***Official Northwestern University Class of 2019 RD Results Thread***

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
61

Decision: Rejected - WCAS

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): didn’t take
ACT (breakdown): 34C, 36E, 35R, 32M, 32S
SAT II: didn’t take
Unweighted GPA: 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP US History (school doesn’t offer many)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, Lit, Psych, and Stats, College Physics, randos
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): DECA Awards, Student of the Year for my District, a couple other student of the year awards, NCWIT Aspirations in Computing national Runner-up & district winner

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): DECA (President, ran fundraisers, began holding practices and service projects, etc.), Founder and Coordinator of school tutoring center, Student Government, NHS (officer 2X), Founded Humanitarian Council, journalism stuff, play piano and guitar
Job/Work Experience: Web & Media Manager for 2 companies
Volunteer/Community service: lots of stuff at my local children’s science museum (taught classes, graphic designed exhibits, etc.)
Summer Activities: ran an online business selling clothing I’d made, State Business Week, service
Essays: Common App was a little risky, but I thought it was good (7/10), Northwestern essay was good, probably too generic (6/10)
Teacher Recommendation: Two 7s and a 9 (English and Comp. Sci. teachers)
Counselor Rec: Probably a little generic but she loves me so 8/10?
Additional Rec: none
Short Answer Questions: were there any?
Interview: asked for one, but there were no alumni near me (weird state)

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Computer Science at WCAS
State (if domestic applicant): Utah
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: < 100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): female in stem, underrepresented state(?)

Reflection: I think that I’m probably too well rounded. I feel like I’ve done a lot of cool things but my interests are so varied that they probably came across as less impressive.

Strengths: test scores, GPA
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: artist and musician and writer who wants to major in science - talked about that intersection and how that makes me different
Weaknesses: easy classes (even though they’re most of the hardest classes at my school), worst subject is math and I want to major in science? nothing super special, essays?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Like I said, my common app essay was pretty out there and I have a lot of interests so maybe my application wasn’t focused.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: rejected - University of Chicago, accepted - University of Utah, likely letter from Columbia
Notes: I’m so happy for all you who got accepted! Northwestern is so cool. The rest of us - it just wasn’t meant to be!

62

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): Nope
ACT (breakdown): 34 (32 M, 35 E, 35 R, 34 S)
SAT II: (730), US History (730)
GPA: 94.783% UW 96.739% W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank, but in the top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language (5), US History (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Economics (Macro & Micro), AP Calc AB, AP Spanish Language, AP Physics C, Peer Leadership, Photography 1
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Student, Saint Michael’s Book Award for Scholarship and Service, RIT Innovation and Creativity Award, NHS/Foreign Language NHS, High Honor Roll

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Leo Club (President), NHS (Treasurer), Photo Club (Secretary), Spanish Club (Communications Officer), Pep Band, Varsity Tennis
Volunteer/Community service: LPIF, Leo Club, NHS volunteer work
Essays: About my passion for music and how it has led me to connect with people wherever I go. Well written and connected music to all different aspects of life.
Teacher Recommendations: Only saw one of them (physics teacher) which was very good, talked about creativity, enjoyment of learning, leadership, etc. The other (english teacher) is an amazing writer who I got along very well with, so I’d assume it’s pretty good.
Counselor Rec: Also very good, spoke a lot about my interest in music and learning.
Interview: Honestly the worst one I had; the interviewer seemed generally disinterested with our conversation and I left feeling like I’d made a pretty weak impression.

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Nope
Intended Major: Journalism
State (if domestic applicant): NY
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nothing really

Reflection:

Strengths: Scores/Essay/ECs
Weaknesses: Interview
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think my application really expressed my passions for both learning and music. Even so, I was incredibly surprised at my acceptance.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to IU (Honors College), Colorado-Boulder (Honors College), Northeastern (Honors College), and Syracuse (Newhouse). Waitlisted at Pomona and (obviously) rejected at Stanford.
Notes: Just goes to show how little of an impact the interview can have, so you shouldn’t be discouraged if yours doesn’t go well! Congrats to everyone who got in.

63

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
•SAT I (breakdown): 2100(One Sitting) 700 (CR) 740 (M) 660 (WR)
•ACT: 31 (Composite) 28 (E) 29 (M) 32 ® 36 (S) 25 (E/W)
•SAT II: 630 (Chem) 620 (WHistory) 640 (M2) 670 (Spanish) 790 (USHistory)
•Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.86
•Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10
•AP (place score in parenthesis): Lang/Comp (3), Spanish Lang (3) Calc AB (3) APUSH (4)
•IB (place score in parenthesis):
•Senior Year Course Load: Comp Sci, Sculpture, AP Bio, AP Lit, Econ, World Religions, AP Gov
•Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Hispanic Recognition Scholar

•Subjective:
•Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Interact Club (Treasure, VP), Football Freshmen, JV, and Varsity (JV Captain), Knowledge Bowl, Online Newspaper
•Job/Work Experience:
•Volunteer/Community service: Foodbank Volunteer once a month, other random school sponsored activities a few times a year
•Summer Activities: Football Pracitce, California Boys State, Spanish 3
•Essays: Okay, Northwestern’s supplement was the first RD supplement I wrote so I think it’s pretty average
•Teacher Recommendation: Didn’t read, but I’m sure it’s great
•Counselor Rec: Didn’t read, but I’m pretty close with my counsellor
•Additional Rec: N/A
•Interview: N/A

Other
•State (if domestic applicant): CA
•Country (if international applicant):
•School Type: working class Catholic
•Ethnicity: Mexican
•Gender: Male
•Income Bracket: $180000
•Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM
•Reflection
•Strengths: GPA, visited campus, very involved in a few ECs
•Weaknesses: Essays
•Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Beats me…
•Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Will edit later

General Comments: YAAAAAAAAAS!!!

64

[ size=+2][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted @ WCAS **[/color][/size]

Objective:

  • SAT I (breakdown): 1960 (Did not send) *ACT: 33 (33 E; 30 M; 36 R; 31 S; 11 W) *SAT II: Did not send. *Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.73 *Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 11% *AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (4), Lang (5), Psych (4), Macroeconomics (4), *IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A *Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, AP European History, AP Calculus AB, AP Literature, PE *Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Hispanic Recognition Scholar; National Merit Commended Scholar; National Writing competition award

Subjective:

  • Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Newspaper editor, varsity gymnastics, school leadership club positions (2), Financial club (President), Homecoming planning member. *Job/Work Experience: *Volunteer/Community service: Random, sparse activities *Summer Activities: Writing camp (Pre-collegiate program) *Essays: 10/10, worked very hard on them. *Teacher Recommendation: Excellent, 10/10.
    *Counselor Rec: Unsure, doesn't know me very well aside from being the one who constantly pesters her to change things or emails her about courses, etc. *Additional Rec: *Interview: It went as well as I thought it could. Seemed as though the interviewers were put off by some of the people there in full suits, carrying resumes. I was very relaxed, casual and we ended up just sharing stories and chatting -- didn't feel like an interview but a conversation.

Other:

*State (if domestic applicant): IL
*Country (if international applicant):
*School Type: Large public
*Ethnicity: Hispanic
*Gender: Male
*Income Bracket: 100,000+
*Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, but family is very well educated so not a huge hook I don’t think

Reflection

  • Strengths: Extracurriculars; Essays; Test scores; Recommendations. *Weaknesses: GPA/Rank; Lack of Volunteering. *Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Strong essays and a generally pretty good personality showing through my application. Obviously not a perfect student, but also had other attributes that I pushed in my essays/interview. *Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: University of Illinois, UW-Madison. Waitlisted: None, yet. Rejected: Stanford. Waiting on a few others. General Comments: A lot of people seem to think that visiting campus was huge for them. I didn't really show interest besides getting an interview (which I did because I live in Illinois) and that seemed to work out. The important thing was that I showed interest through my essays and obviously that must have played a huge part in the decision. I'm just happy to be a Wildcat.
65

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2320 (800M/730CR/790W)
SAT I superscore (breakdown): 2390 (800M/800CR/790W)
ACT: not taken
SAT II: Chemistry – 780, US History – 790, Math II – 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5), Chemistry (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Econ, AP Mandarin, AP Spanish, AP Physics C, AP Calc AB, English Elective
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist?

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Piano, Skating, Debate, Racing, Engineering-related internship, Foreign Exchange (Sorry I’m being really vague)
Job/Work Experience: Paid internship at a university, Tutoring
Volunteer/Community service: Peer tutoring, Counselor for kids, Hospital, NHS
Summer Activities: Aforementioned hospital volunteering, volunteering as counselor, and internships
Essays: Meh they were okay.
Teacher Recommendation #1: Very good.
Teacher Recommendation #2: No idea, but we had a good relationship.
Counselor Rec: No idea. I go to a big high school, so it probably could be better.
Interview: Absolutely terrible. Literally awful. She majored in something totally unrelated to engineering, barely answered my questions, and finished 10 min before I expected the interview to even maybe end.

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): Massachusetts
School Type: Public School
Ethnicity: Asian/White
Gender: F
Income Bracket: 200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection: A little disappointed. Not very surprised.
Strengths: SAT, female in engineering
Weaknesses: Extracurriculars, meh essays, terrible interview (even though this isn’t supposed to affect anything)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My application was hardly stunning lol
General Comments: Congrats to those who got in!!!

66

Decision: Rejected

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2360 superscore (800 M/780 R/780 Wr)
ACT (breakdown): 33 but didn’t send
SAT II: 730 on math II
Unweighted GPA: 3.58
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): calc AB (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP french, english electives, adv math electives, adv chemistry, statistics, strings
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): national merit semifinalist (at time of application)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): JV tennis and track, stage crew, pit orchestra, speech & debate
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: volunteer camp counselor for 6 weeks
Summer Activities: NSLC at Northwestern last summer, took classes at CMU too
Essays: admittedly…not that great
Teacher Recommendation: one was prob good, other probably lukewarm at best
Counselor Rec: honestly have no idea
Additional Rec: didn’t have one
Interview: didn’t have one :\

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: statistics
State (if domestic applicant): PA
School Type: private
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: wouldn’t qualify for aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection:

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: nah fam
Weaknesses: my entire application was all around weak hahahah
Why you think you were rejected: shitty grades
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: accepted at pitt and prob CMU, waitlisted at michigan, rejected at WashU
Notes: Congrats to those who got in!

67

Decision: Rejected

Objective:

  • [] ACT: 35C (34E, 33M, 35R, 36S, 6W)
    [    ] SAT II: 770 Physics, 740 Math 2
    [] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): ~3.9
    [    ] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a, but top 10% at least
    [] AP scores: Calc BC (5), Physics C: Mechanics (5), Physics C: E&M (5), Language (4)
    [    ] IB scores: n/a
    [] Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Lit, AP Stats, AP Euro, Multivariable Calc. and Intro. Astronomy at local uni
    [    ] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Harvard Book Award, Merit Commended, some AP thing, nothing special

Subjective:

  • [] Extracurriculars: Mock Trial (Pres. and Founder, ranked 1st in state last year), Science team (treasurer), Varsity Tennis (all 4 years), research internship at local non-profit, started tutoring program at local middle school, few other things
    [    ] Job/Work Experience: 100s of hours as babysitter
    [] Volunteer/Community service: 100s of hours as volunteer farm hand and tutor
    [    ] Common app essays: Really liked mine, about overcoming personal fear.
    [] Supplemental Essay/s: Pretty specific to NU
    [    ] Teacher Recommendation 1: Great, incredibly complementary
    [] Teacher Recommendation 2: Never read, but I assumed it was very good
    [    ] Counselor Rec: Excellent, we have a great relationship
    [] Additional Rec: nope nope
    [    ] Interview: Alright I guess

Other

  • [] Intended Major: Biology
    [    ] State (if domestic applicant): MA
    [] Country (if international applicant): USA
    [    ] School Type: -1400 kids, competitive urban public
    [] Ethnicity: blanco
    [    ] Gender: Male
    [] Income Bracket: upper middle?
    [    ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): aha no…

Reflection

  • [] Strengths: ECs, taking college classes?..not sure
    [    ] Weaknesses: Haven’t taken many APs, weak SAT IIs, other things
    [] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: see weaknesses :smile:
    [    ] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
    Accepted: Hopkins, WUSTL, University of Rochester (+merit), Brandeis (+merit), UMass Honors (+merit)
    Deferred: Harvard SCEA
    Rejected: MIT, Northwestern

General Comments:

[list]
Not too upset after getting into Hopkins and WUSTL, two of my top choices!

68

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Waitlisted[/color][/size]**

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2360 (800 CR 770 Math, 790 Writing
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 Math Level 2, 790 Chem
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/460
AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5), Physics C: Mechanics (5), Calc BC (5), Computer Science (5), Macroeconomics (5), Microeconomics (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, AP Statistics, Calc 3, AP Literature, AP European History, Advanced Computer Science
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): University of Pennsylvania Book Award, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Honor Society

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Tech Theater (Head of Tech), Euro Challenge and Fed Challenge (economics competitions), DECA financial services (business competition) Chapter Officer, Mock Trial, NJ Math League, Essex County Math League, Science Olympiad, Entrepreneur’s Club,
Job/Work Experience: Math Tutoring
Volunteer/Community service: Red Cross occasionally
Summer Activities: Two Precollege Programs, Experimental Physics and Engineering
Essays: Common app was pretty excellent, showcased my personality pretty well, 9/10
Teacher Recommendation:

1 Calc BC teacher 10/10, thoroughly recommended me and called me one of the best students he's had

2 APUSH, didn't read, probably 8 or 9. Had a good relationship and I participated a lot in class

Counselor Rec: Didnt read, probably 9/10
Additional Rec: Advisor for tech, had a long standing relationship, 9/10
Short Answer Questions: Stressed the programs and curriculum structure I liked at NU but maybe not super heartfelt 8/10
Interview: Went ok, good but nothing special.

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): New Jersey
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Suburban Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income Bracket: >100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection:

Strengths: Grades, Scores, EC’s
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: My love of building and hands-on work
Weaknesses: No hooks
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I guess I didn’t show enough passion despite NU being a top choice
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted: USC, Pitt, Case Western, McGill, University of Rochester. Waitlisted: University of Michigan. Rejected: Harvey Mudd
Notes:

69

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective
SAT I (breakdown): 1940 (670R/660M/610W), didn’t send to any schools that didn’t require it (used ACT+W)
ACT (breakdown): 33C (30M/35R/35S/34E/8W)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 650 Physics (ouch)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95 U/W, 4.23W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/237
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geography (4), Biology (4), Psychology (5), Calc AB (3), English Lang (3), APUSH (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP Music Theory, AP Statistics, AP Physics C: Mech, AP English Lit, AP Euro
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): QuestBridge Finalist, QuestBridge College Prep Scholar, AP Scholar w/ Distinction, NCFL Qualified (top 6 in state)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Speech/Debate, National Beta Club (4 years, Senior Representative and Vice President), National Honor Society, Science Club, Guitar, Piano
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: Over 200 hrs from various projects
Summer Activities: Freelance programming, volunteering
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App- My essay is based around my love of technology/computers (what I’m most passionate about), but it’s not the best thing I’ve ever written (7)
College Essays- Good (7/8)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Physics Teacher (9) - Knows me very well and how much I am dedicated to my education
Teacher Rec #2: Psychology Teacher (8) - I was one of the best students in his psych class
Counselor Rec: I have not spent a lot of time with my counselor, but she is known to write excellent recommendations. She knows of the hardships I have faced and how I have overcame them. (9/10)
Additional Rec: None
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Computer Sci
State (if domestic applicant): KY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Med/Large Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Below 30,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First gen, economic/family hardship

Reflection

Strengths: I have taken the toughest course load possible at my HS, and I am also the valedictorian. My ECs show that I am well rounded.
Weaknesses: I have not done anything extraordinary in any of my ECs, and my test scores are not the strongest although I did not have to send my inadequate SAT score to any college that didn’t require it.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Guess I wasn’t what they were looking for.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: nowhere but state schools
Waitlisted: Duke, Northwestern, UChicago, Vanderbilt
Rejected: Caltech, MIT, Swarthmore

General Comments: Pretty bummed that I haven’t gotten in anywhere. Not quite sure how any of those waitlists are going to turn out. Just waiting on the Ivies now.

Congratulations to everyone that got in!

70

Decision: Accepted

White female, large public school in the suburbs of Chicago (~1000 in my graduating class)
I applied to Weinberg for International Studies

Stats:
Rank: 4/1000
GPA: 3.96/4.00
Full AP/Honors curriculum
ACT Composite: 33 taken twice with same score
SAT: 730 CR, 770 Math, 720 Writing, 2220 Composite
SAT II’s: 710 Literature, 780 Math II, 780 U.S. History
Taken 6 AP tests, all 5’s: Euro, US History, US Gov, Comparative Gov, Music Theory, English Lang & Comp

Activities:
Model UN: 4 yrs (leadership for 2 yrs)
Marching Band: 4 yrs (leadership for 2 yrs)
Synchronized (team) figure skating: 9 yrs (club sport outside of school)
Classically-trained pianist: 11.5 yrs
Tap Dance: 12 yrs

Awards:
AP Scholar with Distinction
16th Nationally on National Italian Language Examination
School Honor Roll every term
Multiple Model UN awards (school team is highly ranked in the nation)
Multiple piano awards
Many wins with skating team (3 consecutive Midwest titles)

Work/Volunteer Experience
Regularly volunteer 2 hrs/week at a local charity that gives low-cost dental & health care to low-income families around my school’s area
Summer internship with Federal Congressional Reelection Campaign
Summer internship with nonpartisan voter advocacy group in Chicago working to register young people of color to vote
Member of National Honor Society with over 200 volunteer hours logged

Reflection:
Strengths - UW GPA, my Common App essay was amazing, teacher recs were no doubt great, very strong interview, deep involvement in activities
Weaknesses - test scores were nothing special

General comments:
I’m very excited!

71

WAITLISTED

SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t take
ACT (breakdown): 34, 35 weighted (35M, 35W, 32R, 35S)
SAT II: Didn’t send
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/300
AP (place score in parenthesis): Psychology (5), US Gov’t (5), Stats (4), English Lang (5), Physics B (4), Macroecon (4), APUSH (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): School doesn’t offer
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Chem, AP Spanish, AP Calc BC, Peer Tutoring, AP Music Theory
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): PSAT/NMSQT Commended Student, AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): school & local youth orchestra, orchestra pit in a couple musicals, NHS, youth advisory council (met with local senator regularly), swim team freshman year, Scholastic Bowl, WYSE Team
Job/Work Experience: violin tutor
Volunteer/Community service: 130+ hours at a local hospital
Summer Activities: traveled to India to meet family, summer school
Essays: they were decent
Teacher Recommendation: should have been pretty good, didn’t get to read them though
Counselor Rec: should have been good as well
Additional Rec: N/A

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yup
Intended Major: Cognitive Science
State (if domestic applicant): IL
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: female
Income Bracket: upper middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection:

Strengths: ranking, GPA, course load, violin
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: my love for learning, I guess
Weaknesses: lack of extracurriculars? no hooks, Asian (lol)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: didn’t show enough interest, essays
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted at Loyola, Missouri State, Notre Dame, Purdue, U of I at Urbana-Champaign, UW Madison, Deferred/waitlisted at MIT, UChicago, Northwestern, Rejected at MIT, Duke (still waiting for ivy d-day!!)
Notes: Congratulations to everyone who got accepted!!

72

Decision: rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT: 34
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Weighted GPA: It’s around 4.4
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 15%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP lang (5) ap euro(4) macro (4) APUSH(4) physics (3) French (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP psych, AP chinese, AP environmental science, AP lit, philosophy honors, AP gov
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, national merit commended student, 4 year high honor roll

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Swim team ( captain ) , youth and government , Hispanic youth tutoring (treasurer), 10 years of piano competition, law club, BPA, FBLA, FCCLA, cross country
Job/Work Experience: Swim teacher, dental assistant
Volunteer/Community service: Bernie’s book bank, chinese volunteer camp to teach underprivileged children English
Summer Activities: intern at Abbott laboratories
Essays: 8/10
Teacher Recommendation: 10/10
Counselor Rec: 10/10
Additional Rec: None
State: Illinois
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Strengths: ACT, extracurriculars, challenging course load, upward trend
Weaknesses: course load
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: deferred ED, got all As first semester senior yr in extremely challenging classes, very disappointed
General Comments: I was rejected by most of my RD schools: carnegie mellon, northwestern, UNC, USC and WAITLISTED at michigan after being deferred. ACCEPTED at UCLA and NYU STERN, MIAMI u( full ride) , university of rochester ( deans scholarship), UIUC ( accounting)

73

Pick one:
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2330
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 790 Bio, 750 SAT II Lit, 800 Math
Unweighted GPA: 3.93
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Chinese (5), AP Bio (5), AP Lang (5), AP Calc AB (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, APES, AP Stats, AP Econ/Reg Gov, Journalism, PE
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): national research paper competition finalist, Scholastic Art and Writing Silver Keys

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Editor on Newspaper staff, intern for outside nonprofit (4 years), club copresident, literary magazine officer, student-run nonprofit officer
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays: 10/10 about journalism!
Teacher Recommendation: two 9s and one 7
Counselor Rec: meh
Additional Rec:
Short Answer Questions: 7/10 i love MEDILL!
Interview:

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major: Journalism
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nah

Reflection:

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: super passionate about lit/journalism/humanities in general
Weaknesses: Grades, didn’t take too many AP/Honors classes
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: passion for journalism
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: WashU, Rice (w/ merit scholarships), USC
Notes: Northwestern is so expensive. ;( Make sure to factor that in when you’re applying.

74

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2340 (790 CR, 770 M, 780 W)
ACT: N/A
SAT II: 770 USH, 760 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/117
AP (place score in parenthesis): USH (5), English Language (5), Physics B (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Calc AB, AP Physics C, AP Euro, honors gov, other random classes (hardest course load available)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Connecticut Governor’s Scholar, Harvard Book Award?

Subjective:
•Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Debate Team (captain), Political Science Club (founder and president), School Newspaper (editor)
•Job/Work Experience: Worked for the past four years at a local library
•Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer as a tech volunteer at a different local library, I ran a program over the summer that teaches middle school students debate techniques
•Personal Statement: Common app was good, my supplement might have been a little dry

Other
•Applied for Financial Aid?: Yep
• Intended Major : I put computer science on the application
•State (if domestic applicant): CT
•Country (if international applicant):
•School Type: Small parochial
•Ethnicity: Whiter than Casper the Friendly Ghost
•Gender: Female
•Income Bracket: Don’t worry bout it
•Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.): Woman in computer science?

Reflection
•Strengths: SAT, GPA, woman in STEM?
•Weaknesses: Very few real hooks, few major awards, didn’t show enough interest, boring supplement
•Schools were you accepted/waitlisted to?
Accepted: Dartmouth, Duke, UVA, UNC-CH, Cornell, Georgetown, UConn
Waitlisted: Amherst, Yale
Rejected: Brown, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford
•Schools you are waiting for?
General Comments: Apply to as many schools as you can, the schools I got into versus the schools I got rejected from seem completely random to me

75

Decision: Rejected

Objective:

ACT: 33. E: 33, M: 35, R: 31(from different test), S: 35
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.86
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP scores: Did not report
IB scores: N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish, AP Calc BC, AP English, Psych/hon, Econ/hon, Physics/hon, other electives
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Eagle Scout Badge, Coaches Award from football team, a bunch of school given awards in different subjects

Subjective:

Extracurriculars: Boy Scouts (eagle scout), varsity football, varsity baseball, BBYO (jewish youth group), Schools for Africa club, Have taken electric guitar lessons for years (have recorded many songs), Fantasy football commissioner, rec basketball for town league
Job/Work Experience: Work at Amherst College dining hall as a food runner
Volunteer/Community service: Lots through Boy Scouts including a big service project I did with a local adult literacy organization, Internship with a Umass Judaic studies professor over the summer (wrote an additional rec)
Essays: I thought they were great. Wrote common app about being a boy scout amidst the homophobic laws banning gay scouts in my uber-liberal and progressive area and how it affected me and my eventual decision to continue and become an eagle scout (had a professional writer who is a friend of my mom’s read it and edit).
Teacher Recommendations: AP Euro teacher: 9/10(very smart, great writer), Calc teacher: 9/10 (read it, excellent rec)
Counselor Rec: 7/10, doesn’t know me too well, and english is her 2nd language. I sort of told her what to focus on.
Additional Rec: Umass Judaic studies and holocaust professor
Short Answer Questions: Focused on MMSS adjunct major program and how that would be a good fit for me, and my interest in actuarial science
Interview: Requested one, received one, but the community college it was being hosted out had a snow day so it got cancelled

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Econ/Math
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Medium size public (~1000 students)
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 140,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection:

Strengths: Common App, ACT, extracurriculars
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: how the MMSS adjunct major program and the location would help me become an actuary and explore my interests
Weaknesses: Did not list APs (a four and two threes), GPA isnt outstanding for Cornell, Counselor rec, Mid-year was only so-so
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Not enough to stand out, it’s incredibly competitive, they didn’t agree with my belief that the MMSS adjunct major would be a great fit with my interests?
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted: Washington and Lee, Maryland (Honors), Wisconsin-Madison (will apply for honors), Umass (Honors)
Waitlisted: Michigan, Cornell
Rejected: Penn, Harvard, Northwestern, Duke (ED), Wash U, UVA
Notes: It’s too bad, I would have loved to go here

76

Decision: Waitlisted McCormick

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2310 ( 750 CR 800 M 760 W)
[] ACT (breakdown): didn’t send
[] SAT II: 770 Math 2, 760 physics, 580 Latin (I know Latin was bad!)
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 20/646
[] AP (place score in parentheses): Physics B (5), English Language (5), Psychology (5)
[] IB (place score in parentheses): NA
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit, AP Physics C, IB Latin SL (AP not offered), AP US Govt, AP Macro, AP Calc BC, Engineering 4, AP Comp Sci
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Magna cum Laude (Latin I) Summa cum Laude (Latin II) on NLE, National Merit Finalist, US Presidential Scholar Candidate[/li][/ul]

Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
100 Member all girls volunteer club (12-Pres, 11-VP, 10-Treas): I updated everything this year, adding an online application and VolunteerSpot
Belles: about 30/300 girls selected to be official hostesses of city. Wear antebellum dress and greet people at events, also do volunteering in casual wear. [Less frilly version of Azalea Trail Maids-Google image it!]
Engineering Outreach: go to local elementary and middle schools, get kids excited about STEM
Latin Convention: attended, school hosted one year [decorated, planned games, led people around]
Latin club: host Saturnalia party for ~100 kids each year (12-rerum scriptores)
Alabama leadership program: my HS representative, three day event
Inner City Art Camp volunteer: about 20 hours one week in summer, my cousin’s church brings in underprivileged inner city kids and does art activities (main assistant in visual arts room)
[] Job/Work Experience: none
[] Volunteer/Community service: in extracurriculars. I don’t count hours, but probably at least 300
[] Summer Activities: only ones on app were Alabama leadership program and Inner City Art Camp volunteer
[] Essays:
Common App: about criticism by classmates on engineering group project. We were creative, but everyone else did the same thing. Shows my quick thinking, response to criticism, determination, creativity, etc.
Why NU: interests in non stemy stuff, whole brain engineering
[] Teacher Recommendation:
AP Physics and Engineering Teacher: didn’t read, should be excellent. Told my parents I was crazy smart one time [he’s taught several kids that have gone to Stanford, MIT, JHU, Duke, etc. for reference]. Known for three years.
Latin teacher: didn’t read but would have been glowing. I participate a lot in class, she likes me. Known for three years.
[] Counselor Rec:
Should have been decent. Had to fill out forms about my interests, awards, parent brag sheet, etc.
[] Additional Rec: none
[li] Interview: none[/li][/ul]

Other

  • []Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
    [    ] State (if domestic applicant): Alabama
    Country (if international applicant):
    [] School Type: public school, competitive for top 20 or so kids [to be really highly ranked you have to do IB; I am the highest AP kid. Top ten take 8 IB classes with 3 HLs]
    [li] Ethnicity: White[/li][    ] Gender: Female
    [] Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate): 100k
    [    ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nothing major

Reflection

  • [] Strengths: engineering electives [one every year. I know SolidWorks (with FEA), MATLAB, LabVIEW, Multisim, LaTeX]. Female Alabama native interested in engineering (by native I mean that my parents were born here, went to state schools, dad grew up on a farm…), visited
    [    ] Weaknesses: SAT II’s, no major awards, class rank
    [] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: crazy selective RD, I was expecting a rejection tbh
    [    ] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
    All for electrical engineering
    Accepted: Brown, Carnegie Mellon, Tufts (Stern Scholar), Case Western (likely letter, 30k/yr merit), UIUC (James Scholar, 6k/yr merit)
    Waitlisted: WUSTL, Cornell, Rice
    Rejected: None

**General Comments: **
I wouldn’t rely on people’s essay ratings; it really is so subjective. For me the best way to write was to open with an anecdote and weave in my thoughts. I usually opened with dialogue out of context to create a hook. I wrote a lot for fun in middle school and early high school, so I’ve developed a strong writing style. Practice until you find a rhythm you’re comfortable with. Make sure it is your voice. I only got feedback from my mom, and I only sometimes took her suggestions.

Don’t pick your extracurriculars because you think they will look good on your resume. I didn’t do scholars bowl, debate, sports, or music like most driven kids at my school do. I did what I wanted, and I am very happy with my college results. Good luck!

77

Decision: Rejected weinberg

Objective:
[ *] SAT I (breakdown):
[ *] ACT: 29 (33 English 34 Reading 26 Science 24 Math)
[ *] SAT II:
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.047 (doesn’t do unweighted)
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/106
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP stats
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis): IB Diploma Candidate (elective french ab initio)
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: IB Diploma Candidate
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

[/list][ b]Subjective:**
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): varsity swim 3 yrs (state qualifier), mock trial 3 yrs (regional champions, eighth at state tournament) my school doesn’t offer much
[ *] Job/Work Experience: mcdonald’s crew member 1 yr
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: NHS, CAS
[ *] Summer Activities:
[ *] Essays: very good. i wrote about my visit. i write well when i’m not typing on internet forums, i promise!
[ *] Teacher Recommendation: a bit bland, and i did read them; however, they talked about my respect for education and my respect for faculty, which i thought was accurate
[ *] Counselor Rec:
[ *] Additional Rec:
[ *] Interview:
[ *] Supplementary Material:

[/list][ b]Other**
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): MI
Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: rural public (not well-ranked public, either! i think only a quarter of the students go on to attend four year universities)
[ *] Ethnicity: white
[ *] Gender: female
[ *] Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate):
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): rural gal who wants a taste of city life, mock trial

[/list][ b]Reflection**
[ *] Strengths: essays, ib diploma
[ *] Weaknesses: act scores, unknown high school
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: competitive applicant pool
[ *] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: deferred, then rejected: uchicago; rejected: columbia, barnard; waitlisted: umich, nyu; accepted: loyola chicago, wayne state (with great scholarships)

congrats everybody and best of luck!

78

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2310 (780 CR, 730 M, 800 W)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 760 U.S. History, 740 Math II
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): USH (5), English Language (5), Psych (5), US Gov (5), Microecon (4), Calc AB (4), English Lit (4), Stats (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Engineering and Greentech, AP Calc AB, AP Stats, AP Microecon, AP US Gov, AP English Lit
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National AP Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): President of Model UN, CSF member, Tutor, Member of San Mateo County Youth Legislative Committee, Volunteer at Homeless Cat Network, Intern at Clear Demand, Varsity Lacrosse
Job/Work Experience: Internship with small consulting firm conducting demand model validation, Self-employed Tutor
Volunteer/Community service: Homeless Cat Network, CSF
Summer Activities: Internship
Essays: Common App 8.5/10, Why Northwestern 8/10
Teacher Recommendation: AG Calc Teacher 9/10; APUSH Teacher 10/10
Counselor Rec: 9/10
Additional Rec: N/A
Short Answer Questions:
Interview: Went very well

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Economics
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <$100K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection:

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Demonstrated Interest! I visited and toured and was in contact with an alum
Weaknesses: course rigor and ECs to some extent, lack of any hook
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted- UCLA, Cornell University, UCSD, UCD (regents), UCI (regents), UCSB (regents), Boston University, Northwestern. Rejected- Duke, Dartmouth, Harvard, Stanford, Brown, UC Berkeley
Notes: Go Cats!