MIT Class of 2019 EA Results Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1

<p>Decisions come out on 12/13/14 15:16 (3:16) EST! ;) They can be found at decisions.mit.edu</p>

<p>Remove spaces when you post:</p>

<p>[ size=4][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted *[/color][/size]
[ size=4][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Deferred *[/color][/size]
[ size=4][ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected **[/color][/size]</p>

<p>[ b]Objective:[ /b]
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
ACT (breakdown):
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Weighted GPA:
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses):
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:
Number of other EA applicants in your school:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.):</p>

<p>[ b]Subjective:[ /b]
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service:
Summer Experience:</p>

<p>[ b]Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):[ /b]</p>

<p>Essays:
What You Do For Pleasure:
Department at MIT:
Trait Most Proud Of:
World You Come From:
Significant Challenge:
Additional Essay/QB Essays:
Other (teacher's subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation #1:
Teacher Recommendation #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Info/Rec:
Interview:
Art Supplement:</p>

<p>[ b]Other[ /b]
Date Submitted App:
U.S. State/Territory or Country:
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket Range:
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development):</p>

<p>[ b]Reflection[ /b]
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
What would you have done differently?:
Where else did you apply?</p>

<p>[ b]Other Factors: [ /b]</p>

<p>[ b]General Comments & Advice:[ /b]
[/noparse]</p>

2

<p>This thread will remain locked until decisions are announced on Saturday. This is a no-chat thread: on Saturday, all posts that don’t contain a decision will be moved to the chat thread.</p>

<p>Thanks, and good luck to all!</p>

3

<p>**Decision: Deferred **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2360 - 770M, 800CR, 790W (single sitting)
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2360
ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
ACT superscore (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (subject, score): 800 math 2, 750 chemistry, 700 literature
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92
Weighted GPA: 4.19
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): not calculated, but at least top 10%
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Calc AB (3), AP Latin (3)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Stat, AP Physics C, Hon Latin Lyric Poetry, Economics, English 12
Number of other EA applicants in your school: only one as far as I know
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): National Cum Laude Society
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): multiple school awards</p>

<p>[ b]Subjective:[ /b]
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): fencing (not recruited), started and am head of my own club, Scholastic Bowl
Job/Work Experience: not much, have a small job via school
Volunteer/Community Service: not much
Summer Experience: lots of fencing, travel</p>

<p>[ b]Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):[ /b]</p>

<p>Essays:
What You Do For Pleasure: really good essay on the club I founded
Department at MIT: pretty good essay on mathematics department, complete with nice anecdote
Trait Most Proud Of: I said curiosity, turned out well, based on my common app essay
World You Come From: maybe my weakest essay, but still pretty good
Significant Challenge: used Caltech honor code essay about a cheating violation I reported once
Additional Essay/QB Essays: N/A
Other (teacher’s subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation #1: both recs I’m sure we’re really good, teachers love me
Teacher Recommendation #2:
Counselor Rec: probably pretty good I’d think
Additional Info/Rec: N/A
Interview: went super awesome, had over an hour long conversation, interviewer said she thought she could really see me at MIT
Art Supplement: MIT</p>

<p>[ b]Other[ /b]
Date Submitted App: Nov. 1
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Illinois
School Type: small private
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: male
Income Bracket Range:
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): legacy, my dad went to MIT</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: I thought essays were really good if not great, put a lot of time and effort into them; they hopefully saw that I’m really committed to one activity (fencing) rather than spreading myself thin; I have essentially straight A’s, including in high level math classes, but I’m well rounded in that I like a lot of subjects
Weaknesses: the weakness I’m most worried about are those 3’s on the APs, especially in Calc AB - I was not good at AP Latin so I had no expectation above a 3 but in Calc I had a 99.7% average all year and was best calc student in class so absolutely no idea why I got a 3 on the AP; also, they might slight me for not taking the absolute highest math track offered at my school - when I was in 10th grade I took Hon Precalc instead of Hon Adv Precalc, meaning I’m in BC as a senior instead of BC as a junior and multivariable as a senior; also 770 math SAT instead of 800 but hopefully math 2 makes up for that
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I have to believe the reason I was deferred is just because there are so many darn applicants. The people they take early have already published two papers and have international awards, so hopefully I’ll be able to slide in with the regulars.
What would you have done differently?: The only thing I wish was different was that darn AP calc score, but seeing as how well I did all year in that course and how much I prepared for the AP, there’s nothing I could’ve changed; perhaps I should’ve gone through the highest math track but that’s a decision I made nearly three years ago and I’ve enjoyed the slower pace of learning. I wouldn’t change a thing in my essays.
Where else did you apply? Caltech (rejected), will apply to a few Ivies regular plus some possibles/likelies</p>

<p>**Other Factors: **</p>

<p>General Comments & Advice: Hopefully regular works out.</p>

4

<p>**Decision: Deferred **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2130 (730 math, 670 CR, 730 writing)
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): Only took it once: 2130
ACT (breakdown): 34 (33 math, 33 CR 35 writing, 35 science)
ACT superscore (breakdown): Only took it once, 34
SAT II (subject, score): 740 chem, 730 math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9ish
Weighted GPA: 4.16
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): US gov’t and politics (5), Calculus BC (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): SL Chem (5), SL Computer science (6)
Senior Year Course Load: IBHL math, IBHL chem, IBHL english, IBHL computer science, physics, Spanish 2
Number of other EA applicants in your school: 2?
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Rensselaer medal
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Honor roll (4.0 quarter)x15, gunston scholar (all As semester) x8, variety athlete x4, national merit commended scholar, math department award, national Spanish exam gold award, national honor society</p>

<p>**Subjective: **
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
-Varsity swim, 4 years
-Dive team, 2 years, team founder, school record holder, regional champ and state runner-up
-Varsity track and field, 1 year
-coaching an adapted aquatics swim team, 4 years
-head coach of youth soccer team, 1 year
-math tutoring club, member 3 years, VP 1 year
-national honor society, 2 years</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service:
-coaching an adapted aquatics swim team
-week-long construction-type mission trip, three times
-making lunches for the homeless shelter</p>

<p>Summer Experience:
-week-long construction-type mission trip, three times
-dive team, 12 years, team member, assistant coach</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Essays:
What You Do For Pleasure: 6- not my best, wrote about swimming and coaching the swim team
Department at MIT: 7
Trait Most Proud Of: 7- wrote about my dedication
World You Come From: 6- not great, but I couldn’t think of anything better to write about
Significant Challenge: 8- I spent a lot of time writing this one and I think it was well written, but I don’t have a good challenge to overcome
Additional Essay/QB Essays:
Other (teacher’s subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation #1: didn’t read, probably great. I got along really well with this teacher and had him for three years
Teacher Recommendation #2: didn’t read, probably okay.
Counselor Rec: didn’t read, probably generic
Additional Info/Rec: N/A
Interview: I don’t really know how it went. It was really awkward and I didn’t get to talk about some of the things I wanted to.
Art Supplement: N/A</p>

<p>Other
Date Submitted App: Nov. 1 (the due date)
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Virginia
School Type: public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket Range: 100,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): female in engineering? I don’t know how much that would help.</p>

<p>**Reflection **
Strengths: grades, courses taken
Weaknesses: Essays were rushed, interview was awkward
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: essays weren’t great but also weren’t horrible, grades were good, test scores were fairly good. Nothing good enough to be accepted but also not bad enough to be rejected.
What would you have done differently?: started the application earlier and spent more time on the essays
Where else did you apply? Virginia tech (accepted to the college of engineering), CalPoly, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Rensselaer</p>

<p>**Other Factors: **</p>

<p>** General Comments & Advice: **
Start your application early! I really wish I could have spent more time on my essays. </p>

<p>Congrats to everyone who was accepted, I’m sorry and I’m sure you’ll find another awesome school to everyone who was rejected, and good luck to everyone moving on to RD with me. Hopefully I’ll see you at MIT next year!</p>

5

<p>**Decision: Deferred **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): Did not send
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
ACT (breakdown): Took twice. 29 and 30
ACT superscore (breakdown): 30 C ( 33E 30M 30R 28S 9W)
SAT II (subject, score): 740 Math II 650 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Probably 4.0 My school uses the 100 point scale. I have a 98+
Weighted GPA: Same as above
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2 out of 450+
AP (place score in parentheses): 4 AP European History
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chemistry, AP Psychology, Intro to Forensic Science, Intro to Java, AP Lit, AP Calc BC, and Gym
Number of other EA applicants in your school:2
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):Nope
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): A couple local awards</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
Student Council: Class Representative, powderpuff event manage, and liaison to school board in regards to dress code
Speech and Debate:Extemporaneous speaker, couple local awards and State qualifier
Track and Field: Sprinter, awards here and there
Local Non Profit: Volunteer and planned an event for community
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteer at Church and at a local community organization.
Summer Experience:LEAD Program at Wharton :-)</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Essays:
What You Do For Pleasure: ANIME
Department at MIT: Sloan
Trait Most Proud Of: Ability to connect with people on an emotional level
World You Come From: My Nigerian background and its impact on my life
Significant Challenge: Stuttering and joining debate to overcome it
Additional Essay/QB Essays:
Other (teacher’s subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation #1: Chem teacher’s was amazing. Loved it
Teacher Recommendation #2: I did not see. It was from AP Euro teacher. I was his best student so i hope it was good.
Counselor Rec: Don’t know
Additional Info/Rec: Additional rec was phenomenal. Wrote nearly 2 pages on me.
Interview: Probably average
Art Supplement:</p>

<p>Other
Date Submitted App: EA
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Pennsylvania
School Type:Public
Ethnicity:URM
Gender:Male
Income Bracket Range:Low income
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): URM, </p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Strong essays and recommendation letter.
Weaknesses:Test scores and lack of STEM related EC
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I did not have much STEM related EC.
What would you have done differently?: Nothing. All things happen for a reason.
Where else did you apply? Applied UPenn ED, UVA EA, Penn State and a couple more schools of varying selectivity.</p>

<p>**Other Factors: **</p>

<p>General Comments & Advice: Congratulations to all who got in Early. You guys are truly amazing. This deferral isn’t the end of the world. What matters most is how well you use your resources to your advantage. Wherever I choose to attend, my goal will still be the same. I’ve been given a second chance in RD but it is going to much more competitive now. Good luck to future applicants as well.
[/noparse]</p>

6

<p>**Decision: Accepted **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 35 C (34 E 36 M 33 R 35 S, 10 essay)
ACT superscore (breakdown): same as above
SAT II (subject, score): 800 Math II, 730 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.71
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/238
AP (place score in parentheses): 5 (US Gov’t, Calc AB, World History, Physics Mech, Comp Sci), 4 (English Lang)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Physics E/M, AP English Lit, AP Spanish Lang, AP Chem, AP Human Geo, Computer Science 4<br>
Number of other EA applicants in your school: at least 2
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): lol
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Scholar, Principal’s Honor Roll, Varsity Letter, Rensselaer Medal, National Achievement Semifinalist</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): major ones: MESA (10-12; prosthetic arm competition), NHS (11-12; treasurer), Homeroom Mentor (10-12), Delta Scholars (10-12; treasurer, think NHS for minorities), field hockey (9-12; co-captain)
Job/Work Experience: Kumon Math & Reading Center as tutor (~14 hr/wk)
Volunteer/Community Service: Art Mentor (~40 hours), Tutoring (150+ hours)
Summer Experience: MIT Weekend Immersion in Science and Engineering</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Essays:
What You Do For Pleasure: video games, 9, talked about how I’ve loved them since I was a kid
Department at MIT: EECS, 7, versatility and passion for the field
Trait Most Proud Of: ingenuity, 8, how I use it in brainstorming and competition
World You Come From: my somewhat superficial county, 9, how school and county standards influenced me
Significant Challenge: social anxiety, 8, how I’ve gotten better at communicating
Additional Essay/QB Essays:
Other (teacher’s subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation #1: comp sci teacher, 9, didn’t read it but he liked me a lot and has had me for 3 yrs.
Teacher Recommendation #2: english , 10, kinda strange guy but he really liked my writing and ethic so yeah
Counselor Rec: 10, I’ve done a lot of tutoring for her students and have gotten to know her pretty well
Additional Info/Rec:
Interview: short (~30 mins) but it was a nice conversation
Art Supplement:</p>

<p>Other
Date Submitted App: 10/27
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Maryland
School Type: public (~1000 students)
Ethnicity: black
Gender: female
Income Bracket Range: N/A
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): race probably</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: test scores and academics, involvement in school
Weaknesses: no major awards, SAT chem score
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I showed my personality in my essays and how I could be a good fit for the school personality and academics wise
What would you have done differently?: nothing
Where else did you apply? UChicago (EA), Berkeley, Harvard, Northwestern, Carnegie Mellon, Harvard, Rensselaer, UMinnesota (accepted) </p>

<p>**Other Factors: **</p>

<p>General Comments & Advice:
be yourself when doing your application, challenge yourself academically and be involved, don’t fret over downfalls in your profile
my friend also got in but she didn’t have many extracurriculars</p>

<p>good luck to everybody!</p>

7

<p>**Decision: Accepted **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 800/800/770/10
SAT II (subject, score): Physics 800, Math II 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): my school does QPA (96.8)
Weighted GPA:my school doesn’t weight
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): my school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parentheses): Physics Mechanics (5), Calc BC (5), Stat (5), CS (5), Chem (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, Calc-Based Statistics (took multivariable calc junior year), AP Econ, AP Bio, AP Euro, AP Physics E&M
Number of other EA applicants in your school: 1
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): 2x AIME, 2x Math Prize for Girls</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): major ones are Science Olympiad 4 years (president for 3 years) and math league 4 years
Job/Work Experience: Kumon
Volunteer/Community Service: Chinese School
Summer Experience: </p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Essays:
What You Do For Pleasure: talked about how I like calligraphy and typography 7
Department at MIT: cs/astrophysics 8
Trait Most Proud Of: love of nature 8
World You Come From: can’t summarize but it was good 9
Significant Challenge: favorite one 9
Additional Essay/QB Essays:</p>

<p>Other (teacher’s subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Teacher Recommendation #1: calc teacher, didn’t read but he said he wrote a really good one
Teacher Recommendation #2: ap lit teacher, only had her for 2 months but i had a B in her class and went to her for extra help a lot so she probably wrote about that
Counselor Rec: idk
Additional Info/Rec:
Interview: it was okay i didn’t really connect with him though
Art Supplement:</p>

<p>Other
Date Submitted App: two days before
U.S. State/Territory or Country: NJ
School Type: Magnet
Ethnicity: asian
Gender: female
Income Bracket Range: high enough that i wouldn’t get financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): </p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: female doing cs, math prize for girls
Weaknesses: didn’t really do anything in the summer and didn’t do sports
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: i have no idea
What would you have done differently?: nothing
Where else did you apply? rutgers and gatech so far</p>

<p>**Other Factors: **</p>

<p>General Comments & Advice: I’m so happy right now, my hands are shaking as I write this. Congrats to everyone who got in. <3 As for advice, aim high and believe in yourself. :)</p>

8

<p>DECISION: DEFERRED
(Through QuestBridge College Match and EA)</p>

<p>Objective:
•SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t submit.</p>

<p>•ACT: 32 C- 34 E, 35 M, 29 R, 29 S (retook in December)</p>

<p>•SAT II: 770 Math 2, 760 Physics</p>

<p>•Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.88, W 4.68</p>

<p>•Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/639</p>

<p>•AP (place score in parenthesis):
10th grade: Calc AB (4), AP World History (3).
11th grade: Calc BC (4), AB subscore (5), Physics B (4), AP Language and Comp (5), APUSH (4).
12th grade: AP Spanish, AP Government, AP Macroeconomics, AP Literature and Composition</p>

<p>•IB (place score in parenthesis): NA</p>

<p>•Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable Calculus III, University Physics I: Mechanics, AP Spanish, AP Government, AP Macroeconomics, AP Literature and Composition, US History 4 Honors (Internship).</p>

<p>•Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
2014 QuestBridge National College Match Finalist
2014 QuestBridge College Prep Scholar
Fein Fellow (Only 48 in the country selected)
AP Scholar w/ Distinction
NHD (Physics Project) Regional Champion
NHD (Physics Project) State Finalist- 4th place
Eagle Pride Award
2013 Swim MVP
2014 Swim MVP
National Honor Society
Society of Male Scholars</p>

<p>Subjective:
•Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Swimming 6 years (Varsity 4 years) 2014 Varsity Captain
TSA Club- Auto CAD (Co-Founder, Vice President)
Water Polo (2 years)
Intern for Computer Software Company (12)
Everyone Can Swim Program (teaching persons with disabilities how to swim and be safe around water), soon to be foundation once registered through IRS (Founder, Coordinator and Instructor)
Academy of American Studies (9,10,11,12)
NHS (10,11,12)
Society of Male Scholars (11,12)</p>

<p>•Job/Work Experience: Intern for a computer software company. Also, personal physics tutor for summer school students this summer.</p>

<p>•Volunteer/Community service:
Relay For Life (9,10,11,12)
Feed My Starving Children (10,11,12)
Swimming (Timing, running meets, etc. 6 years). I am very involved in the swimming community and have participated in numerous events such as “Swim from Alcatraz” and “Golden Gate Swim” for the F.A.S.T. Foundation.</p>

<p>•Summer Activities: Organizing and running the Everyone Can Swim Program at SpoFit Center for Persons with Disabilities, 3 hours, 3 days a week for 6 weeks, training and competing for swimming, water polo and triathlons, and this summer I attended the QuestBridge National Admissions Conference at Stanford.</p>

<p>•Essays (rating 1-10, details): I submitted through QuestBridge so my essays were different from the regular MIT app. My essays are pretty compelling. Everyone that has read them so far has really liked them. My common app focuses on my mom’s death and all of my family’s struggles and the others are really quirky, focus on my interests and have a lot of voice. (For a little bit of context, when I was 5 my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and when I was 11 she died. Shortly after that my dad lost his job and my sister went through a drug and alcohol stage and dropped out of HS)</p>

<p>•Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
•Teacher Rec #1: Calc Teacher- 8. Probably pretty good but I haven’t read it so idk.</p>

<p>•Teacher Rec #2: 9-10. AP Lang teacher. She loved me so I am sure it is really good.</p>

<p>•Counselor Rec: 9-10 My counselor is in love with me so I am sure this one is great as well.</p>

<p>•Additional Rec: 9-10 My high school swim coach. This one is probably very good too.</p>

<p>Other
•State (if domestic applicant): Arizona</p>

<p>•Country (if international applicant): USA</p>

<p>•School Type: Public (2500+)</p>

<p>•Ethnicity:Caucasian</p>

<p>•Gender: Male</p>

<p>•Income Bracket: ~$32,000</p>

<p>•Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation.</p>

<p>Reflection:
Strengths: Background story, class rank, recs, ECs.
Weaknesses: ACT score, lack of science EC involvement.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Average ACT, not much EC background in science but I am a QB Finalist so I think that might have played a factor.
What would you have done differently?: Nothing really
Where else did you apply? Stanford, Princeton, Caltech, ASU Barrett, Cal Berkeley, Cal Poly SLO, etc.</p>

<p>Didn’t really expect to get in, so a deferral is not surprising. I guess I can only hope to get in RD.</p>

9

<p>**Decision: Accepted **</p>

<p>Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 34 Composite 34M, 36R, 33E, 34S
SAT II (subject, score): 760 Math L2, 740 Bio E
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.75
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 14/546
AP (place score in parentheses): Calc BC (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): Taking this year.
Senior Year Course Load: IB English, IB History, Calculus Multivariable at College, IB Spanish 9-10, Graphic Design 7-8, Marching Band
Number of other EA applicants in your school: 0
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): NA
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Scholar, Honor Roll (All A’s)</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
Founded an Art Service Club (10-Present)
Marching Band Alto Sax, Leader since 10th grade, Chair 1
President of Childhelp Club (10-Present)
Best Buddies Treasurer (10-Present)
Senior Video Editor
Volunteering with City Government since 8th grade
Coordinator of a Shadowing Program for 8th graders to come shadow freshmen for a day</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience:
I make websites, freelance for lots of artist (I’m Southwest so we’re pretty artsy) and I’m the senior web admin for a local company </p>

<p>Volunteer/Community Service:
See extra-currciulars. I’m IB so I have CAS too.
Summer Experience:
Work. (see above). Volunteer Trip to Mexico in Summer 2014. </p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Essays:
What You Do For Pleasure: Baking (9)
Department at MIT: Computer Science and CMS (9)
Trait Most Proud Of: Shameless (10; best essay!)
World You Come From: I come from many worlds (7, it was ok)
Significant Challenge: Death of someone close to me (8, was very strong)
Additional Essay/QB Essays: I did an application video about why I wanted to go to MIT with stock footage I filmed of me doing stuff over the last few months.</p>

<p>Other (teacher’s subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Teacher Recommendation #1: Math, Calc Teacher and Extended Essay Supervisor (didn’t read, sure it was good, he likes me)
Teacher Recommendation #2: Spanish Teacher (10, great and really MIT specific!)
Counselor Rec: Didn’t read but we’re close, had same counselor since freshman year
Additional Info/Rec: My boss, great letter, talked about how I’m a good employee and technical abilities and outside of the office a good babysitter for his kids. Another letter from my graphics/video teacher, also great.
Interview: Went pretty well. I was nervous but he really liked my websites (I brought an iPad to show them to him)
Art Supplement: Maker Portfolio, my website designs and code and my boss’s letter of rec</p>

<p>Other
Date Submitted App: October 31st
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Arizona
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: Upper middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): First generation</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Essays, letters, supplemental materials
Weaknesses: Could have come off as intense with so much stuff, my ‘world you come from essay’ was blandish
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I was accepted because I showed genuine interest in my major and designed my app to be so MIT specific. Also supplemental materials helped. And let’s be honest, so did being a first generation college student and a girl.
What would you have done differently?: Perhaps started my essays sooner and my supplements.
Where else did you apply?: UC Schools</p>

<p>General Comments & Advice:
Make your application and letters of rec specific to MIT. Send supplement materials if you make stuff. And be you and bring things to show and interact with your interviewer! Also have at least one unique activity in your essays or app. Doesn’t have to be crazy, just somewhat unique. </p>

10

<p>**Decision: Deferred **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 770/800/800/10
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 800/800/800/10 (Retook a 2280)
ACT (breakdown): 36/36/33/35/10
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score): Chem 790, Math 2 780, Bio M 770, USH 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Weighted GPA: school doesn’t weight
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank, but I am in the top 10% and probably 1 or 2 out of 89
AP (place score in parentheses): Calc AB (5), USH (5), 4’s in Spanish, Bio, Chem (all self-studied)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: English, Math Topics, Science Research Class, Statistics, Spanish 6, Economics, Physics (school doesn’t have AP or IB, but I take the hardest courseload possible and honors classes in everything possible)
Number of other EA applicants in your school:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): AIME Qualifier
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, Honor Roll, National Spanish Exam medal, generic things</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): I am the captain of math team, play an instrument at a decently high level, have done research at a local university, dance, and do a few other smaller things, all for all 4 years of high school except my research.
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service:
Summer Experience:</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Essays: I don’t think I can rate my writing but I thought that my essays were a really accurate reaction of who I am and that they showed my fit for MIT pretty well. My guidance counselor also told me they were excellent.
What You Do For Pleasure: wrote about reading books
Department at MIT: Course 6-7
Trait Most Proud Of: not one specific trait, but basically my resilience and passion for everything
World You Come From: variety of things - family, music, school
Significant Challenge: being a feminist and girl in my family
Additional Essay/QB Essays:
Other (teacher’s subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation #1: Chemistry teacher, should have been pretty good, both of my teachers really like me
Teacher Recommendation #2: History teacher, should have been good
Counselor Rec: Knows me very well, should have been good
Additional Info/Rec: Research mentor
Interview: Went pretty well, my interviewer was really interesting and we had a good conversation!
Art Supplement: No but I submitted a research supplement</p>

<p>Other
Date Submitted App: 10/29 or 10/30
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Midwest
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: Rich
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): nah</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Scores, grades/courseload, essays?
Weaknesses: Lack of unique or outstanding ECs, essays probably weren’t amazing. No hooks at all, but I am pretty privileged so I’m not complaining.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Too many qualified applicants, I’m really not that unique
What would you have done differently?: Nothing with my application! I put my heart into my application and wouldn’t have done anything differently. However, I would have tried to prepare for math competitions and do research earlier.
Where else did you apply? Got into a good state school with a full ride and honors program</p>

<p>**Other Factors: **</p>

<p>General Comments & Advice: If you are in 9th or 10th grade (or even younger) and reading this, stop spending so much time on college confidential and enjoy being in high school and spending time with your friends and family! Do the things you love, and then write about them in your essays. Also, know that where you go to college does not dictate your success in life. I’m disappointed I didn’t get in, but optimistic for other colleges and even for my RA chances at MIT. It’ll all work out in the end!
[/noparse]</p>

11

<p>**Decision: Deferred **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1840, didn’t submit
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 34C (33R, 34S, 33M, 34E)
ACT superscore (breakdown): 34
SAT II (subject, score): 700 Chemistry, 640 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
Weighted GPA: School doesn’t weigh
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 13/235
AP (place score in parentheses): APHG (5), APUSH (4), AP Comp (4), AP Bio (3), AP Chem (3)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Lit, AP Stats, Ceramics, Economics, AP Calc AB, AP Physics I
Number of other EA applicants in your school: 0
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): QB CPS, QB NCM Finalist
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Swimming (11 x Reserve Conference Champion, 2 x Captain, 2 x School Record Holder), Equestrian (Reserve World Champion, 3rd All-Around at World Show, National Direction of Association, Multiple State High Point Awards), National Honors Society, internship at Notre Dame in the Chemical Engineering department
Job/Work Experience: lifeguarding every summer
Volunteer/Community Service: 400+ hours as an assistant swim coach for our middle school, and about 100+ hours for volunteer lifeguarding at community events
Summer Experience: working, competing in swimming and equestrian events</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Essays: N/A, fowarded QB application
What You Do For Pleasure: N/A
Department at MIT: N/A
Trait Most Proud Of: N/A
World You Come From: N/A
Significant Challenge: N/A
Additional Essay/QB Essays: great, 10/10, my English teacher loved it.
Other (teacher’s subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation #1: Biochem teacher, taught me college biochem for three years, she said she made me sound like a rockstar!
Teacher Recommendation #2: AP Comp/Lit teacher, she is like a second mother to me. She wrote a really good rec she said
Counselor Rec: If she had to write one, it would’ve been really great
Additional Info/Rec: N/A
Interview: great! My interviewer was awesome, he really seemed to enjoy me, I would say 8/10 at least
Art Supplement: N/A</p>

<p>Other
Date Submitted App: I’m not sure, forwarded through Questbridge
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Indiana
School Type: Rural Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: <30,000
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): not sure - possible QB?</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Essays, EC’s
Weaknesses: SAT II’s
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: probably my scores
What would you have done differently?:Nothing! :slight_smile: I don’t regret it :slight_smile:
Where else did you apply? Notre Dame, Stanford, Princeton, Yale, IU, Purdue</p>

<p>**Other Factors: **</p>

<p>**General Comments & Advice: Awesome job to everyone who got accepted you guys are awesome! :slight_smile: **
[/noparse]</p>

12

<p>**Decision: Deferred **</p>

13

<p>**Decision: Accepted **
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2230 720/750/760/9
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2310 800/750/760/10
ACT (breakdown): 34 (I don’t remember the breakdown)
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Weighted GPA: 4.3
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses):AP Calc AB,BC, Physics B, Chemistry- all fives
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:AP Stat, AP CompSci, AP bio, AP Spanish, English, gov/econ, Band
Number of other EA applicants in your school: 8
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): nonr
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): honor roll, scholar athlete, ap scholar</p>

<p>[ b]Subjective:[ /b]
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): not much- Science bowl president, volunteering with young girls in STEM
Job/Work Experience: Teach sport to young children
Volunteer/Community Service:
Summer Experience: interned at local university. Submitted a research supplement, no published papers or anything</p>

<p>[ b]Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):[ /b]</p>

<p>Essays:
What You Do For Pleasure: I wrote about my chickens…hahahahah 5/10
Department at MIT: I wrote about lectures I’d seen @ MIT…8/10
Trait Most Proud Of: Openness and communication 10/10
World You Come From: Science bowl… 6/10
Significant Challenge:In my sport: 7/10
Additional Essay/QB Essays: none
Other (teacher’s subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation #1: good! Really knew me 8/10
Teacher Recommendation #2: Ok 5/10
Counselor Rec: She did a form letter
Additional Info/Rec:
Interview: Oh man I was all over the place. I was really scatterbrained but I think we talked about a lot of great things
Art Supplement:</p>

<p>Other
Date Submitted App: No idea
U.S. State/Territory or Country: California
School Type:Med
Ethnicity:White
Gender:Female
Income Bracket Range:
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): heavily recruited athlete both in the Ivy league and DIII</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: athlete
Weaknesses: I have no major awards and in all honestly I’m not a genius
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Athletics
What would you have done differently?: nothing!
Where else did you apply? I was accepted at Caltech today! So excited!!!</p>

<p>**Other Factors: **</p>

<p>General Comments & Advice:
Good luck! Its so competitive its really just random</p>

14

<p>**Decision: Deferred **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):800/770/800
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):2370
ACT (breakdown):
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score): Math II-800 Physics-790
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.3
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4/421
AP (place score in parentheses): Comp Sci(5), US History(5), Calc AB(5), Chemistry(5), Literature (4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lang&Comp, AP Gov, AP Spanish, AP Calc BC, AP Physics, AP Stat
Number of other EA applicants in your school:0
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):TEAMS National Finalist 6th place
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AMC School High Scorer, NM Semi-Finalist, AP Scholar, tennis awards, math competitions</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
Math Club, 10-12, VP, Go to math competitions
Orchestra, 9-12, Section Leader
Electric Car Club, 10-12, Maintain school’s electric car
Tennis Team, 9,10 (JV), 11(Varisty), JV Captain
TEAMS, 10-12, VP, Prepared for the TEAMS competition (Got to nationals last year)
Job/Work Experience:
Piano Teacher 10-12
Volunteer/Community Service:
Kits for Kids-Cofounded charity that raises money and buys school supplies for kids in need; Adopted school and sent them $2K in school supplies so far
Summer Experience:
After 10th-PFEW (Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week)
After 11th-Intern at Synthetic Molecule Lab (Got a rec from the lab head)
Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Essays:
What You Do For Pleasure: Taking walks in the woods, 7
Department at MIT: EECS, 7
Trait Most Proud Of: Perseverance, 8, Probably my favorite
World You Come From: Basically talked about my family, 8
Significant Challenge: Adjusting to working in a lab with a Russian lady who was really hard to understand, 8
Additional Essay/QB Essays:N/A
Other (teacher’s subject, 1-10 rating, details):n=N/A</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation #1:Math-Super nice lady and she likes me 8/10
Teacher Recommendation #2: Spanish-Same as above, had both for 2 years 8/10
Counselor Rec: Sort of knows me, but nothing special
Additional Info/Rec:
Interview: Went pretty well, the guy happened to live in my neighborhood but I didn’t really know him
Art Supplement: N/A</p>

<p>Other
Date Submitted App: 10/28
U.S. State/Territory or Country: PA
School Type:Public
Ethnicity:Indian
Gender:M
Income Bracket Range:>100K
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development):N/A</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Scores/grades
Weaknesses: ECs
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: ECs for sure
What would you have done differently?: Figured out what I wanted to do earlier on in HS, so my ECs had more direction
Where else did you apply?
GA Tech, Berkeley, UIUC, Cornell, CMU, UPenn, Penn State, Drexel</p>

<p>**Other Factors: **
N/A</p>

<p>General Comments & Advice:
MIT is MIT for a reason. Great job to everyone who got accepted. For the rest of us, there’s plenty of other places out there. </p>

15

<p>**Decision: Deferred **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2340 (770/780/790)
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): only one sitting, see above
ACT (breakdown): never took
ACT superscore (breakdown): never took
SAT II (subject, score): 800 (Math II, Bio M)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.71
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/~330
AP (place score in parentheses): 5’s in Calc AB, Bio, Physics Mech, US History, US Gov, Eng Lang
IB (place score in parentheses): none
Senior Year Course Load: AP Micro/Macro, AP Psych, AP Calc BC, special program for english and history, AP Chem, Orchestra with honors
Number of other EA applicants in your school: 4-5
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): None
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): a couple, AP Scholar w/Dist., principal’s honor roll, etc.</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): a few pages of orchestra-related ECs (it’s what I love), SciOly, a few honor societies
Job/Work Experience: NIH summer student
Volunteer/Community Service: through honor societies at school, tutoring the violin
Summer Experience: internships</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details): </p>

<p>Essays:
What You Do For Pleasure: 10
Department at MIT: 9
Trait Most Proud Of: 9
World You Come From: 10
Significant Challenge: 10
Additional Essay/QB Essays: none
Other (teacher’s subject, 1-10 rating, details): none</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation #1: Didn’t read.
Teacher Recommendation #2: Didn’t read.
Counselor Rec: Didn’t read.
Additional Info/Rec: None.
Interview: Went really, really well. Talked about a bunch of non-MIT related topics, invited him to see a concert after he asked about upcoming performances. Had a great time just talking and listening, honestly.
Art Supplement: Music and Research. </p>

<p>Other
Date Submitted App: 10/28
U.S. State/Territory or Country: East coast
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: $200k
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): None.</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Essays, test scores
Weaknesses: Not sure.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: There are more qualified students and not enough slots.
What would you have done differently?: Nothing at all. I wish MIT would have read my commonapp essay, so I might have submitted that somehow.
Where else did you apply? So far: Caltech (accepted), UChicago, my state school</p>

16

<p>**Decision: Accepted **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 800/800/800/10
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 36E/35M/35R/34S/8W, 35E/35M/36R/36S (didn’t submit)
ACT superscore (breakdown): 36E/35M/36R/36S (didn’t submit)
SAT II (subject, score): Math II 800, Chem 780
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.33
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 8/608
AP (place score in parentheses): Micro (5), Stats (5), Calc BC (5), Chem (5), Physics B (5), Bio (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): Psych SL (7)
Senior Year Course Load: Theory of Knowledge II, IB English HL II, IB Spanish SL, IB Chem HL II, IB Physics HL II, US Govt & Econ (required class), IB Math HL II, APUSH
Number of other EA applicants in your school: 0
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): N/A
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Semifinalist, AIME (only once)</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): JV cross country (9-12), math club (9-12, president), National Honor Society (11-12), choir (9-12, outside of school)
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteered at recreational therapy program for disabled children (9-12)
Summer Experience: Volunteered at recreational day camp for disabled children (9-11), CMU AP/EA (12, took two semester long college classes), Duke TIP (9-11, took three week class), ARML (11-12)</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Essays:
What You Do For Pleasure: Baking, 8
Department at MIT: EECS, 6
Trait Most Proud Of: Compassion, 6
World You Come From: Nebraska, 9 (how childhood experiences have shaped love for math/science)
Significant Challenge: Joining cross country, 7
Additional Essay/QB Essays: N/A
Other (teacher’s subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation #1: Math, didn’t read, probably pretty good - although he’s only been my teacher this year he’s known me since freshman year from math club
Teacher Recommendation #2: English, didn’t read, he likes me a lot and is my NHS sponsor - also apparently MIT called him and asked about me
Counselor Rec: Probably pretty generic - she thinks I’m really smart but we aren’t that close
Additional Info/Rec: N/A
Interview: It was decent, mainly because my interviewer was super friendly
Art Supplement: N/A</p>

<p>Other
Date Submitted App: 10/31
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Nebraska
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: Upper middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): None</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Test scores, grades, workload
Weaknesses: No major awards or activities
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I demonstrated genuine interest by taking lots of math/science classes, even over the summer
What would you have done differently?: Probably start my essays earlier
Where else did you apply?: UMichigan</p>

<p>Other Factors: None</p>

<p>General Comments & Advice: Focus on what makes you who you are. My friend read my essays and said that they were “so you.” I didn’t try to sound intelligent or write beautifully (although I hope I did). Good luck everyone! I’m still in shock…
[/noparse]</p>

17

<p>**Decision: Accepted **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I: 2270 (770M, 740 CR, 760 W), took once
SAT II: Math II 780, Physics 770, World History 770, Math I 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94
Weighted GPA: 5.50
Rank (percentile): Top 3%
AP: Spanish Lang (5), Spanish Lit (5), World History (5), Calculus AB (5), Physics B (5), US History (5)
Senior Year Course Load: Engineering Design and Development, Macroeconomics Honors, English IV Honors, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C, AP Chemistry, American Government Honors
Number of other EA applicants in your school: …6 or 7? Maybe more
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Not really xD
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, NMS, Honor Roll, Teacher awards, National Spanish Exam Gold, Lit Fair (school level)</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Astronomy, 9-12, President. Small discussion-based club. Robotics, 9-12, member. Engineering Club, 12, Treasurer. Drawing, forever, independent. Creative writing, forever, independent.
Job/Work Experience: None!
Volunteer/Community Service: 250ish hours for a kids’ museum
Summer Experience: MITES.</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Essays: 9 or 10, according to counselor
What You Do For Pleasure: Drawing
Department at MIT: Physics
Trait Most Proud Of: Creativity (talked about my cartoon project and my novel)
World You Come From: my high school (private)
Significant Challenge: MITES
Additional Essay/QB Essays: Described engineering I think
Other (teacher’s subject, 1-10 rating, details): Teacher recommendations were a 10 according to counselor. He was raving. MITES evaluations were really good. Submitted Maker Portfolio and Art Supplement.</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation #1: Physics, Phenomenal
Teacher Recommendation #2: Chemistry (10th grade), Phenomenal
Teacher Recommendation #3: English, Good
Teacher Recommendation #4: Calculus, Good
Counselor Rec: 10
Additional Info/Rec: Maker was really humble, but I made the mistake of making it about a school project. Apparently it worked.
Interview: Fantastic. Lasted like 2 hours and she loved talking to me.
Art Supplement: It was eh. I’m self-taught, so it focused on that, and I was showcasing my characters from my writing projects and my architectural work mostly. Focus of the supplement was NOT to demonstrate my artistic ability so much as my creative thinking.</p>

<p>Other
Date Submitted App: October
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Florida
School Type: Elitish Private
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: 60k
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): URM, MITES, artist, writer.</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: My writing, hooks, recommendations.
Weaknesses: transcript xD all my B’s are math/science!
Why you think you were accepted: I’m capable of doing the work at MIT and I have big, unique life dreams that are interesting.
What would you have done differently?: Take more AP classes, get A’s in math/science if possible, and taken art classes.
Where else did you apply?: Harvard, Swarthmore, Harvey Mudd, Reed, safeties</p>

<p>General Comments & Advice:
Do what you love in high school. Seriously. And if math and science aren’t a part of it, don’t apply to MIT because if you do get in, you’ll be miserable. And if it does, don’t feel pressured to do sports, NHS, math team, etc. I didn’t do/quit many of these. High school’s about figuring out what your dreams are and FOLLOWING them. You’ll end up in a good place if you do so.</p>

18

<p>**Decision: AdMITted **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): n/a
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): n/a
ACT (breakdown): 36 (36M/36S/35E/36R/10W)
ACT superscore (breakdown): 36
SAT II (subject, score): 800 Math, II 800 Biology-M, 800 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.7ish (School doesn’t weigh)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
AP (place score in parentheses): Chem - 4, Chinese - 5, Calc BC - 5, AP Comp Sci - 5
IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Physics C, AP Government, European Literature, Principles of Business, Multivariable Calculus (college course)
Number of other EA applicants in your school: 14
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Siemens Regional Finalist
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Scholar with honor, Scholar Athlete, Lots of athletic awards</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Volleyball - Led teams to top 15 finishes in 3 national tournaments, played club volleyball for 6 years, captain of a couple teams, co-captain of high school varsity team, a bunch of awards
Piano - Played for 10 years, on hiatus from sophomore year onwards. May pick up again at MIT.
Job/Work Experience: Volleyball coach
Volunteer/Community Service: Athletic volunteering - Helped out at local elementary schools, ran soccer tournaments, refereed flag football
Summer Experience: Biomed program at USC, Summer internship at UCSC</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Essays:
What You Do For Pleasure: Stargazing
Department at MIT: Course 6
Trait Most Proud Of: Determination
World You Come From: I kind of took a risk with this one and talked about a bunch of different worlds
Significant Challenge: Tearing an ankle ligament right before volleyball season
Additional Essay/QB Essays:</p>

<p>Other (teacher’s subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Teacher Recommendation #1: Calc BC teacher, fairly decent, didn’t know me too well on a personal level but knew of my STEM accomplishments
Teacher Recommendation #2: American Lit teacher, outstanding, she absolutely loved me and put me on her exclusive list of students she wrote recs for
Counselor Rec: The principal wrote my rec, we don’t know each other too well but he did interview me for writing recs and learned a ton about what I do and who I am.
Additional Info/Rec: Mentor rec from summer internship I attended, submitted Siemens research paper.
Interview: Outstanding, interviewer absolutely loved me. We talked about backpacking, how awesome MIT is, and I asked many questions.
Art Supplement: n/a</p>

<p>Other
Date Submitted App: 10/30/2014
U.S. State/Territory or Country: CA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: Not too sure
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): Recruited athlete</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Grades, test scores, recruited athlete, big science competition award, interview and recs were on point
Weaknesses: No AP english courses, not part of many clubs
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Probably the fact that I’m a recruited athlete with good research experience and very good grades and test scores
What would you have done differently?: Probably would’ve joined more clubs and stuck with them.
Where else did you apply? UMich, Georgia Tech, UIUC</p>

<p>General Comments & Advice: Go out and do what you love! When I first started going to school, my parents tried to direct my education and were kind of tiger parents, but they learned that I do my best when they leave me alone. Pursue your passion, step out of your comfort zone, and try not to waste a lot of time in school. Looking back at high school, I wish I had made more effective use of my time.</p>

19

<p>Deferred
Stats:
SAT: 2200 (didn’t apply with it, but R=700, M=790, W=710)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 760 Chem, 750 Physics
ACT superscore: 34 (English 35 Math 35 Reading 33 Science 32)
Unweighted GPA: ~4
Rank: Unranked, but either 1 or 2 out of 60.
Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): 5 on BC Calc, US Government, and Latin. 4 on Lang/Comp. and US History. 3 on Chemistry (ouch). Took Mechanics and Discrete Math at UCLA and got Bs in both classes. Took Statistics at Tulane University and got an A+.</p>

<p>Subjective
Essays: I took a reasonable amount of time on mine, and I liked them, so no regrets there.
Teacher Recs: Calculus and AP English Language. Both teachers know me very well. I’ve had my math teacher all four years of high school, and I also took Geometry over the summer with her. The English teacher was also my advisor in my junior year (a homeroom teacher and “mentor,” I suppose).
Counselor Rec: Probably good. She and I have a great relationship.
Supplementary Material: N/A
Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize): N/A</p>

<p>Personal
Location: Louisiana
High School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White (European descent)
Gender: Male</p>

<p>Other
Extracurriculars: Student Body President, QuizBowl VP, Copy Editor of the School Newspaper, Model UN, President SciOly, President Math Club, State Treasurer of Mu Alpha Theta (Junior Year), Head Clown of Juggling Club (which I started), Key Club, Captain of the Cross-Country team for two seasons, track-and-field, speedcubing.</p>

<p>Employment: Juggling instructor at a performing arts academy</p>

<p>Awards: Cum Laude Society, National Honor Society, all-school Latin Award recipient for three consecutive years, 39/40 on Latin VI NLE, Yale Book Award, National Merit Commended, AP Scholar with Distinction, winner of a few local and state-level calculus contests, Calculus Award at school
Other: 10 day mission trip in Cuba in my sophomore year</p>

<p>Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?: I was understandably upset by the news, but I definitely was not surprised. Caltech’s applicant pool is growing, and it’s acceptance rate is consequently shrinking. Plus, my ACT Science and AP Chemistry scores, along with my grades at UCLA, are weak. I would’ve loved to have been accepted EA, but I’ll still try my luck with RD.</p>

20

<p>**Decision: Deferred **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):Didn’t send
ACT (breakdown): 35 Composite: 33 E, 34 R, 36 M, 36 S
ACT superscore (breakdown): only took once
SAT II (subject, score): 800 Math II, 800 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA(4 for regular class, 5 for honors, 6 for AP): 5.29
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/480
AP (place score in parentheses): World History, Statistics, Biology, U.S. History, Physics B, English Lang, Environmental Science (all 5’s)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Computer Science, AP Calculus BC, AP English Lit, AP Psychology, AP Chemistry
Number of other EA applicants in your school: no one I think
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): none
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Scholar with distinction, teacher awards/honor roll, school’s highest score on AMC 10 in 9th grade (didn’t qualify for AIME)</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Varsity Cross Country (9-12, co-captain), Track (9-11), Student Council (9-12, vp and president), Science olympiad (11, 12, captain for 12th), speech and debate (10, 11), interact club (9-12)
Job/Work Experience: worked at ice cream shop one summer
Volunteer/Community Service: volunteering with local food pantry (~100 hours), local service learning award
Summer Experience: multiple mission trips (one to Guatemala), travel to Europe, running camp for cross country</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Essays: I always have thought it was a little ridiculous to rate our own essays. Obviously, we think that we did a pretty good job with them, otherwise we wouldn’t have written them.
What You Do For Pleasure: Disc golf, nothing special
Department at MIT: Biomedical engineering
Trait Most Proud Of: persistence
World You Come From: passion for science(might not have really answered the question on this one)
Significant Challenge: Injured before trying to run marathon/run a fundraiser
Additional Essay/QB Essays: none
Other (teacher’s subject, 1-10 rating, details): </p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation #1: Physics, didn’t read but guessing it was good
Teacher Recommendation #2: U.S. History, probably pretty decent
Counselor Rec: haha not even sure if this was ever submitted. probably pretty bad if it was
Additional Info/Rec: none
Interview: Went well I thought, he asked very generic questions but I thought we got along well. Wouldn’t say it made or broke my application</p>

<p>Other
Date Submitted App: November 1st
U.S. State/Territory or Country: NC
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: High
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): none</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Good grades and AP scores, basically perfect objective stats for math/science
Weaknesses: Not enough math/science EC’s or international olympiads, ACT score wasn’t perfect
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: White male with nothing unique = deferred
What would you have done differently?: Done more math and science EC’s, maybe taken ACT again, put a little more time into essays/application
Where else did you apply? UNC Chapel Hill</p>

<p>**Other Factors: **</p>

<p>General Comments & Advice:
If you really want to go to an Ivy or place like MIT and you have no hooks, it appears that you have to have extensive academic EC’s with national or international recognition with awards and achievements. My suggestion is to do the things in high school that you love, and you will get into the college you’re supposed to go to. Good luck to all in RD!
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