*** Official Harvard University 2018 RD Decisions Only***

[mneary]

<p>[color=green]Decision: Accepted[/color=green]</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>]ACT (breakdown): 36; 36; 36; 36; 31
[</em>]SAT II: Math II (800); Physics (800)
[<em>]Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
[</em>]AP (place score in parentheses): Calculus BC (5); Stats (5); Macro (5); Micro (5)
[li]Senior Year Course Load: Honors Anatomy; Honors Java; AP Gov; AP Latin IV; Brit Lit; Theology; Introduction to Set Theory[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Subjective:

[ul]
[<em>]Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Programming; Robotics club; Author
[</em>]Job/Work Experience: Founder of software firm; Intern and freelancer
[<em>]Volunteer/Community Service: None
[</em>]Summer Activities: Programming
[<em>]Essays: On Open Source Programming; Dear Future Roommate
[</em>]Teacher Recommendations: From Latin teacher, Math teacher, and Math Professor all of whom I really liked.
[li]Interview: Went well[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Other

[ul]
[<em>]State (if domestic applicant): OH
[</em>]School Type: Catholic
[<em>]Ethnicity: White
[</em>]Gender: Male
[<em>]Income Bracket: High
[</em>]Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
[/ul]</p>

<p>Reflection

[ul]
[<em>]Strengths: My programming and graduate level math courses
[</em>]Weaknesses: Lack of service and group extracurriculars
[<em>]Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My mixture of test scores, grades, and field of expertise
[</em>]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: If you have something that sets you apart and the grades and test scores necessary, you definitely have a chance of getting in.
[/ul]</p>

[perisna]

<p>[color=orange]Decision: Waitlisted[/color=orange]</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>]SAT I (breakdown): 2400 (single sitting)
[</em>]ACT: n/a (did not take)
[<em>]SAT II: Physics 800, Biology M 780
[</em>]Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.1 (94 avg)
[<em>]Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 2% (approx 4/182)
[</em>]AP (place score in parenthesis): Physics B (5), Spanish (5), APUSH (5), Biology (5)
[<em>]IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
[</em>]Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc, Anatomy/Physiology (one of hardest science classes in school), Intro to Law, Economics (school does not offer any AP social studies classes), Honors Spanish (already took AP), Honors English (school does not offer any AP)
[<em>]Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Harvard Book Award, National Merit Semi-Finalist (has since updated to Finalist, but did not send), Presidential Scholar Nominee
[/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[</em>]Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Art (competitive, various awards), International Economic Summit, Varsity Tennis Team, Secretary of Student Gov’t (3 yrs), VP of local chapter of NHS
[<em>]Job/Work Experience: Restaurant hostess, art teacher at local Chinese school
[</em>]Volunteer/Community service: Local church, TA at Chinese school
[<em>]Summer Activities: took bio course at Harvard (A-)
[</em>]Essays: 9.5/10
[<em>]Teacher Recommendation: 10/10 (English), 8.5-9/10 (Bio)
[</em>]Counselor Rec: 7.5/10 (she’s a terrible writer)
[<em>]Additional Rec: 9/10 (best friend wrote peer rec and she’s a very good writer)
[</em>]Interview: 8.5/10 (he was a gov’t major and we talked about econ/finances, which I find interesting but am not particularly well-informed about; a lot of it was him kind of bragging about meeting famous people)
[<em>]Supplementary Material: Sent in visual art supplement; however it was after the formal deadline so I’m not sure if it got through.
[/ul]
Other[ul]
[</em>]State (if domestic applicant): MA
[<em>]School Type: Small-medium public
[</em>]Ethnicity: East Asian
[<em>]Gender: Female
[</em>]Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate): 100K-200K, eligible for FA
[<em>]Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none, potentially immigrant status? unsure if that’s a hook (since I’m Asian)
[/ul]
Reflection[list]
[</em>]Strengths: Test scores, ec’s (esp art), essays
[<em>]Weaknesses: Counselor rec, GPA could be better, could have more impressive awards (?)
[</em>]Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Well-rounded, had already taken course at Harvard; on the flip side, not quite impressive enough to be decided on.
[<em>]Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Dartmouth (A), Tufts (A), Princeton (R), Brown (R), Bowdoin (R), Duke (R), JHU (W), accepted at a couple safeties (Brandeis, Northeastern etc)
[</em>]General Comments: To be honest I was banking on being straight up rejected (esp after rejections from Princeton, Brown, etc) but it’s nice to have at least a chance to get in… I’m 95% committed to Dartmouth (1st choice) anyways so I’m going to just wait and see if Harvard can give me more money, haha. Good luck to fellow waitlistees!</p>

[starlight27]

<p>**[color=red]Decision: Rejected[/color=red]</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>]SAT I (breakdown): 2360 (800M, 800W, 760 CR)
[</em>]SAT II (place score in parentheses): 770 Bio M, 790 Math II
[<em>]Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.99
[</em>]Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): NA
[<em>]AP (place score in parentheses): AP Bio (4), AP US (5), AP World (4), AP English Lang (5)
[</em>]Senior Year Course Load: 6 APs
[li]Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Rensselaer Math and Science Medalist, National Merit Finalist[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Subjective:

[ul]
[<em>]Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Spanish Club (President), Environmental Club (Co-president for 2 years), Pencils of Promise (Co-founder, Co-president), Varsity Tennis, Varsity Skiing, Columbia Science Honors program, Math Team, Model UN, Clarinet player
[</em>]Job/Work Experience: 6 week medical internship (150 hours)
[<em>]Volunteer/Community Service: Hospital volunteering (150 hours), Research at Columbia (250 hours), Peer Edication (100 hours), Teaching Spanish to students with autism and down syndrome (60 hours)
[</em>]Essays: Good
[<em>]Teacher Recommendations: Fabulous (idk about one but the other said I was the best in his career)
[</em>]Counselor Rec: I’m pretty sure it’s good
[li]Interview: It went well :)[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Other

[ul]
[<em>]State (if domestic applicant): NY
[</em>]Country (if international applicant):
[<em>]School Type: Small public
[</em>]Ethnicity: Indian/White
[<em>]Gender: F
[</em>]Income Bracket: +150k
[li]Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Reflection

[ul]
[<em>]Strengths: Scores, ECs
[</em>]Weaknesses: No hooks
[<em>]Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My scores definitely aren’t as good as some other people who applied.
[</em>]Where else you are applying or have already applied: Bunch of BS/MD programs, Brown (accepted), U Penn (wait listed), Fordham (accepted)
[li]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Congrats to those who got in!! [/li][/ul]</p>

[etacarinae]

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

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2210- 730 CR, 710 M, 770 W
[</em>] ACT: n/a – didn’t take
[<em>] SAT II: 760 Lit, 790 USH
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/231
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): USH-5, English Language-5, Calculus AB- 5
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Calc BC, AP French, AP Economics (macro+micro), AP English Literature (online through Virtual High School), Honors Chorus, Class Assistant to APUSH class
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): no major awards. On my Common App, I put Brown book award, Excellence (honor roll) all quarters, Nat’l Merit Commended, AP Scholar, National French Honor Society. [/ul] </p>[/li]
<p>Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Drama Club 9, 10, 11, 12 (8 shows, state festival awarded 9, 10, 11, lead roles, assistant director + president senior year), community service club that works with local charities to throw birthday parties for homeless children 10, 11, 12 (founder+co-president), National Honor Society 12 (vice-president), SADD 10, 11, 12 (treasurer), Model UN 10, 11, 12 (founding member), Gay-Straight Alliance 9, 10 (publicist)
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: internship at Museum of Science, Boston developing a part of an exhibit, math tutor to middle and high school students in algebra II and geometry through calculus AB
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: 300 hours in total, mostly from community service club or local events such as charity walks and teaching a theatre class at a camp for students with special needs in my town.
[</em>] Summer Activities: volunteer at science museum after sophomore year, aforementioned internship and teaching volunteer position after junior year.
[<em>] Essays: Common App essay was about my father who was an alcoholic and was in an accident when I was young, leaving him with a major head injury. The essay itself was about how what happened to my father motivated me to succeed in school. It started out very long and I had to cut down a lot, so not as good as it could be (7/10)
Supplements were honestly just really good essays I had done for other schools and tweaked for Harvard. My extracurricular one was about acting and my optional one was a very conversational piece about how people are more than just paper. I liked it a lot, but was worried it was a little cliche… I guess somebody liked it!
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: One from last year’s AP English Language teacher (read, very strong) and one from last year’s Honors Physics teacher (didn’t read but he’s said I’m a best-in-career student so it was probably great)
[<em>] Counselor Rec: excellent, focused on activities that I didn’t really get to emphasize on the Common App but still sounded genuine.
[</em>] Additional Rec: from my boss from my internship who hired me as a year-round employee after the internship ended (which is rare). Didn’t read but she likes me a lot so it should be very good
[<em>] Interview: Fantastic–my best one by far! The interviewer seemed legitimately impressed by my work. I tested out my French and Spanish and we had a lovely discussion about air quality in Beijing. He told me the rec would be fantastic–I think he worked miracles.
[</em>] Supplementary Material: n/a
[/ul]</p>

<p>Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): MA
[</em>] School Type: medium-sized public, ~900 kids
[<em>] Ethnicity: white
[</em>] Gender: female
[<em>] Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate): ~50k single parent household
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
[/ul]
Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: transcript, showed passion about activities I’m involved in
[</em>] Weaknesses: low SAT reasoning, no major awards
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have no idea. I have absolutely no idea. It must have been the interview, or maybe because I work in Cambridge or they already had too many extraordinary people and needed some ordinary ones? I really don’t know.
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: the full list is Harvard (accepted), Brown (accepted), Tufts (accepted), NYU (accepted), BU (accepted w/ honors), Northeastern (accepted), UMass Amherst (accepted w/ honors), UChicago (waitlisted), Northwestern (waitlisted), Stanford (rejected), Yale (rejected), Columbia (rejected)
[/ul]
**General Comments: **
I can’t believe it. I’m going to Harvard. I didn’t even allow myself to dream of this because it seemed so far out of reach. If nothing else, this proves that after a certain point, college admissions have a huge chance aspect. And that being yourself and not doing stuff for the sake of college apps is more beneficial than becoming an accomplished yet passionless robot. This is surreal.</p>

[savusavu]

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<pre><code>ACT: 29
SAT II: Math II (700), Bio E (730)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): don´t know, all As on Transcript and 2 Bs.
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/43
AP (place score in parenthesis): -
IB (place score in parenthesis): -
Senior Year Course Load: Pure Science (Math, Eng, Bio, Phy, Chem - most challeging)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): only Fiji competition prizes, Chem Quiz Battle (1st), Math Comp (various),
Team Math Comp, Phy Quiz, Gold in Outrigger paddling (intl regatta)
</code></pre>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<pre><code>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): founded Paddling Club (secretary, coach, captain), Math,
Phy, Chem Club (team captain in Comp), Guitar, Youth Coordinator for cultural club, Theater/Drama (lead role),
founded NGO
Job/Work Experience: Waitress in Cafe
Volunteer/Community service: helped Asylum kids in Germany, Museum Guide, Project Manager for
conducting Water Safety Courses in my town, Poll Assistent
Summer Activities: -
Essays: very personal, interesting
Teacher Recommendation: very good
Counselor Rec: very good
Additional Rec: very good
Interview: awesome. my admissions officer called me up directly
</code></pre>

<p>Other</p>

<pre><code>State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Fiji
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: German
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: <10 000 year (full FA applicant)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): German growing up in rural Fiji?
</code></pre>

<p>Reflection</p>

<pre><code>Strengths: Character shown in Interview, Essays, Teacher Recs
Weaknesses: No APs, IBs, TEST SCORES, no intl awards
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: interview, unique background
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted (Dartmouth, Brown), Waitlisted (Stanford, Georgetown, Middlebury, Duke, Bates), Rejected (Bowdoin, Amherst, Occidental, Colgate, F&M, Williams, Vassar Cornell, Princeton, Yale, Johns Hopkins, pomona, Penn)
</code></pre>

<p>General Comments:
If you are an international student applying for full fin aid, do not waste too much time with the small unis. I wish I would have just applied to the Ivies. I didn´t get into any non-Ivy ones! Also, write risky essays! Dare yourself to be weird but mature. If a college likes you they will take you despite your flaws (ACT 29)!!! I never believed it when everyone says that Harvard takes applicants as people not numbers but it proved to be true! Have faith in yourself and allow yourself to be different. Good luck to future applicants and Congrats to those that got in! Love to those that got rejected, I am really sorry. Sometimes I think bad for stealing a spot in Harvard´s class when I see all those qualified, brilliant people here on CC.</p>

<p>General Comments: [/noparse]</p>

[Nihilus]

<p>[color=red]Decision: Rejected[/color=red]**</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>]SAT I (breakdown): 2400
[</em>]ACT (breakdown): 36 (36E 36M 35R 36S)
[<em>]SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 Math II, 800 Chem, 790 Physics
[</em>]Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.90
[<em>]Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
[</em>]AP (place score in parentheses): 5s: Calc BC, Chem, Psychology, APUS, Micro,
4: Macro
[<em>]IB (place score in parentheses):
[</em>]Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable Calc, AP Physics, AP Bio, AP English Lit, AP Spanish Lang, Politics Elective
[li]Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMF, Presidential Scholar Candidate[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Subjective:

[ul]
[<em>]Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Huffington Post Teen blogger, Online political website (Editor-in-Chief, Quiz Bowl (Founder, President), Model Congress (Head Delegate), Science Olympiad, MUN
[</em>]Job/Work Experience: Academic Tutor
[<em>]Volunteer/Community Service: Library shelving
[</em>]Summer Activities: SAAST engineering camp, politics camp, cultural camp
[<em>]Essays: Good 8-9/10
[</em>]Teacher Recommendations: didn’t see
[<em>]Counselor Rec: didn’t see
[</em>]Additional Rec:
[li]Interview: good[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Other

[ul]
[<em>]State (if domestic applicant): NJ
[</em>]Country (if international applicant):
[<em>]School Type: Public
[</em>]Ethnicity: South Asian
[<em>]Gender: Male
[</em>]Income Bracket: 150-200k
[li]Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None. (Wrote and published a book in 7th grade)[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Reflection

[ul]
[<em>]Strengths: Scores, varied ECs, HuffPost/published author, scores
[</em>]Weaknesses: Competitive applicant pool
[<em>]Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: ^^^
[</em>]Where else you are applying or have already applied:
Accepted: UChicago (with likely), NYU Stern, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon SCS, UMich, UCLA, Rutgers, Georgia Tech
Rejected: MIT, Princeton, Harvard, Penn
Waitlisted: Yale, Columbia, Caltech, Dartmouth
[li]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:[/li][/ul]</p>

[mashedpotato]

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2250 - 750 CR 800 M 700 W
ACT (breakdown): Did not take
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II 800 Chemistry 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 96.5% (in Canada)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Calc BC (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): None
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit., AP French, AP Bio, AP Chem, Physics, Instrumental Music, Writer’s Craft
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): provincial writing competition, regional French oratorical contest, various math competitions (school champion), community award for volunteerism</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Key Club (Lieutenant Governor), Model United Nations (Executive Secretary General), Student Council (Grade 12 Rep), School Newspaper (Editor), various school orchestras (sectional leader - cello)
Job/Work Experience: cello tutor, tutor for English/Math,
Volunteer/Community Service: senior home meal assistant
Summer Activities: exchange program to Quebec, national math camp, Shad Valley, 4-day canoe trips
Essays: I think both were very personal and revealed a lot about me. Can’t really give them a score though.
Teacher Recommendations: 10/10, 9/10
Counselor Rec: Not sure
Additional Rec: 8.5/10, 8/10 (one from senior home coordinator, one from music teacher)
Interview: Had two because apparently first interviewer’s report was vague. Both went quite well though.</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Canada
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: East Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $55,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): </p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Essays, recs
Weaknesses: Extracurriculars, major awards, SAT, marks
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I was honest and emotional with the essays.
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
Rejected from Yale, Columbia
Waitlisted from Princeton
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I’m extremely surprised that I got in, but so happy because it was my dream school. Best of luck to everyone!</p>

[akashaka]

<p>Waitlisted</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>]SAT: 2300 (M: 770, CR: 740, W: 790) (3 tests)
[</em>]SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Chemistry
[<em>]ACT: didn’t send
[</em>]GPA: 3.98 UW
[<em>]Rank: 12/325 UW, 29/325 W (transferred from another school which messed these up)
[</em>]Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): APs: Calculus BC (5) (AB Subscore: 5), Chemistry (5), Psychology (5), English Language (5), Physics C Mechanics (5), Physics C E&M (5), Statistics (4), US History (4)
[/ul]Subjective[ul]
[<em>]Essays:

• Common App – About my brother and what he means to me
• Work Experience – Summer Research Internship
• Additional – About my experiences at a boarding school in India
  [</em>]Teacher Recs:
• Physics Teacher - AMAZING, she showed it to me and I couldn’t have asked for a better one - talked about my passion for helping other students
• Social Studies (Civics, Psychology and US Government) Teacher - Probably pretty good, she knew me and liked me
• Research Mentor – Probably very good, we’ve worked together for 2 years and it’s been great
• PGSS Director – Saw it, was pretty good
  [<em>]Counselor Rec: IDK, probably all right.
  [</em>]Interview: Meh. It was my first one. Had no clue what to say and was really nervous. 6/10
  [<em>]Supplementary Material:
  Research Paper
  Summary of what kind of research I do
  A novella related to my experiences in India
  [</em>]Hook (recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize): Legacy
  [/ul]Personal[ul]
  [<em>]Location: Pittsburgh, PA
  [</em>]High School Type: Large public
  [<em>]Ethnicity: 1/2 White, 1/2 Indian (Asian)
  [</em>]Gender: XY
  [/ul]Other[ul]
  [<em>]Extracurriculars: FIRST Robotics Team Captain, Science Bowl Co-captain, Improv Club, Varsity Frisbee, Science Olympiad, Volunteering as teaching assistant at museum summer camps, debate, piano
  [</em>]Awards: National AP Scholar, National Merit Semifinalist, Accepted to Pennsylvania Governor’s School for Sciences, Science Olympiad Regional Champion, RIT Computing Medal
  [li]Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?: I just qualified for Intel ISEF, National Science Bowl and National Merit Finalist. Also got accepted to Princeton and Cornell (w/Tanner Dean Scholarship nomination). Going to talk about these things in my waitlist letter. All the best to everyone![/li][/ul]</p>

[AtlStudent96]

<p>[color=green]Decision: Accepted[/color=green]</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>]SAT I (breakdown):2270 (750 CR 770 M 750 W over 2 sittings)
[</em>]ACT (breakdown): 35 (35 English, 33 Math, 36 Reading, 36 Science, 8 essay, 1 sitting)
[<em>]SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 Math II, 790 Lit, 780 US History, 770 World History
[</em>]Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 UW, 4.3ish weighted
[<em>]Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/228
[</em>]AP (place score in parentheses): 10th grade: Stat (5), World Hist (4) 11th grade: Calc BC (5), Comparative Gov (5), US Hist (5), Lang/Comp (5), Microecon (5), Macroecon (5). 12th grade: Lit/Comp, US Gov, Physics B
[<em>]IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
[</em>]Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP US Gov, AP Physics B, dual enrolled in calc at Georgia Tech, filler classes
[li]Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP National Scholar, National Merit Semifinalist, NFL (debate) Outstanding Distinction[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Subjective:

[ul]
[<em>]Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Debate (president, senior year. Captain of policy squad Junior and Senior year), Cross Country grade 9-11 (lettered all three years, never competed at Varsity level), Worldquest (a quizbowl competition), Young Dems soph and sr year
[</em>]Job/Work Experience: Summer job throughout high school, programming paid internship January - April 2013
[<em>]Volunteer/Community Service: 75 hours - required by school system, nothing special (mostly related to debate team fundraising)
[</em>]Summer Activities: soph: job, debate camp, a debate tournament jr: job, internship with democratic party of georgia, summer chem class sr: debate camp, 2 debate tournaments, job
[<em>]Essays: I thought they were good, but nothing phenomenal. My common app essay was about taking leadership on my debate team. My extracurricular essay was about how debate has affected my life. My supp essay was an essay about the way I think and how that informs my choice of major.
[</em>]Teacher Recommendations: 3 teachers.One from debate coach/AP Lang teacher, one from a teacher who taught me 10th grade lit, AP Comparative Gov, and is now teaching me AP US Gov, one from a teacher who taught me AP Stat in 10th grade and AP Calc AB and BC in 11th grade. I didn’t read them, but I assume they were very good. All 3 teachers like me
[<em>]Counselor Rec: Should be good. My counselor doesn’t know me super well (she came to my school during my junior year), but I’ve met with her a lot and she likes me.
[</em>]Additional Rec: 1 from my summer job employer. Didn’t read it, but I think it was very good, probably talked about work ethic and stuff
[li]Interview: Went really well. I live in Atlanta, but my dad is from Columbus, which is where my interviewer was from. We talked talked about the area and Ohio State football and basketball for a while before the interview itself. Then one of the first questions she asked me was about my favorite class in school. I said AP Comparative Gov, and she had recently visited Nigeria (one of the nation’s studied in the class), so we got to talk about that a bit. That set a really good tone for the interview, which helped a lot.[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Other

[ul]
[<em>]State (if domestic applicant): GA
[</em>]Country (if international applicant): N/A
[<em>]School Type: Mid-Large Urban Public School
[</em>]Ethnicity: White
[<em>]Gender: Man
[</em>]Income Bracket: Low (got fin aid from harvard, efc was 0)
[li]Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):None[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Reflection

[ul]
[<em>]Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think my interview helped a lot - I don’t know what else could’ve made me stand apart
[</em>]Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted - Georgetown SFS, Emory, Georgia Tech, UGA. Waitlisted: UChicago Denied: Dartmouth, Stanford
[/ul]</p>

[KentuckyMath]

<p>Decision: ACCEPTED</p>

<p>Objective:
•ACT: 35 Composite (one sitting in Grade 10)
•SAT II: Math Level 2 800, Chemistry 790, US History 800
•Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
•Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/278
•AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus BC 5, Chemistry 5, US Govt & Politics 5, US History 5, World History 5, Spanish Language 4, English Language & Comp 4, Psychology (self-studied) 4
•IB (place score in parenthesis): NA
•Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Statistics, AP Biology, AP Physics, Multivariable Calculus Independent Study, Medicaid Nurse Aide, Senior Seminar
•Honors/Awards: National Merit Finalist, National AP Scholar, Kentucky Governor Scholar, HOSA 1st Place State & Region Medical Math</p>

<p>Subjective:
•Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 4-yr Varsity Soccer (Team Captain, Defensive MVP, All-Region, Academic All-State), Math Club/Mu Alpha Theta (Founder & President), Track & Field, Health Occupations Students of America HOSA (President, VP of Programming, Secretary), Club Soccer (Team Captain), Church Youth Group (3x Mission Trip Volunteer, Small Group Leader), National Beta Club (President, Treasurer), National Honor Society (President)
•Volunteer/Community service: 3x Mission Trip Volunteer and other church volunteer activities, TOPSoccer volunteer for young athletes with special needs, volunteer math tutor
•Summer Activities: KY Governor’s Scholar 5-week summer program in Physical Science (12), DukeTIP Institute of Advanced Cancer Therapies (11), “So You Want to be a Doctor?” online course while recovering from ACL surgery (10), Three Mission Trips (9, 11, 12), Soccer conditioning every summer
•Essays: Common app essay was very personal about a family set-back that we all had to overcome
•Teacher Recommendation: Great (requested way in advance)
•Counselor Rec: Great - she loves me
•Additional Rec: Club Soccer Coach and Church Youth Pastor
•Interview: Intense & thorough but pleasant </p>

<p>Other:
•State (if domestic applicant): KY
•Country (if international applicant): USA
•School Type: Public
•Ethnicity: White
•Gender: F
•Income Bracket: Middle class
•Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): ??girl who is good at math from Kentucky??</p>

<p>Reflection:
•Strengths: High test scores & GPA , Rigorous course load & AP classes/exam scores, focused elective course load in Health Sciences, Valedictorian, good ECs with leadership and continuity, good essays and recommendations, doctor shadowing experiences
•Weaknesses: Non URM, no USAMO/Intel/Major Awards, no research experience
•Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: ??Took time on my essays, prayed!
•Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted to Northwestern and HPME Program, Harvard, Princeton, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt with Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship, Georgia Tech, UVA and Jefferson Scholar Finalist, UF, UGA, Auburn, Alabama, Clemson, UK & BS/MD program; UofLouisville & GEMS program; Wait Listed at MIT and WashU; Rejected from Yale and Stanford</p>

<p>General Comments: So thrilled and thankful!! Can’t believe it!! :). Big decisions to make over the next few weeks!</p>

[RandomRhino]

<p>Is there any way we can get this thread stickier at the top like the other decisions threads? Maybe then more people could see it and post.</p>

[Venezolano]

<p>[color=green]Decision: Accepted[/color=green]</p>

<p>Objective:
ACT: 35 (36 Reading, 36 English, 34 Science, 32 Math)
SAT I: 740 CR, 680 M, 640 W (6 essay) = 2060 (froze up on the essay and only wrote 2 paragraphs so that was pretty bad haha)
SAT II: 800 Biology E, 780 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank: 18/447
AP (score in parenthesis): Biology (5), World History (5), Calculus AB/BC (5), English Lang (5), US History (5), Psychology (5)</p>

<p>Senior Year Course Load: Georgia Tech Calculus II, Georgia Tech Calculus III, AP Economics (micro & macro), AP Lit, Scientific Internship & Research, Advanced Band, Honors Gov.</p>

<p>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Best in Category and 1st Honors at the 2013 Georgia Science and Engineering Fair, research accepted for publication in the Harvard Journal of Emerging Investigators, National Latin Exam Summa Cum Laude Gold Medal, Honor Band, National Merit Semifinalist, National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar.</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Marching Band (Drum Captain, Center Snare), Varsity Tennis (Co-captain), Lab Research at Emory University’s Center for Neurodegenerative Disease, Magnet Advisory Board Member.</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: Unpaid, but worked ~150 hours in a neurology research lab and ~240 hours in a cancer research lab at Emory.</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service: Earned a Community Service Letter, service trips to Costa Rica and to the Pemon Indian tribes near the Venezuelan Amazon, Learning Links Tutor, ESOL Mentor, Leadership Club and Helping Hands Club volunteer.</p>

<p>Summer Activities: Accepted into the Winship Cancer Institute Summer Scholars Research Program at Emory University, went on service trips, UGA Latino Leadership Summer Program, National Student Leadership Conference, marching band camp.</p>

<p>Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9. I think my common app essay was very strong, and I think my supplements were very solid as well.</p>

<p>Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: (10) I was his top student and he said he wrote me a “glowing” rec.
Teacher Rec #2: (9) Also said she wrote me a great rec.
Counselor Rec: (9) I think it was pretty good my counselor knows me pretty well.
Additional Rec: (9) Got a rec from the doctor whose lab I worked in over the summer at Emory. I think it was a pretty good rec he was very impressed with my work and initiative.
Interview: Interview went very well, talked about my accomplishments, had a very fun discussion about Duke, I made her laugh so that didn’t hurt haha.</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): Georgia
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Magnet Public High School
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 150k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Academic accomplishments and extracurriculars.
Weaknesses: Lack of big leadership roles.</p>

<p>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think I just had a pretty solid application overall with my scores, academics, extracurriculars, and awards.</p>

<p>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted early to Stanford, got a Likely Letter from Yale in January and got my official acceptance a few weeks ago, also accepted to Duke regular decision. Accepted to Georgia Tech and UGA Honors early as well.</p>

[LizzieBennet22]

<p>[color=green]Decision: Accepted[/color=green]</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>]SAT I (breakdown): 2210 (CR-720, W-720, M-770)
[</em>]ACT (breakdown): 34 (E-36, M-33, R-32, S-33)
[<em>]SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (790), Biology M (750) Physics (730)
[</em>]Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A, weighted 4.5494
[<em>]Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/375
[</em>]AP (place score in parentheses): Lang and Comp (5), Calc BC (5), Stats (5), Physics B (4)
[<em>]IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
[</em>]Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C (Mechanics and E&M), AP Bio, AP Lit, AP Euro, College Italian 205H
[li]Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist, National History Day State Champion, AMC 3 time Champion, ASMA Champion, AP Scholar with Honors, NHS, Mu Alpha Theta Math Honors Society, Tri-M Music Honors Society, Italian Language Honors Society[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Subjective:

[ul]
[<em>]Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Theatre (roles such as Eliza in Pygmalion, Madame Thenardier in Les Miserables), Dance (choreographer/dance captain/trained in jazz, tap, hip hop, ballet, pointe, modern, and theatre dance), Piano (15 years - accompanist for the school chorus, orchestra, concert band, and all other concerts), Jazz Band, Marching Band, Mad About Mu Quarterly Math Paper Executive Editor, Drama Club Secretary, Math Honors Society VP, Quiz Bowl A-Team
[</em>]Job/Work Experience: N/A
[<em>]Volunteer/Community Service: organized an annual Art Auction and Concert for the Make-A-Wish Foundation
[</em>]Summer Activities: volunteer as a production assistant at a local youth theatre, performed in various musicals
[<em>]Essays: Common App was alright, but my Harvard supplements were pretty good. The optional essay brought my mother to tears, and my extracurricular essay was so carefully developed.
[</em>]Teacher Recommendations: Only read 1/2. AP stats teacher said in 16 years of teaching I was in his top 3 students.
[<em>]Counselor Rec: Probably horrendous. I didn’t know my counselor very well, and he wasn’t particularly good at his job.
[</em>]Additional Rec: Fantastic. Written by the chorus teacher and musical conductor at my school who I’ve known for 6 years. It brought me to tears.
[li]Interview: 6/10. We didn’t really click, and there were a couple of lulls in the conversation. Though he did call me to congratulate me on my acceptance, which was quite nice. [/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Other

[ul]
[<em>]State (if domestic applicant): NY
[</em>]Country (if international applicant):
[<em>]School Type: public
[</em>]Ethnicity: White
[<em>]Gender: Female
[</em>]Income Bracket: <$150000
[li]Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Reflection

[ul]
[<em>]Strengths: extracurriculars, National History Day, recommendations, course load
[</em>]Weaknesses: interview, SAT scores
[<em>]Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I know that Harvard is really fond of National History Day, and I advanced to the NY State level twice. I was really surprised I was accepted actually because my best friend who goes to another high school in the district had essentially the same credentials as I did and 5 generations of legacy also applied, so I assumed they’d automatically reject me. I figured I was just a standard applicant, but I guess they saw something in me, and I am more than appreciative.<br>
[</em>]Where else you are applying or have already applied:
Accepted: NYU, Fordham, SUNY Geneseo, SUNY Bing
Waitlisted: MIT, Columbia, Brown
Rejected: Princeton
[li]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: do National History Day, and make sure you write killer essays. The extracurricular essay on the supp had a 150 word limit, so I made sure that every single word and comma was exactly where I wanted it to be.<br>[/li][/ul]</p>

[spuding102]

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): M 710 CR 770 W 730, superscore: 2210
ACT (breakdown): 30 (didn’t submit)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math I (750) Chemistry (770)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 94
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 8/104
AP (place score in parentheses): AP US (5) AP Bio (4) AP World (4) AP Spanish (4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP Physics B, AP English, AP US Gov, AP Stats
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Hispanic Scholar, American Chemical Society Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry, New York State Department of Education Scholarship (highest regent examination scores)
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Co-Captain of Varsity Hockey (4 years), Chess Team, Math Team, Soccer Team goalie, Robotics Team,
Job/Work Experience: Paid Tutor
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteered Hospital
Summer Activities: 2 summers at Harvard taking General Chemistry (b+) and Organic Chemistry (B+)
Essays: Amazng – Spoke about my love for science and how I view the world in a quirky way.
Teacher Recommendations: Both amazing
Counselor Rec: I think it was good
Additional Rec: Recommendation from my Professor in Gen Chem who also is the head of the chem department at Harvard
Interview: Went pretty good
Other
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 70,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):Urm, Organic Chemistry at Harvard, and Letter of rec from head of chem department at harvard
Reflection
Strengths: Strong focus in chemistry, very good essays and subject test scores
Weaknesses: Gpa and rank could have been higher (9th grade)
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: My essays, my letters of rec, and my summer classes (organic chem as a high schooler)
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Duke, Northwestern, Cornell, NYU (full tuition), Macaulay Honors College, Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education. Wait listed: Yale, Princeton, Amherst College, University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins, University of Chicago, Washu, Rice, Vanderbilt. Rejected: Harvard (deferred EA), Dartmouth
General Comments: Apply to as many schools as possible. Each year, acceptance rates keep going down. As you can tell, had I only applied to 11 schools, there could have been a chance of getting in nowhere. Make sure you work on those essays since everyone starts to look the same with the same stats. Also regardless of where you get in, know that what you do in college counts much more than where you go to college.</p>

[AOK800]

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2380 (800 CR/790 M/ 790 W)
ACT (breakdown): 36
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (800); Physics (750); Spanish (750)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parentheses): Calculus (5); Comp Sci (5)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, AP Micro/Macro Econ, AP Stats, Engineering
Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit finalist; Scholar-Athlete Award</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Football, Mu Alpha Theta, Science Honor Society
Job/Work Experience: Product development team for a local start-up company (computer related)
Volunteer/Community Service: math tutor
Summer Activities: football training, work
Essays: didn’t do the optional essay - probably a mistake
Teacher Recommendations: no idea
Counselor Rec: great (according to her)
Additional Rec:
Interview: none</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: large public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: too high for financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: University of Pennsylvania; Penn State (Schreyer’s Honors); Purdue (Honors College).
Rejected: Princeton, Cornell, MIT, Stanford, Duke
Waitlisted: Carnegie Mellon SCS</p>

[TryUmph]

<p>[color=green]Decision: Accepted[/color=green]</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>]SAT I (breakdown): 2220 (770 CR, 760 W, 690 M)
[</em>]ACT: 33
[<em>]SAT II: 740 Math II, 770 Literature
[</em>]Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
[<em>]Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/430
[</em>]AP (place score in parenthesis): Psychology(5), Human Geography(5), Studio Art(5), U.S. Government(5), [<em>]APUSH(3), AP Calculus AB(3),
[</em>]IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[<em>]Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP Lit, Shakespeare (Dual Enrollment), Film as Literature (Dual [</em>]Enrollment), Art Portfolio Honors, AP Euro, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C
{<em>]Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Lexus Eco Challenge, Poetry Out Loud, Semi-Prestigious summer program, [</em>]Film Festival Award,
[/ul]</p>

<p>Subjective:

[ul]
[<em>]Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Girl Scout Like Activity (Drill Master), NHS (President), Robotics (Secretary), Filmmakers (Vice President), Mu Alpha Theta (Vice President), College Prep Program (Founding Member), Inventors Club (Secretary), County Leadership, Photo and Art Club, City Student Advisory Committee (Vice Chair), Freshman and Sophomore Class President
[</em>]Job/Work Experience: Run my own website, worked at a tax office
[<em>]Volunteer/Community service: Food Bank, Health Fair, Vacation Bible School, Tutoring, YMCA
[</em>]Summer Activities: Freshman - none, Sophomore - unofficial internship with Colgate in NY (shadowed my aunt), Junior - traveled to Europe and did the summer program.
[<em>]Essays: 10/10 for all of them. I worked really hard on them starting last summer.
[</em>]Teacher Recommendation: 9/10, 8/10
[<em>]Counselor Rec: 6/10
[</em>]Additional Rec: None
[li]Interview: 9/10, Talked for an hour or so. We had the same favorite architect. Being very worldly helped me here. [/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Other:

[ul]
[<em>]State (if domestic applicant): Southern
[</em>]Country (if international applicant): USA
[<em>]School Type: Public
[</em>]Ethnicity: Black
[<em>]Gender: Female
[</em>]Income Bracket: Low Income
[li]Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM especially in STEM[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Reflection

[ul]
[<em>]Strengths: Well-roundedness, unique within the cliche, essays,
[</em>]Weaknesses: Well-roundedness (Lack of depth), Math scores, Lack of STEM awards.
[<em>]Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Whaaaaat. I don’t know. I’m qualified and I’m passionate but so are a lot of other people. I guess the light of admissions shined down on me this admissions season.
[</em>]Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted - Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, Dartmouth, Cornell, UPenn, HMC, Pomona, WUSTL, Rice, USC, Wellesley, and my state schools
General comments: I sent in an art supplement as well as kept the admissions office up to date on any of my accomplishments in between the application deadline and decision day.
[/ul]</p>

[Stormcloud]

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I: 800/800/800
SATII: 800 Chem, 800 Math II, 790 Spanish
Rank: 4 out of… 200 or so
Major Awards: USAJMO 10th grade, Scholastic A&W Gold Medalist 11th grade</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Piano playing (12 years this year, I think)
Salsa Dance Club (3 years, president this year)
Science Bowl Club (4 years, captain/coach two years)
MATHCOUNTS Team (3 years, coach)
Volunteer Work: Spent a long time during 2 summers working in rural China
Summer stuff: MathZoom Camp, COSMOS, Volunteer work in China
Essays: 8/10, because I still don’t know what a good essay is supposed to look like. Wrote about my first time at a salsa social.
Teacher Recs: 10/10, I hope?
Counseler Rec: 5/10, never spoke to my counselor before
Interview: 10/10, haha we talked about orgochem and dance the whole time. I was lucky because my interviewer practically had the same interests as me.</p>

<p>Other:
State: CA<br>
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: East Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: High
Hooks: ???</p>

<p>Reflection:
Strengths: I’m pretty honest? And I do a lot of stuff.
Weaknesses: Lack of USAMO, lack of more “serious” science-y activities (Intel, Clark, blah blah)
Why you think you were accepted: Not sure?
Where else were you accepted? : Princeton, Berkeley, UCLA. Waitlisted from a lot of other schools.
General comments: Seriously, APs aren’t that big of a deal. I would gladly have taken off some APs in junior year to study more for USAMO.
As the dude in 3 Idiots says: “Pursue excellence, and success will follow, pants down” :)</p>

[drbio101]

<p>Hi, those of you that got 34+ on your ACT, can you please share on what resources and techniques you used to achieve that score? I really want some advice to achieve it. Thank you!</p>

[rstein3]

<p>Congrats guys! The only thing that is worrying me is that a majority of those accepted have extensive musical backgrounds or artistic talent. </p>

<p>Unfortunately I have neither :"> </p>

[Mocean]

<p>[color=red]Decision: Rejected[/color=red]</p>

<p>I realize this is a bit late, so I’ll just post my quick stats:</p>

<p>Objective:
-SAT: 2370 (math 770)
-SAT subject tests: 800 math 2, 800 bio, 770 US History
-Unweighted GPA: 4.0
-Class rank: salutatorian (out of about 280 students)
-AP: US History 5, Bio 4 (The AP’s probably did me in).
-Senior course load: second most rigorous possible for me + independent study project.</p>

<p>Subjective:
-Captain of varsity sport, played sport all four years
-played on competitive club team for this sport
-play obscure instrument at a high level (2 city-level honors bands, 2 state-level honors bands, 1 national-level honors band)
-350+ hours of community service</p>

<p>Other
-Caucasian male from overrepresented geographic location.
-My major weaknesses were the number of AP’s I took + my geographic location/ethnicity (Although I didn’t have control over these things. Would have taken more AP’s if it weren’t for my school).
-I’ll probably be going to my flagship state school for cheap.</p>