Official Questbridge Finalist Thread 2013-2014

Paying for College Access Programs (Questbridge, Posse)
1

<p>Results thread for Questbridge applicants to share stats & for future applicants for reference. Join the FB group as well!: Questbridge 2013-2014</p>

<p>****Remember to remove spaces in brackets before posting!!*</p>

<p>
[quote]
[ size=+2][ color=green][ b]Decision: Finalist*[/color][/size]
[ size=+2][ color=red][ b]Decision: Not Finalist*[/color][/size]</p>

<p>[ b]College Match Schools:[list]
[ b]RD Schools:[list]</p>

<p>[ b]Objective:**[list]
[ *] SAT I (breakdown):
[ *] ACT:
[ *] SAT II:
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis):
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[ *] Senior Year Course Load:
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
[ /list]</p>

<p>[ b]Subjective:**[list]
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
[ *] Job/Work Experience:
[ *] Volunteer/Community service:
[ *] Summer Activities:
[ *] Essays:
[ *] Teacher Recommendations:
[ *] Counselor Rec:[ /list]</p>

<p>[ b]Other**[list]
[ *] State (if domestic applicant):
[ *] School Type:
[ *] Ethnicity:
[ *] Gender:
[ *] Income Bracket:
[ *] Assets:
[ *] Property:
[ *] Extenuating Circumstances:
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
[ /list]</p>

<p>[ b]Reflection**[list]
[<em>] Strengths:
[</em>] Weaknesses:
[li] Why you think you were chosen/not chosen as a finalist:[/li][ /list]</p>

<p>[ b]General Comments:**

[/quote]
</p>

2

<p>Decision: Finalist</p>

<p>College Match Schools: Stanford, Trinity, Bowdoin, Washington & Lee, University of Virginia, Colorado, Grinnell, Oberlin
RD Schools: Not sure yet.</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT: N/A
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6
Rank (percentile): 76/880 (Top 8%)
AP: World History (3); US History (3); Lang/Comp (5); Literature (?); Statistics (?); Government (?); Economics (?)
IB: N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Literature, AP Gov/Eco, AP Statistics, PAP Physics, Academic Decathlon (Honors), Theatre IV (Honors), Assistant for AP English III
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Youth for Christ (President); Business Club (Vice-President, President); Drama Club (Media Coordinator); Competitive Acting; Chemistry Club (Secretary); Literature Club (Founder/President)
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: I have a quite a bit but I didn’t include it on application.
Summer Activities: Babysitting niece 5 days/week
Essays: Great!
Teacher Recommendations: Great!
Counselor Rec: Not sure? I know it was at least good.</p>

<p>Other
State: TX
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: <$30,000
Assets: None
Property: None
Extenuating Circumstances: Father is 70-years-old and very ill; mother is very ill; I have considerable health problems; we’re housing our disabled cousin with ovarian cancer.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None that come to mind. I am NOT first-gen.</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Definitely my essays and teacher recommendations.
Weaknesses: GPA, Rank, no test scores (!)
Why you think you were chosen: I presented my financial need and family circumstance well and was VERY clear in my academic interests.
General Comments: I’m proof that there isn’t really an ideal candidate for finalist selection. EVERYBODY who demonstrates need has a chance.</p>

3

<p>Well this is a ton to fill out but hopefully it will help future applicants…</p>

<p>Decision: Finalist</p>

<p>College Match Schools: None (applying ED to Swat)
**RD Schools:**Hopefully none (since I am applying ED). But my RD list is Allegheny, Amherst, Barnard, Bowdoin, Bryn Mawr, Chatham, Colgate, Denison, Dickinson, Franklin and Marshall, Gettysburg, Grinnell, Harvey Mudd, Haverford, Kenyon, Muhlenberg, Oberlin, Pomona, Smith, Trinity, University of Pittsburgh, Vassar, Washington and Lee, and Wesleyan.
I might add more partner schools since I got finalist…</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1930 (680 CR, 660 M, 590 W)
ACT: At the time 28 (27 M, 26 E, 27 S, 30 R), though for RD I will be submitting my new ACT score of 30 (29 M, 30 E, 27 S, 33 R)
SAT II: Did not submit any…
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 9/120 (now 7/116)
AP (place score in parenthesis): Psych (4), English Lang (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP European History, AP English Literature, Hebrew 5, Anthropology, Yearbook, Painting 4, Fiber Arts 4, Art History 4,
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

  • QuestBridge College Prep Scholar
  • Fein Fellow
  • Carson Scholar (I know they are not that major, but they are the ones I listed)</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • Yearbook (Editor-in-chief 12, Ad editor 11, Copy Editor 11)
  • National Art Honor Society (President 12, Membership officer 10, 11)
  • North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad (President 12)
  • Samuel M. Goldston Teen Philanthropy Group
  • Diller Teen Fellow
  • National Honor Society
    Job/Work Experience:
  • Office assistant at my synagogue (Summer 2011)
  • Intern at The First Tee of Pittsburgh (Summer 2013)
    Volunteer/Community service:
  • Volunteer at the First Tee (Vice President of my chapter’s junior advisory board)
    Summer Activities:
  • Diller trip to Israel
  • Neuroscience camp at Muhlenberg
    (though I didn’t list either on my app)
    Essays:
  • 500 word was a better version of my CPS essay and was about learning to be less cautious in like
  • Biographical was about my experience of being home-schooled when I was younger and how it taught me to love learning
    Teacher Recommendations:
  • 10th grade honors chem teacher who I unofficially TAed for the following year (great relationship with her)
  • 11th grade APUSH teacher/12th grade Anthropology teacher (I am assuming it is good, she loves me)
    Counselor Rec: I am assuming decent, but nothing special</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): PA
School Type: Magnet
Ethnicity: Caucasion
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $40,000-50,000
Assets: None
Property: Small house (though a lot of money is still owed on it)
Extenuating Circumstances: Father is not involved in my life
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: ECs, 500 word essay, recs,
Weaknesses: Biographical, scores
Why you think you were chosen/not chosen as a finalist: I think it helped that I was also CPS. That being said I think my 500 word essay, recs and ECs also helped.</p>

<p>General Comments:
Good luck to all future applicants!</p>

4

<p>Decision: Finalist</p>

<p>College Match Schools:[ul] Williams, Yale, Stanford, Bowdoin, Swarthmore, Chicago, Pomona, Carleton
RD Schools:[list] above plus Amherst, Brown, Bryn Mawr, Middlebury, WUSTL, Rice, Haverford, Vassar, Oberlin, Smith, Wellesley, William and Mary</p>

<p>Objective:[list]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2230 780/690/760
[</em>] ACT: C 34 36/29/34/36 E=9
[<em>] SAT II: bio 720 french 760
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): NA
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5%
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): World History 5, French 5, Latin 5, Lang 5, Modern Euro Hist 4, Bio 5, (senior year: Calc, Physics, Lit, APUSH)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): NA
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc, AP Physics, AP Lit, Latin: Catullus, APUSH, Wind Ensemble, Chorus, Forensics, Senior Thesis Project<br>
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none, just QB CPS and school and regional academic awards, state level awards in music,
[/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Track, Varsity X Country (captain), Flute (inclding various all county/all state bands etc), Piano -11 years, 1st flute Youth Symphony orchestra, NHS, Masterminds (captain), Jr class Pres, environmental activism, primitive/outdoors pursuits, other stuff
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: teach yoga, Bio lab assistant
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: 250 hours hospital volunteer
[<em>] Summer Activities: see above, also teen yoga/meditation retreat
[</em>] Essays: worked like crazy revising them but didn’t get feedback until after they were submitted
[<em>] Teacher Recommendations: ? probably excellent but science teacher probably wrote it like a lab report :slight_smile:
[</em>] Counselor Rec:[ /list] very good, he admires this student, wrote about her genuine scholarly nature and also her maturity and mental/emotional health, her generosity etc.
Other[list]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant):
[</em>] School Type: independent
[<em>] Ethnicity: causasian/ native american (not registered)
[</em>] Gender: F
[<em>] Income Bracket:<20K
[</em>] Assets: none
[<em>] Property: house in foreclosure
[</em>] Extenuating Circumstances: single parent, mom is an invalid, severe financial hardship, takes care of younger siblings,
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none except very low income and native american ancestry
[/ul]
Reflection[ul][</em>] Strengths:[<em>] Weaknesses:[</em>] Why you think you were chosen/not chosen as a finalist: Her school doesn’t calculate GPA but her transcript doesn’t have anything less than an A-, and a lot more As and even A+'s in AP and Honors classes, so that has to be a really strong factor.<br>
[/ul]
General Comments: I’m writing this for a student who doesn’t have internet access. I’m sure the combination of her strong academics and very unstable family life is compelling, plus she writes like an angel. Her essays made me cry.</p>

5

<p>I don’t know what I did wrong with the formatting, sorry about that :(</p>

6

<p>Will post stats after work or tomorrow</p>

7

<p>Finalist</p>

<p>[ b]College Match Schools: Brown, UPenn, MIT, Stanford & Yale</p>

<p>[ *] SAT I (breakdown): 2240: R:720 / M:760 / W: 760
[ *] SAT II: MII: 730 Chem: 730
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.5 (school only has weighted GPAs)
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3 (not important in my opinion)
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): Chem 4
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish, AP Calc BC, Ap Biology, AP Lit, Marketing & Advertising
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): RIT Computing Medal / NHS / National Merit Commended / National Academy of Future Physicians and Medical Scientists Award </p>

<p>[ b]Subjective:**[list]
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Math team, FBLA, Debate, Chem 2 team, Hand-in-Hand, Bball
[ *] Job/Work Experience: Taught bball to elementary/middle school students, tutored elementary/middle school students (single & class), worked at shoe store, Taco Bell, mowing the lawn, raking leaves, shoveling snow
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: summer camp for the homeless, youth council for the homeless, taught spanish adults english, taught young korean kids english, hosted a couple of soup kitchens
[ *] Summer Activities: taught bball, camp for the homeless, bball league, read books, hang out with friends, watch my sisters, and summer school for my high school
[ *] Essays: first essay was 9/10 ; second essay idk cuz i took an unique approach and answered what one thing i would like to change in the community and why(i think it was good, but idk)
[ ] Teacher Recommendations: spanish teacher (really really good, i think) math teacher (good i guess)
[ ] Counselor Rec:[ /list]: in between ok and good
[ b]Other[list]
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): east coast
[ *] School Type: public
[ *] Ethnicity: Asian
[ *] Gender: M
[ *] Income Bracket: <65,000
[ *] Assets: none
[ *] Property: rent
[ *] Extenuating Circumstances: bankrupt business
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation college in US, where I live, almost everyone is fairly well off. My parents didn’t want me to switch school in my junior year</p>

<p>[ b]Reflection
Strengths:rank (i guess), essay (i guess),
Weaknesses: test scores, no leadership positions
Why you think you were chosen/not chosen as a finalist: I emphasized that I didn’t seek out leadership positions just so I can put it in my college resume and that I didn’t study things I thought were useless and showed tremendous amount of independent education
[ b]General Comments:** Good luck to all and hope to see some of you !!</p>

8

<p>Decision: Finalist</p>

<p>College Match Schools: [Princeton, Yale, MIT, Stanford]</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2130: 690 R, 740 M, 700 W; retook 10/5
[</em>] ACT: 34
[<em>] SAT II: Math II 800, Physics 790, Chemistry 790
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/760
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology (5), Computer Science (5), World History (4), Physics B (5), Physics C: Mechanics (5), Chemistry (5), US History (5), Calculus BC (5), English Language (4)
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: Advanced Computer Science III, AP Art History, Yearbook, AP English Literature, AP Macroeconomics, AP US Gov. & Pol, AP Spanish Language, AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
[</em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 5th place indiv. Gr. 11 in state science competition, 2nd place science team District & Region, 1st place indiv. District Editorial Writing, Honorable Mention spread—State, 1st place team Academic Quiz League, 6th place finalist in Calculus Bowl</p>

<p>[/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[li] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Key Club (president, Lieutenant Governor); Yearbook (Assistant Editor, People Editor, Copy Editor, Editor-in-Chief, photographer); Science NHS (founder, historian, vice president, president); Secular Student Alliance (founder, president, president);Physics Club (president); Academic UIL (captain); Science team (captain); WorldQuest (captain); Academic Decathlon A team competitor; Junior World Affairs Council member; National Honors Society, Spanish National Honor Society, Social Studies National Honor Society, Quill & Scroll Honor Society; Computer Science club; participate in physics labs at local university; </p>[/li]
<p>[<em>] Job/Work Experience: private tutor for two years
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: a variety of service projects through Key Club primarily; 150 hours of service.
[<em>] Summer Activities:
[</em>] Essays: 1st essay 8/10, 2nd essay 7/10
[<em>] Teacher Recommendations: 9/10 , 8/10 , 8/10
[</em>] Counselor Rec: unsure, should be positive
[/ul]
Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): Texas
[</em>] School Type: large public school
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian—Pakistani
[</em>] Gender: male
[<em>] Income Bracket: 50k
[</em>] Property: house
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): father had not attended college, low income[/li][/ul]</p>

9

<p>Decision: Finalist</p>

<p>College Match Schools: Rice, Stanford
**RD Schools: **Yale, MIT, Vanderbilt, Washington and Lee, UPenn, UChicago, Princeton, Columbia, Princeton</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): n/a
[</em>] ACT: 33
[<em>] SAT II: n/a
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 13/203
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (5); US History (5); Physics B (3); Eng Language and Comp (4)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, AP Govt, AP Latin, AP Calculus AB, Scientific Research and Design, Anatomy and Physiology, AP English Literature and Comp
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): [/li]AP Scholar with Honor
National Latin Exam Gold Medalist (3x)
National Junior Classical League
-1st Place Greek Derivatives, National
-1st Place Greek Derivatives, State (2x)
-2nd Place Greek Derivatives, State
-1st Place Greek Derivatives, Area
-1st Place Greek Derivatives, Area
-4th Place Academic Decathlon, Area
-Summa Cum Laude on Pentathlon (3x)
Health Occupations Students of America
-2nd Place Extemporaneous Writing, Area
Business Professionals of America
-2nd Place Parliamentary Procedure Team, Area</p>

<p>[/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[li] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Latin Club (VP, Treasurer, Academic Category Leader), HOSA (VP), Class of 2014 (President), Yearbook, Track</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Job/Work Experience: UTHSCSA Research Student/Volunteer, Old Navy Sales Associate</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Essays: Biographical about how I first struggled with my father’s vision for my future but as I matured, I begin to see that his vision aligns with my own, and that he had a instrumental role in bringing that interest/passion out of me. Community essay comparing the values of community in Vietnam and when I first moved to America. </p>[/li]
<p>[li] Teacher Recommendations: Great!</p>[/li]
<p>[<em>] Counselor Rec: Great!
[ /list]
Other[list]
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant):TX
[<em>] School Type: Magnet Public (Health-focused)
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket: $40,000-$45,000
[<em>] Assets:
[</em>] Property:
[<em>] Extenuating Circumstances: n/a
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first-generation
[/ul]
Reflection[ul][<em>] Strengths: Extracurriculars, GPA, Rank, Courses, Essays [</em>] Weaknesses: Volunteer Work[li] Why you think you were chosen/not chosen as a finalist: Low-Income, High GPA and rigorous coursework, varied extracurricular involvement, clear college goals shown through app, sincere essay[/li][/ul]
General Comments: Don’t procrastinate, make sure what you send in truly reflects you! Good luck!</p>

10

<p>Decision: Finalist</p>

<p>**College Match Schools:**University of Pennsylvania, UVA, Emory, Davidson, Rice, Washington and Lee. I figured I didn’t have the best shot at being matched, so there was no harm in trying for quite a few of them.
RD Schools: Have not decided.</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): 2210 (800 CR, 660 M, 750 W)
[ *] ACT: 32
[ *] SAT II: 800 (Literature), 760 (U.S. History)
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.2
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 66 out of approx. 400
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): Government (5) Language (4) European History (4) U.S. History (5) Psychology (5) Literature (5)
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis): none taken
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, AP Human Geography, AP Statistics, German 3 H, Physics H
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Questbridge College Prep Scholar, National AP Scholar with Distinction[/ul]</p>

<p>Subjective:[ul]
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • National Honor Society (Historian)
  • German Club
  • Academic Team (Captain)
  • English National Honor Society
  • Anchor Club (President)
    [ *] Job/Work Experience:
  • cashier since June 2013
    [ *] Volunteer/Community service:
  • a variety of activities for service organizations (45+)
  • volunteering since freshman year at a local nursing home (300+)
    [ *] Summer Activities:
  • South Carolina Business Week
    [ *] Essays: first essay 9/10; second 7/10 and contained a typo but about a unique topic (acting as a child and how it taught me to be an individual while still following certain parameters).
    [ *] Teacher Recommendations: unsure, should be positive
    [ *] Counselor Rec: unsure, should be positive[/ul]</p>

<p>Other[ul]
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): SC
[ *] School Type: Public
[ *] Ethnicity: Caucasian
[ *] Gender: female
[ *] Income Bracket: 30k - 40k
[ *] Assets: none
[ *] Property: house
[ *] Extenuating Circumstances: parent’s medical disorder that costs thousands a year, student loan debt
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Apart from the fact that I’m a southern female interested in finance, there isn’t really much.[/ul]</p>

<p>Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Definitely my essays (perhaps they weren’t as bad as I thought!) and perhaps my SAT scores, which may not be high by CC standards, but are in my area.
[</em>] Weaknesses: My GPA! Goodness, my GPA. That, and my rank is certainly not wonderful either.
[li] Why you think you were chosen/not chosen as a finalist: A mix of my scores, essays, and demographics. Honestly, though, I have no idea![/li][/ul]
General Comments: I suppose it just goes to show that you really never know what they’re looking for. Good luck to future applicants, and don’t let a low GPA hold you back!</p>

11

<p>Decision: Finalist</p>

<p>College Match Schools: I did not rank any[ul]
RD Schools: Most likely Rice, Stanford, University of Southern California, Emory, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame [list]</p>

<p>Objective:[list]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 1990 M: 700 W: 660 R: 630. (I just retook it last week, and I expect higher)
[</em>] ACT: Will be taking this oct 26th…
[<em>] SAT II: None
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Language and Composition (3), AP literature, AP Calculus AB (5), Ap Calculus BC, AP Chemistry, AP Physics, AP European History
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, AP European History, AP Calculus BC, AP Literature, weight training, Java Programming
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): WA State referee of the year finalist 2013, Student of the month
[/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Key Club
Premier soccer player. (Team came 4th in state)
Played varsity soccer since sophomore year.
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Youth/Adult soccer referee for 3 years. Very heavily involved, mentoring new referees, been invited to officiate at regional/national tournaments (Which is very rare for my age and experience)
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: I tutor kids every week at my local library.
[<em>] Summer Activities: Officiating, Cleaning up parks, Helping out at my dad’s restaurant
[</em>] Essays: I think they were solid. First essay was about my referee experience and how I have overcome wanting to quit. People do not realize how difficult and stressful officiating soccer (A sport that many people are VERY passionate about). I focused on how i first started out officiating for the money, and now I do it to challenge myself and one day be a pro referee.</p>

<p>My second essay was about me growing up with an abusive, drunk father.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendations: I got recommendations from my Calculus teacher, and my French teacher. I’m sure they said positive things.
[</em>] Counselor Rec:To be honest, I expect it was very generic. I had never really talked to him before.[/ul]
Other

  • I transferred from one school, to another, because previous school had NO AP classes. QuestBridge may have seen this as a good thing (Me wanting higher level classes)
  • At my old school (9th and 10th grade), my school utilized a “Standards based grading” format. This meant that a “B” is “Meeting Standard” while an “A” is “Exceeds Standard”. Getting an A was extremely difficult, because it was basically an “A+” in normal grading.-[ul]
    [<em>] State (if domestic applicant): Washington
    [</em>] School Type: Large 2000+ Public School
    [<em>] Ethnicity:Hispanic (Mexican)
    [</em>] Gender:Male
    [<em>] Income Bracket: < 30,000
    [</em>] Property: House
    [<em>] Extenuating Circumstances: Dad’s alcohol issues, Some depression issues
    [</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First Generation College, BOTH parents never finished High School
    [/ul]
    Reflection[ul][<em>] Strengths:
    Officiating Career.
    Essays
    Short answer essays. I made sure my personality showed.
    [</em>] Weaknesses:
    GPA
    Class Ranking</p>

<h1>of AP classes</h1>

<p>SAT Score
(I only say the above, because it seems like other people on here have way more AP classes/higher rankings than i do…)
Why you think you were chosen as a finalist: I think I got chosen due to my above average school-load/sat score/GPA. Could be better though. Also, I think my biggest key was being a soccer referee. I mean… How many teenagers actually go out and do it? I’ll tell you. Not many. And of those who do try it, not many have accomplished what I have. I think that is what impressed them the most, because it is different than the average person. I think another part was my drunk dad, and my low income for a family of 4.
[/ul]
General Comments:I’m honestly kind of surprised I made it as a finalist, considering I’ve read people saying they didn’t make it and had much better Grades, Scores, etc. But I really do try hard and I am glad for this opportunity.</p>

12

<p>Decision: Finalist</p>

<p>College Match Schools: USC, Stanford (trying to stay in California)
RD Schools: Not sure yet.</p>

<p>Objective:
-SAT I (not submitted to QB): 1790 (CR-600, M-660, W-530), Waiting on October scores
-ACT: 30
-SAT II (not submitted to QB): Chem-630, Math II-650, Literature-650
-Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
-Rank (percentile): 12/698 (Top 2%)
-AP: European History (4); Calculus AB (4); Calculus BC (4); Chemistry (3); Art History (4); Lang/Comp (4); Physics B (4)
-IB: IB Chemistry (N/A)
-Senior Year Course Load: Eng 12/Bible as Lit, AP Gov/Eco, AP Statistics, AP Psychology, AP Biology, IB Spanish
-Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar w/ Distinction</p>

<p>Subjective:
-Extracurriculars: Key Club (President [12], Task Coordinator [11], Senator [10]), Mock Trial (Attorney), Manga Club (Treasurer), Online Voice Acting, Tinikling, NHS
-Job/Work Experience: N/A
-Volunteer/Community service: Key Club - 150+ hours
-Summer Activities: Community College course
-Essays: Reviewed by 3 teachers, revised once
-Teacher Recommendations: 1 from Mock Trial Coach, 1 from Key Club advisor
-Counselor Rec: Not too sure, but good enough to make me a finalist</p>

<p>Other
-State: CA
-School Type: Public
-Ethnicity: Asian
-Gender: Female
-Income Bracket: <$40,000
-Assets: None
-Property: 3
-Extenuating Circumstances: Father provides no Child Support</p>

<p>Reflection
-Strengths: Course Load and Essays
-Weaknesses: Leadership Position and test scores (that’s why I didn’t send my SAT!)
-Why you think you were chosen: I’d like to think it was based off my essays, as I directed my essays to topics that would be more original. Aside from that, decent statistics.
-General Comments: Looking at the other posts on this thread, I feel kind of stupid and amazed I was even chosen. Let this be proof to anyone who is unsure of their abilities and possibility of being chosen, ANYONE can make it. Look at that pathetic SAT score, it was so bad I couldn’t bear to submit it. </p>

<p>And adding on,
**Advice to Future Applicants:
Don’t focus in on statistics. As you can see, I don’t have the best numbers, but I was still chosen nonetheless. Remember that when you see average statistics that there are plenty of people above average, meaning there needs to be people below average to average the numbers out. Don’t let a number decide your fate and apply. </p>

<p>Choose your rec letters strategically. Don’t choose a teacher you don’t talk to. Build personal relationships with them. For me, I chose the two teachers who can contest to my extra curricular activities. I lack in leadership, so I wanted to at least show the dedication I have for what I do, and I did that through rec letters. </p>

<p>Consider it a game of chess. Show what will benefit you and, like me, hide what can hurt you . I don’t know how valid, but I heard that colleges will look for reasons to REJECT a student if they are highly impacted, which all QuestBridge schools are.</p>

13

<p>Decision: Not Finalist</p>

<p>College Match Schools: MIT, Princeton</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2330 (790CR, 740M, 800W)
[</em>] ACT: 32 (did not submit)
[<em>] SAT II: 650 Math II, 690 Physics
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.90
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 8/688
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Human Geo (5), AP World History (5), AP Biology (5), AP European History (5), AP Spanish Language (4), APUSH (5), AP Art History (5), AP Calc BC (5), AP English Language (5), AP Chemistry (3), AP Physics B (4), AP Gov, AP Macro, AP Physics C, AP English Lit
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, Creative Writing H., Multivariable Calc/Diff Eq., AP Gov/AP Macro, Philosophy H., AP English Lit
[</em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Natl. Art & Writing Awards (Silver), National AP Scholar, National Hispanic Scholar
[/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Science National Honor Society (Officer), Creative Writing Club (Secretary), Science Competitor’s Club
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: none
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: I volunteer at a science museum for 4 hours every weekend, since junior year.
[</em>] Summer Activities: Research @ UM with a chemistry professor. Still collaborating with him. Might publish.
[<em>] Essays: I’ll be honest - they were beautiful.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: Waived my right, but probably awesome. Physics teacher and English teacher. They’re in love with me.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: He also loves me. [/ul]
Other[ul]
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): FL
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: Hispanic
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Income Bracket: <40k
[<em>] Assets: about 20k in bank
[</em>] Property: we own our house. Market value 200k
[<em>] Extenuating Circumstances:
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Hispanic, female in STEM, cerebral palsy?
[/ul]
Reflection[ul][<em>] Strengths: URM, girl in science, SAT score, AP scores, GPA and rank, research, essays, recs[</em>] Weaknesses: Subject tests, financial stuff (maybe we had too many assets? home etc.)[li] Why you think you were chosen/not chosen as a finalist: I live a very happy life. Maybe Questbridge thought I didn’t need their help! [/li][/ul]
General Comments: It just goes to show that scores aren’t everything - and it works both ways. I’m sure Questbridge had their reasons for me. Congratulations to everyone who became a finalist!</p>

14

<p>Decision: Finalist</p>

<p>College Match Schools: Stanford, USC, Pomona
RD Schools: Need to research more, but so far: UChicago and UPenn</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I: 1740 (660 M, 570 CR, 510 W(yeah I know…) )
[</em>] ACT(Did not submit): 26
[<em>] SAT II (Did not submit): Spanish (770), Chemistry (720, 5 months after the AP exam), MathII (640). Retaking the last 2.
[</em>] Unweighted GPA: 3.78
[<em>] Weighted GPA: 4.98
[</em>] Rank: Top 6% (out of ~730, the AICE students askew the ranks)
[<em>] AP: APUSH (4), Chem(4), Spanish(5 most likely), Calc AB(?), and maybe taking Stats or CS A.
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load (All Dual Enrollment): Calculus 1, Gov, English Composition 1, C++ OOP, Economics, Statistics, Linear Algebra, Physics.
[<em>] Awards: AP Chemistry School Award?
[/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars: School IT/Tech Team & 4 week internship last summer(member, no leadership opportunity available), and member of 3 other math/technology related clubs.
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Internship at a “bank” during most of last summer, and part-time job with them during this school year performing technical support and any other IT related activity.
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: 130 hours.
[<em>] Summer Activities: Internships and Dual Enrollment classes at a local CC.
[</em>] Essays: Simple, but straightforward.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendations: Great!
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Pretty good I believe.
[/ul]
Other[ul]
[<em>] State: FL
[</em>] School Type: Public with mini magnet programs
[<em>] Ethnicity: White Hispanic
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Income Bracket: <$40k, expected to be ~$30k this year at most.
[</em>] Assets: None
[<em>] Property: None
[</em>] Extenuating Circumstances: Father became unemployed at the end of last year; he’s been somewhat self-employed this year. Lived on 2 very different Latin American countries(hook?) before moving to the United States ~6 years ago (legally).
[li] Hooks: URM, first generation, had a mini school business going on in 11th grade.[/li][/ul]
General Comments: Essays were pretty simplistic, but I’ll be editing those. Guess my job was a substitute for the lack of outstanding ECs. Anyhow, good luck to all!</p>

15

<p>Decision: Finalist</p>

<p>College Match Schools:[ul] Stanford (regret not adding more, but ED binding scares me)
RD Schools:[list] Columbia, Stanford, UPenn (though first 3 are far reaches, want to try), John Hopkins, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCI, UCR, USC</p>

<p>Objective:[list]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 1940 | CR: 670 | W: 660 | M: 610
[</em>] ACT: N/A
[<em>] SAT II: N/A
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology (5), World History (4), US History (4), Language/Composition (3) (plan on retaking), Computer Science (3)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Chemistry, AP Calc BC, AP English Lit, Creative Writing, AP Macroeconomics, Photo 1 (required by school for fine art)
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Not much, AP Scholar with Distinction, Student of the Month for History, Top 1%, Girl’s State nominee (in school, one of 5 girls nominated, but not candidate), IEFLA Outstanding Spanish[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Tennis (single’s varsity for 2 years, in it 4), Key Club (Currently President, Division Newseditor, Editor last year), NHS (Currently VP, Secretary last year), CSF (secretary), Academic Decathlon, Link Crew, Best Buddies
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Worked as a cameraman for ISTV (small Thai shopping channel) during summer, owned an online business
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: Key Club events, tutored freshman year, volunteered at the library, Best Buddies
[</em>] Summer Activities: just researching colleges and how to apply and such
[<em>] Essays: Honestly this was the part I was most wary about, because I went really risky with it. First essay was average, though my friend told me it was boring, about my friend with Autism and how my friendship with her shaped my dreams to be a pediatrician. Second essay was the risky one so I won’t go into detail, but basically about my friend’s betrayal and false accusations about my family and whether I should lie to protect my family or not.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: I think they helped a lot! My AP Biology teacher and Key Club adviser, who knew I took the class without a prerequisite and worked hard for. My other one was my tennis coach who is a teacher, who knows how involved I am.
[li] Counselor Rec: Our counselor was out, so I asked my principal to do it, and he did! I think it helped as well since I’ve talked to him several times personally with my Key Club endeavors and school endeavors. [/ul]</p>[/li]
<p>Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): California
[</em>] School Type: Not very competitive, 798 API, large ~2,000 people public school
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian, Chinese
[</em>] Gender: Female
[<em>] Income Bracket: <$40,000
[</em>] Assets: none
[<em>] Property: pretty nice since we got it years ago when we were stable
[</em>] Extenuating Circumstances: My parents are rarely ever home, since they work so much and get around 2-3 hours of sleep a day, while I’m at school. So they aren’t very involved and don’t know what’s going on with scores, tests, etc.
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): not first generation[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>[ b]Reflection**[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: My recommendations, grades, rank
[</em>] Weaknesses: everything else, haha. Honestly my ECs are very mediocre compared to most CC’s, and my score is below average to CC’s, and my awards are lacking.
[li] Why you think you were chosen/not chosen as a finalist: Sometimes I still wonder why, but I’m really thankful. I think it was my grades and GPA, and hopefully my recommendations really demonstrated how hard I work. Also, maybe with the outside circumstances showing how self-motivated I could be? [/li][/ul]
General Comments: I guess this shows that scores and awards aren’t everything! I feel like I’m quite the average to below average student here at CC, so I’m still generally shocked that I made it. Who knows, maybe they really liked my super risky essay. Maybe knowing what I wanted to do really helped to.</p>

16

<p>Decision: Finalist</p>

<p>College Match Schools:[Princeton, Yale, Stanford, Columbia, Dartmouth, Pomona, UChicago, Haverford]
RD Schools:[All the Above if I’m not matched + IU Bloomington, Harvard]</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2130 ( 770 CR, 650 M, 710 M)
[</em>] SAT II: 770 BioM, 740 Lit, 730 MathII
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/490
[<em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geography (5), World History (4), Biology (4), Psychology (5), Literature (5), US History (5)
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish IV, AP Calculus AB, AP Physics B, AP Language, AP European History, AP Government, AP Microeconomics
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar w/ Distinction, National Achievement Semifinalist, Centre Fellow, Boys State, 1st Place in Literature at Academic Superbowl Regionals, WWDL October Champion, WWDL Second Best Speaker Award, Distinguished Academic Award, QuestBridge College Prep Scholar, Most Distinguished Male Foreign Language Student, 1st Place in Graphite Medium (school art show), Tuskegee Airman Award, Honor Roll,
[/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Independent Study of Philosophy/ Philosophy Club (Founder + Proconsul… President XD), Boys State (Delegate, Minority Chairman, Senator), Key Club (Officer-at-Large), Student Council (Treasurer), Class Officers (Senior Member), Debate/Speech (Senior Leader), Online Teen Magazine Contributor, Algebra I Tutor, National Honor Society, PRIDE committee,
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Part-time job since freshman year
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Key Club + National Honor Society + Algebra I Tutor
[<em>] Summer Activities: Job, Independent Study of Philosophy, Hoosier Boys State
[</em>] Essays: Superb, I think XD
[<em>] Teacher Recommendations: No idea (waived rights)
[</em>] Counselor Rec: No idea (waived Rights)[/ul]
Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): Indiana
[</em>] School Type: Large Public School, ~2200 students
[<em>] Ethnicity: African-American :slight_smile:
[</em>] Gender: M
[<em>] Income Bracket: ~40k
[</em>] Extenuating Circumstances: Single-parent home
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first generation (kinda)
[/ul]
Reflection[ul][</em>] Strengths: GPA, Rank, Course load, Essays and short answers, unique EC that was reflected in my writing [<em>] Weaknesses: Test Scores [</em>] Why you think you were chosen/not chosen as a finalist: I think my personally was well-reflected in my application.
[/ul] General Comments: My autobiographical essay revealed ALOT about my early childhood, especially the struggles my mother and I faced. Yet it ended VERY optimistically and, if I may say so, poetically. I talked about my love of philosophy and biology throughout my app. So to future applicants: make you’re individuality known!</p>

17

<p>Decision: Finalist</p>

<p>College Match Schools:MIT, Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, USC, Rice, Columbia[ul]
RD Schools: above and UC Berkeley, Davis, LA, San Diego, CSU Fresno, and UWaterloo[list]</p>

<p>Objective:[list]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2050 (650 CR, 660 M, 740 W)
[</em>] ACT: 33 (36 Reading, 28 Math, 34 English, 32 Science, 31 Writing)
[<em>] SAT II: 670 Math Level II, 750 Lit, 650 Bio (ouch)
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8 uw/4.091 w
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 39/587
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (3), Chem (3), Comp (4), Psych (4), Bio (4)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Calculus BC, AP Macroeconomics, AP Computer Science, AP Literature, AP Environmental Science
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing prestigious
[/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Math Team (President 11, 12), FIRST Robotics (Director of Communications 11, Electronics and Programming Lead 12), CV FRC Collaboration (Electronics and Pneumatics Lead, 12), Computer Science Club (Secretary 11, Co-President, 12), Key Club (March of Dimes Task Coordinator, 11, PTP Fundraiser Coordinator, 12), FIRST LEGO League (Tournament and Task Coordinator, 11, 12), Independent Artist (since 7th grade, won Best of Show (8), 1st place (twice in 11th grade), honorable mention with poster), helping my parents/sis at home
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: sold origami and art pieces for laptop and trips
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: maybe 500ish?
[<em>] Summer Activities: Robots robots robots robots (and STEM Outreach w/robot groups)
[</em>] Essays: Pretty good. Talked about how I moved 8 times and my social disabilities and all I’ve done despite those struggles…talked about current life too, but I sounded upbeat and determined in general instead of sad and depressing.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendations: English (9), Physics (7)
[</em>] Counselor Rec: 7ish…[ /list]
Other[list]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): California
[</em>] School Type: Public, average
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian American
[</em>] Gender: Female
[<em>] Income Bracket: <30,000, may drop lower
[</em>] Assets: Car, maybe? ~$3000, savings: $20,000
[<em>] Property: $100,000, house
[</em>] Extenuating Circumstances: We owe everything to our relatives, who are as bad as the bank. It’s stupid, IMO…plus, my dad went to a million universities and we’ve always had to pay, and now he can hardly use those degrees.
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): female in STEM, first American in family?, sort of first gen if you count how useless the degrees are
[/ul]
Reflection[ul][</em>] Strengths: Essays, ECs[<em>] Weaknesses: GPA, test scores, recommendations[</em>] Why you think you were chosen/not chosen as a finalist: I think it’s mainly because of my strange background. I feel that I won’t become matched though, but I can hope for the best…
[/ul]
General Comments: I really hope I’m accepted through match but I doubt I will, considering how bad I feel about my app…Oh well. Better to get those apps done now than never, right? God, at least UC Berkeley or SOMEWHERE.</p>

18

<p>Decision: Finalist</p>

<p>College Match Schools: None.</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>[li] SAT I (breakdown): n/a</p>[/li]
<p>[li] ACT: 31 first time 34 second time </p>[/li]
<p>[li] SAT II: 770 english lit, 790 math </p>[/li]
<p>[li] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/22</p>[/li]
<p>[li] AP (place score in parenthesis): n/a</p>[/li]
<p>[li] IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Senior Year Course Load: ap english lit, ap world history, spanish III and chem II independent study, online college psych, driving to another school to take physics, band. yay.</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Eagle Scout, Order of the Arrow - Vigil Honor & Founder’s Award</p>[/li]
<p>Subjective:[list]</p>

<p>[li] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Boy Scouting is my thing. I’ve done all kinds of cool crazy stuff. Ex: This last year I was “lodge chief” which was planning several events and motivating stubborn teenage boys and all kinds of fun stuff. Scouts if fun, if you’re a lonely eighth grader reading this trying to maximize your chances at Harvard or whatever, you should join Boy Scouts and stop worrying about Harvard. Funfunfun. I do some other stuff with school at a sort of cursory passive level (i.e. student council executive president and that kind of thing). </p>[/li]
<p>[li] Job/Work Experience: n/a</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Volunteer/Community service: Stuff with scouts but nothing super formal</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Summer Activities: Scout camps and whatnot</p>[/li]
<p>[<em>] Essays: Were not very good, I thought. I guess one was pretty ‘unique’ or whatever–it was about tic-tac-toe and how I wish kids in my town like learning like I do. That was the supplement in response to “what would you change about your school”. The other one was just a generic blanket explanation of my hometown, which is super small and rural.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: Got to read both of them. One was kind of boring and the other was pretty good, I thought. But I dunno.</p>

<p>[li] Counselor Rec: Didn’t read. Probably not good, but I don’t know.</p>[/li]
<p>Other</p>

<p>[li] State (if domestic applicant): MO</p>[/li]
<p>[li] School Type: Small Public</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Ethnicity: White</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Gender: Male</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Income Bracket: 57,000 was the magic number, I think. But my dad’s a pastor so our home is provided, and that was like 7000 extra dollars that I thought was going to keep me out… But it didn’t! Go team!</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Assets: n/a</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Property: n/a</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Extenuating Circumstances: Not much… Mom’s a teacher, dad’s a preacher, both inevitably end up funneling money back into their programs</p>[/li]
<p>[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): QuestBridge Finalist. Wait, what? No, I mean, does being from rural Missouri count? I can literally see a soy bean field from where I’m sitting.</p>[/li]
<p>Reflection
Why you think you were chosen/not chosen as a finalist: I don’t really know? I really thought my parent’s high income would kick me out, but it didn’t. I also thought my essays were really not super great. Actually I thought everything about my application was not super great. Maybe I’m just too self-critical? I dunno. I just emphasized how much I love thinking and learning and how I’ve been in an environment that doesn’t promote that (there just literally is no one else like me). I guess that’s not a typical QuestBridge virtue, but maybe that’s what did it? </p>

<p>General Comments: Hey, shows that anybody can do it, I guess! I honestly was using this more as a chance to whip myself into shape for the regular rounds. I actually feel a little guilty about being picked, if you want to know the truth.</p>

19

<p>Decision: Finalist</p>

<p>College Match Schools:

  1. Stanford University
  2. Princeton University
  3. Yale University
  4. University of Pennsylvania
  5. Emory University
  6. University of Southern California
  7. University of Notre Dame
  8. Tufts University</p>

<p>RD Schools: All nine of the UCs, Stanford, Emory, USC, ND, UGA, Pepperdine, W&L, Vanderbilt, UChicago</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I: 1880 (CR 610 M 620 W 650 E 10)
[</em>] ACT: 26
[<em>] SAT II: N/A
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Weighted GPA (out of 4.5): 4.231
[</em>] Rank: 7/73 (Top 10%)
[<em>] AP (place score in parenthesis):

  • AP European History (3)
  • AP English Language & Composition (3)
  • AP U.S. History (4)
  • AP Environmental Science (2)
  • AP Biology
  • AP Calculus AB
  • AP English Literature & Composition
  • AP Government & Politics: US
    [li] Senior Year Course Load: [/li]- AP Biology
  • AP Calculus AB
  • AP English Literature & Composition
  • AP Government & Politics: US
  • Honors Spanish IV
  • JROTC IV
  • Dramatic Arts/Film/Television/Video
  • Visual Arts and Comprehensive Imagery
  • Church History and Comparative Religions
    [li] Major Awards: [/li]- AP Scholar Award
  • The American Legion Military Excellence Medal
  • 2013 Saint Michael’s College Book Award: Academic Achievement with a Social Conscience
    [/ul]
    Subjective:[ul]
    [li] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): [/li]- Benedictine Knights of the Leo Club (11 - Vice President, 12 - Student Advisor, Co-Founder)
  • Spanish Club
  • Yearbook Staff (12 - Editor-in-Chief)
  • Mock Trial
  • JROTC (11 - Brigade S-3: Assistant Training NCO; CDT MSG, 12 - Brigade S-2: Information & Current Affairs Officer; CDT LTC)
  • Savannah Science Seminar
  • National Honor Society (Established a tutoring program)
  • National Society of High School Scholars
  • Math Team (Founder)
  • STEM Club (12 - Environmental Division Head, established a recycling program, Founder)
  • Philosophy Club
  • Homeroom Representative
  • Science Night (12 - Public Relations Planner)
  • Re-wrote the Community Service Requirements to graduate at my school as requested by the principal
    [li] Volunteer/Community service: [/li]- Tara Feis
  • Lions Club Christmas Tree Sale
  • Blood Drive
    [li] Summer Activities: [/li]- NYLF on Medicine @ UC: Berkeley
  • LeadAmerica Conference on Business Innovation @ Stanford University
    [</em>] Essays: Pretty good. Wrote about my humble beginnings, taking care of my little brother, and my life mission. Tried my best not to sound so formal and boring, and brought out a good bit of voice.
    [<em>] Teacher Recommendations: Pretty good I’m sure. I’m close to several of my teachers.
    [</em>] Counselor Rec: Pretty good again. My counselor has kept an eye on me for a long time now and watching my growth in school.[/ul]
    Other[ul]
    [<em>] State: GA
    [</em>] School Type: Private, Religious (Roman Catholic), Military, All-Boys, Small (323 students total)
    [<em>] Ethnicity: Asian - Vietnamese
    [</em>] Gender: Male
    [<em>] Income Bracket: < $60,000
    [</em>] Assets: N/A
    [<em>] Property: N/A
    [</em>] Extenuating Circumstances: My parents are constantly working, so I’ve been taking care of my little brother since he was a toddler.
    [<em>] Hooks: First generation college student, parents are both immigrants with broken English, I’ve also established for myself a profound mission for my life. I’m also the student with the most AP classes ever taken in my school’s history (been around since 1902 by the way). Not too many kids challenge themselves around here… I got called crazy for taking four this year… Oh, and I’m an Asian kid from the deep, conservative South… And I mean like real deep…
    [/ul]
    Reflection[ul]
    [</em>] Strengths: Academic Record, Teacher Evaluations, Essays, Extracurricular Activities
    [<em>] Weaknesses: Test Scores
    [</em>] Why you think you were chosen/not chosen as a finalist: I really do believe that I did somewhat lucked out on this. I mean I have a pretty good academic record and all, but my test scores are relatively low, especially in the realm of these top colleges. I’m, in general, a really bad standardized test-taker…
    [/ul]
    General Comments:</p>

<p>I do feel, though, is that throughout my application, especially my essays, I brought out myself. I wasn’t trying to hide who I was behind dullness and formalism. Anyone can write a good essay with big vocabulary words, but not many are willing to take the risk to be genuine and relaxed. A lot of things I said was quite cliche, but hey… That’s who I am! And those are the things that I believe in and experienced! This might be the end of the line for me though… I don’t think I’ll be matched; at least not with those test scores… Oh well, you never know! Anything is possible!</p>

20

<p>Decision: Finalist</p>

<p>College Match Schools: Opted out
RD Schools: Brown, UPenn, Northwestern, Vassar, Emory, Wesleyan, UChicago, Amherst</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (didn’t send): 1820
[</em>] ACT: 30 (E: 28, M: 29, R: 32, S: 31) Retook the October test.
[<em>] SAT II (didn’t send): US History (660), Spanish (670)
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank: 15/649 (top 3%)
[</em>] AP:
-World History (3)
-US History (5)
-Statistics (5)
-Spanish (3)
[<em>] IB: N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load:
-AP Calc BC
-AP MacroEcon/Gov
-AP Bio
-AP Lit/Lang Combo
-AP Psych
-Business Procedures
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Honor, GHP Recommendation for both Art and Mathematics, Georgia Certificate of Merit, Academic Letter
[/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars: Key Club, NHS, Spanish NHS, Beta Club, Junior Cabinet (Secretary), Church
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Summer job from this year.
[</em>] Volunteer/Community Service: Beta Club, Key Club
[<em>] Summer Activities: Church activities.
[</em>] Essays: Weren’t outstanding, but decent.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendations: Never got to see them.
[</em>] Counselor Rec: I’m sure it was generic since I only talked with her around 2-3 times.
[/ul]
Other[ul]
[<em>] State: GA
[</em>] School Type: Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[</em>] Gender: Female
[<em>] Income Bracket: <30,000
[</em>] Assets: None
[<em>] Property:
[</em>] Extenuating Circumstances: None
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First Generation College
[/ul]
Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: Academics, 500 word Essay, Short answers
[<em>] Weaknesses: Leadership, Extracurriculars that stand out
[</em>] Why you think you were chosen/not chosen as a finalist: I think income had a lot to do with it and my strong academics. I think it also helped to make my short answers show my personality.
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General Comments:Academics really aren’t everything, but who you are as a person is the deciding factor. Essays are reaalllyy important!</p>