I’m making this because I used to read this obsessively for years and my anxiety is getting the best of me right now so here it goes.
I applied to about 20 schools, including a couple of local and safety/match schools, I didn’t only apply to reach/dream schools
Female
Hispanic/Latino
Homeschooled all throughout my life.
Background:
I’ve been homeschooled by my mom and in the last few years taken online classes that I paid for myself, including AP classes. My mom created a pretty rigorous curriculum and detailed her philosophy, what all of my courses throughout highschool have been comprised of, and wrote my guidance counselor letter and one of my teacher recs. She also sent in my reading list as well. I have had a few outside teachers, including a woman who has been teaching me German for about 7 years, a woman who has taught me in several classes including Contemporary Issues, Economics, Sociology, and an independent research project where I’m designing a survey and study comparing homeschoolers and public/private schoolers and their ambition. I have also had the same guitar teacher for 12 years.
My education was based on classical education ( I learned latin as a kid and took exams on greek mythology)
I took 4 AP classes online, but only was able to take three of the exams locally. Mostly self studied for the courses. I also have taken several college level courses on places like Coursera, Edx, a Yale Lecture series, and emailed professors for their syllabi so I could self study their material.
I am currently taking two college courses (Anthropology 101 and Global Politics 101) at my local university as a dual enrollment student. This is the first time I have done so since my schedule is so jam packed and my mom was hesitant. I also I had to pay for the tuition and textbooks myself, so I had to save up my own money.
Stats:
ACT Superscore: 31
ACT highest composite in one sitting: 30
highest English score: 33
highest Math score: 27
highest Science score: 30
highest Reading: 34
I took the ACT twice.
I took the PSAT once in 10th grade and got an 1170
APs: AP Psych (4), AP Lang (4), APUSH (3)
GPA before final midterm grades and not including college classes: 3.78 (my grading scale is also quite steep ie. a B- would be a 2.8. I don’t know how this compares to schools but take it as you will)
Extracurriculars:
I took ballet for years when I was younger, even performing in professional ballet productions for three years. I took dance classes through my freshmen and junior years.
Freshmen -junior years heavily involved in theater. Being in acting troups, taking advanced musical theater performances, performing local productions. A show I was in even won a statewide theater award for best play.
A part of a regional theater’s teen council since sophomore year.Was in a leadership role for one year, and president of the council for the last two years. I have spoken at numerous seminars and conferences, went to the Theater Communications Group conference and hosted a panel on teen councils with other teenagers. Worked on fundraising and boosted attendance and engagement between members.
I volunteer at a children’s center once a week.
Have a twelve week internship at a local medical college in the neuropsych department. Helped with data entry for a project psychologically evaluating preschoolers with traumatic brain injuries, medical disorders, etc. Able to observe the Neuropsych fellows and faculty do their intakes, evaluations, testing, and feedback sessions and ask questions about the cases or neuropsych concepts. I have been able to attend didactic sessions with them as well, like journal club (book club of sorts for medical journal articles), listening to faculty and fellows host lecture seminars, participate in case fact finding, and even attending a brain tumor conference between different specialists in the hospital.
I am also a part of the thousand dreams fund board.
I have had a job at a movie theater, and was promoted to a supervisor last year and am currently the youngest supervisor. I am being trained to be a manager and work on the 50 + associate schedule.
I also have a job at the same theater that I am on the teen council of doing office work.
Also won an essay contest from a historical organization comparing March for Our Lives to the Children’s Crusades during the Civil Rights Movement.
Recs:
My teacher rec was from my teacher who taught sociology, economics and others. She has watched me grow over the last three years and knows how engaged I am in the classroom and my leadership skills.
My other rec was from the director of education at the regional theater. She has known me longer than anyone else at the theater and wrote personalized letters for my top schools.
Essays:
My common app essay was about my car and the many aspects it had served me (therapist office, classroom, etc.).
Supplemental essays: (These were my UC essays)
Another essay was on how I worked as a party princess for children’s party and how the company was fraudulent and wasn’t paying us and that me and several other women came forward and exposed them for their conniving ways. It explained the extenuating and stressful circumstances that affected me my first semester senior year. Also talked about the other women and I were planning on creating our own princess company.
Another essay talked about how I had to create opportunities for myself due to the fact I lack the resources a public or private school has. Talked about how I emailed professors at the medical college to get my internship, and how I also use MOOC to foster my interests and curiosity.
Another essay was on the short film i was working on that was a psychological thriller about anxiety, and how I got over a part of my anxiety by stopping pressuring myself to create a film just to submit it to competitions, also making progress on my extreme competitiveness.
Please Please Please respond to this!