtained sources lol. Get out a spreadsheet and schedule which tests you will take on which days.
Your PSAT matters. In junior year it really matters for national merit, but think of the freshman and sophomore PSATs as good practice and do maybe 1-2 SAT practice tests before those PSATs. (for junior year PSAT maybe do a few more SAT practice tests; treat it like an actual SAT)
SAT vs. ACT? I took both, studying and grinding for both will of course improve your skill and endurance across the board (and tbh will probably improve your performance in school). Take one of each IN YOUR JUNIOR YEAR (again, donāt waste those precious practice tests) and see which one you vibe with more.
I hope that this advice, taken together, will assure a high-school experience in which you work hard but also have a lot of fun doing it. Do things for genuine reasons: let me clarify that taking rigorous classes, working hard on extracurriculars that make a difference in your community, and doing things you truly enjoy are not valuable because āgenuine interest = better essays.ā These things should first and foremostĀ make you happy!!! If you find yourself continually unhappy and burnt out (NOT the same as, like, feeling tired because you had to stay up doing boring work), donāt be afraid to vent to a friend, seek therapeutic help, or totally pivot your direction. This was the case for me trying to pursue robotics and orchestra in middle school; I made the wise choice to stop both activities, and it was a really good decision. Your mental health and life is way more important than any activity and for that matter any college.
Things like therapy can help with the mental health issues and pressure that can result from the seemingly relentless competition of high school (plus lots of other fun unhealthy thinking patterns).
Most importantly, divest from the idea that you need to get into aĀ āāgood schoolāā to do well. Stop spending mental energy thinking about how to get into whichever college in the future; start spending mental energy thinking about how to have fun, work hard, learn stuff, and have a good life in the present!!!
ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT COLLEGE IS A MEANS TO AN END. Itās no longer impressive to say you got into Harvard the instant you step on campus. And thereās only so far a school ānameā can get you (really, not that far at all). The opening paragraphs of this post, where I discuss that, is one of the most important things you can keep in mind.
I hope this helps you! Feel free to send me your questions, comments, etc. or add on with your own advice. This definitely isnāt aĀ ādefinitive guideā and DEFINITELY wonāt fit every situation. Just wanted to give my take on the subject. Take as much of this post as is helpful for you and leave what doesnāt work. Finally, again ā feel free to DM me and I can try to help you find more specific resources for your situation, or maybe direct you to some places where you can good advice.
