Congratulations to everyone who made it!
The work continues guys! And this goes out to all of us whether admitted, deferred, or rejected. Let’s all keep chasing our dreams and pushing ourselves. Would Bill Gates still have invented Microsoft if Harvard had rejected him? He would, unless he let the rejection stop him from learning and creating new things! Likewise, getting into Harvard is not what helped him start a billion-dollar-venture.
All I’m saying is that ultimately it’s us and our efforts that count most, not the school we attend. Don’t lose heart if you got a no. Pull yourself together, find schools that interest you, and apply RD. All the best!
for future applicants:
deferred
GPA: 4.988
SAT: 1560
subject tests: us history 800, math 2 790, world history 770
no class rank
AP: art history (5), us history (5), lang (5), physics 1 (4), calc bc, us government and politics, macro, lit, spanish language
extracurriculars: model un president with three awards, debate team captain, internship on a statewide gubernatorial campaign, concert choir/a cappella, rector of a retreat at my school, political columnist for my school newspaper, volunteering at a home for low-income seniors, peer tutor, founder/president of jsa at my school, other less important commitments, secretary of a statewide political organization
awards: 1st place amc 10 for my school, national spanish exam gold medalist two years, scholarship finalist for my school, brandeis book award, multiple honor societies, guest speaker at a teen leadership camp
common app essay: how my personal struggles changed my views of politics/religion
I got deferred! Pretty good for a 1370 SAT no subject tests and only one 5 on AP tests
remove the a, close the gap in the bracket
[aB][asize=7][acolor=Green]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=7][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=7][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected[/color][/size]**
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
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.):
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major:
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
General Comments:
heres this if anyone wants to do it
Decision: Deferred
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1370 660 R/W 710M
ACT (breakdown): Did not submit
SAT II: did not take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4
AP (place score in parenthesis):
Statistics (3)
European History (4)
Macro Economics (4)
Micro Economics (4)
Language and Composition (4)
US History (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): not offered
Senior Year Course Load:
AP Physics
AP Government
AP Literature
AP Computer Science
PE (2 years required)
Student Leadership
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Leadership State (California) Board Finalist
Winner of Leadership Conference Scholarship
President’s Service Award (President Trump)
Rotary Speech Club Finalist
AP Scholar with Distinction
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Founder and Editor in Chief of school newspaper
Student Leadership (class president 11th and now treasurer)
internship with senator
surf club (founder/ president)
Academic league (4 year captain)
other stuff that i am too lazy to write about
Job/Work Experience: Worked at a deli now working at a pharmacy (started working at 16)
Volunteer/Community service: do a lot through newspaper/student leadership
Summer Activities: school/work
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
main 10/10 talked about the pharmacy and how community built my perspective
why 8/10 very specific
passion
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 11/10 talked about my intellectual journey
Teacher Rec #2: 10/10 my leadership skills
Counselor Rec: 10/10 my place in the community
Additional Rec: (Peer) 11/10 my personal side very very good
Interview: 10/10 spent 1.5 hours talking
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Economics
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Latina
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: idk
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none maybe starting a newspaper
Reflection
Strengths: essays/extracurriculars and letters of rec
Weaknesses: TEST SCORES 
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
probably test scores
General Comments:
one day SAT/ACT scores won’t be a thing…today is not that day
[aB][asize=7][acolor=Green]Decision: Accepted[/green][/16]**
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1520 (730 ERW, 790 Math, 22 Essay)
ACT (breakdown): n/a
SAT II: 800 Math II, 710 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.82
Weighted GPA (out of 5.0): 4.36
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 Calculus BC, 5 Calculus AB (subscore), 5 APUSH, 4 Computer Science A
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: Advanced Symphony, AP Biology, Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calculus, AP Chinese, AP Literature, Post-AP Computer Science Design and Data Structures
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Honor Roll, NMSQT National Commended Scholar, AP Scholar Honors with Distinction, Bronze and Silver Presidential Service Awards, Regional Honors Symphony Qualifier, Scholastic All-American Swimmer
Subjective: Honors Music Royal Conservatory and Certificate of Merit, Branch Honors Qualifier, Jazz Music Piano Composition (I wrote a 9 minute piece with 2 movements and published on youtube) - this composition was submitted in my music portfolio separately to the school
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Club Swimming Futures Qualifier, Team Record Holder, Varsity 4 years and (Senior Team Captain), Student-Athlete Representative for Swimming in Leadership committee, Pianist (Classical and Original composition), Cellist in Advanced school symphony and regional honors qualifier
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service: I began an all student-managed non-profit tutoring organization, proceeds to underprivileged LA children, administrator and tutor. It gained momentum very quickly and we donated 2000 dollars to an underprivileged shelter for education and housing of low income families in downtown LA. The nonprofit gets emails every day from for requests of tutoring for their children around the area.
Summer Activities: Swimming training, writing music, managing tutoring nonprofit administration, reading
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Why Dartmouth 9/10: I wrote this essay and it had some scientific puns in it. I was really touched a lot on nature experience at Dartmouth while being able to incorporate swimming, music, and my ambitions in biomedical engineering pretty nicely. I could say it was slightly cheesy, but was well-written
Dartmouth Longer Supplement (9.5/10): I talked about my families history in fleeing China, the hardships they endured in Malaysia, and how I am the product of generations of individuals fighting their way from the bottom to the top. I talked about my ambitions and was more academically focused in this essay
Personal Statement (10/10): I wrote in allegorical form about my love for collecting mechanical pencils and the things I learned about myself and perfection through childhood. Discovering humility and helping others helped me understand that I did not exist only to fight for myself and compete with the world.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
STEM Rec (10/10): My AP Physics Teacher was literally in love with me.
Teacher Rec #1: (8.5/10) My teacher and I had some very personal conversations outside of class time and she really helped me through some very hard times. It was a very challenging English class and I received an A-, but did not speak that much in class so I’m not sure how much she wrote about my actual English skills in her class. But she knew I was a great writer and a good student
Teacher Rec #2: (10/10) My physics teacher absolutely loved me and called me his “star” student all the time. He wrote about the way I contributed in class and was always making time to learn more about the subject, even if it was outside the class material
Counselor Rec: (9.5/10) I was very close with my counselor and she was fully supportive of my ED decision to apply to Dartmouth. She said it was very realistic and also knew how hard of a worker I was. The only -0.5 dock I put on this number is that she often would not make that much time to meet with me. But this is insignificant with regards to the rest of our relationship.
Additional Rec: Peer Rec (10/10) I got a letter from my best friend in swimming who was also in ym Linear Algebra Seminar. He talked about my passions and hard work ethic, and the letter touched me for sure.
Interview: (10/10) I had an amazing conversation with the alumni at a Starbucks after school, and she was very impressed by my statistics. It came to the point where she was asking me for advice on getting her kid to get similar numbers. She informed me that she would write a fully supportive letter and would be very surprised if I did not get in.
Other: Swim Coach Recommendation (10/10): This coach took me out of a very hard time in swimming and watched my development from rock bottom. He knew how hard I grinded in daily practices and wrote about all of it.
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Biological Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Asian, Pacific Islander (Hawaiian Native)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Upper Middle
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Uncle Attended, Soft Support from swim coach
Reflection
Strengths: Having passions and not just doing things like sports and music for the sake of certificates and awards (this is shown in my personal statement), breath in activities
Weaknesses: Lack of academic (scientific) extracurriculars. Could have done research, joined more STEM clubsm, and made efforts on the academic side outside of school
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think I was accepted for my passions. My support from the swim coach was minimal, and my hard work and genuine personality shown through in the application
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: ED so no where!!!
General Comments: n/a
@deferred gang: Well, that sucks. You deserved it. You are going to do great things where ever you go. Keep up the good work.
deferred
So, do a good amount of students get accepted during the RD rounds from the deferral group?
@pwlaans check out this thread
@Johnnyohnvafaxa and @KiaraLester and others:
This is like a lottery of sorts. I have studied previous years’ acceptance threads and reading posts from those deferred or who were scared to check their status, my heart goes out to you as a parent. If deferred or rejected, don’t let this define your self worth. Amazing people do get in and amazing people don’t get in. The hard work done in high school will go with you, wherever you land. Best of luck.
For future applicants who might find this single data point useful, I was admitted after Financial Aid changes including non-personalized material request emails and redownloading of documents in the portal.
1 Like
Decision:
Accepted!
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1390, 1430 superscore
ACT (breakdown): 35 composite, 34 math, 36 science, English 35, reading 34
SAT II: none taken
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 uw, 4.609 weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 10/713, top 1%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human geo (4), US government (5), Physics 1 (2), AB calc (5), stat (4), Lang (5), APUSH (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP lit, AP micro/AP macro, AP biology, AP psychology, AP Calc BC, Student English Tutor, Student Leadership
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP scholar with distinction, Honor Roll
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student leadership (student body director of communications for 2 years), Newspaper (head opinion editor), NHS, science national honor society, social studies national honor society, English national honor society (board member), Mental health board (board member), student English tutor
Job/Work Experience: Kohls ( 5 months), babysitting for local church
Volunteer/Community service: 80+ hours, mostly though leadership, sorted medical supplies at project cure, created my own book drive
Summer Activities: nothing really
Essays (rating 1-10, details): common app essay was about mental health and I structured it along the hero’s journey plot points in literature and how I’ve grown from it (9/10–it was better than I described it haha)
Dartmouth supplemental was about my favorite book, Romeo and Juliet, and I talked about dichotomies in our society (8/10)
“Why Dartmouth” was about the cemetery next to Lorde hall and how it was a reminder of the longevity of Dartmouth students compared to the dead and how Dartmouth was a place we both believed in (9/10 since I thought it was pretty original)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: One from my algebra 2/statistics/economics teacher who I had for 3 years (9/10 since we have a great relationship and he’s always supported me)
Teacher Rec #2: One from my Lang teacher who always complemented my writing which I thought would be helpful since I want to major in English (8/10)
Counselor Rec: Didn’t know her that well but she was super helpful (7/10)
Additional Rec: my best friend wrote a peer letter of rec and she’s a wonderful writer so I’m sure it was great (9/10)
Interview: Really connected with my interviewer; she was an English major and we had similar personalities— it was mainly a conversation and she told me she would give me a great recommendation(10/10)
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: yes!
Intended Major: English Literature
State (if domestic applicant): Colorado
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $60,000/year with 5 siblings and lots of medical bills
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation
Reflection
Strengths: I spent a lot of time on my essays, my leadership was very in-depth, and my academics were strong
Weaknesses: I didn’t do anything profound in HS like starting a nonprofit or anything like that
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think they appreciated my voice and honesty in my essays
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
I applied for QuestBridge but didn’t become a finalist; got into Colorado State University and Roanoke College. I applied to Seton Hall, UNC Chapel hill, George Washington, Wesleyan, Richmond, Colorado College, and a few others but I haven’t found out since I’m rescinding my applications (I waited to apply to other prestigious colleges until I found out about Dartmouth to save myself work unless it was necessary, which it wasn’t thank goodness).
General Comments: I’m so shocked! I wasn’t very confident but I’m beyond excited to be a part of Dartmouth’s class of 2024!
[acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected[/color]
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1470 (710 R&W, 760 M)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): My school doesn’t do GPA
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): My school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis): 40/45 Predicted (HL Econ, HL Computer Science, HL Biology, SL Lang Lit, SL Math, French AB Initio SL)
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Jazz Band, International Music Festival (participated twice) Kickboxing (state-level), Young Entrepreneurs Academy (part of Star Alumni Club), Published an article in a large newspaper, Created a “wellness room” for mental health at school (leadership role).
Job/Work Experience: Three internships, one at a think-tank, one at a large shoe brand, and one for animal conservation efforts.
Volunteer/Community service: Sports CSR Club (Leader for 2 years, member for 4, upwards of 200 hours of service).
Summer Activities: Internships mentioned above.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8/10, my common app essay and long-answer Dartmouth supplement were both very polished whereas my short-answer wasn’t as good (due to the word limit).
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 9/10, my Computer Science teacher has known me since I was 10 and has seen me grow into becoming one of his best students. We’ve always had a close relationship and are more like friends than teacher-student.
Teacher Rec #2: 7/10, Econ is one of my stronger classes (7 IB predicted), but word on the street is she writes not so great LoRs. I decided to stick to asking her to write one since I’ve consistently performed very well in her class and have participated in group discussions. That said, it probably wasn’t on the same level as my Computer Science teacher.
Counselor Rec: 10/10, I spent a lot of time with my counselor so that she really got to know me before writing her counselor rec. In fact I believe she tailor-made one for Dartmouth specifically since she knew it was my top choice. My counselor has a track-record of sending kids to the top schools in the country, and since my grade is only 45 people, she can spend a lot more time on each student.
Peer Rec: 9/10, my best friend (and now ex-girlfriend) wrote my peer rec. It was written very well and showed a lot of good qualities of me but I’m not certain whether it really set me apart from other candidates.
Additional Rec: 10/10, from my first internship at the think-tank. Written by my direct supervisor who is a brilliant writer (has published books), and praised me for both my work at his institution, but also showed a more personal side of me.
Interview: 7/10, my interview was done over FaceTime, which wasn’t an issue. I believe that my interview went well, although it was a very rigid Q&A type of interview (unlike my Wesleyan interview which was more of a conversation). I believe I pushed my community service contributions a bit too much, but the questions were very repetitive and I felt as though I had no other answer since the questions were all so similar.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Economics
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: High net worth, low income (~$150K)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Harvard & MIT legacy, father died when I was 7, expatriate.
Reflection
Strengths: I think that my biggest strengths were probably my recommendations and essays. I think that the Common App Essay and long(er) Dartmouth supplement were particularly well written, which was a sentiment echoed amongst everyone who read them. I also believe that my work experience is quite broad and shows that I’m able to adapt to different environments and still achieve success.
Weaknesses: I think a contributing factor was the fact that I didn’t take subject tests, which was entirely my own fault (too lazy). I also think that the lack of awards also contributed to this. My transcript showed strong growth over the years, but maybe I didn’t do well enough for Dartmouth in my freshman and sophomore year. The interview could’ve gone better (I wish I was asked better questions tbh).
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Answered above.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted Penn State (so far).
General Comments:
I was hopeful of getting into Dartmouth and thought I had a good shot, but apparently I was nowhere near good enough to even be deferred. Oh well. It wasn’t my dream school anyway, and it was a shot in the dark. Onwards to better things. I wish everyone else applying the best of luck and hope you get in!
[asize=7][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred[/color][/size]
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 35 (35E 34M 36R 35S)
SAT II: 800 Biology Molecular, 700 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 Biology, 5 US History, 4 APLAC (self-studied)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
AP Chemistry
AP Lit & Composition
AP Spanish Literature
AP Calculus BC
AP US Government
Economics (no ap offered)
TA for World History
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, National Hispanic Recognition Program, gymnastics state championships in my age group, {Insert prestigious University hospital here} peer mentor award for contributions to the pediatric pain community, school academic excellence awards.
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Trained in competitive gymnastics since early childhood (16hrs/week), 4yrs varsity school gymnastics (won our conference championship for the first time), Spanish Club/Spanish National Honors Society Secretary/Treasurer (11th) and President (12th)
Also am doing and independent genetics project where I’m designing my own procedures and stuff.
Job/Work Experience: recreational gymnastics coach at my club
Volunteer/Community service: peer mentor at chronic pain program teaching cognitive behavioral skills to cope with chronic illness (by invite of ____ university pain doctors)
Summer Activities: COSMOS at UCI Cluster 1: Mimicking Natural Protein-Protein interactions to treat diseases (cancer)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App: 9/10 compared how I responded to chronic illness my freshman year vs sophomore year to show my journey to accepting my struggles as a sign of strength (contrasting to the very simplistic view of strength I grew up with as a gymnast) rather than weakness, how I’m sharing that insight with others.
Why Dartmouth: 7/10 honest and why i fell in love with the school (Liberal Arts College but with more research opportunities and the DOC) but I’m not sure it made me stand out.
Supplement: 8/10 how I view gymnastics as an art rather than just a sport, showed how I think about the world
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 9/10 Spanish teacher for 3 years, adviser for Spanish Club. Great relationship and he really understands me.
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10 AP Bio teacher: would ask a lot of questions and gave me advice on my independent research project but didn’t know her as well as my Spanish teacher.
Counselor Rec: 10/10 I go to a competitive public school where counselors don’t really know their students, but my assistant principle/504 case manager has worked with my since 9th grade and has been pulling for me this whole time
Peer Rec: 8/10 One of my best friends and showed my personal side but again I don’t know how it made me stand out compared to others.
Interview: 7/10 much more rigid format than I expected, less of a natural conversation
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Biochemical Sciences
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, overcoming significant life challenges??
Reflection
Strengths: strong ACT, essays and commitment to activities that I love, strong story on how I now want to make change in the healthcare field
Weaknesses:
grades, Bio teacher rec and interview not exceptional, US History subject test?
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
I missed 2/3 of my sophomore year due to a chronic illness (will graduate on time but my transcript is kinda whack) so they probably want to see more grades. Also had a 4.0 uw gpa until second semester junior year where I got 2 b’s so yeah not ideal. Also being bedridden for a year limited my extracurriculars (was on track to be nationally ranked for gymnastics) but obviously am immensely grateful to be back to my normal life
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: none yet, but applying to other small LACs
General Comments: deferred gang, let’s keep our heads up! I know everyone will end up at a school where they’ll be happy and if that’s not Dartmouth, it’s ok. Congrats to those accepted!
Q: I’m generally very nervous applying to schools because of my unusual transcript/ high school progression so if anyone has experience in if/how this played into my deferral I’m all ears 
Congrats to all those accepted, and good luck to those that are deferred! I know how tough the college application process is, but it really does work out for the best.
Dartmouth was not my first choice for school, but after being rejected from my “dream school” I accepted admission to Dartmouth. I have been super happy here and love the environment, people that I have met, amazing faculty, and the resources available to every student.
If anyone has any questions about life/academics at Dart - please let me know! Happy to answer any questions.
I am an RD applicant about to submit my stuff. Best of luck to all of you, you will all end up where you’re meant to be 
!
Accepted!
Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 33 (36E, 35R, 33M, 26S), 32 (35E, 34R, 30M, 30S), 32 (34E, 33R, 27M, 33S). I submitted all.
SAT II: Bio-E 740, World History 790
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/25
AP (place score in parenthesis): Euro 5, Lang 5, Bio 5
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus, AP English Literature, Faith & Media, Christian Philosophy and Worldview Part II, Debate, Concert Band, Physics, Senior Seminar, Strength and Agility, Student Council, US History
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Extemporaneous Speaking
State Champion, Public Forum State Champion, Most Distinguished in AP
Language and Composition, School-level Joshua Award: Outstanding Christian Character, Most Distinguished in Christian Philosophy and Worldview Part I, Most Distinguished in Bible 9
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Speech and Debate (Team Captain 12th Grade, three years), Student Government (Student Body VP 12th Grade, Class Rep 10th Grade, Class VP 9th Grade), National Honor Society (President 12th Grade, three years), School Hiking Club (Cofounder and copresident 12th Grade), Jazz and Concert Band (First chair saxophonist four years, band performing the world premier of a commissioned work this spring)
Job/Work Experience: Full-time summer job as a presenter/educator at Salt Lake City’s aquarium. One season.
Volunteer/Community service: Youth Group Student Leader planning gatherings, topics, retreats (four years), Family Responsibilities (providing childcare and transportation for five younger siblings, two of which diagnosed special needs)
with diagnosed special needs)
Summer Activities: Student Conservation Association National Crew (three-week trail maintenance in Vermont’s Green Mountains National Forest), The Ulster Project (month-long peace project promoting ecumenical harmony between Irish and American Catholics and Protestants), Utah State University Biotech Academy Intern (week-long program where my team was awarded second place in research presentation)
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: Titled “Chasing Wolves”, I elaborated on one of my favorite hobbies, wolf-watching in Yellowstone, connecting it with the psychological necessity of confronting frontiers and my interest in evolutionary biology. With the kind advice of a few writing experts, I felt very solid about this essay. (10/10)
Dartmouth Supplemental: I wrote about Richard Dawkin’s The Selfish Gene, recognizing the strengths of his revolutionary book and what I see as philosophical shortcomings of a purely materialistic paradigm. Overall, good, but it could have been tighter. (8/10)
Why Dartmouth: I wrote my respect for Dartmouth’s motto “Vox Clemantis in Deserto” (Voice Crying out in the Wilderness) and how the College’s setting and offerings fulfill that idea. (10/10)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: AP Biology Teacher (9/10)
Teacher Rec #2: AP Language and Composition Teacher (10/10)
Counselor Rec: (10/10)
Additional Rec: AP Literature and Composition Teacher, Speech and Debate Coach. (10/10)
I know all of my recommenders personally (including my counselor), excelled in their courses/activities, and demonstrated work ethic, integrity, and interest. I’m very grateful for what I’m sure were terrific letters.
Interview: The interview went for a while, and I was able to connect my interest in political philosophies with ecological biology and local conservation. I felt that I may have been rambling at times, but the interviewer was very gracious and said that she would write a “very favorable” report. (10/10)
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Biological Sciences, Public Policy
State (if domestic applicant): Utah
School Type: Christian Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Resident of an underrepresented geographic area?
Reflection
Strengths: GPA, Debate Awards, Essays, Leadership, Work
Weaknesses: Test scores could have been stronger.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Beyond consistent academic performance and self-challenge, I didn’t have any obvious “spike”. However, between steady and impactful involvement in various pursuits within my community and what I think was good writing, I may have been a better candidate.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to Wheaton College, Calvin University, Dordt University, Utah State University, and Montana State University. Rescinded Early Action application to the University of Chicago.
General Comments:
As I am no admissions expert, please take this advice with much salt.
I heard from some admissions officers that they don’t review applications looking for minute mistakes. While typos and careless errors should be avoided, I accidentally listed one of my awards twice on my honors section, and said “world premier” instead of “world premiere”. I was still admitted.
Do not be afraid to deviate from application common sense. In my essays, which I think were one of the strongest aspects, I focused on articulating and exploring ideas while connecting them to experiences rather than focusing on the experiences themselves.
Has anyone been contacted for an interview yet?
My son has not heard anything as of yet. Hoping for soon!
@mountainmama416 yep, I did last week