College Admission Essay Help?

College Admission Help!!! Harvard College.?

• I'm applying to Harvard College for next fall and I've got everything going okay right now, but I wanted ot post a question on here to see if anyone had suggestions or ideas to help me stand out. I know this college looks for very unique students. As of right now, I am 16, and I will be 17 by the beginning of next school year, turning 18 shortly after. I grew up on a farm in the midwest, my dads a retired farmer and my mom has been working odd jobs her whole life, she Just spent two year working for Americorps. We have a farm and we sell vegetables, which has been the biggest constant in my life as far as family activities. My father is a recovering alcoholic, 2 years sober. I have 5 siblings. I am home schooled, graduation this month to go full time at a community college for the next year. During my high school years of being home schooled I took 9 credits at the college (early entry for highschoolers) and held a 4.0 GPA. I haven't taken my ACT yet, but I usually score well on tests, and we are preparing for me to take that this fall. I have written a few manuscripts (though I'm not planning to mention those on my application because I'm in no position to share them, they need too much work right now) but I am an intense writer, and find my self stubborn enough to stay committed to whatever I really want. I have been teaching myself piano, and though I'm not a pro, everything I can do was completely self-taught. For my admissions essay, I intend to express my love for the art of storytelling. It might sound like a weird idea, but I have a lot of words flowing for it, so I think I've got that okay. My family is very low income, but I've reviewed the financial aid information for Harvard and so if I get accepted I should just fine with that. Sorry if that was a lot of information, but I'm just trying to get as much out there as I can so if anyone has suggestions/help, they will know as much about me as possible. Any help, whether Harvard, or general college admission, is highly appreciated! :)

• Answer:

  It sounds like you are on a very good track to be noticed by Harvard and I mean that. One of the most crucial things for these big time Ivy League schools is a personal story/admissions essay that stands out. If you are a good enough writer to express it all well, you should be in good shape, provided all your other stuff is top notch, grades, extracurricular, tests. Since you are taking the ACT... I would be blunt and say that you probably won't want to score less than 33 on it if you want a real shot. A little bit of extra advice though. You shouldn't be applying to Harvard just because it's Harvard. I hope it is truly a good fit for you, because Harvard is not the end-all be-all, at least not for everyone. Education is what you make of it.