MIT Class of 2019 RD Results Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
21

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 800M, 640R, 650W
ACT (breakdown): 34, 8 essay
SAT II: 800 Math II, 780 Chem
Unweighted GPA: 3.96
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 20th decile
AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (3), English Lang (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP English Comp, AP Physics 1, AP Economics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NROTC Scholarship, National Merit Commendation

Subjective:

Extracurriculars: Yearbook (Content Editor), Orchestra (Principal Cellist, Piano, Japanese Club (Treasurer), XC, Track, Paddling, Judo, Robotics (VEX team leader), Hospice, Poetry Slam
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: various trips to hospice care facilities for school course
Summer Activities: Spent a summer in retirement home, another working for Center for Food Safety
Essays: 9/10 My writing isn’t super polished, but I’m pretty sure my essays told the admissions who I was and backed up all my extracurricular. I really liked them, and I’m really proud of them. One was about clutching an A- in English, and another was about crying.
Teacher Recommendation: 10/10 My English teacher said he sees himself in me, which is a little weird but I’m not complaining. My other teachers also wrote really good recommendations.
Counselor Rec: 10/10 She said my application is really strong, even though I didn’t think so.
Additional Rec: 10/10 I also got my boss at the CFS to write one which really talked about my leadership skills
Interview: I think it went really well. He was really friendly and I just told him about who I was, what I believed in, and why I believed in those values. I remember leaving feeling really confident about the interview.

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Did, but said I didn’t need it after I got the NROTC scholarship
Intended Major: Nuclear Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): Hawaii
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: $80,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation high school and college

Reflection:

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Military, honesty, getting rejected three times to my current school during admissions years and getting in with 4 people in junior year.
Weaknesses: Weak test scores and rank, not even close to the smartest people in school
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I was completely surprised when I found I got in. I was definitely not expecting it, but I know what got me in were a couple of things. I knew if I went there, I’d be going through NROTC and when I got the scholarship, I made sure to tell them. But I also sent in an essay about why I was joining the military, and that essay was the best thing I’ve ever written. It was definitely not as polished as my common app essay, but I got really raw in it. I talked about my dad’s transition from being a farmer in China to a construction worker in Hawaii, and my deep sense of obligation to America for the opportunity she gives to people who have the drive.
During my interview, when I talked about my extracurriculars and my future goals, I know they all fell under a common theme: service and human relationships. Hospice, poetry slam, my volunteering, and the military.
Being from Hawaii also helps a lot.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: University of Michigan, Naval Academy (Go Navy!), West Point
Notes: I think once you’re qualified for MIT (80% of applicants), it’s basically all hollistic. Tell them why you’re passionate about whatever you’re doing now, and back it up. The essays and interview are probably the main ways of doing this.
Make sure to remove the ‘a’ after the brackets in the bold, size and color in your decision.
Please use this thread only for results. All discussion should be made either via pm or on the discussion thread.

22

this is for my son (that’s what I know):

Decision: Rejected

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown):2360 (math 800 ,essay 800, Verbal/Critical Reading 760)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: Physics 790, Math Level 2 M2/2C 800, SAT II U.S. History 790
Unweighted GPA: I don’t know. Weighted: 104.37
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): salutatorian at a highly selective school (2 out of 400)
AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology, English (Lang & Comp) , American History, World History - all 5
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: 4 AP classes
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AIME qualified; National Merit Finalist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):Student Council Organization (Senior VP), Debate Team (VP), JSA (Junior Statesmen of America) Northeast State Director of Public Relations and Chapter Board Member, Business Club (VP), Math Team, Ethnic Club (President), Swimming Team, Scholarship Club (Director of Communications); Ballroom dancing, guitare, swimming
Job/Work Experience: internship at a law firm, internship at a Borough Hall for a Borough President
Volunteer/Community service: teaching kids at a community Center
Summer Activities: work internships, CTY, LAJF Camp Rising Sun for future leaders (international full merit scholarship program)
Essays: I think they were strong,
Teacher Recommendation: I think they were strong
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Short Answer Questions:
Interview: yes

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: electrical engineering
State (if domestic applicant):ny
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public specialized highly selective technical
Ethnicity: white
Gender: male
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection:

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: no exceptional projects/inventions???
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Harvard EA - deferred, URochester accepted
Notes:

23

Decision: Rejected
Major: Computer Science

Objective:
SAT I: 2270 (750 R, 800 M, 720 W)
ACT: NA
SAT II: Math 2 800, Spanish 790, Bio 790, Physics 750
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.83
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10 pct
AP scores: Calc AB 5, Spanish 5, Comp Sci 5, Psych 5, Physics B 4, Bio 4, APUSH 4 - five APs in progress
IB scores: N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Calc BC, AP Japanese, AP English Lit, AP Chem, AP Gov/Econ, Theater Tech

Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Varsity Soccer, Varsity Badminton (Male singles top player)
Job/Work Experience: Soccer referee
Volunteer/Community service: AYSO referee
Essays: Very good - wrote about things I’m excited about.
Teacher Recommendations: I presume they were good
Counselor Rec: Good.
Additional Rec: Had a community college prof rec which I think was very good.
Interview: N/A

Other
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Cacasian
Gender: Male

Stengths: Four languages, lots of APs with solid scores, programming experience with awards.

Weaknesses: GPA, perhaps didn’t sell why I needed MIT specifically to reach my goals.

24

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2150, 770 M
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 740 M2, 670 PH
Unweighted GPA: 3.99 on cb scale
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 2% of ~600
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s on 2 APs, 3s on 3 APs
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: 7 APs, one elective
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing big. Just national ap scholar, a few school and journalism uil awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Newspaper, Beta club, Mu Alpha Theta, NHS, other honors societies, other service clubs (left out leadership for privacy)
Job/Work Experience: At local university, I have been observing and aiding students and professors with their diabetes research for 4 years
Volunteer/Community service: tutor kids in sciences/math, volunteer at local hospital (really selective), lots of school and communal service through beta club (over 100 hours)
Summer Activities: Volunteer at local hospital, Journalism camp, visit my mom
Essays: I loved writing all of them so much. I was really genuine with my answers and had fun with them. I’d say 10/10 for each. I wrote about my love of learning about the universe, baking, interviewing students etc
Teacher Recommendation: Physics and History teachers. 9/10
Counselor Rec: 11/10. I got to see it when she gave me a copy for scholarship applications and it was like she knew me better than I knew me
Additional Rec: nope
Short Answer Questions:
Interview: Did not get one because I thought you had to submit your application before you could contact your interviewer. I was really, really wrong

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yep
Intended Major: Not sure
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large public
Ethnicity: Black (with different black heritages)
Gender: Female!
Income Bracket: 60-75k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection: After reading that 1% of people that didn’t interview got into mit, I began to give up on mit, but i’m glad I pushed through and applied anyways.
Strengths: test scores somewhat, transcript, essays, recommendations, ECs, skipped a grade or two
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: My really complex personality. I tried to make sure no answer was redundant and revealed a new aspect to me
Weaknesses: Kind of Subject tests and Summer Activities. I was set back from my peers class-wise my freshman year since I moved from a different country and grades worked differently there. I took pre-calc online this last summer and honors physics my junior year, so I wasn’t as prepared as I could have been when I took the corresponding subject tests. Also, I normally spend my summers with my mom and sibling since they live in another country, and there’s not much to do there. My first summer in the US was the one that just passed and it was really different since I actually got to do stuff
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Other than really being genuine in my application, it was probably my ion joke in the FUN form. I made it up myself :’)
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted- UT Austin, Rice, Uchicago, Swarthmore. Deferred- Harvard
Notes: MIT really does look at the whole picture and I’m truly grateful for it. I also had a feeling I got accepted when the financial aid office started contacting me but I thought I was reading into it too much. Now I’m so happy!

25

Decision: Rejected

Stats:
SAT: 2230
SAT II: 800 Math, 790 Physics, 770 Biology
ACT: N/A
GPA: 4.2 Weighted, 3.89 Unweighted
Rank: 8/550
Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): AP Biology 5, AP US History 4, AP Environmental Science 5, AP Psychology 5, AP Physics B 5, AP American Literature 4

Subjective
Essays: The essays are good. I spent a lot of time on them.
Teacher Recs: don’t really know. I will guess one of them is great and one of them is okay.
Counselor Rec: don’t really know too. She knows my existence, but don’t really know me.
Supplementary Material: None.
Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize): First generation college student(?).

Personal
Location: California
High School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female

Other
Extracurriculars: Co-president and co-founder of a club, member of two other clubs, 100+ hours of community service, Summer Academy at USC
Awards: AP Scholar with Distinction, AcaDec National Individual Competition winner (5 metals), Aspen Challenge Winner
Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?: Well, I know I will be rejected when I forgot to make an appointment to my interview.

26

I’m not sure if this’ll help anyone, but I hope so!

Decision: Rejected

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2360 single sitting (800 M, 800 CR, 760 W)
ACT: N/A
SAT II: 800 Math 2, 800 Physics, 800 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank, probably pretty high?
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Spanish (4), Physics B, Physics C E/M, Physics C Mech, Calculus BC, AP English Lang/Comp, AP Environmental Science, AP Chemistry (all 5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A

Subjective:

Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable Calculus, AP Computer Science, Newspaper, AP Literature, AP Government.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): USAPhO Silver Medalist. State / local speech awards, nothing big. National Merit.
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): FIRST Robotics (President), Speech and Debate (President), Physics Team (President), Cross Country + Track and Field.
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: I did about 400 hours, but it didn’t go on my app.
Summer Activities: Summer research program after junior year, took a random physics class my sophomore year.
Essays: These were probably my worst essays – the word count seemed too short for me and I didn’t do a great job in hindsight.
Teacher Recommendation: Physics teacher (10/10), I’ve known him for a long time. English teacher (7/10), it was probably decent.
Counselor Rec: Probably reasonably good, he has a form but he’s known me a few years. 7/10
Additional Rec: Research mentor over the summer, 10/10.
Interview: It was rocky. My interviewer didn’t seem super interested, but I talked about PVC bow-making.

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Physics
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported):
Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): Asian Indian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 80,000
Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): Nah

Reflection

Strengths: Strong letters of recommendation, pretty clear passion for physics.
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: I tried to come off as quirky and really passionate about science.
Weaknesses: Mediocre essays
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied:
I’m guessing it’s because of the weakness of my essays. They probably seemed pretty generic to most readers.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to Princeton, Caltech, Berkeley, and UIUC.

General Comments:
I had a pretty good idea this was coming beforehand, but I can’t help feeling a little disappointed. Congratulations to everyone who made it; you should be proud now that the pressure’s off!

27

Decision: Deferred->Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 31 C (31 E, 34 M, 30 R, 30 S, 8 Essay)
ACT superscore (breakdown): Same as above
SAT II (subject, score): Math Level 2 (800), Chemistry (770), Physics (780)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92
Weighted GPA: N/A (school doesn’t weight)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A (school hasn’t released rankings)
AP (place score in parentheses):
Sophomore Year: AP US History (3), AP Chemistry (5)
Junior Year: AP Physics C Mech. (5), AP Physics E&M (5)
Senior Year: AP Environmental Science, AP Psychology
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
College Dual Enrollment or Guest Student Classes:
Oakland Community College: Calculus 1 (A), Calculus 2 (A-)
Lawrence Technological University: Calculus 3 (A), Differential Equations (A), Modern [a.k.a. Abstract] Algebra (next semester), Organic Chemistry 1 (A-), Physical Chemistry 1 (A), Physical Chemistry 1 Lab (A), Physical Chemistry 2 (Currently Taking), Independent Study in Chemistry: Statistical Mechanics (Currently Taking, graduate level but univ. doesn’t offer graduate-level science so it ended up being IS), Contemporary Physics (Currently Taking), Intro to Nanotechnology (Currently Taking), Engineering Materials (A), Materials Lab (A), Statics (A), [Engineering] Thermodynamics (A-), Principles of Economics (A, my school doesn’t offer AP Econ)
At Oakland University through their Summer Math Program: Number Theory with Cryptology (3.8), Linear Algebra (3.5), Intro to Advanced Mathematical Thinking (Summer 2015), Linear and Integer Optimization (Summer 2015)

Senior Year Course Load:
Health (A)
Essay Writing (A+)
AP Psychology (A+ both trimesters)
AP Environmental Science IS
World History (A, currently taking 3rd tri)
Novels (3rd tri)
Sociology (3rd tri, had Engineering & Inventions but it was dropped due to low enrollment)
Intro to Computer Science & Programming (3rd Tri)
Physical Chemistry 2 (A-), Contemporary Physics (A), IS in Statistical Mechanics (A), Intro to Nanotech (A), Modern Algebra (In Progress)

Number of other EA applicants in your school: Not Sure but probably about 7
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): None but competed in Siemens this year, took F=ma exam this year as well as last year (didn’t make it to next round), and will be taking the take local Chemistry Olympiad exam
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Scholar with Honor, Honor Roll (High School), Dean’s Honor Roll (at Lawrence Tech. Univ.)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): JV Soccer (10th), Robotics (11th and 12th), Boy Scouts (6th-12th plus 3rd to 5th of Cub Scouts, I’ve been Senior Patrol Leader which is top position in troop)
Job/Work Experience: worked very occasionally at my Dad’s Carpet Store, student assistant for Lawrence Tech’s Natural Science Labs for Fall 2013 and helped run their Extreme Science Saturday Program (Fall 2013-Present) and Forensic Science Summer Institute (2013, 2014), Art of Problem Solving Grader (happened a couple weeks after I submitted EA application)
Volunteer/Community Service: A decent amount but mostly through Boy Scouts
Summer Experience: Philmont Scout Ranch, Took Calculus 1&2, Oakland University Summer Math Institute 2014, Thermodynamics class

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Essays: I think they were pretty good, the department, world, and pleasure ones probably were the best.
Interview: The interviewer was pretty bad at interviewing (even the 3 people who I’ve talked to about it agreed and they probably did well regardless) which made me uncomfortable so probably not all that good.

Teacher Recommendation #1: Probably very good, from my AP Chemistry (and half of regular chemistry) teacher
Teacher Recommendation #2: Probably good, from my Psychology 1 teacher and Varsity Soccer Coach (he’s had some experience with me through soccer)
Counselor Rec: Probably very good, she thinks extremely well of me
Additional Info/Rec: From teacher of IS Statistical Mechanics, P. Chem 1 + Lab. He’s one of my mentors and has helped look over essays so I’m sure he wrote a good one. He’s taught at UPenn, Dartmouth, UChicago, etc.

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Dual Major Chemistry and either Chemical Engineering or Physics
State (if domestic applicant): Michigan
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 50-60k (my parents are divorced, if both are included then 80-90k)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection:

Strengths: Extensive Dual Enrollment, Research (See other factors)
Weaknesses: Bad Interview, low ACT, lack of major awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think my true love for STEM, interest in research, and dedication must’ve shown through. I am utterly shocked and extremely thankful for the acceptance.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: University of Chicago (Waitlisted), Caltech (Deferred then rejected)
Where else did you apply?:
Early: Lawrence Tech, Oakland University, Michigan Tech, MIT, Caltech
Regular: UPenn, Harvard, Northwestern, Brown, University of Michigan, UChicago

Other Factors:
Submitted Mathematical Biology Research paper
Submitted through Slideshare an abstract to Chemistry research project
Competed in a research competition for undergraduate students called the Mathematical Competition in Modelling and submitted the paper.

28

Decision: Rejected

Objective:

ACT: 35C (34E, 33M, 35R, 36S, 6W)
SAT II: 770 Physics, 740 Math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): ~3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a, but top 10% at least
AP scores: 3 5’s, 1 4
IB scores: n/a
Senior Year Course Load: 4 AP’s, multivariable calc and intro astronomy at local uni
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Harvard Book Award, Merit Commended, some AP scholar, nothing special

Subjective:

Extracurriculars: Mock Trial (Pres. and Founder, ranked 1st in state last year), Science team (treasurer), Varsity Tennis (all 4 years), research internship at local non-profit, started tutoring program at local middle school, few other things
Job/Work Experience: 100s of hours as babysitter
Volunteer/Community service: 100s of hours as volunteer farm hand and tutor
Essays: They were OK, though I didn’t spend too much time on them
Teacher Recommendation 1: Great, incredibly complementary and kind
Teacher Recommendation 2: Never read, but I assumed it was very good
Counselor Rec: Excellent, we have a great relationship
Additional Rec: nope
Intended Major: Biology
Interview: It was nice, but we never really clicked like my other ones…

Other

State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: -1400 kids, competitive urban public
Ethnicity: blanco
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: upper middle?
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: ECs, taking college classes?..not sure
Weaknesses: Haven’t taken many APs, crazy weak SAT IIs, probably a bunch of other things
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: It’s MIT, it’s all luck of the draw
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: WUSTL, University of Rochester, UMass Honors (+merit) Deferred: Harvard SCEA Rejected: MIT

General Comments: Not too broken up about this one, especially after getting into WashU this week

29

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2060 (720 M 670 CR 670 W)
ACT (breakdown): 30, not sent
SAT II: 800 CH 790 M2
Unweighted GPA: 4.03/4.0 (4.33 for A+)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chem (4), US History (4), Spanish Language (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP English, AP Macroeconomics, AP Physics C, Honors Spanish 6
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): University of Chicago Book Award, National Hispanic Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Environmental Club (VP), Art Club, Archery, Dance, Peer tutoring with a focus on math and science
Job/Work Experience: Sales Associate at local Flower Shop
Volunteer/Community service: volunteer assistant leader for a ecological program at local middle school
Summer Activities: mother’s helper
Essays: 6/10 wrote them in two days December 31st and January 1st
Teacher Recommendation: 9.5/10, would say 10/10 but haven’t read them
Counselor Rec: 9.5/10, again I haven’t read them
Additional Rec: none
Interview: It really wasn’t that good. My interviewer kept on saying that I needn’t be nervous… I was talking about how my mom had cancer and kinda broke down but then saved the interview by saying how it makes me committed to research/chemical and biochemical engineering

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Chemical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): CT
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Multiracial (Hispanic and Caucasian)
Gender: F
Income Bracket: ~$150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, Legacy (my dad went to MIT as an undergrad in mechanical engineering), not sure if this counts but I am and will be graduating at 16

Reflection:

Strengths: definitely my letters of recommendation, GPA and grades in Math and Science
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: I definitely went for the diversity hook. I grew up in an international community in Hong Kong, China and talked about what that taught me about being accepting of others. I also talked about the racism I have faced in my local community (middle/upper class coastal town in CT).
Weaknesses: standardized test scores were pretty gross and my essays were rushed and sucky
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: letters of recommendation must have been stellar to make up for my low standardized test scores
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: accepted by northeastern and uconn (both safeties), unoffically accepted to Rice. Waiting on Cornell, Oberlin, Emory, and Amherst College
Notes: I really can’t believe that I got in. In hindsight, my interview really was not good and I was crazy to have saved all of the essays for pretty much the night before. I’ve been comparing myself to all of you other applicants and am really impressed with all of you. Decisions are just really unpredictable. Congratulations to all who were accepted and I hope to see you next year (not sure I’ll commit, but it’s a strong possibility that I will - costs will be a huge factor). And to those of you who didn’t get in, I’m sure you’re other schools notice how exceptional you are.

30

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I: 2250
ACT: 34
SAT II: 800 Math 2, 800 Bio M
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP scores: 5 on Environmental Science, Statistics, Calc BC, Biology. 4 on Chemistry, Physics C, Computer Science.
IB scores: None
Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable Calculus, AP English, AP US History, French VI
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMF

Subjective:

Extracurriculars: Founder/Co-Founder of a few successful start-ups (raised money from angel investors, rapidly growing revenue)
Job/Work Experience: Management at a few companies, consulting for a few corporations, a few business internships.
Volunteer/Community service: Charity. Some extra on the side.
Essays: Common app was good.
Teacher Recommendations: No idea.
Counselor Rec: No idea.
Additional Rec: From the VP of a company at which I worked.
Interview:

Other

State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private Feeder
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Success w/ entrepreneurship.

Reflection

Strengths: ECs.
Weaknesses: 
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Vanderbilt (likely letters). Deferred REA at Stanford. Waitlisted at WashU.

General Comments: yay

31

**Decision: Accepted/b

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2200 (720 CR, 750 M, 730 W) Single sitting and superscore
ACT (breakdown):
ACT superscore:
SAT II: Bio M (800), Math II (770), U.S. History (710)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.31
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP: Calc AB (5), Biology (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Chem, Physics honors, AP Gov, AP Macro, British Literature
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Achievement Finalist and scholarship recipient, Questbridge NCM finalist, a couple local awards

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): President of Muslim Student Association at school, secretary/treasurer of Race and Social Justice club, CSF, NHS, local religious sunday school and youth group, team leader of local tree-care non-profit, youth soccer referee, volunteer at public library, math and science tutor
Job/Work Experience: Worked for my dad’s business for last 2 years
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer at a local library quite often among other random stuff
Essays: Overall, 9/10. I wrote about overcoming adversity growing up and immigrating from a country in Northern Africa
Teacher Recommendations: One from a teacher I’ve known for 3 years that LOVED me (9/10). The other was from a junior year who actually met me when I was a kid. lol (8/10)
Counselor Rec: He’s pretty cool. Went to his office a lot this year to talk about college so he got to know me well (8/10)
Interview: Haha, I actually didn’t do one!

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Couldn’t live without it!
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
Ethnicity: African American
School Type: Public
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: pretty low <20000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, low income, first generation

Strengths: Life story, range of extracurriculars, essays, test scores? (although low for MIT)
Weaknesses: lack of research and STEM oriented activities, weighted GPA
Why you think you were accepted: I have NO idea! I thought I was a sure rejection!
Where else were you accepted: Accepted to Duke, UCSD, Cal Poly SLO and UC Davis. Waiting on Columbia, Princeton, Yale, UPenn, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Stanford, USC, UCB, and UCLA
The most unique thing in your application: My life story
What would you have done differently?: Polished my essays a bit I guess, but I guess they liked them!
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Congrats to everyone who was accepted! If you didn’t, don’t worry, there are other schools that I am sure will make you just as happy as MIT. I did not anticipate this decision one bit and cannot put my feelings into words!

32

Decision: Deferred => Decision: Rejected

I applied through QuestBridge.

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2240 superscored (680 R, 770 M, 790 W)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: Math 2 (770), Physics (680)
Unweighted GPA: 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 22/390
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Chinese (5), AP World History (4), AP Physics B (4), AP Statistics (4), AP English Language and Composition (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Computer Science, AP Comparative/US Government, AP Calculus AB, AP Physics C, Senior English, Cisco Computer Networking (CCNP)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NCWIT, Google Code-In, hackathons (I don’t remember exactly what other awards I put on my QB app)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Computer Club (president), FIRST Robotics, website management for organizations, some other stuff I might be forgetting
Job/Work Experience: Intern in Software Engineering for StudentRND
Volunteer/Community service: Web development for a few non-profit organizations
Summer Activities: Girls Who Code at Amazon
Essays: Don’t remember haha but they’re not bad. I did spend a substantial amount of time on my QB app.
Teacher Recommendation: Didn’t read
Counselor Rec: Didn’t read
Additional Rec: Didn’t submit
Short Answer Questions: Didn’t submit the regular MIT app
Interview: Wasn’t horrible

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Mhm
Intended Major: Comp Sci
State (if domestic applicant): WA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public, competitive
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $24,000-$30,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first gen

Reflection:

Strengths: A confident first generation female student passionate in STEM
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Being myself to have that “voice”
Weaknesses: Physics SAT score, AP scores, not enough impressive extracurriculars (for MIT’s level at least lol)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I didn’t stand out enough in the applicant pool or perhaps I didn’t seem to fit into the MIT environment
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to USC
Notes: MAD PROPS for everyone who applied in the first place! I don’t expect to get into any top schools, and MIT isn’t an exception. Like everyone else here, I’ll still be successful in the future regardless of whether or not I get into MIT. For those who were accepted: WOOT WOOT, CEHHH-LEH-BRAY-TION TIME TO-NIGHT! For those who were rejected: HEY, YOU HAVE OTHER ACCEPTANCES COMIN ATCHU! For those who end up matriculating to MIT: Enjoy the next four unforgettable years of your life :slight_smile:

33

Decision: Deferred -> Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2340 (770 M/780 CR/790 W), single-sitting
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: Math II (800), Biology M (800)
Unweighted GPA: 4.0/4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/~330
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB (5), Physics Mech. (5), Bio (5), US History (5), English Lang & Comp (5), US Gov (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Micro/Macroeconomics, AP Psychology, AP Calculus BC, Humanities program (combined AP English Literature & Composition + World History honors), AP Chemistry, Orchestra (honors)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Science Olympiad, NHS, Tri-M Music Honor Society, NHHS, SNHS, Model UN, bunch of orchestra-related events (county honors orchestra, all-state orchestra, etc.)
Job/Work Experience: Internship at NIH, violin tutoring, orchestra summer camp
Volunteer/Community service: via National Honor Society organizations
Summer Activities: interning, tutoring, college visits
Essays: Mentioned my internship and performing surgery for the first time, teaching Photoshop to myself, my parents’ dinner chit-chat inspiring me to try to decode their scientific jargon
Teacher Recommendation: English and biology teachers, didn’t read but I’m pretty sure both of my teachers are glowing writers
Counselor Rec: didn’t read, I didn’t know my counselor that well since she was often missing from office…
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Went pretty well for my first one. We talked little about the actual school but more about random topics like the effects of technology, TED talks, Suzuki violin books, Canadian cookies…

Other:

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

Reflection:

Strengths: Essays/short answers - I spent a good amount of time drafting and re-drafting until I was completely happy with each word in every response. I made frequent use of dialogue and read up about creative writing – since that’s essentially what essays are.
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Not much. I’m female though, which likely played some kind of role.
Weaknesses: Lack of hooks, no major awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Showing genuine voice, passion, enthusiasm, curiosity; made it clear that I had well researched the school and its history.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted: UChicago, Caltech, UMD College Park

34

Decision: Deferred->Decision: Rejected

Objective:
-SAT I: 2390 (800M, 800R, 790W, 11 Essay) second sitting, sick for first
-ACT: 36C (36E, 36M, 36R, 36S, 12 Essay) one sitting
-SAT II: 800 MII, 800 Chem, 790 Phys, over two sittings
-Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96 (3.97 Midyear) (4.44 Weighted, 4.51 Midyear)
-Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 2% (Top 1% Midyear) class of ~600
-AP scores: AP Chem 5, AP Span Lang 5, AP Human 5, AP Euro 5, AP Eng Lang 5, AP Macro 5
-IB scores: IB SL Chem 7, IB SL Span 6, predicted around 40/45
-Senior Year Course Load: (Full IB diploma schedule) Band, IB SL Math (School doesn’t offer HL Math, or HL Chem for that matter. SL is pretty much Calc AB), AP Comp Sci, IB HL Bio, AP Micro, AP Govt, IB HL English, IB HL History Americas, IB TOK
-Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing major… AP Scholar, National Merit Finalist, various UIL things

Subjective:
Extracurriculars:
-Marching Band 9-10 (state qualified, regional champs)
-Concert Band 9-12 (state qualified, various minor awards)
-Jazz Band 10, 12 (various minor awards)
-UIL Math 9-12 (Captain, various awards, some notable)
-UIL Science 11-12 (Co-captain senior year, various awards, some notable, top score districts)
-High Q Quizbowl competition 11-12 (nationally qualified)
-11-12 Business plan competition (co-founder, 2nd place),
-Minor clubs (Span club, etc)

Job/Work Experience: Tutor at a tutoring center since January

Volunteer/Community service: Co-founder of org that cleans walking paths 11-12, minor clubs like NHS, Key Club, probably around 150~ hours total

Essays: Not too great, wrote them early… 7/10
Teacher Recommendations: I’m sure they were fine, had both teachers for 2-3 classes each, didn’t read 8.5/10
Counselor Rec: Knows me well, 9/10
Additional Rec: Nope
Interview: Fine 8/10

Other
-Intended Major: ChemE (10)
-Applied for financial aid?: Yup
-State (if domestic applicant): Texas
-Country (if international applicant): U.S.A!!
-School Type: Large competitive public
-Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese)
-Gender: M
-Income Bracket: 60-75k
-Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First gen in America? lol more anti-hooks than hooks for sure

Reflection
-Strengths: Scores, GPA, EC’s are decent (though I regret not doing more over summers)
-Weaknesses: No major awards, classes not engineering focused
-Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Essays weren’t good enough to compensate for other weaknesses in my application
-Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Engineering Honors+full tuition scholarship at UT Austin, Presidential Scholar at USC, UMich Ann Arbor, waitlist at WashU (lolwhat), rejected from MIT, likely at UCLA. Still waiting on the Ivies/Stanford/Gtech/UC’s/CMU

General Comments:
Well, at least I was expecting this haha. Congrats to all acceptees, and, as for me, looks like I’ll be studying engineering elsewhere.

35

Decision: Waitlist

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2140 M 680, CR 700, W 760.
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: Math II 760, Bio-E 690.
Unweighted GPA: 4.0 (95)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB (5), Lang & Comp (5), Euro (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Comp Sci, AP Stats, Creative Writing, Intro Comp Sci TA, Psychology, Epidemiology.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NCWIT Aspirations in Computing National Runner Up, NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Affiliate Award, AP Scholar.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Volleyball (3 year captain), A Capella (Communications Coordinator), Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program, Girls Who Code Club (Co-founder, Co-president, TA), Softball (JV Captain), Freshman Mentoring (Team leader).
Job/Work Experience: Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program: My City My Voice, babysitting.
Volunteer/Community service: Next Step (local nonprofit), Cambridge City Youth Volleyball Program, Girls Who Code Club.
Summer Activities: Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program, Volleyball Camp, Rock Climbing Camp, Travel.
Essays: Polished and unique, 9.
Teacher Recommendation: Excellent
Counselor Rec: Excellent
Additional Rec: N/A
Short Answer Questions: Killed it
Interview: 10/10

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Computer Science
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 150,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Female in computer science, live in Cambridge (acceptance rate is higher).

Reflection:

Strengths: Essays, interview, extracurriculars, grades.
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Being a female in computer science, importance of increasing diversity in tech industry.
Weaknesses: Scores
Why you think you were waitlisted: Math SAT I score, not high enough to take without more consideration
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted at Northeastern, Skidmore College with Porter Scholarship for Math and Science, UMass Amherst, University of Vermont. Deferred at Brown.

36

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2140 (790 M, 650 CR, 700 W)
ACT (breakdown): 34
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Bio-M, 780 Chem
TOEFL: iBT 115/120
Unweighted GPA: 3.88
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): None
IB (place score in parenthesis): Diploma candidate. All predicted scores:

Biology HL 7
Chemistry HL 7
Math HL 7
Spanish A1: Literature HL 7
Chile & The Pacific Basin SL (school-based curriculum) 7
English A1: Literature SL 6

Senior Year Course Load:
IB Bio HL II
IB Chem HL II
IB Math HL II
IB Spanish HL II
IB Chile & The Pacific Basin II
IB English SL II
Theory of Knowledge II
IB Physics SL I

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Not really. FLL national champion team (founder) maybe?

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): NHS (Treasurer), School Newspaper (Editor), Varsity Rugby.
Job/Work Experience: Created a company with a friend.
Volunteer/Community service: Lots with NHS (I described how we are known by other NHS chapters as a workaholic group [and we are])
Summer Activities: Medical internship with a surgeon. Summer courses on Human Genetics and Neuroanatomy
Essays: Not sure if this applies to MIT. I put a lot passion in the short-response questions.
Teacher Recommendation: I asked teachers who know me the best in school (English [also NHS advisor], Spanish [he loves me], and Bio[I’ve fallen asleep so many times in class, but I think she likes me anyway]). I’m guessing they were good.
Counselor Rec: To be honest, no clue; he has a mysterious way of saying good and bad things, so I can’t tell.
Additional Rec: None
Interview: Awesome. It went for over 2.5 hours with lots of laughter, personal stories and anecdotes. He was such an amazing guy.

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: BME
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Chile
School Type: International school (junior and senior year; used to live in a REMOTE town in the middle of the desert).
Ethnicity: Latino and caucasian
Gender: M
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Quick transition between a really average Chilean school (4 hours of basic, useless English classes per week) and the crappiest city to live in the country (seriously, it’s been ranked the worst in maaaany studies) to the capital Santiago and an International, US-based school.

Reflection:

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: The fact that I was able to transition so quickly and effectively. I think they liked to see that change (not even language) wasn’t an obstacle at all.
Weaknesses: SAT CR score, GPA maybe? (my only B grade was English, though).
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: It’s a combination of many things. I think the ‘personal’ part of my application got me accepted. I put a lot effort into trying to show who I am. 4 others got denied from my school and they had really amazing profiles.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Waitlisted at Case Wester Reserve; still waiting on all other colleges.

Notes:
I think this part is the only reason I even created a CC account.

  1. Admitted Students: Being admitted was a real surprise, and I think you can relate to how much I jumped, laughed, ran, and smiled because of the great news. Congratulations!
  2. Prospective International students: Don’t let anyone tell you that you are limited by the country that appears on your passport. I’m proud of being an international student, and so should you. Embrace the fact that you’re different, that you are in statistical disadvantage but you’re willing to take the risk anyway. We are adaptable because we are willing to leave our home, confort zone, and even our country to build a better future; we are brave because we are planning on living away from our families for most of the year; we are grateful for the opportunity of even applying to prestigious institutions like MIT; we are the strength and diversity that the student community needs.
  3. Prospective Students in General: I know how frustrating it is to get into this website and start thinking “I’m not even near that guy who got rejected and had perfect scores and grades and 20 clubs and 15 sports AND A FREAKING NOBEL PRIZE” and bla bla bla bla. That’s all just mental crap. I would even go so far as to tell you not to ever come into CC until you’ve sent your applications or got accepted. While it’s true that it’s a useful website managed by an amazing group of people, it contributed to a great deal of my pre-application anxiety and my post-application nervousness. Use CC wisely. My only other advise would be to show the college that you’re more than the “objective” part of this post. With this I mean that if you have ‘good’ grades and scores, your essays are, in my opinion, THE most important part of your application. Take advantage of MIT’s short questions because they give you the chance to explore many aspects of your personality that you would otherwise be forced to ignore in a full essay.
37

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 800-800-780
ACT (breakdown): 36-36-36-36
SAT II: 760 Math II, 770 Chem (800 Lit, didn’t send)
Unweighted GPA: We don’t do that. Weighted = 4.41
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Valedictorian
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5: Calc BC, Stats, English Lang, Music Theory, World, Euro, Spanish; 4: Chem
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Honors International Relations, AP Bio, AP Physics C (Mech), independent studies in AP Spanish Lit and AP US Gov, Honors Art, Multivariable Calc, AP English Lit
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMF, Phi Beta Kappa, US Presidential Scholar candidate, Avogadro, lightweight AMC stuff, National AP Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Rock music (played at Lollapalooza), Cross country (captain, 3 year letter), Mu Alpha Theta (branch president), Women’s Leadership Club (founder, 3 year president)
Job/Work Experience: Tutoring, basketball scorekeeper (former player)
Volunteer/Community service: Program where we visit neighborhood house for disenfranchised youth and teach about nutrition and physical activity
Summer Activities: Touring with rock bands, tutoring, summer courses
Essays: Generally 8/10
Teacher Recommendation: I assume they were good
Counselor Rec: Probably good
Additional Rec: N/A
Short Answer Questions: Think they were good
Interview: Really good, interviewer told me I could go way further than being an actuary with the math I knew

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Math
State (if domestic applicant): OH
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private all-girls’
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: XX
Income Bracket: Didn’t apply for aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Two X chromosomes

Reflection:

Strengths: Writing, perfect scores
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Music
Weaknesses: SAT II’s. The “Why MIT” essay wasn’t so hot either.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: There was one other applicant in my school with roughly the same stats (slightly lower GPA) who was accepted; I feel like it’s a toss-up.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: I was deferred early from Princeton and heartbroken. But in the last week, I’ve been accepted to Williams (early write), Duke (likely), Cornell (likely), UChicago, and CalTech. I also got into OSU and Michigan, and Case with scholarships.
Notes: I GOT INTO WILLIAMS DUKE CORNELL CHICAGO AND CALTECH. I THINK I’M OKAY. Congrats to those accepted, and my fingers are crossed for those rejected getting into other schools. Best of luck to everyone else on the wait list!

38

Decision: Deferred-> Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2300 Math:770 Reading: 770 Writing: 760
ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
SAT II: 800 Math II, 780 Physics, 790 Bio
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/800
AP (place score in parenthesis):APUSH (5), Bio (5), Chem (5), Human Geo (5), Spanish (5), Physics B (5, self study), Physics C Mech (5), Physics C E&m (4, self study), Chinese (5, self study), Psych (5, self study), APES (5, self study), Eng Lang(5), Micro (4, self study), Calc BC(5), Art History (4), Computer Science (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, Java II, Science Research, AP Spanish Lit, AP Econ, AP Eng lit
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Moody’s Mega Math Challenge, JSHS, National Merit, Various Science fair awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Debate (Captain), Cross Country (Varsity), Science Olympiad (VP) and some smaller clubs
Job/Work Experience: Tutor, comp sci internship
Volunteer/Community service: Hospital
Summer Activities: Debate Camp 2X, M&TSI, Cross Country, Medical Camp, Lab Internship (3 summers)
Essays:Pretty Good
Teacher Recommendation: Should be strong
Counselor Rec: Should be strong
Additional Rec: Research Mentor (Strong)
Short Answer Questions: Good
Interview: Decent

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Comp Sci
State (if domestic applicant): NV (equivalent, I want to remain anonymous)
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Large Public School (great school)
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Upper Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Essays? Research?

Reflection:

Strengths: Stats, and well rounded??
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Research, and I really spent some quality time on my essays
Weaknesses: diversity
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: a combination of factors, it’s hard to name one
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: ACCEPTED: So far, Yale (Likely), Cornell (Likely), Uchicago(EA, Stamps nominee), UCLA (likely) I still need to wait for the the rd’s for ivies to come out, so these are only the likely letters I have recieved DEFERRED: UPenn( M&T) REJECTED: no where

39

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2350 (780R/770M/800W)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Physics
Unweighted GPA:
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1 (though technically unranked)
AP (place score in parenthesis): 50/50 (Music Theory, Calc BC, AP Cs, CS, Stat, Lang, APUSH, Chem, Bio)
IB (place score in parenthesis): None
Senior Year Course Load: AP French, easy LA class, AP Gov, Gym/Health, 4x study hall (lol), independent study (graph theory, game theory), departmental aid, Princeton MAT 216/218, Princeton COS 401
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): …

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): let’s pretend scioly this year didn’t happen…
Job/Work Experience: some
Volunteer/Community service: some
Summer Activities: some
Essays: eh
Teacher Recommendation: eh
Counselor Rec: eh
Additional Rec: eh
Short Answer Questions: eh
Interview: eh

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: idk
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant): Canada
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: male
Income Bracket: eh
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): all anti-hooks

Reflection:

Strengths: lol getting super lazy
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: in filling this out
Weaknesses: need a prom date
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: eh
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: eh
Notes: eh

40

Decision: Rejected

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1710 (440 R, 770 M, 500 W), just once taken

ACT (breakdown): N/A

SAT II: 800 M II, 790 Ph

Unweighted GPA: 3.85 unweighted

Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/28

AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A

IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A

Senior Year Course Load: Most rigorous: Differential Calculus & Integral, Discrete Mathematics, Analytical Geometry and Linear Algebra, Physics, Chemistry, English Language, Persian Language.

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None, but a few minor ones like: Tournament of the Towns, Mathematical Olympiad first stage.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Nothing special, Mathematical Olympiad preparatory team (leader), Teaching math and physics, car designing and rendering, piano playing.

Job/Work Experience: Benz Classical Car Workshop

Volunteer/Community service: N/A

Summer Activities: Attended Number Theory, Calculus, Physics, Algebra classes in Sharif University of Technology (Iran’s first ranking university)

Essays: They were really good and maybe great.

Teacher Recommendation: They really like me.

Counselor Rec: He really likes me.

Interview: It was really graet: 10/10

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Mechanical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Iran
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <30000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection:

Strengths: I had an invention idea that would change the world which I explained in my essays but I think they didn’t paid attention, senior year course load.

What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: My invention idea

Weaknesses: I’m totally weak, my scores, being from Iran, no major awards.

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Look at the weaknesses

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Rejected: Caltech, Case Western Reserve University.

Notes: As it seems colleges and universities pay more attention to achievements and numbers than I thought. But they forget that all these are circumstantial, I even didn’t know for example that there are events like robotics competitions. All I asked from admissions office is to first look at all those difficulties I’ve had to deal with, my family’s circumstances and sacrifices they have made, the struggles that I have made, and the nights that I’ve not slept just to have a little more time to study, and take into consideration that I was lonely in this path and I myself had to find my own way and as a result I’ve had to experience everything on my own and this has consumed a lot of time. Consequently, I’ve always dropped behind and straggled. In Olympiads, In Tournaments of the Towns, and in SAT I had just a little time to get prepared. It may seem that I’m trying to make excuses, but after all these are the facts. Now, please take a look at what I have achieved: my invention ideas, high SAT Subject scores and GPA, Tournaments of the Towns. I think you will agree that I’m dreadfully determined and motivated, I’m acquainted deeply with adverse circumstances and more able to overcome them, I’m assiduous in my studies, and I toil to reach my goals, but the admissions office didn’t.