Decision: Accepted - Oberlin College (EDII)
Decision: Accepted - Marquette University
Decision: Deferred - University of Michigan
Decision: Rejected - University of Pennsylvania (ED)
I also applied to Amherst College, and started an application to Xavier University.
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 29 Composite (34 English, 26 Math, 31 Reading, 26 Science)
SAT II:N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.49 (GPA was around 3.43 when applying to colleges)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A (School does not rank)
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
IB (place score in parenthesis):N/A
Senior Year Course Load: English IV, Pre-Calc, 21st Century Media and Communications, Band, Catholic Social Teaching, Latin IV, Seminar in Contemporary Politics, Wealth and Poverty Since The Industrial Revolution)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):N/A
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): BASE member (Black Awareness Society for Education) [similar to a BSU], Student Senate/Government elected Sergeant-at-Arms, Debate Team (Co-Founder/Captain), Mock Trial (started after submitting college apps), Jazz Band, Pit Orchestra, Student Admissions Team member, JustPeace member.
Job/Work Experience: Worked is my school’s alumni outreach drive (Paid).
Volunteer/Community service: Generation of Promise: Student leadership development program focusing on resources, leadership, and critical issues that influence quality of life in the metro area. (200+ Hours) I also started a music/instrumental learning program for a local and underfunded elementary school.
Summer Activities: LEAD SBI (@ Penn) , LEAD Global (@ University of Cape Town), and LEAD CSI (@ Stanford). Also spent a summer abroad performing with the Blue Lake International Program.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8-10 I think my Common App essay was fantastic, and other people have told me the same. I used the “describe a place where you’re perfectly content” prompt and wrote about waking up early for Jazz Band juxtaposed that with how it has helped me grow into a leader. I also wrote in the additional comments section explaining the sharp contrast between my freshman year grades and the rest of high school.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 10. My Latin teacher whom I’m very fond of and is also fond of me wrote this one.
Teacher Rec #2: 7 or 8. This one came from my junior year math teacher, and math was really not my thing…
Counselor Rec: 10. My college counselor knew me pretty well, and always talked about how seriously she took ED letters. We had a great relationship so I’m sure it was fantastic.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Penn interview went well (at least I thought).
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Politics and/or Pre-Law and/or L&S
State (if domestic applicant): Michigan
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Catholic (Jesuit)
Ethnicity: African-American/Black
Gender:M
Income Bracket: $80,000-$100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, seasoned musician (I sent in clips), single parent home (?)
Reflection
Strengths: My essays and club/activities. I was a very involved student, and I think my overall application very much reflected that.
Weaknesses: Definitely grades and test scores. I did very poorly my freshman year due to some things at home that were pretty much out of my control. Fortunately, my grades made a DRASTIC leap the next year and continued to stay high throughout the rest of high school. The jump was from a 2.5 to a 3.88. I think another weakness was that I never took any AP courses. This was due to the fact that I was so scarred from my poor grades freshman year I was scared of seeing that repeated through AP courses.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I was accepted to Marquette because I was well in range of their median applicant as well as the fact that I was coming from a Jesuit high school. I believe I was accepted to Oberlin because I really fit into the general student person there. It’s a very liberal, free, open-minded, and enthusiastic environment that I believe I will fit really well into.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: I’ll never if I got into Amherst or Michigan (deferred from U of M). Penn was my long shot / reach and I think I was denied because I was well under the usual GPA and my test scores wasn’t the stellar Ivy League average.
Reflection: Wow - it’s been quite the ride. The college process has been real to say the least. I was very discouraged after my first two responses (in the span of week) were a rejection and a deferral. I will admit I was a little lost after being denied ED. I had really had my heart set on Penn. Luckily, Oberlin found me. I started to look much more seriously into a school I had thought just a bit about, but had put on the back burner behind Penn. I truly feel like I’m going to the college that is the best fit for me, and that I am best fit for. I guess the moral of the story is that even if you don’t get into “Prestigious U,” you can still find a place that is truly for you. Looking back, I was blinded by the glory of the Ivy League. Oberlin almost replicates my personality in college form. Just about everything about Oberlin screams “me.” Ultimately I was able to find and attend my “dream school,” I just had to realize what the real dream was.
Well wishes to everyone! I help this post helped someone through their college application journey, just as CC helped me!