Harvard RD Class of 2020 Result Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

In honor of having one month until we receive our decisions, I created this thread since: “In vain have you acquired knowledge if you have not imparted it to others.”-Deuteronomy Rabbah

Please use the following format while posting the results. Please discuss on the other RD thread, and use this one only for results. Good luck.

MODERATOR’S NOTE:
This thread is only for results. Non-result posts will be deleted.

Choose One
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted [/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Waitlisted [/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected [/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Weighted GPA:
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 :

2

**Decision: Accepted **
Just received a “Likely Letter” meaning the official acceptance will be arriving shortly, but I got a call and email informing me that I was evidently admitted early-ish. Feel free to google likely letters if you don’t already know about them, I know I didn’t.

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): CR-770 M-710 W-730
ACT (breakdown): Highest of each category- Composite-31 English-31 Math-33 Reading-34 Science-33 Combined English/Writing-31
SAT II: Math II-670 Spanish with Listening-780
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
Weighted GPA: 4.43
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/309
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (4) US History (4) Spanish Language and Culture (5) Psychology (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Government, AP Macro Economics, AP Calculus B/C, AP Statistics, AP Physics 1. Concurrent Enrollment at a community college: English 1A (In place of AP English), Art 7A (in place of AP Art)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Honor

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Health Occupations Students of America Club (Treasurer, 3 years), Chicano Student Movement (Treasurer/Co-founder, 2 years), High level Art with several mediums including acrylic paint, watercolors, colored pencil and graphite
Job/Work Experience: Paid Internship at a Hospital, Paid tutor
Volunteer/Community service: about 10 hours at my school library
Summer Activities: Upward Bound (federally funded TRIO program for first gen potential college students), previously mentioned Internship at a hospital
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10; One was hands down the best essay I’ve ever written. I wrote about why I wanted to be a doctor, including the loss of my brother just months before applying. I truly wrote from the heart for the first time ever probably. My other essay was about growing up poor, sleeping inside of a closet for a year like Harry Potter, but not because my family hated me, my “bed” (it was legit made out of ply-wood by my dad) just didn’t fit anywhere else in our tiny trailer. I did actually include that bit about Harry Potter to open and close off the essay, I thought it was fun.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 9 or 10

Teacher Rec #1:My math teacher of two years (Trig and Calculus) wrote a great letter that I got to proof read and I thought it was great because I’ve known him for a while.
Teacher Rec #2: Another letter was by my AP Psychology teacher who I love and though I didn’t get to see it, I just know it was good. I mean, she was a psychology and English teacher so she knew what she was doing.
Counselor Rec: My last letter was by my school guidance counselor who is pretty young and peppy, so she was really excited to write a letter for me.
Additional Rec: None
Interview: Not my best, I was pretty awkward, but to be fair my interviewer picked a small but very crowded coffee shop. I had some missteps, but ultimately my interviewer seemed like he wanted to put a good word in for me, even if he seemed like he was putting words in my mouth. A mediocre interview was apparently not the end of the world for me.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Biological Sciences
State (if domestic applicant): California
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic/Latino
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: under 60k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM and First generation (my parents didn’t even go to high school. Blame poverty and the patriarchy for each parent’s circumstances, plus they are both from a very rural Mexican village)

Reflection

Strengths: Grades, Test scores, extracurriculars, but mostly my ESSAY!
Weaknesses: Community service by far, and interview/people skills in general
Why you think you were accepted: My essay
Where else were you accepted: So far accepted to- Stanford, UCLA, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly SLO, San Diego State, plus waiting on Princeton and UC Berkeley’s decision in a couple of days

General Comments: I honestly think that what set me apart were my essays. I literally cried while writing one of them, and normally I am an emotionless robot who tries to blend in by pretending to comprehend human feelings. No, but seriously that’s what I think did it for me, apart from meeting the basic academic stats. Now I must decide between Harvard and Stanford, my top 2. We’ll see where I go.

3

For those that have reading difficulties see the Moderator’s Note in the original post. I have deleted a string of non-results posts.

4

**Decision: Waitlisted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2060 (750 CR; 690 W; 620 M)
ACT (breakdown): 31, 32 superscore (33 E; 26 M; 32 R; 34 S; 31E/W (9 W))
SAT II: 560 Math II; 690 Biology M (I know they are not great, but I chose to submit everything so I wouldn’t hide anything)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.57
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1%
AP (place score in parenthesis): (5) APUSH, (5) WHAP, (4) AP Bio, (4) AP Lit
[limit to 1 AP sophomore year, 2 junior year (i took 3 though), and 2 senior year (also took 3, technically 4 since Spanish 5 is unofficially an AP at my school)]
IB (place score in parenthesis): [N/A]
Senior Year Course Load: Hardest Available; AP Lang, AP Calc AB, H Physics (no AP available), AP Gov, Theology (required), Spanish V (technically AP Spanish Lang, although not called this due to AP limit at my school), Philosophy (required), Guitar (elective)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Honor, Clemson Sprints (Rowing) (2nd place and 3rd place), John Hunter Sprints (Rowing) (2nd place), Anatomy & Physiology (7th place, regional Science Olympiad), NCSO Spirit Award, MIT NEST Award
College Experience: Stanford High School Summer College, took classes in Calculus, Outdoor Drawing, Feminist Literature, and Cardio Dance. I have received all A’s and submitted this transcript.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): arsity Rowing, Science Olympiad (founder, president, head coach), Tutoring (independent), NHS (president), Ambassador (school representative for incoming students), Honor Council Member (jury for violations of school’s honor code), Fall Play (supporting actress)
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service: Tutoring (I spend a lot of my free time doing this, and I help kids from all grades in my school and anyone from outside of school that’s referred to me (like siblings) as well as in every subject) also NHS
Summer Activities: Stanford High School Summer College, Wake Forest University LENS Global Sustainability, NYLF: Medicine at Chapel Hill, traveling to Poland (family there), Canada (family there), UK, Iceland, France
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Optional Roommate: (9 or 10, everyone I spoke to loved it, it was quirky and personable (and related to how I was born in Canada) Common App: (10, about how I chose my own name when I was a baby and why that name is a part of who I am, quirky, very me, everyone who read it loved it and thought it sounded like me)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10, from my advisor and english teacher at school. she’s basically my best friend even though she’s a teacher and she’s like my second mom. waived right to view but she told me a bit about it and it sounded very good. she’s also known me for 4 years.
Teacher Rec #2: 10, from my history teacher. he’s been a mentor to me for all of high school and he’s an amazing writer. we had a rough start and then became close and developed a sense of respect for each other, so its a different opinion and a good way to see how I relate to teachers.
Counselor Rec: 10 or 9, my graduating class only has 26 kids and she knows me pretty well.
Additional Rec: 10, from my Anatomy & Physiology coach. she’s known me for six years and has basically watched me grow into the person I am today. she’s also the reason I want to become a doctor and we are very close, she probably knows me better than anyone else I got recommendations from.
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Biology
State (if domestic applicant): NC
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private Catholic
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: not a factor
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): small school’s second graduating class and first applicant to Harvard, small town, born in Canada, parents originally from Poland, naturalized US citizen, passionate about the sciences, honors diploma at school requiring thesis paper in super-bacteria

Reflection

Strengths: grades, school size, writing, recs, passion
Weaknesses: standardized test scores, not enough service
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: because of the demonstration of my passions and interests and my good recommendations
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: Wake Forest University, College of Charleston Honors College, Davidson College
Waitlisted: Harvard, University of Virginia
Rejected: Stanford

General Comments: I have low SAT and ACT Math scores but preform far better on this subject in the classroom. I have all A’s in AP Calculus AB and mostly A’s in previous math classes, which goes to show that standardized tests aren’t the only deciding factor. It’s always worth a try to apply anywhere regardless of your chances, honestly I was expecting a rejection!

5

**Decision: Waitlisted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2280 (700 CR, 780 M, 800 W)
ACT (breakdown): Never took it
SAT II: 700 Physics, 800 Math level 2, 720 Spanish Reading
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.88
Weighted GPA: 4.38
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Didn’t submit
AP (place score in parenthesis): Comp Gov, US Gov, Spanish Lang all 5’s; taking senior year - Stat, Calc BC, Micro, Macro, Comp Sci
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A - school doesn’t offer
Senior Year Course Load: CP Senior Seminar, Advanced Debate Honors, APs listed above
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar (I think that was the one)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Lots of political volunteering/internships and community service stuff, too many to list; also super involved in Speech and Debate (captain); president of Young Dems club; varsity tennis; other stuff I’m forgetting
Job/Work Experience: I work as a tutor and I was a counselor at a speech and debate camp last summer
Volunteer/Community service: See above
Summer Activities: Internship on congressional campaign, debate camp counselor mentioned above
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 10

Teacher Rec #1: 10
Teacher Rec #2: 10
Counselor Rec: 10
Additional Rec: 10
Interview: 9

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Undeclared, but mentioned my intention to pursue an intersection of math/comp sci and gov
State (if domestic applicant): CO
Country (if international applicant): U! S! A!
School Type: Large public, very rigorous and well respected
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Upper middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Literally none lol

Reflection

Strengths: SATs, essays, interview, extracurriculars, AP scores
Weaknesses: Probably could have taken more rigorous courses/had a better GPA
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have no idea, was 100% ready for a straight rejection lol… humbled to know they thought highly enough of me to even bother waitlisting me
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted - Georgetown (EA); Waitlisted - Harvard, Yale, Cornell; Denied - MIT (after EA deferral), Northwestern

General Comments: Uhh, I don’t really know how I got waitlisted considering that I definitely should have been denied. Some crazy shit happens with college admissions I guess lol. Congrats to everyone who got in! Fellow waitlisters, there is still hope! For those of you who were denied, Harvard just wasn’t good enough for you :slight_smile: You’re going to thrive wherever you wind up.

6

Decision: Waitlisted

Time to give back to CC for helping me tremendously with this process

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2220 superscore (750M/700CR/770W) 2130 single sitting (750M/700CR/680W )
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 790 Bio-M 770 M2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.87/94.1 (VERY strong upward trend. I had a 3.6/92 average freshman year)
Weighted GPA: (No weighted gpa since all of my courses are either Honors or AP)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank THANK GOD
AP (place score in parenthesis): 3 (Only 5 available. The people who have gotten into ives from my school so far averaged only about 3 )
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: EMT, APUSH, Fitness/Health, AP Chem, Senior Internship, English IV, Medical Mathematics, Intro to Clinical Research, AP Calc, Forensic Medicine
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
1st for HOSA in Northern NJ
3rd in States for HOSA
National Qualifier

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

HOSA member and competitor 10-12
Student Movement Against Cancer 9 -11
Relay for Life (Team Captain for 11-12)

Job/Work Experience:
Babysitting my severely autistic cousin after school 10 weeks a year (she would sleepover a few weeks at a time throughout the year and stay with me in my room, took up the bulk of my time, did it for free though)

Volunteer/Community service:
Pre-Calculus Tutor 11

Summer Activities:
Internship/Volunteer at a Physician’s office 9-10
Kean Group Summer Scholars Research Program (Paid) 11

Essays (rating 1-10, details): Loved my Common App, talked about how I attempted to cook and made a borderline vomit inducing treat and how I became a much better cook after the incident. Most people laughed as they read it and loved it, very lighthearted. Supplements were ehh but it depends. At the end of the day it is really subjective. I have read essays where the owners would give it a 20/10 but most people would be like so I don’t really trust essay ratings.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: My english teacher, my favorite teacher, but also the reason my gpa is low lol. Talked about how I dramatically improved not only grade-wise but as a writer from freshman year. Said she would fight anyone who rejects me because she wrote such a great rec, also a New York Times writer so I know it is well written. 10/10
Teacher Rec #2: My math teacher: Did great in her class but couldn’t really stand out too much since my school has mostly people who are very good at math and science. 7/10
Counselor Rec: Also talked about how I improved grade wise and how I can adjust to different pressures etc I don’t remember everything but she takes it VERY seriously and tries to write the best rec possible for every student 9/10
Additional Rec: None
Interview: Will update laterz

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Heck ya
Intended Major: Accounting or Biology depending on where I decide to go
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant): Mei-Guo
School Type: Very Competitive Magnet, top 15 in the country based on stats (SAT, ACT avg AP Score etc) alone.
Ethnicity:African American
Gender: Girlz Rule
Income Bracket: 150k?
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Black Female interested in Math and Science, 1st gen

Reflection:
Glad it is over official have full blown Senioritis
Strengths: maybe Common App essay, subject test scores are A-OK, strong upwards trend in grades,
Weaknesses: Wish I had more ec’s and leadership roles, being from NJ probably, most likely had some hole in my app which is why I got waitlisted by a few but overall successful!

General Comments:
Most likely attending Howard. Good luck to the future applicants reading this probably freaking out and congrats to anyone who go accepted!

Accepted: Rutgers Honors with 13k a year, Howard (with Founders Scholarship Full Ride!!!) , Princeton, Cornell,
Rejected: Dartmouth and Yale
Waitlisted: Harvard, Brown, Columbia

7

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted [/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2250, I can’t remember the breakdown (same score as my PSAT)
ACT (breakdown): 35 composite, 35 on all sections
SAT II: 750 on Biology E, 750 on Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):4.0
Weighted GPA: 109.50943
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ranked #1 in school of 650+ students (valedictorian)
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (5), Human Geography (5), Physics 1 (4), Physics 2 (4), Calculus BC (5), Biology (5), English Lang and Comp (5), Macroeconomics (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): not offered at school
Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Spanish, AP Environmental Science, AP Chemistry, AP Art History
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National AP Scholar, National Merit Finalist ($2500 award recipient), Scholastic Arts and Writing Competition winner of two gold keys and one silver key, Outstanding Soloist Award in State UIL

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-school orchestra, 2.5 years (1st chair every year)
-All State Orchestra, 2 years (1st chair of section in highest-ranked orchestra during 1 year)
-Model United Nations club, 1 year (president)
-NHS, 2 years (committee chair for both years)
-Region Orchestra, 2 years (1st chair of section)
-World Affairs Council of America Academic WorldQuest Team, 1 year (team captain)
-Spanish Club, 2 years

Job/Work Experience:
-intern at an insurance firm, 1 summer
-worked at a tutoring center

Volunteer/Community service:
-played with a quartet at local retirement centers, 75+ hours
-local library, 50+ hours
-volunteered at a hospital, 3 years, 100+ hours

Summer Activities:
volunteering (listed above)

Essays (rating 1-10, details): I wasn’t able to spend a lot of time on them because during 1st semester senior year I was concentrating on my grades and becoming valedictorian. So, I would say maybe a 7.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Didn’t see.

Teacher Rec #1:One was from my AP English teacher and I think it was really good because she liked me and was “blown away” by one of the essays I wrote.
Teacher Rec #2: Another was from my chemistry teacher, and I have a feeling it was a mediocre letter, but I’m not sure.
Counselor Rec: My counselor doesn’t even know me, so that one was a standard letter.
Additional Rec: From my private music teacher, who I’ve studied with for 10 years. I’m pretty sure this was a really good letter! She was able to talk a lot about my dedication to commitments and goals.

Interview: Although it was very short, I thought the interviewer and I connected really well! He seemed to really like me!

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: Neurobiology
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public HS
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $150k +
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Valedictorian (is this a hook?)

Reflection

Strengths: My grades & concentration in music
Weaknesses: A lot of applicants are a lot stronger than me (winners of national science fair, etc.). My priority during HS was grades, and I think my extracurricular suffered as a result.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have no idea! I didn’t think I was getting in!
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: waitlisted at Rice

General Comments : Good luck to future applicants and congratulations to Harvard class of 2020!

8

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
[] SAT I (breakdown): 790 Reading 780 Math 780 Writing
[] ACT: 34
[] SAT II: 800 Math II 800 Bio M 760 US History
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/200
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Euro, AP Stat, AP Language, AP Calc BC, AP US, AP Psych, AP Bio All 5s
[] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[] Senior Year Course Load: 6 APs
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Math Fairs, AP Scholar, National Merit Scholar finalist[/li][/list]

Subjective:
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): FBLA (vp), Finance Club(vp), Student Body(President), Active in Church group
[] Job/Work Experience: My mom’s health clinic
[] Volunteer/Community service: Two hospitals, teach at my Church, volunteer for Church
[] Summer Activities: Studied language overseas, volunteeres
[] Essays: Common App (7/10), I wasn’t sure what to write about, looking back, the topic seems boring Princeton Supplement (9/10), wrote about my heritage, poured my soul into that essay
[] Teacher Recommendations: 10/10 each, teachers that I had multiple years, they practically volunteered to write my essay
[] Counselor Rec: 6/10, seems like a nice guy, but I never talked to him too much, our school was big
[] Additional Rec:
[li] Interview: 8/10 I answered my interviewee hundreds of questions, learned his life story. He seemed pretty happy though[/li][/list]

Other
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[] Intended Major: Bio
[] State (if domestic applicant): NY
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type:Public
[] Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported):
[] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): Asian
[] Gender: M
[] Income Bracket: 100,000 +
[] Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.):
[/list]

Reflection
[] Strengths: Academics, scores, recommendations
[] Weaknesses: ECs, essays
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Maybe my ECs, but honestly its become so cutthroat I don’t know if it would matter.
[] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
[li] Where else are you applying for RD: Rejected from all ivies, will attend local state college[/li][/list]

9

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2400 (taken October sophomore year)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (only took once June freshman year)
SAT II: 800 Math II / 800 Chemistry / 800 Physics / 800 French / 790 Spanish
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/500ish
AP (place score in parenthesis): BC Calc (5), Chemistry (5), Physics C (5), English CompLit (5), APUSH (5), Chinese (5), French (5), Macro (5), Micro (5). Self-studied for half of these.
IB (place score in parenthesis): [N/A]
Senior Year Course Load: WHAP, AP Bio, AP Comp Sci, AP Music, Advanced French (higher than AP), gym, philosophy (AP not offered, just a chill class). Dual enrolled at UARK for real analysis and Honors Physical Chemistry. Independent study with the professor I did research with over the summer.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): made the USAMO 10th, 11th, 12th grade, (scored a 1 and 3, third time the charm?). Won state science fair but gave up my place at Intel fair due to a schedule conflict. National AP Scholar. National Physics Olympiad. Some state and city piano things, idk if “major”.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Government (President). National Honor Society (President). Varsity Tennis (Vice Captain). Varsity Track (Vice Captain). Mathletes (Captain solely by virtue of making USAMO). Physics Olympiad (founded at my school, Captain of 4 people :wink: Played piano since I was 4, only some minor awards.
Job/Work Experience: [N/A]
Volunteer/Community service: Common Core tutoring for high school students and Boys and Girls club since sophomore year. Founded a districtwide college prep program to bring undergrads at UArk schools to talk to and provide one-on-one college counseling/test prep to students in underperforming public high schools. At one point had 20 college students and 100+ high school students. Habitat for Humanity (2 years). Charity drives through my high school to raise money for MSF in Syria.

Summer Activities: Did unpaid research in physical chemistry at UARK for 2 summers, have a paper “in the works”.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Thought it was a 10? I wrote about how working at different Arkansas public schools helped me to come to terms with my privilege middle-class Asian male with parents who value education. The interwoven exempli gratia was learning Spanish on my own outside school to communicate with a lot of students whom I tutored who were immigrants, which I am independently very proud of, in counterpoint to my having chosen French as a stupid freshman because I thought it was a more “elegant” language. My English teacher told me it was the best she’d ever read.

Supplement essay: My passionate for the liberal arts but tempered by awareness of unrepresented voices such as Native Americans and PoC. I meant it to dovetail with my main essay. Recycled from Columbia but I was really careful not to make it obvious? If you had them side by side you’d have to read closely to realize it was recycled
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10 - aforesaid English teacher, who taught me in AP English as the only sophomore in a class of seniors. She LOVES me :slight_smile:
Teacher Rec #2: 9-10 - Physics teacher, went to Columbia. He is more reserved but I got a really good vibe from him, like if no one in the class can solve a problem he mocks resignation and asks me to go up to solve it. He asked me if I wanted to help him start a Physics Olympiad team.
Counselor Rec: 10 - worked with him to start my program. Apparently the number of APs I took and how early I took them was “unprecedented” - he showed the rec to me and it was sincere but almost embarrassingly praiseful, to the point where I almost asked him to tone it down.
Additional Rec: Research supervisor at UARK. Honestly I don’t know how good - he seems to like me and was really surprised as a high schooler I knew what physical chemistry was and wanted to go into it, but compared to him I’m an idiot. He hasn’t had high schoolers in his lab before which could be a plus (I was very persistent) or a minus (no idea how to write a college rec).

Interview: 10 - Interviewed with a grad student at UArk who went for ug, he said I was a shoo-in

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Chemistry and Physics
State (if domestic applicant): Arkansas
Country (if international applicant): US Citizen
School Type: Large public
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $200,000-250,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Research in physical chemistry in high school, enrolled this year in a PChem class, started a volunteer program, started a club. However even though my Spanish isn’t perfect what I am most proud of is learning Spanish independently

Reflection

Strengths: Loaded up on APs sophomore and junior year to show colleges evidence of being able to handle college level work. I test well.
Weaknesses: Asian. Possible weak add’l rec? Bad interview? Essay topic was patronizing? I don’t know, I really really don’t know. :frowning:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

Accepted
UArk

Waitlisted
Yale

Rejected
Harvard
Columbia
Stanford
Princeton
Brown
Dartmouth
UPenn
MIT
Caltech

General Comments: I am speechless, numb, beside myself. Presumptuous as it sounds, I can’t shake the feeling that there has been some mistake. My first rejections were Caltech and MIT but I rationalized to myself that I wanted to do academia, not engineering and I think it showed. The first few were disappointing but I had braced myself; good people get rejected, the officers said, but they always end up getting accepted somewhere just as good, they said. As the rejects piled up however I am questioning my self-worth, everything I have worked for I did it not for college but because I wanted to. I was arrogant - or perhaps gullible - and believed the college officers when they said my “genuine passion” would shine through. I had the mistaken confidence that I fit the college moulds without having to compromise and force myself to do for the resume what I didn’t want to do.

Now I am consumed with regret. Is it really this hard? Gosh I knew it was a little harder for Asians but can it be this much harder? I keep futilely replaying scenarios in my head, even the really stupid ones, tormented by the ‘what if’ - what if I hadn’t dropped MUN because I hated it? What if I had pushed a little harder to be Track Captain? What if I had pushed my supervisor to put me on a paper I only did a little for? What if I asked him to show me his rec? Was there one thing I could change about my app to turn everything the other way around?

I almost didn’t apply to UArk and /can’t/ go there - no disrespect to the school, but it doesn’t have the programs or the opportunities for me to pursue my dreams. The people I know there acknowledge as much. Creating this post was like a shot in the dark for me - I’ve read CC but never posted or even commented. I’m looking for answers, for closure. What did I do wrong? Please?

10

**Decision: Rejected **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): not good
ACT (breakdown): 34 C (35 E, 33 M, 35 S, 34 R 29 W)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 790 Math II, 760 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.982
Weighted GPA: anywhere from 4.5-4.7 I don’t know lol
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): APHG (5), APWH (4), Chem (3), Physics 1 (2 lol), APUSH (5), AP Lang (5), Psych (5), Calc AB (5),
IB (place score in parentheses): None
Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Microeconomics, AP Government and Politics, AP Calculus BC, CP En
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction (lol)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Treasurer of American Red Cross, Golf, Officer of Advanced Computer Mechanics club, Internship at my local chamber of commerce
Job/Work Experience: Math Tutoring (calculus and physics for peers & SAT math for younger students)
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteered ~400 hours at a hospital and ~100 doing other random things
Summer Activities: None
Essays (rating 1-10, details):: Common App (10) I spent a lot of time on this and I had a pretty unique topic.
Optional: Idk I thought it was pretty good but it was basically a combo of my Stanford and Princeton essay and maybe they could tell.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
I really don’t know how these were. I knew 2 of the teachers fairly well but I don’t exactly connect with my teachers/counselors outside of class time.
Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview: 10/10 It was really great.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Economics
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public charter
Ethnicity: Black
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~180k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection

Strengths: Grades
Weaknesses: lack of ECs and awards…possibly my optional essay
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: They have like a 2.8% acceptance rate RD…it’s tough.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Stanford, Northwestern, UCLA, USC, UC Berkeley, UCI, UCSB, UCSD, SDSU, Cal Poly Slo
Rejected: Princeton, Harvard
Waitlisted: UPenn

General Comments : Stanford 2020!

11

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Never took
ACT (breakdown): 35C, 33E, 36M, 35R, 34S
SAT II: 720 Chemistry, 770 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85
Weighted GPA: 4.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 8/300
AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (4), Chemistry (3), Language (5), Physics 1 (3), Physics 2 (3), Psychology (4), Government (2), Calc BC, Biology, Lit, Spanish
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP Literature, AP Spanish, AP Biology, Honors Chamber Orchestra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with honor, various school and extracurricular awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Model UN (President), NHS (Secretary), Chamber Orchestra, Lacrosse, Spanish Club
Job/Work Experience: Run my own online business
Volunteer/Community service: Children’s summer reading and writing camp, Special Needs volunteer
Summer Activities: Nothing Major
Essays (rating 1-10, details): One of the most important and significant components of my entire application. I would honestly rate both of my essays a 10 and a 9 respectively. I wrote my main essay about my experience with cancer and how its molded my love for medicine, and I wrote my supplement essay about my work with Model UN and what I’ve accomplished through it.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): These were stunning. They brought me on the verge of tears.

Teacher Rec #1: By far a 10/10. My teacher wrote about me in ways that I never envisioned myself. She wrote things along the line of “in 22 years of teaching, I have never seen a student be so open and helpful” and “quite simply, she is an extraordinary student beyond measure.”
Teacher Rec #2: A 9/10. I got it from my Government teacher/Model UN advisor, and he highlighted my talents in speaking and debating in ways that made me seem truly impressive.
Counselor Rec: Probably a 5/10 and generic.
Additional Rec: Didn’t use.
Interview: 10/10 I firmly believe that the interview was my deciding factor. I was interviewed by two Harvard Alumni, and they were both captivated by my words. The first, a woman, demanded that I share more information with her through email because there was “so much more [she] wanted to know.” The man told me that I reminded him of an actual Harvard Alum who is now a Pulitzer Prize winning, National Best-Selling author. I was quite frankly astounded by their responses to my story.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Of course!
Intended Major: Chemistry (Medicine)
State (if domestic applicant): Midwest
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Caucasian (Middle Eastern)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: N/A
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First-Generation

Reflection

Strengths: Essays, Interview, Teacher Recs, Standardized Test Scores
Weaknesses: GPA and class rank (in comparison to Harvard norms of course), AP Scores, and a lack of diverse extracurriculars
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I literally do not know! This is amazing beyond words! I am utterly shocked, I would’ve never expected this in a million years! I feel so humbled and blessed to have been granted this out-of-the-world opportunity.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: Harvard, OSU
Waitlisted: WashU, UChicago, Case Western, UC Berkeley, Cornell
Rejected: Stanford, UPenn, JHU

General Comments: This college admissions process has been extremely rough for me. I didn’t know what to expect simply because of the seemingly never-ending rejection/waitlist curse I felt was bestowed upon me. But I am a firm believer in that everything happens for a reason, and I cannot wait to begin my future in Cambridge. Harvard was the last school I checked the decision for, and it was the last school I would’ve expected getting accepted into. It just goes to show that they are a truly holistic evaluating school. If you’re reading this and feeling lost or insecure, just know that the college process is a stressful but worthy process, and in it you will truly find yourself. I wish everyone the best of luck wherever they end up, and just wanted to share my unique story!

Thank you,
Harvard Class of 2020

12

**Decision: Rejected **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2360 - 800 CR, 770 M, 790 W
ACT: n/a
SAT II: 800 USH, 740 Chem, 720 Lit
Unweighted GPA (4.0 scale): 4.00
Weighted GPA (4.0 scale): 5.68
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5% of 378
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geography, World History, US History, Chemistry, Comparative Government (all 5’s)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Literature, AP Gov, AP Econ, AP Statistics, AP Physics 1, Spanish IV H, Juvenile Law H/Homicide H,
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist, NHRP, AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Four year Varsity and Club soccer (1 year as captain) - top nationally ranked teams, Spanish Honor Society (President), Pre Law Society (electives every semester and internship), NHS (Treasurer), Rho Kappa
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: Sailing Instuctor every summer (~400 hours)
Summer Activities: sailing, soccer. Did an 8 day program on IR at GU.
Essays: Common App about teaching sailing
Teacher Recommendation: great
Counselor Rec: 10/10 great relationship

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): FL
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: top ranked private school
Ethnicity: Hispanic (Spain, Mexico)
Gender: M
Income Bracket: high
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection
Strengths: test scores, grades, URM
Weaknesses: course load could have been more challenging. Never took AP Calc, AP Lang, AP Physics C, or a few of the other more difficult courses at my school.
Where accepted: Yale, Penn, Vanderbilt, Georgetown, BC, UVa, WUSTL, USC
Waitlisted: Brown
Rejected: Harvard

Yale 2020 :smiley:

13

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Twice! 1st time: 2320 (800CR, 770M, 750W) 2nd time: 2400
ACT (breakdown): 35C (35E, 36M, 36R, 33S)
SAT II: 790 BioM, 800 Math II, 800 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/308
AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology, Statistics, European History, English Language, US History, Chemistry, Calculus AB (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Calc BC, AP Latin (online), AP Art History, AP USGov, AP Macroecon, AP English Lit, AP Physics 1
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None, really, except for TASP?

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): I don’t want to do this much, but I was the president of mock trial for 3 years, a Latin club president for 2, and an NHS president this year. I was also an actor for the drama club at my school and had acted in the community previously.
Job/Work Experience: I worked customer service at a phone company for several years and interned at a research lab and at a neurologist’s office.
Volunteer/Community service: I interned at a physical therapy place that offers subsidized care to its patients.
Summer Activities: TASP, internships at neurologist’s office, PT office, research, acting.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): my common app essays were pretty good. My supplement was okay. It was a non-traditional take on the booklist.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I didn’t get to read any recs, so these are all just sort of guesses and I’m not rating them (also because ratings are reductive and not helpful).

Teacher Rec #1: English? I did quite well on all the essays in her class and I still visit because she’s wonderful.
Teacher Rec #2: Latin. I was probably the best student in my Latin class, but that’s not saying much. My teacher and I are quite close though.
Counselor Rec: Okay. I know she liked me, but I didn’t really speak to her much. I actually sent her a very detailed email that listed all of the qualities I thought she could highlight in my rec letter, along with anecdotes that I felt would illustrate those qualities. As far as I know, it worked out pretty well.
Additional Rec: I had two professors at TASP that had taught at Harvard and they wrote me a Rec. I love them dearly; we got along really well.
Interview: It went extremely well. She, like me, was a queer linguist. She was brilliant and we talked for about 45 minutes about languages and writing and it was absolutely divine.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Classics, Linguistics
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male-identifying, male assigned at birth
Income Bracket: I’m definitely not doing this.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I’m physically disabled?

Reflection

Strengths: For the fields I applied under, I am a URM. My test scores are pretty strong, and I had a lot of very long term commitments in terms of extracurriculars and my job.
Weaknesses: I’m an Asian with good test scores? We’re pretty much a dime-a-dozen around Harvard and its peer institutions. I also didn’t play any sports (but also I’m disabled, so that might have been a moot point).
Why you think you were accepted: I tried to explain my circumstances (disability, my status as an Asian looking at white-dominated fields) as clearly as I could.
Where else were you accepted: Yale (SCEA), Princeton, UC Berkeley

General Comments : I’m delighted to have been accepted, but I think that the college admissions process, and largely, College Confidential and sites like it, cause undue stress and grief to the students that deal with it. Especially on the other side of it, I think back on the physical reactions of my body to the stress about this decision and I am alarmed at how unhealthily anxious I was, to say nothing of how unhealthily students are treating themselves and parents their children. I have faith that we aren’t as myopic as these reactions suggest, and I’m sure everyone will follow through in verifying my belief.

14

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 800 Math - 800 CR - 790 Writing (10 essay)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 770 Bio E, 730 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 100): ~97
Weighted GPA: ~98.5
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5/~500
AP: World History (4), Calc BC (5), Lang (5), Physics 1 (5), US History (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Psych, AP Lit, AP Macro, AP Gov/Poli, Creative Writing, Nature of Language, Wind Ensemble
(Major) Awards: AP Scholar w/ Distinction, National Merit commended

Subjective:

Extracurriculars: Varsity Tennis 6 years (captain 12th), Mathletes 4 years (president 12th), literary magazine, youtube channel (math), jazz band (trombone), all-county band, all-state band, NAfME all-national band (euphonium), Columbia SHP
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: Several korean-american programs in my first two years of high school that I’ve since stopped doing. I’ve invested time into Youtube and peer tutoring throughout high school
Summer Activities: Harvard SSP '14, Stanford HS summer college '15
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App ~9, wrote about my passion for mathematics education and how I was inspired to do so. Optional essay ~7, wrote about my love for reading in an anecdote about my experiences with bullying at church when I was younger.

Recommendations:
Teacher Rec #1: Calc teacher 10, we’re extremely close and she told me I was the best student she’s had in her career (however, she’s only been teaching ~5 years)
Teacher Rec #2: APUSH teacher 10, similar motivation to #1 although she’s been teaching for much longer and is one of the best educators I’ve ever had.
Counselor Rec: 8, we’re very close.
Interview: I had two. The first went very well, it was a very smooth, two-way conversation and she seemed really interested in what I had to say. The second interview was also strong, and I just spoke from the heart with the admission officer that came. I’d conjecture this second interview had a large role in tipping my application from purgatory to an acceptance!

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Engineering (? undecided)
State (if domestic applicant): NY
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <80,000

Reflection

Strengths: I think my passions really came through, and I had a really strong application to back those passions up.
Weaknesses: There’s not a lot aside from raw stats that are stellar on paper, i.e. lack of major awards or research
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: see strengths
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Northeastern EA, CWRU EA, MIT EA, Caltech EA. Stanford reject, Columbia/Princeton WL

General Comments: Very pleasantly surprised. :slight_smile: Tough choices ahead. My single greatest piece of advice actually comes from an MIT blog post about applying -sideways-. There is often no single smoking bullet that will get you into an extremely selective college. In addition, the admissions process is impossible to analyze from a purely quantitative, algorithmic standpoint. There’s so much subjectivity and random variables involved. So the best thing you can do is -be yourself- and let your passions show. Prove those passions and prove that you have what it takes to contribute to that college’s community in your own unique way. After that, there’s nothing that you can do. You’ve done all you can.

15

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1st time: 2270 (700 M, 800 CR, 770 W); 2nd time: 2400
SAT II: 790 Literature, 780 U.S. History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): My school only has weighted GPAs and I have a 4.64. I have a slight upward curve from A- to A on the most challenging curriculum possible.
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not rank, but I’m at the top of a grade of 75.
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (5), AP Calc AB (5), AP Literature (5), AP Spanish (pending), AP Statistics (pending), AP Calc BC (pending), AP Biology (pending)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Calc BC, AP Spanish, AP Bio, Honors English electives, History electives
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National History Day (competed since 9th grade, won 1st at regionals 4 years in a row, won 3rd place nationally last year), National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National History Day (9-12) (highest placement was 3rd nationally, made NHD part of school curriculum, founded NHD club and prepared ~20 others to compete), High School Theatre (9-12) (had featured roles in every show possible), Professional Theatre (10) (see below), regional theatre’s Teen Council (9-12) (occupied leadership positions and helped program grow), Cappies (9-12) (Lead critic, won 3 Cappies last year)
Job/Work Experience: Acted in a professional show in tenth grade but no other paid jobs (10)
Volunteer/Community service: Teaching theatre games and playwriting to children and adults on the autism spectrum (11-12)
Summer Activities: Theatre programs, Israel program

Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9/10, was raw, revealing, and worked well with my overarching story
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 8/10 Biology teacher. I gave all my recommenders 8/10 since I didn’t read their letters so I can’t really say, but I have close relationships with them all and I know they are all experienced letter of rec writers. I think they mostly spoke about how I infuse my learning with creativity.
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10 APUSH teacher. Same.
Counselor Rec: 8/10 She’s a really good counselor and knows me well.
Interview: I really enjoyed my interview! Felt like I made a good connection with my interviewer. Can’t wait to tell her I got in.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Double major history and theatre
State (if domestic applicant): PA
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 250k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection

Strengths: I felt that I had the best grades, extracurriculars (leadership and genuine passion), and essay (really poured my heart into it) that I could have.
Weaknesses: no hooks, not enough volunteering or work experience
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think being a 2400 with a personality made a big difference. My interview also went well (someone told me it’s more important than people think) and apparently Harvard likes NHD. I really don’t think I’ll ever know what got me in, but I’m so thrilled that I made it!

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Also accepted to Columbia, Brown, Cornell (LL), WashU, Wesleyan, Brandeis, and University of Pittsburgh. Waitlisted at Northwestern and UChicago. Rejected from Yale (deferred SCEA) and Princeton.

General Comments:
When I was deferred I wrote a whole spiel in the general comments about how following your passions might not cut it anymore, but I now disavow those comments. I think that colleges saw that I did all of my activities from a place of genuine interest and that I was following an organic path rather than doing what I thought colleges would like. I told a cohesive story with my application, which is critical. And I worked my butt off for 4+ years. And it worked! I’m so thrilled and grateful to everyone who has helped me, and I’m sorry to everyone who didn’t get the news they were hoping for. You are all wonderful people! I can’t believe this journey is almost over.

16

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2010 (650 CR, 710 M. 650 W)
ACT (breakdown): 34
SAT II: 710 World History, 720 Biology E, 720 Math 1
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.45
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/300ish
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 for Computer Science and Calculus BC/AB Subscore, 4 for World and European History, 3 for English Language (no studying/class)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP English Language/Lit, H Physics, Government/Econ, Basketball/Volleyball
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Questbridge National College Match Finalist if that counts

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): President of Key Club 12th grade, Co-President and Co-Founder of Armenian Club 11th-12th grade, Co-Captain for Basketball and Volleyball 12th grade, Treasurer of National Honor Society 12th
Job/Work Experience: Helping my dad since middle school
Volunteer/Community service: Senior Housing Volunteer for around 200 hours over 3 years
Summer Activities: Basketball summer league, helping my dad

Essays (rating 1-10, details):

Essay #1: 10/10, went through at least 10 edits, had probably 5 different people look at it including an admissions officer, and wrote about my life story, heritage, family, etc.
Essay #2: 7/10, talked about my neighbors suicide and how it led to my appreciation of everyday experiences, went through many edits as well but clearly not as strong. However there were a few people who said both essays were moving.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 7/10, from my AP Comp Sci teacher, more like a brag sheet turned into an essay with some nice commentary thrown in.
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10, from my Math Analysis teacher, much more heartfelt with great commentary but less sophisticated language (other teacher had a Ph.D. In linguistics lol)
Counselor Rec: 5/10, at the time didn’t really know the counselor well but she did go to Harvard… Not even sure if she wrote a rec. actually now that I think of it
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: 9/10 Started off just a little awkward but ended up great. Had a cool guy that only wanted the best for me in the application process.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Computer Science
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Underfunded Public
Ethnicity: Technically White but 100% Armenian and emphasized my heritage
Gender: M
Income Bracket: <65k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Possibly URM? and am a twin

Reflection

Strengths: Good essay topics, rounded extracurriculars, 2 sport athlete?
Weaknesses: Test scores, although I was basically a legend at my school for getting a 34 on the ACT (gives you some perspective of the expectations here), didn’t publish any scientific articles, build any schools in third world countries, or represent any country as a youth ambassador.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Admissions is a crapshoot.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at Yale, UCLA, Berkeley (Regents candidate), UCSB, UCSD. Rejected at Princeton, Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, and Penn

General Comments : Been a long time lurker on cc like most everyone who applies to Ivy leagues. Before I heard of this website I really thought I had like a 85% chance of getting into an Ivy League. All my college apps were turned in (and many cc threads were read) and by Ivy Day I thought I had a 1% chance of getting into any. Although this is cliché, you should really try to apply to these schools, you never know what could happen (6 rejections but accepted to the one school that I actually truly wanted to go to). I would have to note though that I worked really hard throughout high school to maintain my GPA and get my subpar (for these schools) test scores, and even harder on the applications just to muster a competitive one. Lastly, don’t be upset if you get rejected from most or all your top choices; it’s not the end of the world.

17

Decision: Rejected

Date decision postmarked/received: 03/31/16

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2130: 700/710/720 (CR/M/W)
ACT (breakdown): Did not take
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 540 USH, 690 Math II, 660 Literature
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 Unweighted, 4.22 Weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1 of 22
AP (place score in parentheses): Psychology (5), English Lang and Comp (4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: Government and Contemporary Issues, AP US Government, Calculus, AP Lit and Comp, Physics, AP Calculus
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMS Letter of Commendation, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), various in-school academic awards, Louis Armstrong Jazz Award

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): National Honor Society (President), Student Government (SB President), Symphonic (Carnegie Hall performance), Wind, Jazz, Marching, Pep Band (section leader), Science Olympiad, Maui District Student Council Organization (MDSCO) (Vice Chairperson), Varsity Air Riflery
Job/Work Experience: U.S. Senate Intern
Volunteer/Community Service: Action Team (team captain), Rotary/Interact Club, Science Olympiad Elementary Competition Judge, Track and Field Official
Summer Activities: Nothing, really.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App: 9.5/10 (about a personal experience/challenge that confirmed my career goals), Other Essay: 7/10 (I took a risk on the essay’s content and I guess it didn’t pay off)
Teacher Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):: 10/10 for both! Knew each of them for 4+ years and have a good relationship with both.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 10/10. Considering that I’ve only known her for two years, I’m confident that the letter was detailed and impactful.
Additional Rec (rating 1-10, details):: 10/10, from employer
Interview: Very well, at least I thought (10/10)

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
State (if domestic applicant): Hawaii
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Private (< 150 students)
Ethnicity: Asian and Caucasian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $100K-200K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation college student

Reflection:
Strengths: Recommendations, obvious ambition for such a small school with limited opportunity
Weaknesses: SAT and subject test scores, course load
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I’m definitely not suprised. My SAT Subject Test scores were not great and my USH score was horrific. I feel like I could’ve gotten in if my test scores were just a bit higher.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UH Manoa (accepted), UCLA (waitlisted), UCI (accepted), UPenn (accepted), GW (accepted), Georgetown (accepted), AU (waitlisted), CUA (accepted)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: After looking at the states on the CC page from last year, I totally expected my result. The big takeaway from this is that SAT and subject test scores matter and you need to make sure that you out a lot of effort into them. Also keep in mind the other things that colleges look for in a student.

18

Decision: Accepted

**I’m from Egypt so international students might want to see this. **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2380 ( 800 Math, 790 Reading, 790 Writing)
ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
SAT II: 800 Physics, 800 Maths
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): My school doesn’t have this
Weighted GPA: My school doesn’t have this
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): My school has no rank but if it did would be 1/14
AP (place score in parenthesis): We have A levels instead. I got As in all my five AS subjects.

Senior Year Course Load: A2 Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Further Maths, Arabic
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): British Physics Olympiad Round 1 Gold Medal, Cambridge Chemistry Lower 6th Challenge Silver Certificate, UK Maths Challenge Gold Award, British Physics Olympiad Experimental Project Bronze Medal. I got an A Level scholarship to study in England,

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): History & Politics (group president and founder), Science Discussion group (organizer), Deputy Head Boy, Science Prefect, Talent show organizer, Charity Club (president), School Choir, Astronomy Group ( President and founder), Very little tutoring in physics and chemistry

Job/Work Experience:I worked over the summer for two months as a Residential Assistant at a summer school.It was a proper full time job.
Volunteer/Community service: see above
Summer Activities: see work experience
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I think my main essay was a 7. It was about me not becoming Head Boy. I had to compete with my best friend for the Head Boy position. This created tension between us. I ended up becoming Deputy Head Boy but I still managed to have an impact on school life. Moral of the story: choose friends over titlesand you can still have an impact even if you’re not number one.

My Supplementary essay is about a 9 I guess. It’s about me leaving Egypt and travelling to an international boarding school. I met people from over 60 countries, changed how I view my beliefs (I am a muslim). I touched on islamophobia a bit. I don’t drink alcohol and I used that as an example of me sticking to my values but at the same time I changed a lot. (I am not homophobic anymore, etc)

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: My physics teacher is a genius. I am sure his recommendation was 10. He mentioned my involvement in research and he loves me.

Teacher Rec #2:My chemistry teacher’s wasn’t that good. I read and it was probably a 6 or 7. He mentioned lots of good stuff about me ( attending lectures at Birmingham University and so on) but he was reluctant to write it and it showed.

Counselor Rec:My counselor’s recommendation was probably a 9 or 10. We are very close and she knows me well.She’s good at writing this sort of stuff

Additional Rec: I sent two additional recommendations. One from my boss during the summer school job and another from my supervisor/peer also during the same job.

Interview: I had two interviews. One with an alumni and another with an admissions officer.The first one was a disaster ( I was arguing with the interviewer) but to be fair, it was my first interview. The second interview was with a senior admissions officer. I practiced a lot for that. It was brilliant

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:Yes
Intended Major:Physics
Country (if international applicant): Egypt but attended high school in the UK
School Type: small private boarding school (it has 120 students)
Ethnicity: Arab
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Not a lot
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I’m Egyptian. Harvard doesn’t have many of those. I got a scholarship to travel to the UK because I couldn’t study as many A levels as I wanted in Egypt.

Reflection

Strengths: SAT Scores, My counselor loved me and it showed. The essay about travelling to England (see essays) was written in a very mature style. See hooks
Weaknesses:I didn’t cure cancer and I wasn’t as involved outside of the school as I should’ve been. I had multiple chances to publish my research in proper scientific journals but I was too lazy.

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: see strengths and hooks
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I got rejected/waitlisted at 16 universities: St Lawrence, Yale, Dartmouth,Brown, Cornell,Kenyon, Union, Colby, Bates, Duke, Gettysburg, Grinnel, Hamilton, Middlebury, Northwestern, Reed. I got Accepted at Connecticut, NYU, Amherst, and Harvard.

19

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected [/color][/size]**

I applied EA and got rejected (obviously) for RD

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 32C
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math 2 (800), Biology M (720)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Psychology (4), AP Biology (3), AP Macroeconomics (3)
IB (place score in parentheses):N//A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Physics 1 and 2, English 12, History 12, (Concurrent Studies Student at local university: first year general Chem courses and lab component: 4 parts total).
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Canada’s Top 20 Under 20 Youth, Service Above Self Surrey Youth Youth Leadership Award, explorART competitions (won consecutively from 2004-2015: bronze, silver, gold, technique awards,etc), 2nd place in national creative writing contest (Young Writer’s of Canada), Good Deed Award for city.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):

  1. Free the Children Club (Founder and President) 3 yrs
  2. Hawk Word School Newspaper: 4 yrs (Editor in Chief: 2 years) Writer: 4 yrs
  3. Rotary International; Interact Club: 4 years (Treasurer: 2yrs) (Vice President: 2 yrs)
  4. Student Council 2 yrs: (President: Gr.12) (Grade Rep: Gr.11)
  5. Websites: ajourney2success and acollation.com (Editor in Chief) 4 yrs
  6. Art; General:competitions etc 14 yrs
  7. Senior Home; Service ( Tuck Shop Sunday Manager) 4 yrs
  8. YWCA (Youth Advisory Member) (National Board Member for Canada) 1 yr
    there’s some more, sorry my brain isn’t functioning due to calc overload

Job/Work Experience:
Teacher Art Assistant 3 yrs
Volunteer/Community Service:
Local Church: Sunday school teacher and Pianist 3-5hrs/wk
School Service: 20 hrs+/wk
Community Service(Senior Home): 2-4hrs/wk
Summer Activities:
2014: Shad Valley STEM enrichment program at University of Waterloo
2015: Volunteered abroad in El Trapiche, Nicaragua (community I help fundraised for 3 yrs with FTC club)
:Went to Harvard Medical School to do a Medicine/Health Program
: Internship at the BC Children’s Hospital
Essays:
I did the best I could do and really poured my heart and why I do the things I do into it. I was hospitalized again during this time so I really did the “best” given my circumstances.
Teacher Recommendations:
1: 10/10 this teacher has known me for 5 years and sponsors many of my activities, all of his recommendations were what got me to the place I am today
2. 8-9/10 this teacher is the gifted facilitator at my school and I also knew her for 5 years but more extensively during the past 4 years. She didn’t teach me but knows of the EC’s I do when I ask for her help with humanitarian clubs or with my passion for writing/lit./english.
3. 7-8/10 this teacher I only got to know through being a part of the new accelerated sciences course at our school which is very rigorous. So for the most part, he only knew me for 2 years.
Counselor Rec:
9-10/10, she knows me very well as I ask her for permission everytime I do school events or plan fundraisers. Very immersed in my academic and EC life. Very glad for her support! Without her, I couldn’t do anything!
Additional Rec:

  1. 8/10 my youth coordinator that overlooked my humanitarian work with the FTC organization
  2. 8-9/10 an alumni (doctor) from the Shad Valley program I met in 2014, kept in touch for 2 years through interest in medicine and surgical trips.
    Interview:
    10/10: I thought the interview went great! We had the same passions and interests! Asked me about current events that I was passionate about. Replied that I had some very good answers to reflective answers to very philosophical questions. Talked about my activities and my accomplishments. I loved that it was very casual and she was very open to having a conversation instead of a structured interview. Showed her my artwork that I submitted through the slideroom and she enjoyed it.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: Undecided (as this point most likely health sciences but looking to do a dual major in both the sciences and arts)
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Canada (is the best <3)
School Type: Public 1500 students
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket:</=65,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I’m guessing this means if my parents went to university? They both did in China, then they went to Canada to redo some of their degrees

Reflection
Strengths: N/A
Weaknesses: my scores? too many focus areas?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: because I’m not good enough? esp. my scores
Where else you are applying or have already applied: I’m looking to actually applying to JH, Columbia, Stanford, and Brown.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
Be who you are, do the best you can, and be okay.
I tried my best given my circumstances and I am a bit disappointed and sad, but everything has it’s reason and will work out fine. I hope to make a difference, and I think that I have, so I’m glad that I do the EC’s that I do because I love them. Do the things you love and what makes you happy. Don’t do things to get into university because it will be so devastating if you don’t get in if you did the things you forced yourself to do.
Be proud of who you are and know that you are so incredible! You have it in you to make a difference and be the best person you can be!

HMU if you want to chat or release your sorrows, I’m here for you!
also if you want to check out my website that would be amazing:
http://www.ajourney2success.■■■■■■■■■■■■■
*sorry for advertising but it’s a big part of who I am (i mean the website) *

20

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2200 780 WR, 700 M, 720 CR
ACT (breakdown):n/a
SAT II: 750 E-Bio, 760 US History, 700 Math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.81 (had some b’s) 4.36 W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A, probably top ten
AP (place score in parenthesis): US history (5), Art History (5), Eng Lang (5), Bio (4), AP Enviro, AP Lit + Comp, AP Calc AB, AP Poli Sci, AP Econ
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: 4 APs and honors class
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar w/ honors, National novel writing award, national merit commended, people to people international award (not that important), online writing awards, sports awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

Varsity soccer and track (4 years + sprints captain),
Gender-sexuality alliance (pres + founder),
National novel writing month(s) -( won an award for this) -
Editor and writer of student-run lit magazine,
People to People Student Ambassadors,
Junior classical league (just a member),
Published on juke pop novels website + articles in Diverse Voices Quarterly, Blue Pencil and Teen Ink -
I also did a lot of club sports and got state/regional recognition. Not recruited though.

Job/Work Experience: N/A

Volunteer/Community service: LGBT Center OC, Heifer International, Hands for Africa, Food Bank, Gay for Good

Summer Activities: Stanford Summer College (took writing and sociology classes) - As in both, People to People Student International Trip to Italy Spain and France, travelled to Tanzania one year and track-trained for one.

Essays: common app is 10/10 - I wrote about how my afro helped me come out of the closet
Harvard Supplements:
–Extracurricular short: talked about my experience writing a narrative novel about QWOC character like me
–Additional Essay: talked about how embracing my queer identity led me to start an LGBT organization
Teacher Recommendation:
Art History teacher: 10/10 I participated a lot in her class and she really liked me + Art history was my favorite subjects last year
Bio teacher: probably 7-8/10 because I did well in his class but I wasn’t his favorite student or anything, but I stand out a lot in general.

Counselor Rec: Ehh… I would say 8-9/10 because I stand out a lot among my class and I had a really good interview with her but she has so many students so I’m not really sure.

Additional Rec: Fiction writing professor from stanford: 10/10 - I talked to her a lot over the summer and she helped me edit/polish a lot of my creative writing work. She knows me very well. (didn’t get to send this one to brown)

Interview: Not bad nor good. I said what I wanted to say, but our connection wasn’t very fluid.

Other
I submitted an additional writing sample - first two chapters of my novel (which won an award) which talked about the identity of an African American f–>m trans teen growing up in suburbs. Only sent this to HYPS - dunno if it really made a difference.

Applied for Financial Aid?: marked yes but ended up not applying.
Intended Major: Humanities
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: SUPER competitive public school probably will work against me.
Ethnicity: I’m mixed - half Nigerian and half American (so I put down African-American)
Gender: XX
Income Bracket: ~200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, and I’m not sure being queer counts but I emphasized that too in my app

Reflection

Strengths: ESSAYS ESSAYS ESSAYS - if the rest of my app wasn’t strong enough, my essays got me a second chance. Also SAT scores and unique extracurriculars - but honestly i think my essays played the biggest part.
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: QWOC who wants to be a writer? Idk.
Weaknesses: GPA probably, not a lot of super prestigious awards, super competitive class, I have a lack of work experience.

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Essays, unique ECS, prevalent academic focus

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: still waiting on all the ivies except Dartmouth
-Accepted to: Stanford, Yale, Brown, Cornell (CAS), NYU, Tufts University, Barnard College, UCLA, Emory University, Sarah Lawrence College, UCSB honors program, UC Santa Cruz Regents scholar, University of San Francisco, Boston University Honors
-Waitlisted: Columbia and Harvard
-Rejected: UC Berkeley, Princeton, Upenn
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: … Probably just getting a second look because my essays are pretty good, but I don’t know. College admissions are part crapshoot.
Post edited by sneechie at 8:36AM