Caltech 2021 RD Results Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z California Institute of Technology
1

[ 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]

[ b]Objective:[/b
]
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
ACT (breakdown):
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Weighted GPA:
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses):
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:
Number of other EA applicants in your school:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.):

[ b]Subjective:**

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service:
Summer Experience:

[ b]Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):**

Essays:

Teacher Recommendation #1:
Teacher Recommendation #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Info/Rec:
Interview:
Art Supplement:

[ b]Other**

Date Submitted App:
U.S. State/Territory or Country:
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket Range:
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development):

[ b]Reflection**

Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
What would you have done differently?:
Where else did you apply?

[ b]Other Factors: **

[ b]General Comments & Advice:**

2

Decision: Rejected

[ b]Objective:[/b
]
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1530 - 780 M 750 R
SAT II (subject, score): 800 M2, 800 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.7ish
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/326
AP (place score in parentheses): 5 chem, 5 calc, 5 lang, 5 psych, 4 apush, 3 ap spanish
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: Diff Eq, AP Stat, AP Physics 1, AP Gov, AP Econ, AP Lit, APCSA, ap cal bc
Number of other applicants in your school: 0
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): nah
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.):
AP Scholar w/Distinction and a few others

[ b]Subjective:**

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
ECs -
Assistant Manager working at my parents’ store over the summers for 4 years (really enjoyed this, wrote an essay about it)
Volunteer/internship at local free clinic
President of my school’s science club - we did the science olympiad, the envirothon, and a bunch of other small competitions
Ultimate Frisbee - just a regular club sport but I had a ton of fun with it
Public Relations officer for SGA - tons of volunteer work/coordinating school events
Vice President of NHS - organized various campaigns for our school
President of AVID Tutoring Program - tutored students twice a week and worked to recruit other tutors.
President/Founder of Debate Club - we met to discuss political issues (the 2016 election was a pretty great time for this club)
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service: 200+ hours
Summer Experience: Working at my parents’ store and taking calc classes

[ b]Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):**
Loved my commonapp essay, the rest were garbage
Essays:

Teacher Recommendation #1: GREAT
Teacher Recommendation #2: GREAT
Counselor Rec: GREAT
Additional Info/Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A
Art Supplement: N/A

[ b]Other**

Date Submitted App: idk
U.S. State/Territory or Country: FL
School Type: public school
Ethnicity: W
Gender: M
Income Bracket Range: I wanna say 100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development):
Nah

[ b]Reflection**

Strengths: Wasn’t a conventional applicant
Weaknesses: No significant STEM ECs - essays were bad
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My name jeff
What would you have done differently?: Nothing - I’ll take my rejection with pride lmao
Where else did you apply?
MIT, UF and a few ivies

[ b]Other Factors: **

[ b]General Comments & Advice:**
My name jeff

3

**Decision: Rejected **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 790/700/10
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): one sitting
ACT (breakdown): didn’t submit
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score): 750 M2 720 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): ?
Weighted GPA: 4.37
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 9
AP (place score in parentheses): 4 4’s and 1 5
IB (place score in parentheses): Nope
Senior Year Course Load: 5 APs
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Nope
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Debate, CS team
Job/Work Experience: Summer of 2016
Volunteer/Community Service: NHS
Summer Experience: Debate Camp, CTY, SMI

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Essays: Why Caltech essay was horrible but everything else was 6-7/10

Teacher Recommendation #1: IDK
Teacher Recommendation #2: IDK

Other

Date Submitted App: 01/03/2017
U.S. State/Territory or Country: TX
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: 100,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development): Nope

Reflection

Strengths: Nothing
Weaknesses: Everything
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Scores were below standard and essays were meh
What would you have done differently?: Focused more on the Why Caltech Essay
Where else did you apply? MIT, Stanford

General Comments & Advice: Congrats to those who got in!

4

Decision: Accepted!!!

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2370

SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): No superscore

ACT (breakdown): Did not take

SAT II (subject, score): Math II, 800; Chemistry, 800; Biology E, 800

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0

Weighted GPA: My school doesn’t do these

Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): These either

AP (place score in parentheses): AP Computer Science (5), AP World (5), AP US (5), AP Stat (5), AP English Language and Composition (5)

IB (place score in parentheses): Nopity nope

Senior Year Course Load: This year I am also taking AP Spanish, AP Calculus BC, and AP Physics C. I am also an AP Computer Science TA, but everything else I do is standard.
Number of other EA applicants in your school: My best friend got in EA! But she’s going to a different school.

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Regeneron STS Semifinalist, American Fine Arts Festival 5 time concert winner

Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): National Merit Finalist, Harvard Book Award, Bausch and Lomb Scholarship Award from Rochester, National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist, WESEF 3rd place engineering category, Cum Laude Society (Top 10%), World Languages Honors Society

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):

Job/Work Experience: None bc I am perpetually unemployed, haha

Volunteer/Community Service:
I make beaded crafts and origami cranes for the Arc of Westchester, a local organization that helps those born with developmental disabilities and their families. My crafts are sold to help fundraise for some of their programs.

Summer Experience:
I took summer courses at SUNY Albany for science research

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Essays: Pretty good I think? My main thing is like humor so I wrote an essay comparing being a girl in engineering to accidentally walking into the boy’s bathroom. I think most of my essays followed this humor track although my academic integrity essay was kind of terrible (thanks word limit!)

Teacher Recommendation #1: I honestly have no clue
Teacher Recommendation #2: ^same
Counselor Rec: ^im pretty sure she forgot who i was lol
Additional Info/Rec: My piano teacher wrote this one, and she really loves me. I also asked my science research mentor to write me one.
Interview: No interview

Other

Date Submitted App: ?? i don’t remember?
U.S. State/Territory or Country: NY
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: No clue
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): Nope

Reflection

Strengths: Humor and unique perspective, definitely a unique application if not a good one
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Probably Regeneron STS
What would you have done differently?: Applied EA? The wait was really killing me
Where else did you apply?:
Stanford (Rejected)
UIUC, UC San Diego (Accepted)
UCLA (Likely)
MIT, Cornell, Brown, Princeton, UC Berkeley, CMU, Harvey Mudd

Other Factors: ???

General Comments & Advice: Be yourself I guess?

5

tfw u forgot ur activities lol

Piano- I am a 5 time American Fine Arts Festival Competition winner and have A+ ratings on level 6 NYSSMA for 6 years
Trombone- I play in my high school’s jazz band as first chair and have A+ ratings on level 6 NYSSMA for 4 years
Academic Challenge- I am the captain of my school’s quizbowl/academic challenge team
Peer Tutor- I tutor a wide variety of subjects as part of my school’s peer tutoring club, from math to English. If I got paid for this, it would be a job/work experience, but as is, it is, alas, only a club
Math Club- I only joined last year but it’s a lot of fun and I wish I had joined sooner
Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society member
Computer Science TA- I am a teacher’s assistant for the AP Computer Science class, and I help teach material and hold office hours after school
Freshman Science Research Club- I am a curriculum module coordinator and mentor figure for freshmen looking to go into my school’s science research club

6

[ size=4][ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected **[/color][/size]

[ b]Objective:[/b
]
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1360 (680 Math 680 Read+Writing)
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): Math 680 RW 680 Writing (4+4+5)
ACT (breakdown): 28
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score): Math 2 620 Chemistry 590
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
Weighted GPA: 4.3
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 20% (by centile)
AP (place score in parentheses): APEuro 4 AP Chem 2 AP English Lang. 3
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP English Lit., AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Psychology, AP Government, AP Microeconomics
Number of other EA applicants in your school: none that I know of
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.):

[ b]Subjective:**

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Academic Decathlon, Concert Choir, Japanese Club, Chinese Culture Club, Girl Up
Job/Work Experience: Santa HQ
Volunteer/Community Service:
Summer Experience: Intro to Biotechnology College Course, Intro to Statistics College Course

[ b]Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):**

Essays: required

Teacher Recommendation #1: AP Chem teacher
Teacher Recommendation #2: Chinese language teacher
Counselor Rec:
Additional Info/Rec:
Interview:
Art Supplement:

[ b]Other**

Date Submitted App: January 1
U.S. State/Territory or Country: California
School Type: Public School
Ethnicity: Mixed Asian/White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: </= 65,000
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development):

[ b]Reflection**

Strengths: different from most Caltech applicants
Weaknesses: weaker statistics than most Caltech applicants
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: SAT Score not high enough, ACT score not high enough, lower GPA than they would have liked to see, no sports, no awards, no Capstone coursework, no research papers, not many extracurriculars, low AP scores, etc. (you get the gist)
What would you have done differently?: be Sheldon Cooper’s lost fraternal twin
Where else did you apply? UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSB, UC Davis, UC Irvine, Cal Poly SLO, U of Minnesota TC

7

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I: Old 2380, New 1490
ACT: 35 - (36R/34M/36W/35S)
ACT superscore: 36 - (36R/34M/36W/36S)
SAT II: Math II 800, Physics 770, Spanish 720
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.4
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/350
AP (place score in parentheses):
Chemistry (5)
US History (5)
Spanish (5)
Physics C Mechanics (5)
Psych (5)
Calc AB (5)
Senior Year Course Load:
Dual Enrolled 300-level Spanish
AP Calc BC
AP English Lit
AP US Gov
AP Physics II/E&M
Highest level orchestra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
Nothing
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.):
National Merit Finalist, some level of AP Scholar but tbh I didn’t report that

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
Girls in STEM program (Founder, President - 10,11,12) - Ran elementary outreach. This is probably the thing I emphasized most in my application because it’s very important to me.
Science Olympiad (B division coach, C division competitor, 9-12)
National Honors Society (Officer, 11,12)

Job/Work Experience:
Worked at a supermarket for 2 years
Tutoring and babysitting

Volunteer/Community Service:
Tutored English language learning students
Worked at humane society
Misc. small service projects

Summer Experience:
Researched at local college’s astronomy department (I was the only high school student and worked really independently with a professor and a college student)
Attended PAN (Physics of Atomic Nuclei) Camp at Notre Dame in 2014

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Essays: Common app essay was tbh not very good, maybe a 6/10. I talked about girls in STEM.
My Caltech supplements were pretty great though. Maybe 8-9/10?

Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10 - AP Psych teacher - She let me read it, called me the best student she’s had in 45 years of teaching and really emphasized my personality in and out of the classroom
Teacher Recommendation #2: 8 or 9/10? - The advisor for Girls in STEM and my chemistry and AP Chem teacher; she’s my teacher BFF but I have no idea what she wrote about me.
Counselor Rec: 5/10. He knows me reasonably well but he usually misspells my name and isn’t the brightest.
Additional Info/Rec: 8/10 - My research advisor, I feel like he probably described my role in the research process which hopefully showed my readiness for college
7/10 - My B-division SciOly head coach. She loves me (I tutored her kids, etc) but I just have a gut feeling that her letter was kinda weird?
Interview: None
Art Supplement: None

Other

Date Submitted App: 12/31
U.S. State/Territory or Country: MI
School Type: Public
Intended Major: Physics/Astronomy
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: approx 150k
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development): Woman in STEM but that doesn’t count for much?

Reflection

Strengths: Scores/grades, demonstrated passion for STEM education, and my personality really shone through in my Caltech supps
Weaknesses: Common App essay, no amazing hooks or huge national awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Because I’m lucky?
What would you have done differently?: Spent more time on my CA essay, and maybe looked more carefully at Caltech’s financial aid before applying (because it’s soooo expensive for my income bracket :frowning: )
Where else did you apply? Accepted UMich, Michigan State (full ride), Wellesley
Waiting Princeton, Harvard, Harvey Mudd, Mount Holyoke, Barnard, UChicago, Northwestern, Scripps, Stanford, Boston University

General Comments & Advice:
Don’t apply to schools that you won’t be able to afford. Try to really focus on showing your personality in your essays.

Best of luck guys! I’m sure that those of you who were rejected have great news coming soon :slight_smile:

8

**Decision: Waitlisted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2310 (800 M, 770 W, 740 R)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36 M, 35 R, 35 E, 34 S)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 780 Chemistry, 770 Bio M
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.88 (out of 5)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/480
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s: Calc BC, English Lang/Comp, World History, Macroeconomics. 4s: Biology, Chemistry, Physics 1, Human Geography, US History, US Government
IB (place score in parenthesis): None
Senior Year Course Load: 3-D Modeling/Animation (lol), AP Statistics, AP Physics C, Academic Decathlon, AP English Lit/Comp, AP Spanish Lang/Culture, Speech & Debate, Varsity Tennis
Major/Common Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Scholar, National AP Scholar, Academic Decathlon State Qualifier, Nominated for “Best Advocate” @ Mock Trial State

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Tennis (Team Captain), Mock Trial (Lead Attorney), Student Body Treasurer, Academic Octathlon/Decathlon Honors Student, Science Bowl, UIL NS/Math/Science, Indoor Club Soccer
Job/Work Experience: Research Internship at the Texas Tech Neuroimaging Institute, programmed images for a functional MRI simulator through MATLAB
Volunteer/Community service: United Way Youth Division Volunteer (~20+ hours per school year), 2 years of NHS (~8 hours per semester)
Summer Activities: Research Internship (2016), BU High School Honors Program (2015)

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 8/10, described my love for sports and my interest in the scientific aspect of them.
Caltech Essays: 9/10, I felt very confident and genuine in these, except for the essay about contributing to Caltech’s diversity, which was probably a 7/10.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: English teacher, knew me and my siblings very well. 9/10
Teacher Rec #2: Math teacher, very stressed out all the time, but appreciated my ingenuity. 7/10
Counselor Rec: Generic af. 6/10
Additional Rec: Research mentor, longtime family friend. 9/10
Additional Rec #2: AcaDeca coach, really understands my drive/competitive spirit. 10/10
Interview: None

Other
Date Submitted App: 12/30
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Biomedical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Bengali (essentially Indian lol)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 250,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection
Strengths: Leadership, demonstrated interest in science, well-roundedness
Weaknesses: Ethnicity/gender, lack of excellence
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Probably waitlisted because my application was strong, but against other Caltech applicants, my scores and demonstrated interest were average.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Rejected from Stanford, waiting on everywhere else.

General Comments: CalTech is for very unique students, but I’m still glad to have applied and learned more about it. Also happy to not be rejected! :stuck_out_tongue:

9

**Decision: Waitlisted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2350 (750 CR, 800 M, 800 W, 10 Essay)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 790 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97 (transcript says 4.00 because my 1 B was in AP Calc)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Unavailable
AP:
-5’s: Physics C Mechanics (Self-Studied), Calculus BC, Psychology
-4’s: Computer Science, Environmental Science, Macroeconomics (Self-Studied All 3)
Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable Calculus (Online), AP Statistics, AP Chemistry, AP Economics/AP U.S. Government & Politics, AP English Literature, Web Design, P.E (took 2 math classes sophomore year, so have to make this up)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None
Other Awards: National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar w/ Distinction, President’s Volunteer Service Award (Gold, 2x), Eagle Scout

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  1. Boy Scouts: (Troop Guide, Senior Patrol Leader, Junior Assistant Scoutmaster, Webmaster)
    -Embarked on 65 mil trek in New Mexico (Philmont Scout Ranch)
    -Taught knots, first aid, and wilderness survival to troop
    -Facilitated growth from 17 to 70 members
    -Built Troop Website
  2. Rubik’s Cube: (Club Founder, President) Formerly ranked top 200 in US, started club at school to teach it to peers.
  3. Math Club: (Secretary, President) taught competitive math to students as Secretary.
  4. LEO Club: (Event Coordinator for 2 years) planned every service event for the club, worked with district to plan regional events as well, working on club website.
  5. DECA: (Director, Vice President) Teach business to high school students at weekly workshops. Placed in top 10 at state conference twice.
    Job/Work Experience:
  6. I created an online Udemy course to teach business administration, with over 3,600 students worldwide as of today. Currently working on a smartphone app to supplement this.
  7. Research Intern at NASA - Working on research project to develop software that processes pictures from International Space Station.
  8. Summer Intern (paid) at a small nonprofit that works with Universities to increase amount of women in STEM fields. Summer 2016
  9. Software Intern at a local startup. Worked on their mobile apps. Summer 2015
  10. Environmental Intern for a local nonprofit. Got funding from Lam Research to work on a Zika Virus research project.
    Volunteer/Community service:
  11. National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT): 1,000 hours from this. I organize and run a summer week-long camp for boy scouts which helps them learn leadership skills. Started as a guide (in charge of 6), now member of Senior Staff (in charge of 60).
  12. Volunteer Web Developer: Built websites for 3 nonprofits.
    Summer Activities: Internships (above), Volunteer at NYLT, worked on the business course.
    Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8
    Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
    -Teacher 1 (9): AP Physics teacher
    -Teacher 2 (9): AP Psych teacher
    -Optional (8): Course Director for NYLT
    -Counselor Rec (6)
    Intended Major: Computer Science
    State (if domestic applicant): CA
    School Type: Public, 500 per class, in Bay Area
    Ethnicity: Asian Indian
    Gender: M
    Income Bracket: Upper Middle Class
    Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection
Strengths: academics (besides AP), community service, general theme of teaching in my activities, relating to my career interest of being a College Professor.
Weaknesses: No strong hooks, low AP scores, recommendations (nothing over-the-top), no spike (unless you count teaching), profile not really oriented towards Caltech.

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Probably waitlisted because my application was strong, but against other Caltech applicants, my scores and demonstrated interest were average.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
-Rejected: Stanford
-Accepted: UCD, UCSD (both w/ regents), SJSU, USC (w/ 50% scholarship)

General Comments: I expected a rejection. Praying my fortune turns around in May hopefully!

Also, does anyone know what the chances are for Caltech Waitlistees? Thanks :slight_smile:

10

Decision: Accepted :smiley:

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): Did not take…

SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):

ACT (superscore): 23… (with writing - 8)

SAT II (subject, score): Did not take any…

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.57

Weighted GPA: My school doesn’t do these

Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5/17

AP (place score in parentheses): None

IB (place score in parentheses): Nopity nope

Senior Year Course Load: This year I am also taking AP Chemistry and AP Calculus BC.
Number of other EA applicants in your school: I don’t know…

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Nothing really specials…

Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Honors Society, 11th grade “A” Honor roll, 10th grade “B” Honor roll, Babybottle Competition 1st (related with chemistry)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Varsity soccer (9th - 12th) (12th - Captain), Chess club(11-12th, Co-Founder)

Job/Work Experience: None bc I am not a US citizen haha

Volunteer/Community Service:
I participated my church’s activities and helped other people.

Summer Experience:
None…

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Essays: Okay… I strongly believe that my four essays greatly helped me to get accepted to UCD… This is the only way that I got accepted to UCD… As you notice my poor applicant’s profile, my four essays miraculously let me get accepted to UCD :slight_smile:
Teacher Recommendation #1: I honestly have no clue
Teacher Recommendation #2: ^same
Counselor Rec: ^I am pretty sure she wrote good things about me…
Additional Info/Rec: My Spanish teacher and ESL (English Second Langauge) teacher wrote for me!
Interview: No interview

Other

Date Submitted App: ?? i don’t remember?
U.S. State/Territory or Country: South Korea
School Type: Private (Religious)
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: No clue
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): Nope

Reflection

Strengths: Unique perspective, vivid essays
Weaknesses:Low GPA (compared to other applicants), Low ACT scores, Lack of AP classes…
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Probably essays…
What would you have done differently?: Nothing special… I barely applied to UC colleges (I applied at 11:30 P.M. on November 30th… LMAO)
Where else did you apply?:
UCSD (Rejected), University of Minnesota at Twin-Cities (Waitlist)

UCD, Purdue University, MSU, Miami University in Ohio, PSU, Drexel University, SUNY Binghamton, UIC, UMW (Accepted)

UCSB, UCI, U of Pittsburgh, U of Massachusetts Amherst, UCSC (Still waiting)

Other Factors: ???

General Comments & Advice: Do WELL on your essays… If my essays were not that good, I would have rejected or put on a waitlist…

11

I find it very hard to believe that Stanford rejected you, and Caltech as well. You have the best stats I’ve seen even including my own classmates and some of them are pretty intelligent. You’ll definitely end up where you belong, whether it’s at a prestigious university that recognizes your qualities or a less competitive school where you’ll still be happy as a clam. I wish you the best of luck, stranger!

12

My friend was accepted and got a full ride yesterday.

13

@NitikS Congrats to your friend! Can you share the details of what kind of full ride your friend got? As far as I know, Caltech only does need based and not merit based scholarships.

14

Decision: Accepted

SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): old 2230, new 1490
SAT II (subject, score): Math 2, Chem, Physics all 800s
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.52
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): National AP Scholar

[ b]Other**

Date Submitted App: EA deferred than accepted
U.S. State/Territory or Country: China
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender:Female

[ b]Reflection**

Strengths: essays
Weaknesses: SAT 1 score
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I honestly don’t know… still shocked…
Where else did you apply? Accepted: UCB, UCLA (likely), UCSD, USC(Presidential scholarship finalist), U of Toronto, Case Western Reserve, Caltech; still waiting to hear back from other schools

15

@SherryLiang
What was your course load and ECs?

16

[ size=4][ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected **[/color][/size]

[ b]Objective:**
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2360 Superscore (Old SAT) 760 CR 800 Math 800 Writing 10 on the Essay?? (not sure)
ACT (breakdown): NA
ACT superscore (breakdown): NA
SAT II (subject, score): Math II 800, Chemistry 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Weighted GPA: 4.5
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): NA
AP (place score in parentheses):
-AP World History (5) AP Lang(5) APUSH(4) AP Chemistry(5) AP Calculus(5) AP Physics C Mechanics (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): NA
Senior Year Course Load: AP Literature, AP Computer Science, AP Physics 2, AP Macro&Microeconomics, Honors Advanced Calculus, Government, Spanish
Number of other EA applicants in your school: Not sure
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): NA
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, AIME Qualifier, A few minor math competition awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):Tennis, (10-12th Grade) Swim (11-12th Grade). Science Competition Club (VP) (11-12th Grade), Math competition club (10-12th Grade), Honors Society (12th Grade), Piano (Throughout High School)
Job/Work Experience:NA
Volunteer/Community Service:Peer tutoring, Honors Society
Summer Experience: NA

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Essays: (7/10) Common App was pretty polished. However, my supplement is not as good since I was getting a little impatient from writing all the essays for different colleges lol.
Teacher Recommendation #1: (9/10) AP Calc Teacher. I did well in that class and I very am close to the teacher
Teacher Recommendation #2: (7/10) APUSH Teacher. Struggled at first in that class but showed progress
Counselor Rec: (6/10) public school so counsellors don’t really know the students
Additional Info/Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A
Art Supplement: N/A

Other

Date Submitted App: Cannot remember
U.S. State/Territory or Country: OOS
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range:
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development) NA

[ b]Reflection**

Strengths: Scores and GPA
Weaknesses: Lack of major awards, essays, extra curricular
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
What would you have done differently?: Worked on the essay more. Plus better extracurricular/awards

17

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 800/750/700 idk essay but wasn’t good
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
ACT (breakdown): 34 (idk breakdown) Also not good writing
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score): Math 800 Chem 800 Phys 780 US History 730?
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Weighted GPA: don’t know
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): also don’t know
AP (place score in parentheses): US History (3), AP Physics 1 and 2 (5 both), AP Chem (5)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Comp Sci, AP Calc BC, AP Physics C, Chinese, English IV, European History
Number of other EA applicants in your school: 0 (Probably i have no idea)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): None of the above
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.):
National Merit Finalist
AP Scholar… (not the really really good ones)
School Awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Not gonna lie, this is a lot of work but there wasn’t anything especially unique or outstanding.
Job/Work Experience: Pizza Hut
Volunteer/Community Service: Nothing significant
Summer Experience:

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Essays: 7, I read them over and it looked like a 5th grader wrote them

Teacher Recommendation #1: 6 (Didn’t do very well in that class)
Teacher Recommendation #2: 8 (Did pretty well but wasn’t standout)
Counselor Rec: 7 (probably doesn’t know my name)
Additional Info/Rec: None
Interview: None
Art Supplement: None

Other

Date Submitted App: Right before it was due
U.S. State/Territory or Country:
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range:
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): None

Reflection

Strengths: Strong Math and Science scores I guess, nothing much else
Weaknesses: No Research, no major math competitions or science competitions
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I honestly don’t know, I’m still shocked
What would you have done differently?: Nothing, I literally didn’t think I would get in
Where else did you apply? Don’t really care anymore :wink:

General Comments & Advice:

So apparently you don’t need to be a math or science god to get into this place. Just be honest with your essays, as I said before my essays looked like someone in elementary school could’ve written them.