Harvard University Class of 2022 SCEA Results

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1

SCEA results come out on 12/12 at 5pm ET. Cross your fingers and get ready!

Put your result, stats, ECs, etc. here to help future applicants. Use this format:

PLEASE REPLACE THE [* BELOW WITH JUST [ BEFORE POSTING
[B][size=4][color=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size][/b]
[B][size=4][color=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred[/color][/size][/b]
[B][size=4][color=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected[/color][/size][/b]

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 (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?:
Intended Major:
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflections:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments (if any):

MODERATORā€™S NOTE:
Thisthread is for results only. Posts without results will be deleted.

2

Ohā€¦ my word. Completely speechless.

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1560 (800 Math/760 Reading/Writing), 18 Essay
ACT (breakdown): n.a.
SAT II: 800 Math II, 750 U.S. History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 5.2
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/568
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (5), Geo (5), US History (4), APES (4), Lang (4), Macro (4), Gov (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit/Euro/Physics/CS/Stat
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None. :slight_smile:

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Astronomy Research Lab Volunteer at state museum
OpenSpace and Spiral Galaxy Software Contributor, (2015-present)
Model United Nations, (2014-16), President (2016-present)
Bernie Sandersā€™ 2016 Presidential Campaign, (2016)
LibertƩ Club, Founder, President (2017-present)
Solar Car, Team Lead (2016-present)
Computer Science Club, Founder, President (2015-17)
School Liaisons, (2014-17)
School Junior Marshal, (2017)

Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: n.a.
Summer Activities: Harvard PreCollege (2016 & 2017)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10; spent so much time making them uniquely about me, and I think thatā€™s whatā€™s important. Donā€™t look at other essays, donā€™t use a coach, donā€™t try to write in a style thatā€™s not you. Be yourself!

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): 10; wonderful, inspiring teacher
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): 10; loved her class and she felt that I think
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 10; we know each other relatively well which, in a school of 2800 students, means a lot
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): 10; my lab director who Iā€™ve known for years, and become good friends with
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): 10; such a nice man who loved the school, and I think saw the same in myself

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Concentration: Government
State (if domestic applicant): North Carolina
Country (if international applicant): United States
School Type: Large Public
Ethnicity:
Gender: M
Income Bracket: $60-80k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflections:
Strengths: ESSAYS! RECS!
Weaknesses: AP scores
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Canā€™t be sure; just be yourself!
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

3

** Decision: Deferred **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A (didnā€™t take)
ACT (breakdown): 28C (25E,35M,25R,25S) (yikessss lol)
SAT II: 780 Math II, 710 Physics
TOEFL: 111 (Reading: 26, Listening: 28, Speaking: 27, Writing: 30)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: N/A (only the unweighted GPA is used)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A (not ranked)
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A (not offered)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A (not offered)
Senior Year Course Load: Roughly 13 courses with the same difficulty as AP courses (junior year 17 though)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Not sure what exactly counts as ā€˜majorā€™, but here are the most important ones I got (and the only ones I mentioned xd):

  • Attended a programme to which only 20 students from all of the country were selected. Here, we got lectures from professors from Cambridge, Stanford etc and did amazing stuff. It was, and is, roughly equal in prestige to RSI.
  • National equivalent of Siemens Finalist
  • National Astronomy Olympiad Top 10
  • National Informatics Olympiad Bronze medallist (going for Silver or Gold this year)
  • International Mathematical Tournament participant
  • Prizewinner National Mathematical Kangaroo

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • National Student Union (as my recommender put it: ā€˜one of the driving forces behind the national student unionā€™.)
  • Member of our schoolā€™s council
  • Columnist for the newspaper of the national student union.
    Job/Work Experience: N/A.
    Volunteer/Community service: I am a translator for Khan Academy
    Summer Activities: Training for the olympiads, translating for Khan Academy, writing my high school thesis and reading a sh-tload of books.

Essays (rating 1-10, details): Honestly, I have no idea. All of my essays were very honest, so it could be a 6, but also a 10, depending on who reads it, I suppose.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 10. I have read them all (I waived FERPA, but my recommenders just sent them to me lol) and will provide details in the next section. All of the words I say that my recommenders wrote, I have quoted.

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): 9

  • My mathematics teacher, who happens to be a lecturer at the University of Amsterdam, too.
  • Basically said I am a budding intellectual; I enjoy all subjects, meaning I truly have a lot of intellectual curiosity; that I am a unique young man; I ā€œhave a cautious attitude, infalliable use of language, infinite eagernessā€; I ended in the top 3 of the National Informatics Olympiad; I got into the national equivalent of RSI; I was ā€œone of the driving forces behind the national student union, where I have shown tremendous leadership skillsā€; (Elaborated on some of the awards and ECs).

Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): 10

  • My physics teacher.
  • Basically said I am one of the most inspiring people he has ever come across; I inspired him personally to take on extra courses again; repeated resume; talked about how I overcame big obstacles and altogether, it was the best letter of recommendation I have ever seen

Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 10.

  • Well, my counselor lol.
  • Basically said she has rarely seen a student like me, if ever before, in the thirty years she has worked in academia. She talked even more about obstacles I have overcome (different big obstacles though); my motivation; how I self-studied topics like Partial Differential Equations, Lie Groups etc. She also talked about my passion for helping people etc etc. Couldnā€™t have written it better myself.

Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): N/A
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): N/A (not offered one)

Other:

  • I was a professional gamer
  • I know 7 programming languages
  • I speak 5 languages
  • I have taken two Secondary Leaving Examinations early
    Applied for Financial Aid?: Oh hell yeah haha
    Intended Major: Mathematics
    State (if domestic applicant): N/A
    Country (if international applicant): The Netherlands
    School Type: Officially, religious. In practice, public.
    Ethnicity: White
    Gender: Male
    Income Bracket: < $65000
    Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Mother dropped out of university, and my dad did not graduate high schoolā€¦ Not sure if that counts, though. Other than that, nada.

Reflections:
Strengths: Definitely my ACT score, no questions asked. I think I truly impressed them with that score :).
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I donā€™t know yet. Applied to 8 other top-notch universities in the US, and Iā€™m basically guaranteed admission to the University of Amsterdam.

General Comments (if any): I feel like I should have retaken the ACT and SAT Subject Tests, perhapsā€¦ At the time, I truly could not have cared less about them and really hated everything about the tests. They donā€™t measure someoneā€™s ability to solve difficult problems, but they simply measure oneā€™s ability to solve random problems very quickly. Plus, I started studying 2AM the night before and had to wake up at 5AM to get to my test center in timeā€¦ If youā€™re applying to Harvard, I suppose you could imagine how that went lmao.

My advice to all future applicants would be to not focus on admissions. Instead, focus on what it is that you love doing. If you do that, the awards, great essays etc. will all come eventually. That is because you are doing what you truly love, and that is what admissions officers want to see in the end. Also, I would recommend asking for your recommendations early on. If you give your recommenders a list of things they could write about and some more information about you in general, while you have also given them a lot of time to write it, Iā€™m sure your letter of recommendation will be great. Imagine you were to be a teacher; wouldnā€™t you have loved that scenario? Good luck to all of you!

4

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1530 (770 M 760RW)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 US History, 790 Math II, 760 Biology E
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 5.16/5
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/350
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (5), Statistics (4), Macroeconomics (5), Calculus AB (5), Physics 1 (4), US History (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Calculus BC, Literature, Biology, Psychology, Latin 4
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): I donā€™t know if itā€™s major but I am a NMSF and won the March for Science Video Contest

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): typical: Math Team (captain), Science Olympiad, started Arts and Crafts Club, field hockey for 4 years, etc. etc. Not very interesting, IMO. Gave a TEDx Talk about my work with women in STEM, but thatā€™s not very original either.
Job/Work Experience: teacher at local math school, and other things I didnā€™t list on my app
Volunteer/Community service: volunteer as a coach for my cityā€™s tennis and field hockey programs
Summer Activities: same as above
Essays (rating 1-10, details): both common app and supplement a solid 7
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): 8, my APUSH teacher is freaking awesome
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): 7, my Calc/Physics teacher and I have a bond but I gave it a read and it was quite shortā€¦ But Iā€™ll give her a pass because sheā€™s an engineering major, not an English one :))
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 6, got a completely new counselor my senior year, so I donā€™t know her as well :frowning: I think my original one wrote part of it, though!
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): N/A
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): 8, he just went down my resume and asked me things that would be on the CA, but I really liked him and I think he liked me too!

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: oui
Intended Major: Environmental Science
State (if domestic applicant): NH
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: public
Ethnicity: whiiiiiite
Gender: female
Income Bracket: >150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflections:
Strengths: My transcript is solid, but that doesnā€™t really set me apartā€¦ My essay is about something interesting that not many people expect from me, I think!
Weaknesses: I have too many ECs and they are super generic :confused:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I looked like every other white girl from New England hahaha
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: nowhere yetā€¦ lol the wait is killing me

General Comments (if any):
Really just be you! Donā€™t think about what officers want to read, I wish I knew that before! If youā€™re a junior reading this, I wish you luck!! :slight_smile:

5

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 780M/790ERBW
ACT (breakdown): 35/35/35/34S
SAT II: 800 Math II, 790 US History, 750 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.34
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): weighted = 3/403, unweighted = 1/403
AP (place score in parenthesis): APES (5), World History (5), Comp Sci Principles (5), APUSH (5), Psychology (5), Calc AB (5), Physics 1 (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Spanish Lang, Econ/Open, AP US Gov, AP Chem, Orchestra 4, AP Lit
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist (we donā€™t do those fancy ones in Idaho)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Competitive alpine ski racing ā€“ 8 years, 46 weeks per year, 4 to 23 hours per week; Orchestra ā€“ 8 years (2017-18 principal cellist, 2017-18 senior quintet member); NHS
Job/Work Experience: Concessions stand cashier at baseball stadium; lab intern at research university
Volunteer/Community service: 386 hours total; volunteer at community water resource education center
Summer Activities: see above
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9/10, really beautiful, made my parents and my English teacher cry (literally).
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): 10/10, my physics teacher let me read it and it was very flattering
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): 9/10, didnā€™t see the one from my APUSH teacher but he nominated me to be social studies student of the year last year so it should be good
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): not sure (my school is pretty big)
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): N/A
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): 10/10, felt very comfortable, the guy reminded me of my pops

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: yes, but not expecting any
Intended Major: Harvard doesnā€™t ask, but environmental science and public policy
State (if domestic applicant): Idaho
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: large public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: upper middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflections: deferral is statistically probable
Strengths: Iā€™m from Idaho
Weaknesses: Iā€™m from Idaho
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Iā€™m pretty good, but itā€™s Harvard
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: accepted to Nevada-Reno and Colorado School of Mines

General Comments (if any): I wish Iā€™d gotten an outright rejection. Waiting isnā€™t my strong suit.

6

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1600
ACT (breakdown): n/a
SAT II: Math 2 800, Chemistry 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.7727
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): Physics 1, Chemistry, Calc BC, Statistics, Lang: 5 ā€¦ APUSH 4
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Gov, AP Macroeconomics, Calculus 3, Differential Equations, Band, AP Lit, Chemistry 2 (Organic Chemistry)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Premio del Oro- National Spanish Exam Level 1, 2, 3 (2014, 2015, 2016), Semifinalist (6-12th place)- 2017 Moodyā€™s Mega Math Challenge, National Merit Semifinalist

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 1. 4 year varsity Cross Country- (Captain)
2. 4 year varsity Track and Field
3. 4 years in local aquariumā€™s high school internship program- The internship is a marine science based hands on learning experience at the local aquarium and marine science research laboratory. The program not only provides opportunities to view research as it happens and visit with scientists, but it also allows students to volunteer with scientists be it with help on research or animal care or outreach to the community. It is a very rewarding experience to those who care greatly about marine science and conservation.
4. Mu Alpha Theta- 4 years, math competitions- (local 2015 placed 11th in precalc division, Log 1 Competition 2016 20th place Region 4 Alpha Division, Math Madness, AMC school finalist 9-11th grade, school Statistics team local math competition)
5. Moodyā€™s Mega Math Challenge- Semifinalist placing in 2017 (6-12th out of over 1000 teams nationwide) - (plan to participate in 2018)
6. NHS 11-12th grade (NJHS 8-10th)
7. Trumpet/Band- 6 years
8. National Spanish Honor Society- Inducted 10th Grade
9. National Science Honor Society- Inducted 10th Grade
10. Soccer Club (Historian) 2017-2018
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service: marine lab volunteering, state park cleanups, local running club volunteering
Summer Activities: research at marine lab, wilderness excursion in New Mexico
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7- not a great writer, wrote about my love of efficiency and finding physical objects as well as solutions and how I turned Geocaching into a conservation effort through my internship
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): Statistics teacher (9)- also a coach for Moodyā€™s Mega Math Challenge, focused mainly on STEM fields but was otherwise fantasticā€¦ probably couldā€™ve been broader and touched upon other subjects
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): Chemistry teacher (?)- had him for chemistry which is one of my strongest subjects for 3 yearsā€¦ he liked me and he liked my brother before me but I heard after the fact that his recs are a little lazy even though they put you in a good light
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 8- known for writing good recs and thought I was ā€œa special kidā€
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details):
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): 10/10 interviewer was very impressed with me and said ā€œI really hope I get to open my email in December and see that you were accepted.ā€

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Mechanical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): Florida
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: male
Income Bracket: 100-150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): NONE WOOHOO

Reflections: Knew it was a long shot but thought my scores/ academics complemented by my athletic commitments and other long term commitments boosted me
Strengths: scores for sure
Weaknesses: essays
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Probably deferred due to the fact that my essays werenā€™t very good because I am genuinely just a mediocre writer at best. They probably wanted to keep me around because of my scores though.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to Montana State

General Comments (if any): Focus on your essays, itā€™s pretty hard to see other flaws in my application (except maybe some extracurriculars) so Iā€™d say your essay is what makes you stand out the mostā€¦ Really emphasize your passions. A little frustrated with deferral, I wish Harvard would just make their decisions because thatā€™s kind of the point of EA but whatever they can do whatever they want.

7

PLEASE REPLACE THE [* BELOW WITH JUST [ BEFORE POSTING
Decision: Accepted
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Math: 800; R&W: 760; Essay: 8 8 8
ACT (breakdown): Reading: 34; Writing: 35; Math: 36; Science: 36. Essay: 10/12
SAT II: Chemistry: 800; Biology M: 800; Math II: 800; World History: 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.00
Weighted GPA: 5.46 (6 points for AP, 5 points for honors)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1
AP (place score in parenthesis): 10 5ā€™s, 2 4ā€™s, 1 3
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Not good
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 1st place in some state stuff, published research paper

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Started my own company with $9,000 in revenue first year (CEO/FOUNDER)
Did research over the summer (paper was published)
Every science/math competition my school offered
Treasurer of my schoolā€™s science club
I have a weird hobby (memorization) which I wrote an essay about and I compete in.

Job/Work Experience: I wrote about volunteering about my local hospita
Volunteer/Community service: volunteered at local hospital
Summer Activities: published research
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10, commonapp essay was more about my character, I wrote about my hobby. My second essay was about my academics and I wrote about my research/plans for the future. I clearly laid out my plans to be something in the future and I think that gave me a big push
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Probably average, I didnā€™t have exceptional relations with any of my teachers.

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): Probably average, I didnā€™t have exceptional relations with any of my teachers.
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): Probably average, I didnā€™t have exceptional relations with any of my teachers.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): Probably average, I didnā€™t have exceptional relations with any of my teachers.
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): N/A
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): 8, went well, we talked a lot, I made sure to let him talk a lot so I could learn about the school and it gave me more to ask about. Iā€™m a bit socially awkward sometimes but I donā€™t think it showed in the interview.

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Computer Science
State (if domestic applicant): Florida
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: very large public (3000 kids, another guy got in with me)
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): idk Iā€™m a cool dude

Reflections: I stressed out for nothing
Strengths: Iā€™m very unique and I feel my character is one of the things that made me stand out. Too many people focus on the grades and all the generic stuff and while thatā€™s okay, itā€™s a lot more fun and equally as acceptable to carve your own path.

Weaknesses: I didnā€™t want to go down the normal path so my ECs probably arenā€™t as strong as they should have been. I would have been more comfortable if I had more leadership but I guess it didnā€™t matter.

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: because Iā€™m cool as heck
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: refer to above questions

General Comments (if any): none

8

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1550, 800 M, 750 CR
ACT (breakdown): 35 E, 35 M, 34 R, 34 S
SAT II: 780 US History, 780 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.4
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): None
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s on APWH, APUSH, Eng Lang, Stats, Calc AB & BC, 4 on Physics 1
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Macro, AP Eng Lit, AP Art History, AP Music Theory, AP Psychology
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): GRAMMY Jazz Band Finalist, Youngarts Winner in Jazz Composition

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Lots of jazz piano, Iā€™ve gotten awards for my playing and composition.
Humanities Conservatory
Job/Work Experience: Internship with Tech Consulting Firm
Volunteer/Community service: Music related, 50+ hours
Summer Activities: Jazz camps for the most part
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8/10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): Idk
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): Idk
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): Probably decent, she knows me and likes me
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): 9/10: from a pretty famous jazz trumpeter that knows me quite well
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): 7, I stumbled a couple of times when talking about Nietzsche but we had good conversation

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Social Studies and Music
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: About 250k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflections: This was the answer I was expecting. Itā€™s impossible to get into Havard!
Strengths: Grades, Test Scores, Jazz Piano is less common for ivy applicants
Weaknesses: Lack of academic ECs, not enough APs
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: There are several stronger applicants from my high school.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: No where so far.

9

PLEASE REPLACE THE [* BELOW WITH JUST [ BEFORE POSTING
Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Eng: 750 Math: 760

ACT (breakdown): Eng: 36 Reading: 36 Math: 33 Science: 31

SAT II: Math II: 690 US History: 780

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): IDK

Weighted GPA: 107.47/100 (4.3/4.0)

Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/ 560

AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language and Composition: 5 /5
Statistics: 5 /5

IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A

Senior Year Course Load: AP World History, AP Physics 2, AP English Lit, AP Gov, AP Eco, AP Cal BC, Independent
Study

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
John F. Curry Award (2014)
Air Commando Association National Award (2015)
AFJROTC Summer Leadership School Honor Graduate (2015)
Hap Arnold Award (2015)
AFJROTC Summer Leadership School Commanderā€™s Trophy (2016)
Mary Feik Award (2016)
Military Orders of World Wars National Award (2016)
Outstanding Cadet of the Year - Air Force Junior ROTC (2016)
SkillsUSA Engineering Design 1st Place Local Winner (2016)
SkillsUSA Engineering Design 1st Place Regional Winner (2017)
St. Maryā€™s Hall Model United Nations Best Delegation Team (2017)
St. Maryā€™s Hall Model United Nations Distinguished Delegate (2017)
SkillsUSA Engineering Design 3rd Place State Winner (2017)
Daedalian Achievement National Award (2017)
AP Scholar with Honors (2017)
Pritzker Citizen Soldier National Award (2017)
George C. Marshall Leadership and Academic Award (2017)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
JROTC

  • Saber Guard member (2014-2015)
    -Academic Team member (2014 ā€“ 2017)
    -Honor Guard member (2014-2015)
    -Echo Flight Sergeant (2015-2016)
    -Armor Officer (2015-2016)
    -Historian Deputy (2015-2016)
    -Senior Enlisted Advisor (2015-2016)
    -Model United Nations Commander (2015-2017)
    -Inspector General (2016-2017)
    -Hotel Flight Commander (2016-2017)
    -Cadet Publications (2016-2017)
    -Executive Officer (2016-2017)
    -Academic Team Commander (2016-2017)

CLASS OFFICE
-Class President for Sophomore/Junior Year

CIVIL AIR PATROL
-Active member (2014-2016)
-Piloting Program (2014-2016)
-Charlie Flight Sergeant (2015)
-Bravo Flight Sergeant (2016)
-Admin Officer (2016)
-International Exchange member (2016)

GIFTED AND TALENTED
ASCEND ENRICHMENT PROGRAM
ROBOTICS
NHS

YOUNG DEMOCRATS OF AMERICA
-President

MODEL UNITED NATIONS
-Commander

Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: I taught English and Math in Ghana and Tanzania and built new schools there. Throughout high school I had over 300 hours
Summer Activities: I studied at Cornell at 14, University of Colorado at 15, Taught in Africa at 16, and went to Harvard SSP at 17
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Not bragging, but absolutely amazing
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I didnā€™t see them

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details):I didnā€™t see them
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details):I didnā€™t see them
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):I didnā€™t see them
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details):I didnā€™t see them
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): I had it with the President of the Harvard Club here. It was a little uptight at first, but I think I impressed her

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large Public
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 160 K +
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I am a trained pilot with a military background. Black female going into STEM. Have already studied at Harvard.

Reflections:
Strengths: Great essay writer. Lots of things outside of school. Plenty of awards
Weaknesses: SAT Math 2 test scores
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have a lot of unique extracurriculars and my essays were really reflective and ā€œdeepā€
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Havenā€™t applied elsewhere yet

General Comments (if any):

10

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Eng: 750 Math: 760
ACT (breakdown): Eng: 36 Reading:36 Math:33 Science: 31
SAT II: Math 2: 690 US History: 780
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): IDK
Weighted GPA: 107.47/100 (4.3/4.0)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/560
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language and Composition: 5 /5 Statistics: 5 /5
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP - (World History, Physics 2, Eng Lit, Gov, Econ, Cal BC) and Independent Study
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
John F. Curry Award (2014)
Air Commando Association National Award (2015)
AFJROTC Summer Leadership School Honor Graduate (2015)
Hap Arnold Award (2015)
AFJROTC Summer Leadership School Commanderā€™s Trophy (2016)
Mary Feik Award (2016)
Military Orders of World Wars National Award (2016)
Outstanding Cadet of the Year - Air Force Junior ROTC (2016)
SkillsUSA Engineering Design 1st Place Local Winner (2016)
SkillsUSA Engineering Design 1st Place Regional Winner (2017)
St. Maryā€™s Hall Model United Nations Best Delegation Team (2017)
St. Maryā€™s Hall Model United Nations Distinguished Delegate (2017)
SkillsUSA Engineering Design 3rd Place State Winner (2017)
Daedalian Achievement National Award (2017)
AP Scholar with Honors (2017)
Pritzker Citizen Soldier National Award (2017)
George C. Marshall Leadership and Academic Award (2017)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
JROTC (Saber Guard member (2014-2015)
Academic Team member (2014 ā€“ 2017)
Honor Guard member (2014-2015)
Echo Flight Sergeant (2015-2016)
Armor Officer (2015-2016)
Historian Deputy (2015-2016)
Senior Enlisted Advisor (2015-2016)
Model United Nations Commander (2015-2017)
Inspector General (2016-2017)
Hotel Flight Commander (2016-2017)
Cadet Publications (2016-2017)
Executive Officer (2016-2017)
Academic Team Commander (2016-2017)

STUDENT COUNCIL
Active member (2015-Present)

CLASS OFFICE
Sophomore Class Vice President (2015-2016)
Junior Class President (2016-2017)

CIVIL AIR PATROL
Active member (2014-2016)
Piloting Program (2014-2016)
Charlie Flight Sergeant (2015)
Bravo Flight Sergeant (2016)
Admin Officer (2016)
International Exchange member (2016)

GLOBAL LEADERSHIP ADVENTURES AMBASSADOR PROGRAM
GLA Global Ambassador (2016 ā€“ Present)
GLA Game Changer

GIFTED & TALENTED
Active member (2007 - Present)

EMERGING YOUNG LEADERS
Active member (2012-2014)

ASCEND ENRICHMENT PROGRAM
Active member (2014-2016)
Program Mentor (2016 - Present)

IDENTITY CLARITY
Vice President (2016 - Present)

ROBOTICS TEAM
Design Manager (2016-2017)

ENGINEERING CLUB
President (2016-2017)

NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY
Active member (2016 - Present)

NATIONAL SOCIETY OF HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARS
Active member (2016 - Present)

AFJROTC ACADEMIC AND LEADERSHIP BOWL
Local Finalist (2014-2015)
Regional Finalist (2014-2015)
State Finalist (2014-2015)
Local Finalist (2015-2016)
Regional Finalist (2015-2016)
State Finalist (2015-2016)
Local Finalist (2016-2017)
Regional Finalist (2016-2017)
State Finalist (2016-2017)
International Championship Competitor (2016-2017)

YOUNG DEMOCRATS OF AMERICA
Active member (2015 - Present)

MODEL UNITED NATIONS
Houston Area Model United Nations ā€“ Republic of Macedonia (2017)
St. Maryā€™s Hall Model United Nations - Uganda (2017)
St. Maryā€™s Hall Model United Nations ā€“ Best Delegation Team (2017)
St. Maryā€™s Hall Model United Nations ā€“ Distinguished Delegate (2017)

SKILLSUSA
-Designed a condensable, pedal-powered washing machine for micro-living conditions over the course of six months.
Engineering Design - 1st Local Winner (2016)
Engineering Design -1st Place Regional Winner (2017)
Engineering Design Texas State Competitor - 3rd Place(2017)

Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: I taught English and math in Ghana and Tanzania and built new schools there.
Summer Activities: Studied at Cornell at age 14, UC Boulder at 15, Taught in Africa at 16, and studied at Harvard at 17
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Not to brag, but AMAZING
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I didnā€™t see them

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): I didnā€™t see them
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): I didnā€™t see them
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): I didnā€™t see them
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): I didnā€™t see them
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): It was a little tense at first, but I think I impressed her

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large Public
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 160K +
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Trained pilot with a military background. Black female going into STEM. Invented my own machine. Already studied at Harvard. Went to an international academic championship.

Reflections: I was really unique
Strengths: Had plenty of unique activities and experiences. GREAT essay writer
Weaknesses: Math 2 score
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Unique collection of characteristics
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Havent applied anywhere else yet

General Comments (if any): BE UNIQUE!

11

**Decision: ACCEPTED!!! **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 35 C (36E 35M 34R 36S 9W)
SAT II: 770 Math II, 720 Chem
TOEFL: 116/120
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 19.69/20
Weighted GPA: N/A
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/175
AP (place score in parenthesis): Not available in Iran
IB (place score in parenthesis): Not available in Iran
Senior Year Course Load: Fixed curriculum meaning I had no say over my course load. Chemistry 4, Physics 4, Math 4, Biology 4, Geology 2, English 4, Persian Language and Literature 4, Islamic Studies 4 (sigh)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): A few small awards here and there, nothing major.

** Note: AP or IB classes are not offered in Iran, and we all have the same curriculum. However, I was in a NODET (national organization for the development of exceptional talents) school, which means that our curriculum was quite rigorous. /b

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): A little bit of everything. Student Council, Activism, Coding, Tutoring, Research, School Magazine Editor, etc. Pretty much a jack of all trades and master of none (some, maybe?)
Job/Work Experience: Summer Job as a Pharmacy Technician
Volunteer/Community service: Lots of tutoring (didnā€™t count hours tbh, been doing this since I was a kid)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): It is impossible to be objective while judging oneā€™s own essays. I would say both were pretty honest because I poured my heart out into those essays (and trust me, I have a very inspiring life story). I would say both the common app essay and the supplemental one would make anyone reading them shed a tear.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): English Teacher 10/10, she absolutely ADORES me, and weā€™re like best friends
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): Didnā€™t read, Chem Teacher: 8/10, Expecting this one to be kinda generic but still great. She doesnā€™t know me personally but loves me as a student.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 9/10? She didnā€™t know what to write about so I gave her a lot of hints. She ended up writing an amazing letter of rec for me.
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): Pharmacist who supervised me during my summer job as a technician. I would say it would be a 8/10 because he admired me and we got along really well.
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): Had one with an admissions officer via Skype. I had doubts about it and felt like it was at least a little bit awkward, but seems like I mightā€™ve been wrong!

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Undecided but CS perhaps?
State (if domestic applicant): N/A
Country (if international applicant): IRAN
School Type: NODET
Ethnicity: White (middle-eastern)
Gender: female
Income Bracket: uber low
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): unique life story, underrepresented country (if that is a thing), female going into STEM

Reflections: I literally canā€™t believe this. The results came out at 3:30 AM Iran time and my mom cried for like half an hour. My best friends stayed awake all night and were shook (just as I am). I sat in a corner motionless, wondering whether I was dreaming.
Strengths: test scores (except SAT IIs lol), grades, UNIQUE LIFE STORY (canā€™t stress this enough), female going to stem
Weaknesses: perhaps the slightly awkward interview, no ā€œspikeā€ in my ECs
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: No idea
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Havenā€™t applied anywhere else.

General Comments (if any): I promised to do this to inspire other applicants, especially Iranians (and even more especially, Iranian girls!!) who want to take this road and are worried they might not make it. Two years ago, if someone told me I would ever apply to Harvard (let alone get admitted), I would laugh and brush it off. But around the same time, a brilliant Iranian student was admitted to Harvard '20, and thus my Harvard journey began when I stumbled upon his post on the class of 2020 SCEA thread. I hope some day someone elseā€™s journey will begin when they stumble upon this post. Dear future readers, I believe in you. Dear future readers with unique (and possibly sad) life stories, donā€™t listen to the advice of others telling you that you should refrain from writing ā€œsob stories.ā€ Sometimes, your entire life might sound like a sob story to others. A lot of people who read my essays suggested that I write something else, and I spent my entire summer feeling insecure and wondering what else I could even write about. I tried to think of my happy days, of events I could mention that would make my essay less of a ā€œsob storyā€. Just know that if you can show that you have survived and that you have fought back despite your circumstances, you have already made it. Your story is not a sob story, I promise. You are a hero of your own. I went with my heart and submitted what truly represented my story, and I made it. DONā€™T LET ANYONE CHANGE YOUR MIND. GO WITH YOUR HEART.

12

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1510 (M-800, R-710) ā€“ Did not submit
ACT (breakdown): 36 (36/36/36/35/11) ā€“ Submitted
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Biology M
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0/4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.0/4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/750
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chemistry (5), Biology (5), Statistics (5), BC Calc (5), Physics II (4), Spanish IV (4), Macroeconomics (4), English III (4), WHAP (4), Government (3) (I didnā€™t submit any AP scores)
IB (place score in parenthesis): IB Not Available at School
Senior Year Course Load: Wrestling, AP Physics C, AP Computer Science, AP English Literature, AP Environmental Science, AP US History
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Harvard Book Award, Princeton Book Award, State Science Fair Biomed 1st Place, Invited to Governorā€™s Sci/Tech Summer Research Camp, State Academic UIL 6A 2nd in Math & 4th Overall, 3 Year Internship for Personalized Medicine/HIV/Allergies, Accepted into 3 Year Summer Region-Wide Research Program at University Medical School, 6 Year Recipient of the Presidential Volunteer Service Award

Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Scholar, NM semifinalist

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): ā€“ I added the grade years of participation
Varsity Orchestra 9-10 (Assistant Concertmaster, Region 12 Concertmaster)
National Math Honor Society 11-12: (Founder, Chapter President for '17 & '18) Established schoolā€™s math tutoring program
Science Fair Club 12: (Founder, President) Established a facilitated science fair participation system at school
Chem Club 10-12: (President) School wide Chemistry Jeopardy Event founder
National Honor Society 11-12: (Vice President) Organize city-wide volunteer organizations for student body
Class Officer 10-11: (Class Treasurer) Plan & Design Prom, Powder Puff Games, School Fundraising
Wrestling 12: 110 Varsity & 119 JV
Summer Swim League 5-12: Relay Anchor, 2nd in Freestyle & Breaststroke at Championships, Female High Pointer 2016

Job/Work Experience: 3 year summer internship since 2015
Volunteer/Community service: Tzu Chi Volunteering 5-12: Volunteered at Foodbanks, Senior Centers, Botanical Gardens | Assisted in Tornado and Hurricane Disaster Reliefs
Summer Activities: The summer internship
Essays (rating 1-10, details):


[QUOTE=""]

Common App Essay: (9/10) About hiking & overcoming challenge mentally and physically
Harvard Supplemental Essay: (7/10) Roommate Letter
Harvard Extra-Curricular: (9/10) Wrote about wrestling & endurance

[/QUOTE]

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
FYI I waived my rights.
Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details):


[QUOTE=""]

Chemistry Teacher: I would assume itā€™s pretty strong? He has written several other recommendation letters for me to programs that Iā€™ve been accepted into, and Iā€™ve had him as a teacher since sophomore year. I figure he knows me pretty well. I was one of his only 5s on the AP exam and am also the President of his Chemistry Club this year.
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details):
English Teacher: She became the dean of English this year. I had her as a teacher sophomore year, and she knows me pretty well. Sheā€™s also written several other recommendation letters for me to programs that Iā€™ve been accepted into. I come in during the summer to help her clean and take down her room decorations.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):
I think it should be okay? Heā€™s also written several other rec letters before, and Iā€™ve always persistently asked him questions, haha.
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details):
Lab PI: (9.5/10)
Volunteer Chapter Leader

[/QUOTE]

Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details):


[QUOTE=""]

(9/10) First one in person went really well. It lasted nearly two hours, and she didnā€™t ask me any questions other than which AP classes I took. The discussion was really about life, sports, past experiences, etc. It was very casual and pleasant.
(8/10) They emailed me a few days later asking for a Skype interview with the regional admissions officer. It lasted about 50 minutes, and he asked me various questions pertaining to school, family, personal choices. I think it went well. A note about this, he asked me about wrestling, so I figure that was a really unique attribute. He also recalled my common app essay. No note on my roommate essay, however.

[/QUOTE]

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Biological Sciences
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Large Public
Ethnicity: Korean
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Middle (100k ish)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Parents are immigrants (if that counts?)

Reflections: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Strengths: Wrestling, Versatility, Rec Letters
Weaknesses: Asian, Orchestra
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Luck
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted into UT Austin

General Comments (if any): GOOD LUCK TO FUTURE APPLICANTS !!!

13

Decision: Accepted

International Applicant

Objective:
SAT I: 1450 (Eng. 740 Maths.710)
SAT II: Chinese.790 - Literature.720
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): n/a
Weighted GPA: n/a
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis):n/a
Advanced Level (A level) - predicted grades: AAA (music, literature, history)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Concert pianist, performed widely in major concert venues, won national awards.
Classical composer, performed widely across UK, broadcast on national TV & radio
Visual art, published mixed media artist and illustrator, collaborator
Musicology & Ethnomusicology: Field work in rural China, special research in pop music & social phenomena

Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Founded musical charity bringing vocal and performance workshops to local state-funded schools
Participated in multiple charity musical initiatives across UK
Regularly receive paid music commissions, other freelance music work, including creative direction
Events management, cross-cultural event planning, PR, etc.

Summer Activities:
National Youth Orchestra, Piano courses, composition workshops

Essays (rating 1-10, details): Worked hard on them. Submitted 1200 word essay as supplemental detailing unusual field work in China. Personal statement details early musical experiences.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): (didnā€™t see them)

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): Head of Composition at my music school
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): Music teacher at my school

3: Composition teacher, head of composition at a UK music college

Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): 2 recs from professors of composition from Oxford and Royal Northern (UK music college). Didnā€™t read any of my recs but hopefully the teachers all like me & were positive (lol)
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): Went pretty well, was with a member of the Deanā€™s advisory board (Kennedy School)

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Music? want to explore
Country (if international applicant): UK
School Type: Specialist Music school
Ethnicity: British, Chinese
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: low income, high assets
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): donā€™t know what that is

Reflections:
Strengths: heavy focus on music, probably strong essays, very very very earnest, worked hard in school
Weaknesses: low SAT scores, lack of diversity in ECā€™s
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think my app was possibly one of the more alternative ones - my SATs were a bit lower than what I would have liked, and I only decided on Harvard 4 months before deadline. I am very passionate about music, & have worked hard at it for a good chunk of my life, and I think my successes there probably tipped my application over the edge
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: In the US I only applied to Harvard.

General Comments:

jesus canā€™t believe I got in !

14

Decision: Accepted
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1570 (800 M, 770 CR/W), 24 essay
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: Biology M (800), Physics (800), Math II (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.80
Weighted GPA: 4.72
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1
AP (place score in parenthesis): Spanish (5), Chinese (5), English Lang (5), World History (5), Calculus BC (5, subscore 5), Biology (5), Physics 1 (5), Physics 2 (5), Computer Science (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Advanced organic chemistry, AP Chemistry, AP Physics C, Pathophysiology, AP English lit, AP Macroeconomics, AP Music theory
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): IBO gold medal, Science Olympiad National Tournament (2 medals)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Math club (President), Science Olympiad A-team, Piano competitor, Tae Kwon Do (Junior leader)
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: 230 hours in a summer as a counselor at a camp for disabled people
Summer Activities: Volunteer camp (freshman), studied (sophomore), USABO finals camp and IBO (junior)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App on how I find beauty in biology (9?)
Optional essay on why I like to play piano (7)
Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): Science, teacher for 3 classes, Science Olympiad coach, really likes me (10)
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): Another science, AP Biology teacher, didnā€™t really know her, asked because of IBO (8? Idk)
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): Never talked to my counselor, canā€™t be anything bad (7)
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): USABO director, got to talk to her a bit (7)
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): Interviewer loved to talk, took 75 minutes, though I got stuck on the ā€œwhat will you contributeā€ question (8)

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Biology
State (if domestic applicant): Texas
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public magnet
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $200k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflections: I was a typical Asian kid, but I outperformed most people.
Strengths: Gained one of the highest achievements in biology, focused heavily in biology
Weaknesses: Barely any leadership or community activities, didnā€™t really get to know teachers
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I did well at IBO, and all my science extracurriculars centered on biology, along with my Common App essay. My extracurriculars list is really short, and I donā€™t have that much leadership compared to others, but what I do have carries alot of weight.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: UT Austin (autoadmit)

15

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1510 (780M 730RW) Didnā€™t submit - just for National Merit
ACT (breakdown): 36 (36M, 36S, 35E, 35R, 9W)
SAT II: 750 Math II, 720 Literature
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 5.3
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/300
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB (5), Language (5), Euro (5), Stats (5), USH (4), Micro (4), U.S. Gov (4), Enviro (4), Macro (3), Psych (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Calc BC, AP Art History, AP Human Geo, Physics, Gym
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, National AP Scholar, Coca-Cola Semifinalist, ARML

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): NC Governorā€™s School, NC Governorā€™s Page Program, NC Teen Democrats, Young Democrats, Student Government, Quizbowl, Math Team, some other stuff I think
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: Key Club, Dem stuff
Summer Activities: NC Governorā€™s School
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9, incredible background on family situation, alcoholism, low-income, divorced, bipolar, etc.
Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): 7, well written
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): 6, personal
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 7, personal
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details):
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): 7, 2hrs long, ā€œauspiciousā€

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Gov/Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): North Carolina
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <30,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First-generation, low-income, underrepresented region

Reflections: Still in shock give me a minute
Strengths: Several hooks, scores, essays in particular
Weaknesses: AP/SAT scores?
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: A powerful personal narrative and background shown through essays + high scores in an otherwise low region (school average ACT is 18). Little sleep, lots of work.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Rejected at Morehead-Cain

General Comments (if any): It took years of hard work to make myself a potential candidate for such a school, but I owe most of it to those who have helped me along the way.

16

Decision: Accepted

(I wrote this before any decisions came out. Also, itā€™s super long sorry lol. Please feel free to PM me if you want to learn any more.)

Objective:
SAT I: 760R 800M 22E
SAT II: 800 Math II, 780 Chemistry, 780 Latin
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: N/A
Rank: Officially N/A, unofficially at least top 5/120
APs: Chemistry (5), Computer Science A (5), French (5), English Lang (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP English Lit, AP Physics 1, Honors Bio, Honors Law, Honors Creative Writing
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing really ā€“ qualified for AIME, attended but didnā€™t do that well at HMMT, placed well in some state/national tournaments prestigious within my country. Lots of smaller awards (within school, etc.) and did some more impressive stuff as a middle schooler (which youā€™d find if you googled me, but I didnā€™t mention in my apps)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars: Classics Club president (huge commitment), trivia team captain (weā€™re one of the best in the country), Ancient Greek student, physics research group (not that impressive, weā€™re pretty bad), running some small things at my school, writing for the school magazine, playing piano recreationally (Iā€™m not good at all)
Job/Work Experience: A short gig doing some programming for a small corporate client a couple summers ago ā€“ nothing much

Volunteer/Community service: About 60 hours of assorted stuff from volunteering with school or March Break camps, etc.; another ~100 hours volunteering with Habitat for Humanity (every other weekend)
Summer Activities: Some nothing, some travelling with family; took a bunch of online comp sci classes. In addition, Iā€™d usually either do some sort of academic camp or plan some academic activities for myself ā€“ stuff that you have to be smart to get into, but nothing impressive

Essays: Honestly, rating your own essays is a struggle. Iā€™m a really good writer, and my guidance counselor who is relatively competent approved them, so they canā€™t be that bad. Wrote my common app about a large building project I designed (not like house-size, like lifesize diorama). Wrote my Harvard supplement about diversity and my love for all of humanity. Hopefully both were interesting; they were definitely well-written and gave an insight into my pretty unique worldview.

Recommendations
Teacher Rec (STEM): Teacher I had in sophomore year and this year. I saw the rec and it was pretty good ā€“ said I was one of the strongest students sheā€™s ever taught and also mentioned a lot of really strong personal leadership qualities.
Teacher Rec (Humanities): Teacher I had last year. I had a good combo of aptitude and dedication in his class and was one of the few who did; got a good grade and he expressed that he had a lot of respect for me. I work with him closely because heā€™s the trivia team supervisor and heā€™s displayed a lot of awe at my leadership/organization skills, which are extremely good, so I think it was probably a pretty strong rec.

Counselor Rec: My counselor definitely sees me as one of the most passionate and mature students in my grade, but he doesnā€™t know me that well. It was probably OK, but not necessarily above the average good rec.
Additional Rec: My online computer science teacher Iā€™ve known since sixth grade. He thinks Iā€™m absolutely incredible so I think this rec will be good.
Interview: Went fine? About an hour, the guy seemed really interested in my experience with Latin and we talked a lot about the language. I said a couple somewhat socially awkward things but thatā€™s just who I am /shrug

Other

Intended Major: Engineering and Classics
State/Country: Iā€™m a US citizen living in another country, so I count as domestic.
School Type: private academic, full of high-achievers ā€“ one of the best in my country
Ethnicity: sorta complicated but basically half ashkenazi jew, half caribbean black
Gender: prefer not to say
Income Bracket: 200kish
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, legacy

Reflection

Strengths: I think Classics+Engineering is an interesting, somewhat unique combo and my common app essay made it clear how I want to combine the two. Iā€™m pretty intelligent (davidson institute-level, if you know what that is), but I honestly donā€™t know how common that is ā€“ maybe it makes me stand out, maybe itā€™s a dime a dozen. Also not sure how much my hooks help. I definitely have a unique worldview and Iā€™m super passionate/intellectual/driven/organized; if those things came through in my application, I bet they helped.
Weaknesses: I have a bunch of small-to-medium awards but none of the golden tickets like USAMO, etc., and havenā€™t done anything super exciting or innovative ā€“ nothing that makes you think, we need that kid. Iā€™m not a fancy entrepreneur or anything, I just love and am very good at learning.

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I donā€™t really know. Iā€™m wondering if my letters of rec were particularly good, or maybe they just genuinely felt like I was an interesting person. Or maybe it was the hooks lol, who knows

Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nowhere yet

General Comments: Keep in mind, these little writeups are incredibly subjective. I could be over- or under-stating my accomplishments in the eyes of AOs and none of us, myself included, really know the truth.

17

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1590 (790M 800W 7/7/7 Essay) - single sitting
ACT (breakdown): did not take
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Biology Molecular, 800 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: n/a - school does not weight
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a - does not rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s on Biology, Computer Science A, Physics C Mechanics, Physics C E&M, Statistics, and Calculus BC (self-studied)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: dual-enrolled in sophomore and junior-level classes at a local college, courses include proof-based probability theory, markov chain theory, tensor calculus, virology, synthetic biology, advanced music theory, etc. I had already completed multivariable calculus in junior year, but I felt the linear algebra class was not rigorous enough.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 3rd grand award at Intel ISEF, coauthor of a prominent paper to be submitted to one of Nature/Cell/Science, 2-time first place winner at state science fair, many other state and regional science fair awards, 2x AIME qualifier and AMC schoolwide top scorer, finalist in a statewide math competition, HiMCM meritorious, AP Scholar, NMSFā€Ø (I only mentioned the first 4 on my application)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): FIRST robotics (9-11), science club (9-12), programming team (10-12, co-captain), cybersecurity team (11-12, co-captain), math team (9-10), CAD team (11-12), bioinformatics research at MIT PRIMES (11-12), several hackathons (9-12), jazz piano
Job/Work Experience: worked as a paid intern for a biotech company over the summer.
Volunteer/Community service: volunteering at a local hospital, 3D-printing prosthetic hands, STEM outreach event, counselor at computer camp for local youth.
Summer Activities: Harvard SSP, volunteer counselor at a summer program for middle-schoolers, and research for PRIMES.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I had my teachers read them over, and they all thought they were really good. I donā€™t think itā€™s accurate to assign essays numerical ratings, but I consider myself to be a decent writer.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I talked about how a program at Harvard got me interested in biology, and how Iā€™ve merged that interest with my passion for computer science.
Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): did not read - I respect my teacherā€™s privacy.
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): did not read - I respect my teacherā€™s privacy.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): did not read - I respect my counselorā€™s privacy.
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): from my research mentor at PRIMES
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): I never got oneā€¦

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: nope
Intended Major: Statistics - computational biology (listed biological sciences on the application)
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: small public magnet
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: high enough for no financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflections: I was kind of expecting to be deferred, so Iā€™m more worried about the 13 supplements that Iā€™m going to have to write in the next few weeks. Really hoping Iā€™ll get into Stanford/MIT now, but you never know. At least I still have a (2%) chance now that Iā€™m deferred!
Strengths: Good test scores/GPA and good essays. I think my interest in computational biology/bioinformatics was more than evident in my extracurriculars and awards.
Weaknesses: Asian male with STEM extracurriculars, and not very strong humanities stuff.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I never got an interview? Weird because I live less than an hour away from Harvard. I called them, but they gave the standard explanation of ā€œno available alumni in your area.ā€ My extracurriculars were also kind of all over the place because I switched schools.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments (if any): Congrats to everyone that got in! Good luck to all of us with our regular schools!

18

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1550 (780 M 770 RW)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (sent 2: 36R 35E 36M 34S and 34R 36E 35M 34S 9W)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Spanish Reading, 800 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
Weighted GPA: 4.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ~20/700
AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology (5) Calc BC (5) Chemistry (5) Statistics (5) Literature (4) US Gov (4) APUSH (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish Language, Honors Organic Chemistry, AP Psych, Honors Philosophy, AP Physics C Mechanics and E&M, AP Lang, AP Euro
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, National Hispanic Scholar

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): a service club (co-president this year), a tutoring program (co-founder, co-president), math club (co-president sophomore year), science olympiad, JV Soccer 9-10 grade.
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteering at the hospital about 60 hours along with community service with my extracurriculars.
Summer Activities: NIDDK STEP-UP internship during summer before senior year, 40 hrs/wk for eight weeks.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10, I made sure to dig deep and reflect on myself and my story. I also picked a unique topic for my Common app as well.

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): Didnā€™t read, but she was an incredible teacher. I loved her class, and we developed a very close relationship.
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): Didnā€™t read, we had a good relationship as he also worked with me during a couple of extracurriculars, and it was probably well written
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): Didnā€™t read, new this year.
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): Probably 10, I read a recommendation for a summer program, and it was a glowing letter
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): 7, it was a good conversation, about an hour long, but we didnā€™t have much in common

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Molecular and Cellular Biology
State (if domestic applicant): Midwest
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic, African
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 60,000-70,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflections: I have no idea how I actually stood out in the applicant pool, but I worked to make sure I honestly depicted my story and who I really am.
Strengths: Grades, Test scores, URM, relatively unique essays, resilience after moving schools during sophomore year
Weaknesses: No significant awards, almost no meaningful extracurriculars until junior year
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Not a clue, maybe it was my essays and summer program?
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nowhere yet

General Comments (if any): Donā€™t ever lose hope! Halfway through my sophomore year, my dream school was a small in-state school with a 70% acceptance rate. Try to reflect your personality and your story in your application. If you can do this, itā€™ll give you the best chance of acceptance. If then you donā€™t get in (assuming you have the academic qualifications), then there was nothing you can do, and it was just that Harvard just didnā€™t have enough space! Donā€™t judge your self-worth on what a college decides, cause at this level of selectivity, itā€™s a crapshoot. No matter where you end up, if you are willing to work hard and dedicate yourself, you can succeed! So grateful for this opportunity and for all the people that helped me get here, and I canā€™t wait to begin this new chapter in life!

19

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): (took for NM, didnā€™t send) 1520/780 reading/740 math
ACT (breakdown): 34C/36E/31M/35R/33S/9essay
SAT II: 790 Math II/770 USH
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): frosh/soph: ~3.85 junior: 4.0 (two different schools)
Weighted GPA:
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (5), Human Geo (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP English Lit, AP Physics 1, AP Spanish Lang, US Gov
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): New York Times Editorial Contest Runner Up
Common Awards: NMSF, Scholastic Art and Writing Gold and Silver Key, Fine Arts Award for Acting for the Camera

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Contemporary/Ballet/Modern Dance (20+ hours/week, Iā€™ve danced professionally), Theater (8 productions, some professional), intā€™l literary magazine (executive editor), amnesty international club (founder), speech (won some regional tournaments, stopped after soph year)
Job/Work Experience: dance and acting jobs
Volunteer/Community service: volunteering with developmentally disabled teens and adults
Summer Activities: one summer at an arts camp, one at oxford, one just dancing
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9. overall, i think my essays were the strongest part of my application. i like to write, and i can write about myself well. my essays were personal and ranged from serious to humorous and quirky.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): 9? idrk but we have a good relationship. english teacher junior year.
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): 7? probably fine. have had him for two years in physics.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 7? i know her and she knows me. hopefully good.
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): not good. probably a 4.

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: english/social studies
State (if domestic applicant): IL
Country (if international applicant): usa
School Type: private, small
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: 200k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): legacy

Reflections:
Strengths: essays. lots of dedication to my art for (dance). legacy hook.
Weaknesses: interview. it was with the admissions counselor, and i just fell flat i think.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: deferred because of the bad interview and no real ā€œspikeā€ or special outstanding achievement/quality. harvard receives thousands of incredibly talented applicants, so itā€™s kinda a lottery ticket admission.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: no where yet

General Comments (if any):
congrats to all accepted!

20

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 32 Composite (36 English, 35 Reading, 27 Math, (yikes), 31 Science, 8 Writing (yikes))
SAT II: US History (750) Biology Ecological (730)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.53
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/210
AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5) Psychology (5) English Literature & Composition (4) Biology (3) English Language & Composition (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus, AP Spanish, AP Environmental Science, AP US Government and Politics, AP Macroeconomics, Honors British Literature
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Not really any major awards. I put UCLA Council of African American Parents Academic Excellence Award, National Society of High School Scholars Academic Award Ceremony in Washington, DC, AP Scholar with Distinction, Vice President/Member of National Honor Society, Deanā€™s High Honor List. Like I said, no real awards. However, I explained in essays the reasons why.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Lead Counselor/ International ā€œThe Pulse on Tourā€ (Lead assistant to worldā€™s top choreographers. In other words, a high leadership position), Student Body President of CAVA (President), ā€œChicks That Dig Litā€ book club (Founder), WNBA Sparkā€™s Dance Team (Captain), Marketing intern at a photography company, Girls pop group (Founding member), Team World Vision marathon to bring clean water to kids in Africa
Job/Work Experience: International TV Show guest star/ Disney Channel
Volunteer/Community service: 700 hoursā€¦ too many to name
Summer Activities: Harvard SSP '16, touring the country for dance, volunteering, camp, reading, traveling, etc.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 10 I worked for monnnnths on just this one essay and redid it probably 200 times. Iā€™d finish it, leave for a day, come back and realize I hated it, and completly reinvent it. My topic was about my unorthodox life growing up in Hollywood being a professional dancer and singer and actress and, well, everything LOL. I showed my interesting schooling (Iā€™m an online high school student) which was a result of my busy career schedule, and emphasized how any academic accomplishments I have is because Iā€™m so passionate about learning and fought for my education in the world of Hollywood that doesnā€™t value it and also through the challenges of being first gen.
Supplemental: 11 This essay was my soul. The topic was my hair (I have very big, curly hair that is kind of my defining characteristic haha), however I didnā€™t just talk about my hair, I used it as a mechanism to dive deeper into my life, my childhood, my race, my identity, etc. It was very introspective and protrayed such a real, raw view of me.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): My Harvard chemistry professor from over the summer. I didnā€™t read it so have no clue, but she really liked me and I think it was a good addition to have a rec letter from a Harvard professor if nothing else
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): My AP Lang teacher, who was also my advisor when I was president of my school, wrote me such an amazing and glowing letter that emphasized literally everything I wanted Harvard to know (9)
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): My counselor wrote me such an amazing letterā€¦ I cried. She made it veryyy clear that I was the best student she has ever come in contact with etc. etc. (11)
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): Great!! From someone who was involved with overseeing one of my volunteer activities, but who knew me really well, and wrote the most amazing things. I cried again. (10)
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): A M A Z I N G. I absolutely loved my interviewer, and she loved me. We had such an awesome talk and she thought I had so much potential and was really amazed by the fact that I have done so good academically when I havenā€™t been in an intellectually-focused environemnt at all. She even met with my parents the other day and they talked for 3 hours. She is so great and we plan to stay in contact :slight_smile:

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Common app actually didnā€™t ask for major, which I thought was interesting, but I put ā€œHumanitiesā€ for the area of study
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Online
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Definitely applied for financial aidā€¦
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first gen, black

Reflections: ā€¦ I canā€™t believe this. I put my everything into my application and I did my absolute best at everything I did because I TRULY loved it. I told myself I was happy no matter what because I worked so hard and did my best and that now it was out of my hands. However, that didnā€™t keep me from stressingā€¦ I stressed SO much. Looking back, though, thereā€™s nothing I would change. I poured my heart into this and I think thatā€™s the best anyone can do.
Strengths: My essays!! And also my really unique background and school life. Oh and definitely my interview, even though I know it supposedly doesnā€™t have much of an effect, I really do think that amazing report from her really helped.
Weaknesses: TEST SCORES! I thought I might get rejected based on the 32 alone. Not that itā€™s low. But, ya know, this is Harvardā€¦ a 32 IS low for them.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: See strengths. Also, I just think they saw that not only will I benefit greatly from being at Harvard, but THEY will benefit from having me. In other words, I think they thought I had a lot to bring to the campus, and that I would be a great addition to their community. However, at the end of the day, I have no clue. Itā€™s Harvard after all, who knows why I got accepted, Iā€™m just happy I did!
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: No where. Submitted a few apps already but still had like 10 left. Now Iā€™m only going to do like 4 of those, the ones I actually care about. However, I do think I will be attending Harvard, no matter what.

General Comments (if any): AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I actually cannot believe today happened. Iā€™ve been lurking on this site for a few years now and to be able to post my own post and say I was accepted?! CRAZY! Iā€™m so incredibly thankful and blessed and hope that all of you who were deferred get in and that all of you who were rejected find a place that is so so so perfect for you, and congrats to those accepted!!! WE DID IT! :slight_smile: