**OFFICIAL Columbia University RD Decisions - Class of 2014!**

[Bilguun]

<p>Decision: Accepted
Likely letter, John Jay Scholar</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2300 (CR: 790 M: 760 W:750 12E)
[</em>] SAT II: Math II 800, World History 730, Literature 700
[<em>] TOEFL: 113/120
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): On the top, probably
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): -
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): -
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: Pretty intense; about 20 subjects
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Medals from National English Olympiad, National Russian Olympiad, and Standardized Mathematics Olympiad; Golden Key Best student award; about 15 other medals from various competitions; scholarship to study at a local bilingual school
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Team captain in “Global Debates” international competition, member on the national team for World Schools Debating Championships 2010, translating Harry Potter GoF, founded school French Club, creating and maintaining websites
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Translating, Editing
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Red Cross Youth, environmental cleanups
[<em>] Summer Activities: Youth Leadership Summit, NY; reading (a lot?)
[</em>] Essays: 1. About translating Harry Potter to Mongolian 2. Spending childhood in a developed foreign country, racial discrimination and consequent love for my own country despite its many (many!) problems
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: Read only one and thought it was excellent
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Didn’t read,
[<em>] Additional Rec: -
[</em>] Interview: -
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[</em>] Intended major?: Undecided
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): -
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): Mongolia
[<em>] School Type: Private, very small
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket: very low
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Not exactly a hook, but pentalinguality
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: SAT I given my circumstances, well-roundedness
[<em>] Weaknesses: SAT II(?)
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Hmmm…
[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: [/li]Accepted: Harvard (LL), Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Dartmouth, U Chicago, Hamilton, Amherst, Pomona
Waitlisted: Grinnel, Reed, Penn
Rejected: -
[/ul]General Comments: I’m in a happy conundrum! Congratulations to everyone else who was accepted!</p>

[ksarmand]

<p>Decision: Accepted
John Jay Scholar; Likely Letter</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]</p>

<pre><code>[li] SAT I (breakdown): 2270 (800-CR; 710-M; 760-W)[/li][li] ACT: did not take[/li][li] SAT II: 800 USH; 700 Math II; 790 Literature[/li][li] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 97.6% UW; 101.1% W[/li][li] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/255[/li][li] AP (place score in parenthesis): Environmental Science, U.S. History, English Language and Composition, World History –>5[/li][li] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A[/li][li] Senior Year Course Load: AP Art History, AP Calculus AB, AP Spanish Language, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Biology, AP U.S. Government and Politics[/li][li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Hm. National Achievement Scholar?? Otaku of the Year?? and AP Scholar with Honor definitely clinched it, yo. [/ul][/li]</code></pre>

<p>Subjective:[ul]</p>

<pre><code>[li] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Math Fair (silver medalist; president of Math Club); Mathlete (I suck lol); Model U.N. (committee chair; some Best/Distinguished Delegate awards at the beastier conferences on the East coast); Mock Trial (captain & president; ranked 4th in county from being dead last 3 years ago); Varsity Track & XC (captain; some medals at the more competitive invitationals & such); School Newspaper (Editor-in-Chief, winner of a few major awards); Pit Orchestra section leader (violin); Lotsa awards for Piano w/ some at national level (>15 awards total); and a few more things that would only attract lulz here :)[/li][li] Job/Work Experience: Counselor at summer camp for high-achieving students (in Harlem); side business of repairing headphones (I only mentioned this in the interview, dunno if it counted.)[/li][li] Volunteer/Community service:ESL teacher; Sunday School teacher[/li][li] Summer Activities: reading??? (and work)[/li][li] Essays: Common App essay was my finest work. Supplemental essay was a tearful, overwrought diary entry from when I was 14. But hey, I guess it worked.[/li][li] Teacher Recommendation: Excellent.[/li][li] Counselor Rec: three lines. -_-[/li][li] Additional Rec: N/A[/li][li] Interview: It was awesome. Loved the guy–he wore a beautiful cardigan.[/li]</code></pre>

<p>[/ul]</p>

<p>Other:[ul]</p>

<pre><code>[li] State (if domestic applicant): New York[/li][li] Country (if international applicant): I’m still a Haitian citizen, but was considered domestic.[/li][li] School Type: Public[/li][li] Ethnicity: Haitian[/li][li] Gender:Female[/li][li] Income Bracket: $140,000+ (but single parent who pays full sticker price for bro’s tuition, which is around $18,000; some pretty heavy-duty mortgages; supports approx. 12 relatives in Haiti => the money is stretched quite thin)[/li][li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM; immigrant (??)[/ul][/li]</code></pre>

<p>Reflection:[ul]</p>

<pre><code>[li] Strengths: I don’t know. I was so sure I would be rejected. There are so many amazing people here, and the fact that the admissions committee felt I had something to offer still blows me away.[/li][li] Weaknesses: Refer to everything I wrote above. [/li][li] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I was accepted because of luck and God’s blessing. Nothing less, nothing more.[/li][li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I was waitlisted at FALE, haha. Again, they’re building a class. And I guess I didn’t have what they were looking for. It doesn’t hurt that my interview sucked for them, too. I was also accepted at: Princeton, Harvard, University of Chicago, Macaulay Honors College @ Hunter, St. Johns University (Honors), Hampton, Howard, Georgetown SFS, and American University Honors. [/ul][/li]</code></pre>

<p>General Comments: Good Luck!! Don’t give up. Ever. People looked at me pityingly when I told them where I was applying, but it worked out in the end. Even if you spaz in the few days before and rack up >300 posts in 3 days because you’re terrified (like I was), soldier on. If you don’t go to Columbia, you’ll undoubtedly get to go somewhere else that’s just as good. God has a plan for you, and it’ll be fulfilled wherever you go.
On a side note, I was set on attending Macaulay Honors this fall. Now I’m hopelessly confused.</p>

[BeautifulNerd219]

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<ul>
<li>SAT I (breakdown): 2010 (650 CR 640 M 720 W)</li>
<li>ACT: 28</li>
<li>SAT II: 590 Spanish w/ Listening 570 Lit 620 US History</li>
<li>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6</li>
<li>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 21/577 (now 548 apparently)</li>
<li>AP (place score in parenthesis): ----</li>
<li>IB (place score in parenthesis): Chem SL 4 (last year)</li>
<li>Senior Year Course Load: Spanish HL, Math SL, Calc 1-2 IB, English HL, World History HL, French AB</li>
<li>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nat’l French Exam, Nat’l Achievement Commended, Voice of Democracy Citizen Award, Pageant Award, etc.</li>
</ul>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<ul>
<li>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Delta GEMS (President), Model, Babysitter, Church cleaner, Children’s ministry assistant, Math/English/History Tutor, Magazine writer (also have my own website which I only mentioned in interviews well not Columbia’s interview), etc.</li>
<li>Job/Work Experience: ----</li>
<li>Volunteer/Community service: See above</li>
<li>Summer Activities: LEDA Scholars Program, Pathfinders Summer Program, visiting family back home in Indiana, etc.</li>
<li>Essays: Amazing</li>
<li>Teacher Recommendation: Amazing</li>
<li>Counselor Rec: Amazing</li>
<li>Additional Rec: Amazing</li>
<li>Interview: It was a phone interview, but I got to know a lot and gave a LOT of info about myself as well. It was chill.</li>
</ul>

<p>Other</p>

<ul>
<li>State (if domestic applicant): AZ</li>
<li>Country (if international applicant):</li>
<li>School Type: public</li>
<li>Ethnicity: AA</li>
<li>Gender: F</li>
<li>Income Bracket: <$35,000</li>
<li>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first generation, LEDA Scholar</li>
</ul>

<p>Reflection</p>

<ul>
<li>Strengths: Essays, recs (both very personal), passion</li>
<li>Weaknesses: I don’t wanna say scores and GPA b/c I worked my butt off. My friends know all the nights I went without sleep and said it was worth it no matter what.</li>
<li>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’m still in shock. I showed passion. I told my story. I was honest. I was open. </li>
<li>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: PRINCETON, PENN, CORNELL, NYU, USC, NORTHWESTERN, BOSTON UNI., SYRACUSE, DEPAUW, ASU (accepted); STANFORD, UCLA (rejected) 11/13 isn’t too shabby</li>
</ul>

<p>General Comments: I’m still in shock. Never EVER thought this would happen. I’m humbled. Blessed. Happy. Thankful. Appreciative. God is good!</p>

[Emmers]

<p>Decision: Accepted - SEAS</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<pre><code>* ACT: 34

• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
• Weighted GPA: 5.—
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): < 1%
• Senior Year Course Load: very heavy
  </code></pre>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<pre><code>* Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Tons - leadership in almost all school related activities (too many); greenpeace, PETA, NHS prez, competitive snowboarder/boxer, all state LAX, environmental club founder, Obama’s campaign for change regional head intern, graffiti + paint artist

• Job/Work Experience: summer job - urban outfitters, Jewel Osco pharmacist
• Volunteer/Community service: 300+ hrs
• Summer Activities: research
• Essays: i submitted one of my diary entries… it was about my tattoo
  </code></pre>

<p>Other</p>

<pre><code>* Date Submitted App: Day of

• State (if domestic applicant): IL
• School Type: very large public
• Gender: XX - female
  </code></pre>

<p>Reflection</p>

<pre><code>* Strengths: heavily involved w/ OUT OF SCHOOL activities (protesting, painting, entrepreneur); I’m not your typical “smart girl” stuck in the books?
</code></pre>

<p>ACCEPTED: Upenn M&T, Cornell, Johns Hopkins, Franklin Olin, UIUC, marquette, UMinnesota
REJECTED: stanford, MIT
WAITLISTED: Harvard</p>

[gedion9324]

<p>[ size=+2][ color=green][ b]Decision:Accepted Kluges scholar Likely Letter**[/color][/size]</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<ul>
<li>SAT I (breakdown):800 CR 750Math 710 W</li>
<li>ACT:</li>
<li>SAT II:770 670 710</li>
<li>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.85</li>
<li>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):top 10</li>
<li>AP (place score in parenthesis):</li>
<li>IB (place score in parenthesis):</li>
<li>Senior Year Course Load:</li>
<li>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):</li>
</ul>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<ul>
<li>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):</li>
<li>Job/Work Experience:</li>
<li>Volunteer/Community service:</li>
<li>Summer Activities:</li>
<li>Essays:Great</li>
<li>Teacher Recommendation:</li>
<li>Counselor Rec:Mediocre</li>
<li>Additional Rec:</li>
<li>Interview:None</li>
</ul>

<p>Other</p>

<ul>
<li>State (if domestic applicant):</li>
<li>Country (if international applicant):Ethiopia</li>
<li>School Type:Indeoendent</li>
<li>Ethnicity:African</li>
<li>Gender:Male</li>
<li>Income Bracket:</li>
<li>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):</li>
</ul>

<p>Reflection</p>

<ul>
<li>Strengths:Essays</li>
<li>Weaknesses:Sat II</li>
<li>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:Essays and luck</li>
<li>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:Accepted amherst Rejected All the rest of the ivy league</li>
</ul>

<p>General Comments: Happy by columbia crushed by all the rest…</p>

[Lirazel]

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 800 (CR) 800 (M) 760 (W)
ACT: —
SAT II: US History (800) Literature (790) Chemistry (770) Math II (760)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7645
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): I dunno: there’s a massive wedge of mostly Asian tech whizzes at my (science-oriented) school who get maybe one non-A in their high school careers, and then lots of kids who get mostly Bs. I get, usually, 1 B+ and 1 B a year and I have no idea where that puts me.
AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5) Latin Literature (5) Chemistry (5) Calculus AB (5) Microeconomics (5: took self-study) Macroeconomics (4: took self-study)
IB (place score in parenthesis): —
Senior Year Course Load: AP Latin: Vergil, AP Government, AP English Literature, AP Statistics, AP European History, Earth Science, Ocean Science.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 4 perfects on National Latin Exam (8/140,000), twice placed top 3 at National Latin Team
Subjective: I was proud of one of my essays as a work of literature. Great recs, I think, although I didn’t see them. Very long list of Latin awards, trimmed for on my resume for relevancy. Whooooo 7th place in Roman History (or something like that) in the state! I also hand-sew fairly intense dolls of mythological personages. It’s not Armenian knitting, but it sure isn’t on the beaten path.
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Literary Magazine (poetry editor, 12) Latin Honor Society (treasurer, 11, co-president, 12), Latin Team, a prestigious classical mythology thing, etc. Also the doll-sewing.
Job/Work Experience: —
Volunteer/Community service: Mission trip to South Africa
Summer Activities: University of Chicago Summer Session: Egyptology (I got an A! ) National Latin Convention/team. The mission trip ^.
Essays: Good but not great. Very pretty, though. My CommonApp essay was too long, so I used my Chicago supplement as my main essay.
Teacher Recommendation: Absolutely fabulous, although I didn’t see them. I get along very well with teachers, even if they think I’m crazy.
Counselor Rec: Good, I think. I think my counselor was impressed with me.
Additional Rec: —
Interview: —
Other: I had bone problems that grew rapidly worse when I was 7. I then lost a year of my life to 3 surgeries (the first two failed) and 14 months in a body cast. It messed me up for a couple years (crying at check-ups in hospitals, etc.), but I got myself together eventually. That was the subject of my supplemental essay, and, I think, the biggest reason my counselor was impressed with me.
State (if domestic applicant): —
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Magnet
Ethnicity: White as marshmallow.
Gender: F
Income Bracket: Full freight.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Overcame challenges. (see other)</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Test scores, teacher recs, extracurriculars, overcame challenges, the dolls.
Weaknesses: TRANSCRIPT, might have thought I was unlikely to attend given summer program at Chicago and double legacy at Harvard
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: National recognition at extracurriculars, SAT scores, unusual application.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at Chicago, Harvard, St Andrews (British)
General Comments: Yayyy.
Congrats to everyone else who got in, good luck to the waitlist and future applicants, bummer for those who didn’t. May you be very happy elsewhere.</p>

[davidyko]

<p>Decision: Accepted (Likely Letter)</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<ul>
<li>SAT I (breakdown): 760 CR 800 Math 720/8 W</li>
<li>ACT: N/A</li>
<li>SAT II: 800 World History, 800 Math II, 790 Lit, 800 Chinese</li>
<li>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97 (until junior year)</li>
<li>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5%? maybe</li>
<li>AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC - 5</li>
<li>IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A</li>
<li>Senior Year Course Load: N/A</li>
<li>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): USAMO Qualifier 2008, various piano competitions.</li>
</ul>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<ul>
<li>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Lots of piano. Quit high school halfway through junior year to study music in Germany and Austria. Other than that, not much. </li>
<li>Job/Work Experience: Close to none.</li>
<li>Volunteer/Community service: Teaching basic music education at elementary schools, etc. Usually music related.</li>
<li>Summer Activities: Master classes, piano camps, etc. in Europe.</li>
<li>Essays: Written in three days. Sure, they were okay, but I didn’t think they were great.</li>
<li>Teacher Recommendation: No idea. Probably okay.</li>
<li>Counselor Rec: See above.</li>
<li>Additional Rec: N/A</li>
<li>Interview: None</li>
</ul>

<p>Other</p>

<ul>
<li>State (if domestic applicant): California, originally.</li>
<li>Country (if international applicant):</li>
<li>School Type: Independent</li>
<li>Ethnicity: Asian</li>
<li>Gender: Male</li>
<li>Income Bracket: Quite high.</li>
<li>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nothing at all.</li>
</ul>

<p>Reflection</p>

<ul>
<li>Strengths: Actually, I have no idea why I got in. Maybe they liked my music supplement CD? Juilliard accepted me too, so…</li>
<li>Weaknesses: SAT I, I guess.</li>
<li>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Probably piano. And sheer luck.</li>
<li>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at Harvard, Yale, and Juilliard. Haven’t heard from New England Conservatory. Didn’t apply anywhere else.</li>
</ul>

<p>General Comments: Not sure how I got in, but sure as hell not complaining.</p>

[cranberryscoop]

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2380 (780 CR)
[</em>] SAT II (if submitted): MathIIC 800, Chemistry 800, Chinese w/ listening 800, English Literature 790
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 16/300ish
[<em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Modern European History (4) CalcBC (5) Chemistry (5) Chinese Language (5) French Language (5) English Language (5)
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: Econ/US Government AP, Statistics AP, English Literature AP, physics, journalism, peer tutor
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing really. National merit finalist, NCTE, a few piano things.</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): manga translator, piano, Chinese violin, school newspaper (In-depth Editor), cultural magazine (managing editor), non-profit organization (owner and secretary), badminton, volunteer QA at startup company
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: none
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: peer tutor at school, English and music teacher in rural China for a summer
[</em>] Essays: pretty good, somewhat political
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: didn’t read but I’m guessing pretty good, nothing spectacular
[</em>] Counselor Rec: didn’t read but again, I think pretty good, nothing spectacular
[<em>] Additional Rec: Nope
[</em>] Interview: Pretty good</p>

<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: no
[</em>] Intended Major: anthropology with minor in chemistry
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[</em>] School Type: public
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[</em>] Gender: female
[<em>] Income Bracket: $200,000+
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.): none</p>

<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: scores, fair amount of extracurriculars
[</em>] Weaknesses: no big awards, no dominant leadership position
[li] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: less competitive major? [/li][/ul]General Comments: expected, but still kind of sad. :(</p>

[wanderlust10]

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
*SAT I: 730R,630M, 720W
*ACT: 31 (32 super)

• SAT II:780 US History, 720 Lit, 400-something German w/ Listening (I didn’t mean to submit it and I attached a letter explaining this horrible showing)
• Unweighted GPA:4.0
• Rank:1
• AP: will take Bio in May
• IB: N/A
• Senior Year Course Load: Physics, Honors Calc, AP Bio, Yearbook, Dual English, Technology, Govt/Econ
• Major Awards: Girls State delegate and Girls Nation nominee, National Merit Commended, National Honor Society, National German Society</p>

<p>Subjective:

• Extracurriculars:Student Council (Pres, VP, and Sec), FCA (captain), Key Club, Model UN and Mock Trial (founder), Yearbook (editor), Scholars Bowl
• Job/Work Experience: Work on Tech Team at school fixing comps over summer, tutoring
• Volunteer/Community service: mostly through school clubs - Habitat, Toys for Tots, tutoring on my own, Second Harvest, etc - I didn’t really count my hours ever so…
• Essays: I liked them but was so scared nobody else would. My personal statement was very personal and maybe more about me than about Columbia. My essay was about my passion for traveling and seeing the world, with a gastronomical flair I LOVED the questions about what books/movies/other publications we read and watch. To me, that is a GREAT way of finding out about a person.
• Teacher Recommendation: I thought they were great!! Two of my favorite people in the whole world who understand and inspire me, and who wrote from very different perspectives. One was more personal, about me. The other was about me in the context of school, my actions.
• Counselor Rec: good, but kinda generic
• Interview: Phone. My guy was young and nice, and I thought it went well. He was from GA! lol. I asked him if people from the South fit in or get made fun of. He said Southerners had a complex. haha </p>

<p>Other

• Applied for Financial Aid?: No
• Intended Major: IR, so at Columbia that becomes like a mish-mash of courses…
• State: TN
• School Type: Public, never an Ivy before…
• Ethnicity: White
• Gender: F
• Income Bracket: well, I’m not applying for financial aid…but we’re not millionaires or anything. Two kids in post-secondary is straining, but dad refuses to fill out the FAFSA…
• Hooks: I didn’t think I had anything! Maybe bc I’m from TN…</p>

<p>Reflection

• Strengths: Essays, Recs, Transcript (I took THE HARDEST classes at my school even if they don’t compare much to others)
• Weaknesses: Test scores, I’m from TN!, my school - almost NO ONE goes out of state or even out of town…like maybe 60-70% go to college and maybe 60% of those go to community college.
• Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I REALLY wanted it! I know I haven’t had the opportunities (even though financially my family is fine and I’m not a minority) that some/maybe most applicants have, so I really tried to show who I was and that I was more than a reflection of my test scores or grades in my essays. I pushed myself to the limit in school doing everything I could, not bc it would get me into college, but bc I wanted to, and I tried to show that.
  Accepted: NYU, American, Seton Hall. Waitlisted: Georgetown SLS
  General Comments: I can’t believe this happened! I am so grateful for this opportunity, I thought for sure I was rejected bc I would get on CC and read the amazing things some of you guys do, and I didn’t think I compared. But I am passionate about this and I worked hard, and I think it paid off. Anyone like me that ever reads this…it doesn’t matter where you’re from, if you want it, and you work for it, and you show that, good things can happen.</p>

[EgyptianHopeful]

<p>Decision:Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<ul>
<li>SAT I (breakdown):2190; 740M,730CR,720W</li>
<li>ACT:n/a</li>
<li>SAT II:770 MathII, 760 Bio E, 740 Lit, 730 Phys</li>
<li>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 UW</li>
<li>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%</li>
<li>AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB, Phys C EM, Eng Lang, MacroEco, Psych, Eu Hist (All still to be taken)</li>
<li>IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
*TOEFL: 118 iBt if it counts.</li>
<li>Senior Year Course Load: Most rigorous, all above AP courses, plus Arabic</li>
<li>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none</li>
</ul>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<ul>
<li>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Founding MUN mostly, MMA, scuba diving certs, boxing etc… nothing spectacular </li>
<li>Job/Work Experience: Receptionist in Dive Center, Autism clinic, interned at investment bank</li>
<li>Volunteer/Community service: See above autism clinic, orphanage visits etc</li>
<li>Summer Activities: Work, travel.</li>
<li>Essays: A bit cliche but solid.</li>
<li>Teacher Recommendation: Glowing I assume</li>
<li>Counselor Rec: Same</li>
<li>Additional Rec: n/a</li>
<li>Interview:n/a</li>
</ul>

<p>Other</p>

<ul>
<li>State (if domestic applicant):</li>
<li>Country (if international applicant): Egypt</li>
<li>School Type: Private</li>
<li>Ethnicity: Egyptian</li>
<li>Gender: M</li>
<li>Income Bracket: >100,000</li>
<li>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None. Funny story actually, after I got accepted i went to tell my grandma, and she said 'Oh Columbia? Your great grandfather was a lecturer there. So basically, I had a legacy and didn’t know it.</li>
</ul>

<p>Reflection</p>

<ul>
<li>Strengths: Scores unheard of for my region.</li>
<li>Weaknesses: Cliche essay, didn’t really stand out EC wise.</li>
<li>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Why question?</li>
<li>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Rejected from Stanford, Harvard, Pton, Dartmouth, Cornell (Cornell were weird this year, accepted a couple of lower caliber students to my knowledge, upstanding people and all; safety school syndrome?), Duke…Accepted at Brown :D</li>
</ul>

<p>General Comments: Go Lions!</p>

[pineapplecrush]

<p>Decision: Accepted (Likely Letter, Kluge Scholar)</p>

<p>Objective:

• SAT I (breakdown): 2100 (640 CR, 730 M, 730 W)
• ACT: 32
• SAT II: 710 Math 1, 710 Math 2, 600 World History
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/144
• AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (4)
• IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
• Senior Year Course Load: AP Literature, AP Calculus, Choir, Spanish 3, Travel Industry/Speech 2, Hawaiian History, Music Theory
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): mostly in-school awards, State Math Bowl - 2nd Place Team</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<ul>
<li>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Academic Decathlon (Captain), Math League, Performing Arts Club (Treasurer), Hawaiian Club (Treasurer)</li>
<li>Job/Work Experience: N/A</li>
<li>Volunteer/Community service: I volunteered as a beta tester for an Academic Decathlo workbook company over the summer.</li>
<li>Summer Activities: College Horizons, Beta Testing, trips to California to take care of family.</li>
<li>Essays: Pretty good.</li>
<li>Teacher Recommendation: Very good. Waived my right, but I heard they were great.</li>
<li>Counselor Rec: Same.</li>
<li>Additional Rec: N/A</li>
<li>Interview: N/A</li>
</ul>

<p>Other</p>

<ul>
<li>State (if domestic applicant): HI</li>
<li>Country (if international applicant): N/A</li>
<li>School Type: Private/Independent</li>
<li>Ethnicity: Hawaiian/Chinese/Japanese/Mexican/German</li>
<li>Gender: F</li>
<li>Income Bracket: <60k</li>
<li>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM</li>
</ul>

<p>Reflection</p>

<ul>
<li>Strengths: Recs, Grades, Extracurriculars, Essays</li>
<li>Weaknesses: In comparison to a lot of the applicants, my standardized tests.</li>
<li>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I honestly don’t know but I am excited!!!</li>
<li>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
-ACCEPTED: Brown, Stanford, NYU, Reed, Willamette, University of Hawaii
-Rejected: Yale
7 for 8 is pretty good :D</li>
</ul>

<p>General Comments: It’s down to Brown and Columbia for me. I am so torn, but I’m starting to lean towards Columbia.</p>

[IvanKaramozov]

<p>Decision: Waitlisted</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<ul>
<li>SAT I (breakdown):790 CR, 760 M, 770 W, 11E</li>
<li>ACT: N/A</li>
<li>SAT II: 800 World, 790 Chemistry, 780 Math II, 750 Literature</li>
<li>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94</li>
<li>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/250</li>
<li>AP (place score in parenthesis): seven 5s and one 4</li>
<li>IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A</li>
<li>Senior Year Course Load: Six APs</li>
<li>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): USNCO Semifinalist</li>
</ul>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<ul>
<li>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Music</li>
<li>Job/Work Experience: Supermarket</li>
<li>Volunteer/Community service: Not enough, haha (~500 hours)</li>
<li>Summer Activities:Music :)</li>
<li>Essays: Pretty good</li>
<li>Teacher Recommendation: Great</li>
<li>Counselor Rec: Pretty good</li>
<li>Additional Rec: Music Teacher</li>
<li><p>Interview: HORRIBLE!! Seriously, beyond the ability of words to describe.</p></li>
<li><p>State (if domestic applicant): FL</p></li>
<li><p>Country (if international applicant):</p></li>
<li><p>School Type:Private</p></li>
<li><p>Ethnicity: White</p></li>
<li><p>Gender: M</p></li>
<li><p>Income Bracket: 100,000-200,000</p></li>
<li><p>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Obviously none</p></li>
<li><p>Strengths:Music, Test Scores, Teacher Reccs.</p></li>
<li><p>Weaknesses: ETHNICITY, Interview, Junior Grades</p></li>
<li><p>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Who knows</p></li>
<li><p>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Princeton and Brown</p></li>
</ul>

<p>General Comments: I declined this waitlist about an hour I found out. Frees up another waitlist spot, I guess. Best of luck to everyone else!</p>

[mediopollito]

<p>Rejected It was my top top choice. I’m thinking about transferring. As of right now, I’ll be going to Northwestern for freshman year and see what happens from there :)</p>

<p>Congratulations to everyone who got in!</p>

[Looseleaf]

<p>[ size=+2][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Waitlisted**[/color][/size]</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<ul>
<li>SAT I (breakdown): 710 (W); 760 (R); 750 (M)</li>
<li>ACT:</li>
<li>SAT II: 800 (Chinese); 780 (Chem); 730 (Bio)</li>
<li>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8</li>
<li>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): We don’t rank. But probably in top 2 out of 50.</li>
<li>AP (place score in parenthesis): Didn’t submit, but took 3 courses.</li>
<li>IB (place score in parenthesis):</li>
<li>Senior Year Course Load: Full w/ 3 APs.</li>
<li>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Consecutive national latin exam gold medals, Columbia’s SHP</li>
</ul>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<ul>
<li>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 4 years track, 2 years choir (cantor), 2 years literary journal, 4 years school newspaper</li>
<li>Job/Work Experience: office job fresh~junior years</li>
<li>Volunteer/Community service: tutoring, library</li>
<li>Summer Activities: volunteering, traveling</li>
<li>Essays: Pretty good</li>
<li>Teacher Recommendation: I don’t know, but I’m assuming they’re stellar. Physics & Latin teachers.</li>
<li>Counselor Rec: Should be good, too.</li>
<li>Additional Rec: None.</li>
<li>Interview: I thought it was good. :|</li>
</ul>

<p>Other</p>

<ul>
<li>State (if domestic applicant): </li>
<li>Country (if international applicant):</li>
<li>School Type: Private</li>
<li>Ethnicity: Asian</li>
<li>Gender: F</li>
<li>Income Bracket: Don’t know, but I should qualify for full financial aid.</li>
<li>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None?</li>
</ul>

<p>Reflection</p>

<ul>
<li>Strengths: SHP, immigrant, 4 years of Latin, fluent in Chinese (Mandarin & Cantonese)</li>
<li>Weaknesses: 2200 for SAT</li>
<li>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have no idea… Right now, the only thing I can possibly think of is SAT? Or more leadership??</li>
<li>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:</li>
</ul>

<p>General Comments:</p>

[Obstinate]

<p>Decision: Accepted!</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<ul>
<li>ACT: 28 (E: 31, M: 21, R: 34, S: 25, 11 Essay) </li>
<li>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.5 (In part due to family issue; explained in rec)</li>
<li>Weighted GPA: 3.8</li>
<li>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 8%</li>
<li>AP (place score in parenthesis): AP English Lang: 5, APUSH: 3, AP Psych: 4</li>
<li>Senior Year Course Load: Pretty heavy</li>
</ul>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<ul>
<li>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Tons - leadership in almost all school related activities;
-Peer Counselor in College Center at school (Team Leader)
-Music Club/School Podcast (Founder/President/Producer of podcast. Also monthly field trips to Los Angeles for concerts.)
-Guitar lessons afterschool (Founder/Curriculum Writer/Teacher)
-Teaching computers to senior citizens (Won Cool Kid award for this)</li>
<li>Job/Work Experience: Restaurant Busser, 8 hrs/wk for a few months in '08.</li>
<li>Volunteer/Community service: Teaching guitar lessons, Volunteering Group with four major service learning projects/yr. Didn’t count the hours, but I’d say a good 300+. </li>
<li>Summer Activities: TASP (Telluride Association Summer Program), CLAE (Carleton Liberal Arts Experience), UCLA Early Academic Outreach Program, LA County Bike Coalition Internship, California Youth Think-Tank program at USC.</li>
<li>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Gates Millennium Finalist, Questbridge College Prep, KABC 7 Cool Kid Award, “Facing History Within Ourselves” Project (Published Photography Exhibit, Curated in Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles, CA)</li>
<li>Essays: Excellent, I think. It definitely felt like “me”. I wrote about a song from my favorite artist (Waltz #2 by Elliott Smith, if anyone recognizes the song) that inspired me to start teaching guitar lessons. Not as bland as it sounds!</li>
<li>Teacher Recommendations: Amazing. I’ve only read one, but it’s from a teacher that understands my situation well and whose class I thoroughly enjoyed. The other I haven’t read yet.</li>
<li>Counselor Rec: Excellent as well. </li>
<li>Additional Rec: From my TASP factotum and Columbia '09 grad. </li>
<li>Interview: Excellent as well. The interview lasted well over two hours. Very friendly guy. </li>
</ul>

<p>Other</p>

<ul>
<li>Date Submitted App: Day of</li>
<li>State (if domestic applicant): CA (SoCal) </li>
<li>School Type: Very large public (which may or may not be taken over by the district come next year?) </li>
<li>Gender: Male</li>
<li>Ethnicity: African-American/Black</li>
<li>Income Bracket: Lower-Middle-Income (Divorced parents, together around 80k)</li>
<li>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM status, TASP, Questbridge, Additional Rec, Published Photography Exhibit</li>
</ul>

<p>Reflection</p>

<pre><code>* Strengths: EC’s, Awards, Recs, Essay, Interview

• Weaknesses: Very lopsided grades and test scores.
• Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected I really think that my additional rec nudged me in. My factotum used many of his personal experiences as a Columbia student and aspects of it that he foresees me getting involved in there.
  </code></pre>

<ul>
<li>General Comments: I hope that some kids realize that admissions isn’t all about grades and test scores (though those are important). Personality and passion isn’t stressed enough on CC. If you really love something, do it, and dedicate yourself to it. It can possibly level out the things you’re not so strong at, especially if it’s in one or two categories. I think Columbia looks more for dynamic people that’ll take advantage of opportunities and the city than strictly extremely strong numbers. </li>
</ul>

<p>Oh, and this will be one hell of an experience, everyone, both good and bad. Can’t wait to meet y’all! </p>

<pre><code>* Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
</code></pre>

<p>Accepted at: Swarthmore, Vassar, Oberlin, Northeastern
Rejected: Brown, Harvard, Yale.</p>

[tristan101]

<p>**Decision: Accepted! **</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2330 (800, 780, 750)
[</em>] ACT: -
[<em>] SAT II: 800, 800, 750
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95 ish
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/600
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): 5, 5, 5, 5, 4, 4, 4, 3
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): -
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: 5 AP’s
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist, AP Scholar</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National youth symphony (1st chair), All-State orchestra (2nd chair), local youth orchestra (2nd chair), school orchestra (1st chair), International club 4 years (vice president and secretary), French club 4 years (vice president and marketer), operation smile club (co-founder), Student Council 3 years, National Honor Society 2 years, National French Honorary Society, freshman mentor, library volunteer, tutor
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Tutoring
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: 250+ hours various
[</em>] Summer Activities: Study abroad in France 7 wks, Study abroad in China 7 wks, Internship at Mayor’s office
[<em>] Essays: I thought they were fairly good
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: One was amazing, other was great
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Didn’t see
[</em>] Additional Rec: Amazing
[li] Interview: Pretty good</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): Central US
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: The kind where you get rejected
[<em>] Gender: F
[</em>] Income Bracket: Low
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): -</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Test scores, focus on passions in app, HS courseload, teacher recs
[</em>] Weaknesses: Bad AP scores, maybe not strong enough essays
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Too many good applicants, couldn’t compete with people from schools well-versed with Ivy admissions, prob was a lot less qualified than I thought haha
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: (Columbia, JHU, U Mich) Waitlisted: (Wash U, Duke, Brown, Penn CAS), Rejected: (HYPS)
[/ul]General Comments: Congrats to everyone! Admissions was tough this year; almost didn’t make it anywhere! Work hard and never give up. Good things will happen.</p>

[clevelc]

<p>Deferred -> rejected</p>

<p>Stats:
SAT I (by section):cr 780 m 750 w 720
SAT IIs:chem 720 lit 740 math II 760
ACT:
APs:chem 5, euro 5, geo 5, spanish 4
IBs:
GPA:3.9, w, 4.5
Rank:school doesnt rank
Other stats:top at most in the top 10% of my class
Subjective:
ECs listed on app:national literary magazine (co-editor), school literary magazine (published in twice), Robotics team (don’t know anything about robotics just made the bumpers), varsity softball for two years, teen community service group, in it for 4 years was the Chair of the group and have held various other leadership postitions, raised $15,000 for seniors, i deliver groceries to a homebound senior (she is 96 and her only family left is her cat) I have done lots of other things for her as well and visit her at least once a week
Job/Work Experience:
Essays:essay was about being in a “relationship” with school, it was better than it sounds here
Teacher Recs:good
Counselor Rec: probably crappy, she is an ex-pe teacher who is unbearably peppy and tan
Applied early and deferred? yes
Hook (if any):not really
Location/Person:
State or Country:southern california
School Type, Average Stats of School (if available): private college prep, mediocre stats
Ethnicity: pasty pasty white
Gender:f
General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations/Scholarships,etc:
accepted: barnard, berkeley (spring semester), pitzer, U Washington
waitlisted: northwestern, u of chicago, pomona
rejected: columbia, brown</p>

<p>well this fuc*ing sucks…at least they didn’t wait list me, I might have gone insane. I just feel sort of trapped with my acceptances, like I don’t really have any choices (I am not going to pitzer (too close), u of washington, or berkeley so that really narrows down my options to an option)</p>

[glitterz_iz_gold]

<p>Decision: Accepted+ Kluge Scholar</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2160 (740CR, 700M, 720W)
[</em>] ACT: N/A
[<em>] SAT II: 720 Chem, Math II 730 Bio
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5%
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): None, but all A’s for British AS Levels
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: 4 A level subjects
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing outside school
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Representative Council President, Editor-in-Chief of School newspaper, Prefect Body, etc.
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: NONE (not available in country i live in)
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Lots of involvement in selling/organizing at Community gatherings i.e. fun fairs, table top sales, etc.</p>

<p>[<em>] Essays: Fabulous
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: Great
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Very positive and genuine
[</em>] Interview: Went pretty well, I would say
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant):
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): Middle East
[<em>] School Type: Private
[</em>] Ethnicity: Black
[<em>] Gender: F
[</em>] Income Bracket: 100000+
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): maybe URM, Third Culture American, British Curriculum</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: My hooks, my transcript, involvement in my school
[</em>] Weaknesses: My SATS (Subject ones especially)
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think they liked the fact that I am a very “globally aware” person, as I have been living in a country that is extremely diverse. In addition, I have strong grades in my transcripts, and a lot of involvement in the school (which makes up for the lack of volunteer/job opportunities in this region)<br>
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: rejected Harvard, waitlisted Yale, accepted Princeton, Stanford, Penn, Cornell, Duke and a number of (I am totally in shock. Still can’t process it)</p>

<p>[/ul]General Comments: Completely shocked. Columbia seemed like a foggy possibility, considering their huge number of applicants and low acceptance rate. I just feel completely lucky and blessed! I really don’t know how this happened. I am just… Shocked.
To those accepted- Amazing job. I hope you have a great experience (Columbia or elsewhere).
To those waitlisted- Stay strong. People DO get bumped up!
To those rejected- Don’t worry, you are still an amazing student with an amazing personality, and you deserved to get in just like every one of us!</p>

[raychacha]

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<ul>
<li>SAT I (breakdown): 2330 (800CR/730M/800W)</li>
<li>ACT: didn’t take</li>
<li>SAT II: 760 USH, 720 Bio E, 700 Math I, 580 French (w/o listening)</li>
<li>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): we do it out of 100, mine’s 96.4</li>
<li>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5 out of 400</li>
<li>AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5), Psych (pending), Stats (pending)</li>
<li>IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a</li>
<li>Senior Year Course Load: AP Psych, AP Stats, Syracuse University Economics, SUNY Oswego English (first semester), World Lit (second semester), Foundations in Media Arts, Journalism, Wind Ensemble</li>
<li>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist, ESSPA Silver Award for Feature Writing, first place in NIE Week editorial contest</li>
</ul>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<ul>
<li>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): school newspaper (editor-in-chief, alumni editor), wind ensemble (principal clarinetist), marching band (clarinet section leader), national honor society (secretary), ski club (secretary), powderpuff football</li>
<li>Job/Work Experience: none</li>
<li>Volunteer/Community service: youth court, chairperson of my school’s Scrabble team for a charity tournament</li>
<li>Summer Activities: Harvard SSP</li>
<li>Essays: apparently sucked more than I thought they did?</li>
<li>Teacher Recommendation: the ones I saw were great</li>
<li>Counselor Rec: glowing</li>
<li>Additional Rec: great</li>
<li>Interview: I thought it went well.</li>
</ul>

<p>Other</p>

<ul>
<li>State (if domestic applicant): NY</li>
<li>Country (if international applicant):</li>
<li>School Type: public, rarely sends students to top schools</li>
<li>Ethnicity: white</li>
<li>Gender: female</li>
<li>Income Bracket: $90k</li>
<li>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nope</li>
</ul>

<p>Reflection</p>

<ul>
<li>Strengths: SAT, recs, applied ED (?)</li>
<li>Weaknesses: no hook, French subject test, no one but me proofread my essays</li>
<li>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’m just like every other applicant.</li>
<li>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: accepted to NYU, Emerson, Sarah Lawrence, Bryn Mawr, Tulane, Syracuse, Ithaca, Marquette, Drexel, and Stony Brook; waitlisted at Quinnipiac; rejected at Columbia & Dartmouth</li>
</ul>

<p>General Comments: Congrats to the successful 9% or however many it was.</p>

[Berns099]

<p>Decision: Accepted!!!</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<pre><code>* SAT I (breakdown): 2000 (710CR, 650M, 640W)

• ACT: N/A
• SAT II: 730 Literature; 650 French
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/58
• AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
• IB (place score in parenthesis): English A1 HL (7), Spanish A2 SL (7), History HL (7), Chemistry SL (6), Mathematics SL (6), Film HL (7) (Scores are predicted)
• Senior Year Course Load: IB Diploma Programme
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 58th Best Worldwide Speaker at the World Schools Debating Championship; Top Latin American Speaker
  </code></pre>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<pre><code>* Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National Debate Team, President of the Ecology Club, Lots of Theatre & Film, Student Council

• Job/Work Experience: None
• Volunteer/Community service: About 250 hours of community service, focusing on animal rights and tuition for working class children
• Essays: Great… and focused on multiculturalism ^^
• Teacher Recommendation: I’m guessing excellent
• Counselor Rec: I’m guessing excellent
• Interview: After it, I thought I sounded really smug, but I guess it didn’t go that bad
  </code></pre>

<p>Other</p>

<pre><code>* State (if domestic applicant):

• Country (if international applicant): Mexico
• School Type: Private
• Ethnicity: Hispanic/Caucasian
• Gender: M
• Income Bracket: The highest?
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): My whole application focused on multiculturalism? Visited the University even though I’m an international student.
  </code></pre>

<p>Reflection</p>

<pre><code>* Strengths: Debating & Grades

• Weaknesses: My SATS without a doubt (but my counselor wrote about how my school is British-based and all of my SAT prep was independent)
• Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think they liked how I have been able to balance flawless academics, extracurriculars and a social life. I’m guessing they were impressed with my achievements in the debating world and they really like multiculturalism ^^.
• Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Vassar, Durham (UK), Edinburgh (UK), York (UK), East Anglia (UK). Waitlisted: Chicago. Rejected: Oxford.
  </code></pre>

<p>General Comments: I am shocked. After being waitlisted by Chicago, I realized that I had no possibility at my top choice (Columbia). I was mistaken!!!
To those waitlisted- Stay strong. I know it sucks. If Columbia is really your dream, then stay there. If it’s meant to be, it’ll happen.
To those rejected- I am sure you’ll go to a college that is better suited to your personality. At least that’s what my mum told me after I got rejected from Oxford and waitlisted by Chicago.</p>