Harvard Class of 2021 SCEA Results Only Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
41

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1490 (750 R/W, 740 M, 23 Essay)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 790 US History, 780 Biology E
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.82
Weighted GPA: 4.11
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB (5), English Language (5), Biology (4), US History (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP US Government, Honors Physics, Honors English, Honors Theater, Spanish 4, Chorus, Orchestra, Advanced Research Laboratory Science
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar With Honors, Peddie Excellence in Theater, Wight Foundation Scholar, C.V. Starr Scholarship Award

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Multicultural Alliance (President), Young Democrats (President), Comedy Improvisation (President), Drama Club (Vice-President), Discipline Committee (Elected), Residential Advisor and Prefect, Senior Writing Fellow for Writing Center (Selected by faculty), Advanced Research Science (Selected By faculty) Chorus (Choir champion, student conductor, bass section leader), Orchestra, Better Beginnings Day Care

11 Theater Productions, including

Godspell (ensemble)
9 to 5 (ensemble)
Heidi Chronicles (Mark)
Romeo and Juliet (Lead, Friar Lawrence)
Hairspray (Ensemble)
Lend Me a Tenor (Lead, Henry Saunders)
Reckless (2nd, 4th, 5th Doctor)
Drowsy Chaperone (Star Lead, Man in Chair)
Rimers of Eldritch (Lead, Skelly Manor)
Government Inspector (Star Lead, Government Anton Antonovich)
Les Mis (Star Lead, Javert)

4 choir ensembles
4 orchestral ensembles
Student Conductor

Job/Work Experience: Summer intern in the laboratory of Dr. Kelly Jordan-Sciutto at UPenn
Volunteer/Community service: New Hope Baptist Church Food Bank, Christian Church of God Food Bank, Community Food Bank, Better Beginnings Day Care program, English as a Second Language
Summer Activities: Summer institute at Cushing Academy, Summer institute at Newark Academy, Student Diplomacy Corps (Mexico, Mayan immersion)

Essays (rating 1-10, details):

Common App, (9, discussed growing up having to go to the food bank, balancing boarding school life with disparate life at home).

Supplement (10, discussed being agnostic in a southern Baptist family, growing an understanding of the cultural/political significance of god across nations)

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

-US History Teacher (10, my favorite teacher EVER, A all three terms, coworker as residential advisor)
-AP English Language Teacher (9, not my favorite teacher, but I received an A+ in his class)
-Theater Director, Instructor (10, directed me in over 6 shows, mentor. Gave me A+ in multiple classes)
-Harvard alumna (10, mentor since the 7th grade, recommended I apply to Harvard years before)
-Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 10

-Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): 10, commended me for being one of the best interviewees he’s ever had, taken with my focus and intellect in many different areas.

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Social Studies/Government
State (if domestic applicant): New Jersey
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Private Boarding
Ethnicity: African American/Ghanaian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 40k-60k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, low income

Reflections:

Strengths: Grades, EC’s, intended major, recs
Weaknesses: SAT scores
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Excellent Application Essays, Excellent Recs, URM
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Did not apply elsewhere

General Comments (if any):

AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH I CANNOT BELIEVE I WAS ACCEPTED. Opening my letter was one of the happiest moments in my life. I will never forget my mother’s joy when I called to give her the news. Harvard was a distant dream for me; I’d only ever known one person who went to Harvard, and that person always seemed so much more intelligent and poised than I ever thought I was. I always looked to Harvard as “that” school, the one only discussed in legend, and a figment of the general imagination. When I finally visited, I knew I needed to be apart of Harvard’s magnificent legacy, and knowing that this dream is finally coming true is UNREAL.

To all those deferred/rejected, do not lose heart. I am in no place to say because of my circumstances, but your day will come just as mine has. You will find success if you choose to keep working as hard as you already have. I’m sure you would not have filled out the application if you did not think you were good enough.

42

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): (old, one sitting, one try) 2080 M: 630 W: 730 R:720
SAT II: Bio E: 740
German: 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load:
CS, Bio, Bio lab, Physics, Chemistry, Calculus, Geometry, Arabic, French, English, Philosophy, Geography, History, PE, Civics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Nothing of the sort

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Heavily involved in MUN style programs, debate, human rights stuff, Science trivia competitions, typically ranked top 3 (mostly #1) in all of them and went on to lead student groups
Violin
Scouts
Red Cross
Graphic design (freelance, for school/scouts etc)
Volunteer/Community service: Red Cross volunteer, Scouts, school mandatory community service
Summer Activities: See EC’s + volunteering
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Very difficult to rate my own writing but I was very satisfied with my essays so here goes
CA 9/10: original, genuine and compelling
Sup 9/10: same as CA but tried to showcase my intellectual curiosity

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): No idea, but my teachers like me so 8/10(?)
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): Skype interview with an admissions officer
Thought it was chill. The officer was very nice/interesting and obviously trying to make me feel comfortable so it went smoothly

Applied for Financial Aid?: Definitely yeah
Intended Major: Something to do with bio
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Income Bracket: Lower middle
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflections: Ivy League admissions really are a crapshoot

Strengths: Essays and thorough EC involvement (most of my activities I’ve been involved in for more than 4 years)
Weaknesses: SAT I
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have no idea lol
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Was accepted early so haven’t applied anywhere else

General Comments (if any): Be genuine in your essays

43

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1570 (First Sitting)
ACT (breakdown): Didn’t Send
SAT II: 800 Math II, 780 US History, 720 Spanish (Oops)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 5.2
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 10/350
AP (place score in parenthesis): Statistics (5), US History (5), Calc BC (5), AB Subscore (5), English Lang (5), Spanish Lang (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish Lit, AP Physics C (E&M, Mechanics), AP US Gov, Honors English, TA, Calc 3 at UNC Chapel Hill, Sociology course at UNC Chapel Hill
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Spanish Exam: 1st in the State, Gold Medal/99th Percentile (2 years). AP Scholar w/ Distinction, National Merit Commended, App State MUN Best Delegate, Best Position Paper (Regional), NHS

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Boy Scouts (Eagle Scout, ASPL, Patrol Leader), National Spanish Honors Society (President), Model UN (Vice President), Varsity Cross Country (Team won state meet this year, 2nd in 2015), Varsity Track
Job/Work Experience: Odd-jobs/Yard work to raise money for summer Scout trips, wrote about this in additional information
Volunteer/Community service: PORCH (local non-profit, very active)
Summer Activities: Backpacked in Nepal to Mount Everest Base Camp for a month, Performed over 80 hours of service in Cuba over two weeks (teaching English, gardening), other various hiking trips
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App (9.5/10)- I rewrote my initial version at least seven times, and was pretty satisfied with the final outcome.
Harvard Optional (9/10)- Personally thought it was well-written, had a clever hook so thought that might help.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): Spanish Teacher- (10/10) Internationally recognized foreign language teacher, I’ve had him for two years as a teacher and now TA for his AP class, also work with him for National Spanish Honors Society. Knows my family pretty well, taught my uncle.

Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): US History Teacher- (9/10) One of my most difficult teachers junior year, barely earned an A but he commended my effort at the end and was more than willing to write a rec (only writes 2-3 each year)

Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): (7 or 8/10) Still not really sure how counselor rec factors into application, but not sure if I can trust the ones at my school. I have demonstrated interest and scheduled several meetings to report on progress, yet my counselor didn’t know my name after two years. I can only assume at this point it was a lack of effort on her part, so hopefully that didn’t factor into her writing of my recommendation.

Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): Asked a former Harvard student/current Duke professor/father of my friend. Never heard confirmation of receipt from Harvard (If it was received, at least 11/10 because the guy can write.

Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): (9.5/10) Went very well, interviewer was funny and I countered several times, lasted at least an hour.

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: HECK yes
Intended Major: Social Sciences at Harvard- Government Concentration (Nowhere to indicate)
State (if domestic applicant): NC
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White/Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~115,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nope

Reflections: I thought my application was very well put together, after reviewing Harvard supplemental essay I realized it could have been better, but thought the rest was strong enough to cover any shortcomings. So many people applying, can only hope
Strengths: Recommendations were definitely strong, scores/grades were strong, essays were good (at least I thought)
Weaknesses: Half-Asian (the professor even told me it would hurt me), I live in the Chapel Hill area and only people to be accepted from either school (both top in the state) in the last 5 years or so have been legacies. Of course this did not determine my outcome, but mentally messed with me while applying.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Probably for the same reasons as above.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Will hear back from UNC/NC State late January, guessing since I’ve made A’s in classes there I’ll be accepted (frantically knocking on wood as I type), and UNC Morehead-Cain Scholarship Semifinalist

General Comments (if any): Congrats to the Harvard Class of 2021, we’ll see if I can join ya on March 30th.

44

Decision: Accepted
Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I: 1470/1600 (740 reading,730 math)
ACT : 32 (35,32,31,30)
SAT II: 690 Math 1, 750 Math 2
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.84+/5
Rank: 6/485
AP: US History (5), Human Geo (4), 10 other APs all 3s
IB: Chem SL (4)
Senior Year Course Load: English 4 AP, Music Theory AP, Physics C AP, Latin 5, AP Gov/Debate, Stats AP, Calc AP, Baseball
Major Awards: Eagle Scout, Phi Beta Kappa Alumni Scholarship, New Century Leadership, Senior Class president, Superintendent Advisory board, baseball team captain/1st team all-district junior year, Young Entrepreneurs of Lubbock President, among others

Subjective:
Extracurriculars:
- Founder of a drone club, combining it with the University in my city and the superintendent of my school district to use the university’s resources and spread it to each school in the district.
- Research assistant in a project researching the survival of Quail who lose 80% of their pop. annually.
- Lots of volunteering w/ Boy Scouts
- baseball, school clubs, NCL, etc.
Job/Work Experience: Junior counselor at two summer camps, including a Boy Scout camp where I taught classes
Volunteer/Community service: Over 300 hours from roughly 4 organizations
Summer Activities: Baseball, Quail project, Setting up the drone project
Essays: 9-10. Wrote my common app over how I ran for class president as a demagogue and how no one noticed. Wrote my supplement over how I created the drone project and by taking such initiative I became a more developed person while honoring my grandfather and doing something I love.
Recommendations: I would assume a 9-10. I had my biology and English teachers write them. On top of those, I had my former counselor/family friend and the professor whom I am working with for the drone project write one.

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): 9-10. I excelled in English and always did my best to help my very caring teacher. She wrote on how I was a leader of our grade even before I was the class pres. Furthermore, she is the senior Stuco rep and has seen me be a leader there.
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): 8-10. My biology teacher has always liked me. I did very well in her difficult class. She wanted to be my EE advisor before I quit IB, and even though I didn’t know her as well, she always liked me.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 6-9. I don’t know my counselor really at all. She is nice and thinks of me as a good kid because I am more patient than everyone else she deals with. Apparently she writes good letters.
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): Former Counselor 8-10. Writes beautiful letters and knows me well. The professor 9-10. I have worked with her for several months and she has seen me take a lot of initiative. She is a professor of medicine and engineering, 2-star army general, vegan, and a former homeland security director of New Mexico so she holds a lot of authority
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): 6. In many ways, awkward. It wasn’t conversational for most of it, but he was a pleasant guy.

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Biology
State: (west) Texas
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 100,000-250,000 (guess)
Hooks: Definitely my drone project and how I told them through the essays. I show a lot of leadership in general, and I am sure my letters supported that strongly. Furthermore, my essay was about quoting Hitler, Stalin, etc. and how it helped me win my presidency. Really interesting. Also the Eagle Scout piece and Quail project.

Reflections:
Strengths: Essays, Rec letters, GPA/workload, Resume, doing something out of my curriculum
Weaknesses: low ACT/SAT, white male w/no legacy, good not great school
Why you think you were accepted: I am a little surprised bc of my low score, however I have a really unique set of views and have pursued them well and efficiently. I also wrote well and demonstrate initiative and curiosity
Where else were you accepted: SMU (rd revealed early) w/ 136k, UMichigan, UT Austin, Texas A&M.

Waiting on Chicago, WashU, Vandy, U.Va
I withdrew my Rice application

General Comments (if any):
Don’t be discouraged if you have a low ACT/SAT. Be realistic, but honestly, you never know. I didn’t think I had a shot, especially because I only have one decent score, but I pushed myself outside the curriculum by far while engaging those in my community. Two more things. One, pull every string you have. I edited my essays till I thought they were perfect. I showed almost all my teachers, my former babysitters, everyone. Actually, the people that helped the most were the parents of a kid on my brother’s baseball team. Everyone I talked to poked holes straight through my paper that made it out to be great. Don’t be afraid to use every favor you have because you only have one chance to apply. Also, go all out on this. A week before I turned this in, I literally stayed up till 3am and woke up at 6 every day just to make them absolutely perfect. Before then it wasn’t much better.

Sorry thi is late, but I hope it helps. Hope to see you next year

45

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1500
ACT (breakdown): 34
SAT II: Math 2 (790) Chemistry (770)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Weighted GPA: 4.32
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Calc AB (5) AP Lang (5) AP Chem (4) APUSH (3 – yikes)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc C, Advanced Problem Solving and Proof Techniques, Honors Physics, AP Stat, Critical Reading and Argumentation, Globalization and Imperial Exchange
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): commended National Merit Scholar, Student Ambassador w/ NSLI-Y, AP Scholar with honors

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 (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details):
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details):
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details):

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: undecided
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: private
Ethnicity: Filipino
Gender: female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflections:
Strengths: essays were strong
Weaknesses: test scores were alright but not amazing, GPA not amazing, limited APs that I was interested in
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments (if any): was honestly surprised I wasn’t flat out rejected.

46

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1450 (780 CR, 670 M)
ACT (breakdown): 33 Composite; 33 English, 34 Science, 34 Reading, 30 Math, 36 Writing
SAT II: 800 (World History); 780 (Literature)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): School doesn’t use 4.0 scale, 100-pt scale: 99.289
Weighted GPA: School doesn’t use 4.0 scale, 100-pt scale: 102.89
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/115
AP (place score in parenthesis): Microeconomics (5) English Language and Composition (5) World History (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Philosophy, Physics, Seminario, Math Lab, Honors Band, Literatura Hispanoamericana, AP English Literature, AP Calc AB, AP Macroeconomics, AP Stats
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Hispanic Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • Newspaper (Editor-in-Chief),
  • Knowledge Bowl (Varsity Captain) - won 2nd place in International Central American Tournament,
  • NHS (President), - in my school the organization includes about 90 members
  • Student United Way (President),
  • Band (1st Flute),
  • Model United Nations (Head Delegate),
  • Painting (Highly experienced - earned substantial sums of money through auctions for charity - have been painting for nearly 10 years),
  • Piano (played and performed at the National Conservatory, 10 years experience, approx. 7-10 hours of practice per week)

Job/Work Experience: Interned at Fondo Unido de Guatemala (look below under Community Service for more detail); no formal paid work experience.

Volunteer/Community service:

  • Worked with Fondo Unido de Guatemala, an organization whose primary aim is to reduce chronic malnutrition rates among children under 5 years old. Designed programs to join approx. 1500 teenagers with 3000 children (more than 20 distinct activities - technological literacy workshops, fundraisers, career aspirations mentoring, agricultural productivity workshops, etc.) Founded the first Student United Way organization in Guatemala.
  • English translator for La Alianza Home, which offers shelter and rehabilitation to victims of sexual abuse and human trafficking;
  • English teacher at English Outreach Program, worked with children ages 6-9 living in high-risk situations of mistreatment and abandonment.

Summer Activities: Internship at Fondo Unido; nothing else
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App essay (8 - was very artistic and introspective, perhaps too flowery); Supplemental essay (9 - highly personal, connected my experience with Fondo Unido to my desire to improve my country)

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): Didn’t read, from AP English teacher, probably favorable because she said I had been her best AP English student after nearly 10 years of teaching the subject - consistently was the only one in her class who got perfect scores on her essays - 9/10
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): Didn’t read, from AP World History teacher, probably not so good, as he was new to the school; I worked hard during his class, took it seriously, and was his only student who got a 5, so probably it was favorable - 7/10
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): Didn’t read; knew him well, but it was a large-ish school so probably not very personal - 8/10
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): Didn’t read; AP Statistics, AP Microeconomics, and AP Macroeconomics (all one teacher; she knows me well and I had very high grades in her class - we used to argue a lot about normative issues so I think she liked that) - 8/10
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): As I am international, the interview was with a former alumni; she was very nice, I felt like we had a normal conversation (perhaps I was too eager - as it was my first interview) but I was prepared and prompt. - 8/10

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Social Studies or Government
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Guatemala
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: a little over $65k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None I can really think of

Reflections: I was really glad I applied REA, even if I thought I didn’t have a chance of getting in. It helped me focus more on my essays and make a long-term plan towards college.
Strengths: Musically talented, variety of extracurriculars, good recommendations
Weaknesses: Didn’t have a very rigorous course-load; 2 B’s in High School for Math (Adv. Pre Calc and AP Calc); standard “well-rounded” student.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Probably accepted because I demonstrated a genuine interest in helping my country in the long run; otherwise, I’m hard-working but not a genius.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: As soon as I got my financial aid from Harvard and saw that it fit my needs perfectly, I withdrew my applications from other schools and officially committed.

General Comments (if any): I’m so grateful for the opportunity to study in one of the world’s best universities!

47

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1520, 760 on both, one sitting
ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
SAT II: 770 Math II, 730 Biology
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.47
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):1/520
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: IB Math HL II, IB English, IB Bio, AP Physics, IB French, IB Topics, Theory of Knowledge
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Scholarship Finalist, National Grand Concours Gold

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Red Cross Club (president), Varsity Tennis co-captain, Best Buddies
Job/Work Experience: Optometrist office assistant
Volunteer/Community service: Suited for Change
Summer Activities: worked at the office, interned at Fort Myer military base physical therapy department, leader of the local school,
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10- probably my strongest out of all my essays
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details):9- she knows me well, was my EE mentor
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): 8- prob average
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 8- probably generic because she’s not a great counselor and it’s a big school
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): none
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): 10- went really great and she was really nice

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major: International Relations
State (if domestic applicant):Virginia
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: >$150,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None really

Reflections:
Strengths:Essay, extracurriculars(more than what is written above)
Weaknesses: SAT scores, lack of bigger awards, Asian
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: probably not a standout applicant
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at UVA and VCU, waiting on RD at Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Brown, UPenn, JHU, Tulane, Northeastern, and Boston U

General Comments (if any): even though being deferred means having less chances for regular, don’t let it get to you because so many kids get into another ivy even if they’re rejected from Harvard