MIT Class of 2019 RD Results Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
41

Sorry for posting so late.

AdMITted!

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2370 (800/800/770). Single sitting (second attempt). First attempt was a sub 2000 score because I only had 10 days to prep.
SAT II (subject, score): 800 in Math 2, Physics.
Grades: 9th: 85%, 10th: 94%, 11th: 96%, 12th mid-term: 95%
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/340
AP (place score in parentheses): Not offered at my school
Senior Year Course Load: Standardised state syllabus. Pretty rigorous.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): I qualified for the competition akin to AIME in my country (top 30 in the region), top 50 internationally in a semi-major CS competition, published scientific research, patent.
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): IDK. A LOT of awards at state/national level science/math competitions.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars:

  1. Soccer and Basketball(Captain) from 2nd to 10th grade. I played up to district level. I also intend to play in college but my sports achievements aren’t good enough to get myself recruited.
  2. Scientifc Research: I worked on a behavioural science + CS project during my 10th - 11th grade. I received 0 help from other people and single-handedly got it published in a peer-reviewed journal (Behold: The journal is a fairly good one although it is nowhere close to Nature, Acta Mathematica and the likes). For my second research, I developed a novel method for the early detection of a specific form of cancer. I have patented my technology and will get it published real soon in a high-impact journal. Again, I received 0 help here. I plan to enter my second project in ISEF, GSF, but I doubt that they will make any impact as decisions are declared way before finalists/winners aer.
  3. Student council: Captain in the 9th grade.
  4. Web development: Read in Volunteer/Community service.
  5. Game development: I have developed over 10 computer based games.

Job/Work Experience: Nada.

Volunteer/Community Service: I developed a website which allows people to access and gather all the information that they need to file for rights, policies in my country. Got commended by the Governor of my state.

Summer Experience: Research, SAT. I got the opportunity to attend one of the following camps (RSI, SSP, SUMaC) but turned it down to focus on my research. Don’t worry, I did not mention turning the opportunity to attend the camps.

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Essays: Great! My teacher said that it brought tears to her eyes. 8.5/10?
Teacher Recommendation #1: One of the best ever.
Teacher Recommendation #2: Same as #1.
Counselor Rec: Great!
Additional Info/Rec: From a professor at a widely renowned institute in my country, commending my second project. He spoke greatly of me; 2x from profs at Harvard Med
Interview: great!
Art Supplement: Sent in research papers and the video games that I built.

Other:
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Somewhere in Asia (not going to mention country but one of the following: China, Russia, India. Go figure :smiley: )
School Type: Private. Sends a few students to top colleges in the US occasionally.
Ethnicity: Indian.
Gender: Male.
Income Bracket Range: High enough to not need aid.
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): Published research x2, patent, one or two performances at national/international level examinations.

Reflection:
Strengths: Immense work in the field of passion

What you tried to focus on in your application - My talent in CS

Weaknesses: Je suis indien + not a lot of academic achievements

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Getting in from my country is pretty tough. They say that only olympiad medallists get an interview let alone get accepted.

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: In: Stanford (REA), Harvard, UPenn, Columbia (likely)

Notes: Getting into MIT was a childhood dream. Going into 12th grade, I was not even clown college quality. I had a sub 2000 SAT score, no major achievements, etc. However, it is never too late to turn things around. Just focus on what you love to do and be yourself. Getting into MIT is tough; it requires one to not only be qualified, but also have a lot of luck. I personally know of multi-olympiad camps people end up getting rejected. Even if you do not get in, you will do well wherever you end up attending college.

To all the fellow admitted students: Congrats on making it to MIT! I hope to see you at CPW!

42

**Decision: Accepted**

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): -
ACT (breakdown): 35 ( 32R, 34E, 36M, 36S)
SAT II: ( 800 Math Level 2, 800 Chemistry, 800 Physics)

Unweighted GPA: n/a
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): n/a
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a

O-Levels/GCSE: 13As 1A
Senior Year Course Load: 7 A-Level Courses (predicted 4As 3As)

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 2 Cambridge Outstanding Learner Awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • Internship/Leadership Program at the world’s largest interest-free micro-finance organization (Head Intern/Director Publications/Media)
  • National Math Olympiad (top 20 of country)
  • National Physics Olympiad (top 50 of country)
  • Intel National Science Fair Finalist (project was a computerized system for medicine delivery in underdeveloped areas)
  • Runners Up at a local ’ educational space-camp’ (http://buraqsociety.org/)

Job/Work Experience:

  • Internship as web developer

Volunteer/Community service:

  • LGBT rights work (head of statistical collection group)
  • organized microfinance-related charity fair

Summer Activities:

  • reading about physics
  • learning prgramming (C++, HTML, XML)
  • Computational Biology Research Project

Essays:

  • All were pretty decent, nothing exceptional though. People said they seemed to “academically focused”, but I think 7/10 overall.

Teacher Recommendation:

  • History 8/10
  • Math 7/10

Counselor Rec: 8/10
Additional Rec: -

Short Answer Questions: -

Interview: Extremely Bad. 2/1p

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Physics/Math
State (if domestic applicant): -
Country (if international applicant): Pakistan
School Type: -
Ethnicity: Pakistani/Indian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: -

Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Research Supplement Submitted

Reflection:

Strengths:

  • exceptional grades, good scores, heavy course load
  • research supplement

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

  • focused on my love for physics and math BUT had a research supplement on a project in computational biology so was pretty much well rounded in science

Weaknesses:

  • extracurricular activities
  • community service
  • essays maybe
  • interview

Why you think you were accepted:

  • Heavy focus on physics and math and passion for science.

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted at UChicago, GeorgiaTech.

Notes:

Wohoo! MIT :D

43

Decision: Rejected

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): M 770 CR 760 W 700
SAT II: Math2:800 Biology: 800 U.S History 800
Unweighted GPA: 3.81
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 10/368
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chemistiry 5 BC Calculus 5 Biology 5 US Hist 5 Euro 4
Senior Year Course Load: AP ( Physics, Stats, Gov, Spanish) Honors (English)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars : Science Olympiad, Math Club, Karate
Job/Work Experience: Sunday School
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities: average
Essays: Thought it was good … hard to know reaction
Teacher Recommendation: Should have been good but did not see but told good by counselor
Counselor Rec: Should have been good but did not see
Additional Rec: Should have been good but did not see
Commonapp Essay: Thought it was good … hard to know reaction
UR Supplement Essay: Thought it was good … hard to know reaction
Interview: Felt it went really well

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Mechanical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): PA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: W
Gender: M
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: Tried to let them know who I am and what I am looking for and what is important to me
Weaknesses: Extracurriculars
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: generally strong application
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted: University of Rochester; Case Western Reserve University
Rejected: MIT, Olin

44

One of my friends. For those of you who think MIT is a lottery for every applicant, here’s your counterexample.

Decision: adMITted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): doesn’t matter
ACT (breakdown): doesn’t matter
SAT II: doesn’t matter
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): doesn’t matter
AP (place score in parenthesis): at least 10 all 5s
IB (place score in parenthesis): doesn’t matter
Senior Year Course Load: some insane accelerated honors Princeton classes
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): USA(J)MO perfect (42), USAMO perfect index (300), MOP, TST group, gold at RMM, 2nd place Intel (math stuffs), USAPhO camp, USACO gold, USNCO hh, USABO semis, SPARC, MIT Primes, performed at Carnegie Hall, played concertos with orchestras, and probably lot of shady stuff I don’t know

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): doesn’t matter, but still like President of a few clubs, very well-rounded, does a lot
Job/Work Experience: doesn’t matter
Volunteer/Community service: doesn’t matter, but has like a few hundred hours that I know of
Summer Activities: doesn’t matter, but a lot of free camps
Essays: doesn’t matter
Teacher Recommendation: doesn’t matter
Counselor Rec: doesn’t matter
Additional Rec: doesn’t matter
Short Answer Questions: doesn’t matter
Interview: doesn’t matter

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: with that Intel money, probably not
Intended Major: math
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: male
Income Bracket: idk
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): not necessary

Reflection:

Strengths: a lot
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: not necessary
Weaknesses: doesn’t matter
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: insane
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: everywhere

45

REJECTED

[ b]Objective:**
[ list]
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): N/A
[ *] ACT (breakdown): 35 (34 M 36 R 36 E 34 S)
[ *] SAT II: 770 Math II, 800 Spanish, 800 Chemistry
[ *] Unweighted GPA: 3.90
[ *] Weighted GPA: 4.36
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank, but definitely in top 12.5%.
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): Physics B (4), Spanish Language (5), Calc AB (4) Chemistry (5)
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: AP Psych, AP English Lang, AP Calc BC, AP Spanish Lit, AP Comp Sci
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): IDK. I’ve won hundreds of awards for my app in the computer science and economic fields. Nothing academic.
[/list]

[ b]Subjective:**
[ list]
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): CEO of my own app company.
developer of one the most successful apps in the world (top 10 in over 80 countries),
CFO of a huge app corporation here in NY (several of the board members are famous and published engineers and economists)
varsity Volleyball,
varsity basketball,
president of app club,
president of the Medicine Club.
board member on school’s wall street and investing committee
Taekwondo black belt,
working with venture capitalists in the app field
multicultural officer
chief of finance for robotics club, helped secure funding through app connections
research articles on apps working with programmers and economists
[ *] Job/Work Experience: Over 500 hours interning for various physicians. working with experts in the App market to create apps. interviewing and examining app proposals for several big Silicon Valley companies.
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: Almost 340 hours teaching English abroad in 3rd world countries, cancer research, thousands of hours teaching underprivileged kids how to program and market apps
[ *] Summer Activities: Volunteering abroad, app developing, app conferences, computer science lectures, interning, research, etc. Did a case study on curing pediatric cancer one summer, the next I traveled around the world for my app, this summer I will do so more volunteer work and more app stuff.
[ *] Essays: Very good. 9/10 for both. One about my apps, other about the experience that changed my life
[ *] Teacher Recommendation: 10/10 from Spanish teacher, 9/10 from History teacher
[ *] Counselor Rec: 10/10?
[ *] Additional Rec: N/A
[ *] Interview: Went well!
[ *] Supplementary Material (portfolio, etc.): N/A
[/list]

[ b]Other**
[ list]
INTENDED MAJOR: Economics
[ *] Applied for Financial Aid?: No
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): NY
[ *] Country (if international applicant): USA
[ *] School Type: Extremely competitive private school
[ *] Ethnicity: Chinese
[ *] Gender: M
[ *] Income Bracket: 250,000+
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A
[/list]

46

Decision: Rejected

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): CR: 590 M: 700 W: 640 O:1930
ACT (breakdown): E:32 M:29 R:34 S:31 Composite: 32
SAT II: Math 1: 750 Chemistry:570
Unweighted GPA: 3.81
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 4%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Currently taking AP Physics, AP Calculus AB, AP US Government, AP Macroeconomics, AP Spanish Language, and AP English Literature. Last year I took AP Psychology and got a 4.
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Honors Robotics, Digital Design Level 3, AP Physics, AP Calculus AB, AP US Government, AP Macroeconomics, AP Spanish Language, and AP English Literature.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Questbridge College Prep Scholar, Questbridge National College Match Finalist, Silver Knights nominee, Posse Foundation nominee, Outstanding Physics honors.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Mu Alpha Theta (President), Science National Honor Society (Secretary), Information Technology Club (Treasurer), Badminton (Co-Captain), Rho Kappa (Treasurer)
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: 300+ hours. Volunteered at technical school. Also tutored countless hours in math.
Summer Activities: Internship at technical school
Essays: They were alright, good enough to make me a Questbridge Finalist.
Teacher Recommendation: Excellent I assume. I’ve known both teachers for 3+ years.
Counselor Rec: Excellent, I was able to see what she had written of me. She’s known me for more than a year.
Additional Rec:
Short Answer Questions: eh
Interview: It was a tad mediocre. It was my first ever interview so I was really nervous. She changed plans last minute so I wasn’t able to change into decent clothes or get ready for that matter. I practically had to go to the meetup spot directly after school, in uniform. I was so unprepared.

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Computer Science
State (if domestic applicant): Florida
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <$40,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, First Generation student.

Reflection:

Strengths: Extracurriculars, Recs, Course rigor
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Minority, my struggle with racism and how I grew from it.
Weaknesses: Scores (particularly my Chem subject test), GPA, Interview
Why you think you were rejected: Honestly I think my Chemistry subject test and interview played the biggest roles in my rejection.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: I was accepted into the University of Florida, the University of Miami, and Emory University.

47

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2390 (800 M, 800 W, 790 R)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 770 Chemistry, 780 US History
Unweighted GPA: 3.91
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/673
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chemistry (5), World History (5), US History (5), English Language (5), Spanish Language (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C, Drawing IV, AP English Literature, AP Government, AP Macroeconomics, Soccer
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist (PSAT 221)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Soccer (Captain), National Honor Society (Executive Board), National Spanish Honor Society (Secretary), Art, Math tutoring, Key Club, Class Representative, Spanish Club (Historian)
Job/Work Experience: Internship at Whole Foods Tech Dept.
Volunteer/Community service: Humane Society
Summer Activities: Lots of soccer. I started my own team last summer.
Essays: Worked really hard on these.

Short Answer Questions: I think these adequately portrayed the depth and breadth of my involvement. I wrote about starting my own soccer team, my involvement in art classes, and a few other things.
Interview: Went really well! Very casual.

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Course 18, Applied Mathematics
State (if domestic applicant): Texas
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Recruited athlete for soccer

Reflection: I got in EA, but decided to post now. I’m still so happy and thankful to be accepted.

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself:
I didn’t talk about my academics much - I let my grades and test scores speak for themselves. Instead, I focused on things I was passionate about and how my goals lined up with MIT’s values, esp. with entrepreneurship and research.

Weaknesses:
I’m not a huge leader, so I don’t have many leadership roles in my extracurriculars. That’s just not my thing. Also, I have comparatively less extracurricular involvement in math or science than other admits. I thought this might be an issue, but luckily it wasn’t.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Coach told me that admissions said my test scores, rank, and GPA were a big plus on my application. I think that they’re also looking for people that have something they’re passionate about. For me, that’s soccer.

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted to UT Austin Dean’s Scholars, University of Chicago, Colorado School of Mines
Still waiting on Yale, UC Berkeley, and Rice

48

**Decision: Rejected **

SAT I (breakdown): 2180 (CR 730, Math 800, Writing 650) (Officially English is the third language in Tunisia)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
TOEFL (breakdown) 109 ( R 27 S 27 L 29 W 26)
SAT II: Math 2 (800), Physics (710)
GPA (Weighted): 17.77/20 (One of the highest in Tunisia) Showing Progress
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/252 Top of the high school in physics and math/ Most Competitive School in Tunisia.
AP (place score in parenthesis): Not available in Tunisia
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Arabic, French, English, Spanish, Philosophy, Math (Very advanced), Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Physical Education, IT
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-Winner of an international educational program organized by ENI and MIT about Energy (My major). Interacted with Professors at MIT and had a test after every lecture (16 lectures). Had the highest scores.

  • Kung Fu Trainee for 4 years (1056 hours): Vice-Champion of the state in heavyweights.
  • Participated at the second edition of the theatre festival at our high school attended by more than 300 persons and had the major role in the main play. Nomination for the best actor award.
    – Taking part in an international written-debate contest (the Public Policy International Contest) Organized by New York University. Received a certificate of excellence.
    – Received the national certificate of First Aid after taking part in a formation.
    Job/Work Experience: Working in a factory during two summers. 30 Hours per week for 6 weeks every summer. (360 hours)
    Volunteer/Community service: Different activities (10) with the Red Cross More than 650 hours
    Essays: 6/10 That was my application weakness
    Teacher Recommendation: 10/10. Very good with strong statements like the best student ever.
    Counselor Rec: 10/10. Outstanding. She rated me as the best student in the history of the high school
    Additional Rec: English Teacher + Mentor during Lab4energy. Did not read but it is supposed to be good. 8/10
    Interview: N/A

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Engineering/Undecided
State (if domestic applicant): N/A
Country (if international applicant): Tunisia
School Type: Public School
Ethnicity: North African / Middle Eastern
Gender: M
Income Bracket: $20000 - $30000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection
[] Strengths: SAT Scores relatively to African Applicants/GPA/Class Rank/Recommendations
[] Weaknesses: Essays/ SAT physics
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: American Universities took only one Tunisian. and that was a fu**** girl with only 2030 -_- !
[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: [/li]Accepted to: Grinnell College/Uchicago/Upenn/Duke/Umiami/Trinity University
Waitlisted: UDenver/Rhodes College/ WUSTL/Vanderbilt
Rejected: Notre Dame

49

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 800 M, 800 CR, 740 W
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 800 Biology, 790 Chem, 790 Math II, 800 Physics
Unweighted GPA: 100 weighted (my school doesn’t do unweighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): My school doesn’t do any sort of ranking, but I’m definitely up there. A good number of people thought I’d be valedictorian, and there are more than 500 people in my graduating class.
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (4, everything else was 5), Euro History, Statistics, Physics B, American History, Language and Composition. Calc BC, Chemistry, Physics C, Literature and Composition, Comparative Gov, Microeconomics, French.
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: 7 APs: Calc BC, Chemistry, Physics C, Literature and Composition, Comparative Gov, Microeconomics, French. Plus computer programming.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Intel Semifinalist, Siemens Semifinalist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Top ranked Science Olympiad team (Captain), Quiz Bowl (Varsity, VP), Badminton (Varsity), School Literary Magazine (Literary Editor).
Job/Work Experience: Kumon, private SAT tutor
Volunteer/Community service: Land Conservation Intern, Veterans Home volunteer (also wrote an article for the newsletter) hospital volunteer
Summer Activities: In a word, Research. With volunteering thrown in.
Essays: I love creative writing and have been doing it nonstop through high school, so all my essays were definitely eloquent. My guidance counselor loved all of them.
Teacher Recommendation: Physics B (She said I was the best student she’s had in years, but I never really had a connection with her, and she had a LOT of recs to write, so I dunno how amazing it was) and Euro History (she loved me as a student and I loved her as a teacher; I took a risk by going with a sophomore year teacher, but I’m sure this rec was great)
Counselor Rec: Should be solid; counselor liked me, but she has a lot of students.
Additional Rec: My research mentor for my Intel project.
Short Answer Questions:
Interview: I think he found me interesting? It went well, at any rate.

Other: I had an awesome LOTR joke in my FUN

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes, though I’m probably not getting any
Intended Major: I put down Biological Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: ~$150000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): More anti-hooks than anything…I guess being a girl helped.

Reflection: I got deferred early action, so I was beyond surprised that I was accepted; the Intel Semifinalist probably pushed me over the edge. No one in my school has gotten in since before I was a freshman, so that was another reason for surprise.

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Research was a big one, and I tried to introduce an element if diversity in my love of literature, but for the most part…you can’t fashion too great of a hook from a rod that’s long been cold. I knew my academics were exemplary, and my research awards probably helped loads; my extracurriculars were many and diverse.
Weaknesses: Ethnicity, competitive school and state. And I haven’t done anything spectacular, especially not in math or computer science.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: The Force was with me that day! But honestly, I just did the best I could and hoped for the best.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to Caltech, waiting on Harvard, Princeton, and Penn.
Notes:

50

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2320 (800M/730CR/790W)
SAT I superscore (breakdown): 2390 (800M/800CR/790W)
ACT: not taken
SAT II: Chemistry – 780, US History – 790, Math II – 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5), Chemistry (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Econ, AP Mandarin, AP Spanish, AP Physics C, AP Calc AB, English Elective
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist?

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Piano, Skating, Debate, Racing, Engineering-related internship, Foreign Exchange (Sorry I’m being really vague)
Job/Work Experience: Paid internship at a university, Tutoring
Volunteer/Community service: Peer tutoring, Counselor for kids, Hospital, NHS
Summer Activities: Aforementioned hospital volunteering, volunteering as counselor, and internships
Essays: Not bad, not terribly stunning either
Teacher Recommendation #1: Very good.
Teacher Recommendation #2: No idea, but we had a good relationship.
Counselor Rec: No idea. I go to a big high school, so it probably could be better.
Interview: Really long (2 hrs), but I get the impression that he didn’t think I should be pursuing the major I’ve picked (engineering) and should instead pursue English because I was really passionate about my favorite book

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): MAssachusetts
School Type: Public School
Ethnicity: Asian/White
Gender: F
Income Bracket: 200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection: Disappointed, but hardly surprised.
Strengths: SAT, female in engineering
Weaknesses: Extracurriculars, essays probably, interview probably
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My application was hardly stunning lol
General Comments: Congrats to those who got in!!

51

College Confidential is truly the epitome of evil however it would be hypocritical of me to not post since I have spent more hours than I care to admit on this website. Hopefully this provides someone out there with some comfort and ease.

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:

• SAT I: N/A
• ACT: 31/32 superscore
• SAT II: 740 Bio M/ 780 MII/ 800 French

• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.89
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): no idea
• AP scores: Bio-4 French-5
• IB scores: N/A
• Senior Year Course Load: AP Chemistry, AP Government, AP Literature, AP Calc BC
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): some French and speech and debate awards

Subjective:

• Extracurriculars: Competitive soccer for basically my whole life (lots of traveling, played ECNL for those that know what it means), Varsity soccer 4 years, Co-Founder and VP of speech and debate club at my school (literally my baby), NHS/CSF, HOP leader (helping freshman), Ambassador Mentor (helping international students), did a research internship at a private research lab over my junior summer and did a surgical skills internship at Stanford my sophomore summer.
• Job/Work Experience: I worked as a cashier at Five Guys during my sophomore and junior year. It was literally THE worst.
• Volunteer/Community service: Volunteering at local hospital for two years, then some random NHS/CSF events and tutoring that actually, in the end, added up to quite a bit of hours (300+ hours)
• Essays: spent a lot of time on them, I think they captured my personality well

• Teacher Recommendations: AP Bio Teacher- I honestly have no idea how this one turned out. She wrote me a letter of rec for a research internship over the summer and my mentor said that she spoke highly of me???
English Teacher- yea same situation, no idea.

• Counselor Rec: HA! I think she had to write like 100 of these so…haha
• Additional Rec: N/A
• Interview: eh…

Other:

• State (if domestic applicant): CA
• Country (if international applicant): ‘Murica
• School Type: Large Public
• Ethnicity: African American
• Gender: F
• Income Bracket: 0-100
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I have a lot of them in my closet?

Reflection:

• Strengths: you tell me
• Weaknesses: I know for a fact my ACT scores
• Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I don’t read minds

• Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: Tulane, UCSB, Washington University in St. Louis, UCSD, Williams College, Boston University,
Waitlisted: UC Davis, MIT
Rejected: UCLA, UC Berkeley *sigh, UCs do not like me very much

Waiting to here back from: Columbia, Dartmouth, Johns Hopkins,

General Comments:

Like I said before, this website is absolute evil. It makes you compare yourself to others, lowers your self-esteem and honestly makes life a little bit (A LOT) crappier. But hey, I spent wayyyyyy to much time on this website so I would feel guilty if didn’t post. So because I am compromising my principles by posting on this website, I feel like I should share the immense amount of wisdom I have gained over the past couple of months. Instead of trying to analyze my stats and figure out how the hell I got in, here are some things to take away from this is: 1) Do not compare yourself or try to copy others. It is human nature but try to remember that everyone is unique 2) please don’t try to look for some pattern on these stat threads. Trust me. I tried, I failed, don’t waste your time. 3) You may think that some people on this website who are rejected/accepted are gods who can walk on water but…dramatic pause… it is all an illusion (GASP). What you see on these stats are people in their best light with all their flaws excluded. I mean looking now at my stats, I am quite impressed but if you met me in person, haha, that would be a different story 3) You probably won’t believe me now but no matter how good the acceptance feels or how shitty that rejection feels, you won’t remember it a couple months down the road. You WILL end up in a place that is right for you, a place that will make you happy. So even though you may think I am just spouting out a bunch of bullshit, all I ask for is to give me the benefit of the doubt.

Wow that was a lot. If you made it to the end, AWESOME! I hope I was able to enlighten you. So, in summation, be yourself, like the number pi there is no pattern, unlike what you may see on this website none of us are perfect, give me the benefit of the doubt and in the words of Stanley Fich, have fun, be safe, and party hard.

52

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2350 (780CR, 770M, 800W)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 790 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5/462
AP (place score in parentheses): Calculus AB (5), Biology (5), Human Geography (5), Chemistry (4), Calculus BC (5), World History (4), Physics B (5), U.S. History (5), Computer Science A (5), English Language & Composition (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish, AP Statistics, AP Psychology, AP US Govt./AP Comparative Govt., AP Physics C, AP English Literature & Composition
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc): National Merit Finalist, National AP Scholar

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): HOSA (Chapter President for 2 years, Former Washington State HOSA Secretary, Washington State HOSA Region 3 VP), National Honors Society (Publicities), Knowledge Bowl (co-captain), Math Club, Speech and Debate, Science Olympiad, Key Club
Job/Work Experience: Intern at a silicon wafer manufacturing company, math tutor
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer at local hospital, aforementioned community service clubs
Summer Activities: Don’t think they asked for this, but attended 2013 and 2014 HOSA National Leadership Conference and took 3 online classes from StanfordOnline and HarvardX
Short Answer: I thought they were pretty good, but idk
Teacher Recommendations: pretty good
Counselor Rec: didn’t see
Interview: overall went pretty well

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yeah
Intended Major: Biomedical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): WA
School Type: public, we had a couple go to Harvard and Stanford last year
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket (mention if FA candidate): $50,000-$75,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): female engineering student probably

Reflection
Strengths: AP classes, grades, leadership
Weaknesses: test scores, could have had more focus on extracurriculars instead of joining all the clubs
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: test scores, short answer
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: So far, Accepted - University of Washington, Vanderbilt; Waitlisted-UChicago, Rejected-Stanford

53

Decision: Rejected

Objective
SAT I (breakdown): 1940 (670R/660M/610W), didn’t send to any schools that didn’t require it (used ACT+W)
ACT (breakdown): 33C (30M/35R/35S/34E/8W)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 650 Physics (ouch)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95 U/W, 4.23W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/237
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geography (4), Biology (4), Psychology (5), Calc AB (3), English Lang (3), APUSH (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP Music Theory, AP Statistics, AP Physics C: Mech, AP English Lit, AP Euro
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): QuestBridge Finalist, QuestBridge College Prep Scholar, AP Scholar w/ Distinction, NCFL Qualified (top 6 in state)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Speech/Debate, National Beta Club (4 years, Senior Representative and Vice President), National Honor Society, Science Club, Guitar, Piano
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: Over 200 hrs from various projects
Summer Activities: Freelance programming, volunteering
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App- My essay is based around my love of technology/computers (what I’m most passionate about), but it’s not the best thing I’ve ever written (7)
College Essays- Good (7/8)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Physics Teacher (9) - Knows me very well and how much I am dedicated to my education
Teacher Rec #2: Psychology Teacher (8) - I was one of the best students in his psych class
Counselor Rec: I have not spent a lot of time with my counselor, but she is known to write excellent recommendations. She knows of the hardships I have faced and how I have overcame them. (9/10)
Additional Rec: None
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Computer Sci
State (if domestic applicant): KY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Med/Large Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Below 30,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First gen, economic/family hardship

Reflection

Strengths: I have taken the toughest course load possible at my HS, and I am also the valedictorian. My ECs show that I am well rounded.
Weaknesses: I have not done anything extraordinary in any of my ECs, and my test scores are not the strongest although I did not have to send my inadequate SAT score to any college that didn’t require it.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Test scores aren’t strong for school of this caliber, no science specific awards/achievements
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: nowhere but state schools
Waitlisted: Duke, Northwestern, UChicago, Vanderbilt
Rejected: Caltech, MIT, Swarthmore

General Comments: Pretty bummed that I haven’t gotten in anywhere. Not quite sure how any of those waitlists are going to turn out. Just waiting on the Ivies now.

Congratulations to everyone that got in!

54

Decision: Rejected

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1840 - didn’t submit
ACT (breakdown): 34 (34S, 33R, 34E, 33M)
SAT II: 700 Chem, 640 Math II
Unweighted GPA: 3.91
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 14/230
AP (place score in parenthesis):5 (APHG), 4 (AP Comp, APUSH), 3 (AP Bio, AP Chem)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP US Government, AP English Literature, AP Stats, AP Calc BC, AP Physics I, Economics, Ceramics I
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): QB CPS, QB NCM Finalist, AP Scholar with Distinction, scored in top .1% of Math Contest - attending nationals this month

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Swimming (11 x Reserve Conference Champion, 3 x Captain, 2 x School Record Holder, Mental Attitude Award Winner, Most Valuable Swimmer Award), 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 Activities: working, competing in swimming and equestrian events
Essays: Pretty good I think! My Common App was awesome IMO
Teacher Recommendation: Both of my teachers gave really good recommendations - I’ve had both for 3 years and one said she “made me sound like a rockstar”
Counselor Rec: Really good. I go to a small school, so she knows me pretty well! She’s very excited about my college applications!
Additional Rec: N/A
Short Answer Questions: I think good! I don’t really remember them
Interview: Okay! This was my first interview ever - but the guy who did it seemed to like me a bit, even though I was really nervous.

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Mathematics
State (if domestic applicant): Indiana
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Rural Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <30,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection:

Strengths: Scores, I think my EC’s
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: I really focused on my hardships from my QB application
Weaknesses: GPA, probably some of my awards aren’t as astounding as some people
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: IU (Honors + Direct Admit to Kelly), Purdue (Honors + Direct Admit), Northwestern (ISP), Notre Dame (Mendoza Pre-Approval), Waitlisted at UChicago and Penn, Denied at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford
Notes: Awesome job everyone! Keep your head up! You will find your dream college!

55

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1750 (500 R, 800 M, 450 W)
ACT (breakdown): 25
SAT II: Math II 800 Physics 640
Unweighted GPA: 87.8 Unweighted, 95.2 Weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 35/300
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Chemistry-3, AP Literature-3, AP Physics B-3, AP Language-4, World History-2 (Darn o.o), US History-3
Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, Anatomy and Physiology, Psychology, AP Calc BC, Religion

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing really. Excellence in the Study of Math and English.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Play trombone in Jazz Band.

Job/Work Experience: Volunteered at hospital for a year, around 150 hours.
Volunteer/Community service: See above.
Summer Activities: Origami
Essays: OK. like 6s/10
Teacher Recommendation: Math Teacher- 5/10. Only had 1 year. US History teacher- 9/10. Great guy.
Counselor Rec: Couldn’t read.
Additional Rec: None.
Short Answer Questions: N/A
Interview: Didn’t have one.

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Math
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Catholic/Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: >200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection:

Strengths:
i’m not sure…but YAY

Weaknesses:

ALOT

I would like to attribute my success to Suet Cho.