<p>Ben - Waiting on H....</p>
<p>i'm surprised i still have not receieved anything. possibly the small letters don't get as much postage.</p>
<p>MIT_Dreamer, I know a bunch of Romanians here (Caltech), I know there are at least 6 here and they're all doing pretty well here.</p>
<p>Decision: Accepted (Axline, Lingle)</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 1600
[</em>] SAT IIs: Chem, MathIIC, Writing (800s)
[<em>] GPA: not sure--5/5ish
[</em>] Rank: school doesn't rank
[<em>] Other stats: a few APs; RSI; Siemens regionals; Intel 10th; decent-but-not-great math competition stuff
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: I liked pieces of them. Also sent in a copy of the research paper I submitted to Intel.
[<em>] Teacher Recs: Good, I think.
[</em>] Counselor Rec: started with "free-spirited" (we had to read them)
[<em>] Hook (if any): ?
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[</em>] State or Country: MA
[<em>] School Type: public
[</em>] Ethnicity: caucasian
[<em>] Gender: female... hope that didn't matter!
[</em>] major strength/weakness: research/not-so-great other ECs
[/ul]Other Factors: graduating a year early</p>
<p>Jesus Christ, that has about the highest ego density I've ever seen in a decisions post (mine was longer :p). But yeah, it's tough for you to avoid it. Mazel tov :):)</p>
<p>...I was posting in the interest of information-sharing, and to show that there's <em>not</em> really anything that amazing. But I'm sorry :(</p>
<p>//edit: silly me, taking Adam seriously. pfft.</p>
<p>Pfft, you take things SO seriously, Ms. Kim ;)</p>
<p>*Decision: Waitlisted *</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT:800R, 740M, 800W (But on ACT I got a 36 on both M and S sections)
[</em>] SAT IIs: 800 MII, 800 Chem, 680 Lit
[<em>] GPA: 4.5
[</em>] Rank: 2/141
[<em>] Other stats: I have taken or am taking every science/math course offered by my school and have beaten every other person (including 1/141) at these.
[/ul][ b]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: Good and mediocre: I think my "Why Caltech" essay could have been much stronger...I didn't express the passion I have for the school adequately
[<em>] Teacher Recs: Good
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Good
[<em>] Hook (if any): I am an Eagle Scout. I play bassoon (I study under the principal bassoonist of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra).
[/ul][ b]Location/Person:[ /b][ list]
[</em>] State or Country: OH
[<em>] School Type: Catholic
[</em>] Ethnicity: Caucasian
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] major strength/weakness: I love science. Period. I read my first book on Quantum Mechanics in the fourth grade.
[li] why you think you were accepted/rejected/defered: My "Why Caltech" essay was a little weak. The teacher I had read it liked it, but idk...[/li][/list]Other Factors:**</p>
<p>Decision: Rejected</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>]Fee Waiver Used?: No
[</em>]SAT I (by section): 760M, 750V, 740W,
[<em>]SAT IIs: 790 Physics, 740 Bio M, 730 Chem, 760 MIIC
[</em>]ACT: N/A
[<em>]APs: Hum. Geo, Computer Science A, AB, Latin III and IV, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Physics C, Biology, English Lang, English Lit, US History...
[</em>]IBs: N/A
[<em>]GPA, Weighted and Unweighted: No clue, 3.9ish
[</em>]Rank: 168/954 (~18%)
[<em>]Senior Yr Courseload: AP Calculus BC, AP Computer Science AB, AP English Language, AP Biology, AP Physics C, AP Latin
[</em>]Number of Apps from Your School: 5ish? Only one that I know got in.
[li]Other stats: NM Finalist, nominations for various competitions and research programs.[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>Subjective:[ul]
[<em>]ECs listed on app: Robotics competitions (US BEST, FIRST), research internship, self-education, science competitions...
[</em>]Job/Work Experience: Worked 3-3.5 years concurrently with high school in an accounting office. Started a small graphic design business. Worked in my mother's office...
[<em>]Essays (subject and responses): I spent six months writing them... one was about chance, seizing what you want, and natural curiosity... Wrote an optional essay about the work in my research internship.
[</em>]Teacher Recs: My Latin teacher is a Harvard/Brown alum, and told me she spent four hours writing my letter of recommendation... she's a very dedicated woman, and I know she loves me because I'm her only student ever to skip a year of Latin... My biology teacher didn't tell me much, but I know she loves me too...
[<em>]Counselor Rec: Couldn't have been too good. I'm in graduating class of 954, but I do have a very friendly relationship with my counselor. I'd venture to say it's more personal than most, which may not be as good as letters from other kids at smaller schools, but likely stood out a bit coming from my ginormous high school.
[</em>]Interview (feel and general location): N/A. Visited campus.
[li]Hook (if any): I don't know that I have much of a hook beyond anything that's been mentioned above. I did have a research internship.[/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>Location/Person:[ul]
[<em>]State or Country: TX
[</em>]School Type, Average Stats of School (if available): I go to a public senior high school which has 2000 11th and 12th grade students. 954 in the senior class. We send a lot of students to good schools, but I don't know whether that's because we're really good or there's so many of us some are bound to get into good places.
[<em>]Ethnicity: Middle-Eastern (Turkish)
[</em>]Income Bracket: Was upper-middle class when I applied, but my father has lost his job since then (the company he was working for filed for bankruptcy, damn telecom).
[<em>]Gender: Male
[</em>]Hooks: Same as above...
[<em>]Strengths/Weaknesses: Personal character. I'm just so darned lovable. . I've worked a lot for my own education... advancing years in classes and getting cool stuff done. My weak points are obviously my GPA/rank, which is obviously low. Caltech is highly quantitative, and that definitely hurt my application.
[</em>]Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: I poured my soul out into my main essay. I worked on it for so long... And I have very good relationships with all my teachers. However, for Caltech, it just wasn't enough, and the straight A's from this year were too little too late. I don't blame Caltech one bit.
[<em>]Other Factors: None that I can think of really. I'm just happy to have so many friends at Caltech that helped me through the process, even though I didn't make it. :). Friends are the best thing to keep around when applying and waiting for the decision.
[</em>]General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations,etc: Congrats to everyone who made it. Condolences for everyone who didn't... I hope everything works out for everyone, no matter where all of you end up![/ul]</p>
<p>Decision: Accepted</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 1600 (old)
[</em>] SAT IIs: 800 Math IIC, 800 Writing, 770 Bio M
[<em>] GPA: 4.06 (on 4.3 scale)
[</em>] Rank: not calculated
[<em>] Other stats: 5 on AP Bio, AP Phys B; AIME my freshman year; random other things.
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: I was happy with them; my teachers/etc liked them...
[<em>] Teacher Recs: superlative
[</em>] Counselor Rec: She likes me.
[<em>] Hook (if any): This isn't a hook, but I'm a junior; actually I don't think this affected my admissions chances to a great extent (I hope?); I spend a lot of time on a few extracurriculars I'm passionate about, I had two research internships...one paper on the verge of publication.
[/ul]Location/Person:[ul]
[</em>] State or Country: Texas
[<em>] School Type: private
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian (Indian)
[<em>] Gender: female
[</em>] major strength/weakness: don't know.
[li] why you think you were accepted/rejected/deferred: see hook[/li][/ul]Other Factors: I don't want to choose between MIT and Caltech; it's Hobson's choice and I just know that I'm going to regret either decision at some point.</p>
<p>rheasilva, you are so crazy for a junior!</p>
<p>See, cali, that is not helpful. <em>g</em> What would be is helping me figure out what's myth about Caltech and what's fact. Which I probably need to do myself.</p>
<p>GuitarManARS - Unless they graduated 2001-03, I probably don't know them.</p>
<p>mjoe - I vaguely remember her name, but didn't really know her. (My friends and I were slightly reclusive that year and I didn't meet many people her her year.)</p>
<p>MIT_Dreamer - There are a large number of Eastern Europeans here. I'd argue that after the Asian countries, Easter Europe is best represented.</p>
<p>uberworried that I haven't gotten a decision yet... I really wish they would email out decisions to all applicants.
seems like lots of the younger ones got acceptances; just speculation though.</p>
<p>Yeah, that's true. Looks like there's three of us (me, Kim, and rhea) so far. Maybe Caltech just loves the younguns?</p>
<p>You can apply as a junior?? Wouldnt your chance be alot less than the rest of the applicants?</p>
<p>rheasilva you are an incredible junior!!</p>
<p>Yeah, as I learned from some people who shall remain anonymous (and may or may not be posting in this thread), you don't quite need a diploma to go to Caltech/MIT. Awesome!</p>
<p>I need to know whether caltech has posted their international decisons. I live in India and haven't received anything as yet. Does that mean rejected?</p>
<p>You should receive an e-mail today.</p>
<p>wait, how many babies applied!? (thanks, anonamous, you're a sweetie!) that makes me feel much better, that more than one of us did. <em>g</em></p>