<p>^^^Thanks BubbleTeaChibi and gmedlo!! I’m on a few college forums checking in on things and getting info. and I must say, this forum has my favorite people!</p>
<p>hm, well i got honors invitations from michigan and usc, but no word from uw yet. they send you a rejection letter if you don’t get in, right?</p>
<p>@Neon - I’m pretty sure. They wouldn’t leave you hanging for forever…I’d think.</p>
<p>dont worry about it, honors is overrated trust me.</p>
<p>Don’t worry you’ll get a letter. I got my rejection letter yesterday. I was a bit surprised.
3.96 UW gpa
7 APs (tests taken so far one 4 and 3 5s)
34 ACT
1450/2150 SAT</p>
<p>VP of two clubs, 2 year captain of cross country team that got second in state and first in state the last 2 years, four or so other ECs.</p>
<p>holy crap A student… your stats are almost identical to mine. Now I am really worried! Were your essays good? Your teacher rec?</p>
<p>Why do you think you got rejected?</p>
<p>I think after a certain point, essays matter more than SATs/GPA/ECs. There’s a reason they make you write two of them. A friend of mine’s older sister with a 2360, a national level EC, and 3.9 GPA got rejected UW honors a couple years ago. In fact I have almost identical stats (even the same ECs, essentially) as her and got in this year. Essays count for a lot.</p>
<p>My recs were all good but I don’t remember putting much effort into my essays. Oh well, UW was more of a backup anyways.</p>
<p>A Student, when were you accepted to UW?
I’m so nervous now :(</p>
<p>@A Student - what did you write your essays on?</p>
<p>I agree that essays and recs seem to be very important after a point; a girl in my school worked really hard on her essays and I’m pretty sure she got amazing recommendations. Her GPA is 3.8 and SAT was around 2000.</p>
<p>bubbletea, did your friend get in? I have similar stats and I think my essays were alright, but I’m so nervous :(</p>
<p>@gl92 - sorry I left that out! Oops! Yes, she got her letter last week! She was thrilled. She will probably be going to UW unless she gets into Stanford (deferred early action).</p>
<p>I just checked average stats for last year:</p>
<p>Incoming Freshmen, 2009
Total applications: 2,723
Admitted to Honors: 704
Enrolled in UW Honors: 224
Average Highschool GPA: 3.92
Average SAT: 2060
Average ACT: 30
Top Prospective Majors
1.Biology
2.Pre-Health Sciences
3.International Studies
4.Bioengineering
5.Computer Sciences
6.Business Administration
7.English
8.Political Science
9.Chemistry
10.Civil & Environmental Engineering</p>
<p>Wow am I disappointed. Bioengineering was my prospective major and I was 4 points higher on the average ACT.</p>
<p>Also here are my two short essays that I wrote for honors. Tear them apart.</p>
<p>“Good citizenship comes from good scholarship.” What does this statement mean to you?</p>
<pre><code>To me the statement “Good citizenship comes from good scholarship” has several implications. In my experiences in high school in rigorous courses that demand scholarship and in service oriented clubs I have come to know many quality individuals. Many, if not most, of the students that have challenged and applied themselves in school also take part in service activities.
One could argue that these students have goals of going on to further their education and are trying to pump up their resumes but I find that a very cynical viewpoint. I think that it is very natural for students who have scholastic aspirations to apply themselves as good citizens. These students are more likely to expose themselves or be exposed by others to situations that will grip their attention and demand action because of the types of people that they are and the types of people they surround themselves with.
Often students with good scholarship have at least some form of a positive relationship with their teachers and teachers are an excellent medium towards getting youth involved in different activities. Students with a strong work ethic and positive outlook on learning will get themselves noticed by teachers who will then help to point the students in different directions of making a positive impact but that suit the students’ interests.
The major type of people that students with strong scholarship surround themselves are like-minded friends. This means that even when only a small percentage of this group would stumble upon a way to make a positive impact they spread the word and good citizenship will spread among students that are strong academically. Through these relationships good scholarship breeds good citizenship and makes a constructive impact on communities.
</code></pre>
<p>What do you wonder about, ponder, or wish you knew more about that isn’t within your intended field of study? Would you ever be willing to put everything else on hold to satisfy your curiosity?</p>
<pre><code>I have always known that my strengths have been in math and science related areas, and as I have gone through high school my interests in those subjects have grown tremendously. Even though I know that I am headed towards a mathematically and scientifically inclined future I still maintain my love of reading, history, and learning about cultures different from what I am familiar with.
Those interests are something that I am set on maintaining in the future. It is very important that I give myself opportunities to travel and see the world. It also inspires me to read about, hear about, and see examples of work to improve the lives of those in less developed parts of the world. Taking part in an organization or helping in some way to do my part is something that I would be very interested in. This summer a teacher at my school chaperoned a trip to Spain and France that I was very excited to be a part of. I had an awesome experience that only whetted my hunger for travel. It made me realize how much fun and how worthwhile trips like that can be. I know that as a probable science or engineering major that it would be difficult to take part in study abroad programs but they are one of the things I would love to take part in as a college student. Dropping everything completely probably would not be an option if it were only to study abroad, but if I were given an opportunity to take my life in a humanitarian direction working to do something similar to Greg Mortenson it would be something that I would have to deliberate on for a lengthy amount of time.
</code></pre>
<p>I got in about a month ago…haha I did a chance me thread for it but then I wasn’t ever able to get back on and reply. XP</p>
<p>Essays matter SO much. Based on numbers there was no way I would’ve gotten into honors. </p>
<p>GPA: 3.7
SAT: 2040 (630 Math, 710 Reading, 700 Writing, 12 Essay)
AP/Honors Classes: Honors English (9, 10, 11), AP Lit (12), APUSH, Honors Philosophy, AP Stat, Honors Chinese IV, AP Micro, and a few others that I’m forgetting…</p>
<p>ECs: 4 Years varsity swim team, 4 years varsity water polo, water polo captain, SAVE, Chinese tutor, Hebrew High, life guarding, swim coach (nothing spectacular)</p>
<p>My essays were different. I took a HUGE risk with the “citizenship…scholarship” essay. Like, almost as risky as the person who answered “what is bravery?” by sending in an empty app with “this” written on it. </p>
<p>Pretty much, I wrote it as if I were G-d, and literally built a perfect citizen on the page. Then, I removed his scholarship, and described watching him break–“When I strip him of his scholarship, instead of being a strong participant in his community, he becomes a mindless follower. Rather than standing up for his beliefs, he avoids controversy and allows a mob mentality to control him. Rational thought vanishes as he no longer evaluates the information he hears. His contribution of hard work is reduced to the minutia of repetitive tasks. Rigid, slavish adherence to rules and regulations replaces his personal sense of integrity. Extreme nationalism overtakes rational patriotism.” </p>
<p>I don’t want to post the whole thing but…yeah. Essays matter a LOT. They’re what got me in.</p>
<p>@A Student–I’d evaluate your essays but I’m really bad at that…
The one thing about UW Honors is they take a holistic approach (obviously, if I got in…) and they are looking for the essays that pop out at them–it’s a little like the essays on the SAT that get an 11 or 12. The essays that are just amazing get a 10, but the essays that are amazing AND have something extra and unexpected that make the reader go “holy crap!” get a 12.</p>
<p>@ A student, I gotta say your stats are good for UW Honors, but your essays seem too general. You answer the prompt, but it seems too dry. I bet they knew you could have written better essays but didn’t attempt to. I think it was the essay portion, because your stats are great 
</p>
<p>But what date were you admitted to UW and heard back from UW Honors?</p>
<p>Someone at my school got a rejection letter over the weekend. She’s disappointed but going to apply for late entrance Honors next year. Other people at my school haven’t heard back though. I wonder how Honors is sending out letters…</p>
<p>Yeah I pretty much just did cookie cutter essays. My letter for UW came a month or so ago and my Honors letter came last Friday I think, but I applied by the priority date so if you didn’t apply by Dec 1st then you probably have nothing to worry about for regular admission. I’ve heard it doesn’t usually come until mid March.</p>
<p>I just got my regular acceptance today, so I think the timing can vary greatly.</p>