**Decision: Accepted **
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1550; 800 Math, 750 Reading, 1 sitting
ACT (breakdown): 35, 36 English, 36 Reading, 34 Math, 35 Science. 1 sitting.
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.77
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Country does not rank at all.
AP (place score in parenthesis): Phys 1 (4), World (3), Micro (5), Macro (5), US (4), Lang (5). Currently taking BC
Calc, Stat, Physics 2, Physics C: Mech, Lit, and Gov.
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Gov, AP Stat, AP Physics C: Mech, BC Calc, Latin IV, AP Physics 2
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Regional first place science fair. Not very major.
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Quiz Bowl (captain), Governer’s Economics Challenge, Debate, Science Fair.
Job/Work Experience: None.
Volunteer/Community service: Monitor for VASOS project.
Summer Activities: Relaxing, reading.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8; My essays were solid and very heavily edited by a friend of mine who is very good at writing. She will be attending Midd. The focus was my passion for learning, both from my grandfather, who taught me how to fish, and by myself. I focused an essay on my passion for physics.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I did not read the recs written for me, so most of this is speculation.
Teacher Rec #1: Physics teacher who loved me. Called me “the most scientifically gifted student he has ever taught.” He is a fairly good writer. (9/10)
Teacher Rec #2: AP Lang and debate teacher. Exceptional writer, loved me. She is good friends with my father, who teaches at my school. (9/10)
Counselor Rec: I did not know my counselor well, but my father did. They are very good friends. (8/10)
Additional Rec: None
Interview: None
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Physics
State (if domestic applicant): VA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 100-200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nothing.
Reflection
Strengths: Test scores are my strong suit. I have a natural aptitude for taking standardized tests. I was finished in half the time on both the SAT I math and the Math II test. I did the ACT without a calculator. Tests are my cup of tea. My recs were also good, and because my father is a well known/loved teacher, I got brownie points. My essays were solid and focused on what colleges want to hear: my passion for learning.
Weaknesses: My GPA. Freshman and Sophomore year, I was a slacker. My grades were much better Junior and Senior year. My math grades were also weak until senior year, which is ironically when I started my hardest math course yet. My lack of meaningful ECs and major awards is also a weakness.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: A whole lot of natural ability got me into the position to do the Hard work that got me considered. Good luck got me selected. You need a fair amount of all three or an insane amount of two to succeed.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted: UIUC, UCSB, UVA, VTech, W&M. Berkeley comes out tonight. Wish me luck.
Rejected: Caltech, MIT, UChicago (deferred from EA, then rejected).
General Comments: Boy, am I lucky or what?