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

[ScrubaDubDub98]

Decision: Waitlisted (Engineering)

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Best Sitting: 2210 (730 CR, 760 M, 720 W), Superscored: 2270 (Didn’t send)
ACT (breakdown): 35 C (34 R, 35 M, 34, R, 36 S)
SAT II: 800-Math II, 780-Spanish, 760-Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 5.0/5.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus BC (5), English Lang (5), US History (5), Spanish Lang (5), Chemistry (4), Biology (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chemistry, AP Physics C, AP Spanish Literature, AP English Literature, AP Economics, Honors Linear Algebra/Multivariable Calculus (Taken as Dual Credit)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar With Distinction, National Merit Commended, Top 15 Regional Chemistry Exam, National Spanish Exam Gold Medal

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Tennis (Captain, Varsity 3 years, All-Conference 2 years), Math Team (State Qualifier 2 years), Academic Bowl, Interact (1 year), Drug-and-Alcohol-Free Club (4 years), Marching Band (2 years)
Job/Work Experience: Youth Tennis Counselor, Instructor at Mathnasium
Volunteer/Community service: Peer Tutor at School (80+ hours a year)
Summer Activities: Work
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
CommonApp: 9.5/10, Worked very hard on it; some of my best writing
Why Northwestern?: 8.5/10

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Didn’t Read Them

Teacher Rec #1: Spanish Teacher
Teacher Rec #2: Math Teacher
Counselor Rec: Should’ve Been Good
Additional Rec: Coach
Interview: None

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Chemical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): Midwest
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large Public
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: >100 K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Single-Parent Household

Reflection

Strengths: GPA, Test Scores, EC’s, Awards, Well-rounded
Weaknesses: Didn’t participate in many engineering/technology activities or internships; not many major STEM awards
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I got lucky, I guess.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: University of Michigan, Vanderbilt, Illinois.
Waitlisted: Wash U, Northwestern.
Rejected: Stanford
Waiting for: UC Berkeley, UPenn, Brown, Yale

[SpacemanPiff]

Decision: Accepted

School of Communications

Objective: SAT 1: 1960 combined score (660 R, 650 M, 650 W)
ACT: Did not take
SAT II: Did not take
GPA UW: 3.61/4.0
GPA W: 4.98/6.0 (which translates to 4.13/5.0 using algebra even though I’m not exactly sure how weighed gpas out of 5 are calculated in terms of class graDE strength)
Rank: 38/212 using weighed
AP: I didn’t send any scores but AP Government (3), AP world history (3), AP Calc AB (4), AP Environmental science (4), AP Language and Composition (3)
IB: N/A
Senior year course load: Honors Anatomy, AP Economics, AP Literature and Composition, AP Statistics, Work Study, Health (1 semester)
Major Awards: AP Scholar w/ honors

Subjective:
EC: Outdoor Track (2 years, Varsity)
Golf (1 year, varsity)
Soccer (1 year, Varsity, Manager)
Future Business Leaders of America (4 years, President 1 year, Nationals Qualifier 2 years)
Mock Trial (2 years)
Volunteer/Work Experience:
Campaigned in April of last year
Have been working at a legal processing business for all of senior year.
Essays: Commonapp: 9.5/10 - I’m not sure how to really rate it. I feel like I did a very good job crafting a uniquely written essay that portrayed what I do best
Why Northwestern?: 9.5/10 - I did a lot of research into what Northwestern specifically had to offer and why it would benefit me

Recommendations:
I did not read any of them but they were from teachers I was close with (English 11 and Calc AB teachers) who I feel care about me and I know put tremendous effort into their recommendations. I would rate them a 10/10 even without having looked at them.
Guidance Counselor: 8.5/10
Interview: 10/10 - Me and the interviewer got along well, I thought that she really liked me and she sounded extremely interested in what I was saying and describing about myself. Also said that I asked her good questions and seemed well prepared for the interview.

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Intended Major: Communication Studies
State: MD
School: Medium sized magnet (meaning you have to apply, but it is still free to attend)
Ethnicity: AA
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 75k-99k
Hooks: URM (although that helps a lot less than people tend to believe)

Reflection:
Strengths: Had a strong upward trend (after freshmen year I had a 3.75, 3.71, and a 3.83 midyear senior year), also I think the interview was a huge boost. Right after it I wasn’t sure how to compare it because I didn’t have any other interviews to base an opinion on, but looking back I definitely made a great impression. Along with this I was in the business program for my magnet for 4 years, and obtained all As and 1 B in my business classes. Recommendations and essays were spot on too
Weaknesses: GPA/SAT (I counted myself out long before I got my decision simply based on these things, even with the upward trend).
Why do I think I was accepted: Read strengths
Where else was I accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Emerson College, Tulane University, University of Maryland college park, University of Michigan Ann Arbor - All accepted

( @kimfuge88 )

[WindyCityBoys]

Decision: Rejected

School I applied to: Northwestern School of Education and Social Policy

Objective:
SAT: N/A

ACT: 32 Composite, 34 English/33 Science/29 or 30 (I don’t remember) Math and 30/31 Reading and 7/14 Writings (bad I know).

GPA Unweighted: 3.6

GPA Weighted: 3.9

Rank: N/A

AP: Psychology - 5, English Language (Junior year) - 4, APUSH (3), AB Calc and Music Theory TBD,
Senior Year Course Load: Took relatively easy classes senior year - AP Calc AB, AP Music Theory, Af-am History, Honors Humanities, Digital Electronics - I had taken 4 honors/AP junior year (math/english/history) and 3 honors + latin fresh/soph.

Major Awards: Nothing extraordinary really, Illinois State Scholar and AP Scholar

Subjective:

Extra-Curriculars -

• After school tutoring for Junior/Senior Year
• Jazz & marching band
• volunteering at local libraries in the summer

Job Experience: N/A

Volunteering:

• 100-ish hours spent at library, and 200-ish tutoring

Essays: Wrote about overcoming disability in Common App essay and connected Northwestern essay to my tutoring experience. My Common App essay was very solid, but my Northwestern essay was a bit rushed and cheesy at times.

Counselor Recommendation: Very positive. My counselor likes me a lot.

Teacher Recommendations: One of them was very positive (I got to read it surprisingly), and the other is most likely positive but nowhere near as good as the other was.

Other:

State: IL

School Type: Public

Ethnicity: White & Asian

Gender: M

Income Bracket: 100k<

Hooks: Strong legacy - parents + several relatives attended and worked at Northwestern

Reflection:

Strengths: Recommendations, ACT score, legacy, Essays to a degree

Weaknesses: Grades, weak ECs

Waitlist: CWRU

Accepted: Miami (OH), St. Olaf, Marquette

Waiting: U Mich

General Comments: A bit of a bummer, but according to the letter they sent it was a close call. Probably would have helped me had I taken more AP classes and gotten more involved in ECs/leadership.

[Esterleth1221]

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2300
ACT: N/A
SAT II: 790 Math IIc, 760 Chemistry, 800 Korean
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 1%
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
IB (place score in parenthesis): Didn’t take the IB exams yet, so unavailable. If you want my predicted scores, my GPA should be self explanatory.
Senior Year Course Load: Math HL, Chemistry HL, English Lang & Lit HL, ITGS HL, Korean Lang & Lit SL, Visual Arts SL
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): International art awards that I will not name to preserve my anonymity. My work has also been published on two teen magazines.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-Illustrated a cartoon periodic table. A 180cm version of it will be displayed at a gallery this coming April. Published a book about it, which is currently available on IBooks for free. (Author, illustrator, and artist) Gr 11~12
-Created a website that specializes in informative science cartoons (all drawn by myself). Gathered 1000+ followers on Tumblr for it. (Manager and illustrator) Gr 11~12
-Yearbook production (Photo editor since 10th grade) Gr 9~12
-Mu Alpha Theta (President since 11th grade) Gr 10~12
-Photography club (Founder and president) Gr 11~12

Job/Work Experience:
-Dreamstime freelance stock photographer. Each of my photos has to pass Dreamtime’s professional quality testing before being available for sale. Gr 11~12+

Volunteer/Community service:
-Organist at Ji-dong Church. Gr 9~10

Summer Activities:
-This will sound redundant, but I completed most of the publishing process of my book during junior summer break.

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: 10/10. I spent many, many weeks over the common app essay. It focused on my cartoon periodic table, and my passion for science communication.
Why Northwestern Essay: 9/10. While researching Northwestern I absolutely fell in love with it, and it shows in my essay.
Teacher Rec #1: Incredible recommendation from my chemistry teacher. He has watched me go through the grueling process of creating the cartoon periodic table, and therefore knows how passionate I am about chemistry.
Teacher Rec #2: Incredible recommendation from my yearbook adviser too.

Other

State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): South Korea
School Type: Small international school
Ethnicity: Korean
Gender: Female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (Athlete; first generation college, etc.): None. I think being an Asian international student is an anti-hook, actually.

Reflection

Strengths: Very unique extra-curricular activities that had a clear theme to them (book publishing).
Weaknesses: Some of my SAT scores aren’t top notch (e.g., my critical reading score), at least for an international student.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My activities. They’re very unique and are therefore a hit or miss. Clearly, it was a hit for Northwestern!
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted by UCLA, UC Irvine, UC Davis, UC San Diego, wait listed by Wellesley.

General Comments:
I am so flattered that Northwestern has accepted me. There are so many brilliant students on this thread, and I"m honestly not quite sure how I got in. I am still waiting for the results of the other places I applied to (a ton of them are coming up on March 31 and April 1), but Northwestern will definitely be one of my top choices.

[rach22]

**Decision: Rejected Engineering **

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I: 2370 (800 CR, 770M, 800W) (two sittings)
[] ACT:
[] SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Physics, 800 Chemistry
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 14% (<60 in grade)
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB (5), Chemistry(4), English Language(5), Physics 1(5), Physics 2(5), Statistics(5), US History(5), Art History(5), Computer Science A(5), World History(5), Human Geography(5)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C Mechanics and E&M, AP Biology, AP English Literature, Advanced Computer Science, AP Spanish Language, AP Government, AP Macroeconomics, AP Calculus BC
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist [/ul]
Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars: Mock Trial, Robotics (build team leader), Destination Imagination (co-founder), Piano, Boy Scouts (Eagle Scout, Senior Patrol Leader), Student Council (VP)
[] Job/Work Experience: Paid intern at large engineering company, waiter at restaurant
[] Volunteer/Community service: Managing AV at Church, Program for taking care of special needs children
[] Essays: Common app (7, essay about leading Boy Scout troop and how I developed personally)
[] Teacher Recommendations: AP Chemistry Teacher (7, glowing but probably generic), AP Literature Teacher (9, all of his are very good)
[] Counselor Rec: Main Counselor (7, liked me but we didn’t know each other that well)
[] Additional Rec: (8, very positive, highlighted by leadership in the program)
[] Interview: [/ul]
Other

[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): TX
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Small, competitive public magnet
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: Around 150k
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): haha nope[/ul]
Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: All standardized testing, GPA
[] Weaknesses: Low class rank, no earth-shattering awards
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Honestly, I think it’s impossible to say why anyone is accepted to a given college.
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: Duke Engineering, UT Austin (Plan II Honors), UNC Chapel Hill EA, Tulane EA, WashU RD
Rejected: Caltech EA, MIT EA then RD, Northwestern RD, Waitlisted Vanderbilt RD [/ul]
**General Comments: To be honest, this entire process is like a game of roulette. The only way to increase your chance of “winning” is by “playing” more: I was rejected by schools generally accepted to be “less selective” than Duke yet I got into Duke. I hate to say this, but my only advice to other students is to apply to as many schools as you like given that you genuinely are interested in each one. **

[Melatonin]

Decision: Rejected - CAS

Objective:
SAT (breakdown): CR 760; M 800; WR 760
SAT II: 800 Math Level II, 800 English Literature, 800 Chemistry, 730 United States History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 92.333
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5
IB (place score in parenthesis):
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Literature (5), APUSH (5), Calc BC (5), Physics 1 (4), Euro (3)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Economics, AP Biology, AP Comp Sci, Multivariable Calc, Business Management, Post AP English
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Scholar, AP Distinction Scholar, National Latin Exam Silver Medalist (x2), Thoreau Recital Finalist (x2)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Research sole author published at the International Journal, President of Finance Club (Actual $ trading), Diversity Officer, Crew Varsity, JV Soccer (captain) Undefeated season, MXCommerce (Founder), Rankit (CFO), Doctor’s Crisis (CMO), went to Hackathon at MIT (x2)

Job/Work Experience:
Internship at Newracom Inc., Regional Investment Bank - Head’s Assistant analyst

Volunteer/Community service: 100+ hours at D.C. VA Medical Center (scrubbed several surgeries), Raised $11,000 through Youth in Philanthropy program

Summer Activities:
Introduction to Law at Georgetown University (Mock trial in front of the Supreme Court Justice clerk and won as a defendant), UCI summer Intro to POL SCI, VA medical center (did an interview there for a certain rehab center -> commercially published)

Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8/10. I wrote about a personal experience that I encountered with a PTSD veteran while I was at the Veterans Affairs medical center in VA.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: APUSH teacher 10/10
Teacher Rec #2: Latin Teacher 10/10 -> told me that there was nothing to worry about
Counselor Rec: He’s my advisor so 10/10
Additional Rec: I was his intern and he is also my neighbor 10/10
Interview: N/A

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Legal Studies
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: Private Boarding
Ethnicity: Korean (Asian)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: fair
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Aha…ha… you’re funny

Reflection
Strengths: Scores, Boarding School, Extracurricular, supplemental essays
Weaknesses: Awards, barely attended any competitions
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: No hooks, Asian, no awards, just another normal looking asian

General Comments : I guess the college admission is very random and nobody knows who will get in where, so keep your hopes up until the end!

Accepted: UMich
Waitlisted: Johns Hopkins
Deferred: MIT (rejected in RD)
Rejected: UPenn, Northwestern

[CCSenioritis]

Objective: Rejected
School: SESP

SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 28C(30E/31R/26,/25S/30W or 11 on old chart) 29 superscore (32E/31R/26M/25S/30W)
SAT II: HumEc doesn’t require them
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.52 UW / 4.44 W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):Top 7% of 700+
AP (place score in parenthesis): Didn’t submit my AP scores
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Microeconomics/AP Gov’t & Politics, AP Calculus BC, AP Biology, AP European History, AP Art History, Dual enrollment Child Development and French Language
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): District FBLA/HOSA awards made it to State competitions

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Human dev. infant lab internship , marching band, non profit board member, FBLA (VP), hosa, calculus club, honor societies(didn’t include in application)
Job/Work Experience: Worked at elementary school 11th grade summer
Volunteer/Community service: 200 hours at hospital
Summer Activities: Did my internship and worked part-time
Essays: Common App:(9) Really liked this one and it told my story really well
Supplement(8/9) Really liked this one too, it got personal and also answered the question fully
Teacher Recommendation: 6/7 got one from ap physics 1 and one from ap psychology. they liked me but probably nothing extraordinary
Counselor Rec: 7 or 8 She knows me well but not enough about what I do outside of school
Additional Rec:
Interview: Had interview w/ the head of my region, went really well!
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Human Development
State (if domestic applicant): FL
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Black
Sex: Male
Income Bracket: 60k-70k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: mainly my fit for the major
Weaknesses: GPA / ACT scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: my essays, I made sure that I fit in the major and school and needed to go here
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted: Cornell, UF, Case Western
Waitlisted: University of Virginia
Rejected: Northwestern
Any other thoughts: CONGRATS to everyone who got in!!! I’ll probably be attending Cornell so I’m not too disappointed.

[perzeus]

Decision: Accepted to Weinberg

Objective:
ACT: 35 C (36 E, 36 R, 36 S, 31 M, 9 W)
SAT II: 760 Lit, 720 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.8 (school has required, unweighted courses)
Rank: 1/900
AP: three 5s and one 4, a 3 on the new Physics 1 exam :(|)
Senior Year Course Load: 5 AP
Major Awards: NMS Finalist

Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Heavily involved in school’s drama program (directorial experience) as well as improv comedy and competitive theater. Listed a few other extracurriculars as well, but it was clear that the majority of my time went to theater.
Job/Work Experience: Small summer job
Volunteer/Community service: Roughly 85 hours of tutoring.
Summer Activities: Nothing impressive.
Essays: Common App essay was engaging, self-aware, and well-written; made up for cliche topic and cheesiness by taking a fresh approach (8/10). Northwestern Statement was one of my favorites to write, captured how I developed two very different interests and how the University could help me combine them (10/10).
Recommendations: Didn’t read these, but I think my teachers had more to say about me than general praise. On the other hand, our counselors are overwhelmed by our class size and everyone gets very similar letters.
Interview: Didn’t have one.

Other
Intended Major: English
Country: US
School Type: Large public, nearly 4,000 students
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Hooks: None :)>-

Reflection
Strengths: Northwestern Statement, clear dedication to extracurricular, transcript, NMS Finalist (Northwestern likes to see success in the NMS competition).
Weaknesses: Summers could’ve been more productive, not many major awards, SAT II scores, teachers are convinced that top colleges don’t like our school.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: There was an abundance of brilliant students with similar or better scores and achievements, but my essays helped me stand out. I took a few risks with my Northwestern Statement, and I guess they liked the vision. My application was cohesive and I made sure to highlight how my academics, extracurriculars, and interests all contributed to my intended major.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: Northwestern, Notre Dame, UCLA, Berkeley, some safeties
Waitlisted: UChicago, WashU
Rejected: Stanford
Still waiting on the Ivies
General Comments: The admissions counselors at these top schools seem to know what they’re doing; the prompts they offer us are meant to bring out the decision. If you wrote the supplements naturally, you might just be a more natural fit. And let that speak to yourself as much as it will speak to the folks over at admissions.

[deli375]

Decision: accepted to Weinberg

SAT I (breakdown): None reported
ACT: 31 composite (34E, 28M, 32R, 31S, 31W)
SAT II: None reported
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.72
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):1/176
AP (place score in parenthesis): No scores reported
IB (place score in parenthesis): None taken
Senior Year Course Load: H Pre-Calculus, AP Studio Art, AP Government and Politics, AP Literature and Composition, Culinary Arts, JROTC, Senior Seminar
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Guitar, Violin, Media club, Army JROTC, Service and Leadership club, Culinary Arts, Volleyball, Active in Youth Group
Job/Work Experience: After School Matters Culinary
Volunteer/Community service: 160 hours at school, volunteering at a church
Summer Activities: Summer job
Essays (rating 1-10, details):10/10, My essays focused on an appeal to emotion

Other

State (if domestic applicant): Illinois
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Japanese, Italian, Puerto Rican
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $0-20,000
Hooks (Athlete; first generation college, etc.): First generation in College

Reflection

Strengths: Essay that focused on a high emotional appeal, ec’s, Service hours, GPA
Weaknesses: ACT score, AP course load (I’ve only taken 7 all together), only one teacher recommendation
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Essay, Gpa, Ec’s
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted: Loyola, DePaul, UIC, Northwestern
Waitlisted: UChicago

General Comments: I applied here because my counselor begged me to, I really didn’t expect to get in, but since they offer 100% financial need, I will definitely be going!

[rahc97]

Decision: Waitlisted

Applied to which school/college: Arts and Sciences

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): None
ACT: 32 Composite, 34 Superscore
SAT II: 780 US History, 650 Literature, 670 Latin
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.000
UF GPA: 4.000
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1 out of 263
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (5), AP Lang and Comp. (4), going to take AP Vergil and AP Literature
IB (place score in parenthesis): None
Senior Year Course Load: AP Vergil, AP Calc, AP Literature, Honors Physics, Chamber Choir, World Religions, Government, and Economics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Woodmen of the World US History Award, American Chemical Society Excellence Award, 2 Gold Medals and 1 Silver Medal on National Latin Exam

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Campus Ministry (Director & Executive), Model United Nations, Mock Trial (Varsity Team), Retreat Leader, Quizbowl (Co-President), HOBY, Leadership Institute, Bowling Team (Co-Founder), Cross Country Team, Diving Team, Christian Life Community, Student Council (Class Representative), Big Brother for Freshman
Job/Work Experience: Scooper of Ice Cream for a Year
Volunteer/Community service: Executive of Service Committee at School, Leadership Team for Local Service Organization, Leader at Vacation Bible School for 5 years, Salvation Army Events, (over 400 throughout HS probably), Presidential Award for Service
Summer Activities: Service Trip to Rosebud Indian Reservation, Various service projects, Leader at Camp at Church, Leader in Training at Summer Camp
Reccomendations (rating 1-10, details): Teachers - 10/10 knew both of them really well and did really well in classes
Counselor - 9/10 just didnt think that he would make it that stellar for some reason

Other

State (if domestic applicant): Nebraska
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Private, Catholic, All Male
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 250k+
Hooks (Athlete; first generation college, etc.): from Nebraska

Reflection

Strengths: GPA, Class Rank, Service, ECs, Essays, and the fact that I’m from Nebraska
Weaknesses: ACT, SAT, and common app essay could have been better
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Because I didnt have an interview and my ACT wasnt high enough, and I am an upper class white kid
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted - Notre Dame, Georgetown, Villanova, Boston College, UMichigan, Santa Clara, Marquette, and other Jesuits. Waiting to hear back from Dartmouth and then I’ll be done.

General Comments: I dont really care all that much because I was 90 percent sure that I would be rejected so waitlisted isnt all that bad

[FiletMGK]

Decision: Accepted
Applied to which school/college: Medill

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2350 (800, 800, 750)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 780 Bio
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ~90th Percentile
AP (place score in parenthesis): Bio (5), BC (5), World (5), US (3), Lang and Comp (5)
Senior Year Course Load: Chem, Physics, Calc 3, Govt/Econ, Lit, Spanish, Orch
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): lol pls

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): School Newspaper (EIC), Youth Orchestra, Recycling Club (“co-president”), Church youth group (VP), Essay Contests
Job/Work Experience: Summer bio research internship at local college
Volunteer/Community service: Nursing home (recreations dept. volunteer and recitals)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): CommonApp essay was a 7, written 3 days before deadline (at 5am). Wasn’t too serious about NU before being accepted, so supplement was pretty trash.

Other:
State (if domestic applicant): NY
School Type: Public (~1500 students)
Ethnicity/Gender: Azn male

[songbirdmama]

Someone asked about stats for Bienen admits. Bienen is 95% based on the audition, and is very competitive (<10% of applicants accepted this year in voice). An applicant with 2400 and straight A’s will not get into Bienen unless their musical ability is up to the superior level expected from their applicants. My D’s grades, coursework (AP,IB), activities, recommendations were totally competitive with the rest of those posted here, but her ACT’s were slightly lower - taken only once as a junior with no prep at all, because they don’t matter to the package of a music student. I suspect they have a minimum score range so that accepted students are not overwhelmed academically, but scores are not what they are looking for in a conservatory. If you are interested in music, practice, practice, practice and don’t sweat getting a 2350 on the SAT. (P.S. She was accepted and is planning to attend! )

[dzhang98]

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2400 (first sitting)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: Math 2 - 800, Physics - 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96/4.0 (2 Bs in 6th grade french)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): US Gov’t (5), Stat (5), US Hist (4), English Lit (5), BC Calc (5). Physics: Mechanics (5), Euro Hist (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): SL French (6)
Senior Year Course Load: IB Global Politics, IB HL Math, IB SL Chemistry, IB Psychology, IB HL Physics, Linear Algebra, IB HL English
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AIME qualifier, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Finalist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Year-round club swimmer (22hrs/week, since 4th grade), Clarinetist (since 4th grade), Orchestras/Bands, Debate Team member (all of HS, County Playoffs 3rd-round contender), Writer for the school newspaper (all of HS)
Job/Work Experience: Assistant Coach for local summer swim team (30 hrs/week), Technical Intern at a small IT company the summer prior (30 hrs/week)
Volunteer/Community service: ~150 hours, National Honor Society, National Math Honor Society, etc.
Summer Activities: swimming, coaching, giving private swim lessons, working as a technical intern the summer prior
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9-10, spent months on them, couldn’t find anything to improve upon. Had my great English teacher and several peers (college and high school) review them and they seemed good…

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9-10 (history teacher), really loved her class and we had a really nice relationship. We still always say hi when we pass each other in the halls.
Teacher Rec #2: 9-10 (physics teacher), really liked him and did excellent in his class. Our class was rather huge but I am quite sure that I stood out in his eyes.
Counselor Rec: 7+, Didn’t have that many interactions with my counselor, but all of my interactions were positive and I was really respectful.
Additional Rec: (Club Swim Coach) 7+ Been swimming with my club swim coach throughout high school and we have a very positive relationship. He mentioned that he was a bit crunched for time though (I officially requested 2 weeks prior to the deadline), so I dunno about the quality of the rec.
Interview: 9, Great interview. Alum and I really connected (she had a child that swam) and I really showed my interests and who I was.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
State (if domestic applicant): Maryland
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: County Magnet Program (IB)
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation born in America

Reflection

Strengths: Great, dedicated swimmer, Accomplished student, Talented Musician, Caring Swim Coach, Enthusiastic Intern
Weaknesses: 3.96 GPA? Maybe teachers actually didn’t like me that much? No especially significant math/science awards. Unimpressive summer positions?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Maybe recs were worse than expected? Maybe 3.96 GPA is unacceptable? Who knows.

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted: Carnegie Mellon (IS, MCS), University of Maryland (Banneker/key), University of Virginia, Georgia Tech
Waitlisted: Carnegie Mellon (CS), NYU Stern, Dartmouth
Rejected: Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, MIT, Northwestern, Cornell, Hopkins, Duke, UChicago, UPenn, Columbia

General Comments: Overall really disappointed with how my years of hard work turned out.

[dzhang98]

By the way, the 6th grade Bs do count on my high school transcript because french is a foreign language and counts as a “high school class” in my county.

[osuprof]

@dzhang98

Sorry to hear the outcome. You seem to have a ton of accomplishments and I am sure not getting into any of the top 12-14 school hurts.

About the only thing I can see missing is leadership roles in your ECs or anything that would establish that you like to work and interact with others. In case this was coupled with any possible remark in your recommendations that you did not participate much in class, it might have been viewed negatively by admission officers.

Nevertheless, I think CMU IS and Georgia Tech (College of Computing?) are both fantastic options, and if you maintain a high GPA at either place, you will do have great opportunities after your graduation. Ofcourse, if you come out of waitlist at CMU-CS, it will be cool – it is one of the most competitive combinations of University and major to get into!

Best of luck!

[dzhang98]

Yea I realized that. I took a leadership role as a swim coach over the summer to try to make up for it and I hoped to become captain of our swim team but unfortunately that didn’t happen… The thing is that my magnet program has tons of over-achievers and it was difficult to really get a position for myself. Oh well I suppose…

[CaliCash]

Results Only. Discussion- http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/northwestern-university/1816647-official-northwestern-class-of-2020-discussion-thread-p1.html

[Hoorent]

Decision: Accepted

Applied to which school/college: Weinberg

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):2360
ACT:
SAT II: Math 790 Lit 750
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.8
UF GPA:
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis):school doesn’t offer
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: heavy
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): started a club active in student gov. but not class president
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: volunteered in very rough neighborhoods every week for 3 years. w varsity sports
Summer Activities: summer camps
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7

Other

State (if domestic applicant):NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private - very competitive
Ethnicity:Vanilla
Gender: M
Income Bracket: No financial aid requested
Hooks (Athlete; first generation college, etc.):None