***Official Harvard University 2019 SCEA Decisions ONLY***

[ahawkins]

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2230 (780 CR, 770 M, 680 W, 8 Essay)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Bio M (780), Lit (720), ML2 (690)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.77 (4.57/5.0 weighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 22/380
AP (place score in parentheses): Gov & Pol (5), English Lang & Comp (5), Biology (4), Calc AB (4), WHAP (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stat, AP Environmental Science, AP Calc BC, AP English Lit & Comp, AP Chemistry, AP Spanish Lang and Culture, and a tech class for the requirement.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, Carson Scholarship Semifinalist, National Achievement Scholarship Semifinalist (Finalist determination pending), generic state “scholar athlete” awards, several club/school awards.</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Robotics Team (Strategy Captain and Webmaster), BSU (Vice President), Track & Field (Varsity Sprinter), School Newspaper (Arts & Entertainment Section Editor), Policy Debate (Varsity 1AC/2NC), National Technical Honor Society (Leadership Board and Co-Founder).
Job/Work Experience: Working at nearby grocery store, tutoring.
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteering at local shelter (Head Start, Big Brothers Big Sisters, canned food drives, etc.), participant in Best Buddies High Schools program, Project Linus, field day volunteering at local elementary schools, Black History Month assemblies, peer tutoring, ecological volunteering around the area (led efforts to help pick up trash, rake leaves; that sort of thing), JHUAPL Girl Power volunteering, founded robotics team at local middle school, manual conservation work.
Summer Activities: Volunteering at local nature center, working at grocery store. Also continued a year-long research project on the monetary restrictions on the American space program in which I was mentored and assisted by the host of a podcast show and a member of the NASA Advisory Council.
Essays: Discussed topics that meant a lot to me; I thought they were good.
Teacher Recommendations: Not sure how either of them were, honestly (didn’t read). Both teachers like me a lot and were more than happy to write them, so hopefully they weren’t problematic at the least, and very helpful at best.
Counselor Rec: Didn’t read, but I’m presuming they’re about as good as they’ll get. She knows me fairly well because of national/regional/state/school awards, and because of other applications for programs like MITES that have gone through her.
Additional Rec: N/A; definitely need to send one in the upcoming months. I know just the person.
Interview: Lasted for about an hour. Conversation seemed to flow well and my interviewer was very nice.</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes.
Projected Concentration: Bioengineering.
State (if domestic applicant): Maryland.
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public, mid-sized.
Ethnicity: Black or African American (<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube).
Gender: Male.
Income Bracket: N/A, but solidly middle class.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first to pursue STEM in my family.</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Hooks, breadth of volunteering work, summer activities, essays (imo; maybe not Harvard’s), SAT CR and M scores, Bio M SAT II score.
Weaknesses: Low SAT Writing score, low Literature and ML2 SAT II scores, below average GPA and ranking, AP scores could have been better.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Harvard was unable to take a definite action on my application and has deferred making a decision at this time. It’s my job to make that decision a definite yes, and I didn’t do that. But who knows, maybe I can by the time RD rolls around.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Two state schools, several Ivies and other top-tier unis.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I will do anything and everything I can to prove whatever worth I have to H admissions. It’s going to be difficult moving forward with this deferral on my mind, but that’s what I’ll do. Congrats to everyone who was accepted! Everyone who was deferred, just keep on trying. That’s all one can say. And if you were rejected, I know you’ll find a college that suits you well.</p>

[tkdgirl98]

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

<p>Objective
SAT I (breakdown): 2400 (800, 800, 800, 12 essay, superscore); 2350 (750, 800, 800, highest one sitting score)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Literature (790), Math I (740)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): US History* (4), AP Literature and Composition (5), AP Psychology (5) <em>self studied</em>
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish Language, AP Language and Composition, AP United states Government, Worldview, critical Thinking, Honors Calculus, Honors Physics, Public Health
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Scholar, National Achievement Semi-Finalist, AP Scholar, City of Milton Proclamation for Outstanding Achievement (I was given a day in my honor for outstanding academic/extracurricular achievement-not sure if this qualifies as major since it was a local award)</p>

<p>Subjective
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Extensive Martial Arts related (40+ hours a week, World Champion, 2 time District Champion, 14 time State Champion, 3rd Degree Black Belt, World Demo Team Member, Certified Level 1 Instructor); Yearbook Club (Editor-in-Chief/ Volunteer Coordinator); Student Editor of National Magazine (Skipping Stones Multicultural Magazine); Physicians’ Internship (self-created internship in which I shadowed physicians of different specialties, witnessed surgery from the OR, and assisted with pre-op and post-op interviews and care): Published articles and poems in local newspaper and magazines/ won other creative writing competitions; NHS; National Society of High School Scholars; Student Ambassador; Piano: Bridge
Job/Work Experience: Assistant Instructor in Martial Arts; Babysitting (specifically for children with special needs)
Volunteer/Community Service: Bi-monthly volunteer at Assisted Living Home; Church Small Group Leader; Organize Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive for North Fulton Community Charities; Volunteer Coordinator with Stars and Stripes (charity for providing supplies for soldiers in Iraq); Missions trip to Bogota, Colombia where I worked with elementary school age children, helped develop a program for teaching English, and assisted in the construction of a new school building
Summer Activities: Martial Arts tournaments nearly all summer; National Leadership Forum for Medicine; Congress of Future Medical Leaders
Essays: extremely strong (at least I think so/ consider myself a good writer)
Teacher Recommendations: very strong (teachers I chose also new me well outside of the classroom)
Counselor Rec: probably strong (I don’t have a relationship with her though so I cant be sure)
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: very strong; Interviewed with an alum who was from Colombia (where I went on my Missions trip last summer); she shared my passion for writing, the Hispanic language and culture, and for medicine </p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: Pre-Med with a major in History and a concentration/ minor in Spanish language and culture
State (if domestic applicant): GA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Homeschool-Private Hybrid
Ethnicity: African American (Caribbean)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Upper Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Being a minority; Unique school environment (not sure if this counts);
Graduating at 16 (skipped 8th grade )</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Scores, GPA, strong academics, recommendations, essays
Weaknesses: Lack of any major extracurriculars or awards, difficulty of my courseload (but I took the hardest classes available), lack of leadership positions
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Well rounded student and a minority. I expressed an interesting career path in my essay with my desire to be pre-med but major in history/ international relations so that I could bring a unique perspective to medical school and ameliorate the poor medical care available in many developing nations.
God!!
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Emory, Case Western Reserve, Brown, Johns Hopkins; was planning on applying to Duke and Yale as well, but I don’t think I will since I was accepted to Harvard
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Honestly, I am still in shock, and I feel so blessed. Be true to yourself on your application. Because I went to a different style of school, I felt like I might have been at a disadvantage because I didn’t have all of the clubs and activities available to students in larger schools. However, I reached out in my community and did what I loved (mainly martial arts and volunteer work) and it paid off. General advice would be to talk to your teachers early about recommendations and chose teachers who know you outside of the classroom as well if possible. Also, DO NOT procrastinate on your essays. I had this perfect image of what my essay would be like
and didn’t want to mess it up by actually writing it (lol), but doing things in advance makes everything less stressful and allows you to shine through in your application. </p>

[azoresboy12]

<p>**Decision: Deferred **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 32 (33 ss) 31 S, 32 R, 33 E, 34 M
SAT II (place score in parentheses): US H (680), Bio E (740), Math II (680)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): #1 of 344
AP (place score in parentheses): US History (4), Calc AB, Psych, Gov, Bio
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP: Calc, Psych, Bio, Gov. Creative Writing, Microbiology, Stats, PE, Contemporary Literature, Teaching Assistant
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): US Senate Youth Program Alternate (#4 of 4 selected from each state)</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): NHS (President), Organized several drives on my own, IL State Board of Education Student Advisory Council, Varsity Soccer Captain, life-long soccer player, several leadership events
Job/Work Experience: Worked 10-20 hrs/week throughout high school, and shadowed neurosurgeon
Volunteer/Community Service: Soccer clubs, NHS
Summer Activities: Boys State
Essays: (8/10) abourt my grandpa having his stroke and how that has motivated my career/goals
Teacher Recommendations: (9/10)
Counselor Rec: (9/10) knows me very well, haven’t read
Additional Rec: From soccer coach @ Harvard
Interview: 2 Interviews. First: went very well. Had a lot in common, thought we had a good discussion. Second: Over the phone, less intimate, less connection. Still went ok. First: (9/10) Second (7/10)</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: Neurobiology
State (if domestic applicant): IL
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: mid-size non-comp public. 1200 total, 300-400/class
Ethnicity: Azorean-Portuguese / White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $140-160k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Portuguese background, personal essay, and letter of rec from coach at Harvard</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Essays, extracurriculars
Weaknesses: SAT SUBJECT TESTS for sure
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Didn’t get coach’s letter in time, or I simply didn’t stand out enough.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Carthage (accepted), Penn, Northeastern
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Keep faith for RD</p>

[jalebigirl]

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

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2310 (770CR, 800 M, 740 W)
ACT (breakdown): did not take
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 770, 740
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8-3.9 UW
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A<br>
AP (place score in parentheses): 5544444443
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A,
Senior Year Course Load: All APs and Honors. Physics, Calc BC, World and Euro History, and some stupid required ‘electives’.<br>
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): USABO semifinalist, National AP Scholar, Ayn Rand essay finalist, local brain bees/science olympiad medals, some speech and debate awards. </p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):Speech/debate leadership, dance, science olympiad, lots of small things. Leadership positions were no big deal, but I was really committed to all these groups and spent a lot of time working with them. I think this showed in my app.<br>
Job/Work Experience: Lab?
Volunteer/Community Service: A lot of small community/school events. I volunteer with a class for children with learning disabilities. Tutoring.
Summer Activities: Research, hospital volunteering, teaching at my church’s summer school
Essays: Must have been good. They were the only thing about my application that was remotely interesting.
Teacher Recommendations: didn’t read
Counselor Rec: didn’t read
Additional Rec: Research mentor (didn’t read)
Interview: Honestly, I thought it was terrible. I stuttered and babbled the whole time and I had no idea what I was saying. But in the few moments i wasn’t hyperventilating, we really clicked and talked about really random things. </p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: Hell if I know
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: >200,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): So hookless it’s painful </p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Essays, recommendations, genuine commitment to school/community
Weaknesses: GPA, not-perfect scores, didn’t cure cancer, no substantial leadership
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Essays. I really had an interesting story to tell, and I told it in the best possible way I could. Showed real personal growth/change.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Rutgers, NJIT (accepted), will apply to Princeton, Columbia, and Yale. My heart’s not really in it, thought.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: </p>

<p>I’m still in total shock. This was totally unexpected; I genuinely felt very underqualified compared to the absolutely stellar applicants on this thread. Admissions is an essay contest. 'Nuff said. </p>

[Karabekian]

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

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2400
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800s on Math II, Physics, Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 96/100
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/200ish
AP (place score in parentheses): 8 5s
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: MV Calc, more physics, Bio, Band, some electives
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Scholastic Writing Gold Medal, National AP scholar, NMSC semifinalist, USAPho Semifinalist</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Physics olympiad, Mock Trial (leader dude), debate, lots of soccer (captain), band… sorry there’s a bit more to it but privacy…
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service: something local soccer-related, 100 hrs
Summer Activities: attended one of the nice programs listed here: <a href=“Summer programs | MIT Admissions”>http://mitadmissions.org/apply/prepare/summer&lt;/a&gt;
Essays: Common App- simple and elegant. About a medley of things. Mainly just about me thinking.
Supplement- a few people, online and real, said it was a work of art… it was 1000+ words, but engaging…it was episodic, like a bunch of flashbacks connected by a quote… my teacher said my writing style is elegant and dreamlike. Advice: set aside a full month or two. Isolate yourself if you need to, take long peaceful walks several times a day-- that’s how the best ideas come to me, at least. And by best ideas, I just mean outlines or even just beautiful phrases. Eventually you can make a great essay that truly encompasses all you are. Btw, the supplement’s topic was my summer experiences.
Teacher Recommendations: Both great
Counselor Rec: Best in career
Additional Rec: Best in career (middle school teacher who’s mentored me in a lot of things)
Interview: It was fine. Not even an hour. I was collected and had mediocre answers. </p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? yes
Projected Concentration: physics
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: small public
Ethnicity: Indian (subcontinent…not the country necessarily)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 60k-100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): i’m nice and stuff</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Test scores. Sorta played up the small town community kid feel.<br>
Weaknesses: ECs, no hooks
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: i’m nice and stuff
Where else you are applying or have already applied: not sure yet.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Oh yeah. First, perfect scorers aren’t judged by a different set of rules. I’m convinced that test scores, once you’re above a threshold, don’t matter much.
Second, invest time in improving your writing. When I was a sophomore, I looked at an issue of Best Teen Writing. (this one: <a href=“http://d3kino9lsjew8j.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/BTW20121.pdf?08674c”>http://d3kino9lsjew8j.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/BTW20121.pdf?08674c&lt;/a&gt; . My favorite piece is on p. 250). I was blown away. I’d always thought I was a good writer. I’m not. But I worked on it. I wrote creative pieces for Scholastic, got shot down, tried some more, improved. I truly think that creative writing is a great skill to develop.
Third, try to do your absolute best given whatever school / community you live in. Then do some more-- make your own opportunities.
Lastly, congrats to everyone else accepted. Best wishes to those who weren’t. </p>

[anonymous554]

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

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2140 (680 M, 740 CR, 720W)
ACT (breakdown): 33 (35 E, 32 M, 33 R, 32 S)
SAT II (place score in parentheses):Math II -660, 730, Biology M -720, US History - 750
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3
AP (place score in parentheses): European History (5), Psychology (5), US History (5), Biology (5), English Lang & Comp (5), Calculus AB(5)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Economics (Micro+Macro), AP English Lit & Composition, AP Physics, AP Spanish, AP US Government and Politics, AP Calculus BC
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):National Achievement Scholar Semifinalist, AP Scholar with Distinction</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Rugby Club(Co-captain), Model UN Club (Co-Captain), Speech and Debate Club (Co-Captain), Mock Trial (Co-Captain), Academic Team, Gymnastics
Job/Work Experience: Work as a Gymnastics Instructor at my local YMCA
Volunteer/Community Service: N/A
Summer Activities: NSLC, Taught in Ghana, West Africa last year
Essays: 7/10
Teacher Recommendations: 9/10 (read one of them)
Counselor Rec: 6/10 (didnt know me very well)
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: 7/10 (very awkward)</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: not yet whoops
Projected Concentration: Political Science/International Relation
State (if domestic applicant): PA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: African-American (first generation)
Gender: female
Income Bracket:a lot. will not be receiving aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): my sister goes there, I’m black, I have a passion for Henry Clay</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: I’m not really sure, I thought I wasn’t going to get in. My passion for everything I do was probably evident, but other than that, I’m not really sure.
Weaknesses: My SATs, lack of Community Service,
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Literally have no idea.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: I have applied to Penn State Scheyers, Brown University, Princeton University, Tufts University, Stanford University, the St.Hugh’s College of Oxford University. I still might apply to Williams College and Georgetown, but I’m unsure
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Don’t give up hope! </p>

[phrostedup]

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

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2190, 670CR, 750M, 770W
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Bio M (720), Math 2 (760)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/247
AP (place score in parentheses): Calc AB (5), US History (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, English Honors, AP Spanish 5, AP Psychology, AP Physics 2, AP Biology
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Rensselaer Medalist, National Merit Semifinalist, 1st Team All Conference in Indoor Track, State Champions in Outdoor Track, Yale Book Award</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Cross Country (Captain '14-'15), Indoor Track (Captain '14-'15), Outdoor Track (Captain '14-'15), NHS, UNICEF Club (Co-founder), Student Government (VP '14-'15), Student Representative for my local Board of Ed, Captain’s Council Member
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: ~25 hours at my local library’s children’s section in sophomore year, ~25 hours volunteering for my Track coach, who was running for Congress
Summer Activities: The above volunteering
Essays: 8/10 in my opinion
Teacher Recommendations: Fantastic; one of my teachers went to Harvard so she was able to personalize the letter for them
Counselor Rec: No clue, to be honest
Additional Rec: One from my track coach, I assume it was well written
Interview: Went very well, my interviewer and I bonded very quickly, it was not awkward at all</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: Biomedical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): Connecticut
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: African American/ White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~80k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Race</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Course load, grades
Weaknesses: SAT and SATII test scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Luck of the draw
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Boston U, UConn, RPI
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Could not be happier</p>

[Daminus]

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):2010 (630M 630CR 750W ) Super scored math
ACT (breakdown):25… I took it a few months before my best SAT.
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Did not take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.77
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):2/19 (very small school)
AP (place score in parentheses): 3 in US history. Didn’t report. Only took the test for fun, especially because I took regular US history.
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Government, AP Psychology, AP Biology, AP English Language and Composition, English IV, Pre-calculus, and Speech
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None much. National Honor Society certificate?</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Member of a college readiness program. Member of media club. Member of video game club. Student Council (11th grade Representative) Bio medical Club (Treasurer).
Job/Work Experience: None.
Volunteer/Community Service: Local Food Bank. Local Children’s Muesum. Car Wash.
Essays:7/10 I tried, but I am not the best essay writer.
Teacher Recommendations: 9/10 (I only read one of them and it was great)
Counselor Rec: 8/10 It seemed decent.
Additional Rec: None
Interview: 9/10 It went pretty well I think. The interviewer was friendly and we had a nice conversation.</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Yes
Projected Concentration: Biology
State (if domestic applicant): Texas
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: African-American
Gender:Male
Income Bracket: Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM I guess.</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Uh recommendation letters perhaps?<br>
Weaknesses: Academics in general. This school is quite a reach for me. I have low GPA, Low test scores. No major awards. (When I say low, I mean compared to the average admitted Harvard freshman. In general, I think my academics are ok)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I don’t know. I probably got deferred because there was a massive 72.5% early action deffer rate. It could be better than being rejected if I somehow get an acceptance letter in the spring. At the same time, being deferred now could be worse than being rejected if I get a rejected letter in March. Honestly I would have preferred just a straight rejection letter if I do (most likely) get rejected in the spring.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Texas Tech, UT Austin, and some others
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
It would be nice to get accepted, but if I don’t then it’s alright. Congratulations to everyone who got accepted early action round! After reading the posts of some people who got accepted in the early action round, I understand why they did. They really are brilliant and well-rounded people.<br>
Also to people who got deferred/rejected, don’t worry. Considering the fact that Harvard has Harvard had around a 94% decline rate last year, it really isn’t that surprising to be rejected. At the end of the day, there are still many great colleges in the U.S. Don’t let one rejection/deferral stop you from reaching your full potential in life. Life will go on. With that being said, I wish you all the best!</p>

[Ultron]

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

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2370 (super score) of 800 W 800 CR 770 M (yes, 770 on math), highest in one sitting was 2340
ACT (breakdown): Didn’t take
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 Math II, 780 Chemistry, 750 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not rank
AP (place score in parentheses): 5’s: Physics C - Mechanics, Physics B, Calc BC, Calc AB subscore, World History, English Language and Composition, 4’s: Chemistry, US HIstory
IB (place score in parentheses): School does not offer
Senior Year Course Load: AP Political Science (U.S. Government), AP Biology, AP Art History, Leadership (ASB), AP Spanish, AP English Lit
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): USAMO qualifier, Two-time USA Physics Olympiad Semifinalist, Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference Competitive Event, National Merit Semifinalist, Coca-Cola Scholarship Semifinalist, AP Scholar with Distinction, First in a 5th grade spelling bee (up to you to determine if I actually included this on my app or not)</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Associated Student Body Vice President, California Future Business Leaders of America (State Vice President and Section President), Office of CA State Senator Mimi Walters (Head Intern), Model UN (Director of Internal Relations), California Scholarship Federation (Public Relations Officer)
Job/Work Experience: Regional Political Director for Mimi Walters for Congress (basically helped run a Congressional campaign), Darley Fire, Inc. (based in Dalian, China), Piano
Volunteer/Community Service: Lots of political work that I guess counted for volunteer/community service with my school. I was involved in the World Food Program in freshman/sophomore years though.
Summer Activities: Summer before 11th grade: Business course at CSUF, Internship in China; 12th grade: Congressional campaign
Essays: CommonApp was pretty good… It was unique and said a lot about me. Supplement was kind of bordering on the more cliche topics so 8/10.
Teacher Recommendations: 8/10 for one, 9/10 for the other. I had one as club adviser for two of my major clubs so that was pretty awesome.
Counselor Rec: 10/10. She really liked me.
Additional Rec: I had two; one from my ASB adviser and the other from Mimi Walters, the now Congresswoman-elect I worked for. 9/10 for ASB and 10/10 for Mimi.
Interview: I thought it went really well; we had the same interests and talked about business/finance/government and had a smooth conversation. Didn’t hurt that he interviewed my brother two years back.</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? not yet oops
Projected Concentration: Economics/Political Science (or Government)
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: ~125k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): My brother goes there? No idea if that helps or not</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Strong EC’s and grades I would say.
Weaknesses: Generic background (Asian, parents immigrated from China)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: luck? No idea… Maybe my political work mixed in with business interests?
Where else you are applying or have already applied: No idea yet… Pretty set on Harvard though
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I think Harvard wants to see students who have already started pursuing the things they intend to study and getting involved in meaningful activities. And don’t give up! You can do it! </p>

[priva914]

<p>**Decision: Deferred **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2060 (740W 730R 590M)
ACT (breakdown): Didn’t send
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Literature-740
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/80
AP (place score in parentheses): Lang-5, Psychology-4
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: Anatomy, Chorus, Biology II, AP Government, English IV, AP Literature, Physics, AP Computer Science
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): some local community service awards and some academic awards from my school, some local and state Science Olympiad medals</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): School newspaper writer (also editor and mentor 10th+11th grade), Science Olympiad, Speech/Debate Team, church choir, 11th+12th-programming
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: Donating knitted squares, blankets, scarves, feed homeless every other month through church
Summer Activities: A year ago most of my summer was spent dealing with family trouble; most recent summer was spent teaching myself more programming and working on some projects
Essays: One was about how a family circumstance impacted me, the second was about not being able to retake the SAT as planned due to another family complication/reflection on how I spent too much time concerned with test scores
Teacher Recommendations: Good I think. Didn’t read but they like me.
Counselor Rec: Fairly generic, because when she wrote it she did not know much about me (she was new). It stated I took the hardest courses possible, was a good worker, etc.
Additional Rec: None
Interview: It was my first interview ever so I was quite nervous. In hindsight there are things I wish I could have said differently, but it went better than I thought it would. We had a lot in common, surprisingly, and I enjoyed the conversations. </p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Projected Concentration: Computer Science
State (if domestic applicant): NC
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: small, college prep (however no student from the school had ever applied to Harvard, and only one in the past 10 years went to an institution of comparable caliber)
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: ~70K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Essays were decent, teacher recs
Weaknesses: Test scores, haven’t done anything particularly impressive
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Test scores, lack of impressiveness
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UNC-CH, UNC-A, ECU (accepted), Stanford
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I was very surprised I wasn’t rejected. I thought I’d have no chance with my test scores. I realize the chances of acceptance at this point are virtually non-existent, but this honestly served as a confidence booster. Now I’m going to focus on keeping all As, other applications and scholarships, and try to do something “impressive” in between now and February that I can update my application with.</p>

[marioharvy]

<p>[ size=4][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Deferred **[/color][/size]</p>

<p>[ b]Objective:**
SAT I (breakdown): Total: 2220- Critical Reading- 750 Math - 720 Writing - 750
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 Chemistry 780 Math 2 750 Biology Molecular
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): 5 AP Psychology 5 AP Calculus AB 4 Chemistry 3 World History
IB (place score in parentheses): 5 IB Visual Arts 5 Mathematics
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC IB History of America HL 2 IB Biology HL 2, AP Spanish/IB Spanish, IB English HL2, Theory of Knowledge IB, AP Physics C Mechanics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Some art competitions, international Automotive Denmark Competition, Congressional Art Competition, national honors, AP Awards, </p>

<p>[ b]Subjective:**
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Screen Actors Guild Member, Professional Actor in Movies/TV productions, Red carpet photographer for galas and movie premieres, Employed by Kaiser Permanente for Summer job, Editor in Chief of High School Newspaper, created Squash club for underprivileged kids, Model for Ford Models Agency in 9th grade, Robotics Club Semi-finalist in FIRST competition, Founder of Environmental Club Association in School
Job/Work Experience: Actor Red carpet photographer, and worked as a Host in italian restaurant
Volunteer/Community Service: 400+ Hours, Costa Rica Service Project,
Summer Activities: Red carpet photographer going to LA and photographing televised award shows such as the Golden Reel Awards
Essays: About my red carpet photographer and the other is about how I had Heart surgery and that is why I want to be a cardiologist
Teacher Recommendations: Great, one from psychology teacher and one from the best math teacher in the world (literally he is, he got awards for it)
Counselor Rec: good
Additional Rec: None but sending now since i got deffered from my acting manager
Interview: great super long, he asked detailed questions </p>

<p>[ b]Other**
Applied for Financial Aid? NO
Projected Concentration: Psychology
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Prep School
Ethnicity: Caucasian/White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 100,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): ACTOR?!? </p>

<p>[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: crazy weird ECs, good unique essays
Weaknesses: SAT score? AP SCORES.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I am thinking my acting is not a good fit for harvard since it is in boston and that city has no opportunities. Really dissapointed though
Where else you are applying or have already applied: ALL 8 Ivys
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Please PM me if you want my essays and common app, add me on facebook I need opinions. This deferral has made me lost all hope </p>

[grich96]

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

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2290 (800 M 800 R 690 W)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (34 M 34 E 36 R 36 S)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): World History (790) US History (780) Math 2 (770) Lit (740)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): 4 Eng. Lang. 4 Calc AB 3 Chem
IB (place score in parentheses): Not available in my county
Senior Year Course Load: APUSH, Advanced Musicianship, AP Physics, Engineering Design and Development, AP Calc BC, AP English Lit, Aerospace Engineering
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semi-Finalist</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):Eagle Scout, Student Government (SMOB), Golf (Captain), Track, Baseball, Quiz Bowl (Captain), Mock Trial, Band
Job/Work Experience: Lifeguard
Volunteer/Community Service: Presidential Service Award through HOBY
Summer Activities: NSLI-Y Mandarin Chinese Scholarship
Essays: Common App 10/10 wrote about my experiences in China; worked very hard on it
EC 9/10 wrote about hunting
Supplemental 6/10 wrote about an early childhood speech impediment I overcame
Teacher Recommendations: 10th grade English teacher 10/10
10th grade World History teacher 9/10
Counselor Rec: 9/10 conveyed how I excelled in my small rural school
Additional Rec: Coach 9/10 showed I was a genuine human being
Teacher/Mentor 8/10
Interview: It went well. He told me he wrote a good report for me.</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? Of course
Projected Concentration: Social Sciences (East Asian Studies?)
State (if domestic applicant): MD
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: small rural public
Ethnicity: White!!!
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Kid from small town studies in China and wishes to concentrate in East Asian Studies?</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Test Scores, GPA, Recs, Essays,
Weaknesses: AP scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I made the most of all my opportunities. My school is a small rural public school that never sends kids to top 25 schools, let alone Harvard. The NSLI thing definitely stood out and I milked it for all its worth. My numbers were competitive, but you do not get into Harvard on numbers alone. Also, my recs were rather strong, if I may say so myself.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: UMD, UVA, Northeastern, Notre Dame, Williams, Swarthmore, Duke, Dartmouth, Yale, Princeton, Stanford
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I am proof that without being an athlete, legacy, URM, 1st gen, nationally recognized in any regard, having any 5s on AP exams, using 11th or 12th grade teachers for both letter of recs, having class rank, one can still get into Harvard. Since 8th grade, I have been angling to get into Harvard and once I found out, I broke down in tears. Hard work and careful planning pay off. SCEA acceptance rate was especially low this year, and I truly appreciate how fortunate I am. If anyone has any questions for me, please feel free to DM me; I would like to give back to a forum that has given so much to me. </p>

[seagb1]

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2320 (730 CR, 790 M, 800 W)
SAT II : 800 Chem, 800 Bio E, 800 Physics, 800 Math II, 770 World Hist
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Rank : 1/210
AP : World (5), Env. Sci. (5), Psych (5), Eng lang. (4), Bio (5), AB Calc (5), Human Geo (5), Micro (5), Macro (5), Euro Hist. (5), half were self-studied
IB (place score in parentheses): NA
Senior Year Course Load: APs— Phys 1, Phys 2, Phys C mech, Phys C elect magn, Statistics, Chemistry, Literature, Art History, Spanish Lang, Span Lit, US Hist, US gov, Comp Govmt, US Hist., 7 of which will be independent study
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Fbla econ county winnner, NYS FBLA silver place on Econ exam, National Merit Semifinalist, national AP scholar, scholar athlete, county coach’s academic Basketball award, county coach’s academic Soccer award, Captain, Travel Soccer (9,10,11)</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Athletes Helping Athletes (11,12), Science Club (10,11,12), Class Vice President (9), Class President (10,11), President National Honor Society (12), Ambassador to incoming freshman (12), Mathletes (9,10,11,12), Vice President, Environmental Action Club (12), FBLA (11), Varsity Basketball (10,11,12), JV Basketball (9), Varsity Soccer (11,12), JV Soccer (9,10), Varsity Tennis (9), Travel Soccer (9,10,11), Cold Spring Harbor Professor for a Day (plant genomes).
Job/Work Experience: Ski Instructor, Stratton Mountain (50), Seeding in Greenhouse (50), Tutoring (30)
Volunteer/Community Service: Student Government Events (100), Habitat for Humanity (15)
Summer Activities: Harvard Summer School (grades A and A-) (12), UCLA Summer School (Precal A) (11), Explo at Yale (10), Summer Camp (9)
Essays: strong and hired outside editors
Teacher Recommendations: very strong, one three pages long, and other teacher : “gave heart and soul”)
Counselor Rec: very strong
Additional Rec: none
Interview: went well - local doctor was impressed with my stats</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? yes
Projected Concentration: Chemical and Physical Biology
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: small suburban public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: male
Income Bracket: 200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): self study APs</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: I had a little of everything
Weaknesses: no extensive community service
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I guess I am just a tank!!! This is awesome!!!
Where else you are applying or have already applied: will have to compare with Princeton, Yale, Stanford, MIT
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Still not sure where I will end up. Don’t get discouraged with imperfect test scores. What you do outside the classroom is nearly as important. Do it for yourself.</p>

[Leahsmilezzzzz]

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

<p>After anxiously following the discussion thread and stalking the previous year’s decision thread, but never posting, I decided to post my stats after all. May they be helpful to future Harvard applicants!</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2050 (670 maths, 670 critical reading, 710 writing)
ACT (breakdown): –
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Maths Level 2 (730) and (770), Biology M (770)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): –
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): – probably 1/60
AP (place score in parentheses): –
IB (place score in parentheses): 41 without extra points – Maths HL (7), Biology HL (7), Chemistry HL (7), German L&L SL (7), Economics SL (7), English L&L SL (6)
Senior Year Course Load: the IB…
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): First violin in an orchrestra, violin lessons, Youth leader in church, Ballroom dance classes (up until Bronze level)
Job/Work Experience: Summer internship in a biology lab, and an internship at an old-age home
Volunteer/Community Service: Youth leader in church
Summer Activities: see above
Essays: CA: Pretty mushy - why I want to go into biological research; the extra c. one was about playing in an orchestra and being part of a team etc.
Teacher Recommendations: Must have been pretty good
Counselor Rec: He doesn’t even really know me (only learned my name when he had to fill in my application) so…
Additional Rec: 1 from the PhD student I worked with (super positive)
Interview: In Cambridge with a senior admissions officer who was also involved in my decision. In retrospect I regreted everything I said, but apparently it wasn’t that bad after all.</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No
Projected Concentration: Some form of Biology (probably molecular, cellular)
State (if domestic applicant): –
Country (if international applicant): Germany
School Type: State
Ethnicity: White European
Gender: F
Income Bracket: not eligible for financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): --</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: IB grades
Weaknesses: SATs!!! and no major awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I have no idea. I am over the moon and not questioning this. Perhaps I just showed motivation and engagement
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Well that’s irrelevant now
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: There is no way of knowing whether Harvard is going to accept you or not. I was convinced that I would be deferred, but apparently that is not the case! So give it a shot, and nobody can chance you just by your stats, since there is so much more to your application than what can be posted in a CC post like this. Good luck!</p>

[jameswong199564]

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

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2120 Total: 710 Reading, 690 Writing, 720 Math
ACT (breakdown): 31
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 730 Math 1, 720 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.65
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 8/ 415
AP (place score in parentheses): 4 AP Eng Lit, 5 AP Eng Comp, 4 AP Calc AB, 5 AP Physics
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Debate Team, School Newspaper, Math Club, Science Club
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteered in orphanage every weekend.
Summer Activities: 2 Summers of volunteering in Africa for poor children. Harvard Summer school for one year. 2 Week debate camp.</p>

<p>Essays:
Teacher Recommendations: 8/10
Counselor Rec: 8/10
Additional Rec: 9/10</p>

<p>Interview: Fantastic Interview: we talked a lot.</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Projected Concentration: Undecided
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): NA</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: A fairly typical/competitive app.
Weaknesses: Scores could be higher.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I’m a fairly average candidate… but holistic admissions means that a lot of luck is involved. I rolled the dice, and I just got lucky.
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Honestly, so much of college admissions comes down to luck. At the top schools (HYP), they can accept all 2400’s if they want to–but they don’t. They use holistic admissions-- so a good essay, good interview etc. can make the difference. If the admissions officer is having a good day, your chances increase. So much comes down to luck that you should not apply early unless it is your top choice. My family has tons of legacy at another good school and I was pressured to apply there early “in order to maximize my chances.” But I knew that I did not want to commit to a school without giving my best shot at HYP. If you have worked so hard for four years, you should at least try! DO NOT live with regret. There are so many schools you can apply to regular, why throw it all away applying early somewhere else without giving a school like Harvard a shot first? </p>

[cvRev106]

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

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2250, though they didn’t probably see it in time (800 M, 680 R, 770 W (9 essay))
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36 M 35 W 33 R 34 S)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): just an 800 Chem, 760 M2… glad that 760 did the trick
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): my school’s dumb; they call my unweighted out of 4.0 a 4.135
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):1/210 or so
AP (place score in parentheses): 5 Calc AB, 5 Chem, 4 Lang+Comp
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Calc BC/ Physics C/perhaps E+M, APUSH, Ceramics, Website Design, Health 2
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing special – AP Scholar, NM Commended Scholar, RPI Medalist</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Three-sport athlete till this year (often captain), baseball is my top sport, with three years of lettering. Started Ultimate Frisbee club, but found little interest in student body. Huge part of Ethics Seminar, which was one of my strongest aspects of the app… also involved with two activist groups. Math team, Student Council (President, VP last year), Student Athletic Leadership Team (co-president last year, treasurer this year), Class Government (integral part, spearheaded many events), NHS, summer academic program + HOBY, perhaps that’s it.
Job/Work Experience: Not much – worked for Town Rec Dept one summer as Bathhouse Attendant
Volunteer/Community Service: As mentioned above, HOBY, student government, and activist groups got me active, though I was laid-back with logging. Officially logged at least, hmm, 110 hours and should have had another 40 had I skipped baseball to go on a service trip to NYC.
Summer Activities: That lone job, and the Advanced Studies Program at St. Paul’s School
Essays: Common App is supposedly strong considering my result… put a ton of personality in it, displaying many slight parts of my daily life (fantasy football, pottery, campsite, guitar); even was a little nervous it didn’t adequately address the first prompt. Like the supplement – I emphasized my road to motivation and success, displaying the exact passions I have for everything I do and what I get out of it all in a very strong closing paragraph.
Teacher Recommendations: Hopefully great; one is a teacher that I have known in many different areas of life, and bet that one especially was superb.
Counselor Rec: Standard, though the entire guidance office loves me.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Had two, on and off-campus. Off-campus was great, emphasizing my intellectual vitality and wide interests.
On-campus (on a subcommittee day) was even better, with an admissions officer, really going full circle on what I love and what I’m excited to get out of the college experience.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid? yep
Projected Concentration: Physics/Philosophy/Engineering/PolySci
State (if domestic applicant): NH (I’m banking on this part of the app helping me)
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Rural, Regional, roughly 850 students, medium prestige. Stanford admit and I are the firsts in a while for us.
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: right around 100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Well, I am the defending champion of my fantasy football league…</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Intellectual and civic engagement and excitement. Lots of personality in my application. Stats are elite in NH as well – were I to reside in NY or anything like that I wouldn’t likely stand a chance. I do a lot, and put all I’ve got into it, but don’t we all on this thread? LEADERSHIP
Weaknesses: Nothing exceptional about me. By this I mean I’m not the 2400, or the squash champion, or the concerto pianist, or anything of the sort.<br>
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: They like my personality and think I’d be a good contributor to the lives of my peers. Plus, I can get it done in the classroom, outside of it, and beyond.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Brown, Yale, Stanford, Tufts, Union (Schenectady), Nova, UNH, perhaps Rice.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Glad it worked out the way I did – I’m pumped, my friends are pumped, my teachers are pumped, my community is pumped. Great relief, but am proud that the acceptance is not yet the end but I am excited for the four years, and the fact that the news brightened the days of everyone around me. Best of luck to all, and if the luck doesn’t work for you, it’s a crapshoot and you don’t need an H or a Y or a P to be the excellent person you are.</p>

[arvprastn7]

<p>Choose One:</p>

<p>**Decision: Deferred **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t Submit to them
ACT (breakdown): 35 Composite (35 Science, 34 Math, 35 English, 34 Reading, 10 Writing and Self-Reported 36 in Science from different test)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (780) Chemistry (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/433
AP (place score in parentheses): Language and Composition (4) Chemistry (5) U.S. History (5), Human Geography (5)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Psychology, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics A, AP U.S Government, AP Spanish 5, AP Literature and Composition, Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Not too many 2nd at State FBLA as Junior, National AP Scholar with Distinction, Youth Mentor Robotics, DECA state finalist Junior year, Robotics team got Rookie of the year and engineering inspiration.</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Robotics (Vice Build Captain 10th, Community Outreach Captain 11th) FBLA (President), DECA, NHS (treasurer), District student Advisory Board, Indian Association of Northern Colorado Youth lead 10th. Band (3 years))
Job/Work Experience: Interned as Database Manager assistant 12th
Volunteer/Community Service: Started and Coached a Robotics program in Boys and Girls Club with Plans to expand next year into the other clubs in my state country.
Summer Activities: Did independent research at local state university; created a robotics camp as way to educate community and donate to non-profit promoting STEM.
Essays: 9/10 or 10/10 Common App, Specific to why I love people and kids as viewing domestic violence. EC 10/10 Described rush of band, Supplement 6/10 kind of contradicted a bit of my Common App in-terms of career, could have been written better. Additional Info was basically additional resume…stupid on my part to use it so probably 4/10
Teacher Recommendations: no idea. My teachers at my school can’t share them, and one did (didn’t submit that one)…It was awful, so I assume the other ones might be similar.
Counselor Rec: 6/10 Can’t share either…NOW I know her well and am asking her to re-write it.
Additional Rec: None
Interview: Okay…Couldn’t connect with her at all. 5/10</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Obvi XD
Projected Concentration: Mechanical Engineering I think?
State (if domestic applicant): Colorado Best state ever!
Country (if international applicant): USA Best Country Ever!
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 100-150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Not really, other than my common App reflecting how the Domestic Abuse model and unique family situation has deeply affected me.</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: EC’s I think? My Common App Essay
Weaknesses: My recs, Interview, Additional Information and supplement Essay…I think I came off really stuck up or obsessed with a resume in both my interview and additional info section
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Look the above XD lol
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Stanford, Princeton, MIT, State Schools, Vanderbilt, UWash, RPI, Case Western, Duke, Columbia etc.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Letters of Rec are a huge deal…if you’re school is large (a bit like mine) and has a “method” for asking for recs…Don’t follow it and instead give the teachers a rubric about what to include…all of them are fairly similar at the top level. Don’t treat it like a resume, which was a huge mistake on my part, and make sure none of the info contradicts itself; it sounded like I did by accident.</p>

[sephiroth0415]

<p>[ b]Decision: Deferred **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2220 - 730CR, 770M, 720W (8)
ACT (breakdown): 32 Composite
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math 1 740, Bilogy 740
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0(UW), 4.95(W)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 31/414 (Very Competive School, Band hurt Weighted GPA)
AP (place score in parentheses): 4 AP’s, (5)(4)(4)(4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Calc ab, AP Environ Sci, AP Stats
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Scholar, National Merit Commended, National Hispanic Scholar</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Band Captain, Concert, Jazz, and Pep Band – French Horn, and Trumpet
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: 350+ Hours
Summer Activities: Duke University Honors, Neuroscience, and Web Design
Essays: CA: 7/10, Add: 8/10
Teacher Recommendations: 7/10, 8/10, 9/10
Counselor Rec: don’t know, she’s young and new, doesn’t know me.
Additional Rec: Good from the Principal
Interview: Pretty Good, lasted an hour and 5 minutes</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? no
Projected Concentration: Biology, Neuroscience
State (if domestic applicant): FL
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Charter
Ethnicity: White/Hispanic
Gender: M
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): see above</p>

<p>[ b]Reflection**
Strengths: ?
Weaknesses: Less than 2000 beds available for so many good students are not good odds, glad I’m trying though, RD
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Incredible Talent
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Boston U., Johns Hopkins, UPenn, Duke, Dartmouth, Brown, Yale, Columbia, Cornell, UChicago, FSU, UFlorida, UMiami (maybe Princeton)
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Tried my very hardest, the last 12 years – very difficult to go your entire life without getting a B, in my school system, while participating in EC’s and social life, and I did it, can’t complain, and do understand that a Harvard acceptance is very difficult…will still hold out hope for Harvard RD and apply to other Ivies, matches, I completed my safeties.</p>

[jb9832]

<p>**Decision: Deferred **</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): didn’t submit
ACT (breakdown): 35 composite one sitting: 36 science; 34 english, 35 math, 33 reading, 10 writing
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 730 bio m, 710 math 1, 670 physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0? idk my weighted is 102.09/100
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/150
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Bio (5), AP Euro (3-didn’t report), AP Physics (4), AP Lit and Comp (4), APUSH (4)<br>
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP Microeconomics, AP French, AP Lang and Comp, AP Calc
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Rensselaer Medal, AP Scholar with Distinction, Salutatorian, PSAT Commended Scholar (NMSQT), MHAL All academic scholar athlete</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Soccer (Co captain, MHAL scholar athlete), Band/Clarinet/NYSSMA Soloist (First Chair, Section Leader), Tennis (Co Captain, 1st doubles, MHAL scholar athlete), Track (NYSPHSAA Scholar athlete), Senior Class (Secretary, grade rep), Interact, Quiz Bowl (NY State bowl Qualifier), Science Olympiad (Captain, 15 medals won overall), Model UN (secretary), French Club and French Honor Society (Secretary), National honor society, Tri-m honor society, spanish honor society… i didn;t do a good job of elaborating on them and i’ve done more since i applied… this was the weakest part of the app. my app that i have now sent to yale for example is much stronger.
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community Service:tutoring at local library and school, volunteering at local temple… (i’ve done a lot more but i stupidly didn’t include this in my app ffs-_-), shadowed/volunteered with a doctor
Summer Activities:Independent research project at IBM (wrote about this in “briefly elaborate…”)
Essays:Common app: pretty stellar, my teachers loved it, 9/10…Additional harvard app specific: talked about my passion for medicine, pretty solid 9/10. could have been better… supplement information on common app: it’s better now than it was; i wrote about some other passions of mine…8/10</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendations: I read 2 out of 3 of them and both that I read were absolutely amazing, they made me blush and love my teachers a lot more! They were absolutely adorable and were of amazing quality (11/10). The third was probably good too!
Counselor Rec:amazing! 9/10
Additional Rec:One from my ibm project supervisor, really good 9/10… one from the doctor i shadowed… really good 9/10
Interview: I connected really well with her and I personally thought it went really well! She was able to learn about my Teen Vogue campaign that I did for safe driving and hopefully she included that in her report because she was so impressed with it and thought it was “entrepreneurial”… thought i was a perfect fit for harvard. She also hopefully expanded on my travel experience and volunteer things…</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? yes
Projected Concentration: Biomedical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant):NY
Country (if international applicant):USA
School Type:Public, small (idk if its considered rural…)
Ethnicity: Asian Indian
Gender:Female
Income Bracket: 100k-150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): unhook was being asian tbh</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: GPA/Rank, ACT, teacher recommendations
Weaknesses: entire activity section was shit. I submitted the app on a whim just to see what would happen. I regret not really looking over it and putting more quality words and detail into it. Also my uploaded essay was good but it could have been better. Oh and my Subject SATs were pretty bad… probably should have studied for them.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: activity section/extracurriculars werent good
Where else you are applying or have already applied: I did a bunch of BS/MD programs… and BU, NEU, Yale, Princeton, Columbia maybe, UPenn, Cornell, RPI…
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Definitely seems like a roll of dice and a game of luck. I’ve seem quite a few weaker applicants being accepted and some killer superhumans being deferred. Do well in school and on the standardized tests because that will really help you, especially if you’re not an underrepresented minority. Take time and dont rush the application; all I can say is that submit something that you’re pleased with and be yourself. Don’t write something with the mindset of “what will the counselor want to see?” because you won’t really get any good quality into it. Pour your heart and soul into it. </p>

[SweetIceTea]

<p>Filling this in for my roommate….</p>

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2260
ACT (breakdown): 32
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 on Math II and Biology
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): Biology 5, Chemistry 4, Calc BC 4, and Calc AB 3
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: All AP
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Swim team etc……
Job/Work Experience: IDK
Volunteer/Community Service: IDK
Summer Activities: Harvard SSP
Essays: IDK
Teacher Recommendations: IDK
Counselor Rec: IDK
Additional Rec: IDK
Interview: IDK</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid? No
Projected Concentration: Biology
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Boarding School
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: >1,000,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Both mom and dad went to Harvard Undergrad and Business School. Grandfather used to sit on Board of Trustees. Uncle currently teaches at Harvard Business School.</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Legacy, Test Scores, Grades
Weaknesses: IDK
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: IDK
Where else you are applying or have already applied: IDK
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Congrats to my roommate for getting in to the #1 college in America!</p>