Deferred twice. I want to give up. Help :(.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hello.
I applied ED to Brown and I was deferred. I applied EA to UMaine and to WPI and got in to the honors college at UMaine with a scholarship, and got a $32,000 a year presidential scholarship to WPI for Biomedical Engineering. Yesterday, decisions for Northeastern EA came out. I was honestly not very nervous about it. Based on what my guidance counselor told me, based on other people who have gotten in from my school, and based on my grades, course rigor, ECs, awards, recommendations I thought I would get in. Even people on this website said I would get in. Being deferred from Brown really hurt me because I wanted to go so badly and I just really needed another acceptance to at least make me a little more confident, but all I got was another deferral. It’s not that Northeastern was a top choice for me; if stuck with the choice of Northeastern & WPI, I would pick WPI hands down. WPI’s biomedical engineering programs are amazing while Northeastern’s bioengineering major isn’t even ABET accredited. But still. I am worried about about what this deferral says about my chances at other schools. I hate this process so much. I’ve worked so hard throughout high school and I put so much effort into my applications and it feels like everything I’ve done is for nothing. My guidance counselor keeps saying “it’s OK, you’re amazing, don’t let this define you. If they didn’t want you then they would have denied you.” But if they wanted me, then why didn’t they accept me? Apparently I’m only good enough to defer, and not to admit. I applied EDII to Tufts and I’m probably going to be deferred again. I can’t stand this, I just want to give up. HELP. Do I even stand a chance at any of these schools, or should I just send in a deposit to WPI already and end my misery.

Here are my credentials, if you are curious:

UW GPA: 95.5
W GPA: 97.7
Rank: Top 10% (that’s as specific as my school gets)
School: Strong public school. About 700 students, 151 students in my senior class.
SAT I: 1420 (700M, 720CR, 24E)
SAT II: These are not very good. 670 Lit & 650 bio-M. I know, I know. But these scores in no way reflect my abilities in English or Biology. I’ve gotten straight 97+ in English all throughout high school and a 5 on AP Lang. My final grade in Honors Bio was 95 and AP Bio was 98. These types of tests stress me out so I’m not very good at them.
(Didn’t send these scores to any of my schools besides Tufts & Brown).

Race: White, of Middle Eastern origin. I was born in Iraq, but my family moved to the US as refugees when I was 7 years old because of the war.
Language: Arabic first language (read, write, speak, spoken at home), English (read, write, speak, also spoken at home)
Gender: Female
State: Maine

Essays:
Common app: Don’t want to say too much, but I honestly don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say 10/10 though. It’s an essay that I wrote a while back (edited of course), and it means a lot to me. I won a Scholastic Gold Key for it a couple of years ago. It discusses my experiences dealing with two opposing identities as a first generation immigrant. I think it really shows off my writing skills. People have told me that it’s very moving. (It’s not a sob story though, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression).

Supplements: I worked really, really hard on these. I think that they really showcase my writing ability and my personality. For Tufts, I chose the “it’s cool to be smart, talk about subjects that excite your intellectual curiosity” I talked about science and I got very specific about some of the science research projects that I’ve done. Last year for example I worked with a local biotech company to research GMO detection. My project this year has to do with tissue engineering using plant-based scaffolds. It was a pretty nerdy essay, I think it really showcased my love for science and the work that I’ve done in high school. I used a similar version of this essay for Dartmouth. In my “Why Tufts” essay I highlighted my interdisciplinary interests in science, writing, and politics, etc and how Tufts would be perfect for allowing me to pursue all of those interests. In my “Why Dartmouth” essay I talked about why I liked their engineering programs.

Recommendations:
Counselor
-My counselor spends a lot of time on her recommendations. She goes out and interviews teachers, gets quotes from them, etc. She said that out of all of her 19 years working as a counselor, if she could create her own college campus with only 50 kids that she’s worked with then I would be one of them.

Teachers:
-My first is from my AP Lang & Comp teacher from last year. I got 97+ in her class and a 5 on the exam. She said I was the best writer she’s had in years. I’ve also known her all four years of high school because she is the advisor for my school’s literary and arts magazine, which I am the editor-in-chief of. She went to Tufts if that helps lol.

-My second recommendation is being written by my Science Research teacher. I’ve also known her for all four years of high school and over the years she’s become a great friend of my family’s.

(Sent in an extra rec to Brown from my AP Calc teacher after I was deferred)

ECs/Volunteering:
-School Literary and Arts Magazine (9-12): Editor-in-Chief junior and senior year
-Student Government (10-12): Head of Academics Committee
-Science Bowl (11-12): Co-captain of team 2017, Captain 2018
-VEX Robotics (10-12): Team Captain 2018, led initiative to recruit girls (I used to be the only girl in the team).
-Civil Rights Team (10-12): Senior Member
-National Honor Society (11-12): Community Service Committee
-Youth Court Volunteer (11-12): Advocate/Judge
-I do an independent science research project every year and I have presented scientific research every year at the state science fair, and the junior sciences and humanities symposium.
-I volunteer at a local mosque teaching Arabic to young kids

Awards/Honors:
-Inducted into the French Honor Society (10th grade)
-New York Times Editorial Contest Runner-Up (Top 25 out of almost 8,000!!) (11th grade)
-Award from the American Psychology Association @ State Science Fair (9th grade)
-Three scholastic writing awards (Gold Key, Silver Key, and Honorable Mention) (10th, 11th grade)
-Columbia College Chicago Young Author’s Competition finalist in the creative nonfiction category (11th grade)
-My school chose me as one of 2 delegates to Girls’ State, and there I was elected to the senate, then elected senate president (11th grade).
-RIT Medal for Creativity and Innovation from my school (11th grade)
-Selected to attend Consider Engineering camp at the University of Maine (Summer 2017)

Course rigor:
By the end of high school, I will have taken 8 AP Classes, 1 IB HL class, and 10 honors classes. This is my course load for senior year:
-AP Literature
-AP Physics
-AP Calc BC
-AP Comp Sci (online)
-AP US Gov and Politics (online)
-AP French (conflicted w/ IB History and AP Calc–approved independent study. Pass/fail grade).
-IB History HL Year 2
-Science Research (Honors)-- This class is a pretty small group of people. It’s taken in a three-year sequence so I’ve been doing it every year since the 10th grade. New project every year.

Requested an interview for Tufts, scheduled one for Dartmouth.

Here is the full list of schools:
Brown (ED–Deferred)
Tufts EDII–College of Arts and Sciences, Biology & Biotechnology
Dartmouth RD–Biomedical Engineering Sciences
Bowdoin RD–Biology
Smith RD–Biomedical Engineering
Colby RD–Biology
Northeastern (EA, Bioengineering, Deferred)

Accepted:
UMO
WPI

2

“Apparently I’m only good enough to defer, and not to admit.”
You did not get denied at Brown. Your activities are strong, I know you want the open curriculum, but the scores are a tad low, as you know. I suspect you got caught in a bit of their regional diversity goals. Waiting to re-review you in RD allows them to see the whole pool from both Maine and other upper New England hs.

Meantime, you have WPI and Maine. You’re not batting ‘0 for four.’

You did send B the letter of continuing interest, right?

3

@lookingforward I did. And I sent them another recommendation from my AP Calc teacher. But I think I’ve given up on Brown at this point. I doubt I’ll get in.

4

Keep logging into all the portals. You like WPI, which is a plus. I’d guess you will get in at Smith, and maybe Colby. Honestly, your test scores are soft for the others. You might get in still at one or two of them, but I’d say those are your most likely admits. But it is out of your hands now. Go do something – anything to distract yourself. Read, have ice cream, meet someone for coffee, exercise, or study for APs.

5

You look like an amazing student! I understand your sense of panic, but you already have some choices for the fall that are excellent. The rest is just gravy.

The pressure cooker that US seniors have to endure is cruel. It’s worst for the top students like you. Biology and Biomedical Engineering are particularly popular majors, considering how many students enter college thinking they are pre-med. I do wonder if many students would be better off as “undecided.”

You will survive! You will thrive!

6

@prodesse, most of OP’s schools don’t admit by major so expressing an interest in Bio or Biomed isn’t the reason for the Deferral or Denial - there are just more qualified highly candidates than seats…

OP, hang in there as more good news will likely come.

7

They may not “admit” to a specific CoE or lock a kid into one path, but possible major is definitely a consideration in reviewing the app, experiences, and thinking. And in building a balanced class.

8

I don’t think it’s easier to apply undecided (http://admissions.tufts.edu/blogs/inside-admissions/post/dont-apply-undecided/)

9

This has been a tough year, you are not alone in deferrals and disappointment. My DS with a 36 ACT 3.9 UW gpa was deferred from Case and outright rejected by Georgia Tech. While it’s a blow, he’s gotten in to some other schools, so he has choices. You have choices too…so keep positive and love whatever school you end up at…

10

@ChattaChia “Deferrals and disappointment” - story of my life. Sorry about your son! College admissions is strange. I hope it all works out for him!

11

@lookingforward My admissions officer from Brown replied to my letter of continued interest and in his email he said “keep up the great work” so of course I keep overthinking that one line lol. I updated them with some of my grades-- when I applied I sent Brown my Math II and Literature subject tests which were awful so I told him that I got a 95 first quarter of AP Calc BC and a 97 in first quarter AP Literature (pretty sure Brown never got my first quarter grades, they should be getting my midyear report in a week or so, I’m almost done with mid-year exams). I also updated him with information about my new science research project (the one I talked about in my Tufts supplement mentioned in the above) along with plans for my senior project.

Ugh I just want to be done with this process already :/.

12

Honestly, given that you are a MIddle Eastern female with an interest in STEM, I think your chances are far stronger than you realize. There are very few women in those areas ( still) and even less so from the demographic areas of Maine and with a refugee background. I think your scholastic writing awards are also an excellent thing to consider. I believe you will get in all and were deferred just so they can see the entire candidate pool. Best of luck. Think positively. And WPI is a great school if final choices lean in that direction.

13

Why are you focusing on your deferments? Tens of thousands of kids get deferred. You haven’t been denied. You have been accepted with a 32k scholarship to a school you really like, with a fabulous program you want to study. I am not trying to be harsh, but perhaps you need to change your outlook. What I am reading here is that you sound ungrateful.

If you think nothing less than Brown is good enough, you might be in for a very disappointing admissions experience. Tens of thousands of kid really love Brown but won’t get in. You will experience all kinds of disappointments in life, but the upside here is that not only were you not denied yet, you were given an amazing gift of 32k a year. Who cares about Northeastern? It’s not a safety. The process of holistic admissions is full of surprises. Embrace the positive, and move on.

14

@Lindagaf I think that’s very easy to say when you’re an adult who is done with this process. I am in no way ungrateful for the scholarship to WPI, but I am allowed to be upset and sad and discouraged because a school that I really loved did not want me. I don’t think that anything less than Brown is not good enough, but I am saddened that a dream of mine has been shattered. I got accepted into my two safety schools. So far, that’s it. And yes I got a $32,000 scholarship to WPI, but WPI costs $65,000 a year, and their financial aid was not very good. When I saw the financial aid package, I started crying because if I do end up at WPI then I will have to take on a lot loans. Not only was Brown a great fit for me personally, but it was also a school that I could afford based on their financial aid. It’s hard to focus on the positives when a month ago the only school that I could imagine myself at said “no not yet we have to see 30k more applications first,” and then I was deferred yet again by Northeastern. Honestly, I think that you are being very insensitive. Being sad and feeling upset and insecure about my accomplishments does not make me ungrateful, it makes me human.

15

I would say that a 32K scholarship from a major university is not too shabby for a refugee from Iraq.

As for the admissions process, I think it is completely stacked in favor of the colleges and against the students. Not sure how to fix it but admission to selective schools is less “selection” and more like a winning lottery ticket. Don’t beat yourself up.

16

Have you run the NPC at Tufts? Is it affordable?

17

@suzy100 Yes. My problem for Tufts is that I have to get in and not get deferred again. In one month this thread will be called “Deferred three times. I dropped out of high school. Please help :(.” :))

18

“a school that I really loved did not want me”
“a dream of mine has been shattered”

But you have not been rejected. Period. Or was the “dream” to be accepted ED? Your stress is showing, we understand. But you can work on perspective.

We may be adults, but we’ve been through this with our kids, have more years of observing, and some are involved, in different ways. You have not been rejected and the attitude won’t help.

19

@lookingforward The dream was just to be accepted. My parents weren’t going to let me apply ED until I convinced them. I applied EDII to Tufts because I just can’t do it again. If we’re being realistic, my chances of getting in RD after being deferred are slim, but there’s still this sliver of hope–reading that deferral letter crushed me. It really did. I did not stop crying until close to 2AM after I got my decision. I was a mess at school the next day. I don’t want to get my hopes up even a little bit, only to have Brown reject me or wait-list me come late March/early April. I don’t want to recover only to be let down all over again.

20

Not everyone can go to an Ivy.