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

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
41

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

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>]SAT I (breakdown): Two sittings: Second - 2090 (790 M, 690 W, 610 CR); First - 2000 (750 M, 640 W, 610 CR).
[</em>]ACT (breakdown): Two sittings: Second - 34 (35 E, 34 M, 32 R, 33 S, 9 Essay); First - 30 (31 E, 34 M, 30 R, 26 S, 8 Essay).
[<em>]SAT II: 800 Math Level 2, 780 World History, 760 Math Level 1, 720 Chemistry, 710 US History.
[</em>]Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 105.926 (6th semester GPA, should go up throughout senior year). Unweighted: 99.6/100.0. For weighted GPA, an added 10% to all AP classes and 7% to all honors classes that are not AP. Unweighted GPA uses raw grades.
[<em>]Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1 out of 387.
[</em>]AP: Have taken 6, will take 7 more this year. 5 Statistics, 5 US History, 5 Human Geography, 4 Chemistry, 4 English Language, 4 World History. Will take Calculus AB, Physics B, Biology, Environmental Science, English Literature, US Government, and Microeconomics.
[<em>]IB (place score in parentheses): none
[</em>]Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB, AP Physics 1, AP Biology, AP Environmental Science, AP English Literature, AP US Government (semester), AP Microeconomics (semester), Band.
[li]Major Awards: AP Scholar with Distinction, 4x NM State Science Olympiad Champion, NM Congressional Award for Academic Achievement, Regional Scholar selected by Independent Committee (looks at academics, essays, interview, recommendations), 2x All-State Clarinetist.[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Subjective:

[ul]
[<em>]Extracurriculars: Science Olympiad: team captain for 4 years, I’ve won 5 titles at State, and have 20 other 1st-3rd placings at Regionals/State combined. I’ve performed exceptionally well in Anatomy & Physiology. Band: 2x All-State Clarinetist, 3x All-District Clarinetist, Drum Major, Clarinet Section Leader, Principal clarinetist in school’s Symphonic Band. National Honor Society: Elected President each of 3 years. Student Council: 10-12. Was Secretary 11th grade. Student Advisory Committee: was nominated by teachers and administrators to be the senior class representative. We plan things/fix issues that can make students’ lives better. Tennis: Junior Varsity freshman year.
[</em>]Job/Work Experience: I was a Youth Soccer Referee my freshman year. I officiated about 5 games a week for a fall and spring season for kids aged 5-12.
[<em>]Volunteer/Community Service: American Red Cross: I founded and currently am President of a Youth Club in our area. We go on disaster calls and do disaster prevention presentations at various community events. The club was founded in January and has grown to 10 students to-date. Nursing Home shadower: I’ve shadowed nurses in a nursing home intermittently since sophomore year. I’ve assisted, bathed, fed, and entertained patients. Physician shadower: I’ve shadowed a local cardiologist junior year. I helped in simple diagnostic activities, interacted with patients in examination rooms, and have shadowed testing at hospitals. National Honor Society: various associated projects. Student Council: various associated projects.
[</em>]Essays: I humbly think they were be great. Usually write good essays; my junior AP English teacher says I’m one of the best writers she’s ever had. I get them proofed by a college prep counselor.
[<em>]Teacher Recommendations: All should have be great. I have always had stellar relationships with my teachers. Most have taught for 20+ years, and they usually comment that I’m one of the best student’s they’ve ever taught. Have had a significant or special story in class with all of them.
[</em>]Counselor Rec: Should have beeen good. He really likes me and has made the comment that I am the most serious kid he’s seen about striving academically. Not sure how he conveyed that in writing, however.
[li]Interview: Went really well! He was a local alumnus. After the decision, he said he had given me the best recommendation he had ever given. [/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Other

[ul]
[<em>]State (if domestic applicant): New Mexico
[</em>]School Type: Public, only school in rural town of 40,000 people. ~2400 students. Graduation rate of 50-65%, but top students in the past have been accepted at Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Duke, Emory, Rice, Northwestern, UC-Berkeley, and Notre Dame.
[<em>]Ethnicity: Asian Indian
[</em>]Gender: Male
[<em>]Income Bracket: >$150,000
[</em>]Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Established and currently lead a community service organization (American Red Cross Youth Club). Good academic record for a student from a rural area in NM, if that counts.
[/ul]</p>

<p>Reflection

[ul]
[<em>]Strengths: ECs, ACT, GPA, courseload
[</em>]Weaknesses: SAT, essays
[<em>]Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Not really sure. I’m probably one of those standard great applicants that just happened to be overshadowed by other stellar applicants.
[</em>]Where else you are applying or have already applied: ill be attending UNM Combined BA/MD Program. Applied to Ivies, Northwestern, Rice, Duke.
[li]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Glad I applied, but I was accepted to the offer that was best for me. Congrats to everyone accepted![/li][/ul]</p>

42

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

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>]SAT I (breakdown): 1970 (690 CR, 600 M, 680 WR)
[</em>]ACT (breakdown):
[<em>]SAT II (place score in parentheses): 740 World History, 670 US History
[</em>]Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
[<em>]Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 1%
[</em>]AP (place score in parentheses): Passed most of them. Some 4s and 5s.
[<em>]IB (place score in parentheses):
[</em>]Senior Year Course Load: AP Literature, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics B, AP European History
[li]Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Questbridge, AP Scholar with Distinction, Scholastic Writing Gold Keys and Silver Keys, regional writing contests[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Subjective:

[ul]
[<em>]Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Most of my ECs were outside of school and writing-oriented
[</em>]Job/Work Experience: Barely.
[<em>]Volunteer/Community Service: Not much to say in this department. I chose to focus on other areas of my application instead.
[</em>]Summer Activities: Attended writing programs
[<em>]Essays: I let a few people read them and they told me my essays were great. It’s difficult to measure writing ability, though.
[</em>]Teacher Recommendations: Probably generic.
[<em>]Counselor Rec: I talked to her a lot and have known her for a while so it should have been positive.
[</em>]Additional Rec: I’m guessing really good.
[li]Interview: It went pretty well, but my Harvard interview was super late. It was literally two or so weeks before decisions came out.[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Other

[ul]
[<em>]State (if domestic applicant): The South
[</em>]Country (if international applicant):
[<em>]School Type: Public
[</em>]Ethnicity: I’m not a URM
[<em>]Gender: Male
[</em>]Income Bracket: Low
[li]Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First gen, Questbridge?[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Reflection

[list]
[<em>]Strengths: Leadership, Class Rank, diversity
[</em>]Weaknesses: Teacher Recs, GPA, Test Scores
[<em>]Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: The academic portion of my application wasn’t strong enough. My teacher recs were probably positive but similar to the countless other letters they get.
[</em>]Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted: Bowdoin, UNC (OOS), state school
Waitlisted: UChicago
Rejected: Ivies
[li]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: </p>[/li]
<p>College admissions is a four-year marathon. You have to make sure you’re strong all four years of high school if you really want to make it to the top schools. It may be one of the most mentally draining things you do, full of anxiety and anticipation, but, in the end, it’ll be worth it. </p>

<p>That being said, I know it can be easy to get obsessed with getting into the right school. You’ll be tempted to do things just so your resume can look more impressive and find that getting good grades and studying for AP exams or the SAT becomes your life, but please… remember to put it all in perspective. Don’t get me wrong. I spent a significant amount of time thinking about college admissions and reading several CC threads, but even so I realized that high school shouldn’t just be a place you go to for four years before you go to college. Do things you love and have fun so that even if you don’t get into your dream school, you won’t regret a single thing. Looking back, it’s the memories of being around the people I cared about and the times I lived with passion that I remember most. Not the Saturday mornings taking the SAT or any late nights completing homework assignments. </p>

<p>Lastly, don’t blame your circumstances whatsoever. It doesn’t matter whether you come from a rich background or a poor one, go to a large impersonal high school or an academy where everyone is applying to the same schools. Nor does it matter whether you’re URM or not. They’re have been people in your situation that have beat the odds and been accepted into the best schools. Similarly, they’re have also been others like you that have been rejected from those schools so do not rely on one part of your application like a “hook” or a high GPA to carry you into the accepted pile. </p>

43

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

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>]SAT I (breakdown): 2400, one sitting
[</em>]ACT (breakdown): 36, one sitting
[<em>]SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800’s on math 2, bio, chem, physics, world history, us history, spanish
[</em>]Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>]Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
[</em>]AP (place score in parentheses): 16 5’s, too long to list
[<em>]Senior Year Course Load: meh, not much left to take
[</em>]Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): about $50,000 in science competition prize money (national and international level), math/physics olympiad, science fair etc.
[/ul]</p>

<p>Subjective:

[ul]
[<em>]Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): fairly standard stuff
[</em>]Job/Work Experience: hospital internship
[<em>]Volunteer/Community Service: teaching math classes in inner city
[</em>]Summer Activities: volunteering, research
[<em>]Essays: one was good and the other was funny
[</em>]Teacher Recommendations: very good
[<em>]Counselor Rec: 10/10
[</em>]Additional Rec: 11/10
[li]Interview: very good[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Other

[ul]
[<em>]State (if domestic applicant): OR
[</em>]School Type: public
[<em>]Ethnicity: asian
[</em>]Gender: male
[<em>]Income Bracket: upper middle
[</em>]Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): :frowning:
[/ul]</p>

<p>Reflection

[ul]
[<em>]Strengths: hard to reject
[</em>]Weaknesses: why to accept?
[<em>]Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: hard to reject
[</em>]Where else you are applying or have already applied: ivies, mit, stanford; got in everywhere except cornell (lol)
[li]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Work hard, do your best, and see what happens. Nothing is predictable, and whatever college you go to can be the best one with the right attitude.[/li][/ul]</p>

44

^^ i may be wrong but this sounds crazy