**Northwestern University Class of 2020 RD Results Thread**

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
41

Decision: Waitlisted

Applied to which school/college:
McCormick–Engineering
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT: 33 (35 E, 34 M, 31 S, 31 R, 10 W)
SAT II: <700 Chem & Math II (really bad day)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
UF GPA: 4.1
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 34/300
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 (Calc AB), 4 (US Gov), taking CompSci A, Physics 1, and Calc BC this year
IB (place score in parenthesis): HLs (taking in May): Enlish Lit, Math, Biology
Senior Year Course Load: AP Computer Science, IB Math HL, IB English HL, AP Physics 1, IB Biology HL, Entreprenuership
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
DAR Good Citizen (Local, regional, state)
Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Lacrosse (Captain & Coach), Involved in church groups, participated in a science program at Ford Motor Company, Drama Club, Band, NHS (organized and managed a few events)
Job/Work Experience: Interned at Ford Motor Company this summer, a LOT of babysitting
Volunteer/Community service: Worked at a special needs prom, did a mission trip, served food to underprivileged Detroiters, a ton of things through NHS

Summer Activities: Internship, mission trips, travel lacrosse
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Mine were a little quirky, but I think they really showed my interest in the school and I felt really good about them, so probably a 9 or 10

Other

State (if domestic applicant): Michigan
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: didn’t state
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: didn’t state
Hooks (Athlete; first generation college, etc.): Internship, really long interview, showed a lot of interest

Reflection
Honestly I’m pretty p’d. I felt like they’d been trying to whoo me the past few years and this was my number 1. I’d rather have just been denied so I could settle on not being good enough, but being waitlisted just makes me feel like a super unsettled second choice
Strengths: Extracurriculars, essays, lots of AP/IB
Weaknesses: Not the best test scores, I had a few B’s
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Shoot I don’t know, waitlist is such a tease
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: University of Michigan CoE, Alabama (full ride), Tennessee (3/4 tuition), Purdue , MIT (rejected EA), Northwestern, Cornell, Duke, Miami OH, Vanderbilt

General Comments:
Not sure if I’ll accept waitlist position

42

Decision: Waitlisted

Applied to which school/college: Arts and Sciences

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT: 35 (36 math, 35 english, 35 science, 32 reading)
SAT II: 780 math 2, 750 physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.79, weighted 4.35
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (4), AP Calc BC (5), AP English Lang (4), AP Spanish Lang (5), AP Physics 1 (4), AP Physics 2 (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit, AP Psych, AP micro, AP gov, AP Spanish Lit, AP Physics C, multivariable Minor awards: National Merit Commended Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Honor Society, Smith College book award

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Council (executive vice president), Science Olympiad (Co-captain), GSA, Newspaper, BBYO (have held several leadership positions on chapter board), cross country, Library Club
Job/Work Experience: Math tutor (3-4 hrs/wk), Violin tutor (1 hr/wk), Summer camp counselor, babysitter
Volunteer/Community service: Planned parenthood, violin gigs, counselor for educational summer camp
Summer Activities: counselor, volunteering, family travel
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8, described my experience on a farm during the summer & how the Amish lifestyle has changed my approach to life & everyday experiences

Other

State (if domestic applicant): Ohio
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public, small
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: 100,000 - 120,000
Hooks (Athlete; first generation college, etc.): n/a

Reflection

Strengths: ACT, rec letters, essay is pretty good, leadership positions
Weaknesses: GPA could be higher, SAT II could be higher, no hook, little contact with admissions officer
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: nothing especially interesting or captivating about my application, no outstanding achievements
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted (OSU, UPitt, Case Western, Brandeis), Waitlisted (Northwestern, Wash U, UChicago), Rejected (MIT)

43

Decision: Accepted

Applied to which school/college: Medill

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2100 but didn’t submit
ACT: 35
SAT II: 780 US, 730 Bio, 740 Lit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0, weighted 4.3
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): don’t rank at my school
AP (place score in parenthesis): US (5), Bio (4), Gov (5), Comp Gov (5), Macro (5), Lang (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP Lit, AP Psych, Journalism (I’m managing editor), Applied medical research, AP Enviro, Honors Physics, Shakespeare
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): No major awards in anything but journalism, which I have been recognized in at the state and national levels

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Journalism (managing editor), student council, NHS, field hockey (captain and two-time all-state, also play club year-round), track (captain and state-finalist), ice hockey (varsity)
Job/Work Experience: I nanny in the summer and work as a tutor daily for a special needs middle schooler
Volunteer/Community service: various programs volunteering in urban areas in need, working with special needs kids in a summer camp
Summer Activities: Medill summer journalism institute at Northwestern
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Good essay with very personal topic about a personal loss and how it motivated me to pursue my goals of making change in the world (10)

Other

State (if domestic applicant): MI
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public, mid-size
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: upper middle
Hooks (Athlete; first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: My extracurriculars in journalism showed demonstrated interest, and I think my demonstrated interest in NU was clear with my participation in their five-week summer program
Weaknesses: no hook, only in AB calc this year
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: see strengths above
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to georgetown, notre dame, umich, UVA. Haven’t been deferred/rejected anywhere yet but that will probably change soon

General Comments:
I would love to be a wildcat next year, but i won’t make my decision without financial aid info. Congrats to all that got in!

44

Decision: Accepted
Applied to which school/college:McCormick School of Engineering - Electrical Engineering

Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 33 C (English 32 / Math 35 / Reading 33 / Science 32) + 29 W
SAT I (breakdown): 2130 (760 M / 730 E / 630 W)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math 2 (780), Biology (730)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
Weighted GPA: 4.6
Rank/Percentile: 3/455
AP (place score in parentheses): BC Calculus (5), Biology (5), Eng Lang (4), APUSH (4), AP Euro (4)
AP + IB Courseload: 9 by the end of this year
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP Government / AP Microeconomics (1 semester each), AP Physics, AP Eng Literature
All AP or honors coursework throughout HS career. Electives included computer science, Cisco networking

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar w/ Distinction, Awarded US design patent for work during summer tech internship with engineering firm, departmental awards for Biology, Computer Science (2)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Tutoring, Varsity Badminton, volunteer work
Job/Work Experience/Summer: Summer jobs and internships past 3 summers including with Silicon Valley tech company (unpaid then paid with same company), summer job as local rec center/pool
Volunteer/Community Service: ongoing volunteer work for local ballet company, and for non profit for underserved youth
Essays: Common App (8/10), Why Northwestern (8/10) + double legacy,
Teacher Recommendations: Excellent recommendations from Comp Sci/Economics teachers
Counselor Rec: strong
Additional Rec: very strong from my amazing math teacher who strives for all her class to get a “5” on the AP BC calculus exam and gets pretty close to succeeding !
Interview: None

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No
Projected Concentration: Electrical Engineering
State/Country: USA
School Type: Large Public (California)
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 250,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Double Legacy - father was EE major

Reflection
Strengths: Sold coursework, scores and background in the field for my engineering major. High GPA with high rigor coursework. Essay that really articulated my strengths, focus and interests in becoming an engineer.
Weaknesses: Activities, SAT score, ACT score could be improved, essays could have been better
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: GPA/rank, high rigor classes relevant to major, double legacy
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
Accepted: (all for Electrical Engineering): UC Davis, UC San Diego, UC Santa Cruz, UC Irvine, Cal Poly SLO, U of Washington
Waitlisted: Purdue (sent app in very late)
Rejected: Georgia Tech
Waiting: UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara, Carnegie Mellon
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Congratulations to all who got in!

45

Decision: ACCEPTED

Applied to which school/college: College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): did not take/submit
ACT: 32 Composite (35 English, 34 CR, 30 M, 27 S)
SAT II: 690 (Math II) 720 (Spanish)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 97.6 (My school does GPA out of 100)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP English Lang (4), AP Spanish (5), AP Physics (3), APUSH (4), AP Bio, AP Calc AB, AP English Literature
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, AP English Literature, AP Calculus AB, Psych/Sociology, Dual Enrollment with FDU for Anatomy and Physiology
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, National Spanish Exam Honorable Mention, Young Arts Finalist, National Honor Society Executive Board Member, basically every other National Honor Society (Music, Thespian, Mathematics, Social Studies)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Fall Drama and Spring Musical (lead roles), competitive swimmer in New York City, competition pianist
Job/Work Experience: Algebra I/II and Geometry Tutor
Volunteer/Community service: Edgewater Free Public Library (70+ hours), Retreat Organization Committee, Actors Fund (30+ Hours)
Summer Activities: N/A
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10/10 for both common app and Northwestern statement. To be completely honest they were both the best pieces of reflective writing that I’ve ever written

Other

State (if domestic applicant): New Jersey
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private/Catholic
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: >75,000
Hooks (Athlete; first generation college, etc.): first generation on paternal side

Reflection

Strengths: I think the majority of my strengths stemmed from my essays; I definitely poured my heart and soul into both of them and I feel as though they genuinely captivated who I am as a person to paint a full image beyond my scores
Weaknesses: Definitely my standardized test stats, especially in comparison to alot of the other scores on this thread
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Like I said, I think the essays overshadowed my test scores. I was very surprised but completely elated
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: ACCEPTED - Duke, Cornell, Northwestern
I’m waiting to hear back from just about everywhere else!

46

Decision: Rejected

Applied to which school/college: McCormick - Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown) :took once: M780, R760, W710
ACT:
SAT II: Math II 800, Physics 790
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable ):
AP (place score in parenthesis): US Hist (5), Comp. Sci (5), Physics I (5), Spanish (4)
Senior Year Course Load: Physics C, AP Micro, BC Calc, AP Stat, Creative Writing, App Dev
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): none

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Robotics (Head of Programming), Cancer Society (Prez), Golf, NHS
Job/Work Experience: summers camp counselor
Volunteer/Community service: have several organizations I work with
Summer Activities: Camp Counselor
Essays: Common App (9/10), Northwestern Supplement (7/10)
Teacher Recommendations: 8/10 for both, I did 2 STEM ones
Counselor Rec: 8/10 she likes me but also really busy
Additional Rec:
Interview: none

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Y
Intended Major: Computer Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported): N
Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): White
Gender: M
Income Bracket:
Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): none

Reflection
Strengths: Grades, extracurriculars, rigor of curriculum
Weaknesses: no great summer things, only took SAT once
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: no major hook, very high application pool
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: UT, RPI, UW
Where else are you applying for RD: CMU, Cornell, Princeton, Brown, Villanova

General Comments: Tough process. Good luck to everyone!

47

** Decision : Rejected **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT: 35 Composite, 36 Math, 36 Science, 34 English, 34 Reading
(36 Superscore)
SAT II: 800 Math II , 740 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geo 5, World History 5, Chemistry 4, Calc BC 5, Bio 4, Physics 1 4 (self “study”), English Lang & Comp 5, US History 4
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP CS, AP Lit, AP Econ, AP Physics C, AP Seminar, Honors Adv Math II, Academic Decathlon, WOOT
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National and state medals for academic decathlon

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Math Team 9-12
Physics Olympiad, 10-12, Captain
Science Bowl 11-12, Co-Captain
Table Tennis 9-12, Co-Captain (ran out of room and put Piano over this I think)
Academic Decathlon 11-12
Piano, 1-12

Job/Work Experience:

Volunteer/Community service: 100+ service hours

Summer Activities:
Math camp at UChicago after 7th, 8th, 9th
Particle Physics Research at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory after 10th
Summer Math Program at MIT after 11th
Astrophysics Research at UChicago after 11th

Essays (rating 1-10, details): Essays were solid.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: idk
Teacher Rec #2: idk
Counselor Rec: idk
Additional Rec: none
Interview: none

Other
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public Magnet
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 120k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):none

Reflection
Strengths: none
Weaknesses: GPA, lack of significant awards. Tried to do stuff like math and physics olympiads but never got to the point I should’ve for the amount of work I put in. I sacrificed my grades to try to become good at them in the same way an athlete or musician might, but ultimately it didn’t pay off. no regrets though, still learned a lot.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: ^
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Rejected Caltech, WashU, Northwestern, UChicago Waitlisted MIT

48

Decision: Accepted

Applied to which school/college: McCormick

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT: C-33 S-36 M-28 R-35 W-32, 9 (one sitting)
SAT II: Biology-740 Math II-720
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 before senior year 1st semester, 3.96 after
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): weighted before: 10/420, weighted after: 20/420
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Human Geography (5) APUSH (5) AP Physics 1 (2) AP Calculus AB (4) AP Biology (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chemistry, AP Physics 2, AP Calculus BC, English 12, Economics, Honors Law B
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Observer at Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Speech and Debate (Debate Captain then President) Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, Model United Nations, Thespian at High School-have acted in and worked on several shows
Job/Work Experience: Intern at Northwest Children’s Theatre, Intern at Oregon Health and Science University, Intern at Portland State University, Crew Member at Burgerville
Volunteer/Community service: Key Club (Vice-President)
Summer Activities: Both university internships were done over two separate summers, in addition to a summer science and engineering camp at Oregon State University
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay (10/10): I worked on this essay from June-September, and wrote about 20 drafts. I wrote about my life story-I lived in an abusive home for most of my life until I reached out for help and was able to get taken away from my abusive father by Child Protective Services. I used the pain of growing up in this abusive home to work hard in school and channel my pain into extracurricular involvement. I wrote about this and how it has affected my views on hope. I’ve always had a knack for writing.

NU Essay (7/10): I spent significantly less time working on this essay, however, I did do my research and made this why NU essay highly specific. I listed out the specific unique component’s of Northwestern’s engineering curriculum and how I would make them my own, and also talked about a professor that I’d love to do research with.

Other

State (if domestic applicant): Oregon
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Mixed-race
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: less than $140,000
Hooks (Athlete; first generation college, etc.): Surviving an abusive situation and getting myself out of it? I was really worried about writing about this, but I just got taken away from my father this last summer, and so everything is so new and important to me that I couldn’t not share my story.

Reflection

Strengths: I think all of my subjective qualities definitely helped me the most.
Weaknesses: Definitely the objective stuff- my GPA, rank, standardized test scores are all sub-par at best
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I honestly don’t know. There are so many more qualified applicants out there. I guess my essays may have helped compensate for my sub-par grades.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: This is the first reach school I’ve heard back from. Accepted for chemical engineering-Oregon State, Montana State, University of Minn, University of Illinois UIUC, University of British Columbia Deferred-University of Michigan Rejected-MIT

General Comments: I am so sorry to everyone who got rejected, I avoided looking at my NU decision for over 24 hours because I was sure I would be rejected. Just have faith and hope that things will get better, because they always do.

49

Decision: Accepted

Applied to which school/college: School of Communication

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2140 (640 M, 790 CR, 710 W)
ACT: It was not good, didn’t send
SAT II: 800 WH, 760 Bio E
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.82
Weighted GPA: 4.2
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 34/440
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
IB (place score in parenthesis): Spanish SL - 7
Senior Year Course Load: IB English HL II, IB History HL II, IB Theater HL II, IB TOK, IB Chemistry SL, IB Math Studies SL II, Advanced Vocal Ensemble
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing huge

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Thespian Society (President), Drama Club (President), Theater (numerous leads in plays an musicals, one is going to be showcased at the State Thespian Conference), Madrigals (Tenor Section Leader), Piano, Tap dance, National Spanish Honor Society, Crew, Backup vocalist for a local recording artist
Job/Work Experience: Some construction work via a family member
Volunteer/Community service: Hospital volunteer 4 hrs. a week; President of Caroling for Cans, a student-run group that carols to collect cans for the Oregon Food Bank, Native American Youth Camp Counselor, some stuff through Drama Club
Summer Activities: Assistant vocal coach for a kids’ variety show, summer shows
Letter of Rec 1: Strong, history teacher, definitely highlighted my academic strengths and how I was one of the brightest students, but also mentioned some fluctuations in my grades and how I dealt with dips in performance
Letter of Rec 2: Very strong, theater teacher, talked about how much effort and power I bring to both academics and performing on a daily basis.
Letter of Rec 3: Spanish teacher, the nicest thing anybody’s ever written about me.
Counselor Rec: It’s a big school so we only kind of know each other but I’m sure it was a good recommendation.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8/10, Common App essay was well written, and about my experience with investigating the Mormon church, which was maybe kinda weird but also really unique and heartfelt. Northwestern Statement wasn’t anything special but definitely expressed the fact that Northwestern is easily my top choice.

Other:
State (if domestic applicant): OR
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large public
Ethnicity: White/Native American
Gender: M
Income Bracket: ~100,000
Hooks (Athlete; first generation college, etc.): First generation college, sort of URM

Reflection:

Strengths: Playing a lead at state, SAT II score, volunteering, uniqueness of essay
Weaknesses: SAT math score, grades kinda being all over the place
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Luck? I don’t know, but I’m beyond ecstatic
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to Creighton, U of O, UC Irvine, Muhlenberg, and Cornell. Waitlisted at WUSTL, Tulane, and UChicago. Haven’t heard back from Brown.

50

Decision: Accepted

Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): did not send
ACT: 34
SAT II: 690 World History, 660 US History, 640 Bio E
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.975
UF GPA: 4.329
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4/~400
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP World History (4), AP Environmental Science (5), AP Human Geography (5), AP Calculus AB (3), AP US History (4, self-studied)
IB (place score in parenthesis): taking this year
Senior Year Course Load: IB Math SL, IB Chemistry SL, AP Psychology, IB Language and Literature HL, German ab initio 2nd year, IB Visual Arts HL, IB History of Americas HL, Theory of Knowledge.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, High Honor Roll, Principal’s List (equivalent to Dean’s List), Scholar Athlete, but no national titles or anything like that.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Tennis (10th-12th, varsity 11th-12th), karate (4th-10th grade, brown belt) journalism (11th-12th, proofreading editor), class officers (11th-12th grade, helping to organize prom), female empowerment program funded by the school district (12th grade0, founding member)
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: ~200 hours at the local church
Summer Activities: Eco-internship to revitalize the Los Angeles river the summer before 11th grade, JSA at Princeton the summer before 12th grade
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common app essay was definitely a 10, as it was quite personal and introspective. I cried while writing it and my IB coordinator loved how I touched upon how my past insecurities have created the person I am today. Northwestern supplement was a 9, as it was well-researched and written, but I felt as if it was rushed (hate word counts!)
Teacher Rec: 10/10. One was from my former AP Environmental Science teacher and current IBDP Coordinator. We have a great relationship and he told me that I am one of his favorite students he’s ever had. The other was from my current IB Lang and Lit HL teacher who I’ve had for 3 years straight. She’s also the senior class officer so she knows my work ethic and analytical skills both inside and outside of the classroom.
Counselor Rec: We just got a new counselor, but she likes me, so 7.5/10.
Additional Rec: None
Interview: Yep! It went alright. It was kind of rushed since Northwestern was interviewing like 30 kids at my location, but I did my best to showcase interest and my personality/passions.

Other

State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: large LAUSD public school
Ethnicity: Filipino
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: lower (<65K)
Hooks (Athlete; first generation college, etc.): first IBDP cohort in LAUSD history, lower socioeconomic background, first generation college student in America

Reflection

Strengths: Definitely my essays, GPA, and ACT score.
Weaknesses: SAT II scores and lack of awards. Extra-curricular activities could have been more well-focused/aligned with my major (sociology/international relations).
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Honestly, it’s a crapshoot. As you can see from this discussion, tons of people with better stats got rejected/waitlisted, and I got in. I think I was accepted because I’ve had nearly perfect grades my entire high school career (that 1 B from 9th grade Painting continues to haunt me), my ACT score was good, and my essays genuinely reflected me. Another reason is my socioeconomic background. But mostly, it’s the luck of the draw.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Tulane (full ride), UNC Chapel Hill (EA, nearly full ride), UVA (EA, no financial aid update so far), UCLA (full ride + Regents), UCSB (Regents, no financial aid update so far), UCD (full ride), Kenyon (full ride), Cal Poly SLO (full ride).

General Comments: My heart hurts for those who were waitlisted/rejected. This process is so draining and stressful. I was deferred EA to Princeton and thought my life was over; however, it DOES get better, you WILL move on/grow, and you WILL find yourself at a place that is not only a good fit for you, but will make you feel fulfilled. Trust in yourself and your capabilities; you’ve slaved over your schoolwork and activities, and you deserve happiness.

51

Decision: Accepted :smiley:

Applied to which school/college: McCormick

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2320 Superscored (800 Math, 790 Writing, 730 Reading)
ACT: 31 (36 Math, 31 English, 26 Science, 29 Writing)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 750 Chem, 750 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
UF GPA: N/A
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/500
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
IB (place score in parenthesis): Music SL (5)
Senior Year Course Load:

Jazz Band
AP European History
AP English
AP Biology
AP Calc BC
Java Programming
Government
Health
Strength Training

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

PSAT Commended Student
School Honor Roll
Outstanding soloist at 3 jazz festivals

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

Youth Orchestra 11, 12 (Asst. Principal)
Jazz Band 10, 11, 12 (Section leader)
Science Bowl/Olympiad 12 (President)
Music Composition (9, 10, 11, 12)
Piano (9, 10, 11, 12)

Job/Work Experience:

Dish Machine Operator @ Shari’s (12)

Volunteer/Community service:

Library Volunteer (9, 10, 11, 12)
Summer Youth Program Counselor (12)

Summer Activities: N/A

Essays (rating 1-10, details):

Common App Essay (10/10). I talked about my passion for music composition, spending the bulk of my time making sure that every word, sentence, and paragraph was clear, captivating, and insightful. The most important thing about my essay, in my opinion, was molding the tone around my subject matter. I was rather liberal about my metaphoric descriptions of my pieces and the reverence I had for my idols–I romanticized music because it holds so much power over us.

Why NU Essay (10/10). I mentioned NU’s interdisciplinary approach to education, the engineering teams, and the physical scene. Afterwards, I connected them all back to me and why Northwestern is a great fit. In my first drafts, I was inclined towards writing platitude-- these phrases sounded good but conveyed nothing. What made my essay better was making every sentence speak something valuable.

Other

State (if domestic applicant): Oregon
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Suburbs, ~1600 kids
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 40k
Hooks (Athlete; first generation college, etc.): Secondary legacy (sibling attended)

Reflection

Strengths: Definitely the essays, GPA, SAT I and II, and letters of rec.

Weaknesses: My extracurricular weren’t outstanding, and I had only one AP/IB test score, and that one score was pretty bad. I didn’t really have outstanding honors/awards.

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think they saw that I had qualifying academics, but weren’t impressed with my activities, awards, and scores. However, my essays probably inclined them towards me a lot.

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

Rejected: U Penn,
Waitlisted: Washington University in St. Louis
Accepted: Notre Dame, Boston College Honors, Oregon State

General Comments: I wish I had better extracurricular activities and awards. Too bad I was a lazy unadventuring potato

52

Decision: Accepted

Applied to which school/college: Weinberg

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2180 670R 740M 770W (one sitting) 3rd time
Got a 2000 flat 1st time, 1880 2nd (I thought I was doomed)
ACT:
SAT II: 710 Math II 710 Chem (I tried retaking one more time but during the chem one i decided screw it and cancelled my scores lol)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
Weighted GPA: 4.5
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top10%
AP (place score in parenthesis):
5 in AP Calc BC and Spanish
3 in Physics 1, Chem, Stat, AP World, AP Lang
Senior Year Course Load:
AP Psych
STEM Engineering
Multivariable Calculus/Linear Algebra
English 12HN
AP Gov
AP Bio
Human Anatomy
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): I got a few local awards, and AP Scholar with distinction, but only “big” one is National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Nothing extraordinary.
I dilly dallied in clubs like Key Club and Model UN and Science Olympiad
Math Science and National Honor Society.
Varsity Soccer for 3 years
Club Soccer
Leadership: I HATED questions pertaining to this on college apps cuz I didnt have any formal positions. I stressed endlessly too. Turns out, didntt matter that much…
My only leadership experience is being an older brother to 3 awesome siblings.
Job/Work Experience: Nada
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered at a local special needs center for children and a hospital
Summer Activities: SAT Prep and college essays and enjoying the beach with my fam lol
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App essay was a very personal story about my little brother. I literally wrote about how much I love my family because they have been the most influential and important people in my life. This essay was not hard, it was very deep and sentimental imho, but I really dont think it couldve been so spectacular that it changed anybodys minds. Rate 9/10
Funny Story. I took a 4 days to write my why NU? essay, submitted it 10 hrs before the deadline. Most of my time I spent researching the school’s website because honestly its hard to say why you love a school when you’ve never visited or know anybody who attends the place. In all honesty I thought my essay was pretty generic besides my actual style. Wrote about program, a professor, location, community, etc. Rate 7.5/10

Other
Financial Aid: Yup
Intended Major: Biological Sciences
Interview: Really nervous considered not doing it but it was fine and Im glad I did. My interviewer was really nice and laid back. At a Starbucks which I arrived late to cuz I couldnt find it hehe. She took diligent notes while I talked and only really caught me off guard with a question I should have been ready for: 3 words ur friends would describe you with. I said paranoid, caring, and chill ( I still cringe haha). Lasted maybe 30-45 minutes but wasn’t too bad. By the end of it she made me really fall in love with the school with her stories and descriptions of it. So to all of u who r feeling nervous, dont be. If my extremely nervous public speaking, introverted self can do it, you can too. My only advice (as cliche as it sounds) is to relax and try to not care that much.
Recommendations:
AP Spanish Teacher 8/10 really liked me for some reason even though I didnt really talk in her class that much.
MultiVar teacher 7/10 -really nice lady ive known for 3 years but her recs were template based… I didnt have another choice doe lol
Counselor 7/10? - Honestly spoke with this man maybe 8 times in my 4 years at hs lol. Nice enough tho
Didnt read any of these recs
State (if domestic applicant): VA (Northern) Pretty good hs imo
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Medium Public
Ethnicity: Latino/Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: idrk tbh <100K?
Hooks (Athlete; first generation college, etc.): First Gen, Ethnicity?

Reflection

Strengths: My GPA and courseload are the only reasons I dared applying to good schools lol. Everyone I knew would always talk about my GPA.
Weaknesses: I would say my Subject II’s considering i got like 50-60th percentiles lol. My extracurriculars were not anything extraordinary. SAT is kinda weak for Northwestern?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My academic record and maybe my common app essay lol but most importantly a little bit of good fortune
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: I applied to 8 schools thinking I was going to get 4 maybe and so far im 7/8. VCU, VT, UVA, U Washington Seattle, Notre Dame, Northwestern, Cornell. (Waiting on U Penn but honestly Im having a hard enough time as it is trying to decide between these great schools that I am blessed to have gotten into)

General Comments: I’m new at this but I feel that this is important to say. I remember a year ago I was so stressed out about all this SAT I’s and II’s bs, AP bs, Rec quality, Lack of Extracurriculars, not taking AP Comp Sci and AP Physics C etc etc etc I was driving myself crazy. And what do incredibly stressed out teens in competitive environments do to seek assurance and comfort? This place. I remember I would think “hey im a really good student I think I have a shot at this place lemme check with some other peeps”. 2370 SAT**** Captain of Debate, Swim, Soccer Team*** President of NHS*** National Merit*** REJECTED…Thats when panic attacks commenced. My honest advice is to try to relax and just focus on what you wanna do. My self esteem as a student was so low from reading stuff like this. The only reason I DARED applying to schools like Cornell Northwestern Notre Dame and U Penn is cuz my friends CONSTANTLY insisted that I did. Now that its all over I realize how dumb it was for me to be so critical of myself and how lucky I am to have such a supporting group of people around me. You have to work hard and study hard yes, but know how to chill please. Don’t be like me and many other stressed out teens. I knew nothing about college compared to others and neither do my parents. The way I applied is by googling “best Pre-med colleges in the nation” lol. Whatever happens, don’t think its the end of the world its not. Dont be afraid to apply to ur dream school. If it doesnt work out the way you want well ok its not the end of the world. Some things just arent meant to be and thats ok. Just motivate urself and work hard wherever you do end up going. Sorry for the tangent but I really hope that some of you guys and girls that are stressing a lot find some peace with this post of mine. I truly feel blessed being accepted into all of the schools I’ve applied to so far and I am very excited of what’s to come. Thank you and good luck!!!

53

Congrats!

54

Yay another Oregonian!!! :smiley: (Also go Thespians, I am one myself)

55

REJECTED
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 790 CR 690 M 710 W 10 Essay
ACT (breakdown): 33/34 superscored (31 E 34 R 34 M 35 S) + 10 Essay
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 790 Math 2 750 US History 720 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank/Percentile: 4/454
AP (place score in parentheses): 4 AP US History; 5 AP European History; 5 AP Language and Composition
IB (place score in parentheses): None submitted
AP + IB Courseload:
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP Biology, AP Government and Politics, AP Physics , Honors Statistics, AP Literature and Composition, Office Apprenticeship
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar w/ Distinction
25 Regional/State Science Olympiad Medals
2 National FBLA Awards
4 State and Regional FBLA Awards
Top 10% in Class
High Honor Roll
National Honor Society and National Business Honor Society
Scholastic Scrimmage PBS runner Up
Scholastic Scrimmage IU 20 Runner Up

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Science Olympiad since seventh grade (Vice President)
Future Business Leaders of America (Region Secretary, local vice president, and state vice president)
Student Government
Imperial Diet
Scholastic Scrimmage
Varsity Tennis
National Honor Society
Mini-thon committee

Job/Work Experience: Internship at Darenth Valley Hospital in UK last summer
2 summers ago had internship with GP
Volunteer/Community Service: volunteer activities with FBLA including help set up fundraisers for dodgeball tournament, Ronald McDonald House volunteering, help plan annual mini-thon, and organize various fundraisers across school
Summer Activities: Service or working with medical staff
Essays: Common App (8/10), Why Northwestern (8/10),
Teacher Recommendations: Excellent recommendations from History, English, and physics teachers.
Counselor Rec: Counselor and I know each other very well so I assume recommendation is good.
Additional Rec: Attached recommendations from doctors I worked with in UK.
Interview: None

Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: Biomedical engineering
State/Country: USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation American, Trilangual

Reflection
Strengths: Recommendations, decent ACT/SAT, good commit to my Community service, decent essays
Weaknesses: SAT score, ACT score could be improved
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Scores? Race?
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Duke, Penn, Brown, Northeastern
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Disappointed I didn’t get in. Regardless of what others tell you scores are still very important in admission process. Congrats to those who got in!

56

Decision: Accepted

Applied to which school/college: WCAS (Economics Major)

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t submit
ACT: 32 (English: 35, Math: 28, Reading: 35, Science: 31)
SAT II: Didn’t submit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.49
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): None
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB, AP Economics, AP Statistics, Physics 2, Literary Quests, Technical Theatre, and Philosophy.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Questbridge Finalist and National Space Club Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): V Lacrosse, JV Basketball, Business & Economics club, school newspaper, debate club, rocket club, and motorsports club.
Job/Work Experience: Internships at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (Regional Finance Office) and VC backed Financial Technology start up
Volunteer/Community service: 400+ Hours with independent organization and leadership role in large community service organization within school
Summer Activities: Two internships
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App: 9/10 and NU Supp: 6/10 A bit sloppy and rushed did not feel like it was representative of my writing.

Other

State (if domestic applicant): Maryland
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Ethiopian/Korean
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <$60k
Hooks (Athlete; first generation college, etc.): First gen, QB finalist, multicultural, dual citizenship (UK)

Reflection

Strengths: QB Finalist, common app essay, internships, and racial background
Weaknesses: For sure my GPA and NU supplement
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: QB Finalist, strong common app essay, internships, and diverse background.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to Kelley School of Business at IU, Carroll School of Management at Boston College, Vanderbilt, Bowdoin, Williams, UCLA, and very likely to Rice (invited to all expenses paid URM visit program). Waitlisted at UChicago, Pomona, and UCSD. Rejected from MIT.

General Comments: Was not expecting to be accepted to Northwestern given my GPA and my poor (at least in my eyes obviously not theirs) supplement, so I am very happy!

57

It would be great if someone who was admitted to just Bienen could post their stats. Or rejected, I guess that would be helpful to know too. Thanks.

58

Decision: Rejected
Applied to which school/college: McCormick college of Engineering

Objective:

ACT: 35 composite
SAT II: 800 in Math II, 800 in Chemistry, 800 in Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8 u/w, 4.1 weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top quintile
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chem (5), Physics 1 (5), Physics 2 (5), Calc AB (5), Macro (5) Micro (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP CS, H Engineering, H Spanish 4, English, US History

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Science Olympiad: 3 years, various medals-regional and state (VP senior year)
Volunteer group to help low income families: 4 years (leader Sophomore, Junior, Senior)
Flying lessons: through a scholarship and then work, flew a plane solo after sophomore year. Volunteered with organization that gave me the scholarship.
Key Club: 3 years, various events
Foreign exchange: hosted and traveled
Robotics club: First Tech Challenge co-founder junior year, VP senior year
NHS, Science NHS, Spanish NHS, AP scholar with distinction, National merit Commended
Job/Work Experience: 2 years of lifeguarding full time in the summer
Volunteer/Community service: 140 hours during High School
Summer Activities: work
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8, as good as I could write them without having visited.

Other

State (if domestic applicant): NC
School Type: Private day school
Ethnicity: white
Gender: male
Hooks (Athlete; first generation college, etc.): no hooks

Reflection

Strengths: Test scores, rigor of math and science courses
Weaknesses: Lack of demonstrated interest, GPA is lowish for this school.
Why you think you were rejected: I honestly don’t know.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: this is my first reply, so…

General Comments: I didn’t want to be another applicant that drove down their admit rate, and felt I was competitive based on their marketing and student statistics. Well, they got me.

59

Congratulations to everyone!

Decision: Accepted

Applied (RD): McCormick college of Engineering

Objective:
SAT
ACT (breakdown):35 : 32M 35 E, 36 S, 36 R
SAT II: Math I 760, Literature: 750, Chem 650
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Non-traditional student
AP (place score in parenthesis):
AP Micro (5)
AP Macro (5)
AP US Hist (5)
AP Lang (4)
AP Calc AB (4)
AP Stats (5)
AP Lit (5)
AP Enviormental (5)
AP Gov & Pol (5)

IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP: Chem, AP Calc BC , Honors Physics, Spanish 4 honors, AP Comp Scie A
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):National Merit Commendation, National Hispanic Scholar, National AP scholar, FCA Christian athlete of the year, WOT athlete of the week, Multiple Varsity awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity tennis Cap (4 years), USTA competitive tennis, MUN, Creative Writing, self-published novel
Volunteer/Community service: A lot of volunteering at sports events and founded an NGO for children in my home country
Essays (rating 1-10, details): My common app essay was pretty generic in content (Sports story) but unusual in writing style. I love writing and am pretty proud of how it turned out.
The supplementary essay: The why Northwestern essay was written at 2am and I don’t know if god was smiling down on me or something but I was hit with a golden ray of inspiration. ( I feel like this essay played a big part in my acceptance )
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I can’t remember how many letters were required but I did send one written by the school’s head football coach/ history teacher. He’s awesome so I’m sure the letter was great.

Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Bioengineering
State (if domestic applicant): Florida
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: half Virtual school and half Christian school
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: on the low end
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, Community Service

Reflection:

Strengths: I was strong in everything but pure test stats. I also have a creative writing/engineering aspiration thing going on that fit in well with the college.
Weaknesses: I left my testing for the fall of senior year, and it showed. It was a horrible decision (I don’t know if my stress levels will ever fully return to normal :p)
Why you think you were accepted: The admissions committee thought that I was a good fit and that I added something to the incoming class :slight_smile: Ultimately, that’s what it comes down to. I made the most of my four years of high school and, as in all highly competitive college admissions, had a little luck on my side
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted at Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Northeastern (25k/year scholarship) and University of florida
Rejected: MIT

Side note: I didn’t really demonstrate interest. I couldn’t afford to visit campus and they never came to any nearby college fairs. Perhaps, the supplementary essay made up for the lack of demonstrated interest, but that is just speculation.

General Comments :

For future applicants: Try not to stress too much! Don’t spend your four years of high school constantly worried about where you are going to be spending your next four. Every stage of life is precious on its own. Success and happiness comes in many forms! I wish you all the best! And don’t forget, colleges accept people not numbers!

60

Decision: Accepted

Applied to which school/college: WCAS

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2380 (M:800 W:780 R:800)
ACT: N/A
SAT II: Chem 770 M2C 800 US History 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): idk but Weighted: 4.
UF GPA: N/A
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Stat (5), AP Chem (4), APUSH (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Cal BC, AP Lit, AP Psych, AP CompSci
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National AP Scholar, Other International Awards (International Student)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): UNICEF, Red Cross,
Job/Work Experience: Lots, worked as an interpreter for the Korean government at a FDA meeting, worked at a museum as a preservation intern, worked with the government in finding the remains of veterans
Volunteer/Community service: Lots, Volunteered at a hospital during school,
Summer Activities: Volunteered for a summer camp for diabled children for 5 years, lots of community service
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9? My teachers loved it told me not to change anything, wrote about all my community service experience and linked it to my future
Teacher Recommendations: 10/10 each, they love me - I have the highest average in both of the teachers’ classes (taking their classes for 2 consecutive yrs not), one of them even told me that I was her favorite student
Counselor Rec: 10/10, she loves me. We chat all the time
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: no interview

Other

State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Korea
School Type: Small Private (International School)
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender:Female
Income Bracket: 200K<
Hooks (Athlete; first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection

Strengths: Lots of community service, very solid identity, my activities were very different from others’
Weaknesses: Had some B’s my freshman sophomore year, Not enough APs,
Why you think you were accepted: what I did outside of school I guess? I did lots of unique things (many government-related)
Where else were you accepted: UCSD, UCLA, WashU,
waitlisted: none
rejected: JHU
Where else are you applying for RD: Swarthmore, Amherst, Ivies

General Comments: