***Official MIT RD Results Class of 2022***

Colleges and Universities A-Z Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1

Haven’t seen a thread for this with decisions coming out soon, so here is the official thread for MIT class of 2022 Regular Decision applicants. MIT will announce their decisions online on March 14th Pi Day as usual… Good luck to Everyone!

Remove spaces when you post:

[ size=4][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted **[/color][/size]
[ size=4][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Deferred **[/color][/size]
[ size=4][ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected **[/color][/size]

[ b]Objective:[/b
]
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
ACT (breakdown):
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Weighted GPA:
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses):
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load:
Number of other RD applicants in your school:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.):

[ b]Subjective:**

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service:
Summer Experience:

[ b]Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):**

Essays:

Teacher Recommendation #1:
Teacher Recommendation #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Info/Rec:
Interview:
Art Supplement:

[ b]Other**

Date Submitted App:
U.S. State/Territory or Country:
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket Range:
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development):

[ b]Reflection**

Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
What would you have done differently?:
Where else did you apply?

[ b]Other Factors: **

[ b]General Comments & Advice:**

2

**Decision: Rejected **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): Didn’t take
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
ACT (breakdown): 33C
ACT superscore (breakdown): 34C: 33E, 35M, 32R, 36S
SAT II (subject, score): 780 Math II, 790 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.73
Weighted GPA: 3.87
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a (~ top 15%)
AP (place score in parentheses): 4 Chemistry, 4 Macroecon, 4 Microecon, 3 Physics 1 (probs shouldn’t have reported these)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP BC Calculus, AP Latin, AP Biology, AP Psychology, Honors English
Number of other RD applicants in your school: 5
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Top 60 students in Chemistry in NJ, Stated I got top 10 legend in Hearthstone (LOL)
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Scholar, honor roll, some sailing awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Founder of (some website), Lab member at Stevens Institute of Technology helping to develop a novel treatment for a type of breast cancer, App Developer, A review of a book for a psychology magazine.
Job/Work Experience: Camp Counselor, Lifeguard both for four years each
Volunteer/Community Service: Tutoring for 100+ hours
Summer Experience: Camp counseling, lifeguarding, sailing, and programming!

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Essays:

Teacher Recommendation #1: Chemistry teacher (6/10 probs); I was not the best student, but I loved the class!
Teacher Recommendation #2: Economics teacher (8/10); I was a very good student, and he liked me as a student.
Counselor Rec: She knew me very well, and she told me what she wrote (10/10)
Additional Info/Rec: Sailing coach (10/10)
Interview: Went well, but a bit rushed. I didn’t talk about the research I was doing
Art Supplement: https://imgur (dot) com/a/Vamhs

Other

Date Submitted App: January 1st, 2018.
U.S. State/Territory or Country: NJ
School Type: Small public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: Middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development): None!

Reflection

Strengths: Test scores? Interest in computer graphics? Otherwise none.
Weaknesses: GPA, GPA, GPA. Also the fact that nobody has been accepted to MIT ever from my school.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
What would you have done differently?: Get a better GPA, but I would have probably not had the same fun high school experience.
Where else did you apply? Accepted TCNJ. Awaiting UPenn, Columbia, Cornell, Stanford, JHU, Colgate, Lehigh, Lafayette.

**Other Factors: **

General Comments & Advice:
I am just glad I had the opportunity to apply. I fell in the love with the culture, but I knew if I got in I wouldn’t be able to do the workload. I hear it is insanely intense. I applied because I did not want to regret not applying.

3

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 780/790, 8/8/8
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A I’m a one-and-done
ACT (breakdown): 35/35/35/34 in science
ACT superscore (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (subject, score): Math II, 800; US History, 790; Physics, 750
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.3
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/399
AP (place score in parentheses): APUSH (5), APES (5), AP World (5), Psych (5), Calc AB (5), Comp Sci Principles (5), Physics 1 (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Spanish Lang, Econ/Open, AP American Gov, AP Chem, Orchestra 4, AP Lit
Number of other RD applicants in your school: At least 1, probs more but idk
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): N/A idk if Idaho even has that
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Scholar (yay corporate award), US Presidential Scholar nominee, Rotary Century Scholar, Junior Class Social Studies Student of the Year (a Big Deal at my school)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
Competitive alpine ski racing, 4 to 23 hours per week, 46 weeks per year, since 2010
Cellist since 2010, 2017-18 principal, 2017-18 senior quartet member
Job/Work Experience:
baseball stadium concessions, 28 hours per week, summer 2017
intern in lab at research university, 13 hours per week, summer 2017
Volunteer/Community Service:
Volunteer at community environmental education center, 6 hours per week, summers 2016 and 2017
Summer Experience:
see above

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Essays: pretty decent, my English teacher liked them

Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10, he let me read it
Teacher Recommendation #2: probs pretty good bc he was the one who gave me that social studies award
Counselor Rec: definitely decent bc my counselor is not a malicious person but probs not awesome bc I am one of 400 seniors and there is only one of her
Additional Info/Rec: N/A
Interview: ehhhhh he asked me questions about MIT that were very specific that I couldn’t answer. Out of my 4 college interviews, this one was the worst
Art Supplement: N/A

Other

Date Submitted App: am I supposed to remember this?
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Idaho yo!
School Type: Large public (at least by Idaho standards–there are 400 kids in my class in a state where maybe 150 is a lot more common)
Ethnicity: whitest white bread you ever saw
Gender: the future is female
Income Bracket Range: abnormally high in the year they ask for, usually around $110k, 2016 was like 5x that bc stock options sometimes work out for people who work at startups
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development): lmao

Reflection

Strengths: Idaho
Weaknesses: Idaho
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I’m an odd person apparently
What would you have done differently?: should’ve done more research before the interview
Where else did you apply? Harvard (deferred SCEA), Yale, Princeton, Colorado School of Mines (accepted), University of Nevada-Reno (accepted, honors program, $16k/yr merit), Syracuse (accepted, $28k/yr merit), Boston University, University of Idaho (accepted, full ride), Dartmouth

**Other Factors: **
my whole family was rooting for MIT even though I was undecided on my top choice

General Comments & Advice:
idk be cooler than me I guess? do your research before the interview? honestly I wish they just rejected me.

4

[ size=4][ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected **[/color][/size]

[ b]Objective:[/b
]

SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 790/760/NA/No idea
SAT II (subject, score): 800 M2, 800 Physics, 770 USH
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): roughly 4
Weighted GPA: Doesn’t really apply
AP (place score in parentheses): 5s on AP Physics C, BC Calc + AB sub, Euro History, USH, taking Comp/Gov this year
Senior Year Course Load: Mostly lots of Physics: Quantum I, Quantum Field Theory (focus on Electrodynamics), Game Theory, English, AP Comp/Gov, Research Block (I work at Georgetown U), and an experimental physics class.
Number of other RD applicants in your school: 1
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Nothing really
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Most, I think

[ b]Subjective:**

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Quizbowl (co-captian, 2 years), CC and Track (4 years, about half varsity w/ ~d3 times)
Job/Work Experience: Research at Georgetown U… Ongoing with multiple co-authored papers to be published and a project out. Working as an editor on a textbook about quantum
Volunteer/Community Service: DC public library volunteer, about 50 hours. Did a bit of stuff for my local DSA chapter and have organized a few protests. I would say that I am more politically involved than most.

[ b]Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):**

Essays:
Pretty much all good. 8-10/`10 range. I spent a fair amount of time editing and, even though this post may not show it, I am a fairly good writer.

Teacher Recommendation #1: No idea, but I assume good
Teacher Recommendation #2: ditto
Counselor Rec: ditto
Additional Info/Rec: probably amazing. Professor at GU.
Interview: Went very well.
Research Supplement: Two unpublished papers (one w/ GU and one with GU and Max Planck Institute) on dynamics using a bunch of field theory techniques.

[ b]Other**

Date Submitted App: Rollover from Early
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Washington, DC
School Type: Private Prep
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: High
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development): Research!!! If I may say so myself, I’ve done some very good work as part of a ridiculously good research group.

[ b]Reflection**

Strengths: Research, Recommendations, and the fact that I got my research job without any assistance.
Weaknesses: Probably weakest points were grades and SAT, but even they weren’t bad. Actually, quite excellent.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Honestly, statistics and the fact that I am a white male. The competition is intense, and I don’t think that there are any particular reasons needed. It’s pretty arbitrary.
What would you have done differently?: Pretty much nothing, I have few regrets. My friends are still awesome, my school is still cool, and I still love physics. Not much of a loss here.
Where else did you apply? Prefer not to say. I have one waitlist that I really would love to attend, but which is very unpredictable. I have one offer of admission, but I would prefer any of the schools I am waiting on to it (not because it was my last choice, but because I withdrew a few).

[ b]Other Factors: **

[ b]General Comments & Advice:**

5

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 800 M/760 R
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): n/a one and done
ACT (breakdown): 35 M/36 R/35 S/36 E
ACT superscore (breakdown): n/a one and done
SAT II (subject, score): math 2: 790, physics 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0/4.0
Weighted GPA: idk bad bc my school doesn’t weight running start classes which is primarily what i did junior and senior year, mit never saw it
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2nd decile see reason above. Mit doesn’t consider rank tho
AP (place score in parentheses): calc bc(5), comp sci a(5), studio art 2d(4), euro (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: Spanish 3, Dual enrollment: general physics 4, astrophysics, programming principles 2, electricty, linear algebra, statics, ethics, technology in world civilization, dynamics, strength of materials, robotics and automation
Number of other RD applicants in your school: I have no idea
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): n/a
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): FIRST dean’s list semifinalst, certified solidworks associate (not technically an honor but i put it there), NMF, us presidental Scholars canidate, ap something or other, honor roll, dean’s list, varsity robotics, varsity orchestra (lmao wut)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): FIRST Robotics, Rock Climbing, FIRST lego leauge mentor
Job/Work Experience: Physics tutor at dual enrollment college, Summer STEM Camp Leader
Volunteer/Community Service: K-12 math tutor, judge at robotics competitions
Summer Experience: Washington Aerospace Scholars, helped run a science camp in el salvador

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Essays: 8/10 I decided to have fun with them and not take myself too seriously… one was about doctor who, one was about how I liked the ducks in their robotics lab, one was about how I baked a rainbow cake without food dye once, one (more serious one) was how I wrote and taught a robotics curriculum for my school’s summer camp and got way better at teaching and inspired kids and whatnot, and one (hate this prompt hated the essay i wrote) was about how the robotics community helped me grow as a person and fluff like that
Teacher Recommendation #1: idk I didn’t read them but i guess one was from my robotics coach who knows me very well but isnt the greatest writer of LORs ever 7/10
Teacher Recommendation #2: my philosophy of doctor who prof (great class btw) wrote this I don’t know him outside of class but I wrote some pretty insightful stuff for his class and went above and beyond 7/10
Counselor Rec: she knows who i am so thats a plus 8/10
Additional Info/Rec: i read this one later when i needed it for another thing and if was vey generic but it was the boss for a job i wrote a major essay about so idk 6/10
Interview: 9/10 it was chill and the interviewer really thought I should admitted
Art Supplement: nope

Other

Date Submitted App: October 31 for EA lmao
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Washington (state)
School Type: public
Ethnicity: white russian (lmao)
Gender: F
Income Bracket Range: didnt apply for financial aid, can’t afford MIT
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development): nopeee

Reflection

Strengths: my essays I guess?, unusual and rigorous coursework
Weaknesses: LORs?, not being an olympian
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: i have no idea
What would you have done differently?: not much, I don’t even want fo go to MIT that much anymore and cannot afford it anyway so being waitlisted is very nice validation without the pressure of turning MIT down
Where else did you apply? WPI (attending probably), northeastern, UWashington, UIdaho, ASU, Eastern WA university. I was accepted everywhere else but its not like these schools were huge reaches lol

**Other Factors: ** idk tbh

General Comments & Advice: be yourself in the application! Don’t take yourself too seriously and don’t try to be super pretentious or academic in your subject matter if thats not really you. They admit/waitlist (I’m calling it a victory cause i wasn’t planning on going anymore) people not robots. Just do interesting things in your free time and try to make an impact with something you do or be really passionate about whatever. Then take your life experence and try to have fun writing about it!

6

**Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1540 (800 RW and 740 M, 17/24 essay)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 French, 740 Math 2, 710 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Not reported, but top of class
AP (place score in parentheses): Psychology (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): English Lit. HL (TBD, predicted 7)
Senior Year Course Load: French Baccalaureate Science Track with International Option
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none
Common Awards: some regional MUN awards and school-wide writing and sports awards, National Merit Commended

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Varsity XC/Track and Field (Captain, MVP); School newspaper (editor); music (solo violin study, string quartet, school orchestra concertmaster); school bilingual theater troupe (stage manager twice, directing winter show this year); Model UN (committee chair); independent research project about piezoelectricity
Job/Work Experience: barista on weekends since August, some tutoring
Volunteer/Community service: volunteered full-time for local education non-profit over the summer
Summer Activities: see above, plus travel/linguistic exchange/music camp
Essays: I was honestly really proud of them
Teacher Recommendation: Math probably 10/10, he and I have a great relationship and he’s known me for a long time, History probably 9/10 cause I’m the only person who participates in his class lol
Counselor Rec: Likely very good, I’m recognized as a standout student at my school and am generally involved and well-liked within the school community, plus my counselor knows me well
Additional Rec: none
Interview: 9/10 went very well, probably my best interview except maybe Harvard
Supplementary Material: none

Other
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: small private
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate): upper middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection
Strengths: Essays, recommendations, French Baccalaureate, extracurriculars
Weaknesses: Physics SAT II, lack of major awards, no STEM ECs
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: see strengths
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at UChicago, Northeastern, and UC Davis; still waiting on BU, other UCs, Princeton, Harvard, Columbia

**General Comments: ** So surprised and happy to have gotten in, especially after being deferred EA.

7

Decision:Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 790/750/22
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):1540
ACT (breakdown): Math (35) Reading (36) English (35) Science (35) Writing (11)
ACT superscore (breakdown): 35
SAT II (subject, score): Biology M (790) Mathematics 2 (770)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.86
Weighted GPA: 5.33
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3 or 6
AP (place score in parentheses): 5’s- Calculus BC and AB, Psychology, 4’s- Statistics, Human Geography, English Language and Composition
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: IB Math HL, IB Biology HL, IB Psychology HL, IB Art SL, IB Spanish SL, IB English HL
Number of other RD applicants in your school: I don’t think there were any
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): lol nope
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.):
A couple wrestling awards, AP Scholar with distinction, Questbridge Scholar and Finalist, Cloud Peak Fellow, School GPA awards, Sunshine and Sparkle Award Downtown Fort Myers Art Fest

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Tutoring (9-12), Codecademy (12), Football (9-11), Wrestling (9-11), Humanitarian OpenStreetMap (12), Math Team (9-12), NHS (11-12), Science National Honors Society (12), Interact Club
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: IB CAS
Summer Experience:
Went snorkeling and fishing in the Florida Keys
Reunited with brother

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Essays: I wrote about my mother’s substance abuse and how it’s made me search for answers in the world. I’d rate this one an 8. I wrote another about my experience in the coral reefs and a science experiment I’m conducting for Biology where I measure the expulsion of the symbiotic organisms living within them. I’d give this one an 8.

Teacher Recommendation #1: Didn’t read
Teacher Recommendation #2: Same
Counselor Rec: Same
Additional Info/Rec: Same
Interview: We talked for almost 2 hours! It was one of my most memorable interviews.
Art Supplement:
N/A

Other

Date Submitted App: 1/01/2018
U.S. State/Territory or Country: US
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: 46,000
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development):
First Generation

Reflection

Strengths: Essays and scores
Weaknesses: Lack of awards and leadership roles in extracurriculars.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: IDK honestly
What would you have done differently?: Been more involved with my extracurriculars
Where else did you apply?
Swarthmore (Accepted and where I will attend)

**Other Factors: **

General Comments & Advice:
I feel like a good essay can compensate for a lot of deficiencies in your application. You must make sure your stories are meaningful and show how you’ve grown as a result.

8

Decision: AdMITted!

This is my daughter’s information. She is beyond THRILLED! We are so excited for her!

Objective:

SAT I: 1580
ACT (breakdown): 35
SAT II (subject, score): 800 Biology, 790 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 6/492
AP (place score in parentheses): Physics 1 (5), Biology (5), Calc AB (5), Calc BC (5), Statistics (5), Psychology (5), English Lang (5), English Lit (5), World History (5), Human Geography (5), US History (4), Comps Sci (4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C E&M, AP Physics C M, AP Chemistry, AP Macro, AP Micro, AP Music Theory, Jazz Ensemble 4, Wind Ensemble 4
Number of other RD applicants in your school: 3
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): National Merit Finalist, National AP Scholar, AP Scholar with distinction, placed 1st, 2nd, 4th, at school, regional, and state science fairs, multiple superiors and superiors with distinction at state level music assessments, selected for all state band, selected for national honor band

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Captain of school band (250 members), treasurer and varsity member of quiz team, member of a district-wide youth leadership group working with leaders from schools and county, member of other clubs and honor societies.
Volunteer/Community Service: 100+ hours working with elementary and middle school students teaching them musical concepts and instrumental techniques before school and during summer camps.
Summer Experience: 400+ hours as a Biomedical Research intern at a children’s medical research facility studying the cognitive impacts of proton radiation therapy on childhood gliomas.
100+ hours as summer intern at a science museum presenting scientific topics and experiments to museum patrons.

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Her essays, recommendations, and interview were amazing. She is very passionate about science and music, and that passion really shines through. She loves learning, and all of the hard work she has put in over the years has not felt like work to her because she truly enjoys what she does. She constantly seeks out new learning experiences and activities. She is extremely friendly and outgoing, and just an all around amazing person. Just be you and do what you love, and everything will fall into place.

Date Submitted App:
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Florida
School Type: Large, public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket Range: upper middle
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development):

9

stats for DS:

Decision: Accepted

SAT I 1570 breakdown M780/CR/W/790 Essay 8

SAT II (subject, score):Chemistry 760, Math 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):4.0
Weighted GPA:4.57
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):N/A
AP (place score in parentheses):Eng Lit (5), Eng Lang(5), Human Geo(5), Env Science(5), Chemistry(4), World Hist(5)

Senior Year Course Load: AP Micro, AP Macro, AP Govt., AP Stats, AP Bio, AP Psych, AP Calculus BC, AP Euro History
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Regeneron Semifinalist
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.):
AP Scholar w/Distinction, Nat’l Commended Scholar, Nat’l Hispanic Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):ecology/conservation 9th-12th, National Home School Honor Society-event committee 11-12th grades; 4-H President 11th grade, baseball 9th grade, soccer 9-12th
Job/Work Experience:appliance service repair family business
Volunteer/Community Service: volunteered at two hospitals, horse therapy for special needs children and 4-H 400+ hours
Summer Experience:
MIT’s E2 2017

Essays:

Teacher Recommendation #1:favorite science teacher who taught me Chem II and Bio. II
Teacher Recommendation #2: AP teacher for Eng. Lit and Eng. Lang.
Counselor Rec:
Additional Info/Rec:report from E2 instructor
Interview: great experience-both shared what we like about MIT
Art Supplement: N/A

Date Submitted App: December 25
U.S. State/Territory or Country: TX
School Type: home school
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: male
Income Bracket Range: $100k
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development): home school, work experience, research

Strengths: love biology and research
Weaknesses: SAT essay, Hurricane Harvey
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: unique experience in ecology with engineering framework
What would you have done differently?:
Where else did you apply?Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, UChicago, Brown, Penn, Rice, Williams, Johns Hopkins, Duke, UT Austin

General Comments & Advice: Don’t do things to be well rounded, do what you are passionate about

10

Decision: Accepted

(I wrote this before any decisions came out.)

Objective:
SAT I: 760R 800M 22E
SAT II: 800 Math II, 780 Chemistry, 780 Latin
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: N/A
Rank: Officially N/A, unofficially at least top 5/120
APs: Chemistry (5), Computer Science A (5), French (5), English Lang (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP English Lit, AP Physics 1, Honors Bio, Honors Law, Honors Creative Writing
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing really – qualified for AIME, attended but didn’t do that well at HMMT, placed well in some state/national tournaments prestigious within my country. Lots of smaller awards (within school, etc.) and did some more impressive stuff as a middle schooler (which you’d find if you googled me, but I didn’t mention in my apps)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars: Classics Club president (huge commitment), trivia team captain (we’re one of the best in the country), Ancient Greek student, physics research group (not that impressive, we’re pretty bad), running some small things at my school, writing for the school magazine, playing piano recreationally (I’m not good at all)
Job/Work Experience: A short gig doing some programming for a small corporate client a couple summers ago – nothing much

Volunteer/Community service: About 60 hours of assorted stuff from volunteering with school or March Break camps, etc.; another ~100 hours volunteering with Habitat for Humanity (every other weekend)
Summer Activities: Some nothing, some travelling with family; took a bunch of online comp sci classes. In addition, I’d usually either do some sort of academic camp or plan some academic activities for myself – stuff that you have to be smart to get into, but nothing impressive

Essays: Honestly, rating your own essays is a struggle. I’m a really good writer, and my guidance counselor who is relatively competent approved them, so they can’t be that bad. I did feel like the shortness of the essays kept them from being truly awesome/lifechanging/whatever, but overall, they provided a good picture of who I am and what I stand for.

Recommendations
Teacher Rec (STEM): Teacher I had in sophomore year and this year. I saw the rec and it was pretty good – said I was one of the strongest students she’s ever taught and also mentioned a lot of really strong personal leadership qualities.
Teacher Rec (Humanities): Teacher I had last year. I had a good combo of aptitude and dedication in his class and was one of the few who did; got a good grade and he expressed that he had a lot of respect for me. I work with him closely because he’s the trivia team supervisor and he’s displayed a lot of awe at my leadership/organization skills, which are extremely good, so I think it was probably a pretty strong rec.

Counselor Rec: My counselor definitely sees me as one of the most passionate and mature students in my grade, but he doesn’t know me that well. It was probably OK, but not necessarily above the average good rec.
Additional Rec: My online computer science teacher I’ve known since sixth grade. He thinks I’m absolutely incredible and a genius so I think this rec will be good.
Interview: I thought it went well, but it was also quite short. I talked a lot about all the stuff I love to do, came off as knowledgeable, kind, passionate, etc., but at the half hour mark we had both run out of questions to ask each other, so we just left lol.

Other

Intended Major: Course 2 (or 6 tbh but I didn’t put that down)
State/Country: I’m a US citizen living in another country, so I count as domestic.
School Type: private academic, full of high-achievers – probably the best in my country
Ethnicity: sorta complicated but basically half ashkenazi jew, half caribbean black
Gender: prefer not to say
Income Bracket: 200kish
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM I guess

Reflection

Strengths: I have some relatively uncommon interests/ECs, and gave a good overview of them in my application. (I also submitted a Maker portfolio of a cool, really big diorama I built.) I’m pretty intelligent (davidson institute-level, if you know what that is), but I honestly don’t know how common that is among MIT applicants – maybe it makes me stand out, maybe it’s a dime a dozen. Also not sure how much my hook helped. I definitely have a unique worldview; I’m super passionate/intellectual/driven/organized and really compassionate (not to brag, I also have my flaws lol). If those things came through in my application or my rec letters, I bet they helped. I think the culture of MIT is perfect for me and I guess AOs agreed?
Weaknesses: I have a bunch of small-to-medium awards but none of the golden tickets like USAMO, etc., and I haven’t done anything super exciting or innovative – nothing that makes you think, we need that kid. I’m not a fancy entrepreneur or anything, I just love and am very good at learning.

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted Harvard SCEA and some safety schools in my country

General Comments: Keep in mind, these little writeups are incredibly subjective. I could be over- or under-stating my accomplishments in the eyes of AOs and none of us, myself included, really know the truth.

11

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I : (1490) Math - 770 | Reading - 720 | Essay - 18
SAT II : Math 2 - 800 | Physics - 720 | Biology - 750
ACT : (35) Reading/English - 36 | Math - 35 | Science - 34
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: None
Rank : None
AP : Computer Sci A (4) | Spanish (4) | Not sent: Calc BC (3) [don’t cram for this one kiddos], US History (3)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, AP Integrated Gov’t/Politics, Shakespearean Lit/Poetry, Multivariate Calc, Complex Calc, Ballroom Dancing
Number of other RD applicants in your school: About 100
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): None really.
Common Awards: That AP Scholar thing. Some art stuff, Hispanic honor society, Normal honor society, and honors for community service

Subjective:

Extracurriculars:
Graphic Designer for Science Magazine (10-12), Ballet/Tap dance (5-12), Congressional Debate (10-11), Columbia U. Science Honors Program (11-12), then some intermittent Set Painting and school newspaper illustrations.
Job/Work Experience:
Two internships in the Education+Access departments at a museum (2 years) where I focused on improving female involvement in STEM and facilitating programs/camps for special needs children. Poll-working.
Volunteer/Community Service:
Red Cross and my school’s honors society program (~250 hours of tutoring, soup kitchens, and local marathons)
Summer Experience:
Island hopping the Southeast to visit family. Random summer classes in Bioinformatics and engineering here and there. Continued year-long internship at a museum.

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
9/10
I consider myself a pretty good writer, but I almost didn’t apply, so the essays weren’t really thought through. However, because my frame of mind was along the lines of ‘YOLO’ I became as honest as I possibly could. At this point, I had written 10 college apps and writing was suddenly like second nature. I really tried to tell stories that would present a version of myself outside of academics since my stats could tell them plenty about my academic career already.

Essays:

Teacher Recommendation #1: Math teacher. Chill dude we talk in the halls sometimes. Pretty sure he writes okay.
Teacher Recommendation #2: My U.S. history teacher. Nice lady. Apparently, she must write well too because another friend who got a rec from her got into Yale. We talked about durian once?
Counselor Rec: The one actual conversation I had with him was during a mandatory meeting about college. He didn’t know me well and he probably had over 50 more to write, so it was probably generic. Ironically, we got a bit closer after the whole admissions process.
Additional Info/Rec: Nah.
Interview: Interviewed with an HS alumn. We drank overpriced hot cocoa and had a real heart-to-heart.
Art Supplement: Nah.

Other

Date Submitted App: RA
U.S. State/Territory or Country: NY, NY
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: 50K ish

Reflection

Strengths:
Though I sometimes view myself as all over the place (physically and metaphorically), I guess you could consider my interests as ‘diverse’ and the fact I invest so much time to each of them is another positive quality. Coming from a competitive school where everyone’s AP, SAT, ACT, and grade-pt averages are more or less the same amongst the top 15% of the school and where the number of people getting into an ivy/top-tier is surprising, that’s what I think set me apart.
Weaknesses: Stats weren’t exactly through the roof.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
¯_(ツ)_/¯ but I don’t believe decisions are as ‘random’ as people say they are.
What would you have done differently?:
Researched the school more.
Where else did you apply?
14 other schools in the Northeast. Deferred from Yale REA.

General Comments & Advice:
Don’t sell yourself short, do what you do best and don’t sculpt yourself in someone else’s image. Take chances. Don’t do all your apps during winter break, kinda ruins Christmas and new years.

12

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I: 1530; 790M, 740ERW
SAT II (subject, score): 800 Math II, 720 Physics, 790 Spanish
GPA: 4.0/4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 15/376
AP (place score in parentheses): AP Calc AB (5), AP English Lang. (5), AP French Lang. (4), AP US (4), AP Chem (3), AP Physics 1 (3)
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit, AP Physics E&M, AP Physics Mechanics, AP Calculus BC, Honors German V, Honors Engineering II
Number of other RD applicants in your school: 1 (to my knowledge)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): 3rd @ UIL State Congressional Debate, two-time state NJ DECA finalist
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): NHRP, AP Scholar, the usual

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Big brother (not the organization), Head of Student Coalition for Racial Equality, Chairman of the Education Committee (Student Council), President (and founder) of Debate Team
Job/Work Experience: Intern at local prosecutor’s office, summer worker at my high school, restaurant job
Summer Experience: The former two jobs, writing an album, studying German, big brother

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Do for fun: Talked about how I like to write my own music and want to become a musician
MIT Department: Talked about how my life in Mexico made me realize how many people suffer in the world, and how I want to dedicate myself to creating change through engineering
Helping in the family: Talked about taking care of my little brother filled the void I felt from an absent father
World you come from: Wrote about how my community is very racist and classist, but despite this fact and despite living in multiple places I’ve always felt I could succeed thanks to my mother
Challenge you’ve overcome: Wrote about how not knowing how to speak Spanish in Mexico made me love learning

Teacher Recommendation (Math): ??/10, I imagine it was very good, my calc teacher really likes me and knows how much I love math, but I can’t rate it because he’s somewhat stoic and I’ve never seen his writing
Teacher Recommendation (English): 10/10, he’s been incredibly supportive of me over the years and we’ve grown close; he told me in an email after he submitted that he called me “one of the most amazing students he’s ever had” in his letter
Counselor Rec: 9/10, my counselor has gotten to know me, the struggles I’ve faced at my school, and all my accomplishments, and I think he spoke highly to that
Interview: 9/10, it was a great interview, my interviewer and I connected and had a lot in common, and I was able to talk a lot about my own, peculiar life

Other

Date Submitted App: Late December
U.S. State/Territory or Country: NJ
School Type: Public, somewhat large
Ethnicity: Mexican
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: ~80k
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development): URM

Reflection

Strengths: I like to think in addition to my URM status, all of the things I’ve done and showed through my app really demonstrated how much I cared about making a difference and challenging myself no matter where I am
Weaknesses: Physics subject test and those two 3’s on AP tests
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I guess they liked what I’ve accomplished
What would you have done differently?: Nothing
Where else did you apply?
Accepted: Rice, Duke, Northeastern, Rutgers
Pending: Princeton, Columbia, Harvard, Stanford

General Comments & Advice: Be genuine in everything you do.

13

**Decision: Rejected after Deferred **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 1500 (750/750)
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay):
ACT (breakdown): 35: english - 35, math - 33, reading - 36, science - 36
ACT superscore (breakdown): same but math - 34
SAT II (subject, score): physics - 650, math i - 720, math ii - 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Weighted GPA: 4.29/5
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses): 10 total, 5, 4, 4, 3, 2
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: 5 aps including calc bc
Number of other RD applicants in your school: 0
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP scholar w/honor, 6 honor societies, National Hispanic Scholar, National French Exam bronze medal

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): bunch of clubs, volleyball (10-12), volleyball coach: (9, 11). photo/video club vp (11, 12), etc
Job/Work Experience: receptionist for doctor
Volunteer/Community Service: hours upon hours, mostly at local library
Summer Experience: see job/work

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Essays: funny and serious stories, 8/10

Teacher Recommendation #1: probably pretty good
Teacher Recommendation #2: probably good
Counselor Rec: great
Additional Info/Rec:
Interview: not so good
Art Supplement:

Other

Date Submitted App: EA but deferred
U.S. State/Territory or Country: VA
School Type: private/Catholic
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: female
Income Bracket Range:
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development):

Reflection

Strengths: I think I had a lot of leadership and extracurriculars
Weaknesses: My grades and interview weren’t that good
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Overall my application was average at best probably
What would you have done differently?:
Where else did you apply?
Accepted: Coe College, George Mason University (Honors College), Hofstra (Honors), William & Mary (Monroe Scholar), CWRU, Notre Dame
Deferred: UNC Chapel Hill
Pending: Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Duke, Vanderbilt, Carnegie Mellon