Astronomy and Geology-Chemistry dual concentration
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A (got a 1540 but didn’t send)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36 R, 35 E, 35 M, 35 S, 10/12 writing)
SAT II: 800 Chem, 790 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): No rankings at my school
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB (5), BC (5), Lang (5), Micro (4), Chem (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Bio, Astronomy, Differential Equations and Linear Algebra (300 level math at local state university), Calc-based Electromagnetism for Physics majors (end of 200s at local state university)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None. 6th in state ACS olympiad, not impressive
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): FIRST Robotics Competition, Robotics Outreach, Forensics, Drama Tech (head of special effects design), created a program to lend robotics kits to local teachers with curriculum to connect robotics activities to common core standards
Job/Work Experience: Worked part time in retail sophomore year onward to save for college and fund extracurriculars
Volunteer/Community service: science outreach, tutoring, National Honors Society group volunteering
Summer Activities: After Junior year: University of Arizona Advanced Astronomy Research Camp, part time work; After Sophomore year: self-studied Calc 2/BC (university Calc 2 is harder), audited archaeology courses at local state university, part time work
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I’d say 8/10? Common app about how much I love observing natural objects and sketching them, as told through a bunch of walks I’ve taken, and how that connects to my love of art and science and shows me that both pursuits are really about understanding the universe; Why my major about how looking at a leaf leads me to spiral in questioning how life began to exist, with questions gradually approaching astronomy and geochemistry (hard to describe but I would rank that essay as 10/10, my best one); Why Brown about wanting to double major and being interested in a field that is both niche and requiring a really broad academic base (Astrobiology), and how the open curriculum could allow me to get the exact education i’d need to prepare me for success in this field, then about the astrobio research in Brown geochemistry and the Ladd observatory, and how I would want to participate in research at brown; communities about how the community between me and other second generation immigrants transcends our individual cultures and how my friends whose families are from different countries than mine have helped me learn, together with them, how to understand our cultures and our identity as hyphenated-Americans complexly; where I’ve lived is just where I’ve lived. Grew up in New Jersey, moved to Wisconsin as a kid, moved around from house to house and school to school in the same county for a while, learned how tiny changes in where I live can become representations of big changes with who I am as I’ve grown up
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Ehhh 7/10? Both teachers Love me and have a lot to say about how I skipped way ahead in their subjects (Physics and Math) and went on to study at college level, having finished the AP sequences, by junior year, buuuuut they both had me sophomore year. The reason for this is that I didn’t take very many classes at school as an upperclassmen because I was
Counselor Rec: 10/10 he showed me it and it was honestly so sweet I cried
Interview: 8.5/10? Went well I think. My interviewer was a frat-bro athlete type, and he was really easy to talk to. Seemed really impressed by me. We both laughed a lot. I feel like I let my guard down too much nearing the end though and just talked to him like a friend. He said he’d give me a great write up though. I don’t think it really matters
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Wisconsin
School Type: High quality but underfunded public, a lot of AP classes but also a lot of constantly losing teachers from our budget being cut, etc. Metropolitan school district with a reputation for not being at it’s best point. Not very many students go to prestigious schools. At the same time, we have one of the best forensics teams in the US and a history of producing IMO winners
Ethnicity: white, second gen russian immigrant
Gender: female
Income Bracket: pretty much exactly middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): idk if maybe the second gen immigrant thing counts, because I am first gen US college. Otherwise, nothing. Female in male dominated fields?
Chance me and I’ll chance you!
It seems like you gave it your 100%, so you can really sleep easy no matter what happens.