Hi there! Occidental College is my top school and I’ll be applying for Early Decision I. I want to major in film and minor in graphic design and computer science at Oxy, though my heart is set on film as I’ve been practicing it since I was 8 years old. Here are my sats:
Objective:
SAT I new: 1230 (R&W: 600, M: 630)
ACT: N/A
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.81
Weighted GPA: 4.08
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 20-30%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Took many AP classes, didn’t score so high on the AP tests.
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Art History, AP U.S. Government, AP Physics II, AP Calculus BC, Chamber Choir (audition-based entry), film and media studies, and I’m doing an independent study in computer science.
Awards: Robert Bectel Award (awarded to technology savvy students), Green Dragon Foundation: 1st Annual Youth Volunteer Award (I produced video content to the foundation which funds my high school and other local projects), two 2nd place state-level awards from TSA (Technology Student Association) for Digital Video, 1st place regionally and statewide level of the National History Day competition (produced documentary).
Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Head of tech department for all plays and musicals my school has put on for the last 3 years
Job/Work Experience: My friend and I have created our own multimedia company/studio, which specializes in film, graphic design, and score composition. We have gotten clients throughout our small rural town to create media for local’s businesses. Also, I’ve worked for a youth summer camp as a counselor for a few years in a row.
Volunteer/Community service: Slightly over 20 hours, nothing huge.
Summer Activities: Practice filmmaking and computer science.
Essays: Good, well written.
Interview: Yes, planning on it.
Creative supplement: Yes, I will be submitting my film and graphic design portfolio.
Teacher Recommendation: Yes
Counselor Rec: Yes
Additional Rec: From 3 other teachers.
Other:
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public, rural
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $180,000/year
Reflection:
Strengths: Great professional past experience, very large GPA increase over the high school years (10% GPA increase between freshman and sophomore year), strong teacher recommendations, no need to apply for financial aid.
Weaknesses: Not top of class, not the best SAT scores (though I believe they’re close to the average of an Oxy student).
Thanks everyone!