***Carnegie Mellon University Class of 2019 RD Decision ONLY***

Colleges and Universities A-Z Carnegie Mellon University
21

Decision: Accepted Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I: 2170
[] ACT:
[] SAT II:
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
[] AP (place score in parenthesis):
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): Sem1: 36/42 Sem2: 38/42 Sem3:35/42 Predicted: 40-42/45
[] Senior Year Course Load: English HL, French SL, Math HL, bio SL, Econ HL, Psych HL
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] IGC bronze gold and silver, spell bee, Academic achievement
Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars: Way too many incl. cancer walks, leadership positions, published author, research paper, ed board, MUN etc.
[] Job/Work Experience: internship at ad agency
[] Volunteer/Community service: A lot incl. directed play for underprivileged children, installed computers in village schools etc.
[] Essays: decent 8/10
[] Teacher Recommendations: 8/10
[] Counselor Rec: no idea
[] Additional Rec: n/a
[] Interview:[/ul] n/a
Other

[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant):
[] Country (if international applicant): India
[] School Type: private
[] Ethnicity: Indian
[] Gender: female
[] Income Bracket:
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul] Lol more like ORM
[ ]Reflection**

[ul]
[] Strengths: grades, ECs
[] Weaknesses: essay could be better
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul] Accepted to Vassar. UCLA, Fordham, UChicago Durham Rejected Cornell, Berkeley Waitlisted WUSTL
General Comments: SO HAPPY!

22

Decision: Accepted CIT ChemE with choice of major (except ECE)

Objective:
-SAT I: 2390 (800M, 800R, 790W, 11 Essay) second sitting, sick for first
-ACT: 36C (36E, 36M, 36R, 36S, 12 Essay) one sitting
-SAT II: 800 MII, 800 Chem, 790 Phys, over two sittings
-Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96 (3.97 Midyear) (4.44 Weighted, 4.51 Midyear)
-Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 2% (Top 1% Midyear) class of ~600
-AP scores: AP Chem 5, AP Span Lang 5, AP Human 5, AP Euro 5, AP Eng Lang 5, AP Macro 5
-IB scores: IB SL Chem 7, IB SL Span 6, predicted around 40/45
-Senior Year Course Load: (Full IB diploma schedule) Band, IB SL Math (School doesn’t offer HL Math, or HL Chem for that matter. SL is pretty much Calc AB), AP Comp Sci, IB HL Bio, AP Micro, AP Govt, IB HL English, IB HL History Americas, IB TOK
-Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing major… AP Scholar, National Merit Finalist, various UIL things

Subjective:
Extracurriculars:
-Marching Band 9-10 (state qualified, regional champs)
-Concert Band 9-12 (state qualified, various minor awards)
-Jazz Band 10, 12 (various minor awards)
-UIL Math 9-12 (Captain, various awards, some notable)
-UIL Science 11-12 (Co-captain senior year, various awards, some notable, top score districts)
-High Q Quizbowl competition 11-12 (nationally qualified)
-11-12 Business plan competition (co-founder, 2nd place),
-Minor clubs (Span club, etc)

Job/Work Experience: Tutor at a tutoring center since January

Volunteer/Community service: Co-founder of org that cleans walking paths 11-12, minor clubs like NHS, Key Club, probably around 150~ hours total

Essays: Common app was fine 8.5/10
Teacher Recommendations: I’m sure they were fine, had both teachers for 2-3 classes each, didn’t read 8.5/10
Counselor Rec: Knows me well, 9/10
Additional Rec: Nope
Interview: Nope

Other
-Applied for financial aid?: Yup
-State (if domestic applicant): Texas
-Country (if international applicant): U.S.A!!
-School Type: Large competitive public
-Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese)
-Gender: M
-Income Bracket: 60-75k
-Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First gen in America? lol more anti-hooks than hooks for sure

Reflection
-Strengths: Scores, varied/difficult schedule, GPA, EC’s are decent (though I regret not doing more over summers)
-Weaknesses: No major awards, classes not engineering focused
-Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Scores
-Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: UCLA, USC as Presidential Scholar, UT Austin with honors+full tuition scholarship, UMich Ann Arbor with subpar FA, GTech
Waitlisted: WashU
Rejected: MIT, Stanford, Berkeley ( :neutral_face: )
General Comments:
Good luck to everyone as this admissions season finally comes to a close. I like CMU’s atmosphere and prestige, but I’ll have to wait for FA on this one.

23

Decision: Accepted College of Fine Arts

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I: 2010
[] ACT: didnt take
[] SAT II: didnt take
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9 UW 4.03 W
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 30%
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Drawing Score:5
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): None
[] Senior Year Course Load: Super senioritis classes,just the basics and a few electives NO APS/IBS
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] No Awards :frowning:
Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars:
[] Job/Work Experience: nothing special, just part time jobs unrelated to my field of interest
[] Volunteer/Community service: presidential service award I got during sophomore year
[] Essays: mmm. they were pretty short… I believe 480 words out of 650
[] Teacher Recommendations: English & Art teachers… I asked my english teacher last minute, so im not sure if it was good or not,
[] Counselor Rec: None
[] Additional Rec: One really good recommendation from my art mentor
[] Interview:[/ul] None
Other

[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): Cali
[] School Type: pretty darn rigorous, Top 5 in the STEM Ranking
[] Ethnicity: prefer not to say
[] Income Bracket: 70,000 - 80,000
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul] None that was extra special…
Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths:
[] Weaknesses:
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul] Accepted to all art colleges you can imagine, NOT universities with art colleges, but individual colleges made for art.
General Comments:

24

Decision: Accepted to MCS, invited to SHS

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I: 2190
[] ACT: 34
[] SAT II: 760 (Math II) 720 (Physics) 640 (US History)
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
[] Rank: 6/400
[] AP: Calc AB (5), Eng Lang (4), US History (4)
[] Senior Year Course Load: Honors Band, Calc II, AP Chem, AP Gov, AP Micro Econ, AP Eng Lit, German 3
[] Major Awards: Presidential Volunteer Bronze Award [/ul]
Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars: handbell choir, musical pit band, animation club (president/co-founder), robotics club (vice president/co-founder), german club, marching band (pit captain/historian)
[] Job/Work Experience: none
[] Volunteer/Community service: 2 summer camps
[] Essays: how Carnegie Mellon is known for music, art & academics & how I like music, art & academics
[] Teacher Recommendations: good idk exactly
[] Counselor Rec: good
[] Additional Rec: none
[] Interview: I didn’t know we could[/ul]
Other

[ul]
[] School Type: parochial
[] Ethnicity: asian
[] Gender: female
[] Income Bracket: <100,000
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): minority [/ul]
Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: many interests
[] Weaknesses: asian who likes art, music, and math
[] Why you think you were accepted: I have many interests and explore them all in my extra curricula’s
[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted (NC State, Chapel Hill, Alabama, U of South Carolina, waiting on Brown [/ul][/li]**General Comments: really worried about the financial aid **

25

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

Accepted (!!!) into CIT for any major except ECE

[ b]Objective:**
[ list]
[ *] SAT I: 2400
[ *] ACT:
[ *] SAT II: Biology E (800), US History (790), Physics (800), Literature (790), Chemistry (800), Math II (780)
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology, US. History, Physics B, U.S. Govt. and Politics, English Lit. and Comp., Chemistry (all 5s),
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[ ] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP Psychology, General Microbiology (dual enrollment at local university), Microeconomics (dual enrollment at local college), Spanish 5 (dual enrollment at local university), Honors Modern Literature, Piano
[ ] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/list] I’ve won some piano competitions but nothing at the national level. National Merit scholarship. No science or engineering awards.
[ b]Subjective:
[ list]
[ *] Extracurriculars: Various music ECs, choir, church youth group
[ *] Job/Work Experience: Local babysitting and pet sitting
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: Local volunteer music group, water justice youth project group,
[ *] Essays: Pretty strong. Loved my common app essay, thought my CMU supplement was pretty good as well.
[ *] Teacher Recommendations: Strong
[ *] Counselor Rec: Strong
[ ] Additional Rec:
[ ] Interview:[/list] Went well, brief but friendly. I enjoyed talking to the guy.
[ b]Other
[ list]
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): Wisconsin
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: Homeschool
[ *] Ethnicity: White
[ *] Gender: Female
[ ] Income Bracket: upper middle class
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/list] none
[ b]Reflection
[ list]
[ *] Strengths: test scores, essays, recommendations
[ *] Weaknesses: EC’s and jobs were weak
[ ] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
[ ] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/list] Rejected at MIT, accepted at UW-Madison, waitlisted at Stanford, waiting to hear back from Harvard, Brown, Tufts, and Columbia
[ b]General Comments:

26

Decision: Accepted

Carnegie Mellon University’s Mellon College of Science, Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences and Tepper School of Business

Science and Humanities Scholars and Quantitative Social Science Scholars Programs

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I: n/a
[] ACT: 35
[] SAT II: 800 Math 2, 780 Chemistry, 770 Physics, 790 Chinese
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Chemistry, AP Macroeconomics, AP Chinese, AP Physics B, AP Statistics, AP Calculus BC, AP Microeconomics (5). AP English Language (4).
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
[] Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra, AP Physics C Mechanics, AP Physics C E&M, AP Computer Science, AP English Literature, AP US Government, Honors Economics, Wind Ensemble, Marching Band, Pep Band
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] 1st Place Northern California Field Conducting, 2nd Place CA DECA event, 5th Place CA FBLA event & qualified for Nationals
Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars: a LOT, strong leadership in many as well.
[] Job/Work Experience: Safeway Inc. Courtesy Clerk, founder of a small business
[] Volunteer/Community service: Assistant Coach for Special Olympics, Wheelchair and Ambulatory Sports, Student Coach for elementary school math club, after school tutor
[] Essays: Strong
[] Teacher Recommendations: One very strong, other one is supposed to be pretty good (from someone who did his PhD research with CMU)
[] Counselor Rec: Should be pretty good
[] Additional Rec: n/a
[] Interview:[/ul] Went pretty well, even though it was short
Other

[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[] Country (if international applicant): USA
[] School Type: Public, Arts Magnet
[] Ethnicity: Asian
[] Gender: F
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul] n/a
Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: Well rounded, good essays and recs, extracurriculars. Attended several prestigious summer programs.
[] Weaknesses: GPA wasn’t pristine, and waned off first semester senior year
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Overall strong profile
[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul] UC Berkeley (regents candidate), UCLA, UCSD, UC Davis ($13,750 scholarship), UCSB, UCSC ($20,000 scholarship), UCI, UVa, UNC Chapel Hill, UT Austin (McCombs + CNS Honors Polymathic Scholars), Barnard, Olin College of Engineering. Waitlisted at UChicago and WUSTL. Rejected from Stanford, MIT, UMich, Yale-NUS.[/li]General Comments:

27

Decision: 2x Priority Waitlist (SCS & CIT)
Objective:

  • [] SAT I: 2210
    [    ] ACT: 33
    [] SAT II: 800 Math 2, 780 Physics
    [    ] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.73
    [] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
    [    ] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Chinese, AP Calc AB (5).
    [] IB (place score in parenthesis):
    [    ] Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov & Econ, AP Lit, AP Comp Sci, Calc II/III, Adv Band
    [] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):National Merit Finalist

Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars:
[] Job/Work Experience: Paid employee at Gateways Summer School
[] Volunteer/Community service: UCSD Calit2 Internship; game development team co-founder and leader
[] Essays: IMO thought they were pretty strong but kind of leaned “Extracurricular this + Extracurricular that = why I want to study X at X college”
[] Teacher Recommendations: Just got my favorite teachers and went with it
[] Counselor Rec: New counselor but she warmed up to me pretty well
[] Additional Rec:
[] Interview: Neglected to schedule one[/ul]
Other

[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): California
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity: Asian
[] Gender: Male
Reflection

[list]
[] Strengths: Strong ECs, strong CA essay
[] Weaknesses: (imo) Flawed supplemental essay, lack of an interview, atrocious GPA
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: 100% believe it’s weak GPA
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Waitlisted UCSD, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UMich, GT, rejected from Rice, Yale NUS, UCLA, Cal, UT Austin, Accepted to USC (w00t), UCSB, UCSC[/ul]
General Comments:
I want to believe it’s an acceptance, but SCS is pretty competitive and I doubt I rank very high amongst the PWListees, but I’m still going for it because a PWL means I’ve got a chance.

28

Decision: Accepted (Tepper and John Heinz

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I: 2070 ( 770 Math, 660 CR, 640 Writing)
[] ACT: didn’t send
[] SAT II: 700 Math, 680 Physics, 700 US History
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.59 (oops)
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):top 10 percent
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): US (5) Chemistry (4) Physics (4)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit, AP Econ, AP Calc AB, a bunch of other fluff classes
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul]: AP Physics Award, French Award, University of Rochester Xerox Award for Innovation, RIT Computing Medal, National Honors Society Portfolio Award
Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars: Pre-professional dance training (around 20 hours a week), Student Gov VP, FIRST Robotics PR Manager, NHS, Relay For Life, etc
[] Job/Work Experience: Internship with local computer company
[] Volunteer/Community service: a lot
[] Essays: 9/10
[] Teacher Recommendations: Pretty darn good i think
[] Counselor Rec: Also really good
[] Additional Rec: n/a
[] Interview:[/ul] awesome
Other

[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): MA
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: public
[] Ethnicity: Asian
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: 150k
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul] Sister is an alum? Took summer classes during pre college
Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: EC’s, Essays, Recs
[] Weaknesses: GPA and test scores
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think my interview went extremely well. Going to pre-college probably helped.
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul] Accepted to UC San Diego, UWashington, and WPI. Rejected by Berkeley, Rice, and UIUC. Waitlisted by Georgia Tech and UMichigan.
General Comments:
Wow kinda surprised, I was pretty sure my SAT2 and my GPA had doomed me.

29

Accepted to Mellon College of Science
Rejected College of Fine Arts

Objective
Sat 1: n/a
ACT: 33
Sat 2: 800 Math 2 and 780 Chem
Unweighted GPA: 3.95/4
Rank: doesn’t report but my counselor told me I was top 10% but cmu doesn’t know that
Ap: didn’t submit scores because I got a 2 on one exam but 5s on rest
Senior year courseload: AP US Government, AP English lit, Honors IB Physics, Linear Algebra, Multi-variable Calculus, Spanish 5, Organic Chemistry, Music Directed Study
Major awards: tons of forensics (speech) awards including two time state finalist and a couple math competitions

Subjective
Ecs: Forensics (captain), theater (lead roles), I also sing opera. I attended programs at the Met in NYC as well as Detroit Opera House
Job: n/a
Volunteer: spent my last two summers in Detroit volunteering
Essays: common app was about the energy of detroit and cmu specific was a very sarcastic funny essay
Rec 1: english teacher. Probably good
Rec 2: chem teacher also good
Counselor: he loves me so probably very good
Additional rec: my voice teacher and theater director (director was only for college of fine arts. Voice went to both programs)
Interview: local alumni. It was ages ago but I think it went well

Other
State: Michigan
School type: private
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
income bracket: 150
hooks: I visited campus several times

Reflections
Strengths: demonstrated interest, ec, and grades
Weaknesses: ACT
I was offered a live audition for music and am so grateful to be given that opportunity. I have only been singing since my sophomore year so to even be considered was such an honor for me
Accepted to: Michigan, Sarah Lawrence and 4 schools in the UK
Wait listed: Jhu, vanderbilt, uchicago
Rejected: Nowhere
waiting for: Harvard yale cornell columbia UPenn

Thrilled to be accepted!

30

[ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted to DC**/color

[ b]Objective:**

[ list]
[ *] SAT I: 2280 (CR: 710 M: 800 W: 770)
[ *] ACT: N/A
[ *] SAT II: MATH II 800 CHEM 750 BIO-M 750
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6
[ *] Rank: N/A
[ *] AP: Chemistry (5); BC (AB 5, BC 5); Biology (4)
[ ] Senior Year Course Load: Semester English courses; French III; Multivariable Calculus; AP Comparative Government + semester history course; AP Physics C; Advanced Studio Art
[ ] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing that important other than some national French Awards
[ b]Subjective:
[ list]
[ *] Extracurriculars: NO sports whatsoever ; founder and co-president of a club; being in several clubs throughout high school; full four years of studio art study
[ *] Job/Work Experience: N/A
[ *] Volunteer/Community service:loads of community service + continual summer community service/internship for a private organization
[ *] Essays: mentioned in few sentences about QSSS, did not expect invitation at all :smiley:
[ *] Teacher Recommendations: 1 from Biology; 1 from French
[ *] Counselor Rec: 1
[ ] Additional Rec: N/A
[ ] Interview:[/list] N/A
[ b]Other
[ list]
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): go to school in TX
[ *] Country (if international applicant): China
[ *] School Type: private
[ *] Ethnicity: Asian
[ *] Gender: F
[ ] Income Bracket:
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/list] N/A
[ b]Reflection
[ list]
[ *] Strengths: well-rounded high school class selections; community service and probably CMU essay; my college counselor said my commonapp essay was good, so I guess it added weight as well
[ *] Weaknesses: GPA (my school is known for giving low GPA though…); sports
[ ] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I demonstrated strong interests in interdisciplinary study and showed in-depth knowledge of CMU in my essay
[ ] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/list]
accepted: UDenver; Northeastern (scholarship); Case; UCSD; UCLA; NYU; Colgate University
waitlisted: WUSTL; Vandy; Wellesley
rejected: CMC; UCBerkeley
[ b]General Comments:
I feel that essays certainly play a huge role in the process, so do try your best to sell yourself!

31

Accepted - Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences and Tepper School of Business

Science and Humanities Scholars and Quantitative Social Science Scholars Programs

Objective:
SAT I: 2230 (740M, 800R, 670W) – taken at the start of Jr year.
ACT: NA
SAT II: Math 2 (740), *Physics B/C (700)

Unweighted GPA: 4.0. All course are taught at A/P level.
Rank: School doesn’t rank
AP and or Dual College: Calc 1 & 2, Physics A/B, B/C, Stats, Writing
IB: NA
Senior Year Course Load: Anatomy & Physiology, Economics, English – Modern US, Senior Thesis, Spanish 3, Modern Us History, Probability & Stats, Doctrine & Theoloy 4, Epistomology. Also Choir, Physics B/C (self-taught) and College Level Math (finished Calc 2 as a Junior) with a Penn State PhD professor. Probability & Stats and Anatomy & Physiology are during the same class period.
Major Awards: Nothing significant. Did not inform schools about Junior Thesis being published, or that 2nd Chess article will be published this June.

Subjective:
Extra-curricular: 3-yrs Chess (County Chess Club President, Elementary School Chess Club founder and President). Little to no emphasis placed on Varsity Basketball (3 yrs), Varsity Cross-Country, performing arts (4 yrs), choir & ensembles (4 yrs), Newspaper editor.
Job/Work Experience: 5-yrs Caddie
Volunteer/Community Service: Didn’t emphasis this
Summer Activities: Chess & work.
Essays: Common App- All essays were incredible. Individualized essays to school.
Teacher Recommendations: Excellent
Counselor Rec: Excellent
Additional Rec: Chess Coach - Excellent

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: Economics/Computer Science/Quantitative Math
State: PA
School Type: Small Private
Ethnicity: White as bread
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Middle Class – nothing left after paying tuition
Hooks: none

Reflection:
Strengths: Rigorous Academics; leadership and giving back with the Elementary School Chess Club.
Weaknesses: No Hooks. Could have retaken the SAT to bring the Writing portion up, but didn’t want to waste time doing something that wasn’t needed. Didn’t talk up ECs.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: CMU – high interest. Georgetown and Case – Little to no shown interest.
Accepted to: CMU (Scholars), Georgetown, Case Western, UMBC (Honors)
Waitlisted: WUSTL, UChic
Unknown: Princeton, Harvard, UPenn
Not Interested (after vetting): Columbia, MIT, JHU, Stanford, CIT, Pomona, or any program that requires a lab coat. 
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Do what you enjoy, be who you are and don’t worry about what you have no control over. Felt like UMBC was my only hope after WUSTL/UChic. Would not recommend anyone taking such a heavy senior workload. Visit schools, stay overnight if possible, and go to some classes. MIT and Columbia were top three before starting the process. Princeton, Georgetown and CMU were off the radar at the beginning of exploring colleges. Harvard was #1. Loved Cambridge, but felt the students were gifted but not lovers of knowledge. Columbia seemed overly pushing research and the sciences. Loved NY but Columbia seemed overwhelming. WUSTL was for the scholarship only. UChic was for the Economic Program. CMU was the best fit. Kids I stayed with were middle class, hard-working and loved to learn. We spent the evening playing Caton, hacking into computers and talking philosophy.
BTW, all of the schools we visited said they would not retake the SAT’s. They would understand the 700 Physics was taken prior to taking HS Physics, and the Essays carried more weight than the 670 Writing.
Would choose CMU over Harvard/Penn/Georgetown if FA is equal or manageable .

32

**Decision: Accepted to SCS and DC (stat and econ, invited to QSSS and SHS) **

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I: 2390
[] SAT II: 800 Math II, 790 Physics
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 1%
[] AP scores: 5’s in APUSH, WHAP, Calc AB, Stat, Micro/Macroecon, Music Theory, Latin, and English Language
[] Senior Year Course Load: Physics, Chemistry, Calc BC, English Literature, Computer Science, and Government (all AP)
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): scored 4 on the AIME; typical stuff like National AP Scholar, National Merit Scholar, etc. [/ul]
Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars: Academic Decathlon (co-captain), FBLA (officer), academic discussion club (president), lab work, math club (officer)
[] Job/Work Experience: writer for a test-prep company
[] Volunteer/Community service: tutoring, hospital volunteering, key club/national honor society school volunteering
[] Essays:
Commonapp - pretty quirky
CMU - pretty last minute, but linked my interests pretty well by talking about my interest in big data and mentioning programs like QSSS
[] Teacher Recommendations: English and Econ teachers - pretty good
[] Counselor Rec: *shrugs My school is pretty big, so I don’t know him very well
[] Interview: none [/ul]
Other

[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): PA
[] School Type: public
[] Ethnicity: asian
[] Gender: female
[] Income Bracket: 100k+
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): female [/ul]
Reflection

  • [] Strengths: scores, gpa, essay?
    [] Weaknesses: no significant awards/research
    [    ] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’m a girl, and I’m somewhat good at math
    [li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/li]Accepted - Pennstate (Schreyers), UPitt, UCLA, Berkeley, NYU (Stern)
    Waitlisted - WUSTL, Brown, Penn, Rice
    Rejected - UChicago (deferred EA then rejected), MIT (deferred EA then rejected), Northwestern, Stanford, Harvard, Columbia, Yale

General Comments: Hoooly crap SCS was a surprise. I think I laughed for about two hours straight in disbelief after I got my decision.

33

[noparse]

Decision: Accepted

Applied to which school/college: College of Computer Science

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Total: 2210— Math: 770 CR: 720 W: 720
ACT: NA
SAT II: Math 2: 800, Chemistry: 770, Physics: 710
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): not given, but I would guess 6/150
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chemistry: 5, Physics B: 4, English Lit: 5
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Comp Sci, AP Physics C, AP Calc BC, Advanced Topics in Math Honors, AP English Language, Spanish 4, History Honors
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Commended Merit Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): (Varsity Cross Country): 9,10,11th, team captain 11th, 7 school course records. Varsity Track 9,10,11th, School record in Mile 5:21(9th), JV Soccer 9th, (Student Leader of Women’s Group), (Editor in Chief of school newspaper), Technovation Challenge (11th), Girls Who Code at Facebook 2014.

Job/Work Experience: Internship at Yiftee (local tech startup) 2013, Babysitting

Volunteer/Community service: Costa Rica service trip 2012, Shelter Network Camp Counselor 2012, Mentor for Codette’s (a program to get middle school girls interested in CS)

Summer Activities: look above for more details: girls who code, Yiftee internship, costa rica, shelter network
Essays (rating 1-10, details): common app: 7/10

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Math teacher, had him for 3/4 years 10/10 he loved me
Teacher Rec #2: English teacher: 8/10 I would guess pretty vague
Counselor Rec: 8/10 probably decent
Additional Rec: none
Interview: great interview, probably my best, she loved me 10/10

Other

State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Private Catholic
Ethnicity: Hispanic and White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 200k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, female in STEM

Reflection

Strengths: URM, female in stem, strong extracurriculars with a lot of leadership
Weaknesses: Test scores aren’t crazy high
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: female in CS helps
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted: Carnegie Mellon, Brown, Cornell, MIT, UCSB, UCLA, UCSD, Northeastern, Cal Poly, Northwestern
Waitlisted: Tufts, UC Davis, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd
Rejected: Harvard, Yale, Duke, UC Berkeley, Stanford

General Comments:

[/noparse]

34

Decision: Accepted to SCS as Computer Science Major

Objective:

  • [] SAT I: 2330 (800 M, 800 W, 730 CR)
    [    ] ACT: Not taken
    [] SAT II: 2400 (800 Math II, 800 Phy, 800 Chem)
    [    ] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A But all A+ grade throughout from 9th grade to 12th mid-sem
    [] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A but teacher mentioned in recommendation that I’m top 1%
    [    ] AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
    [] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
    [    ] Senior Year Course Load: N/a
    [] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Not exactly. But I’ve been a math topper in 16 countries and Ranked 10 in an international neuroscience competition. Also received the highest award in the country

Subjective:

  • [] Extracurriculars: All 10 sections of CommonApp are stuffed. Painting, Quizzing, Environmental Work, Community Service, Public Speaking, President Student Council in School etc. All are awards/achievements
    [] Job/Work Experience: None
    [    ] Volunteer/Community service: I’ve spent a lot of time children with special-need kids.
    [] Essays: CommonApp: 8/10 Supplement: 8/10
    [    ] Teacher Recommendations: 9/10
    [] Counselor Rec: 9/10
    [    ] Additional Rec: 8/10
    [] Interview: Missed the deadline :stuck_out_tongue:

Other

  • [] State (if domestic applicant): N/a
    [] Country (if international applicant): UAE
    [    ] School Type: Private
    [] Ethnicity: Indian
    [    ] Gender: Male
    [] Income Bracket: Barely enough to afford full tuition without any aid :confused:
    [    ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection

  • [] Strengths: SAT, Grades, variety of ECs, essays, recommendations
    [    ] Weaknesses: No job/work experience. Very few major focused ECs
    [] Why you think you were accepted: Essays and ECs may have made the cut
    [    ] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Rejected: MIT, Stanford, Princeton, Harvard **Waitlisted: ** UCB EECS and Cornell Accepted: GeorgiaTech, UMich, UIUC, UCLA, UW Seattle, Imperial College London, USC and other comparatively insignificant universities

General Comments:

Frankly speaking, I was a tad bit disappointed by the many rejections I got. But well, CMU is not bad! Although the exorbitant fee will burn a large hole in my parent’s savings, I just hope that it is worth it at the end.

35

Decision: Accepted - COE
Major: Mechanical Engineering

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I: Did not take
[] ACT: 31[29 E;33 M;30 E; 32S]
[] SAT II: 770 Math II 700 Physics
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): None
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 USH/WH;4 CS/HUG;3 Lang
[] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc, Physics II, Lit, Stats, Honors Engineering I, Civics/Economics
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Semi-finalist/Quarter-finalist in robotics competitions; 1st place at several local Math competitions,smaller stuff[/ul]
Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars: Robotics, Math Team; Leader in both
[] Job/Work Experience: None.
[] Volunteer/Community service: Nothing extraordinary
[] Essays:
Books: Noted a quantum physics book and comic book I read during the summer and made a sentence about the comic book.
One-Page Essay: Talked about how transformers inspired me to become an engineer.
Interview Essay: Talked about how the campus visit/interview made me feel at home
[] Teacher Recommendations:
Physics Teacher/Robotics mentor: 8-9
Calc Teacher/Math Team coach: 8-9
[] Counselor Rec: 8
[] Additional Rec: None
[] Interview:Yes; On-Campus Interview[/ul]
Other

[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant):IL
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity:AA
[] Gender:M
[] Income Bracket:>100,000
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):URM[/ul]
Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: Interest, Essays, Awards
[] Weaknesses: Grades/Tests
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul]
General Comments:

36

[color=green]Decision: Accepted to Dietrich[/color=green]

Major: Art History

Objective:[ul]
[]SAT I (breakdown): 2240 (didn’t submit)
[]ACT (breakdown): 34 (English 34, Math 34, Reading 35, Science 33)
[]SAT II (place score in parentheses): Chinese w/ Listening (800), US History (710), Biology-E (720)
[]Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.76
[]Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
[]AP (place score in parentheses): Chinese (5), Psychology (4), Biology (4), APUSH (5), French (5)
[]IB (place score in parentheses):
[]Senior Year Course Load: AP Art History, AP Macroeconomics, AP Calculus AB, AP English Lit & Comp, Physics H, & Living Skills (LOL.)
[li]Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] AP Scholar w/ Distinction, National merit scholar, President’s award for community service, some art awards…[/li]
Subjective:

[ul]
[]Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): my school’s magazine (Editor-in-chief), foreign affairs publication (Creative Director), MUN (member).
[]Job/Work Experience: Paid internship @ Condé Nast International, the publisher of Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, etc.
[]Volunteer/Community Service: Microfinance rural poverty alleviation program in Ningxia, China.
[]Summer Activities: Internship (unpaid) at National Geographic Traveler magazine, French immersion program in Montpellier.
[]Essays: Bomb!
[]Teacher Recommendations: Recs from APUSH teacher and head of English department probably both 10/10.
[]Counselor Rec: Probably really good.
[]Additional Rec: Got a rec from my journalism advisor, who happens to be quite famous.
[li]Interview:[/ul] Didn’t get one nor did I do demonstrated interest, but it didn’t affect me.[/li]
Other

[ul]
[]State (if domestic applicant): CA
[]Country (if international applicant): USA
[]School Type: competitive public in Silicon Valley
[]Ethnicity: Asian
[]Gender: Female
[]Income Bracket: well off & definitely do not qualify for financial aid or anything
[li]Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul] none [/li]
Reflection

[list]
[]Strengths: Internships & intense focus on a single interest (journalism in this case).
[]Weaknesses: GPA for sure, and the fact that I’m an overrepresented minority from an overrepresented area of an overrepresented state.
[]Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My internships & essays were pretty bomb.
[]Where else you are applying or have already applied:[ /list] Accepted to Carnegie Mellon, USC, NYU, Bryn Mawr, Smith, & Rice! Waitlisted at Notre Dame, Wellesley, Barnard, & Boston College (huh?!). Rejected by Penn, Brown ED, Georgetown, Northwestern, WUSTL, Vanderbilt, & Johns Hopkins.

General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:[/noparse] When one door closes, another opens. That’s the case for me this year during this application process; I was in despair after Brown straight-up rejected me in the ED round since pretty much everyone is usually deferred rather than rejected, but I’m very excited to join Rice in this fall! More than happy to be an Owl :smiley: