You came here because you want to know how to get into Harvard. This blog post contains Rishab’s college application that got him into Harvard. I will also share takeaways throughout the blog so that you can understand not only what a successful application looks like, but also how to craft one yourself. Be sure to hang around till the end to get as much valuable advice as possible.
Prefer watching a video instead of a blog?
Before you read this blog, please note that you are different from Rishab and so you shouldn’t compare yourself to him, as you probably have different interests and therefore will have different accomplishments. Disclaimer: for the sake of brevity, I am only including Rishab’s top activities and awards, since I spent a lot of time writing detailed takeaways and I would not have been able to do so if I included every single thing.
Test Scores
ACT: 36 composite
ACT essay: 11
Takeaways: Rishab recommends that you take the ACT instead of the SAT if you are a STEM student who is good at math. I personally think that you should try practice tests for both and pick the one you do better at (compare your scores using an official conversion chart). I was much faster at the SAT so ended up not going with the ACT. It is more important to get a good score on one of the two exams than to focus on both at the same time.
Nonetheless, here is Rishab’s video explaining why he prefers the ACT.
Awards
- Regeneron Young Scientist Award ($50,000) & Grand Awards at International Science & Engineering Fair
- ISEF is the largest pre-collegiate science fair for high school students who compete with their science research projects
Takeaways: Super impressive national awards. Strive for some yourself. Rishab has a STEM student guide – if you apply knowledge from there, this is not as out of reach as you may think now. I also wrote a blog post on how to prepare for ISEF.
- TIME Magazine’s 25 Most Influential Teens
- Coca Cola Scholar
Takeaways: One of the most selective scholarship programs in the nation. Very impressive award. Rishab has a free guide on how to obtain similar awards.
Interlude
Don’t Wait for Opportunity, Create it
George Bernard Shaw
Focus on doing work, and you will win awards so long as you are on top of their various timelines.
Back to the awards…
- Research Science Institute Scholar
Takeaways: One of the most selective summer programs in the world. Getting into this was pretty much a function of the other science research in Rishab’s application. Use Rishab’s RSI Video to learn how to create a strong application.
- Eagle Scout
I am also an Eagle Scout and believe that scouting has been a pivotal part of my childhood. If you are not yet in high school, I would recommend that you join since it trains a set of skills that is completely different but still complementary to what you will learn as a STEM student. In my case, I created a unique, award-winning project that gained press coverage. Genuinely making a difference in my community through scouting was incredibly valuable not only to my college application, but to my development as a person.
- 2x 1st Place Winner of National Junior Science & Humanities Symposium (JSHS)
Another large science fair victory. There is a clear set of interests that is reflected in this award list. As you can see in later sections, this is very important for making an application succeed. Also, it came with a large monetary prize, like other science fair awards.
High School Courses: AP’s, Honors, Foreign Language & Arts
Freshman Year – 9th Grade
- Lit Comp 9
- Global Studies 9
- Precalculus
- STEM Chem
- Spanish II
- AP Psych
Takeaways: These are rigorous classes for a freshman. Rishab was setting himself up for success since the very beginning of high school. If you are a younger student reading this, please do the same.
Sophomore Year – 10th Grade
- AP Lang
- APUSH – AP U.S. History
- AP Calc AB
- AP Bio
- Concert Choir
- Spanish III
- AP Environmental
Takeaways: Huge jump! He took 5 AP classes this year, which is a lot. If you are not struggling in your honors classes as a freshman, make sure to load up on APs. If you are stressed out, then don’t do this. Also note that concert choir is a good pick since you get to explore different interests that are not just STEM.
Junior Year – 11th Grade
- AP Literature
- AP Econ – Macro + Micro
- AP Calc BC
- AP Physics C – Mechanics + E&M
- Spanish IV
- AP Comp Science Principles
- Cultural Anthropology/PE
More challenging classes and exploration of non-STEM interests through cultural anthropology.
Senior Year – 12th Grade
- American Lit/Writing 122
- AP Chem
- AP Gov
- AP Stats
- Global Conflict
Challenging classes as well as taking global conflict make for a well-rounded but rigorous roster for senior year. Make sure to avoid senioritis since colleges see your courses and grades in your last year of high school. They have been known to rescind offers of admission from students who begin underperforming after admittance.
Additional Takeaways
MIT has a great blog, in case you didn’t already know.
Make sure to use supplemental files if you have a significant accomplishment. For example, I submitted my research paper as well as a brief note about my paper to Brown. However, don’t submit something that is mediocre for the sake of submitting something since that will probably count against you in the long run.
The order of activities in common applications matters. Admissions officers will pay the most attention to the first few on your list.
Make sure to get supplemental recommendation letters that will add extra dimension to your application. For an activity that you put a lot of time into, this will help admissions contextualize your impact. Your recommender will also be able to speak to your accomplishments differently to you. Make sure that you know your recommenders well before you ask them for a letter.
Have a unique interest, or “spike”. This will help you stand out and make your application memorable. Admissions officers are very busy. This means that you need to have a specific theme to increase your chances of getting admission.
If you are deferred or waitlisted, write an update letter to express that you still wish to attend the school you applied to. Also share updates about your various activities in this letter.
There are a contingent of people who do everything right but still don’t make it into a particular school. Just like everything else in life, just know that there is a little bit of luck involved.
Conclusions
More resources & opportunities:
Connect with Rishab on LinkedIn
Get 50+ STEM Programs & Opportunities: https://rishabacademy.com/topic
Subscribe to the mailing list to learn about more opportunities: https://rishabacademy.com/email-list. 😁
About Eashan Iyer:
I am a founding member of The Qurios Institute and an incoming student at Brown University. Last year, I co-authored a research paper in the field of theoretical physics. I am also an Eagle Scout and a senior at The Academy for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering in Rockaway, NJ. Learn more about me at my website and LinkedIn profile.
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