****OFFICIAL***** Penn Class of 2018 RD Results ONLY Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
21

<p>Decision: Accepted - CAS</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 780/680/760/9
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2220
ACT (breakdown): 35
ACT superscore (breakdown): 35
SAT II (subject, score): Didn’t take them yo
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: idk, guess I’ll do percentages: 93%/87%/89%/98%
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t report it, probably ~40/250
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): AP French (4), APUSH (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP History, a bunch of other courses
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): n/a
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): idk</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Quizbowl, grades 9-12, Captain, came third and fourth in provincials. 3rd best player in Ontario.
Chess, grades 9-12. No leadership. Finished 5th in a national tournament, finished 5th in a provincial tournament.
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: Nothing really. Like 50 hours.
Summer Experience: None.
Teacher Recommendation #1: A history teacher. It was pretty good, I guess. 7/10
Teacher Recommendation #2: Business Teacher. 5/10, last minute (she wrote it the day it was due)
Counselor Rec: Generic 3/10
Additional Info/Rec: University professor, head of political science at top-10 liberal arts school, 9/10
Interview: idk not that good maybe 4/10 we didn’t hit it off</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: Generic BS, 6/10
Any dual-degree program essays: lol no
CommonApp Essay: stuff about my background, languages I speak and why I speak them. 6/10 maybe??
Number of reminder emails received: idk like 2 I think?</p>

<p>Other:
Date Submitted App: 12/31
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Canada
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: Rich
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): idk speak many languages? Lived around the world? </p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: I guess I come off as smart and I have a good ACT.
Weaknesses: Grades, also I can’t write for %@#$
Were else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Waitlisted UChicago and Middlebury, Accepted Carleton University, University of British Columbia, University of Toronto, McGill University, Carleton College
What would you have done differently?: idk cared a bit more I guess. Doesn’t really matter though since I’m not considering penn and I don’t know why I was accepted rofl</p>

<p>Other Factors:</p>

22

<p>[size=4]Decision: WAITLISTED[/size=4]</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2320 (760 CR 760 M 800 W 12 essay)</p>

<p>ACT: never took</p>

<p>SAT II: 800 math II 780 Biology M 770 US History</p>

<p>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0</p>

<p>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/432</p>

<p>AP (place score in parenthesis):
Biology (5)
Calc. AB (5)
Lang. (4)
US History (4)
Psych. (5)</p>

<p>IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a</p>

<p>Senior Year Course Load:
Calc. BC
Physics C
Chem.
Stat.</p>

<p>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
*Swim Team (captain)
*Tennis Team (2nd singles)
*Boy Scouts (very near Eagle)
*math league (county champion)
*NHS
*Tri-M (VP)/ SNHS/ World language/
*Marching Band (we are known nationally - have marched in the Rose Bowl Parade/ Pres. Inaugural Parade/ many others) (lead mellophone)
*Woodwind Choir (1st Oboe)
*Jazz Band (lead Trumpet)
*play bassoon, french horn, and cello in my spare time</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience:
*full time at my local DQ during the summer/ part-time most of the school year</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service: Lots through Boy Scouts and at local library</p>

<p>Summer Activities: Lots of work, went to Nat.l Boy Scout Jamboree, passion of modular origami</p>

<p>Essays: I thought they were pretty good. At least 8-9/10</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation: Got to read one and it was really good, I’m sure the others were pretty good as well</p>

<p>Counselor Rec: Probably pretty generic, but still good.</p>

<p>Additional Rec: n/a</p>

<p>Interview: Went well. Not the best, not the worst.</p>

<p>Other:
State (if domestic applicant):</p>

<p>Country (if international applicant): NJ</p>

<p>School Type: Large public that sends a couple to Ivies/ top schools every year (though no one got into any elite RD school this year…)</p>

<p>Race(s) (White, AA, AI/AN, Asian, NH/PI): White </p>

<p>Hispanic (Y/N): N</p>

<p>Gender: M</p>

<p>Income Bracket: 75k</p>

<p>Hooks: none</p>

<p>Reflection:
Strengths: Test scores/ decent ECs as per the opportunities available</p>

<p>Weaknesses: </p>

<p>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/denied: see above</p>

<p>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/denied:
A: Rutgers (full scholarship)
WL: Penn, Cornell, Brown, Duke
R: HYP</p>

<p>General Comments:</p>

23

<p>Decision: Accepted - CAS</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): First time: 680/800/800 (11 essay), Second time: 740/800/790 (8 essay)
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2340 (740/800/800/11)
ACT: didn’t take
SAT II (subject, score): Lit: 570 (awful I know, long story) Math II: 680 U.S History: 690 Spanish with Listening: 710, and Biology M: 750
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 3.91 UW, 4.10 W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10% (school doesn’t rank but I’m pretty sure I’m salutatorian)
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): AP U.S (5), AP English Lang (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP Spanish Lang, AP Bio, AP Studio Art, Art History, Literary Analysis
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Not sure what constitutes as major vs common but U.S Presidential Scholar candidate
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Headmaster’s list, Wellesley Book Award, Cum Laude Society, Nation Merit finalist, Scholastic Art and Writing Silver Key, National Spanish Examination Premio de Plata, won 1st in county and 3rd in state (two separate years) for Academic World Quest</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Art with Heart (community service club that I help lead), Piano (10+ years), Varsity swimming (throughout high school), Dressage (9 and 10), World Academic Quest (9-12), Drama (various plays and such), Maui District Student Council Organization Rep (this year only),
Job/Work Experience: Sales Associate, Babysitter (cough childcare provider…), and model
Volunteer/Community Service: Relay for Life (Luminaria Chair for the county and chair for my school), Spanish tutor, Elementary school tutor, Art with Heart also fits in this category
Summer Experience: Lots of stuff including working and visiting colleges (Penn this summer!!!)
Teacher Recommendation #1: Pretty amazing. My Spanish teacher and I are very close so I’m sure it’s stellar. He’s almost more of a friend than he is a “mentor” so to speak.
Teacher Recommendation #2: Less amazing. Honors Physics didn’t go so well for me last year and this teacher and I had our ups and downs but he’s an incredible writer and I believe he said nice things about me (that put me in a good light).
Counselor Rec: Amazing I’m sure. My counselor is very nice.
Additional Info/Rec:
Interview: It went very well (even though I had to meet him for coffee at the airport which was odd). I really showed my interest in Penn and thoroughly explained how I would bring my current ECs into my college life. </p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: Probably the best essay I wrote period (10)
Any dual-degree program essays: N/A
Common App Essay: I’m not entirely happy with it as I feel I got a little too personal and there wasn’t enough room for me to explain why that was necessary (talked about health issues etc.) but apparently it was good enough (7).
Number of reminder emails received: 1 that I can remember</p>

<p>Other:
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Hawaii (Maui specifically)
School Type: Small private prep school
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: 150k (but it’s complicated for various reasons and realistically we’re far lower than that. Unfortunately, I’m receiving no aid at the moment).
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): I submitted an art supplement that is pretty strong (which I feel is unusual for a science major who might be on a premed tract)</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Well rounded, lots of ECs and community service, high scores and grades, art supplement, good essay
Weaknesses: No stellar awards, Caucasian, pretty average as far as my choice in ECs go
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: A: Duke, Emory, Santa Clara, University of San Diego, Northeastern, Lehigh
WL: Brown, Northwestern
R: Yale
Still Waiting: Stanford, Vanderbilt, Georgetown
What would you have done differently?: Nothing! Which of course is easy to say for me. Honestly, I wouldn’t have stressed quite so much, although I’m happy that I put the extra effort into my essay. I feel like it definitely made the difference.</p>

24

<p>Decision- ACCEPTED WHARTON</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 34
ACT superscore (breakdown): 32 Science, 34 Math, 36 Reading, 35 English
SAT II (subject, score): 800 Physics, 790 Math II, 770 US History
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 3.66/4.201
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): NA (School doesn’t rank)
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): AP Bio (5), AP Comp Sci (5), AP Physics B (5), APUSH (5), AP Human Geo (5),
Senior Year Course Load: AP Phys C: Mech, AP Macro, AP Micro, AP Comp Gov, AP Lit, AP World
Number of other ED applicants in your school: like 40
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): qualified for AIME, National community service award
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.):
National Merit Scholar, AP Scholar</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Debate (9/10), Debate team manager (10-12), Peer Tutor Coordinator (12), Peer Tutor (10-12), Model UN (9-12), Ambassador (9-12)
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community Service: JSLI at Freedom School, Joined Board… very involved with it
Summer Experience: Worked at the Freedom School
Teacher Recommendation #1: 9/10 really close with both my teachers, probably one of the best they wrote
Teacher Recommendation #2: 9/10
Counselor Rec: 10/10 great counselor relationship
Additional Info/Rec: N/A
Interview: 7/10 nothing special</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 9/10 very detailed passioante and in-depth
Any dual-degree program essays:
CommonApp Essay: 10/10 extremely unique, worked very hard on it, accurate representation of me
Number of reminder emails received: 0</p>

<p>Other:
Date Submitted App: October 26th (Deferred ED)
U.S. State/Territory or Country: California
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: (200,000 +)
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): None</p>

<p>Reflection: SOO EXCITED! I thought i was going to get in when i applied ED, but was a little nervous after the deferral…
Strengths:Very involved in my extra curricular, recommendations and common app essay
Weaknesses: GPA for sure
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted WashU, UVA, Columbia, Ross at Michigan (Haven’t heard from elsewhere)
Rejected at Duke
What would you have done differently?: tried harder in 9th grade…</p>

<p>Other Factors: Our school has a fair relationship with Penn, about 9 people a year go (class size 280) </p>

25

<p>Decision: Accepted - CAS</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 740/620/690
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2050 superscored, 2000 regular
ACT (breakdown):
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score): Math 1- 720 Math 2- 700
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 4.07 weighted (my school doesn’t calculate unweighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): AP Lit (3) AP US History, AP Calculus
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc, AP US History, Video Journalism, Anatomy
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): none
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): nothing except school’s honor roll</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
-Varsity Soccer (Captain and co-founder of team)
-European Club (President and co-founder)
-DoSomething Organization (marketing manager)
-Environmental Club, Astronomy Club, Student Council, National Honor Society
-I also began taking classes at Penn in 11th grade through a program called Young Scholars. It was basically 1 class a semester and I would take it with actual Penn students.</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: Cashier/Customer Service Associate at a grocery store. Worked 20+ hours a week from 9th grade to 12th grade</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community Service:
-Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (85 hours)
-Ronald McDonald House Philly (15 hours)
-Library (15 hours)
-Local Park (10 hours) </p>

<p>Summer Experience: Volunteered at UPenn’s Hospital, traveled, worked, relaxed with friends
Teacher Recommendation #1: my ap calc teacher. should be pretty good. I never read it
Teacher Recommendation #2: video journalism teacher. also should be pretty good. he wrote about my creativity and even attached videos i had made in class to his rec. letter.
Counselor Rec: Very good. I had a very close relationship with her and she really liked me and knew a lot about me.
Additional Info/Rec: I got a recommendation letter from an administrator at UPenn’s hospital
Interview: Wasn’t offered one</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 9/10 I think I wrote a really good essay. It was easy for me to write since I know a lot about Penn and have been involved in a couple of programs there.
Any dual-degree program essays:
CommonApp Essay: 8/10 Wrote about how I founded my school’s soccer team and how it helped me transition into becoming an adult
Number of reminder emails received: 2</p>

<p>Other:
Date Submitted App: December 27th
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
School Type: Small Charter School… ~400 kids
Ethnicity: White/European/Middle Eastern
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: $100,000 +
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): First Generation. I also have a sibling who attends Penn and is a member of the Class of 2016. </p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: ECs, essays, rec. letters
Weaknesses: SAT and GPA
Were else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted Drexel University, Penn State (Schreyer Honors College) Rejected: Cornell and Dartmouth
What would you have done differently?: Honestly I don’t even know. Perhaps I would’ve studied harder for a better SAT score but I guess Penn was already impressed by mine! </p>

<p>Other Factors: I think one of the biggest reasons I was accepted was because of how I had involved myself within Penn’s community during high school. I took classes there, volunteered at their hospital, and spent 2-3 days a week on their campus. I also think my essays were really helpful in getting me accepted! Anyways, I’m really excited and can’t wait to meet all of you in Fall!</p>

26

<p>Decision: Accepted - Wharton (Likely Letter)</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2340 (770/770/800/10 first try)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36/36/35/34 single sitting, second try)
SAT II (subject, score): 800 French 800 Math II 780 Chem 770 Biology M 710 US History
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 4.0 unweighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): US History (5), Macroeconomics (5), Microeconomics (5), Calc AB (5), Chemistry (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics B, AP Calc BC/Multivariable Calculus, AP French Language, AP US Gov, Senior English Electives
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): NM Finalist, AP Scholar with Distinction, NHS, Cum Laude, French Honors Society</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Varsity Golf (captain, 7 year member), Math Team, Chemistry Team, French Club
Job/Work Experience: Nordstrom Teen Board member (3 years), a lot of work experience in fashion, business
Volunteer/Community Service: Clubs both in and out of school (executive boards)
Summer Experience: Internships and Golf every summer
Teacher Recommendation #1: Had teacher for 3 straight years, watched me grow and challenge myself in World Civ, AP Macro/Micro, APUSH (department chair of social sciences)
Teacher Recommendation #2: did exceptional both years (department chair of mathematics)
Counselor Rec: did not connect well with my counselor, she was disinterested but it could not have hurt me
Additional Info/Rec:
Interview: lasted about an hour. I really connected with my interviewer and could see myself having similar experiences at Wharton</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 9. Worked on this for days. Connected past work experience to future opportunities at Wharton and Penn. Combined with women inequality in the workplace
Any dual-degree program essays:
CommonApp Essay: 6 About my experience in breaking school history and leading my team to state finals for first time ever
Number of reminder emails received: Many due to likely letter status</p>

<p>Other:
Date Submitted App: December 20th
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Florida
School Type: Private, 600 or so students
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: do not qualify for financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development):</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Were else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Waitlist: Brown, Reject: Harvard Princeton Yale
What would you have done differently?:</p>

<p>Other Factors:</p>

<p>Really wanted to go to Yale but so happy to end up at Wharton!!!</p>

27

<p>Decision: Accepted CAS (with a Vagelos Scholar in the Molecular Life Sciences)!</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2360 single sitting- 800 CR, 800 M, 760 W (9 essay)
ACT: N/A
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Chem, 760 US History, 690 Lit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3 / 476
AP (place score in parenthesis): USH 5, Chem 5, Stat 5, WH 5, Lang/Comp 5, Calc BC 3 (AB sub 4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP’s- Biology, Macroeconomics, French, and Lit/Comp. Honors Medical Academy (2 credits), and dual enrollment Latin course at Lehigh University.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
American Regions Mathematics League 2nd place team nationally in B division 2013 (Team Captain)
National merit finalist
AP Scholar with Distinction
Bausch + Lomb Honorary Science Award (University of Rochester)</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
American Regions Mathematics League Lehigh Valley A3 Team (7-12, captain 11-12 grade) won a national 2nd place.
Student Govt. 10-12 (Senior Class President)
Scholastic Scrimmage Quiz Bowl 9-12 (Captain)
Math Team 9-12 (Captain)
Cross Country Team 9-12
Tennis Team 9-12
Theater Company 11-12
School Board Student Rep 11-12.</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: 20-25 hrs/wk as a banquet set-up helper at a local hotel, Sept. 2013- Jan 2014. I quit two months ago because my boss didn’t want to change my hours when I had school commitments, and it was cutting into study time.</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service: 300ish total, 190 at a hospital (Patient access and pharmacy) and 100 cumulative at annual music festival in town each August. 10 doing odd jobs.</p>

<p>Summer Activities:
2013- attended Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences (really competitive gov school, with about 13% acceptance rate) and completed original research there that dealt with platinum catalyst substitutes for fuel cells, also specialized in organic chem.
2012- attended University of Pittsburgh Health Careers Scholars Academy, also a gov school, but easier, with more shadowing/ school-like projects.</p>

<p>Essays:
9/10 Why Penn: Awesome essay. I described a visit to Penn on election day 2012, how the crazy environment on campus jived with my love of politics, and how this got me interested in several clubs and organizations on campus. Also talked about how my love of chemistry can be broadened by the resources and organizations at Penn, and was incredibly specific (Penn Undergrad Chem Society, etc.)</p>

<p>7-8/10 Common App: Was about me joining the high school theatre company and it allowing me to break out of my rigid science/math shell last year, and feel more comfortable with friends and community at school. Pretty solid and emotional, very polished, but no fireworks.</p>

<p>Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: AP Chemistry teacher 9/10 Favorite teacher, loves me, I killed her class, and she got me interested outside of school to try for PGSS and pursue organic chemistry. Feel like she really knows me.
Teacher Rec #2: AP Stats, Hon. Precalc teacher 8/10 Feeling it was good, but not in my specialty.
Counselor Rec: 9/10 Showed it to me out of the blue when I applied for a scholarship, and it was really glowing and really personal to me, said I was one of his best, most dedicated students over last 12 years.
Additional Rec: Letter from President of Pennsylvania Governor School for the Sciences. 7-8/10, had a lot of really awesome support from group leaders and teachers, plus talked about my research and leadership in chemistry at program, but felt kind of cut-and-paste, not too personal.
Interview: 9/10 Really awesome phone interview with a guy from CAS '02 who had several business startups in california. I also said hi to his wife, who did premed like I want to, and I talked with him about my interest in Penn’s specific programs and the status of gay kids on campus (which is important to me for my school).</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): Pennsylvania
Country (if international applicant): N/A
Date Applied: 12/30
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $150,000-$200,000 family
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Gay kid? I don’t know, I mentioned it in the interview.</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: 2360 SAT, summer experience at PGSS publishing research, loads of Captaining/leaderships, ARML national 2nd place, and one of my recommenders (my chem teacher) is a CAS alum who knows a lot of people at the school very personally.</p>

<p>Weaknesses: Turned in application 3 days before deadline, screwed up Calc BC, grades slid slightly senior year.</p>

<p>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: PGSS program had something ridiculous like 9 kids get into Penn, because they favor us and know of our scientific credentials. Also my interview was very solid and I made two campus visits.</p>

<p>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: UPenn, Lehigh, Rochester, and Wash U St. Louis.
Waitlisted: Princeton
Rejected: Harvard, Yale
Waiting to hear: Johns Hopkins (I hear tomorrow, but i’m definitely picking Penn.)</p>

<p>General Comments: Feeling incredibly blessed, and I can’t wait to be a quaker this fall! I think my involvement in PGSS helped a lot, as did my very personal, hour+ phone interview. If any sophomores or lower are reading this thread who live in Pennsylvania and are incredibly interested in the sciences, I definitely would recommend PGSS, as it gave our group of students a substantial edge.</p>

<p>Congrats to everyone else who was accepted!</p>

28

<p>Decision: Accepted - CAS</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 650/610/610
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): "
ACT (breakdown):27,27
ACT superscore (breakdown): 29
SAT II (subject, score):US History 700, World History 710
Unweighted/Weighted GPA:4.28 W, 4.12 UW
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP/IB (place score in parentheses):AP English Composition 3, AP World History 4, APUSH 5
Senior Year Course Load: AP Psyche, AP English Lit, Cousera (Independent study), AP Calc AB, College Connections, AP Gov
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): nothing?
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Scholar</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):interact, mock trial, church camps, 13 years of violin, chamber music, jenny lin foundation orchestra, venturing crew 818, other stuff
Volunteer/Community Service:math tutor,glide, hope for heart, playing music for the elderly, workshop counselor, other stuff
Summer Experience:Dominican Republic trip with GLA, wandering NY/NJ by myself
Teacher Recommendation #1:should be good
Teacher Recommendation #2:should be good
Counselor Rec:should be good
Additional Info/Rec:
Interview:6/10… meh</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: (8/10)Personally I liked mine… I included a lot of references to why I loved Penn and I referenced parts of the campus
CommonApp Essay:(8/10) meh. It was personal and I talked about my family’s impact on me. It was very witty and sarcastic without any pretentious vocabulary.
Number of reminder emails received: 2?</p>

<p>Other:
Date Submitted App:12/31
U.S. State/Territory or Country:CA
School Type:Charter >500
Ethnicity:Asian
Gender:F
Income Bracket Range:>80,000
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development):first gen</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths:Essays? It has to be.
Weaknesses:test scores, gpa, no major awards
Were else were you accepted:I wish I knew. It has to be a mistake. I never thought I’d get into UPenn in the first place! I thought I was rejected for sure after I was rejected by many UCs. Ahhh!!!
What would you have done differently?:BRING UP MY TEST SCORES!!! Seriously. I wish I was more competitive amongst the applicant pool and I took the SAT seriously.
Other Factors:
First from school (4 year old school) to get into UPenn, my school, KIPP, has a partnership with Penn this year, I’m not your traditional Asian (Japanese, Laotian)
IT’S NOT ABOUT THE TEST SCORES!</p>

29

<p>**Decision: Rejected - Wharton **</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>[list][<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2090 (superscored - 720 M, 730 W, 640 CR)
[</em>] ACT (breakdown): 31 (35 E, 33 M, 27 R, 28 S, 9 W)
[<em>] SAT II: 660 US History, 660 Literature, 630 Math II
[</em>] Unweighted GPA: 4.195/4.0
[<em>] Weighted GPA: 4.72/4.5
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/43
[<em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Not offered at high school
[</em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): Not offered at high school
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load:
Honors British Literature
Honors Calculus
Honors Physics
Honors Western Civilization
Sociology/Jurisprudence/Psychology
Guidance IV
Honors Spanish IV
Art IV
Physical Ed/First Aid
Church Lifestyle/Church History (Religion)
[</em>] Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Honor Society Scholarship Program Nominee, Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Award Runner Up, New Jersey Scholars Program Semi-Finalist, Bausch and Lomb Honorary Science Award, Certificate of Merit from the Society of Women Engineers, New Jersey Governor’s School for Engineering Nominee, Principal’s List (Straight A’s) All 4 Years of High School</p>

<p>[list]Subjective:</p>

<p>[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
School Musical (9-12; Lead Role grade 10, 12)
Students Against Destructive Decisions (10-12; Secretary 11, 12)
School Choir (9-12; Senior Soloist)
Art Club (9-12)
Spanish Club (9-12)
National Honor Society (11-12)
[</em>] Job/Work Experience:
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service:
Soloist at Parish
Big Brothers Big Sisters
[</em>] Summer Activities:
Summer Camp at Local Community College; Graphic Designer online (through a forum and Tumblr); Fanfiction Writer
[<em>] Essays: Common App - excellent; Supplemental - Great; I wrote about a class on sustainability that I took over the summer and talked about how my need to know more has been unsatisfied so I would use UPenn’s facilities to conduct research on my unanswered questions
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: I had 3 - Precalc/Algebra II teacher, Literature teacher, and US History II/Geography teacher - and they were all excellent; I’m one of their favorite students and they adore me
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Excellent; she likes me a lot
[</em>] Additional Rec: Director of my school musicals - excellent; I saved my sophomore year show and he loves me
Note: For recs, I got lucky because my school is so small. My teachers know me very well, and I’ve taken to texting and talking to them in my free time. In addition, my musical director has been through a lot with me, and this year’s seniors are his favorite so he adores me.
[li] Interview: Very short, over the phone; I was awkward, nervous</p>[/li]
<p>[list]Other</p>

<p>[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): NJ
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Catholic, All-Girls College Prep
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Income Bracket: <$300,000
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Parents are immigrants - if that IS a hook…</p>[/li]
<p>[list]Reflection</p>

<p>[<em>] Strengths: Recs, Grades, GPA, ACT
[</em>] Weaknesses: SAT, SAT II; also, I’m Asian
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: My scores and extracurriculars aren’t much to look at
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Northeastern, Babson College, University of Richmond, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Waitlisted: Brown, American University; Rejected: Princeton, Cornell</p>

<p>**General Comments: <a href=“Sorry%20about%20the%20difference%20in%20template;%20I%20didn’t%20want%20to%20re-format%20everything%20haha”>/b</a>
I thought my interesting essay would help give me a leg up in the admissions process, but maybe my crap interview pulled me down. I’m really not sure. Hailing from New Jersey probably didn’t help either. (I blame my parents for that one haha). In addition, my school doesn’t have a rep for sending girls to the Ivies. I definitely didn’t expect to get in, but I gave it a shot anyway.</p>

30

<p>Decision: Rejected - Wharton </p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2250 (650 M :/, 800 W, 800 CR)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 760 US History, 700 Literature, 700 Bio M
Unweighted GPA: 3.85/4
Weighted GPA: 4.35/5
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Bio (4) AP Euro History (5) AP English Lit (5) AP US History (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): Not offered at high school
Senior Year Course Load: AP US Government, AP Comparative Government/Politics, AP Physics B, AP Stat, Calculus, Honors Independent Study/Research (with UCLA professor)
Church Lifestyle/Church History (Religion)
Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Scholar, AP Scholar with Honor, Cum Laude Society, Dean’s List at school every year.
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
VLD (debate) co-captain
member of selective (14 member) student-led philanthropic board (raises and donates $50k yearly),
(business/ad manager) of newspaper
advisor for girls in middle school
have published recipes and baking/recipe website (desserts for vegan/lactose free diets)
current research is an 8-10 hour per week commitment and is formally published. </p>

<p>Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: see above philanthropic organization (raises money through fundraisers, grants through grant screening/site visit process)
Summer Activities: various debate camps, 100+hours of research in economics department at UCLA over the summer (published) </p>

<p>Essays: Common App - 9/10 in my opinion–very good; Supplemental - 9/10, wrote about my history with business from Girl Scouts (sold thousands of boxes per year) to today, how wharton would allow that skill to be cultivated even more.
Teacher Recommendation: I had 2 and they were both from teachers that knew and liked me quite well.
Counselor Rec: Excellent (and each year she has had 3-4 girls into Penn)
Additional Rec: None
Interview: Very good (my best one) (but to be honest it doesn’t really matter)
Other
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: All-Girls College Prep
Ethnicity: White, non-hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: no need for financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): n/a
Reflection
Strengths: Sat scores minus math, strong gpa and course rigor, somewhat good ‘match’ for wharton based on my interests and research
Weaknesses: SAT math, a B throughout junior year
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Not ‘spectacular’
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Tufts, WUSTL, NYU Stern, Wesleyan, Hamilton College. Waitlisted at Columbia, Rejected: Princeton, Brown, Northwestern</p>

<p>General Comments:
(Sorry about the difference in template; I didn’t want to re-format everything haha)
I thought that I may have a chance (albeit small) given the renown of my school and my recs, diverse EC’s, etc. But, it goes to show you literally never know. Congrats to all of you that got in!</p>

31

<p>Decision: Accepted - CAS</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I: 2010 (superscored- 610M, 690 CR, 710 W, 10 Essay)
ACT: 28
SAT II: 650 US History, 620 Literature, 770 Spanish w/ Listening
Weighted GPA: 3.85/4
Unweighted GPA: 5.3/6
Rank: 16/343 (4.6%)
AP’s: AP World History (4), AP U.S. History (4), AP Language and Composition (3), AP Spanish Language and Culture (5).
Senior Year Courses: AP Calculus AB, AP Chemistry, AP Spanish Literature and Culture, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Macroeconomics, AP U.S. Government.<br>
Major Awards: QuestBridge Scholar, won a scholarship with National Geographic Student Expeditions for a two week community service trip to Costa Rica.
Common Awards: AP Scholar w/ Honor, Academic All-State Cross-Country Team, Senior Service Award, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Good Citizens Award, and named as the Georgetown’s Optimist Club’s Young Texan for the month of October. </p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
~National Honor Society (Secretary): (10,11,12)
~Cross Country (Team Captain): (10,11,12)
~Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society (President): (12)
~Choir: (9)
~Latin Dance Crew: (10)</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience:
~Landscaping Business (flower nursery)
~ ACE Hardware
~ Inspection Business
~ Have worked as an interpreter for several county and special elections including the presidential election. </p>

<p>Volunteer/Community Service:
Over 215 hours of community service through mission trips for disaster relief in other states and countries (Brazil). Expedition with NatGeo including 50 hrs. of community service.
Tutoring, and teaching English every Wed. night at my church for 1 1/2 hr.</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation #1: AP English Language teacher, very strong! Made my mom cry.
Teacher Recommendation #2: World Geography, AP World History, AP U.S. History teacher (have had for 4 years), strong.
Counselor Rec: Don’t even think she wrote one, didn’t tell me about it.
Additional Rec: Employer from Inspection Business, strong.
Interview: Went well, but pretty short because it was late and the lady had kids. She told me she hopes her daughter will have as much passion as I do.</p>

<p>Writing:
Why Penn?: Used a community service essay about the Costa Rica expedition and stated at the end I would love to go to Penn because of opportunities like these it has to offer.
CommonApp Essay: Talked about my passion for travel and my parents divorce. Thought it was pretty strong since I re-wrote it 3 times and got it checked twice.</p>

<h1>of reminder emails: none</h1>

<p>Other:
Date Submitted App: A day before the deadline.
State: TX
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic/white
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: roughly $40,000 (single mother)
Hooks: URM, single mother/divorced parents, brand new high school therefore first class to ever graduate.</p>

<p>Reflection:
Strengths: URM, letters of recommendation, Common App essay.
Weaknesses: Standardized test scores.
Other Schools:
Rejected to: Rice, Cornell, Columbia, Stanford and Yale.
Accepted to: Baylor University, Hofstra University, Vassar College, UPenn.
Waitlisted: Harvard
Waiting for decision: Georgetown.</p>

32

<p>Decision: Rejected - Huntsman</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2270 (730CR 770M 730 W)
ACT: 35
SAT II: Chemistry 720 Biology E 750 US History 780 Math II 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ~10-15/500
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language (5), European History (5), Human Geography (5), Statistics (5), Biology (5), Psychology (4), Environmental Science (4), Chemistry (4), US History (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics B, AP English Literature, AP US Government/ AP Macroeconomics, AP Comp Sci, Music History, AP Calculus BC
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nationals in Public Forum Debate, NFL All-State Top 10 (TN) - Outstanding Distinction, National Merit Finalist, National AP Scholar
Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Debate Team (JV Captain (11), Varsity Captain (12)), Model United Nations (ICJ Justice (11), President of the International Court of Justice (12)), Youth in Government (Supreme Court Justice), Ultimate Frisbee, 12 years of guitar, 4 years of self-taught piano
Job/Work Experience: 7 week internship at a law firm
Volunteer/Community service: 100+ hours as a public library volunteer Freshman and Sophomore year
Summer Activities: Tennessee Governor’s School for International Studies at the University of Memphis, Boys State, American Legion Boys Nation
Essays: Not great
Teacher Recommendation: Physics teach (10/10) and Gov teach (10/10)
Counselor Rec:Gifted counselor (11/10)
Additional Rec:
Interview:</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): TN
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large pretty competitive public
Race(s) (White, AA, AI/AN, Asian, NH/PI): Asian (indian)
Hispanic (Y/N): Nope
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: >100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Essays, Recs, ECs
Weaknesses: GPA
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: Marquette, Tennessee, Virginia, Michigan, Vanderbilt (CV Scholar & College Scholar), Stanford
Waitlisted: UChicago, Dartmouth, WashU, Harvard
Rejected: Northwestern, Brown, Columbia, UPenn, Yale, Princeton, Duke</p>

<p>General Comments: Just can’t believe it. Stanford was my best app, but man I never expected to get into my top school and not get into so many others.</p>

33

<p>Decision: Accepted - CAS (After being deferred ED)</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 690/690/730
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2110
ACT (breakdown):
ACT superscore (breakdown):
SAT II (subject, score): US: 660, Spanish w/ List: 690
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 3.8 (4.0 soph, jun, sen yr)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Not Reported
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): Humam Geo 5, APUSH 4
Senior Year Course Load: Calc, Astronomy, AP Lit, AP Gov/Econ, AP Psych, Music
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Youth Ambassador Scholarship to Europe
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Scholar w/ Distinction</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): 2 Clubs (President 4yrs), Substantial Music (Leadership/Section Leader 4yrs).
Job/Work Experience: Youth Advisory Board (Leader/representative of board)
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteer Club, Gave practice citizenship interviews to immigrants senior yr
Summer Experience: Youth Ambassador in Europe, Unpaid Stanford Intern (Geoscience)
Teacher Recommendation #1: Pretty Good
Teacher Recommendation #2: Pretty Good
Counselor Rec: Very Good-- knew her very well!
Additional Info/Rec: One from my boss, one from another teacher, and one from my musical director. I don’t recommend doing this because they don’t like getting too much info. I sent in the last 2 after I was deferred. ALSO!!! I send in a letter from me when I was deferred with new pursuits, a grade in a college course, and a sales pitch for myself basically. I was very nice, not at all acting like I was bitter or like I deserved to get in ED.
Interview: Strong, really nice guy, and I was prepared. Interviews don’t really matter though.</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details): Unique experience abroad that I expanded to my career prospects and how I want my friendships to be… (8 maybe)?
Why Penn: Flexible, Practical (7)
Any dual-degree program essays: No
CommonApp Essay: Unique experience abroad that I expanded to my career prospects and how I want my friendships to be… (8 maybe)?
Number of reminder emails received: No idea…</p>

<p>Other: Submitted art supplement on a difficult musical instrument.
Date Submitted App: 2 days before ED deadline.
U.S. State/Territory or Country:CA
School Type: Public Arts Magnet
Ethnicity: White/Jewish
Gender: M
Income Bracket Range: 150k
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): Nobody at my school’s ever gotten in/attended Penn.</p>

<p>Reflection
Penn really does look for fit. I saw all the crazy scores of people who got rejected. I went to the “Penn in _____” day in my town, and I developed a relationship with my admit officer by talking with her-- I wasn’t just a piece of paper to her. Look for fit, and never be afraid to compete for more opportunities (realistically!!!). ALSO, I want to be clear that even though I look not competitive on paper, I have a lot of the qualities that Penn looks for (ambition, determination, ingenuity, demonstrated care for others). I represent Penn’s values, and my academics are good enough where they knew I’d do well enough at their school haha.
Strengths: Exctracurrics, Stories, Recs, Arts High School, First at my school to apply ED, Grades/Ap’s
Weaknesses: SAT 1 and 2 ahahaha
Were else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Tufts, Berkeley, UCLA, Carleton, Kenyon. Waitlist: Johns Hopkins Reject: USC, Northwestern, Harvard, Yale, Stanford
What would you have done differently?: More time on essays, apply to less schools haha. </p>

<p>Other Factors: </p>

34

<p>Decision: Rejected – CAS</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2220 (M 660, CR 770, W 790 – single sitting)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
ACT superscore (breakdown): N/A
SAT II (subject, score):Literature (790), German (790), French (800), Math L1 (690)
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 3.95 UW
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 1%
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Don’t have a choice at public HS, I took A-Levels as a private student in History, Literature & Sociology (A*AA) & AS Levels in French, German & Art (aab)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Semi-Finalist in National German Competition, finalist in International Schools’ Short Story Writing Competition, 3rd Prize in International Schools’ Poetry Recital Competition & a couple of prizes in international songwriting & screenwriting contests
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): N/A</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): aerial silks (grade 11- 12), Student Council (VP gr 11-12, member from grade 9), Finnish Club (founder – grade 10), Russian Club (founder – grade 10-12), choir (grade 11-12), Media & Film Club (grade 11), school radio (grade 9), Drama Club (grade 9), editor at school magazine (grade 9-12)
Job/Work Experience: French, German & English teacher, tutor
Volunteer/Community Service: tutor; volunteer at MigHelp, an association to help refugees in my country
Summer Experience: Filmmaking/ Screenwriting/ Volunteer work/ Teaching
Teacher Recommendation #1: French teacher (great)
Teacher Recommendation #2: History teacher (also quite good)
Counselor Rec: Excellent, she knows me really well.
Additional Info/Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):</p>

<p>Why Penn: 6/10 I think it could have been better, as I struggled quite a bit with it, but I did my best.
Any dual-degree program essays: N/A
CommonApp Essay: 8/10 I wrote about the “place where I’m perfectly content” and I think it was really good, maybe a bit too much on the symbolic side, but it definitely showed my personality.
Number of reminder emails received: 2</p>

<p>Other:</p>

<p>Date Submitted App: December 27
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Hungary
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: We’re not that well off.
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development): None.</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Lots of ECs & awards in my field (film & writing), I speak a lot of languages, A Levels, I also attended two schools at once for three years, while doing A-Levels & IGCSEs
Weaknesses: International asking for financial aid, Math scores,
Were else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: Emerson College, Occidental College, Drexel & everywhere I applied to in the UK (KCL, Exeter, York, Nottingham, Bristol)
Waitlisted: N/A
Rejected: Penn, Dartmouth, Cornell, Duke, USC
Waiting: Amherst, JHU
What would you have done differently?: I’m not sure, I really did my best. Perhaps I could have improved my SAT scores.</p>

<p>Final Comments: Unless I get into one of the schools I’m still waiting on, I’ll probably go to England, or take out a gap year. I’m a bit disappointed, but honestly not that surprised at all. Congrats to everyone who got in! </p>

35

<p>Decision: Accepted - SEAS (DMD)</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 780, 740, 730, 10; 2250
ACT (breakdown): Never Taken
SAT II (subject, score): Math II: 790; Bio: 790
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: My school only does weighted out of 100: 100.3 (AP’s are 7%, honors are 5%)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 6
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): World History , US History, Psychology, Biology, Government and Politics, BC Calculus, English Language and Composition (All 5’s)
Senior Year Course Load: All AP’s: Literature, Computer Science, Spanish Language, Statistics, Studio Art, Physics B, Macroeconomics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): None
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): some AP Scholar, high honor roll, National Merit Scholar Commended, some local art and behavioral research awards, AMC 10 top scorer and AMC 12 second place, All-County swimming (State-qualifier)</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): President of a human rights club, VP of Art Club, Board member of Community Service Club, Captain of Varsity Swim team
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service: Community Service club events, see summer experience
Summer Experience: SAT classes each summer except summer after Junior year, summer after Junior year I volunteered at a hospital and traveled to Ghana to volunteer. I swam each summer
Teacher Recommendations: All were probably very good, one was more personal than the other two. I also submitted a recommendation from my art teacher since I applied to DMD
Counselor Rec: Excellent
Additional Info/Rec: Submitted an art supplement
Interview: Very casual but it went well</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: For DMD, I wrote about my appreciation for the visual arts and using computer coding as my new medium, 8
Any dual-degree program essays: No
CommonApp Essay: Hospital volunteering experience, 8
Number of reminder emails received: 1</p>

<p>Other:
Date Submitted App: Last minute, my last application submitted
U.S. State/Territory or Country: NY
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range:
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): My versatility, and my interests aligned with the program.</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: AP Course load, Grades, Art Supplement
Weaknesses: No major awards
Were else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: Cornell, Northwestern, NYU Stern, UC Berkeley, University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Binghamton, Stonybrook
Waitlisted: Columbia, Brown, Duke, Vanderbilt
Rejected: Dartmouth, Yale, Stanford REA, Brown-RISD Dual Degree</p>

<p>What would you have done differently?: I am so happy with UPenn DMD- I actually applied to UPenn last because I was unsure about how the school fit me, but the DMD is perfect. It was my most original essay, so I would recommend that you make sure that you stay true to yourself in your essays. Don’t try to mold yourself into something you think the colleges want.</p>

<p>Other Factors: </p>

36

<p>[color=green]DECISION: ACCEPTED - CAS<a href=“Vagelos%20Molecular%20Life%20Sciences%20Program”>/color</a></p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2270 (750/760/760/8) Two sittings
SAT II (subject, score): Chemistry (720), Math II (790)
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 3.98 unweighted, don’t know weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): US History (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP French, Band/Chorus, English electives, BC Calculus, AP Stat, AP Physics (Mechanics)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Ranked nationally in multiple levels of National French Exam, National Merit Finalist
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Chemistry Award, French Award (from school)</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): French Club (9-12, President); Latin Club (9-12, Member); Math Club (9-12, Co-leader); GSA (9-12, Member); Jazz Band (9-12, Pianist); A Cappella (9-12, Leader/Arranger); Symphonic Band (9-12, Percussion Section Leader); 2014 Penn Honor Band (It was probably relevant in the decision)
Job/Work Experience: Piano Teacher at an elementary school (developed unique curriculum, etc)
Volunteer/Community Service: Cradles to Crayons Teen Leader (9-10), Cradles to Crayons Champion Volunteer (11-12), Math Peer Tutor (11-12), Science Peer Tutor (11-12)
Summer Experience: CTY camp courses (Game Theory, Astrophysics); College courses (Chem 101, A)
Teacher Recommendation #1: Pre-Calc Teacher/Adviser (didn’t read, assumed good)
Teacher Recommendation #2: English 11 Teacher (didn’t read, assumed outstanding)
Counselor Rec: Didn’t read, assumed outstanding
Additional Info/Rec: None
Interview: Excellent. My interviewer told me he was ready to fight for me.</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: In-depth and analytical (10/10)
Any dual-degree program essays: Nope
CommonApp Essay: Probably a little awkward, but apparently funny (7/10)</p>

<p>Other:
Date Submitted App: 12/27
U.S. State/Territory or Country: PA
School Type: Independent
Ethnicity: White/Native American
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: High
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): Dad did fellowship at Penn</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Essays, Recs, Interview
Weaknesses: Scores, RD, Income?
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Carnegie Mellon (Admit; Charpie Scholar), Duke (Reject), Harvard (Reject), Johns Hopkins (Admit), MIT (Reject), Princeton (Reject), Wash U (Admit), Yale (Defer > Reject)
What would you have done differently?: Fixed my Common App a little more</p>

<p>Other Factors: Submitted music supplement</p>

37

<p>Decision: Accepted - CAS (Vagelos Molecular Life Sciences Program)</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): n/a
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): n/a
ACT (breakdown): 33
ACT superscore (breakdown): 33
SAT II (subject, score): Math 2 (790) Literature (660)
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 3%, no exact rank
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): 5’s on AB Calc and Psych
Senior Year Course Load: Four college courses (Physics, Calc II, Honors Sociology, Anthropology), AP English Lit, AP Spanish IV, Honors World Cultures, Astronomy, Health, Phys Ed
Number of other applicants in your school: no clue, probably only a few to none
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): none
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Gold Medal National Latin Exam, Some small piano awards, a couple meaningless things</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): classical piano and oboe (many music groups, founder of one, private lessons, solo performances), student government secretary (organized a couple events), Church Bible Study, Studying Ancient Greek, Book reviewer
Job/Work Experience: faculty member at local chamber music camp, accompanied a choir a couple times
Volunteer/Community Service: childcare and teaching at church
Summer Experience: Practicing music, teaching at music camp, music festival, math class, learning Ancient Greek
Teacher Recommendation #1: strong
Teacher Recommendation #2: strong
Counselor Rec: strong
Additional Info/Rec: strong
Interview: Wonderful</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: 7
Any dual-degree program essays: n/a
CommonApp Essay: 9
Number of reminder emails received: 2 (Does it matter?)</p>

<p>Other:
Date Submitted App: December 31
U.S. State/Territory or Country: Pennsylvania
School Type: Cyber School (like homeschool) and community college dual enrollment
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: Did not apply for financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): URM, Legacy</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: arts supplement/music dedication, interesting personal story, grades, common app essay
Weaknesses: testing was not exceptional for the ivies, not much volunteering, lack of major awards
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted: Swarthmore (early write), University of Pittsburgh, Franklin & Marshall, Dickinson, Lafayette, Moravian, Elizabethtown
Waitlist: None
Rejected: HYP
What would you have done differently?: I do not think I would have done anything differently! I tried my best in high school, and that is all that matters. I am very proud of my achievements and can’t wait to be a Quaker next year!</p>

<p>Other Factors: n/a</p>

38

<p>Decision: Rejected - SEAS (Cognitive Science Dual Major)</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): didn’t take
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 35 (35 E, 36 M, 33 R, 36 S)
ACT superscore (breakdown): same
SAT II (subject, score): 800 Math II, 800 Chem
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): AP Music Theory (5), APUSH (5), AP Micro (5), AP Calc BC (5), AP Stats (4), AP Lang (4), AP CS (5), AP Comp Gov (5), AP Chem (5)
Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable Calc, AP Lit, AP Bio, Spanish 5, AP Physics, AP Gov, AP Macro, Psychology
Number of other ED applicants in your school: dunno
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): None (there went any chance)
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): National AP Scholar, National Merit Commended</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): 4 years on the boys’ high school swim and dive team, senior year NHS
Job/Work Experience: Kumon over the last summer, recreational soccer referee since freshman year
Volunteer/Community Service: volunteer at local library since sophomore year
Summer Experience: Swimming and programming
Teacher Recommendation #1: Calc teacher. Haven’t seen rec.
Teacher Recommendation #2: AP Lit teacher. Haven’t seen rec.
Counselor Rec: Haven’t seen it
Additional Info/Rec: None
Interview: Went decently. There have been worse interviews, but then again, there have been better interviews.</p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: Connected my personal background and interests to Penn’s CS offerings (8/10)
Any dual-degree program essays: Strangely enough, Cognitive Science didn’t have a dual-degree essay.
CommonApp Essay: How an old man ignited my interest in math in first grade, and how I became interested in CS in eighth grade (8/10)
Number of reminder emails received: One or two. Thanks for getting my hopes up, Penn.</p>

<p>Other:
Date Submitted App: December 2
U.S. State/Territory or Country: MN
School Type: Public school that graduates about 800 per year
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket Range: ~200K
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): None</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Objective stats, Essay
Weaknesses: Lack of leadership positions, Typical Asian applicant
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to U Minnesota, U Wisconsin, U Illinois, UCLA, USC; Waitlisted at CMU (SCS); Rejected from Duke, Harvard, MIT (deferred EA), Princeton, Stanford, Berkeley, UChicago (deferred EA)
What would you have done differently?: I would’ve gotten involved earlier.</p>

<p>General Comments: College admissions does NOT favor the late-bloomers. (I might write up a thread about this.) I was a freakin’ introvert freshman and sophomore years and neglected to try new things. The result? The best I could be was a boring applicant with great test scores. I wish I could travel back in time and tell myself to snap out of my introverted shell and do stuff like get elected to the student council or join speech and debate, but now I only have the future to look forward to. Anyways, congrats to those admitted.</p>

39

<p>Decision: Accepted - SEAS (Digital Media Design)</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2270 (760/800/710/8)
ACT (breakdown): 35. 35M/36R/35S/35W/9
SAT II (subject, score): 800 Math II, 780 Bio-M, 790 Lit
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 4.00 unweighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): Calc BC, Bio, Chem, Chinese, Lit, Lang, Psych, Calc AB, APUSH, World, Enviro Sci, US Gov’t. All 5’s.
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, Multivariable Calc, AP Stats, Ochem. Not much of a course load compared to junior year.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): I wish!
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP scholar, NMScholar, some art stuff. </p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
art as a hobby, Science Bowl, history competition, dance, research at local university.<br>
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: Art teacher, math/physics tutor every day after school. I volunteered at a lot of one time community events like marathons, book festivals, etc.
Summer Experience: Math! Diff. eq classes + math camp.
Teacher Recommendation #1: Gov’t teacher. Didn’t read.
Teacher Recommendation #2: Math teacher. Heard it was amazing, from my counselor who read it.
Counselor Rec: Assumed it was good since I’ve known her all high school :slight_smile:
Additional Info/Rec: None
Interview: Went very well!! My interviewer was a statistician and we shared a lot of similar interests. </p>

<p>Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):
Why Penn: Wrote about how DMD fit me. It wasn’t eloquent, but this was pretty passionate! (9/10)
Any dual-degree program essays: None
CommonApp Essay: Unoriginal essay about figuring out my identity xD (7/10)
Number of reminder emails received: ? A few?</p>

<p>Other:
Date Submitted App: Last minute like always
U.S. State/Territory or Country: SW USA
School Type: public, but highly ranked school that sends kids to ivies every year.
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket Range:
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): </p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Transcript, Why Penn essay, art supplement.<br>
Weaknesses: My ECs and volunteering are all over the place, because I changed career interests so many times in high school. A lot of top tier universities prefer depth, not breadth! In Penn’s case however, I think it worked to my advantage since I applied to an interdisciplinary program.<br>
Were else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted: CMU - SCS, UC Berkeley, Duke, Cornell Engineering.
Rejections: Harvard, MIT. .
What would you have done differently?: I’m extremely happy with DMD! I do wish that I started writing my essays earlier. Definitely do not leave all your college apps for winter break like I did. Those essays are really the only thing that gives admissions an idea of who you are, so make sure they’re genuine, well-written, and memorable. If you have a quirky personality, make sure it shines through your essay. Also, judging from my friends acceptances, ivy/ivy tier acceptances are so random. Apply to a lot if you think your stats are good enough, because chances are you’ll get accepted to at least one. </p>

40

<p>**[color=orange]Decision: Waitlisted[/color=orange]</p>

<p>School/major: Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management </p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>]SAT I (breakdown): 2360 (800M, 800W, 760 CR)
[</em>]SAT II (place score in parentheses): 770 Bio M, 790 Math II
[<em>]Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.99
[</em>]Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): NA
[<em>]AP (place score in parentheses): AP Bio (4), AP US (5), AP World (4), AP English Lang (5)
[</em>]Senior Year Course Load: 6 APs
[li]Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Rensselaer Math and Science Medalist, National Merit Finalist[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Subjective:

[ul]
[<em>]Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Spanish Club (President), Environmental Club (Co-president for 2 years), Pencils of Promise (Co-founder, Co-president), Varsity Tennis, Varsity Skiing, Columbia Science Honors program, Math Team, Model UN, Clarinet player
[</em>]Job/Work Experience: 6 week medical internship (150 hours)
[<em>]Volunteer/Community Service: Hospital volunteering (150 hours), Research at Columbia (250 hours), Peer Edication (100 hours), Teaching Spanish to students with autism and down syndrome (60 hours)
[</em>]Essays: Good
[<em>]Teacher Recommendations: Fabulous (idk about one but the other said I was the best in his career)
[</em>]Counselor Rec: I’m pretty sure it’s good
[li]Interview: It went pretty well![/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Other

[ul]
[<em>]State (if domestic applicant): NY
[</em>]Country (if international applicant):
[<em>]School Type: Small public
[</em>]Ethnicity: Indian/White
[<em>]Gender: F
[</em>]Income Bracket: +150k
[li]Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Reflection

[ul]
[<em>]Strengths: Scores, ECs
[</em>]Weaknesses: No hooks
[<em>]Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My scores aren’t as good as some of the other people who applied!
[</em>]Where else you are applying or have already applied: Bunch of BS/MD programs, Harvard (rejected), U Penn (wait listed), Brown (accepted), Fordham (accepted)
[li]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Congrats to everyone who got in! [/li][/ul]</p>