Accepted: None (M10), Brentwood College School in Canada (April)
Rejected: Hotchkiss, Lawrenceville, Andover, SPS, Deerfield.
Wait listed: Milton, Middlesex, Thacher, Groton, Choate, Exeter, Cate.
Likely Attending: Brentwood College School in Canada
Stats:
• SSAT/ISEE/TOEFL/PSAT:
SSAT: 97% (V98% Q96% R86%).
ISEE: V9 R7 Q8 M9.
SAT: 1500 (RW720 / M780).
• GPA Unweighted/Weighted: 98% (Unweighted).
• Rank: My school does not rank.
• Other stats:
-CTY Double SET (math, verbal), Grand Honors (math). Davidson Young Scholars (qualified scores; pending admission)
-NHD: Outstanding Affiliate Award (USA Final), 1st Place (Korea), 3rd Place (Korea) (all individual).
-Chess: Nationally Ranked 2nd in U-12 (individual), National High School Champion Team (as the only middle schooler of the 4-member team).
Subjective:
• Interviews: Choate and Exeter were the best - the interviewers themselves were amazingly interesting and kind, and I had such fun talking with them. Cate, Groton, Middlesex, Thacher were great as well. Milton was nice, if brief.
• Essays: Very risky. I chose topics that were interesting to me but might have been esoteric and boring, such as Enigma, the German code I researched.
• Math Rec: No idea.
• English Rec: No idea.
• Personal/Extracurricular Rec: No idea.
• Principal/Counselor Rec: No idea (Principal).
• Sports (if any):
-Basketball (2013-2021): National Club Champion (8 times) and individual MVP (Point Guard). (Submitted a highlights video.)
-Taekwondo: Triple Black Belt.
• Instruments (if any):
Violin: 1st awards in multiple National Music Competitions as soloist. (Submitted a recording of Sarasate.)
• Other ECs (if any):
-Painting: Special Judge Award, National Art Competition.
-MUN Administrator, SEOMUN.
-Writing: Honorable Mention, Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Honors, Choate Writing Workshop.
-Student Council Secretary.
-School Orchestra First Violin.
-School Basketball Team.
-School Cross-Country Team.
-Belief: Follower of Shaun King (Petitioned for/since Rodney Reed) and #Black Lives Matter.
• Hook: None.
Location/Person:
• State or Country: Korea
• Current School Type: International School
• Ethnicity: Korean
• Gender: M
• Grade Applying For: 9
• Age: 13
• Financial Aid/Full Pay: FA (Partial)
Strengths: Have diverse interests. (Well-rounded.)
Weaknesses: Have diverse interests. (No spike.)
Why do you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted?
This year was a very difficult year, with many uncertainties. I did what I could with what I had, but I came a bit short.
General Comments:
I learned much from this experience. I realized how human and detailed the admission process is. Some interviewers were amazingly encouraging to me; I received their kind replies even after I did not make the acceptance list! Competing with some of the best applicants in the world at this age made me realize how lucky I am, and proud of the Korean education I received for having placed me on 7 great waitlists. I hope more Korean students, with confidence, will apply and challenge themselves in the future. In my effort to show who I am, perhaps I have really discovered who I am.
Note 1: I took the SAT above (1500) after M10 to qualify for summer programs. For my application, I have submitted my previous SAT (1420) with which I qualified for SET. I do not think SAT would/should make any difference, but I have updated the schools with newer result anyway.
Note 2: All mentions of “National” in the above mean South Korea.