***Official Cornell University Class of 2019 Regular Decision Results ONLY***

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
41

**Decision: Accepted to CAS **

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2300 (800 Math, 780 Writing, 720 Reading)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36 Math and English, 35 Reading, 34 Science)
SAT II: 800 Math2, Physics, Biology, 790 Chemistry, 750 US History, 730 Literature
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.72
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): BC Calculus (5), Physics B (5), Chemistry (5), APUSH (4), World History (4), NSL (5), Chinese L/C (5), English Language (5), Biology (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: MV Calculus, AP Environmental Sci, AP Statistics, AP Literature, AP Physics C, Molecular Biology, AP MacroEconomics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Chess tournament Awards, Math Awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): USCF Expert rated chess player, Math Team Captain, Piano Player, Obstacle Course Trainer, other smaller things
Job/Work Experience: NIH, Chess Coaching
Volunteer/Community service: Chess Coaching
Summer Activities: NIH internship, Chess tournament preparation/participation
Essays: Decent Enough
Teacher Recommendation: NA
Counselor Rec:NA
Additional Rec: NA
Interview: Nothing special, but definitely solid
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:yes
Intended Major: Applied MAthematics
State (if domestic applicant): MD
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public Large Competitive
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 250K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Maybe Chess…

Reflection- For an applicant like me, statistically stronger than the average applicant, but not a shoo-in by any measure, it all comes down to luck… and it happened. It’s great that I got in, but I will not be accepting my offer…

Strengths: Test Scores, Unique application
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: My life philosophy
Weaknesses: GPA,
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: After it was determined I could perform the hard work there… luck
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted: University of Chicago, Georgia Tech, UMDCP, UMBC, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Emory University; Rejected: Princeton University, Rice University; Waitlisted: Vanderbilt University
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: Chess and my life philosophy

42

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

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

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

Got into Stanford, rejected from Brown… most likely going to choose Stanford.

43

**Decision: Waitlisted to CAS **

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2060 Composite (630 CR, 750 M, 680 W)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 710 US History, 620 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): ~3.91
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5/467
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus BC (5), Calculus AB (5), Chemistry (3), Physics B (3), US History (5), World History (4), English Language (4)
Senior Year Course Load: Speech & Legal Reasoning, DE Introduction to Probability and Statistics, AP French, AP US Gov/Econ, AP Biology, AP English Literature, DE Differential Equations
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective (What I listed on my app):

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Academic Decathlon (Captain), Model United Nations (President, Founder), Mathletes, Varsity Cross Country, Human Rights Organization (Vice President), Speech and Debate (Treasurer)
Job/Work Experience: Couple Internships (one related to my major)
Volunteer/Community service: Few hundred hours at a couple places
Essays: Decent
Teacher Recommendation: One was great, didn’t read the other
Counselor Rec: Didn’t read
Additional Rec: Pretty good
Interview: Best interview in my life

Applied for Financial Aid?: Y
Intended Major: Economics
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Title 1 Public Large
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 100k-120k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First Generation college

Reflection: Bit disappointed, since Cornell was one of my top choices. Congrats to everyone who got accepted!

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: My affinity for numbers
Weaknesses: Test Scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: IDK
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted: UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, Cal Poly SLO, University of the Pacific Rejected: NYU Waitlisted: Cornell, Colorado School of Mines, Georgetown, UCLA
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: My obsession with statistics

44

DECISION: Accepted CoE (Intended major CS)

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown out of 1600): Not Taken
ACT: 34 (36 M)
SAT II: 800 Math II; 800 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.87 / 4.75 (W)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Possibly 8/450

AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Physics C Mech (5 - taken as freshman); AP Chem (5), AP Calc BC (5)
AP Stat (5), AP Comp Sci A (5), AP Physics C Elec. & Mag. (5), AP US History (4), AP Bio (3)

Also Completed: Multivariable Calculus (A from Harvard Extension), CS50 (A Harvard), Intro to ECE (A from CMU Precollege), Intro to CS with Python (A from CMU Precollege)

Senior Year Course Load: Anatomy and Physiology, AP Comp Gov, Honors Shakespeare, AP Spanish, Honors IOS Programming
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing Major; AP Scholar with Distinction, Baush and Lomb Award, Harvard Book Prize, Creative Coder Award from school’s FIRST Robotics Team, Bronze medal on National Spanish Exam…

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Science Team, FIRST Robotics
Job/Work Experience: 7 weeks full time as IT Intern at Welch’s Foods
Volunteer/Community service: Peer Tutor at school for struggling students
Summer Activities: Internship, CMU Precollege
Essays: Good I Think…
Teacher Recommendation: Didn’t see but good I hope (one from CS teacher of all four years)
Counselor Rec: Didn’t see
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Highly Competitive Large Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket:> 200,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection

Strengths: Academics, Test scores, GPA, Focus on CS (6 courses taken),
Weaknesses: Extracurriculars, not ‘well-rounded’
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Submitted info on two iPhone Apps; Engineering idea essay on making own computer language
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Rejected CMU, Accepted UMass Amherst (Honors), Accepted UMD College Park (Honors with $48,000 President’s scholarship over 4 years), Accepted UIUC (CS in Engineering), MIT (rejected) and U Mich (waitlisted - opted out)

45

**Decision: Accepted ** college of arts and sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2290 Math: 780 CR: 760 Writing: 750 (superscore)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 750 bio, 690 us history, 690 english, ((((640 chem, 540 wh)))) DEFINITELY NOT MY STRONG SUIT
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 Apush, 4 WH, 4 Bio
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Psych, Honors Anatomy Physiology, Honors Classical Lit, AP AB Calc, Honor Science Research Program Course, Honors Abnormal Psych, Acting

I go to a new england prep school with few AP classes, its mostly honors or non honors.

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): JV Soccer (Captain), Mock Trial (Pod Leader), News Staff Writer, Historical Review Journal (Editor), Arabic Club,

Job/Work Experience: Researching Intern at a Yale Neurobiology Lab
Volunteer/Community service: 64 hours at a local hospital
Summer Activities: Internship mentioned above
Essays: common app essay was about how I’ve come to recognize america as my home, though I often feel more comfortable in bangladesh because everyone looks like me. i stopped putting so much emphasis in my life on physical features

Cornell essay was about my interests in biology and psychology. mentioned cornell research labs, certain courses, and related extracurriculars id participate in. passionate essay.

Teacher Recommendation: Not particularly strong probably, but decently so
Counselor Rec: Very strong
Additional Rec: Very strong rec from my boss at the research lab
Interview: N/A
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Biology
State (if domestic applicant): CT
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: College Preparatory School in new england, very rigorous
Ethnicity: Bengali (South Asian)
Gender: F
Income Bracket: Upper middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection
Strengths: did a science research program that let me research at Yale and also did a directed study program in which I created my own course “cognitive neuroscience”. also my essays were pretty well written i think
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: passion for science and becoming a doctor
Weaknesses: my sat II’s and probably test scores in general.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: had a very rigorous schedule at my prep school. took 6 classes multiple times when usually the limit it 5.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

Accepted: Tufts, BC, Georgetown, Barnard, Colgate, UCLA, Wesleyan
Denied: Brown (NO I Mm NOT CryING), Yale (EA), Columbia

Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: my experience working in a research lab, shadowing physicians, determination to become a doctor

good luck to everyone with this end of the college process!

46

[ size=4]Decision: Accepted [/size]

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): Did not submit
ACT (breakdown): C: 31 E: 33 M:27 R:36 S: 32
SAT II: Bio M: 680 Spanish: 740
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): In the top 10% somewhere
AP (place score in parenthesis):
Comparative Government: 5
IB (place score in parenthesis):
IB Psych SL: 6
Senior Year Course Load:Full IB.
IB Math SL 2
IB Business SL
IB Biology HL 2
IB Psychology HL
IB Spanish HL
IB Geography SL
IB English HL 2
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Lol.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Dance - 6 years. I was on the Varsity team. I’ve been asked to be on multiple competition teams. These days I spend about 5 hours a week at the studio.
Photography Club - Vice Pres
National Honors Society
Science Honors Society
Spanish Honors Society
Model UN
Job/Work Experience: I tutored a three kids from a family 6 hours a week for two years.
Shadowed a nurse at the local health department.
Volunteer/Community service: I volunteered with the INOVA Flu Service
Summer Activities: Mostly traveled to see family and danced.

Essays: My common app was like an 8.5/10? Talked about challenging my own perspective of the world. Supplement was mybe also an 8.5/10, I just mapped out my passion and why Cornell would help.
Teacher Recommendation: One was from my English teacher and she thought I was hilarious 9/10. The man who fuled my interest in biology wrote one, he was also an alum. He was my teacher for two years and mentioned that my rec letter would be one that “seemed to write itself”. So 9/10.
Counselor Rec: 8/10
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Not a real one.
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes!
Intended Major: Global Health
State (if domestic applicant): Virginia
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Massive Public School
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: ~$60k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection

Strengths: Fit to my major, alum rec, URM
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Fit to major
Weaknesses: Test scores, not super interesting
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Maybe my essays? My rec letters definitely helped!
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted: UNC - Chapel Hill, UVA, Santa Clara, UCLA, UMass Amherst, VT
Rejected: Berkeley, Stanford, USC, Brown, Dartmouth
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application:
I definitely think it was just that what I wanted to do and what I had already done fit in perfectly with their image and perspective for the Global Health major.

Congrats to everyone! I’m thrilled!!

47

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2170 (710 CR/ 750 M/ 710 W)
ACT: Did not submit
SAT II: 780 Bio E; 710 Math I (I know =/ smh. Shouldn’t have taken multiple tests at the same time)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96 UW/4.49 W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Unavailable
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Bio (4), AP Eng. Lang&Comp (4), AP US History (4). I didn’t submit any of them though.
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Euro, AP Literature, AP Calc AB, Spanish V honors, Anatomy Honors, Art portfolio, religion
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): I don’t know if this counts but a National Silver Medal for Scholastic Art and Writing Awards in photography?

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Research assistant at Immunology and Rheumatology for major hospital; New England Journal of Medicine IT assistant; Field Hockey Club and Varsity Field hockey (Captain); Newspaper co-editor in chief; Student Council; Vice President; Several school clubs; Chaplain
Essays: 10/10 - I wrote a supplement that I felt was better than my common app essay. I’m so glad it resonated with someone on the admissions board.
Teacher Recommendation:
12th grade AP English teacher: 10/10; we eat lunch together often and chat. I think she really likes me :slight_smile:
11th Grade pre-calc teacher: 8/10; She wrote my other recommendations when I applied for internships (and I got in). I don’t know her as well as my english teacher and I don’t have her as a teacher anymore, but she liked me last year.
Counselor Rec: 8/10; She doesn’t know me as well so it might not have been very specific
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: n/a
Supplementary Material: n/a

Other:

State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: Small private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate): Upper middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None!

Reflection

What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: My research and my academic focus (religion and science). My supplement was my pride and joy.
Strengths: GPA, essays, extracurriculars
Weaknesses: Standardized scores, race
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: Research.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I DON’T KNOW?! Something really must have resonated with them. I really think my essay and extracurricular (research) was why I was accepted. They have such a great program for research and they put faith in me over my stupid SAT.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Wellesley, Tufts, Wheaton, Gordon, Cornell; Waitlisted: WUSTL, JHU; Rejected: Williams, Amherst, Northwestern, Pomona (ED); UPENN, Brown, Harvard

General Comments: I cried. Oh my god. I was not expecting this. After a waitlist from JHU and WUSTL, I thought that Cornell would be a certain rejection. My scores are so much lower than people who were denied. When I first read the letter I didn’t even see the first word and assumed it was a rejection. I opened Cornell’s letter last after getting a succession of rejections and planned to quickly close the letter then move on. Then I reread the first word, and saw the letter ‘c’ and burst into tears. This just goes to show that it’s not all about the scores. I am not an URM, not someone with as much financial difficulty as others, I thought I was a diamond dozen that would just get passed along and dismissed. I had to reread the letter and refresh to make sure it was real.

I AM DONE WITH THE COLLEGE PROCESS!! Cornell was the last letter I read and I am so so happy and grateful.

48

**Decision: Waitlisted **

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): NA
ACT (breakdown): 34 C (highest), 35 E, 36 R, 34 M, 34 S
SAT II: 800 Math 2C; 780 Korean w/ Listening; 710 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.87
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/682
AP (place score in parenthesis): European History (5); Music Theory (5); Calculus BC w/ AB subscore (5, 5); US History (5); Language and Composition (5); Psychology (4); Computer Science A (3); Chemistry (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): NA
Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Literature and Composition, AP Government, AP Biology, Principles of Microeconomics (Community College), Intro to Sociology (Community College)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Forensics League All American Academic Award, MTAC Level 10, Various state/regional debate awards, AP Scholar w/ Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Nonprofit (Founder, CEO); Amnesty International (Founder & President); Habitat for Humanity (Founder & President); Speech and Debate program at local junior high school (Head Coach); Piano; Swimming (Varsity)
Job/Work Experience: Intern
Volunteer/Community service: Intern; Head Coach at local junior high school debate program; clubs; nonprofit
Summer Activities: Internship, organized speech and debate summer camp at junior high school
Essays: Common App (10): Talked about how being called the B word as a compliment to my achievements and leadership incited me to become a feminist and activist and inspired me to create my nonprofit; CAS and College of Human Ecology (8): Pretty straightforward why school essay
Teacher Rec #1: (10) My Calc teacher said I’m his favorite student and we love to talk about politics together
Teacher Rec #2: (10) My Lang teacher said he put that I’m the best student he’s had
Counselor Rec: (9) He wrote a letter for me for an application to a program, and it was really awesome.
Additional Rec: (10) My piano teacher loves me.
Interview: I had no interview
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Gender Studies and Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Korean
Gender: F
Income Bracket: <40k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Feminism, nonprofit
Weaknesses: Grades, scores, awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: At this level, it’s a crapshoot
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted: Yale (SCEA), Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania (Likely Letter), Duke (Likely Letter), Wellesley (EE), Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, UC Berkeley (Regents), UCI (Regents), UCSD, UCLA; Waitlisted: Cornell, Columbia; Rejected: Brown
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: My EC’s

General Comments: I hope this helps future applicants! I’m not disappointed at the waitlist since I already got into such amazing schools. You honestly never know what’s going to happen, so don’t give up :slight_smile: Good luck!!

49

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Official Cornell University Class of 2019 Regular Decision Results ONLY

darkray2000darkray2000
03-08-2015 at 11:52 am edited March 9 in Cornell University
Hi guys,
Here is the forum to post your results for the Cornell Class of 2019 Regular Decision. Below is the traditional format for results (I hope) REMOVE THE SPACES BEFORE POSTING:

Pick one:

Decision: Accepted (Guaranteed transfer to CHE)
[ b][ size=4][ color=#FFA500]Decision: Waitlisted [/size][/color]
[ b][ size=4][ color=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected [/size][/color]

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 800 m 800 ce
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 800 m2 750 physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.78
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): about 13th percentile if they would rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): none
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load: Ap physics 1 and 2, ab calc, ap Spanish, English h, engineering h
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nominated as presidential scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): lots of sports, camp counselor, board of a nonprofit
Job/Work Experience: political internship
Volunteer/Community service: inner city tutoring
Summer Activities:
Essays: common app 10, cornell 5
Teacher Recommendation: 10
Counselor Rec: 7
Additional Rec:
Interview: 5
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yeah
Intended Major: Policy analysis and management
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: rich suburb of Boston public
Ethnicity: W
Gender: M
Income Bracket: little need
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): legacy

Reflection

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: hard worker, caring dude
Weaknesses: terrible cornell supp written at 11pm on 1/2
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: legacy, 1600
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: accepted: middlebury, usc, UMass, northeastern, McGill, umami, case western
Wait listed: Carleton, washy, Harvard ???
Rejected: northwestern, UNC
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: legacy

Having to transfer sucks, but it’s a great option to have if I don’t like where I go!

50

[ b][ size=4][ color=#008000]Decision: Accepted to CALS [/size]**[/color]

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2100
720 CR 690 Math and Writing (this is superscored)
ACT (breakdown): did not send
SAT II: not required for CALS
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): My school does not do GPAs out of 4.0 but I do have a 98.2(ish)/100 unweighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/195
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP European-3 AP US-4
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP MicroEcon, AP English Literature, AP Calc AB, Regents Physics, Wind Ensemble
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): society of Women Engineers Merit Award, George Eastman Young Leaders Award, A couple student of the quarter things my schools does, Honor roll, and something else that I don’t remember right now…

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): NHS (president), NJHS (president), Varsity Cross Country
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer at an animal shelter (100+ hours in the last year), Trail Crew (40 hours)
Summer Activities: I don’t know… Basically I devote my summer to hiking, backpacking and friends. Hiking was my CA essay topic though
Essays:
Teacher Recommendation: Math teacher 9/10
English teacher- 9/10
Counselor Rec: she didn’t even ask for my resume and she doesn’t know me very well… I am probably Her best student overall so I don’t think it could have been terrible… I really have no idea
Additional Rec: band teacher 10/10
Interview: I had an “interview” with an alumni. It went really well. I don’t know how much it really impacted the decision, but she asked me several questions and it took like 40 minutes and I got a lot of my Cornell questions answered.
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Environmental Science and Sustainability
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: Public School… Definitely from a poorer area and it is highly noncompetative. 5 AP courses offered. This was a major reason why I decided to post my stats on this thread. It’s kind of scary seeing all these people with all these insane AP classes and highly competitive schools and thinking wow… Since I’m not offered these same opportunities, do I even have a shot? So basically if you come from a smaller, not academically driven school and excelled at the hardest classes your school offers, yes you can make it! :smiley:
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): not much really.

Reflection

Strengths: Essays- both my CA and Cornell essay were essays I was really proud of. I also had great teacher recs which really helped.
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: I really focused a lot on my experience with hiking and how that has had such a huge impact on my decision to pursue environmental science and sustainability as a major. I really tried to prove how important this choice was to me.
Weaknesses: SAT scores- now personally I was really happy with my scores, but I know they are on the lower end for Cornell. Scores are clearly not everything, so don’t let a lower score hold you back. Another weakness was definitely my lack of APs or even challenging classes.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I truthfully don’t really know. I think my essays really helped me out and definitely my teacher recs.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: University of Vermont, University of Maine, University of Rhode Island, University of New Hampshire (all accepted)
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: Probably my drive to study the environment because of past experiences.

Congrats to everyone! Good luck making final college decisions!

51

Decision: Accepted (CAS)

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2370 (800 CR, 800 M, 770 W)
ACT:
SAT II: 800 US History, 790 Math II, 760 Bio M
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
Weighted HS GPA: 4.38
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 7/700, top 1%
ELC?:
AP (place score in parenthesis): 11 total: Euro (5), Bio (4), Calc BC (5,5), Enviro (5), APUSH (5), Lang (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Lit, AP Stats, AP Gov, AP Spanish Lang, Ceramics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Presidential Scholars Program Candidate, AP Scholar w/ Distinction, National Merit Commended, CSF Sealbearer
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Lots of leadership positions, President/founder of two humanitarian-activism-oriented clubs, member of a few others, etc…
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: Peer tutoring, library volunteer, animal shelter volunteer, etc…
Personal Statement: Very personal, thought it was pretty good.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major : Biology
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White (Middle-Eastern)
Gender: F
Income Bracket: top bracket
Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.):
Reflection
Strengths: SAT, GPA, Essays
Weaknesses: Not many major awards
Schools were you accepted/waitlisted to?: Accepted: Cornell, UCLA (Regents) USC (merit scholarship), LMU (full-ride), UC Irvine (Regents)
Schools you were rejected from?
Schools you are waiting for?:
General Comments: So excited to have been accepted to Cornell!!! I wish everyone all the best during this hectic admissions season and into the future!!

52

**Decision: Rejected **

Objective:
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2170 (730 CR, 700 M, 740W) I know
[] ACT (breakdown): n/a
[] SAT II: 800 Spanish, can’t remember Math 1 and Lit but around ~700
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5%
[] AP (place score in parentheses): English Language (5), USH (5)
[] IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Studio, AP Stats, AP Psych, Challenge
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Scholastic Art Awards for photography: 1 Gold Key, 1 Silver Key for portfolio, and 1 Honorable mention. Scholastic Writing Awards: 4 Gold Keys and American Voices nomination[/li]
[/list]Subjective:
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): NHS, Spanish Honor Society, NAHS, Key Club, Science Honor Society, English Honor Society, and Film Club all with leadership positions
[] Job/Work Experience: Brookstone Sales Associate, sold over $8,000 each week, outsold district
[] Volunteer/Community service: over 1,000 hours to homeless shelters, food pantries because I needed help from these places when I was younger
[] Summer Activities: Volunteering for the good majority of it
[] Essays: Common App 10/10- By far best writing I have ever done. It won a Gold Key as well :slight_smile: It talked about how being homeless while growing up shaped me and instilled humility and a sense of altruism in me.
Optional essay 10/10- I take it back, this one is definitely my strongest writing to date. It was written in a creative rhetorical mode and expressed the escape I found in films during my toughest times.
[] Teacher Recommendation: My two teachers actually showed them to me as a parting gift after they submitted it, both 10/10 absolutely the best recommendations I have ever seen, my APUSH teacher said that any institution would be luck to have me and my other one said I was one of the best in her career
[] Counselor Rec: 6/10 probably generic, I’m not sure she even knows my name
[] Additional Rec: none
[] Interview: Pretty cool guy from ILR, the youngest of all my interviewers and I’ll be kinda bummed to let him know but still very, very happy with my outcome overall
[] Supplementary Material: Yes, submitted a few of my works of photography that were given Gold or Silver Keys :smiley:

[/list]Other
[]Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes.
[] State (if domestic applicant): Wisconsin
Country (if international applicant): n/a
[] School Type: Suburban Public
[] Ethnicity: Hispanic
[] Gender: M
[] Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate): lol <40,00
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, not sure if being homeless during a major part of my life counts?[/li]
[/list]Reflection
[] Strengths: Definitely my essays were the huge push, urm probably helped, and photography portfolio maybe?
[] Weaknesses: Embarrassing test scores (at least by CC standards), Generic ec’s (I really tried though :(), Past AP course load, and I didn’t cure cancer nor place at the Olympics which I heard can help
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Doesn’t really take much to guess :stuck_out_tongue: there’s just more qualified applicants
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Rejected: UT Austin, UCLA & USC (applied both to their film), Stanford, Yale, Harvard, UPenn, Cornell

Waitlisted: UChicago, Brown, Columbia, Vanderbilt, UC Berkeley

Accepted: Princeton, Dartmouth, Duke, Georgetown, Notre Dame, UCSD, UCDavis, UMiami, UMinnesota, UOregon, UPittsburgh, UWashington Seattle, UKentucky, UAlabama, Mississippi State Uniiversity, SAIC

[/list]General Comments:
I am beyond shocked, incredibly humbled, but mostly grateful. If there’s anything I want you guys to take away from this all, it’s to dare to dream. Pursue the passions of your heart with no fear because, honestly, anything can happen.

Signing out,

Homeless2Princeton

53

Decision: Accepted CALS
(posting for my daughter)
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2270 (780 CR/ 770 M/ 720 W)
ACT: 34 C (34 E, 30 M, 36 R, 36 S)
SAT II: 740 Bio M; 740 Math II; 720 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0/4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Scholar with Distinction end of 11th Grade, plus taking five APs this year (14 total)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Art History, AP Gov, AP Microeconomics, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, Photography, PE/Health
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): one international award, two national awards, some state and local awards, NMF (not naming biggest awards because so few people get them it would give away identity)
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Completed paid summer research internship with a U.S. government agency, started ongoing international research project that has hundreds of participants from four countries, volunteered five years at a museum, started/led a club at school, in three honor societies
Essays: 10/10 - Wrote about how summer internship related to planned major
Teacher Recommendation: 10/10 two science teachers
Counselor Rec: 10/10
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: n/a
Supplementary Material: n/a
Other:
State (if domestic applicant): GA
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: public magnet with about 1,300 students, mostly minorities and low income
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate): father’s too high to ask for financial aid, although could have gone for free if only mother’s income and assets considered (parents divorced)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
Reflection:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: love of science
Strengths: awards
Weaknesses:
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: research
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: very strong background/awards related to planned major
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Boston U, Fordham, Ga Tech, Minnesota, McGill, Oklahoma, Montana State, Michigan State, Nebraska, Washington State, Idaho (all the universities offered scholarships) Waitlisted: N/A Rejected: Harvard (also Chicago because application was incomplete)
General Comments: Happy for the bragging rights. Cornell was dream school, but father does not want to pay for it when other universities have offered such big scholarships. May try to attend Cornell for grad school later.

54

**Decision: Accepted Architecture, Art and Planning **

Objective:

SAT I : 1920 (630 R, 600 M, 690W)
SAT II: 680 Math I; 650 French Reading
Unweighted GPA: 3.869 Weighted: 4.150
Rank: top 10% of >700
AP: English (4), French V(4), Environmental Science(N/A), Art History(N/A)
Senior Year Course Load: Heavy

Subjective:

Extracurricular:
Technology Student Association (TSA) (4 years)- Vice President of Leadership (10), Vice President (11), President (12) - (most meaningful commitment, placed first in the state of NJ for 2 years in a row);
Helped start a new club with my friends for the She’s the First Organization (I’m head of fundraising and events coordinator)
Executive Board member for my class council for 2 years;
Senior underclassmen mentor

Volunteer/Community service: 100+ hours tutoring math, English, French; special olympics volunteer for my high school; 30+ hours at local animal shelter

Summer Activities: Received the William Elliot scholarship to attend Carnegie Mellon Summer Programs for Diversity Architecture Pre-College for 6 weeks; About - Architecture intensive course - Carnegie Mellon University;
Selected among 800 applicants for the Hispanic Scholarship Fund Youth Leadership Institute

Teacher Recommendation: History teacher was probably great; very personal 9/10. AP English teacher was great as well, he is known for extremely awesome letters 10/10. Architecture teacher was most likely amazing, I’ve known her for 4 years and she’s very close with me 10/10

Counselor Rec: Was probably okay, maybe generic 7/10

Additional Rec: Professor from Carnegie Mellon Summer Program for Architecture will be pretty great and he went to Cornell graduate school for architecture. 10/10
Interview: Really great! The interviewer said my portfolio was strong.
Supplementary Material: submitted my portfolio for architecture

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?:Yes
Intended Major: Architecture
State (if domestic applicant):NJ
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic/Asian
Gender:Female
Income Bracket: <40K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM (hispanic)

Reflection:

Strengths: Essays, Recs
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Summer program, financial status
Weaknesses: SAT scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My essays, portfolio, recs and passion for architecture
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted: NJIT, UMich, Rutgers, Syracuse, Pratt Institute, RIT,
Rejected: Duke, Brown, Dartmouth

55

**Decision: Accepted CAS (Tanner Dean Scholar)

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 800-800-780
[] ACT (breakdown): 36
[] SAT II: 800 Lit, 770 Chem, 760 M2
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A. Weighted = 4.41
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1 (not sent)
[] AP (place score in parentheses): 5 on Spanish, Music Theory, Euro, World, Stats, Calc BC, English Lang; 4 on Chem
[] Senior Year Course Load: Honors International Relations, Honors Art, AP Bio, AP Physics C, Independent Studies in AP Spanish Lit and AP Gov, AP English Lit, Multivariable Calc
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Avogadro, IPPF, NMF, National AP Scholar, some AMC stuff[/ul]

Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Rock music (played at Lollapalooza), cross country (3 year letterman and captain), Women’s Leadership Club (founder), various other things
[] Job/Work Experience: Scorekeeper for basketball team, tutor
[] Volunteer/Community service: Service trips with school
[] Summer Activities: Touring with rock band, taking summer courses, running, tutoring
[] Essays: Cornell one was good.
[] Teacher Recommendation: They were great, I imagine. 10/10
[] Counselor Rec: Didn’t read it, assume it was great. 9/10
[] Additional Rec: She is my music theory teacher, like family. 10/10.
[li] Interview: He was very cool.[/ul][/li]
Other[ul]
[]Applied for Financial Aid?: No
[] State (if domestic applicant): OH
[] School Type: Small private all girls
[] Ethnicity: Asian and white
[] Gender: XX
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): No[/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Academics.
[] Weaknesses: SAT IIs, no demonstrated interest.
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I don’t know; it’s kind of random.
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted Yale, Stanford, Duke (likely), UPenn, Caltech, Williams (likely), UChicago, Cornell (likely, Tanner Dean), Harvey Mudd, Dartmouth, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Amherst, OSU, Michigan, Case. Waitlisted: Brown, Columbia, MIT. Rejected: Harvard, Princeton (deferred SCEA), Juilliard.[/ul]
General Comments: I think it comes down to Yale and Stanford!

56

**Decision: Accepted AAP - Architecture

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1930 (R:680 M:680 W:570)
ACT (breakdown): 33 (M:34 E:34 R:33 S:29)
SAT II: 790 Math I, 730 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.121 out of 4.3
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): NA
AP (place score in parenthesis): none offered at my school
IB (place score in parenthesis): NA
Senior Year Course Load: basically the most rigorous available to me
Dual Enrollment classes with local university:
College English, College Statistics, College Physics, College Calculus (20 credits total)
Spanish IV
Advanced Projects in Art, Painting
Senior Theology: Peace and Justice & Christian Lifestyles
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing big: Scholastic Art & Writing Awards (2013 and 2015), National Merit Commended Scholar, tons of departmental awards at my school

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
NHS (President)
Art Club (President)
Math Club (Vice President)
Varsity Cross Country (4 years)
Vocal Jazz (4 years)
Performing Arts (Music Liturgy and Drama) - been in 18 plays and musicals since I was little, held lots of lead roles
Job/Work Experience: fast food restaurant for over two years - 20 hrs/wk
Volunteer/Community Service: 300+ hours, founded a bake sale that raised over $10,000 for Relay for Life, created ceramic bowls to sell at a fundraiser, ect.
Summer Activities: Cornell University Summer College Introduction to Architecture (6 Credits, 4.0 GPA), summer ceramic studios, art workshops, employment
Essays: Pretty good I guess - I tried my absolute best. Common App talked about how the art room is my sanctuary and how I use art as an emotionally expressive release. Supplement basically was about why I want to be an architect and why I need to study at Cornell. Also, I included a personal statement that pretty much combined the two essays in the portfolio that I submitted (required for architecture applicants).
Teacher Recommendation: They were probably okay, I didn’t read them (English and Social Studies teachers)
Counselor Rec: Fine I suppose – he knows that Cornell was my number one
Additional Rec: Art teacher
Interview: (I’m talking about the required interview for architecture applicants) It went great! We talked for more than two and a half hours and he seemed interested. I thought it went well, but the “bigger picture” sort of questions were tricky. (What does architecture mean to you? Why do you want to be an architect?)

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Architecture
State: Wisconsin
School Type: Private Catholic (extremely small, only 250 students in the entire school)
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation college

Reflection
Strengths: going to Summer College, possibly my portfolio’s artistic voice?
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: My passion for Cornell and how great this past summer was. I also tried to make my love for architecture apparent as well as my ability to articulate ideas visually.
Weaknesses: SAT, parts of my application were really angsty (not sure if good or bad, haha)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I’m really not sure, I worked so hard and have never wanted anything so much in my entire life, maybe that showed?
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted: Syracuse, USC, CMU, IIT, Pratt, Virginia Tech, RPI, Iowa State
Waitlisted: WashU
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: Going to Summer College, or perhaps the sculptures and ceramics in my portfolio (I had much more three dimensional pieces rather than paintings/drawings)

General Comments:
I’m so shocked and happy. Oh my gosh, I can’t believe this is happening. Really though, anything is possible! Just goes to show you can get in without perfect scores or a multitude of APs. I also got deferred ED, so I’m really surprised at the outcome. Believe in yourself!

57

Rejected - Human Ecology (Primary), CALS (Alternate)

I am thoroughly disappointed… I really grew to believe over these past few months that I was born for Cornell. I sure wish I could know why.

(Copied from previous post)…

GPA: 3.897 / 4.000 (un-weighted)
Rank: 15 / 373 (Top 4%)

So… here’s the thing: I graduated high school early back in 2013. I was the first person to graduate early from my high school… and with the extra time, I took a gap year (well… I actually took two gap years, but I’ll get to that later)…

Also, my GPA at graduation was 4.000 unweighted, and I was the valedictorian of my graduating class (but I screwed up a bit in my final semester, which is my rank took a hit).

ACT: 28 Composite (31 English, 29 Math, 23 Reading, 27 Science, 12 Essay)

  • I also submitted an AP English Lit/Comp Score (=5), hoping that might compensate for my low ACT-Reading score.

Took 13 AP Courses; AP Scholar with Distinction
Took 3 classes through Harvard University Extension School (12 credits)

  • School Volunteer Recognition Award (for over 300 hours served tutoring)
    High School ECs

Piano Lessons (Since age 5). Top marks in statewide music competition, guest pianist for local church
Pre Med Club (President/Founder)
Student Council
Mock Trial (Lead Defense Attorney)
Creative Writing Club (Co-President)
Gay/Straight Alliance
National Art Honor Society (Secretary)

Summer Internship at University Hospital, researching glioblastoma and cancer stem cells + helped write a couple of chapters of a new textbook on stem cells & cancer stem cells.

  • Started local fundraiser for Oklahoma Tornado Relief (raised about $4,000)
  • Created a charity fashion show (designed the show, made the garments, sold tickets, sold the clothes, donated proceeds to a local breast cancer treatment initiative)

Gap Year #1:

For ten months, I volunteered in Tanzania (~10 weeks), Nepal (~12 weeks), India (~6 weeks), and Vietnam (~10 weeks). In Tanzania, I worked in a local hospital and also traveled extensively throughout Tanzania and Kenya, visiting Maasai villages and offering free HIV testing/treatment guidance. In Nepal and India, I taught in various schools (from elementary age to college students) and spent time helping in orphanages. In Vietnam, I worked with an NGO that specializes in low-income education in Hanoi.

By the way… I was able to pay for this trip with funds I inherited from my mother. I didn’t explicitly mention that in my application, however.

Gap Year #2:

So, this might be where my application becomes confusing. After the first gap year, I wanted to pursue another interest of mine before deciding on a college program. I have (or, perhaps more accurately, had) two very different interests: medicine and fashion. During my second gap year, I am working with a fashion designer in New York City. It has been an interesting experience, but I know now that I want to study medicine. I tried to explain this very clearly in my applications, so there wouldn’t be any misunderstanding about what I want to pursue.

I think my essays were pretty decent. My Common App was very personal and talked about the loss of my mother. The college-specific essays talked about my interest in global health, and why Cornell’s program would be perfect for me.

Recommendations were hopefully good, too. All of my references know my very well (including one from my piano instructor, who has known me my whole life)

Other facts…

Applied for Financial Aid: Yes
Income Bracket: ~$ 60,000 (single parent)
Residence: Midwest
Male

58

Accidentally posted in ED results…

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2190
ACT (breakdown): NA
SAT II: Chem 720, USH 740
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 40
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History, USH, Lit - 5
IB (place score in parenthesis): NA
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lang, AP US Gov, Chinese, Japanese, and Chinese Literature at my local University (took Calc, Chinese, and Neuroscience last semester)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NA

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Debate, Mock Trial, Academic Olympics, Academic World Quest
Job/Work Experience: NA
Volunteer/Community service: NHS, RYLA
Summer Activities: Boys State, RYLA
Essays: Excellent
Teacher Recommendation: Didn’t see but I trust them to recommend me well
Counselor Rec: No idea
Additional Rec: I think I got one from my Neuro professor whose lab I worked in for a while… Idk if it sent to Cornell. It was good.
Interview: NA
Other: NA

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yep
Intended Major: East Asian Studies
State (if domestic applicant): NV
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: Large public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 75000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I translate ancient Chinese poetry

Reflection

Strengths: Chinese stuff
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself:
Weaknesses: Bad scores, no leadership
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: East Asian stuff for sure - Cornell’s program is awesome
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Rejected from Harvard/Yale/Columbia/Stanford/Penn/Brown, Accepted at George Washington
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: Chinese poetry!!!

I’m so excited!! To all those looking at Cornell for next year, don’t let this thread intimidate you. It’s about you - be yourself in your essays and the doors will open for you. I got a massive amount of rejects but all it takes is one silver bullet. I believe that all of you will end up at the perfect school for you - Cornell’s it for me!

59

**Decision: Rejected **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): NA
ACT (breakdown): 35 C Superscored and not superscored: (33 E, 35 M, 36 R, 36 S)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 760 M2 720 Bio M
Unweighted/Weighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98/4.64 I go to a highly selective magnet school that chooses around 2% of students that apply out of 9 high schools. So out of around 3100 applicants, 75 or so get in.
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 3% 10/310
AP (place score in parentheses):
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable Calculus, Orgo Chem, Bio Chem, Biomedical Science, IB History of the Americas, IB Spanish, Orchestra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 3rd Place Best Midwestern High School Writing Competition twice in a row. 9th Place ACSL International Coding Competition

[ b]Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): NHS, Research Team (at Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Varsity Tennis for 3 years, 1st Violin in the Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Debate
Job/Work Experience: NA
Volunteer/Community Service: Over 200 hours at a local hospital, at summer science camps, a school for the mentally disabled, friends and I started charity that feeds elementary schools children on the weekends (they live in a bad part of town), I founded an interscholastic math competition for 5th graders, MATHCOUNTS coach for a local middle school.
Summer Activities: Gave talks at local hospitals to raise money for the charity I run, and why feeding poverty stricken children in elementary school is important.
Essays: Pretty strong all around. My English teacher said they were great.
Teacher Recommendations: Idk, but should have been good. One of the teachers asked me if he could write me a rec, and told me he would say I was outstanding.
Counselor Rec: She said there’s no doubt I’m one of the top kids at my school, so definitely should have been good.
Additional Rec: From the director of Lee Honors College at WMU. I worked with her to establish the math competition.
Interview: NA

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Admissions is hella random.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/list] Accepted: Johns Hopkins, Wash U St. Louis, U Mich, U Miami, K College (full tuition)
Waitlisted: Case Western Reserve, Northwestern
Rejected: UChicago, Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, UPenn
General Comments: I honestly have no idea why I was rejected by the entire Ivy League. My friend with better stats was also rejected by all the ivies. It’s disheartening when you see kids with lower stats get accepted everywhere. I worked wayyyyy too hard for this. Whatever, I guess Johns Hopkins it is.

[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: Pre-med
State (if domestic applicant): MI
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public Magnet
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $150,000 +
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None…

60

Decision: Accepted

College of Engineering

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 780 CR, 800 M, 670 W
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 800 M2, 800 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): School does GPA out of 100, 95.469
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 10/752
AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5),
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Computer Science, AP English, AP Calc BC, AP Chem, Band, Financial Lit
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): All-State Band, National Merit Scholar Commended, National Honor Society, American Legion Jersey Boys State Delegate/State Assemblyman

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Volleyball (Captain), Marching Band (Rank Sergeant and Section Leader), Basketball, Academic Decathlon, National Science Honor Society (Vice President), Orchestra, Science League (Captain), Community Band
Job/Work Experience: Sales Team Member at Toys R Us
Volunteer/Community service: Altar Server at Church
Summer Activities:
Essays: Wrote about how I learned about engineering and wanting to find out what it means to me, 9/10
Teacher Recommendation: Chemistry Teacher said i was his best student ever, 10/10
AP US I teacher loved me as well, 9/10
AP US II teacher, loved me and wrote a funny rec about my abilities 10/10
Counselor Rec: Don’t know, didnt read
Additional Rec: Band director, good, 7/10
Interview: Went pretty well, my interviewer lives in my hometown and seemed to really like me
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yee
Intended Major: Chem Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large public (~3400)
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: >80k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Musical talent, drive to help people
Weaknesses: no major awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: no idea honestly, I’m too excited to think about it
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to Cooper Union and Rutgers, rejected from Stanford, Harvard, Yale, Caltech, UC Berkeley, Northwestern, Waitlisted at UMich
Your “Big Red” factor - the most unique thing in your application: Exceptional Tuba playing?