**Official Caltech Class of 2019 EA Results Thread**

Colleges and Universities A-Z California Institute of Technology
21

<p>size=4][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted **[/color][/size]
[ b]Objective:[ /b]
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2230 720/750/760/9
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2310 800/750/760/10
ACT (breakdown): 34 (I don’t remember the breakdown)
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Weighted GPA: 4.3
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses):AP Calc AB,BC, Physics B, Chemistry- all fives
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:AP Stat, AP CompSci, AP bio, AP Spanish, English, gov/econ, Band
Number of other EA applicants in your school: 8
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): none
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): honor roll, scholar athlete, ap scholar</p>

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

<p>[ b]Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):[ /b]
Subjective ◦Essays: pretty good. found two typos and cried for hours
◦Teacher Recs: Science teachers was good- is club advisor for my science bowl team
◦Counselor Rec: Not entirely sure
◦Supplementary Material: none
◦Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize): heavily recruited athlete</p>

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

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

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

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

22

<p>[ size=+1][ color=blue][ b]Deferred[ /b][ /color][ /size]</p>

<p>[ b]Stats:[ /b][ list]
[ *]SAT: Didn’t take
[ *]SAT II: Math 2:780 Chemistry:800
[ *]ACT: E-35, M-34, R-36 S-35 C-35 (On third sitting)
[ *]GPA: 4.0
[ *]Rank: 1/180
[ *]Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): US History, English Lang:4; Chemistry:3; English Lit, US Gov, Calc BC, Physics 1+2: pending
[ /list][ b]Subjective[ /b][ list]
[ *]Essays: I spent a lot of time on them, about one day each on the short ones, 2 each on the longer ones. I thought I did a really good job.
[ *]Teacher Recs: Chemistry teacher: 9/10, Said a lot of amazing things about me, but isn’t as good of a writer. English teacher: 10/10, Said I couldn’t be described by adjectives. Urgently recommended me.
[ *]Counselor Rec: 7/10, Well-written, but just a generic recommendation
[ *]Supplementary Material: None
[ *]Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize): None
[ /list][ b]Personal[ /b][ list]
[ *]Location: Goodrich, MI
[ *]High School Type: Rural Public
[ *]Ethnicity: White
[ *]Gender: Male
[ /list][ b]Other[ /b][ list]
[ *]Extracurriculars: Track and Field for 4 years, NHS for 3 years, Cross Country and Chess Club for 1 year each.
[ *]Awards: AP Scholar, VFW Voice of Democracy.
[ *]Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?:[ /list]
I assumed I would get deferred, since I’m severely lacking in science extracurriculars and other things that would make me stand out (Intel science fair, research papers, etc.)</p>

23

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

24

<p>daughter:
Accepted
Stats:[ul]
[<em>]SAT: 2290 (760 CR, 800 M, 730 W)
[</em>]SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Physics, 800 Chemistry, 800 Biology M
[<em>]ACT: 36 composite (35 E, 36 M, 36 R, 36 S, 10 Essay)
[</em>]GPA: 4.33 W, 3.94 UW
[<em>]Rank: n/a
[</em>]Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): All 5s in eight APs (Calc BC, Chem, World, Lang, US, Physics, Biology, CompSci).
[/ul]Subjective[ul]
[<em>]Essays: Common App was okay, talked about an extracurricular activity and leadership in it. I’ve been told that my supplement is great, particularly my diversity and why Caltech essays.
[</em>]Teacher Recs: Didn’t read, but I know my two teachers (Math and English) liked me, particularly since I spoke up a lot in class
[<em>]Counselor Rec: Didn’t read, I’m sure she likes me a lot too
[</em>]Supplementary Material: Research Paper
[<em>]Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize): Strong leader and artist, female interested in computer science?
[/ul]Personal[ul]
[</em>]Location: California
[<em>]High School Type: Large public
[</em>]Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>]Gender: Female
[/ul]Other[ul]
[</em>]Extracurriculars: co-President of and coach for second-largest science club on campus, high leadership position in art in largest science club (science journalism club with international chapters), computer research internship, international women’s hackathon, art tutoring community service, artist for school newspaper, personal art
[<em>]Awards: Research grant, multi-time Science Olympiad regional champion, National AP Scholar
[</em>]Other: Took Multivariable Calculus and Linear Algebra as a junior, self-studied CompSci for the AP exam
[*]Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?: I didn’t participate in big math or science competitions, but I got really involved in the activities I did do. I think its important to elaborate on the few aspects of your life that you’re passionate about, rather than briefly mentioning several. Good luck to everyone on their applications! [/ul]</p>

25

<p>Deferred</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>]SAT: 2400 superscore
[</em>]SAT II: 800 math2, 800 physics,800 US
[<em>]ACT: didnt take
[</em>]GPA: 4.0 uw, 4.7 w
[<em>]Rank: 2/800ish
[</em>]Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): 10 APs, six 5s, four 4s (3 self studied)
[/ul]Subjective[ul]
[<em>]Essays: Common App was amazing, Why Caltech also great, the rest were meh
[</em>]Teacher Recs: Didn’t read, hopefully good
[<em>]Counselor Rec: Not close at all
[</em>]Supplementary Material: Research paper
[<em>]Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize): Asian middle class male in STEM (anti-hook)
[/ul]Personal[ul]
[</em>]Location: Cali
[<em>]High School Type: Medium Public
[</em>]Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>]Gender: Male
[/ul]Other[ul]
[</em>]Extracurriculars: Band, FBLA, NHS, TEDx
[<em>]Awards: FBLA awards, honor bands, ap awards, nm commended, 1% graduate in county
[</em>]Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?:[/ul] Completely crushed my dreams, 11/10 would do again</p>

26

<p>Does anyone have any advice on how to improve application after being deferred? </p>

27

<p>I only have an N=1, but here goes. My son sent in card Asap that he was interested in attending. Later on, he reported grades, activity, or awards, and had extra LOR, which came from a former teacher that he was then assisting. He also arranged for a visit and to sit in on classes.</p>

<p>Hope that helps. I wouldn’t bombard the admissions committee, but when you do have something to add, then submit the info.</p>

28

<p>Accepted</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>]SAT: 2330- 780 780 770
[</em>]SAT II: 800 M, 770 Physics, 760 World History
[<em>]ACT: 35- 35E 36R 36M 34S
[</em>]GPA:- 4 uw, 5 w
[<em>]Rank: 4/~530
[</em>]Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): APs: 5s for us, world, physics b, calc bc, compsci, us gov, english lang
[/ul]Subjective[ul]
[<em>]Essays: man i wrote these in <week, but i thought about them for a long time i guess
[</em>]Teacher Recs: they must have been really really great
[<em>]Counselor Rec: ^
[</em>]Supplementary Material: none
[<em>]Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize): none
[/ul]Personal[ul]
[</em>]Location: TN
[<em>]High School Type: large public
[</em>]Ethnicity: asian
[<em>]Gender: female
[/ul]Other[ul]
[</em>]Extracurriculars: robotics: president, some minor regional awards. rookie inspiration last year. some programming stuff, Latin club, ~700 volunteer hours i think?, piano, governor school for the HUMANITIES
[<em>]Awards: literally z e r o
[</em>]Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?:[/ul]
QAQ</p>

29

<p>Accepted</p>

<p>[ b]Stats:[ /b][ list]
[ *]SAT: 800M, 800R, 740W
[ *]SAT II: 800 Physics, 790 Math II
[ *]ACT: Never took
[ *]GPA: Weighted 100/100
[ *]Rank: N/A
[ *]Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): five 5s on APs, and taking 7 this year
[ /list][ b]Subjective[ /b][ list]
[ *]Essays: My guidance counselor thought my common app essay was perfect, and I was pleased with it as well. I didn’t spend too much time on the supplements. I thought my main essay was kind of dry. For that essay, I talked about how important Caltech’s small size and honor code was for me, and related that to my aspirations in Research and my past involvement in Science Olympiad. The 3 experiences were Science Olympiad, 9th grade Bio class, and research. The 3 books were Harry Potter (I talked about how it influenced my writing style), Les Miserables, and this little-known, philosophical book called Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah. The ethics essay, I wrote about integrity in research competitions.
[ *]Teacher Recs: I was the top of both classes (my physics teacher told me that I was probably the best student she’s ever had), and one in particular has a great personal relationship with me. I also submitted a supplemental rec from my research mentor.
[ *]Counselor Rec: Should’ve been fairly personal and laudatory.
[ *]Supplementary Material: My research paper that I submitted to Intel STS this year.
[ *]Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize): Rien.
[ /list][ b]Personal[ /b][ list]
[ *]Location: North Atlantic, East Coast
[ *]High School Type: Public
[ *]Ethnicity: Asian
[ *]Gender: Female
[ /list][ b]Other[ /b][ list]
[ *]Extracurriculars: Mainly Science Olympiad, of which I was Captain. Also long-time pianist; VP of Quiz Bowl team, editor of school magazine, and three volunteer activities.
[ *]Awards: Siemens Semifinalist, National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist, some piano awards, and a few other local research awards.
[ *]Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?:[ /list] This was my first college decision letter, so I was ecstatic to be accepted! Good luck to everyone else!</p>

30

<p>Accepted</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>]SAT II: 780 Chem, 730 Math 2
[</em>]ACT: 35 (36/36/36/32/12)
[<em>]GPA: 3.93 UW, 4.44 W
[</em>]Rank: Top 7/716 (specific rank not available)
[/ul]Subjective[ul]
[<em>]Essays: Good “Why CalTech?” essay about a professor I admire in the EECS department and how cool it is that they tutor underprivileged students in the local area. Also wrote about knowing multiple languages, learned to treat intelligence as something we develop (not a given we’re handed at birth), being rational in all my decision-making, what I did at my internship, and how I love putting together scavenger hunts with riddles
[</em>]Teacher Recs: great rec about my leadership qualities from debate coach, probably decent one from my math teacher of two years
[<em>]Counselor Rec: excellent, known her for years and she admires me a lot
[</em>]Supplementary Material: Wrote the optional essay on the common app, detailed the programs I wrote at my internship
[<em>]Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize): First generation American, ESL, first generation college grad
[/ul][ b]Personal**[ul]
[</em>]Location: San Diego
[<em>]High School Type: Public
[</em>]Ethnicity: Latina
[<em>]Gender: Female
[/ul]Other[list]
[</em>]Extracurriculars: Debate President (ranked highly in state and nation, many awards), Science Olympiad President (competitive regionally), founder of Model United Nations team, interned at ViaSat (learned basic programming and worked in Raspberry Pis), middle school science camp and debate workshop volunteer (total 257 hours community service), private math/physics tutor (4 students weekly), trombone/piano musician. Also listed “homemaker” since I have to take care of my two small siblings while my parents are working.
[<em>]Awards: Premier Distinction NFL member, Academic All-American, National Hispanic Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Scholar Commended Stydent, Debater of the Year for San Diego/Imperial Valley, Best Competitor (debate) for SD/IV twice, top 15 regionally in 3 sci o events, state finalist in national extemporaneous speaking, Southern California champion in public forum debate, NHS 3-year member
[</em>]Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?:[ /list]
Not really sure! I’m surprised I got in. Just be genuine and shine through in your accomplishments.</p>

31

<p>Rejected</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>]SAT: N/A (not taken)
[</em>]SAT II: 760 Math II, 770 Physics
[<em>]ACT: 33 C, 36 M, 27 R, 33 S, 35 E, 10 W
[</em>]GPA: 4.075W, 4.0UW
[<em>]Rank: 5/316
[</em>]Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): Calculus BC (5), Microeconomics (4), AP US Government (5)
[/ul]Subjective[ul]
[<em>]Essays: I felt very confident with these. Honestly, I liked my essays better for Caltech than the ones in my application to MIT.
[</em>]Teacher Recs: Really good, I was able to read both. My Calculus teacher was able to back up a situation that I wrote about in my essays too.
[<em>]Counselor Rec: Decent. She really likes me, but I don’t think her writing skills are as strong as as my other recommenders, especially my English teacher.
[</em>]Supplementary Material: None (probably a mistake)
[<em>]Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize): None
[/ul]Personal[ul]
[</em>]Location: Illinois
[<em>]High School Type: Medium sized, public
[</em>]Ethnicity: White
[<em>]Gender: Male
[/ul]Other[ul]
[</em>]Extracurriculars: Lots of music activities (marching band, advanced choir ensembles, some state honors that I auditioned for, and plenty of others), WYSE testing team (tests in STEM subjects, I compete in math and physics), Math Team, Community Service in some unique ways, Student Advisory Committee that I helped form
[<em>]Awards: AP Scholar, Illinois State Scholar, National Honor Society, a few departmental awards through school
[</em>]Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?: In retrospect, I probably should I have deferred myself in November. I took the SAT Subject Tests in October, and got the scores above. I retook in November and got much better scores, but Caltech wouldn’t use them since they arrived after the EA deadline. My biggest downfall was probably that I didn’t have any research experience. Nonetheless, I’m not heartbroken because it was my third choice school, and on the same day, I also got my acceptance into MIT (my top choice)!!![/ul]</p>

32

<p>Accepted
Stats:[ul]
[<em>]SAT: 750CR 800M 800W
[</em>]SAT II: 800 M2 800 Chem
[<em>]ACT:
[</em>]GPA: 4.0 (UW) 4.81 (W)
[<em>]Rank: NA
[</em>]Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): 2x AIME qualifier, National Spanish Exam Level 5 Gold, AP Calc BC (5), AP Chem (5), AP Bio (5), AP Physics C Mech (5), Euro (5), APUSH (5), AP Lang (5) AP Spanish Lit (5) AP Stats (5)
[/ul]Subjective[ul]
[<em>]Essays: Good
[</em>]Teacher Recs: Good
[<em>]Counselor Rec: Good
[</em>]Supplementary Material: Published paper and recommendation from Research Lab director
[<em>]Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize): Intel ISEF 2nd place
[/ul]Personal[ul]
[</em>]Location: CA
[<em>]High School Type: Public
[</em>]Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>]Gender: Male
[/ul]Other[ul]
[</em>]Extracurriculars: Eagle Scout, Debate Captain (State Double Qualifier), President Math Club, Varsity Soccer, 600+hours volunteering
[<em>]Awards: Intel ISEF and many state/national level science fair awards, National AP scholar (9 APs - all 5), NMSF
[</em>]Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?:[/ul]</p>

33

<p>Accepted</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>]SAT: 2370 superscore (800 CR, 770 M, 800 W)
[</em>]SAT II: 790 Math II, 770 Bio M, 750 Chem, 800 US Hist
[<em>]ACT: 36 (35 E, 36 M, 36 R, 36 S)
[</em>]GPA: 4.00
[<em>]Rank: 1/376
[</em>]Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): AMC 12: 96
[/ul]Subjective[ul]
[<em>]Essays: Very good
[</em>]Teacher Recs: Science/Math: Very good, Humanities: Average
[<em>]Counselor Rec: Good, one of her favorites
[</em>]Supplementary Material:
[<em>]Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize):
[/ul][ b]Personal**[ul]
[</em>]Location: South (relatively underrepresented state)
[<em>]High School Type: Public
[</em>]Ethnicity: Asian (Indian
[<em>]Gender: Male
[/ul]Other[ul]
[</em>]Extracurriculars: A bunch, don’t feel like listing
[<em>]Awards: ISEF Finalist and Special Award Winner, Siemens Semifinalist, JSHS National Finalist, other science-y stuff
[</em>]Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?:[/ul] Got my FA package today, and there is no way in hell that I can afford to go. F-ML</p>

34

<p>Deferred</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>]SAT: 2300+
[</em>]SAT II: 800M, 780B (E), 770C
[<em>]ACT:
[</em>]GPA: 4.45
[<em>]Rank: Close to top
[</em>]Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): AMC 12 130+, AP Chem/Bio/Stat/PhysE/PhysM/CS/CalcBC/Psych (5)
[/ul]Subjective[ul]
[<em>]Essays: Good why Caltech essay, rest were satisfactory, not sure about writing style
[</em>]Teacher Recs: Above average, but not extraordinary
[<em>]Counselor Rec: Above average, talked to counselor more than other students
[</em>]Supplementary Material: Research Paper, AP Scores because I forgot to put them on Common App, supplemental recommendation from MOP instructor + Caltech postdoc
[<em>]Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize):
[/ul]Personal[ul]
[</em>]Location: CA
[<em>]High School Type: Public
[</em>]Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>]Gender: M
[/ul]Other[ul]
[</em>]Extracurriculars: Plenty, founded lots of math events and stuff like being a director or president or some OP position, heavily involved in math and CS contests, research paper, student teacher/problem writer, concurrent local college student, can’t say too much about local contests due to unique identification
[<em>]Awards: USAMO (upper half), AIME (x5), USACO Gold, USAPhO Semis
[</em>]Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?: caltek uwotm8 guiz plz[/ul]</p>

35

<p>Accepted</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>]SAT: 2400 (800 Reading, 800 Math, 800 Writing, 9 essay) 1 sitting
[</em>]SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Chem, 800 Bio M
[<em>]ACT:
[</em>]GPA: 3.986 unweighted
[<em>]Rank: Unranked
[</em>]Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): AP Calc BC: 5; AP Bio: 5; AP CS: 5
[/ul]Subjective[ul]
[<em>]Essays: Very Good
[</em>]Teacher Recs: Great.<br>
[<em>]Counselor Rec: Great
[</em>]Supplementary Material: 2 Recommendations from summer research.
[<em>]Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize):
[/ul]Personal[ul]
[</em>]Location: Chicago
[<em>]High School Type: Small private
[</em>]Ethnicity: Caucasian
[<em>]Gender: Male
[/ul]Other[list]
[</em>]Extracurriculars: Science Team (One of the Captains); CS Editor at student run science journal
[<em>]Awards: Several school latin awards, 1st place CS 3rd Chem in Statewide science competition
[</em>]Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?:[ /list]</p>

36

<p>Accepted</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>]SAT: Not Sent
[</em>]SAT II: Math II 800, Physics 710
[<em>]ACT: 33 Composite, 35 Math, 34 English, 32 Reading, 29 Science
[</em>]GPA: 3.96/4.0 (unweighted) 4.44/4.0 (weighted)
[<em>]Rank: 1/625
[</em>]Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): AP Calc BC: 5, AP Physics C Mechanics: 4, AP CS: 4, AP Comp: 3, AP WHAP: 3
[/ul]Subjective[ul]
[<em>]Essays: Very good. I demonstrated that I was the perfect fit for Caltech.
[</em>]Teacher Recs: Very good. The teachers really like me.
[<em>]Counselor Rec: Amazing. She loves me.
[</em>]Supplementary Material: 2 MIT Online Science, Technology, and Engineering Community (MOSTEC) evaluations from Robotics and Science Writing course instructors.
[<em>]Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize):
[/ul]Personal[ul]
[</em>]Location: TX
[<em>]High School Type: Public
[</em>]Ethnicity: Hispanic & African American
[<em>]Gender: Male
[/ul]Other[ul]
[</em>]Extracurriculars: Robotics, TSA (Technology Student Association), Mu Alpha Theta, NHS
[<em>]Awards: 8th Animatronics TSA Nationals, 9th Computer Numerical Control (CNC) TSA Nationals, President’s Volunteer Service Award (Gold Level), AP Scholar with Distinction, National Achievement Semi-Finalist, National Hispanic Scholar
[</em>]Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?:[/ul] I was also accepted to MIT EA, so I’ll more than likely go there. It still feels really good getting accepted to Caltech though. :smiley: </p>

37

<p>Accepted</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>]SAT: ~2250
[</em>]SAT II: 2x 800s and a 770
[<em>]ACT: 35 + 12 essay
[</em>]GPA: 4.0 uw</p>

<p>[/ul]Subjective[ul]
[<em>]Essays: Caltech sent a handwritten note to all admitted students for Christmas and my rep specifically mentioned one of my essays… So I guess they’re pretty solid? I love the school too, so I just wrote how I felt about everything.
[</em>]Teacher Recs: My research prof was a Caltech graduate and she wrote a rec for me.
[li]Supplementary Material: My research.</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>]Extracurriculars: Did what I love.
[</em>]Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?:[/ul]
It’s Caltech, not CalTech! Work hard, play hard–you’ll get there.
I was also accepted to MIT and UChicago EA, and am applying to a couple more RD. However, Caltech’s FA is really, really attractive and I do love the school a lot so I don’t know for sure what I’ll choose until probably late April. </p>

38

Accepted

Stats:[ul]
[]SAT: 680 CR, 690 W, 790 M (1470/1600 and 2160/2400); massive migraine both times
[]SAT II: Math II, 800; Chem, 790; Spanish w/o Listening, 750
[]ACT: 36 (34 on Science, 34 on Combined English/Writing, 36 everything else)
[]GPA: Unweighted, 4.01 on 4.67 scale (4.67 A+, 4.33 A, 4.00 A-, 3.67 B+, etc.); Weighted, 5.47 on the same 4.67 scale except with +1 for honors and +2 for AP
[]Rank: N/A, although most definitely 10-15% in a class of 372
[]Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): Fives on AP Calc AB, AP Chem, AP Statistics, and AP Lang; fours on AP Physics B (RIP), AP Spanish Lang, AP World, and APUSH; highest AMC 10, 109.5; highest AMC 12, 94.5; highest AIME, 7; double National Spanish Exam Gold Medalist (98th and 95th percentile) and one-time Silver Medalist (85th? percentile)
[/ul]Subjective[ul]
[]Essays:
Three Experiences: Math competitions, this really fun six-week STEM summer program that FSU holds, and teaching competitive geometry
Books: The Catcher in the Rye, Cat’s Cradle, and Flatland
Dilemma: My teammates and I getting in a handful of trouble for trying to weasel our ways out of National Science Bowl in order to attend finals for Moody’s Mega Math Challenge
Unusual Fun: Sharpie dueling (let your imaginations wander XD)
Diversity: I talked about how I’ve seen STEM from the competitive (math competition), research (at FSU), and instructive (teaching competitive geometry) perspectives and how my variety of experiences would allow me to serve as a intellectual diversifying factor wherever I go.
Opportunities: I talked about the variety of classes, being on the math and quiz bowl teams, helping out with youth outreach programs, activism, joining the Black Students honor society, being in the entrepreneur club, and having the chance to study abroad.
[]Teacher Recs: My school requires us not to see recs, on top of waiving FERPA, so I can’t say much although my recommenders were very fond of me as a student, I got them 5’s on their respective exams, and they have a history of writing wonderful recs.
[]Counselor Rec: Again, I can’t give details on what I don’t know but my counselor was very fond of me and her recs did help me get into the FSU program even though she knew me a lot less back then
[]Supplementary Material: I sent a snapshot of my creative writing (two poems and a song) as well as my final research paper from the FSU program and my Moody’s team [semi]finalist paper
[]Hook (recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize): URM (not that it matters for Caltech), first-generation American
[/ul]Personal[ul]
[]Location: South Florida
[]High School Type: Private/Independent
[]Ethnicity: Black (Afro-Caribbean)
[]Gender: Male
[/ul]Other[list]
[]Extracurriculars: Mu Alpha Theta, Science Bowl, Florida Student Assoc of Math, Quiz Bowl, Scrabble Camp Counselor, Debate, etc.
[*]Awards: Five Common App Awards – Moody’s Mega Math Challenge Semifinalist (originally Finalist before scheduling conflict with National Science Bowl), COMAP HiMCM Co-Winning Team, Science Bowl State Winners and Nationals Qualifiers, Quiz Bowl Invitational Runner-up and Nationals Qualifier, and Mu Alpha Theta Mental Math Winner at 2013 National Convention

39

^Sorry, top 5%! The 10-15% thing was a gross underestimate.

40

Deferred

Stats:[ul]
[]SAT: 2130 (not submitted)
[]SAT II: 800 Math II and Chemistry
[]ACT: 35 (36 Sci, 34 Mth, 34, Rdg, 35 Eng, 8 Ess)
[]GPA: 4.524/5
[]Rank: 6/580+
[]Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): AP 5s (BC, AB, PhysB, Chem, Stats, Psych, USH, Mac, Mic) 4s (Lang, Spanish Lang)
[/ul]Subjective[ul]
[]Essays: nice, why Caltech couldv’e been better
[]Teacher Recs: good, know me well
[]Counselor Rec: cool
[]Supplementary Material: None
[]Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize): None
[/ul]Personal[ul]
[]Location: NW
[]High School Type: Public
[]Ethnicity: Asian
[]Gender: Male
[/ul]Other[ul]
[]Extracurriculars: FRC (robotics), debate, DECA (business), MUN, Science Club, History Club, Tutoring
[]Awards: debate state finalist, robotics regional champ, nms, scioly nats, deca state awards and nats, history nats
[]Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?:[/ul] yolo