Class of 2020 ED Results Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z Pomona College
1

Hey guys! Since it’s about like T-2 days until decision day, I thought it would be a perfect time to create a results thread. Please leave all discussions for the ED discussion thread!! This thread should mainly be a record of the applicants of the class of 2020. :slight_smile:

Remove spaces in brackets before posting!!

Choose one:
[ 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]

[ color=red] b**[/color]

[ b]Objective:**
[ list]
[ *] SAT I (breakdown):
[ *] ACT (breakdown):
[ *] SAT II:
[ *] Unweighted GPA:
[ *] Weighted GPA:
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis):
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[ *] Senior Year Course Load:
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
[/list]

[ b]Subjective:**
[ list]
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
[ *] Job/Work Experience:
[ *] Volunteer/Community service:
[ *] Summer Activities:
[ *] Essays:
[ *] Teacher Recommendation:
[ *] Counselor Rec:
[ *] Additional Rec:
[ *] Interview:
[ *] Supplementary Material (portfolio, etc.):
[/list]

[ b]Other**
[ list]
[ *] Applied for Financial Aid?:
[ *] State (if domestic applicant):
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type:
[ *] Ethnicity:
[ *] Gender:
[ *] Income Bracket:
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
[/list]

[ b]Reflection**
[ list]
[ *] Strengths:
[ *] Weaknesses:
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
[ *] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
[/list]

[ b]General Comments: **

2

Best wishes to everyone! Hope we all get in

3

Accepted!

SAT
Reading: 790
Writing: 760
Math: 750
Bio SAT II M: 790

1 Like
4

To help future applicants, when you post your result indicate whether or not Pomona requested your quarter grades (if you know).

5

**Decision: Accepted **

International student from India
SAT: 750 CR 750 M 740 W
SAT II: Math 2 800 Physics 800
Applying for PPE ed 1
GPA: 3.76(school doesn’t weight grades)
Will not be applying for aid
Work experience: worked at a law firm doing research on various cases, going to conferences, hearings at the Supreme Court, and settlements
Worked on an archive of rural India with a journalist

ECs
4 years of varsity soccer, current team captain
Various prizes for soccer, invited to levante ud in the Spanish top division
Played soccer professionally in the Indian professional league, was paid, youngest in the team by far
3 years of varsity track
Head of Sports, student council
Various debate championships
Open Water Scuba Diver

Community service: 3 years teaching slum children soccer early morning
Organised a fundraiser and set up a soccer camp in Nepal to aid psychological relief after the recent earthquake

Essay: common app was strong, emotional essay about how soccer has helped me overcome racial prejudice and flourish as a sportsperson, student and person
Supplement about a critical inquiry course about morality and how we decide right and wrong and the role of our perspectives in doing so
Teacher recs: English and economics, haven’t read either but both said I was in the top 5% of their careers
Counsellor rec: good, have known her for four years now she knows me well.

6

Decision: Accepted

Program you applied to here: ED I

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2040 (Didn’t send: 700 CR, 650 M, 690 W)
ACT (breakdown): 32 (Superscore 33: 35 CR, 35 W, 33 S, 30 M)
SAT II: 650 Math II, 680 Spanish (Didn’t send)
Unweighted GPA: N/A
Weighted GPA: 4.03
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 20ish %
AP (place score in parenthesis): Didn’t send any AP scores; Spanish Lang&Cult (4), US Gov&Pol (4), Calc BC (3 – AB Subscore: 4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): SocCult Anthropology (7)
Senior Year Course Load: IBHL Spanish VI, IBHL Math II, IBHL English, IBHL World History, IBSL Environmental Science, International Relations (Sem 2)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Spanish Exam Bronze Medalist

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Mathletes Peer Tutoring, Model UN (Committee Chair), Saturday Learning Lounge Tutor, Student Council Association (Class Secretary), National Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society, Mustang Ambassadors, 4 years of Open Club Volleyball, 5 years of High School Volleyball (MVP, should have been captain but long story),
Job/Work Experience: 2 years as a Host/Take-Out person at Famous Dave’s
Volunteer/Community service: Ran middle school volleyball club, prepares dinner weekly for city homeless shelter, peer tutor
Summer Activities: N/A
Essays: Not sure, I’ve never been clear on how good a writer I am
Teacher Recommendation: One of my teachers absolutely loved me but wrote a very cookie-cutter rec, other I’m not quite sure about him but I think he thinks I’m smart
Counselor Rec: Probably good, we switched counselors this year but I think we’ve developed a really good relationship in a short amount of time, she an amazing person
Additional Rec: Volleyball coach from my junior year club team, he loved me and thought I was very hard working and an intelligent player
Interview: Actually great, I did an alumni interview and I didn’t know what to expect but I think i handled the really challenging questions that he asked
Supplementary Material (portfolio, etc.): recruited for volleyball

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
State (if domestic applicant): VA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Small Public – 776 students
Ethnicity: Black
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $200,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Black female

Reflection
Strengths: Natural ability probably, I haven’t had to work too hard for any of my grades or scores, I never took a full practice ACT/SAT or did classes and I haven’t studied seriously for many tests or finals except for Math
Weaknesses: Lack of leadership positions, I’ve been in a lot of places where I’ve been too compliant and willing to hang in the background when I’ve had the experience and ability to lead
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I honestly think the only reason I got in was because of volleyball, other people have had amazing numbers and activities and gotten rejected
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: N/A but I was also in the recruiting process with UChicago, Emory, Johns Hopkins, Franklin & Marshall, Oberlin, and other DII and DIII schools; I had some interest from College of Charleston and UPenn

7

ACCEPTED ED 1

SAT I (breakdown): 2100 but didnt send
ACT :34
SAT II: 790 Math II, 760 Bio
GPA: 9.87 out of 12, (A minus)
AP (5 on AP Calc, 4 on Bio and Lit):
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): I’ve been a very avid actor and singer for six years, I won one award but was nominated for two, Three years of Varsity Football and Track, Volunteering Club, Math Tutor, Accapella Group
Job/Work Experience: Camp Counselor for 6 year old boys, I’m a proctor which is a leadership role for seniors at my boarding school
Essays: Common app essay was about being multiracial and how my racial identity always conflicts with I related to how my extracurriculars often conflict with each other
Supplement was about the critical inquiry course and how I wanted to study music’s affect on our everyday lives
Teacher Recommendation: Mediocre, probably not spectacular
Counselor Rec: This probably was good, I have a good relationship with her
Interview: I interviewed with one of the admissions officers directly and I thought it went well

Applied for Financial Aid?: Ya
State (if domestic applicant): NY
School Type: Preparatory Boarding School
Ethnicity: Half Black Half White
Gender: Male
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Multraciality prolly
Strengths: Essays and Test scores and EC’S
Weaknesses: GPA

8

**Decision: Deferred **

b**

Objective:

[ul]
[li] SAT I (breakdown): N/A[/li][li] ACT (breakdown): Superscore 34: 36 E / 32 M / 35 R / 32 S / 9 W[/li][li] SAT II: 780 Math II, 730 Literature[/li][li] Weighted GPA: 96.88/100[/li][li] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not rank, but I’m 4th or 5th in a class of 47[/li][li] AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB (5), English Lang/Comp (5)[/li][li] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A[/li][li] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus II, Instrumental Ensemble II, AP Statistics, Honors Evolution of the Novel, AP Physics I, Independent Study (Philosophy of Mathematics), Zionism[/li][li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing truly major - National Merit Commended, AP Scholar[/li][/ul]

Subjective:

[ul]
[li] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): NHS (Vice President), classical piano, flamenco/blues/acoustic guitar, tennis, some other school involvements - Feminist Club, student member on our version of a disciplinary committee, etc.[/li][li] Job/Work Experience: Counselor at local tennis camp[/li][li] Volunteer/Community service: Camp counselor every summer of high school, tutoring, other little things here and there[/li][li] Summer Activities: 3-week Number Theory course at Brown, shadowed a neurologist for a week, camp counselor[/li][li] Essays: Common App - about how it took me 16 years to find the piano and my disparate passions in the meantime. I thought it was pretty strong, captured my voice … Critical Inquiry prompt - course titled “The Nature of Mathematics, and Vice Versa” exploring examples of mathematical structure in our natural world and what that may demonstrate about mathematics and our relationship to it[/li][li] Teacher Recommendation: Math teacher - we’re pretty close and he’s had me for 2 years. I’m sure he had great things to say … English teacher - had me for AP English and is also a college counselor, so I interact with him a lot. Probably quite strong[/li][li] Counselor Rec: Since we have such a small school, there is a ton of close interaction with faculty, and he LOVES me. Told me he couldn’t have written a better one[/li][li] Additional Rec: Piano instructor - hopefully illuminated my musicality, something not really represented elsewhere in my application[/li][li] Interview: N/A[/li][li] Supplementary Material (portfolio, etc.): N/A[/li][/ul]

Other

[ul]
[li] Applied for Financial Aid?: Nope[/li][li] State (if domestic applicant): Texas[/li][li] School Type: Very small, Jewish private school[/li][li] Ethnicity: Caucasian[/li][li] Gender: Male[/li][li] Income Bracket: Financial Aid is, thankfully, not a concern[/li][li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): lol[/li][/ul]

Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: at least sufficient scores, strong writing, great recs
[li] Weaknesses: likely below-average ECs/resume, GPA certainly could have been higher, not “accomplished” in any sense[/li][li] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Nothing to strikingly distinguish myself from other applicants, definitely no hooks, but clearly a well-rounded, competitive applicant[/li][li] **Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: ** This was my first decision I’ve received woooooo *breaks down crying. Now to apply to about a dozen other schools over Winter Break!!![/li][/ul]

**General Comments: ** For those wondering, I was not asked for my quarter grades. Welp, at least I’m not out of the running. Congrats to those who got in!

9

Choose one:
**Decision: Accepted **

b**

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 680 CR 770 M 710 CW
[] Unweighted GPA: 95.6 (school doesn’t use 4.0 scale)
[] Weighted GPA: school doesn’t weight grades
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%, school doesn’t tell us whether we’re top 5% or not
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): full IB
[] Senior Year Course Load: French Independent Study (finished IB French HL last year), IB Music HL, IB Math SL, IB English HL, IB Psych SL online, IB Bio HL, Madrigals (honors choir), jazz band, IB ToK
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none, unless Yale book award counts[/li][/ul]

Subjective:

  • [li] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):[/li]- drummer in my school jazz band, a local women’s jazz band, 3rd in the state last year, and 2nd in the state this year (on jazz drums). Last year I made it into Jazz All-State on 4 different instruments, which apparently no one has ever done.
    - classical mallet percussion in the All-State Orchestra for 3 out of 4 years, and this year placed first in the state.
    - more bands/combos but you get the point heh)
    - I’ve played classical piano independently for 10 years
    - I sing in my school’s honors choir, and have been accepted into the district jazz choir all 4 years and the all-state jazz choir for 2 years
    - 4 years of drama (ensemble, then photography, cast bios, and musician in the pit)
    - NHS (secretary)
    - French Honors Society (co-president)
    - Math Team (only started this year)
    - 2 years on the team that puts together my school’s literary magazine
    - 2.5 years on Youth Court (an alternative justice system for convicted teens)
    - designed and ran a class that taught French to 1st-3rd graders

    [] Job/Work Experience: waitress at a yacht club during the summer and the winter event season (25ish hour weeks during the summer)
    [    ] Volunteer/Community service:
    - volunteer with the middle school chorus and band
    - call bingo most Sundays at a local retirement home
    - work for 8 hours once a week at a hospital during the summer
    - in charge of a French story reading once a month at the local library
    [] Essays: Common App was strong, unique description of my fascination with dreams and the subconscious mind. Supplemental wasn’t quite as good, but equally unique; I designed a class surrounding faith and truth in the media surrounding the recent scandal with Brian Williams
    [    ] Teacher Recommendation: maybe 8/10, as I’m on the quieter side in class, but they both like me a lot on a personal level
    [] Counselor Rec: she doesn’t know me well, but seems to like me…
    [    ] Additional Rec: my band/jazz band director wrote me one and I know he spoke to my dedication
    [] Interview: interviewer and I had similar interests and we definitely connected well
    [    ] Supplementary Material (portfolio, etc.): pretty strong music supplements on three instruments

Other

[ul]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: no
[] State (if domestic applicant): Maine
[] School Type: public
[] Gender: female
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): sister attended and her husband is a fairly important person in the college (avoiding specifics just for privacy purposes)[/li][/ul]

Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: probably my involvement in a ton of different musical groups
[] Weaknesses: I know my CR SAT score was definitely a weakness
[li] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I’d guess my strength I listed^ and maybe my essays, since I’ve been told I’m a very strong writer[/li][/ul]

**General Comments: ** I honestly didn’t think I had a chance among so many applicants who are insanely qualified, but I’m so so honored and excited to become a part of this community. To anyone who wasn’t accepted, I have faith that you’ll end up somewhere that makes you glad everything turned out how it did. And yes, I was asked for Q1 grades a couple days ago.

10

**Decision: Rejected **

ED 1

Objective:

  • [] SAT I (breakdown): 2340 (CR 800, M 800, W 740)
    [    ] ACT (breakdown): Didn’t take
    [] SAT II: Math II 800, Chinese with Listening 800, French with Listening 770
    [    ] Unweighted GPA: 3.83
    [] Weighted GPA: School doesn’t calculate
    [    ] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): I think top decile? Our school doesn’t report so I didn’t bother remembering.
    [] AP: World History (5), US History (5), Biology (4), English Lang (4), English Lit (5), US Govt (4), Calc BC (3, AB subscore 5; I took the BC exam after taking the AB course for no good reason), Physics C Mech (3, no excuse for this one I’m just bad at physics LMAO)
    [    ] IB: Biology SL (6), French HL (6), English HL (6), Physics HL (5), Math SL (6), History HL (5), Extended Essay (A)
    [] Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, APES, AP Chem, College English, College History, Internship Class
    [    ] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 9th place nationwide in a French contest, 10th grade.

Subjective:

  • [] Extracurriculars: Science Olympiad for all 4 years, and that’s it. I love it a lot, but I’ve never had a de jure leadership position. Team placed in top 5 at state, have some medals from events. This year I have a media/management internship at our city’s botanical garden.
    [    ] Job/Work Experience: Private English tutoring for a middle school kid
    [] Volunteer/Community service: Children’s science museum volunteer for 4 years, cat shelter volunteer for 1.5 years, over 300 hours total.
    [    ] Summer Activities: Science Olympiad summer camp counselor for 2 summers
    [] Essays: 7/10, Common App essay about my failure as a music student and how I learned resilience, solid and well-written but probably not special at all; I don’t know how to judge my Pomona supplement since I can’t claim to know what they wanted. I chose the class prompt, and wrote about food and its effects on national/personal identity. I cared deeply about the subject, and I hope that shined through.
    [    ] Teacher Recommendation: 9/10, English teacher I had both 9th and 10th grade who likes me and has seen me come out of my shell, English is also my strongest subject; 8/10, Physics teacher who really saw me struggle then work hard towards improving.
    [] Counselor Rec: 7/10, Probably fine, but I don’t know my counselor very well.
    [    ] Additional Rec: None.
    [] Interview: Pretty standard, but I was incredibly nervous and I’m sure it showed.
    [    ] Supplementary Material (portfolio, etc.): None

Other

[ul]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[] State (if domestic applicant): WA
[] School Type: Small-ish public
[] Ethnicity: East Asian
[] Gender: F
[] Income Bracket: Not sure, but certainly economically privileged.
[li] Hooks: Nothing really![/li][/ul]

Reflection

  • [] Strengths: SAT score maybe? Unsure if this is an actual strength but my grades show an upward trend. Full IB diploma already received. Trilingual with pretty good fluency in each language?
    [    ] Weaknesses: low GPA due to a rough freshman year, lack of both academic and extracurricular achievements/involvements, unimpressive AP/IB scores, no noteworthy talents.
    [] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: See above weaknesses, and I think I just didn’t stand out enough (probably even seemed lackluster) among a pool of incredibly strong students. My science and math scores were most likely problematic because I listed Biology as my top academic interest (I did do well in Biology class, though).
    [    ] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: None yet

**General Comments: ** So excited for everyone who was accepted! And wishing everyone else luck, too! I wanted more than anything to go but I knew this was a reach for someone with my stats so I’m not too crushed. Onwards!

I also want to note that I didn’t get a request for my quarter grades, so class of 2021 and later applicants should know that a request is probably a positive sign.

11

**Decision: Accepted **

b**

Objective:

  • [] SAT I (breakdown): didn’t take
    [    ] ACT (breakdown): 35 writing 10
    [] SAT II: US History (790), Math II (780)
    [    ] Unweighted GPA: 3.9
    [] Weighted GPA: 4.47
    [    ] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 2%
    [] AP: World (5), Psych (5), Calc BC (5), APUSH (5), Spanish (5), Bio (4), Lang (5), self study: Comp Gov (5), Geography (5), Environmental (5)
    [    ] IB (place score in parenthesis): NA
    [] Senior Year Course Load: AP: Physics C Mech, Computer Sci, Gov, Stats, Literature
    [    ] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Sailing national champion

Subjective:

  • [] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Climbing team, NOLS, Sailing coach, high school sailing team, Spanish tutor, Principal’s Council (helped design new curriculum for school, other school improvements), US Geography Olympiad, art (muralist, pianist), Latin
    [    ] Job/Work Experience: Sailing Instructor
    [] Volunteer/Community service: various activities through NHS, summer sailing camp, academic mentor
    [    ] Summer Activities: past summer—in addition to sailing, US Geological Survey Intern: backpacking to remote seismic sites to analyze data and replace equipment
    [] Essays: main essay on maps and how they tie into sailing, climbing, geography… supplement (critical inquiry) on infographics
    [    ] Teacher Recommendation: both teachers had to write countless others, but they know me pretty well
    [] Counselor Rec: ok… new to school so doesn’t know me
    [    ] Additional Rec: Spanish teacher, she focused on Principal’s Council and mural (she helped in both)
    [] Interview: with admin person, I think overall it was decent but a little choppy
    [    ] Supplementary Material (portfolio, etc.): none

Other

[ul]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: no
[] State (if domestic applicant): southern CA
[] School Type: large public
[] Ethnicity: mixed white and asian
[] Gender: M
[] Income Bracket: not sure, no financial aid
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): no[/li][/ul]

Reflection

  • [] Strengths: scores, outdoor passions, languages
    [    ] Weaknesses: a little scattered/inconsistent with various activities, maybe interview
    [] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Essays and strengths above^, and how my application all tied together; definitely not for geographic location (47 miles from Pomona)
    [    ] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: NA
12

Decision: Accepted

(ED1)

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Reading: 740 Math: 780 Writing: 730
Unweighted GPA: 3.92
Weighted GPA: 4.25
Rank school doesn’t rank
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP English 4, AP Latin 4, Physiology, Econ, Journalism

Subjective:
Extracurriculars:

  • School newspaper (Editor in Chief senior year)
  • Debate team
  • Football 4 years (3 years as captain)
  • Lacrosse 2 years
  • Astronomy club
  • Key Club
  • Job as tutor for a tutoring company

Volunteer/Community service:

  • Junior coach pop warner football team; 8 year olds; 2 years in West Oakland

Teacher Recommendation:
Both teachers invited me to request a recommendation from them. I took that as a positive sign.
Counselor Rec: she doesn’t know me at all
Interview: I felt like we connected. Younger college interviewer.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: no
State (if domestic applicant): California
School Type: public
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: European-Chinese
Hooks: Recruited for football, Journalism interest

General Comments: no request for 1st quarter grades if that helps future applicants. i feel very lucky. Good luck!

13

Decision: ACCEPTED!!!
Program: Early Decision I

Objective:
SAT I: 2240 (770 CR/700 Math/770 Writing)
SAT II: 640 Math 1, 690 US History, 740 Lit
ACT: 33 highest composite, 34 superscored (36 English, 36 Reading, 32 Science, and 31 Math)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank, top 5%
AP: European History (4), Eng Lang & Comp (5), US History (5)
Senior Year Course Load:
AP Calc AB, AP Psych, AP Lit, AP Latin, AP Studio Art 2-D, Ethics Research Seminar (required for seniors), Chamber Choir, Journalism
Major Awards:
All American High School Film Festival Official Selection for a documentary I made on the refugee situation in Burma
National Merit Commended Scholar
Scholarship Medal for highest GPA in my grade (10, 11)
Hollins University Creative Writing Award
Magna Cum Laude National Latin Exam (9)
Maxima Cum Laude Silver Medal for National Latin Exam (10, 11)
National Latin Honor Society Inductee
Tri-M Music Honor Society Inductee
National Honor Society Inductee (treasurer in 11th grade)
Merit Scholarship Recipient (full scholarship to attend boarding school)
Rector’s List in 11th grade (4.0 GPA)
Poetry published in Teen Ink national magazine (9, 10)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Editor-In-Chief of school art & lit mag (12) and board member (11)
Film club founder & president (10, 11)
United Nations Foundation Girl Up Club Member (10) and secretary (11, 12)
Queer-Straight Alliance member (10, 12) and vice president (11)
Sustainability Committee member (9, 10, 11, 12)
Outdoors Club Vice President (11, 12)
Prefect (12)
Varsity Field Hockey (10, 11, 12)
School newspaper - Staff Writer (9, 10), Layout Editor (11), World News Editor (12)
Musical Theater Productions - stage crew, assistant sound & light design (10), lead roles in musicals (11, 12)
Bassist in student rock band (10, 12)
Audition-only choir (11, 12)
Audition-only senior a capella group (12)
Varsity field hockey (10, 11, 12)
Job/Work Experience:
Worked 40 hours a week over the summer at a fast food restaurant
Volunteer/Community service:
Meals on Wheels (10, 11, 12)
Admissions Office Ambassador (9, 10, 11, 12)
Cuba Spring Break Service Trip (9)
India Spring Break Service Trip (11)
South Africa Spring Break Service Trip (12)
Essays: Wrote common app about how coming to terms with my father’s alcoholism has given me a deeper empathy for everyone I meet. For the critical inquiry prompt I wrote about “Societal Attitudes Through a Cinematic Lens” and discussed how stereotypes in media influence society and vice versa
Teacher Recommendations:
Junior year AP English & AP History teacher: I don’t know what she wrote, but it was probably very nice. Junior year Biology teacher: I have no idea.
Counselor Rec: Absolutely amazing. I teared up when she read it out loud to me.
Additional Rec: Written by my advisor, music teacher, and musical director. I read the recommendation and it was so good it made me cry.

Interview: On campus. I really couldn’t tell how it went. I was so scared.
Intended Major: Media Studies
State (if domestic applicant): North Carolina
Country (if international applicant): USA
Applied for Financial Aid: Yes (and Pomona met 100% of my need)
School Type: Small all girls boarding school (only attend on scholarship)
Ethnicity: Caucasian and Hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Very low
Hooks: Kind of a URM; my cousin attended Pomona a few years ago.

Reflections:
Strengths: Essays and recommendations, I think.
Weaknesses: I didn’t think there was anything that made me stand out. My SAT math score was also pretty low.
Why you think you were accepted: I was very authentic in my essays and interview. I also included a link to my documentary.

General Comments: I was hoping to get deferred at best. I’m honestly in absolute shock. I’m so so so incredibly grateful for this opportunity and I can’t wait to meet my fellow Sagehens next Fall! To everyone who is looking at this thread and freaking out: DON’T. College Confidential made me feel like I wasn’t getting into any college, yet I got accepted to my first choice! Don’t stress too much. Also, if you didn’t get accepted, don’t worry. You’ll end up where you’re meant to be!

14

Oh–forgot to mention–I didn’t receive an email asking for my quarter grades and neither did my counselor, but my application portal changed a few days before decisions were released. My High School Transcript status changed from “received” to “awaiting,” which I inferred was a request for quarter grades so I sent them in after having a brief heart attack.

15

Decision: Accepted!!!

SAT I (breakdown): 2070 (E 780 M 660 R 630) (Pretty sure I didn’t send it in)
ACT (breakdown): 31 (E 31 M 31 R 35 S 28 W 09)
Unweighted GPA: N/A
Weighted GPA: 91.29 (went down after first quarter :/)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP English Lang (4) AP US History (4)
Senior Year Course Load:
AP Bio, AP Chinese, AP Enviro, AP English Comp
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Some school/sports awards— nothing major…
2015 National High School Girls Tennis All American
Missouri State Tennis Champion (11,12)

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Not a lot as I was always training and traveling
Asia Club (VP (11) President (12)
Chess club/Frisbee club (commoner)
University of Missouri High School Mini Medical School

NSLC Medicine and Healthcare Summer Program at Harvard University
UMKC Hospital Hill Health and Science Academy

Kansas African American Affairs Commission

Job/Work Experience:
Tutor
Volunteer/Community service: I was very heavily involved in all three organizations since middle school.
Tennis Buddies
Urban League of Greater Kansas City
Stephanie Waterman Foundation
Summer Activities:
Competitive tennis, tutor, volunteer, medical camps (see above)
Essays:
Decent. Talked about overcoming my family’s homophobia and coming out to them… The supplement for Pomona (teach a class) was pretty creative. I would give my essays a 9/10. They were pretty authentic essays.

Teacher Recommendation:
Asked my english and biology teacher. The one from my english teacher was pretty good I would assume. We had a good relationship, and she’s known me from freshman year… Not too sure about the one from my biology teacher. I didn’t perform too well in her class first quarter this year, but that being said, I’m sure it was okay.
Counselor Rec:
I had a very good college counselor as he always seemed to be on top of things. I assume it was a decent rec letter.
Additional Rec:
Nahhh
Interview:
Went on campus for my interview. I think it went very well. Ended up going on a complete tangent and my interviewer and I ranted about the Walking Dead… I also visited the campus two times and scheduled a meeting with my admissions officer the first time, and then the second time, I had an official interview…
Supplementary Material (portfolio, etc.): Nope

Applied for Financial Aid?: YES (haven’t heard back yet)
State (if domestic applicant): MO
School Type: Private (there on scholarship)
Ethnicity: Black and Asian (Blasian)
Gender: XX
Income Bracket: 100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM; Diverse; Recruited; Disabled father

Reflection
Strengths: Essays
Weaknesses: Test score/ Grades… Definitely do not fit the Pomona quota…
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Being recruited helps… Regardless, I found a passion, stuck with it, and really narrowed down what I was focused on.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Applied EA to UChicago

General Comments: They did request my quarter grades, which I was very nervous about because I never do well first quarter… Had a B- in AP Biology, which really stressed me out. Thought I was getting deferred for sure.

16

oh yeah I’m also in AB Calc

17

Does anyone know what percentage of Pomona applicants who applied ED were deferred? I can’t find the stats anywhere online.

18

I think its 40%

19

Where did you find that? Does anyone know what percentage were accepted?

20

@ssss1212 look at harvardboundyolo’s other posts, including claiming to have a 22 ACT and gotten an “early” RD acceptance to Harvard, and draw your own conclusions about the reliability of post #17.