Bowdoin Class of 2023 RD Results

Colleges and Universities A-Z Bowdoin College
1

Hi guys!
Please put your stats here!

Choose One:
[ size=4][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted **[/color][/size]
[ size=4][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Deferred **[/color][/size]
[ size=4][ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected **[/color][/size]

Objective
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses):
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service:
Summer Activities:
Essays:
Teacher Recommendations:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you received a likely/possible/unlikely prediction:
Where else you have applied and/or have been accepted/rejected:

General comments/advice/hindsight:

2

Decision: Accepted

Objective
SAT I (breakdown): 1510 (740 Reading, 770 Math)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Literature (720), Math II (790)
Unweighted GPA (out of 6.0 - sorry my school’s weird): 5.79 junior year, 5.49 senior fall
AP: Modern Euro (5), Calc AB (5), US History (5), Enviro (5), English Lang (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Studio Art, International Relations, AP Latin, AP Government

Subjective
Extracurriculars: MUN (Undersecretary of Logistics + awards at national conferences), Student Government (Prefect), Head of Student Activities, Head Tour Guide, Varsity Cross Country, Coxswain, School Newspaper Staff Writer, Band + Orchestra, Change-ringing, English + History Tutor, Grilling Club (co-president)
Job/Work Experience: working for local construction company
Volunteer/Community Service: Outreach360 in DR (twice), Habitat for Humanity, Animal Rights Club, won school award for service to the community
Summer Activities: none really, working mostly

Essays:

  • Common App Essay: 7/10 not great honestly, mostly focused on going to boarding school + working, but set up poor kid in rural America narrative
  • “Offer” Essay: 9/10 pretty good actually, talked about politics + art, explained my intended major (PoliSci) and why I took so many art classes and no math or science

Teacher Recommendations:

  • from my AP Enviro teacher: 10/10, I did really well in his class and he loves me (like I literally have an open invitation to his house), called me one of his favorite students ever, also I didn’t take a math or science my senior year so needed to show I was good at those
  • from my AP Gov teacher/MUN advisor: 8/10, I do really well in her class and shows I’m knowledgable + interested in government, got to see me at my best in MUN, but I kinda do the least amount of work possible for her class because it’s super easy for me
  • Counselor: 8/10, my college counselor left after my junior year so the one that wrote the rec doesn’t know me that well, but I do a lot at my school so he definitely had stuff to write about. Probably pretty good but not that in-depth about personality, mostly retold stories

Other
State: Pennsylvania (home), Connecticut (school)
School Type: private boarding
Ethnicity: white
Income Bracket: around 100k but with four siblings
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection
Strengths: tied together government + politics into a good narrative with classes + MUN + recs + essays + awards, interview went really well, good leadership + extra-curriculars
Weaknesses: grades (not terrible but not a draw), Common App essay
Where else you have applied and/or have been accepted/rejected:

  • Accepted: St. John’s College, Penn State UP
  • Rejected: Dartmouth, Pomona, Colorado College
  • Waiting: Washington and Lee, Cornell, Tufts, Conn Coll, Colgate, Vanderbilt

General comments/advice/hindsight:
Almost had a heart attack when I opened the letter because I had just come off of a week of rejections so I am still in shock. Advice: try to create a narrative for them so they can create an image in their head of you - it will make it much easier for them to see you there. Also the interview can really make an applicant stand out so DO IT IF YOU CAN. Anyway good luck if you’re applying and congrats to those accepted!

3

Choose One:
[/size=4][/color=green]** Decision: Accepted **[/color][/size]

Objective
ACT (breakdown): 33
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): around 3.9 (only first two years of high school and then did IB)
AP (place score in parentheses): US History (5), US Gov (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): Predicted scores out of 7 - HL Chemistry (5), HL English Literature (6), HL Psychology (7), SL Math (7), SL Biology (7), SL French B (6) - Overall 38/42 (raw), 41/45 (with predicted bonus points)
Senior Year Course Load: IB classes

Subjective
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Rowing team for four years (created team at second school), psychology and medicine blog, volleyball in 9th grade
Volunteer/Community Service: non-profit helping send children affected by AIDS to school (creator), school service caring for children with physical and mental disabilities
Summer Activities: Worked at a school in India for past two summers creating and teaching a health and hygiene program
Essays: I don’t know what to rate them, I wrote my common app on my NGO and setting it up and then the supplemental on creating a rowing team. I thought they were relatively good but I’m not sure.
Teacher Recommendations: I got a recommendation from my English and Psychology teachers. I think they were good but my Psychology one was probably stronger because I knew that teacher better and was stronger in the subject.
Counselor Rec: Not sure, she vaguely knows me but I told her about my extracurriculars in case she didn’t know what to write about.
Interview: Thought it went really well, I got along with the interviewer so it turned out to be more of a conversation than an interview!

Other
School Type: International
Ethnicity: White
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): NA

Reflection
Strengths: Extracurriculars, interview was with an admissions officer rather than an alumni so that was a definite help, speak second language
Weaknesses: Grades, ACT score, did not do the video supplemental
Where else you have applied and/or have been accepted/rejected:
Accepted: UBC, McGill, University of Toronto, Bowdoin
Waiting: Princeton, Brown, Vassar, Tufts
Rejected: Hopkins, Pomona, Swarthmore

General comments/advice/hindsight: Got the Bowdoin acceptance after three consecutive rejections a few hours before so I was super excited! I think you learn a lot about yourself through this process and what distinguishes you from others. To everyone who was accepted, congrats!! And to those who did not get in, try not to define yourself by your acceptances and rejections, it’s an insanely competitive process and you’ll end up in an amazing place that is right for you!

4

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective
SAT I (breakdown): 1520 (760 EBRW, 760 M)
ACT (breakdown): 33 (35 E, 31 M, 35 R, 30 S)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): none
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 93 UW, 113 W (my school is out of 100)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 6/355
AP (place score in parentheses): World History (5), US History (5), English Language (5), Music Theory (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish, AP Lit, AP Gov, statistics, marine bio/forensics, concert choir
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none really

Subjective
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): lots of time spent in choir and small vocal ensembles (vice president, treasurer, and section leader), musical theater, piano for many years, and NHS
Job/Work Experience: part-time job since junior year, about 26 hours a week
Volunteer/Community Service: not much
Summer Activities: ^
Essays: Common App was maybe an 8/10, I talked about my love for reading and writing (something I didn’t address in the rest of my app) and how that connects to my family and who I am as a person. The Bowdoin supp was kind of rushed, maybe a 6/10, talked about my love for music and how I’d pursue it at Bowdoin
Teacher Recommendations: I haven’t read but I’m assuming they were good, both very thoughtful teachers
Counselor Rec: also haven’t read
Additional Rec: from my music teacher, 8/10, shows a lot of my character and talks about a bulk of my extracurricular activities
Interview: none

Other
State (if domestic applicant): New York
Country (if international applicant): -
School Type: public school
Ethnicity: white Hispanic
Income Bracket: ~100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): -

Reflection
Strengths: good grades and scores, and I think my character came through in my essay and in my recommendations
Weaknesses: awful supplemental video, weak writing supplement, not much community service, and extracurricular activities are highly concentrated in one area
Where else you have applied and/or have been accepted/rejected: Waiting on Brown, Vassar, and Clark University, accepted to SUNY New Paltz and McGill University

General comments/advice/hindsight:
I’m very sad about being waitlisted at Bowdoin, especially because the chances of getting off of the waitlist are very slim. I regret not spending more time on the supplemental material. I think that weakness combined with the sheer amount of applicants and possibly me applying for financial aid are the reason I wasn’t accepted, but I also really don’t know. My letter said “Given the strength of your record, I am certain you have been admitted to other fine colleges and universities” which makes me :frowning:

5

Decision: Accepted

Objective
SAT I (breakdown): 1480
ACT (breakdown): na
SAT II (place score in parentheses): na
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 uw / 4.81 w
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5%
AP (place score in parentheses): Chemistry; Language; and US History
IB (place score in parentheses): na
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Psych, AP Stats; Calc 1 (university); BioChem (university); Genetics (university); and Latin Lit (university).
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): variety not listing

Subjective
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): 2 varsity sports for 4 years; drama 2 years; math team 4 years; FBLA 4 years (2 years of leadership); student council 2 years (1 year of leadership)

Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community Service: 200+ hours
Summer Activities: travel; and having fun.
Essays: Solid, started writing in June, continued to rewrite until November.

Teacher Recommendations: Solid
Counselor Rec: Probably good enough
Additional Rec: Bowdoin graduate who tutored for science.
Interview: Yes, on campus. Rocked it.

Other
State (if domestic applicant): Maine
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Rural, public
Ethnicity: White
Income Bracket: Middle income
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none.

Reflection
Strengths: Academics, plus serious about science; Personable and good interviewee; organized; and ED
Weaknesses: Maybe SATs.
Why you think you received a likely/possible/unlikely prediction:
Where else you have applied and/or have been accepted/rejected: Withdrew after ED acceptance.

General comments/advice/hindsight: No rational person should have to go through the US college application process.

6

**Decision: Accepted with Chamberlain Scholarship **

Objective:
ACT: 34 (32E, 32M, 36S, 36R) SS: 36
SAT II: Bio E 740, Literature 740
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.76 UW
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 13%
Senior Year Course Load: 8 IB Classes
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Montana Student of the Year, University of Montana Best delegate award, Presidents Service Award Gold, National Park Service Award

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • Redesigned my city’s public transit network to make it more accessible for low-income students.
  • (President) of Model UN
  • (President) of Academic World Quest
  • (Director) of School’s TV channel
  • (President) Girls who code chapter in Montana
  • Documentary filmmaker
  • Basic stuff (NHS, student gov, and action committee)

Job/Work Experience:

  • Worked at a local community movie theater
  • Intern at an environmental consulting firm

Volunteer/Community service:

  • Teach Young Girls to Code (via Girls Who Code)
  • Muir Woods (National Park) Volunteer Ranger
  • Ecology speaker ( Muir Woods)
  • Forestry volunteering
  • Muir Woods (National Park) Volunteer Ranger (over 100 hour

Summer Activities:

  • Summer classes at Yale
  • Filmed a documentary

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common app (9/10) Wrote it on Socks
Supplemental (8/10) Wrote it about my love for marine life and public transit

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1 (10/10): “I’ve never had a student like her in my 15 years of teaching”
Teacher Rec #2 (6/10): Lukewarm
Counselor Rec (10/10): Was amazing
Additional Rec (if any) (9/10): Written by the principal, talked about my contributions to the school
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): 10/10 The interview was my first and by far my best. The interview lasted two hours and ended with my interviewer telling me that I gave her hope for the next generation.

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Environmental Science and History/IR
State (if domestic applicant): Montana
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: 1/2 Asian 1/2 White
Income Bracket: >$100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflections: I was so sure that I was going to be waitlisted or rejected but I managed to get in. This just showed me that it isn’t all about stats. Colleges really do perform holistic admissions.
Strengths: Test scores, essays, EC’s, and Recommendations
Weaknesses: Class rigor and GPA

7

Decision: Accepted with Faculty Scholar Award

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1420 but NOT submitted (you guys idk why the SAT was so hard for me)
ACT (breakdown): 35 Composite, 36 english, 32 math, 36 writing, 35 science
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 780 Spanish w/o listening, 710 math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): ~3.8
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School wasn’t submitting ranks but I was ~25/138
AP (place score in parentheses): Submitted 8 (5 5’s, 3 4’s), I got a 2 on Physics I and 3 on Statistics but did NOT submit them
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Cal AB, AP English Literature, AP Spanish Literature, AP European History, AP Government, AP Macroeconomics, AP Art History
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):

  • Senior Class Committee President
  • Freshman Retreat Counselor
  • Concertmaster/ Principal Second Violinist for city youth orchestra
  • Morning announcer haha
  • Hispanic Honor Society
  • 30 Hour Famine Student Coordinator
  • Student Government/ Leadership
  • Service Org. Chapter Trainer
  • Service Org. Chapter Senior Leadership Intern
  • Service Org. Founding Member of National Council
  • Service Org. Event Speaker / Recruiter

Job/Work Experience: None

Volunteer/Community Service:

  • SUMMER!

Summer Activities:

  • in 2016 was youth head of a program that gave pool safety to low-income children for free at YMCA
  • after that, spent my summers working in rural Latin-American communities collaborating with local youth to establish sustainable microprojects
  • in 2017 went to the highlands of Nicaragua and catalyzed construction of communal house for children’s vaccinations
  • in 2018 went to the Andes Mountains in Ecuador and worked with the community to develop a microenterprise centered around guinea pigs (they ate them lmao)

Essays (1-10 Details):

  • Common: 8/10, about struggles I initially faced w/ my summer in Nicaragua and how I learned from them
  • Bowdoin: 9/10, wrote about my partners in Ecuador and how we contributed to each other’s development
  • I didn’t do the video prompt because I didn’t know how it worked

Teacher Recommendations:

  • AP Span. Lang Teacher: 9/10 → she introduced me to the Service Org. and I TA for her
  • AP Lang Teacher: 7.5/10 → she liked me and I liked her but I was never really outstanding in her class
    Counselor Rec: 9/10, school is small so we get a lot of individualized attention
    Additional Rec: 10/10 CEO of the Service Org., met her in the field in Ecuador, bonded w/ her b/c we’re both from the same city
    Interview: I can’t remember much about it but I do remember it going pretty well → a solid 8/10

Other:
State (if domestic applicant): Texas
School Type: Public magnet (this means that the school is all AP and has less students)
Ethnicity: Asian and Hispanic
Income Bracket: > 300k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM b/c of Hispanicity? Maybe?
Intended Major: Government & Legal Studies + Latin-American Studies (!)

Reflection:
Strengths: Work w/ the service organization!!! I can’t stress this enough but find something that you love doing and do, do, do it!
Weaknesses: Second semester junior year hit me like a truck! Was not the best academically…

Where else you have applied and/or have been accepted/rejected:
Accepted: W&L w/ the Johnson Scholarship and Boston College A&S
Waiting: Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, Cornell, W&L, Wesleyan, Middlebury

General comments/advice/hindsight:
Find your passion and create an image of yourself that admissions officers can use to get a better sense of who you are. Even though I wasn’t the best statistically, I was able to describe exactly “this is what I have to offer to the school.” Don’t give up hope! Also apply for the fly-in programs!

8

Decision: [ size=4][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted **[/color][/size]

Objective
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 34
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 760 (Math II), 770 (Physics)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A (my school’s grading system uses the scale of 10.0 (9.5/10))
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 10th
AP (place score in parentheses): N/A
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: N/A
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A

Subjective
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service:
Summer Activities:
Essays: 7/10 (CommonApp essay); 10/10 (Supplementary essays)
Teacher Recommendations: idk
Counselor Rec: idk
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: 9/10

Other
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Southeast Asia
School Type: Public
Ethnicity:
Income Bracket: Middle income
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection
Strengths: Well-rounded
Weaknesses: Ask for lots of aid and have no academic awards
Where else you have applied and/or have been accepted/rejected: I got into ED1 and withdrew application from other schools
General comments/advice/hindsight: Try to display who you are as a person in fullest through the application

9

**Decision: Waitlisted **

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1560 (800 Math, 760 ERW)

ACT (breakdown): 35 C (36 M, 36 S, 35 E, 34 R)

SAT II: 800 Physics, 800 Math Level II, 780 Chemistry

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0

Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/366

AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus BC (5), AB Subscore (5), English Language (5), Environmental Science (5), US History (5), European History (4), Physics 2 (4), Physics 1 (3)

IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A

Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Statistics, AP Chemistry, AP Psychology, AP Computer Science Principles

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar with Distinction, School Departmental Awards, Rowing Awards, Math Club Awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Rowing (Grades 9-12) (Learn-To-Row Volunteer), Mu Alpha Theta (Math Club, Grades 11-12) (Senior Year Treasurer), National Honor Society (Grades 11-12)

Job/Work Experience: N/A

Volunteer/Community service:Learn-To-Row Volunteer (Grades 10-12; 40 Hours Per Year), Food Bank Volunteer (Summer Between Grades 10 & 11; 20 Hours), Animal Shelter Volunteer (Grade 9; 40 Hours)

Summer Activities: Davidson College July Experience

Essays (rating 1-10, details): Won’t put; too subjective.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: AP Calculus Teacher; didn’t see.

Teacher Rec #2: AP English Language Teacher; didn’t see.
’
Counselor Rec: Went okay, 7/10. Really stumped during one question.

Additional Rec: Sociology Professor at Davidson. Didn’t see.

Interview: 9/10. It went very well.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No

Intended Major: Chemistry

State (if domestic applicant): North Carolina

Country (if international applicant):

School Type: Large Public Suburban Average

Ethnicity: White

Gender: Male

Income Bracket: $250,000+

Hooks (URM, first generation college, Questbridge, etc.): (Asperger’s Syndrome; wrote about in essays?)

Reflection

Strengths: Grades, Test Scores, Essays

Weaknesses: Lackluster Awards & Extracurriculars

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Don’t know.

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

Accepted: Amherst College (Attending), Middlebury College, Vassar College, Davidson College, Bates College, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University - Raleigh, University of North Carolina - Asheville

Waitlisted: Williams College, Bowdoin College, Colby College

Rejected: Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, Stanford University, Dartmouth College, Brown University

General Comments :