Harvard from the UK?

I'm currently about to go into Year 9 (I'm 13 years old), and I've been wanting to go to Harvard for a long time. I like the extra-curriculars and opportunities they offer, and the majors, that aren't really there in British Unis. I currently go to a grammar school, I'm terrible at sports, and I do very few extracurriculars, and I wouldn't say much of it counts anyway. I like to crochet, I'm teaching myself python and soon'll be learning C+ and javascript, I like to act, write, read, and I really want to volunteer but I don't how to and where and how to make my hobbies into 'hooks'. I don't have any awards in anything, and I'm not sure what competitions or other stuff I can do. I'm thinking of starting a business, but honestly I don't know and this scares me. Nevertheless, I'm completely willing to start making changes, and I have a few ideas, I just don't know how to accomplish them, and how to stand out. I seriously need some advice on extracurriculars I can do, and other things I can do to make my application an amazing one. Please can I have advice and tips from anyone who sees this, and might be in the same boat as me.

Reply 1

Anonymous #2

Don/t you think top unis like cambridge or oxford would provide you with a similar experience? It would also be easier to get in. May I ask what degree you're wanting to do at harvard because that would make your life a lot easier.

Reply 2

vapordave

Debate & Current Affairs Helper

20

I highly recommend the extra-curricular section in How to Be a High School Superstar by Cal Newport. I didn’t end up going down the US route but I found it an incredibly helpful breakdown of how people achieve seemingly outstandingly extra-curriculars.

Reply 3

Anonymous #3

I had a friend get into Havard and she was insane, she slept four hours every night for 2-3 years and was on the national maths team, winning international competitions in year 9... She played violin in the national youth orchestra and won international finance essay competitions... She won physics challenges and completed 7 A-levels (all A*)... She won hockey and tennis competitions, as well as attended all these different summer schools, and she did so much volunteering, she was head girl...
And what's insane is she wasn't even guaranteed the place, it was all down to luck...

Havard is very aspirational, especially for UK students (only 20 accepted a year or sth...), you really have to work for it...

Reply 4

Anonymous #4

my idea is to do volunteering for something that benefits your town or city, such as serving homeless people or other types of disadvantaged people. i might make practical crotchet items, such as a purse, for people in need. i would aim to win a competition at the international or national level. the wider the level, the better. plus i would work or intern at a company or business where someone can write a stellar recommendation letter. if the Harvard application asks you to write a personal statement, i might write about a time when i showed determination to achieve my goal. maybe someone opposed me and i persuaded them to let me do something.

Reply 5

Anonymous #3

Original post by Anonymous

my idea is to do volunteering for something that benefits your town or city, such as serving homeless people or other types of disadvantaged people. i might make practical crotchet items, such as a purse, for people in need. i would aim to win a competition at the international or national level. the wider the level, the better. plus i would work or intern at a company or business where someone can write a stellar recommendation letter. if the Harvard application asks you to write a personal statement, i might write about a time when i showed determination to achieve my goal. maybe someone opposed me and i persuaded them to let me do something.

Havard and other American unis ask for a common app essay where they give you a qs and then you write an essay on it, so you also have to be an amazing writer...

Harvard from the UK?

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