Okay so I’m here for a chance me. I was always kinda turned off by threads like this because admissions really are just a mystery a lot of the time, but it’s two months until decisions and I can think of nothing else. So I’m here to continue that conversation with an appropriate audience. I am not here for words of encouragement, I know I’ve done my best, I know I’m a good applicant either way, I know I gave it my all blah blah. I’m here for the brutal honesty y’all are known for. So don’t be afraid to lay it on thick.
I’m applying to a whole bunch of schools (free through Questbridge), but the one’s I’m interested in hearing about are Amherst, UCSD, Stanford, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Williams, and Berkeley. If you have chances for one, some, or all schools, any and all are appreciated. Here’s my profile:
[] SAT I: 2200, cr 740, math 710, wr 750
[] ACT: n/a
[] SAT II: Lit 670, Math I 720
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.88
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 9/560 at a competitive public chartered high school
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 Lang, 5 Psych, 3 Euro, 1 APCS (lol)
[li] Senior Year Course Load: APs: Lit, US Gov, Comparative, Stats, Physics, Micro/Macro Econ. Honors Chem. DE: Art 124 (legit hardest class of my life), History 109. I got straight A’s first semester (DE classes started and ended this semester), chem starts second semester[/li]Major Awards: Questbridge Finalist, National Hispanic Recognition Program, National AP Scholar (yippee)
Subjective
[] Extracurriculars: (only what’s included on CA): Varsity Tennis (all years except senior), Commissioner of the Youth Advisory Commission of the City of Mesa (offshoot of city hall type deal), President/Founder of Philosophy Club since junior year, President/Founder of Progressive Thinkers Club since this year (coming up with innovative, conceptual solutions to worldwide problems)
[] Job/Work Experience: Since April of sophomore year, I have had no gap between employment of more than a month. First job as database manager at a startup photography company, then did paid work as a campaign worker for a city councilman, then got a job at Trader Joe’s until current (average about 24 hrs a week)
[] Volunteer/Community service: Tutored a remedial algebra class for a quarter in junior year, was the dinnertime musician at a senior care home for a few months in freshman year, official musician for the local farmers’ market from 6th to 9th grade (I did accept tips but it was mainly a community activity so I included it here), volunteered at local library (sadly forgot to put this in the CA, but I did include it on the UC app)
[] Summer Activities: Wrote music for an album that is in the works, worked at respective job
[] Essays: Wrote about my family and how I used to consider them dysfunctional for various reasons to avoid responsibility, and eventually came to acknowledge and appreciate that I had to form strong bonds with them in order to carry out being successful and fulfilled. Mentions divorced parents and traveling since I was a kid to see them between states and my brother who had to drop out of college due to an outbreak of schizophrenia (it was in a narrative style and it wasn’t pitiful, I really was just telling a story for the sake of context. Was not listing tragedies)
[] Teacher Recommendations: Great
[] Counselor Rec: Great, knows me well
[] Additional Rec: First employer, wrote a letter in which he states I am “the best employee he’s had of the hundreds he’s employed”
[] Interview: Only done Princeton so far, he said I was “the best interview he’s had in years”
[] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[] School Type: Public Charter
[] Ethnicity: Hispanic
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: Low (Questbridge)
[] Hooks: I don’t fish
[] Strengths: For y’all to decide
[li] Weaknesses: For y’all to decide[/li]
HERE’S THE KICKER: I got suspended for two days (generous) in junior year for making a bad joke to a guy on the tennis team who didn’t think it was that funny. I wrote really sincerely about it being a huge lapse in character and integrity, and learned the impact words really do have. Accepted full responsibility and expressed intense remorse.
Thanks ahead of time!