New update! I just submitted my College Prep Scholars application for Questbridge last night. I was feeling pretty meh about my essay drafts for a while, but I made some edits within the final week that I’m really proud of.
One thing though- Questbridge encourages applicants to write about extenuating circumstances / things that would’ve affected my academics. I didn’t want to come across as whiny, so I wrote about circumstances in the Additional Info sections, and presented an optimistic view on my upbringing in my essay. I’m hoping this contradition in tone will not backfire on me- maybe they could perceive my hardships as being less valid, or think of me as arrogant compared to others who have been through worse? I’ve also heard advice like “don’t talk about the three d’s- death, disease, divorce” and “don’t talk about your family’s mental health history”, so I’m not too sure what to believe.
I just tried to be honest, and I hope that that’s enough.
@MYOS1634 I can understand that. I didn’t talk about any traumatic events in my essay besides brief mention at the end of some things that weren’t mentioned in my Additional Info section. Most of the essay was about how my family dynamic and traditions influenced my personality and growth, but I also definitely understand if they would’ve rather read about something else (since they probably get a lot of essays about family anyway).
Hi everyone! Super excited to say that I just received a full scholarship as a Horizon Scholar to Stanford’s High School Summer College! I’m currently waiting on an admissions letter from the RISE research internship at Stanford… but I have to submit my yes/no to the Summer College program pretty soon.
The internship seems really cool and research is an opportunity that hasn’t come up with students at my school, so I feel like it would be a good experience. At the same time, I’ve been leaning away from STEM and towards the social sciences, and the summer college would let me take a variety of courses for credit, which I think would be really helpful going into college. I’m leaning towards accepting my current offer right now, especially because scholarship is so hard to come by as well.
Would I be making the right choice if I accept HSSC and ask RISE to cancel my application?
New update! I accepted the Horizon Scholars offer! I looked through the catalog and found a class that was pretty much EXACTLY what I wanted to learn about.
My friend also referred me to a cool program nearby, where students blog about things they’re passionate about. I shadowed her and it was so fun- one girl was writing songs, another about her travels in Europe, and yet another writing about… memes? Anyway, since I’ve been planning to make a comic and blog about the process, this program is pretty perfect! I’m sending in an application soon and hoping for the best.
College Prep Scholars decisions are coming out by the end of the month. Everything seems to be falling together, and so much better than I expected! I’m really excited for the rest of my life now
Just got an email from the lab internship saying I hadn’t been selected. I’m a bit discouraged, although I suspect the rejection may have been partly because I told the woman in charge that another program had already accepted me, and she encouraged me to accept their offer. However, I got to know my teacher better and still have great activities lined up for the summer, so I think it worked itself out pretty nicely.
I know this is vain of me, but I feel like had gotten so many acceptances in a row that I felt immune to rejection. Obviously that isn’t true, and I’m glad this happened so I can at least get used to the feeling ahead of college decisions :'D
Hey! I’m also a socially-awkward/female/ Chinese-American writer. Shoot me a message if you want interview tips and a list of some writing opportunities I’ve encountered over the past few years.
@supercilious Ahh I actually read your admissions journey thread a while ago! :'D Congrats on Princeton btw, I’m sure you’ll have a great time there! Thanks for reaching out, I really appreciate it!
Post # 5 makes a great point about essays and they will be critical for you. You are both interesting and amazing. Your essays need to convey that. Most of all, be memorable (and humorous if that’s a comfortable style). Got to find that needle in a haystack for the Ivies.
