Official Harvard 2014 RD Decisions

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>Decision: Accepted
Decision: Waitlisted
Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<pre><code>* SAT I (breakdown):
* ACT:
* SAT II:
* Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
* Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
* AP (place score in parenthesis):
* IB (place score in parenthesis):
* Senior Year Course Load:
* Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
</code></pre>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<pre><code>* Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
* Job/Work Experience:
* Volunteer/Community service:
* Summer Activities:
* Essays:
* Teacher Recommendation:
* Counselor Rec:
* Additional Rec:
* Interview:
</code></pre>

<p>Other</p>

<pre><code>* State (if domestic applicant):
* Country (if international applicant):
* School Type:
* Ethnicity:
* Gender:
* Income Bracket:
* Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
</code></pre>

<p>Reflection</p>

<pre><code>* Strengths:
* Weaknesses:
* Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
</code></pre>

<p>General Comments:
Hope this thread will be useful to future applicants.
World Peace
Save the Environment
Earth rocks</p>

2

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<ul>
<li>SAT I (breakdown): 2320 CR: 720 M: 800 W: 800</li>
<li>ACT: n/a</li>
<li>SAT II: Chemistry: 760 Math I: 790 Math II: 780</li>
<li>Weighted GPA (out of 100): 102.84</li>
<li>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/171</li>
<li>AP (place score in parenthesis): AP World History (5)</li>
<li>IB (place score in parenthesis): IB Theatre Arts SL (5) (still waiting for the rest)</li>
<li>Senior Year Course Load: IB Diploma</li>
<li>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Scholar</li>
</ul>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<ul>
<li>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Mathletes (President), Newspaper (Editor-in-Chief), Science Olympiads (President), Odyssey of the Mind (President), HS Theatre Group (Leading Actor), Spanish Honor Society (President), National Honor Society, NYS Science Honor Society</li>
<li>Job/Work Experience: n/a</li>
<li>Volunteer/Community service: Math/SAT Tutoring</li>
<li>Summer Activities: Research project at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan (past 2 summers)</li>
<li>Essays: About my first leading role in a musical, and my father</li>
<li>Teacher Recommendation: Great recommendations from my Chem and English teachers.</li>
<li>Counselor Rec: Great rec.</li>
<li>Additional Rec: A recommendation from the Math Department Chair at my school and another from my mentor at Sloan Kettering.</li>
<li>Interview: Wonderful interviewer. She even came to my school musical two months after the interview.</li>
</ul>

<p>Other</p>

<ul>
<li>State (if domestic applicant): NY</li>
<li>Country (if international applicant): USA</li>
<li>School Type: Public</li>
<li>Ethnicity: Hispanic</li>
<li>Gender: M</li>
<li>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, singer (sent vocal tape as a supplement)</li>
</ul>

<p>Reflection</p>

<ul>
<li>Strengths: Grades, ECs, scores, supplements</li>
<li>Weaknesses: Could’ve done more volunteer work</li>
<li>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’m well-rounded!</li>
</ul>

<p>Also got into Yale, Princeton, Columbia, UPenn Wharton, Cornell, Georgetown, NYU Stern.</p>

3

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<ul>
<li>SAT I (breakdown): 2260/740 CR, 770 M, 750 W</li>
<li>SAT II: 780 Bio M, 730 Lit, 720 French</li>
<li>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): No GPA; 91 average</li>
<li>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): not sure, top 5% most likely</li>
<li>AP (place score in parenthesis): did not take any (none offered)</li>
<li>IB (place score in parenthesis): again, none offered</li>
<li>Senior Year Course Load: eight courses instead of the typical six; Chemistry, Biology, English, French, Leadership, Law, World History, Math</li>
<li>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing</li>
</ul>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<ul>
<li>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Council (President 12, Grade Rep 9, Ind. Mem. 11), school newspaper (Editor-in-Chief and Founder, 11-12), Kids Help Phone (Lead Student Ambassador/Chapter Executive Member, 11-12), Peer Literacy Tutoring (teacher-nominated, 12), French Horn in school band (9, 10, 1st Chair 11), Professional Actor (9-12)</li>
<li>Job/Work Experience: acting, flyer design/communications, nothing major</li>
<li>Volunteer/Community service: Kids Help Phone as mentioned</li>
<li>Summer Activities: Acting, acting, Presidential Classroom (politics camp)</li>
<li>Essays: pretty damn good, apparently</li>
<li>Teacher Recommendation: both glowing and effusive</li>
<li>Counselor Rec: equally glowing</li>
<li>Additional Rec: written by head of Kids Help Phone’s local chapter</li>
<li>Interview: went very well</li>
</ul>

<p>Other</p>

<ul>
<li>State (if domestic applicant): Ontario</li>
<li>Country (if international applicant): Canada</li>
<li>School Type: large, suburban public, very few applicants to American schools</li>
<li>Ethnicity: really white</li>
<li>Gender: male</li>
<li>Income Bracket: $50,000 (although that was a unique situation; usually $100,000)</li>
<li>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): father attended no university, mother never graduated; possibly school</li>
</ul>

<p>Reflection
I really never expected this. I don’t want to be all self-deprecating, but this feels like a fluke. Harvard turned out to be the only American school I was accepted to, and this August, I will be attending. Can’t wait to meet the rest of the Class of 2014!</p>

<ul>
<li>Strengths: extracurriculars, some hooks</li>
<li>Weaknesses: academics (relative to other applicants, although there’s a different grading system in Canada), SAT IIs</li>
<li>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Most assuredly based upon my extracurriculars, hook that neither parent completed university (only one attended), and possibly that I’m the first ever from my school to attend.</li>
</ul>

4

<p>Decision: Waitlisted</p>

<p>so stressful.</p>

5

<p>Decision: REJECTED</p>

<ul>
<li>SAT I (breakdown): 2280 (800 math, 780 reading, 700 writing)</li>
<li>ACT: 35 (36 math, science, 35 english, 32 writing)</li>
<li>SAT II: 800 math ii, 800 math i, 800 chem, 790 spanish</li>
<li>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.05</li>
<li>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 3 of 40</li>
<li>AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 AP Calc BC, 5 AP english lit</li>
<li>IB (place score in parenthesis): 7 economics</li>
<li>Senior Year Course Load: toughest possible (all IB, no study periods, classes for every period except lunch)</li>
<li>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Spanish Exam gold medal, PSAT semifinalist, National German Exam 99th percentile</li>
</ul>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<ul>
<li>Extracurriculars: volunteering at a hospital (100 hours), science olympiad 2 years, model UN 3 years</li>
<li>Job/Work Experience: librarian (2 summers)</li>
<li>Volunteer/Community service: nursing home (150 hours), tutoring (90 hours), planting trees and saplings (40 hours)</li>
<li>Summer Activities: Harvard Summer School, volunteering at a hospital</li>
<li>Essays: short answer was excellent, long essay was good but not spectacular</li>
<li>Teacher Recommendation: both excellent</li>
<li>Counselor Rec: good</li>
<li>Interview: went well, although a bit short</li>
</ul>

<p>Other</p>

<ul>
<li>State (if domestic applicant): Washington DC</li>
<li>School Type: private</li>
<li>Ethnicity: asian</li>
<li>Gender: male</li>
<li>Income Bracket: lower middle class</li>
<li>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation, skipped 9th grade</li>
</ul>

<p>Reflection</p>

<ul>
<li>Strengths: </li>
<li>Weaknesses:</li>
<li>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: ■■■</li>
</ul>

6

<p>Dude Harvard is going to be tough with a 1750 SAT for real, but you seem like a hard working person so hopefully you’ll manage.</p>

7

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:

  • SAT I (breakdown): 2140 (720 CR, 670 M [seriously, I can’t understand this], 750 W)
  • ACT: 34 (36 English, 34 Writing, 34 Math, 35 Reading, 31 Science [mehh…])
  • SAT II: Lit 700, Math II 690, Chem 680
  • Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): n/a, we do percentages only at the school I go to now, but previously (before jr year) it was a 3.9
  • Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):also n/a
  • AP (place score in parenthesis): Lang & Comp 5
  • IB (place score in parenthesis):
  • Senior Year Course Load: </p>

<p>1st semester: Calculus II, Biochemistry, Endocrinology, French I, Spanish III, Western Lit, Western Civ, Genetics, Research mentorship (studying the effects of PTPRk on T-cell differentiation) , various fine arts that take place after classes (choir, dance, photography)</p>

<p>2nd semester: Multivariate Calculus, Embryology, Electricity & Magnetism, French I, Spanish III, Western Lit, Western Civ, Neurobiology, Research mentorship, fine arts (choir and dance, but no more photo! D; )</p>

<ul>
<li>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none…</li>
</ul>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<ul>
<li>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): My school doesn’t actually have extra curriculars but I managed to force my way to becoming a 3-year all state choir member. Also, summer arts institute, photography, dance, choir, writing club (elected president), poetry out loud, drama & debate club, beta club</li>
<li>Job/Work Experience: Summer internship in Organic Chemistry doing research before senior year, but none other than that.</li>
<li>Volunteer/Community service: 82.5 hours all together at Early Head Start (daycare for underprivileged children under the age of 3) and the hospital</li>
<li>Summer Activities: Broadway at Bethel summer camp, various volunteer activities, internship</li>
<li>Essays: I know they were <em>really</em> good. I wrote them in present tense. My common app was about going to Cameroon with my mom for my grandmother’s funeral in her village. I took them through the ceremony and discussed my grandmother’s life and her effect on me. My supp essay was about the unusual experience of going to a cadaver lab with my A&P class. I focused on our removal of the brain and how amazing it was.</li>
<li>Teacher Recommendation: I have no idea… I am sure they were pretty good. I had to ask teachers that I had only had since the beginning of the semester though because <em>all</em> of my favorite teachers left at the end of my junior year. :(</li>
<li>Counselor Rec:I’m sure it was fabulous. I badgered him every day so he knows me well. :D</li>
<li>Additional Rec: none</li>
<li>Interview:My interview was absolutely amazing. Hands down the best I’ve ever had (and I’ve had quite a few). He was very impressed with my school and all of the things I have done, specifically balancing such an intense passion for music with my science interests.</li>
</ul>

<p>Other</p>

<ul>
<li>State (if domestic applicant): Oklahoma</li>
<li>Country (if international applicant):</li>
<li>School Type: Two-year, magnet, math and science boarding school. We do not have ECs, GPA, or class rank…</li>
<li>Ethnicity: African-American</li>
<li>Gender: Female</li>
<li>Income Bracket: a bit less than $180K</li>
<li>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none, both of my parents have PhDs. O.o</li>
</ul>

<p>Reflection</p>

<ul>
<li>Strengths: Interview skills, writing, music-science balance, favor of God</li>
<li>Weaknesses: Test scores</li>
<li>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Honestly, I really don’t know. I know my essays were really good and my interview was really good, but I am sure about 15k other people can say the same. Against the other kids at my school, at least, I am the only one to keep up with my ECs after coming to our school. I guess it must have showed my determination and my dedication to the things I care about…</li>
</ul>

<p>Also Accepted: WashU, Amherst, Williams, Rice, UPenn, Colgate, Middlebury</p>

<p>Rejected: Yale (<–LAME! :P)</p>

8

<p>Are any of you trying to decide between Harvard and Princeton?</p>

9

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<ul>
<li>SAT I (breakdown): 800 CR, 750 M, 690 W</li>
<li>ACT: 34 English, 32 Writing, 34 Math, 34 Reading, 34 Science</li>
<li>SAT II: 800 US History, 750 Math II, 700 Lit</li>
<li>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94</li>
<li>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 1%</li>
<li>AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology (5), US History (4), Physics B (4)</li>
<li>IB (place score in parenthesis): school did not offer</li>
<li>Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit, AP Chem, AP Stats, AP Calc AB, Economics, Government, Spanish IV, JROTC IV (Have taken all honors and AP classes offered)</li>
<li>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Questbridge Finalist, National Merit Finalist</li>
</ul>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<ul>
<li>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): SADD (Chapter Leader) and SADD Support (An offshoot of SADD that focuses on developmental assets rather than awareness) (Founder), Student Bible Study (Leader), Student Public Access TV Show (Script Writer), Student Literary Magazine (Editor), Speech Team</li>
<li>Job/Work Experience: None</li>
<li>Volunteer/Community service: Coach for a Not for Profit, tutored Somalian Refugees, Key Club</li>
<li>Summer Activities: Junior Statesman Summer School at Stanford (a cyber-politics course and one on leadership and public service), Summer School Chem, Summer School World History</li>
<li>Essays: One summarizing my life and how I succeeded in school despite abusive parents who never supported me, one about riding on the city bus and social justice</li>
<li>Teacher Recommendation: My AP US Teacher and Chem Teacher (both very aware of my extracurricular efforts and goals)</li>
<li>Interview: Went very very well. I talked about depression era self help books, getting to the state speech tournament by overcoming a speech defect that they told me in middle school couldn’t be helped, my thoughts on how critical success factors could be the solution to generational poverty, and my thoughts on how Freud’s Id, Ego, and Superego are representative of democracy in the way that Plato’s Logic, Spirit, and Appetite were representative of the city state in The Republic. I also spoke a lot about being out of step with a lot of the school politically and having to pull teeth to keep the extracurriculars from totally fading out.</li>
</ul>

<p>Other</p>

<ul>
<li>State (if domestic applicant): Indiana</li>
<li>Country (if international applicant):</li>
<li>School Type: Parochial</li>
<li>Ethnicity: didn’t answer, but have some Hispanic</li>
<li>Gender: male</li>
<li>Income Bracket: below the poverty line</li>
<li>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Not sure exactly.</li>
</ul>

<p>Reflection</p>

<ul>
<li>Strengths: I built my application very strategically and successfully showed I had overcome a number of obstacles in my life even without any substantial support. My essays and interview appealed to progressive and old fashioned idealism. I was able to turn the weaknesses of my application at face value into the most notable strengths. </li>
<li>Weaknesses: poor transcript freshman year, lack of notable awards, seemingly weak extracurriculars</li>
<li>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Because I appealed to the American Dream and showed myself as a complex individual and put everything together strategically.</li>
</ul>

<p>Accepted: Stanford, Columbia
Rejected: Princeton</p>

10

<p>DECISION: WAITLISTED</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<ul>
<li>**SAT I <a href=“breakdown”>/B</a>: 2330 (790 CR, 800 M, 740 W)</li>
<li>ACT: 35 (Don’t remember individuals, 10/12 on writing supplement)</li>
<li>SAT II: 700 Chem, 760 M2, 750 on the Critical Reading one (was it called English Comp?)</li>
<li>**Unweighted GPA<a href=“out%20of%204.0”>/B</a>: 4.0 (cannot exceed 4 at my school)
*** Rank<a href=“percentile%20if%20rank%20is%20unavailable”>/B</a>: Valedictorian
*** AP<a href=“place%20score%20in%20parenthesis”>/B</a>: Calc AB and BC 5’s
*** IB <a href=“place%20score%20in%20parenthesis”>/B</a>:</li>
<li>Senior Year Course Load: Took every AP class at my small, rural school. AP’s are Calc AB, Calc BC, AP Stats, AP English, AP Chemistry, also a French Class at local Community College</li>
<li>**Major Awards<a href=“USAMO,%20Intel%20etc.”>/B</a>: National Merit Finalist (Semi-finalist at the time), U. S. Senate Page School Highest Honors, Academic All-Conference, Youth Rotarian, Various other local awards for little things.</li>
</ul>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<ul>
<li>**Extracurriculars<a href=“place%20leadership%20in%20parenthesis”>/B</a>: Big one for me is United States Senate Page (promoted to Floor Page) in Spring of '09. Also, Young Democrats (3-year Prez and Founder), Teen Court (3-year Prez), Member of two Jazz Bands for Alto Saxophone (1st Chair), Member of Show Choir, Varsity Football (Senior Squad Lifting Captain), Varsity Wrestling, Math Team, NHS and Key Club, Church Group.</li>
<li>Job/Work Experience: I put U. S. Senate Page here as well, as it was a salaried job. Also was a “Young Ambassador” for my City’s Chamber of Commerce.</li>
<li>Volunteer/Community service: Various things, organizing for Political Campaigns, working in Nursing Homes, Tutoring, “Volunteen” at a Hospital, no real focal point to this section.</li>
<li>Summer Activities: Training for Athletics 3 days a week from 6-10 AM M-W-F. Hosting an exchange student from France, working as a Young Ambassador, seeing the world (I put it a different way when it was asked).</li>
<li>Essays: Wrote a great one about working back from crippling leg surgery in Middle School to start for my Football team as a Senior, and an average one about how important a role donuts play in recruitment to our Young Dems group</li>
<li>Teacher Recommendation: From Math Teacher at Senate Page School (they don’t let their students see their Recs, but they’re supposed to be fantastic), From French Teacher I had in a College Course I took.</li>
<li>Counselor Rec: Great</li>
<li>Additional Rec: From my Senator</li>
<li>Interview: Someone who lived in my small town, went very well.</li>
</ul>

<p>Other</p>

<ul>
<li>**State<a href=“if%20domestic%20applicant”>/B</a>: Wisconsin</li>
<li>**Country<a href=“if%20international%20applicant”>/B</a>:</li>
<li>School Type: Small, rural public</li>
<li>Ethnicity: White</li>
<li>Gender: Male</li>
<li>Income Bracket: No need-based Financial Aid</li>
<li>**Hooks <a href=“URM,%20first%20generation%20college,%20etc.”>/B</a>: What is URM? Only hook is that I’m from a small town, I guess.</li>
</ul>

<p>Reflection</p>

<ul>
<li>Strengths: U. S. Senate Page (there are only 60 each year who work and attend school there), leadership, reasonably good scores on tests. Also, well-rounded.</li>
<li>Weaknesses: I don’t have a good school I’m coming from, My 2nd essay could have been better. Volunteering could have been better, but my schedule was pretty full.</li>
<li>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Really I thought I did about as much as I could do to be accepted. I balanced Sports, Leadership, and Volunteering, and did something that made me stand out (Senate Page, Letter of Rec. from Senator). I think the bottom line for me is that Harvard receives 30,000 applications and accepts about 2400, and sometimes you just have to have the right person reading your essay/application and liking you. It’s also possible I just have a gaping hole in my App, and someone is going to point it out in the following posts.</li>
</ul>

<p>*General Comments:
I thought I put in a strong Application and sent it to five High-Class schools: Harvard, Yale EA, Princeton, Stanford, and Columbia (Legacy). I didn’t get denied anywhere, but was waitlisted at Stanford and Harvard (obviously). I figure I was pretty lucky to get in where I did, although it would have been nice to be accepted by Harvard.</p>

11

<p>Broncos93: I can totally understand that you’re frustrated. I was no better when I got my rejection letter :frowning: But if you look at this without emotions: they had a reason in accepting her and I’m sure it is something beyond PR. </p>

<p>SAT’s are not predicting how smart you are and whether you will succeed in college. From my own experience for a long time I couldn’t overcome 2000 point celing at the same time having A- at Harvard Summer School course (without much trying). </p>

<p>Moreover if you could read with just a bit of understanding, you would see that her life wasn’t easy for the last 15 months (I can imagine that being pregnant in HS is not funny at all + once she had a baby it must have been a lot of work). I’m sure admission correctly interpreted it as the proof of her not being easily stopped by an obstacle (weakness of many "good grades " students, which I have seen not being paralyzed by fear of loosing).</p>

12

<p>This seems to have turned out tp be a place where ■■■■■■ congregate and post their ■■■■■ decisions.</p>

13

<p>@LukisPi: He’s a male… he wasn’t pregnant.</p>

14

<p>Objective:</p>

<ul>
<li>SAT I (breakdown): 2330 (730 CR, 800 M, 800 W)</li>
<li>ACT: 35 </li>
<li>SAT II: 800 Chem, 800 M2, 750 Biology</li>
<li>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 </li>
<li>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/423</li>
<li>AP (place score in parenthesis): Music Theory(4), Euro History(4), Computer Science AB(5), Biology(5), Chemistry(5), Physics C-Mechanics(5), English-Language(5), US Government(5)</li>
<li>IB (place score in parenthesis):</li>
<li>Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Stats, AP English, AP US History, AP Psychology</li>
<li>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist (Semi-finalist at the time), Governor’s School for Engineering, local leadership programs</li>
</ul>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<ul>
<li>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):Science Olympiad(Started club at school. Coached a team for 2 years. By my senior year, team went from not qualifying for state competition to 6th in state), Scholars Bowl(Team Captain), Mu Alpha Theta(President of club)</li>
<li>Job/Work Experience: Private Tutoring (6hrs/week)</li>
<li>Volunteer/Community service: 200 hours:Tutoring/Mentoring middle school children through Big Brothers Big Sisters, Volunteering at Local Hospital, teaching English to students with disabilities such as autism and dyslexia in a NGO in India. </li>
<li>Essays: Wrote about learning about leadership through Science Olympiad and attending Leadership programs, wrote about experience teaching English in India</li>
<li>Teacher Recommendation: From Calculus/computer science teacher, English Teacher-both I assume good</li>
<li>Counselor Rec: Good</li>
<li>Interview: Local doctor, Told me, “You are what Harvard is looking for”</li>
</ul>

<p>Other</p>

<ul>
<li>State (if domestic applicant): Tennessee</li>
<li>Country (if international applicant):</li>
<li>School Type: Large, rural public</li>
<li>Ethnicity: Asian(Indian)</li>
<li>Gender: Male</li>
<li>Income Bracket: $100k +</li>
<li>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</li>
</ul>

<p>Reflection</p>

<ul>
<li>Strengths: leadership, volunteering, good AP scores</li>
<li>Weaknesses: I didn’t write a research paper. My SAT verbal score could have been higher. I didn’t participate in any sports-no time.</li>
<li>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
I do not regret anything I did during high school. I enjoyed every activity I pursued. This year, there were so many good candidates. I feel just honored to be on the wait-list. Rejected: MIT, Stanford, CalTech, Wailisted: Harvard, UPenn, Accepted: Johns Hopkins (BME), Duke, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, Tennesee</li>
</ul>

15

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<ul>
<li>SAT I (breakdown): 2180 700(math) 730(reading) 750(writing)</li>
<li>ACT: Didn’t Take</li>
<li>SAT II: 770 (US History) 720 (math level one) 700 (english)</li>
<li>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0</li>
<li>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4th</li>
<li>AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 (BC Calc, US His., Euro His., Eng. Lang.) 4 (Eng. Lit)</li>
<li>IB (place score in parenthesis):</li>
<li>Senior Year Course Load: AP BC Calc, AP Euro, AP Eng. Lang, Oceanography, Spanish V Honors, Wind Ensemble, gym/music appreciation</li>
<li>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): A handful of school awards (subject specific), Columbia Book Award as a Junior, Some Music Dept. awards</li>
</ul>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<ul>
<li>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): A World Of Difference (peer trainer), Teaching Music Lessons, NHS, Link Crew (freshman orientation program, Link Leader), Varsity Golf (4 years)</li>
<li>Job/Work Experience: have worked 30 plus hours a week every summer as a dockhand at a local yacht club.</li>
<li>Volunteer/Community service: Helped with our school’s African Service Project</li>
<li>Summer Activities:work, haha</li>
<li>Essays: First was about my gap-year, and second was about my new job (eco-friendly coffee shop)</li>
<li>Teacher Recommendation: Both were very well written</li>
<li>Counselor Rec: Also very well written, I knew my counselor very well. It’s important!</li>
<li>Additional Rec: None</li>
<li>Interview: Went well, but that it could have been better.</li>
</ul>

<p>Other</p>

<ul>
<li>State (if domestic applicant): MA</li>
<li>Country (if international applicant): USA</li>
<li>School Type: Public (250 kids per class)</li>
<li>Ethnicity: WASP (i dont like the term, but its ture :-/)</li>
<li>Gender: Male</li>
<li>Income Bracket: Not sure, probably $150,000+</li>
<li>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): GAP YEAR!!!</li>
</ul>

<p>Reflection</p>

<ul>
<li>Strengths: Well rounded, put a big emphasis on my music, my consistentsummer job, GAP YEAR</li>
<li>Weaknesses: Nothing truly spectacular about my application</li>
<li><p>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: </p>

<p>Well, its a long story, but I will make it brief. I was waitlisted last year which was a total surprise. I then had a second interview in May and it went very well. I learned in mid-june that I was not accepted off the waitlist, but had read a lot about gap-years and wasnt happy with my then current school, so I decided to take a year off. I then had another interview with my admissions officer and she was very excited. In the fall I went to Guatemala to volunteer at a local school for 3 months. I then came home, worked, and am currently travelling with a friend around Europe. I first took a gap-year because I wasn’t happy with my college situation, but there is a reason Harvard is such a big proponent of them. YOU WILL LEARN SO MUCH!!! I learnt more in three months than I did in four years of high school, sad but true. People should think about gap years not to get into Harvard (although it could be an added bonus) but instead they should see how valuable they really are. The world is your oyster, truly.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Accepted: Bowdoin, BU honors, Tufts, Princeton </p>

<p>Rejeceted: Brown, UPENN, Columbia</p>

<p>General Comments:
Anyone else deciding between Harvard and Princeton? Please PM me to discuss!</p>

<p>WAITLISTERS GET OFF COLLEGE CONFIDENTIAL!!! I WAS YOU LAST YEAR AND THERE ARE TOO MANY ■■■■■■, IT WILL JUST MESS WITH YOUR MIND!! </p>

<p>ENJOY YOUR LAST TIME IN HIGH SCHOOL :-)</p>

16

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<ul>
<li>SAT I (breakdown):n/a</li>
<li>ACT: 32 ( E 28 M36 R31 S34)</li>
<li>SAT II:</li>
<li>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): hard to say(schools in Poland & Canada) aprox 87%(high 90’s in science , low 80’s in languages)</li>
<li>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):10%</li>
<li>AP (place score in parenthesis):no</li>
<li>IB (place score in parenthesis): Grade 11, not finished due to an exchange</li>
<li>Senior Year Course Load: 1st sem: English 4U/AP, WHistory AP, Geography 4U, Writers’ Craft 4U, 2nd sem: Math Data Management 4U, Calculus & Vectors 4U, Physics 4U, Advanced Functions 4U</li>
<li>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Many major awards in Economics competitions in Poland</li>
</ul>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<ul>
<li>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Economics club (TA, tutor), forex investor, soccer, hockey, XC/T&F, Debate (captain of a team), Interact, Rotary Exchange Student </li>
<li>Job/Work Experience:n/a</li>
<li>Volunteer/Community service: a lot with Rotary/ Interact</li>
<li>Summer Activities:Driving license course (60h), preparation for an exchange</li>
<li>Essays: 1st about me starting to play hockey(difference in approach to sport in Poland &Canada) 2nd about my experience as forex trader (my Writers’ Craft teacher said it had an original style in it)</li>
<li>Teacher Recommendation: I’ve read 1 was really good, the second one I assume was even better (1 Polish & 1 Canadian)</li>
<li>Counselor Rec: Polish & Canadian I assume both were really good</li>
<li>Additional Rec: Recomendation from my Rotary Exchange counselor- did it the last hour before sending and was a bit too short. </li>
<li>Interview: Awsome, my interviewer scheduled only an hour for it, but because he enjoyed it so much he rescheduled his bussines meeting during our interview to have some more time. He said I was a perfect candidate for an IVY school. </li>
</ul>

<p>Other</p>

<ul>
<li>State (if domestic applicant): </li>
<li>Country (if international applicant):Poland (but applied as Canadian)</li>
<li>School Type: Public</li>
<li>Ethnicity:European</li>
<li>Gender: M</li>
<li>Income Bracket: <$100 000</li>
<li>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
-Being Rotary exchange student
-4 fluent languages
-traveled over 20 countries</li>
</ul>

<p>Reflection
weaknesses
-did not gradueted in any of the countries
-my EC might seem a bit random (I’ve changed a lot during the exchange)</p>

17

<p>How you all (ACCEPTED) prepared for the SAT’s (both I and II) and ACT… in INDIA particularly in my STATE …we doesn’t know how to do it…!!!</p>

18

<p>what state are you from?</p>

19

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<ul>
<li>SAT I (breakdown): 750 in all, 2250 total</li>
<li>ACT: N/A</li>
<li>SAT II: 750 Math II, 780 US History, 640 Chemistry</li>
<li>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.885</li>
<li>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/169</li>
<li>AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 US History, 5 Statistics</li>
<li>IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A</li>
<li>Senior Year Course Load: AP US Gov and Politics, AP Lit and Composition, AP Physics C, AP Calc BC, Advanced French (Level 4), Anatomy and Physiology</li>
<li>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Scholarship Qualifier but never advanced past the first round, and that’s about it.</li>
</ul>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<ul>
<li>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track (but I’m not good at them…), Environmental Club, Student Advisory Council, National Honors Society (President), Model UN</li>
<li>Job/Work Experience: Food Running 3-4 days a week at a restaurant during the summer, 1 day a week during school; Algebra I/II tutor 2-3 days a week</li>
<li>Volunteer/Community service: 50+ Hours at a Hospital in Transport</li>
<li>Summer Activities: Working</li>
<li>Essays: One was about the beach and my curiosity and how the two are related, and my optional was one about how I learned to accept my relationship with my dad (We’re not exactly close). It concluded with me giving a picture of myself, literally. </li>
<li>Teacher Recommendation: I only saw one but it was really good. I hope the other one was as well.</li>
<li>Counselor Rec: Really good, she’s the nicest lady on the planet.</li>
<li>Additional Rec: N/A</li>
<li>Interview: I think it went well, the guy told me he was going to write me a good recommendation. He had to leave early though, like 30min into it. </li>
</ul>

<p>Other</p>

<ul>
<li>State (if domestic applicant): Massachusetts</li>
<li>Country (if international applicant):</li>
<li>School Type: Public</li>
<li>Ethnicity: White</li>
<li>Gender: Male</li>
<li>Income Bracket: <$60000</li>
<li>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): My dad didn’t go to college, but my mom did, and I really don’t think I have that many hooks other than I’ve tried many different things in school.</li>
</ul>

<p>Reflection</p>

<ul>
<li>Strengths: Well rounded I guess. Good SAT scores, but not really compared to some others I’ve seen in this thread alone.</li>
<li>Weaknesses: Volunteering, activities, everything is solid but not exceptional…</li>
<li>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I really have no clue. It came as a complete shock. I was rejected from Georgetown, Columbia and UPenn, waitlisted at UChicago, Johns Hopkins and George Washington, and only applied to Harvard so that I wouldn’t have any regrets. I definitely don’t right now! I’m SOOO EXCITED/EXHILARATED/EVERYTHING!</li>
</ul>

20

<p>GooDness! You amazing kid!
How did you volunteer with the NGO in India?! </p>

<p>Tell me how you get all those good test scores?! I need help with this so that by next year -my senior year- I will be well prepared! :slight_smile: </p>

<p>I want to go into BME at JHU, and it’s amazing that you were accepted there?!</p>