Official Harvard University 2018 SCEA Decisions ONLY

magnificent6 · December 14, 2013, 6:08pm

Decision: Deferred

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t send.
[] ACT (breakdown): 35 (36M, 34S, 34E, 34R, 12 essay)
[] SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 (Math II), 740 (Chemistry)
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0. Weighted: 4.55
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): NA
[] AP (place score in parentheses): Chemistry (4), U.S. Gov (self study 4), English Language (self study 4), Spanish Lang (4), Biology (3)
[] IB (place score in parentheses):
[] Senior Year Course Load: 5 APs, 1 Honors, and 1 elective
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Commended, some other more local awards.
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): President of National Honor Society, President of Tutoring Club, President of Cultural Club, Founder/President of Technology Club, Work at consulting firm, research at university lab and published abstracts, section leader of section in band, tennis team, and a lot more.
[] Job/Work Experience: I have had 3 jobs. 1 or 2 pretty unique ones.
[] Volunteer/Community Service: Listed above.
[] Summer Activities: Research internships, work, volunteering, and intern at NPR.
[] Essays: Common app essay: 9-9.5. Harvard optional: 8-8.5. Extracurricular: I didn’t make it creative or anything, so I’d say like 8.
[] Teacher Recommendations: Didn’t read, but one from English teacher of two years: 9-10. AP science teacher: 9.
[] Counselor Rec: probably better than any other recs she wrote, so in relation to other applicants from my school, probably 10. But, since it’s a public school, the rec probably doesn’t compare to some of the ones that private school counselors write.
[] Additional Rec: from research mentor, he doesn’t really know how to write a rec, but besides that: 10.
[] Interview: Went very well, we had a great conversation and she was nice: 9.5.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: below 50k.
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: GPA, ACT, extracurriculars, Common app essay.
[] Weaknesses: Harvard supplement, AP scores, awards.
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Idk, I didn’t really have any major hooks and was not really expecting to get accepted. I mean I feel like hoping to get into Harvard is not the best thing to do, considering how difficult is to get in. But, it is always good to put your best foot forward
[li] Where else you are applying or have already applied:[/li][/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
I just advise all future applicants to choose your early choice wisely. Make sure it is a school that you really care about, but will be content with receiving a deferral/getting rejected. Do not be fooled into applying REA over the inflated percentage of accepted students (ED is a different story). The high volume of accepted students is often due to hooked or truly exceptional students. That is something to consider when choosing. Nevertheless, I have no remorse over applying to Harvard early.

wwsosfs · December 14, 2013, 8:09pm

Decision: Deferred

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2390 (800 CW 790 M 800 W)
[] ACT (breakdown):
[] SAT II (place score in parentheses): Spanish (780), Math II (750) Chemistry (740, didn’t send)
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94, 4.76 weighted
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Unofficial #1, school doesn’t rank
[] AP (place score in parentheses): Euro (5) APUSH (5) Chemistry (5)
[] IB (place score in parentheses):
[] Senior Year Course Load:AP Spanish, AP World History, AP US Government, AP Physics B, AP Calculus BC, AP English Language, Mandatory Bible class, Self studying AP Comp Gov
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/li]National Merit Semifinalist, NHS, Semi-finalist and finalist at major theater competition, Top ten scholar at my school, Top Spanish scholar at school

[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):Theater (lead for four years), Student government (Honor Board and Academic Prefect), Choir (I was in the Harvard Summer Choir), NHS (Vice-president), A few math competitions
[] Job/Work Experience: UPS Store employee
[] Volunteer/Community Service:Not much, Week-long musical theatre camp counselor
[] Summer Activities:Travel, Harvard Summer School the summer before my senior year
[] Essays:Great common app essay about theater, okay extracurricular essay about student government, good optional essay explaining my academic interests
[] Teacher Recommendations:Great, from Spanish and APUSH teachers
[] Counselor Rec: Great
[] Additional Rec: From my theater director and my International Relations professor at Harvard
[li] Interview:Pretty good, very in depth, 2 1/2 hours long[/li]
[/ul]Other[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant):CA
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type:Private
[] Ethnicity:Caucasian
[] Gender:Male
[] Income Bracket:
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/li]
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths:Good scores, difficult course load, one really strong EC, recs from Harvard professor and choir director, taught myself portuguese
[] Weaknesses: Not much service, no extraordinary accomplishments
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My school never gets kids in except for athletics
[] Where else you are applying or have already applied:Princeton, Georgetown, Yale, UVA (EA), St. Andrews, Stanford, Northwestern, BC, Notre Dame, NYU, Darthmouth, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, USC
[/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
Show passion, but honestly it feels like a crapshoot. Hope my other schools work out

Verisimilitude14 · December 15, 2013, 9:40am

Decision: Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t take
[] ACT (breakdown): 35 Composite - 34E, 36M, 35R, 34S (This was my sophomore year and I didn’t take it ever again)
[] SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800s in Math II, Biology-M, and U.S. History
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/110
[] AP (place score in parentheses): 5 on APUSH and AP Biology (our school only has 5 AP classes and after senior year I will have taken them all)
[] IB (place score in parentheses):
[] Senior Year Course Load:AP Psychology, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Calculus, Honors Physics, Anatomy and Physiology, and Independent Study Spanish 3 & 4
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Intel Special Awards and tons of state and national science fair stuff
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Speech and Debate, Science Research (President), Key Club (Treasurer), Spanish Club (Vice President), Book Club (Founder and President), Quiz Bowl (Team Captain), and others but these were what I focused on for the application
[] Job/Work Experience: I have interned at a law firm since the beginning of the summer
[] Volunteer/Community Service: 100+ hours with pre-Kindergarten students this summer, Volunteered at Nursing home frequently freshman and sophomore years (60+ hours), and lots of stuff through Key Club (Blood Drive campaigns, I helped organize 2 canned food drives in the last year, and as Treasurer I’ve had to fundraise and obtain donations for our other activities)
[] Summer Activities: Volunteerism from above, Law Firm internship, Boys State, and start new research projects at a local university every summer since 8th grade
[] Essays: great in my opinion! Those who read them said they were introspective and filled with “dry humor.” (9/10)
[] Teacher Recommendations: I asked two of the teachers I’ve known best. One had me in class for 3 years and was also my science research sponsor, and the other teacher has had me for two AP classes, is the sponsor for 2 of the clubs I’m most involved with, and is one of my favorite teachers throughout high school. (10/10)
[] Counselor Rec: I haven’t really talked to her that much until this year, but she has been friendly and helpful and seems to like me. However, she doesn’t know much about the extracurriculars I’m involved in and I can’t even fathom what she wrote about. (6-7/10)
[] Additional Rec: NA
[] Interview: This went really well! We talked about everything ranging from speech and debate (since he had gone to a school that we compete at every year) to environmental politics (he was an Environmental Science major). We also talked about my current research (which he thought was fascinating) and his time at Harvard. Overall, a very fun and insightful experience.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): Midwest
[] Country (if international applicant): U.S.
[] School Type: Small Public (less than 120 students per class)
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: <$60,000
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): NA
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Test scores, Essays, Recommendations, and Intel Science Research
[] Weaknesses: Counselor Rec., Lack of a Hook, and small amount of AP classes at our school
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I painted a narrative for why I did all the activities I listed above through the Common App essay and interview, and I also believe my passion for combining my love of science and politics was evident throughout my application.
[li] Where else you are applying or have already applied: I’m going to withdraw all my other applications except the ones for Yale, Stanford, and Columbia.[/li][/ul]**General Comments/Advice

To all future applicants: Let your passion, regardless of what it is for, shine throughout your application and admissions committees will notice!

Congratulations to all those admitted!

HellBack · December 15, 2013, 4:53pm

Choose One:
Decision: Deferred

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown):750R 690M 750W
[] ACT (breakdown):Not Taken
[] SAT II (place score in parentheses):730Chem 710USH
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.4
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):In the 70s
[] AP (place score in parentheses):USH(5), Latin(3), Stat(4), Bio(3), Chem(4), Euro(4)
[] IB (place score in parentheses):
[] Senior Year Course Load:APES, APAH, AP Physics C, AP Lit, Gov&Econ H, CS50 on Edx
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):AP Scholar with Distinction, ACS distinction, a bunch of national stuff in Debate and Youth in Government
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Youth in Government (Speaker of the House, Debate (captain), Student Council (Speaker of the House), Entrepreneurship Club (founder and president), Founded my own volunteering organization. I do other stuff but I didn’t put them in the app because I am not as passionate about them.
[] Job/Work Experience: Internship as a consultant at Local Startup, Founded my own startup
[] Volunteer/Community Service: NHS and my own organization
[] Summer Activities:Debate and YIG Nationals, founded the startup and organization, a bunch of volunteering in the forensics community, worked on my science fair
[] Essays: one about the Entrepreneurship club and why I founded it, CA about my story as an immigrant, supplement about lobbying to change district policy
[] Teacher Recommendations: from Chem teacher, APUSH teacher that was also my YIG advisor for 3 years and is my debate coach
[] Counselor Rec:she helped me with Questbridge so she knows how important getting into college is for me
[] Additional Rec: from the mayor of my city about my volunteering organization
[] Interview: was not contacted…
[/ul]Other[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): SC
[] Country (if international applicant): I am originally from Europe
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity: Other (that’s what they make me put on most standardized tests) but white for racist purposes
[] Gender: male
[] Income Bracket: Questbridge recipient so very little
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): being from Europe?, first generation college
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: nationally ranked debater from a weak state and poor family, a lot of passion and initiative in starting new things, powerful immigrant story to justify all my efforts
[] Weaknesses: I failed PE over the summer which really hurt my not so good GPA, low SAT and Classrank, I did not get to have the interview because my counselor had technical issues with my app, my EFC is 0$ so I have to convince colleges I am worth 1/5 of a million $, I only learned English very recently
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:who I really am > stats. My app is so weird that I think they are probably interested in my interview.
[li] Where else you are applying or have already applied:using Questbridge for the other Ivys but Columbia, MIT, Cornell, Georgetown, JHU, and 3 safety schools[/li][/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: In the face of everyone on this community that would have told me I had no chance getting in, I see being deferred as an accomplishment. I encourage everyone to really focus on what they are passionate about and never limiting their horizons to what other people have done that have gotten in.

bobthebuilder42 · December 15, 2013, 7:09pm

Decision: Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2400
[] ACT (breakdown): 36 (all sections except essay)
[] SAT II (place score in parentheses): Chem – 800, Math 2 – 800
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Transcript doesn’t show unweighted, but prbly around 3.95/4.00.
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Current school doesn’t rank. Former school was 1/632.
[] AP (place score in parentheses): Calc AB/BC (5), Comp Sci (5), Chem (5), Phys B (5), Psych (5)
[] IB (place score in parentheses): –
[] Senior Year Course Load: Stat, Econ, English, Chem electives
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 4th in Category ISEF 2012 & 2013 (didn’t improve darn), 2nd in Chem JSHS 2013, Conrad Innovation Award 2013, White House Sci Fair 2013, Various scioly medals, Various sci fair special awards, Presidential Volunteer Service Award 2011 & 2012, School departmental awards (in 9th/10th grades), Nat’l merit, AP scholar, etc.
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): SGA (student body president), Science Olympiad (co-captain), Air-quality detection project (leader), School research journal (chem editor), Civil Air Patrol (c/ssgt - but had to quit after changing schools), other minor stuff
[] Job/Work Experience: Interned with city planning dept; Worked at kumon tutoring center
[] Volunteer/Community Service: Local science museum – 250+ hours; Also did some tech support work
[] Summer Activities: Research, Interned at planning dept, Volunteered at museum
[] Essays: Wrote these in a hurry… Personal statement – 7/10, Extracurricular – 8/10, Supplement – 6/10
[] Teacher Recommendations: No clue about quality (didn’t read them)
[] Counselor Rec: Very good, I think
[] Additional Rec: Student Gov’t – Probably very good as well
[] Interview: Very calm, relaxed, and informative - really made me want to attend! Interviewer digressed to ask questions about sleep deprivation lol
[/ul]Other[ul]
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity: Indian
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: Middle
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Did 2012 sci fair project without any mentor but still got to ISEF and won something
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Student Gov’t, Research, SAT/ACT, Volunteering
[] Weaknesses: Essays had few issues – could’ve been better with more time. Research supplement was submitted as a draft version.
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Very well rounded – accomplished stuff in many things (SGA, Research, Volunteer work, Civil Air Patrol, etc).
[] Where else you are applying or have already applied: The rest of HYPSM, U.S. Service Academies, UNC
[/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:[ul]
[] Be genuine. Don’t do stuff, e.g. schoolwork, competitions, clubs, just for the sake of college; rather, do it for yourself and for others. You will work harder and achieve greater even as you care less and less about college admissions.
[li] The school name on your diploma will always be infinitely less important than the education you receive. If deferred/rejected, you still have so many great options to apply to and attend! :)[/li][/ul]–

Finally, thanks to everyone who made this possible and helped me along the way! Can’t wait till next year! :D

kch674 · December 17, 2013, 6:59pm

Decision: Accepted!!

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2400
[] ACT (breakdown): never taken
[] SAT II (place score in parentheses): Bio M (800), Chem (800), Math Level 2 (800), Literature (800), U.S. History (790)
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.16
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): probably first (school doesn’t rank)
[] AP (place score in parentheses): 5 on biology, chemistry, APUSH; 4 on English Lang
[] IB (place score in parentheses):
[] Senior Year Course Load: 6 APs (comp sci, physics C - both tests, calc BC, English lit, econ - both tests, Spanish)
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): national merit semifinalists
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Student Council (executive board president), fall drama and spring musical, Shakespeare Club, National Honor Society (VP),
Columbia SHP, HOBY, NJASC Leadership Training Conference, and others
[] Job/Work Experience: tutor for local high school students
[] Volunteer/Community Service: many hours through church community, especially in church choir. Several school service activities (Social Outreach Club, Peer Leaders, etc)
[] Summer Activities: GWC mutli-cultural internship at Iowa State University
[] Essays: I believe they were very good. When my friends read my common app essay, they knew that only I could have written it because it sounded like my voice.
[] Teacher Recommendations: I selected my teachers carefully, so I think they turned out well! (Didn’t read)
[] Counselor Rec: I don’t know my counselor very well, as she has many students, but I think that she spent a substantial amount of time on my recommendation, considering my Harvard aspirations. (Didn’t read)
[] Additional Rec: written by research mentor at Iowa State. Didn’t read, but she promised to write a very good letter.
[] Interview: We really connected. She said she would write me a “fantastic report”.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): NJ
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: public
[] Ethnicity: white
[] Gender: M
[] Income Bracket: >$200k
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None!
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: test scores, grades, essays
[] Weaknesses: race, location, strength of applicant pool
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I
[li] Where else you are applying or have already applied:[/li][/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
I just realized now that all four of my recommendations were written by females, and that my interviewer was female too. Funny coincidence!

I had some good credentials that definitely forced the admissions officers to look twice at my application. However, considering my race and location, I believe that my passion for all of my activities was the deciding factor in my admission. My interviewer really liked this part of my application and it was the focus of my essays to highlight this love for my activities.

Still can’t believe it!! Congratulations to all!

Tamrii · December 20, 2013, 10:39am

Choose One:
Decision: Deferred

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): CR 720 M 710 W 750
[] ACT (breakdown): N/A
[] SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 Literature, 720 Math I, 680 Bio E
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):4.0
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
[] AP (place score in parentheses):
[] IB (place score in parentheses):
[] Senior Year Course Load: We don’t get to choose
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Assistant of Director in HR Management of the Youth Atlantic Treaty Association, member of the national committee of the European Youth Parliament, School Musical producer, school government Vice-President, some skiing Activities, Debates, Won an english olympiad and got a 100% scholarship to Tallinn Summer School, bunch of other olympiads and projects
[] Job/Work Experience:
[] Volunteer/Community Service: Intern at a Rehabilitation Centre of Torture Victims
[] Summer Activities: Summer School in Tallinn
[] Essays: I’d say really nice
[] Teacher Recommendations: stellar, I think
[] Counselor Rec: Also pretty awesome
[] Additional Rec:none
[] Interview: lasted for about 2 hours, really good
[/ul]Other[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant):
[] Country (if international applicant): Georgia
[] School Type:
[] Ethnicity:
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket:<60000
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Essays, recommendations probably, ECs
[] Weaknesses: Scores
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:No idea, honestly
[li] Where else you are applying or have already applied:[/li][/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:

sobogo · December 24, 2013, 4:40am

Choose One:
Decision: Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2250 (Writing 780 | Critical Reading 750 | Math 720)
[] ACT (breakdown): 35 (Math 34 | Reading 35 | Writing 35 | Science 34 | Essay 9)
[] SAT II (place score in parentheses): US History (800), Math Level II (800), Chemistry (780)
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 12 of about 300
[] AP (place score in parentheses): Chemistry (5), Statistics (4), US History (5)
[] IB (place score in parentheses): None yet
[] Senior Year Course Load: IB Physics HL, IB Math HL, IB Bio HL, IB English HL, IB French SL, AP US Government and Politics, PhysEd
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semi-Finalist, National Hispanic Scholar, Latino Leadership Award
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Varsity Tennis (Captain) (won two team state championships), Youth Group (Leader), National Honors Society (President), French Club (President)
[] Job/Work Experience: None
[] Volunteer/Community Service: Run the Race (working with inner-city kids who are victims of domestic violence), Fruit of the Vine (ministry to the homeless)
[] Summer Activities: Oxford Tradition by Oxbridge Academic Programs (four weeks at Oxford University taking two courses of your choice; I took Medical Science as my ‘major’ and Creative Writing as my ‘minor’) the summer before my junior year, internship at a local hospital the summer before my senior year
[] Essays: For my common app, I wrote about my experience living in different countries and my experience in Oxford and what that taught me about diversity; the tone was fairly serious. For my extracurriculars essay, I wrote about what tennis has taught me about hard work; tone was very serious. For the optional essay, I wrote about how I sing all the time as a sort of stress reliever; tone was super relaxed and fun.
[] Teacher Recommendations: I didn’t read either, but I’ve had both teachers for three years and I have really great relationships with both, so I’m assuming they were great.
[] Counselor Rec: Assuming it was good
[] Additional Rec: None
[] Interview: Right after it, I thought it went really well. The more I reflected on it, the worse I felt about it. Based on the final result though, I guess it wasn’t to terrible! The man who interviewed me was really, really nice, so it was overall a good experience (despite my insane nerves because it was my first college interview)
[/ul]Other[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): I’m kinda paranoid about ‘internet safety’ and all that jazz and this is already making me kinda uncomfortable to post so I’ll just say Midwest
[] Country (if international applicant): n/a
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity: Hispanic
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: Upper-middle class
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I don’t really think I have any…
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: I think my essays were strong. Both my english teacher and another trusted adult didn’t like my common app essay at all and suggested I use a different essay I had already written, but I felt really strongly that I just needed to share that essay if I wanted the admissions officers to really get an idea of who I am, and that worked out for me!
[] Weaknesses: I didn’t really have anything spectacular. I haven’t invented anything, started a company, done incredible service projects, won any prizes, etc.
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Honestly, I have absolutely no idea! I’m just extremely grateful and excited!!
[li] Where else you are applying or have already applied: University of Virginia, University of Michigan, Duke, University of Pennsylvania[/li][/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Honestly, all that seemingly annoying advice about ‘be yourself’ is SO SO SO SO SO true. I freaked myself out by looking on this website and seeing the profiles of so many ridiculously well-qualified students FREAKING OUT about not being accepted so I had basically convinced myself that I had no shot of getting in. Because of that, I really had no fears whatsoever in just filling out my application and writing my essays to show exactly who I am, not trying to fit a model of who I thought Harvard would want want (because honestly I don’t think they have a standard of who they want, and if they do, I still don’t know it). Be yourself, SHOW PASSION!!! Really, I don’t think there is such a thing as pouring too much of yourself into your essays. Show a high-level of self-reflection in the essays; the only way to SHOW someone who you truly are is by first KNOWING who you are!!! Anyways, LOTS OF LUCK to those applying and a MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS to all those who got in!! And no matter what happens to you in this process, just know that no matter where you go to school, if you work hard, you will go far!!

chococat1 · December 29, 2013, 1:27am

Choose One:Decision: Accepted

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2360 – 800 CR 790 M 770 W
[] ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
[] SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (800) US History (760) Chem (760)
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
[] AP (place score in parentheses): 5’s in US History, Chem, World History, English Lang
[] IB (place score in parentheses):
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP English Lit, AP Econ, AP US Gov and Politics, Art, Physics 1
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Some national spanish exam and national latin exam stuff, nothing major
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Newspaper (Editor in Chief) Model UN (President) Violin/Viola, Tutoring/Teaching little kids
[] Job/Work Experience: Journalism intern/ journalist at local papers
[] Volunteer/Community Service: Tutoring, Camp Counselor, helped out in school offices
[] Summer Activities: Above job/volunteer things
[] Essays: Personal essay about my background and family.
[] Teacher Recommendations: Great
[] Counselor Rec: Ok, my counselor read it to me and it sounded like a resume.
[] Additional Rec:
[] Interview: Great! He really wanted me to get in.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): MA
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Public Exam
[] Ethnicity: Asian
[] Gender: F
[] Income Bracket: High
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I go to a “feeder” school
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: The leadership in EC’s, my strong interest in journalism and writing
[] Weaknesses: Freshman year grades.
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Luck of the draw
[li] Where else you are applying or have already applied: Looking at Yale, UPenn, Brown, and Columbia[/li][/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
No matter where you get in, you’re going to be fine. It’s more about who you are than where you go. Try to have fun in HS/don’t stress out too much!

terminatorp · December 31, 2013, 9:33pm

Decision: Deferred

Objective:[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): N/A
[] ACT (breakdown): 34, 35 Superscore (34 E, 35 M, 36 R, 36 S, 10 W)
[] SAT II (place score in parentheses): 750 Math 1, 730 Bio , 730 Chem
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 15/500
[] AP (place score in parentheses): 5,4,4,4,4,3,3,3,3
[] IB (place score in parentheses):
[] Senior Year Course Load: 5 AP Classes, and Journalism
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Davidson Fellow, 2nd and 3rd Place Intel ISEF , 1st Place twice at ISWEEEP, Nominated Texan of the Year
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Senior Class President (worked on major school projects such as constructing a student conference room back when I was a junior, as president-elect) , Founded a nonprofit organization to help clean water efforts overseas, Varsity Debate Team, President/Founder of Science Club, Editor of the School Newspaper, President of the UIL Academics Team
[] Job/Work Experience: None
[] Volunteer/Community Service: Lots of volunteering
[] Summer Activities: Went overseas to pilot my science project, which involves affordably cleaning arsenic from water
[] Essays: Hopefully good, took a lot of time with them
[] Teacher Recommendations: Should be good
[] Counselor Rec: Should be good
[] Additional Rec: From my former principal, also should be good
[] Interview: Went alright, the interviewer hoped that I would get in
[/ul]Other[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): Texas
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Large public school , never sent anyone to Harvard, and rarely Ivys
[] Ethnicity: South Asian
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: Upper middle class
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: –
[] Weaknesses: Subject tests, AP scores, Rank, ECs maybe
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: The strength of the applicant pool, my weaknesses
[li] Where else you are applying or have already applied: Other Ivys, MIT, Stanford[/li][/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I wish everyone the best of luck with their admissions if deferred, and my congrats go to all who were accepted! While people may say that an element of randomness might be in the admissions process, it is without a doubt that those who were accepted clearly did deserve it!

petersun21 · January 30, 2014, 3:31pm

Decision: Deferred

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown):2340 (740,800,800)
ACT (breakdown):35
SAT II (place score in parentheses) Eng Lit (780), Bio (770):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97/4.50
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/440
AP (place score in parentheses): APUSH (4), biology (4), English Composition (5), AP chemistry (4), Math AB (5), physics (5), English Literature (5), AP Stats (5)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: 3IB, 1AP, two college classes
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Youth Symphony (Concertmaster), State High School Honor Orchestra (Assistant concertmaster), Mocktrial (captain), varsity tennis, and several others
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service: 200+ hours
Summer Activities:
Essays:
Teacher Recommendations: high
Counselor Rec: high
Additional Rec: high
Interview: well
Other

State (if domestic applicant): WI
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:public
Ethnicity:Asian
Gender:female
Income Bracket: 200+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:

aleila · February 23, 2014, 4:12am

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2340
ACT (breakdown): did not take
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Physics (800); US History (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85? (not sure, school provides weighted GPA)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): does not matter
AP (place score in parentheses): Chemistry (4) Physics B (5) US History (5) European History (5)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Physics C, AP Gov, AP English Literature, Spanish 4, African American Studies
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist, AP Scholar w/ Honor, a bunch of school and local awards for computer engineering, public service, and academic achievement, but nothing major

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): political organization (president), non-profit organization (founder, president), school newspaper (editor), student magazine (editor), varsity tennis, national honor society, spoken word club, leader for student government and several other service organizations
Job/Work Experience: Intern at a law firm, Mentor at two summer programs, Researcher at a university lab
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteered at local library, city-wide conferences, summer camps, recycling collections, and several other organizations
Summer Activities: see the previous two answers
Essays: my best two (and probably the only acceptable two lol) out of all the college application essays I wrote- Common App: wrote about my activism in the community; Supplement: wrote about my irrational fears, carbon bonding, fried food, and translating homework (I went a little wild with the “topic of your choice” option)
Teacher Recommendations: didn’t read. I have known one teacher since freshman year, and the other since sophomore year. Both have been my teachers twice, and are among my favorite teachers.
Counselor Rec: didn’t read. I have had three different counselors within three years (none of which I got to know very well due to the sky high student-counselor ratio), and I’ve only known the most recent one for a few months and spoke to her once for 15 min. I think she mentioned the counselor situation at my school though!
Additional Rec: none
Interview: what I thought was one of my worst interviews ever, though my perception is probably skewed (I had expected the interview to be the strongest part of my application). We talked about my school activities, favorite classes, background, the usual. When he looked at my CV, he said he was impressed and that we had a lot in common, but that nobody can be certain of getting in. I stuttered and stumbled through the entire thing, and he was in a rush to leave for work so the interview lasted less than an hour. (note: don’t let CC-ers who have 4-hour long college interviews give you unrealistic expectations and unfounded concerns. The length of your interview indicates nothing about how well you did, let alone whether you will get in!!)

State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: public school all the wayyyyyy
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: <50,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Strengths: essays, a pile of extracurriculars that seemed random but which I truly cared about and dedicated a lot of time and sweat into (adcoms know when you are faking it), interview that was so bad that it was good?, a self-deprecating humor- always impressive
Weaknesses: no major awards, lack of 10000 AP classes, lack of anything very impressive by objective measures
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I still am not sure, and I think most admits can’t narrow it to down to a few concrete reasons. There are hundreds or thousands of applicants who have the same or better stats than me, but I’m not them, and YOU aren’t them either. does that answer the question?
Where else you are applying or have already applied: a few local schools before I applied to Harvard
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: This is my first and probably last post on CC. I have spent countless hours reading the posts of past Harvard decision threads, and feel like I owe it to the future applicants who will be doing the same. This needs to be said: don’t let any thought of inadequacy prevent you from giving it a try. You know, thoughts like I’ll never get in because I don’t have [insert scores, GPA, certain extracurriculars, other reasons] or because I am <a href=“read:%20this%20is%20to%20you,%20fellow%20low-income%20students”>insert insecurities that don’t matter nearly as much as you think they do</a>. I almost didn’t apply because of those thoughts. If you are reading this, that means you are at least thinking about applying. Don’t let yourself or anyone else prevent you from at least trying- you owe it to yourself (end of speech)
[/noparse]

shinexalive · March 1, 2014, 5:31am

(I apologize in advance for the formatting. It disappeared somehow and I’ve no idea how to get it back.)

Decision: Deferred

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2290 (730 CR, 770 M, 790 WR, 09 Essay)
ACT (breakdown): 36 (36 E, 35 R, 35 M, 36 S, 09 Essay)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 (Chem, Math II, US History)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses): USH (5), Calc BC (5), Chem (5), Lang (5), Gov (5), Chinese (5), Spanish (4), Bio (4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, AP Lit, Journalism, and a metric crap ton of college classes.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Intel ISEF Finalist, National Peace Essay Contest Finalist, various private/local science fair awards, 1st place in a state wildlife art contest, Scholastic Art and Writing Awards national medals, various music/writing awards at state, local levels
Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Research; Science Olympiad (co-founder, captain); Journalism (Editor-in-chief); church (leader in youth/music ministries); Quiz Bowl (varsity), tennis (varsity), scientific journal (Writer/editor), music/orchestra activities
Job/Work Experience: Mentored at summer camp for 2 summers
Volunteer/Community Service: Hospital, elementary education mentoring, leadership
Summer Activities: Research camp, summer research
Essays: 8-9 range (/10)
Teacher Recommendations: Didn’t see, probably very good
Counselor Rec: Again, didn’t see, probably good
Additional Rec: Research mentor, probably good
Interview: Went swimmingly
Other:

State (if domestic applicant): Somewhere in the corn-covered Midwest
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Upper middle class.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection: I spent like five minutes crying because I accidentally sent my SAT scores. Also because I messed up my numbers in my extracurriculars section. I know, I’m a genius, hold the applause

Strengths: Pretty good awards and all
Weaknesses: Awards and all not good enough. Not enough leadership? Disparate interests?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: See weaknesses.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: All the ones to which you’ve probably applied, too.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: So, to quote a fellow deferree, the first two weeks after the deferral were “like Hiroshima.” Actually, everyone from my school was rejected from their “reach” dream schools, so our teachers dreaded teaching us for about two weeks. But it gets better because you evaluate the options you do have from a non-desperate standpoint and get to see the ways in which you are still blessed either way. After taking a good hard look at all the possible outcomes for me should Harvard crush my heart with a rejection, I can honestly say that though I might not be screaming and passing out with joy like I would with a Harvard acceptance, I will be content. Finding contentment is, at the moment, what’s best for us (I think). Good luck to everyone else who applied!

(Also super late because I forgot about committing to do one of these.)

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