*Official Regular Decision Class of 2018*

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington University in St. Louis
81

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 790 CR 740 M 770 Writ - 2300 total
ACT: n/a
SAT II: 730 Math II, 750 World History
GPA: 3.8 UW/4.2 W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5, 5, 4
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: all AP core classes + advanced art class
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar & National Merit Commended, various school awards</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): board for 4 service clubs (I’m big on philanthropy), multiple student government positions, audition-only fine arts/performing arts groups. more details in my previous chance threads
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service: volunteer at a retirement home and did a variety of stuff there
Summer Activities: see above + some career-oriented/leadership summer programs
Essays: I thought my CA essay was risky (had no idea how an admissions committee would evaluate it)
Teacher Recommendation: A+ they both really like me
Counselor Rec: Don’t like my counselor but from what I know they wrote a good one
Additional Rec: I sent 2 teacher recs
Interview/Visit: neither. probably showed lack of interest.</p>

<p>Other:
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: competitive public
Ethnicity: didn’t state
Gender: F
Income Bracket: upper-middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Reflection:
Strengths: really good recs, leadership positions & involvement, and I’m a pretty good writer.
Weaknesses: “laundry list” of activities, lack of evidenced interest (didn’t visit), file similar to many other applicants
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: see weaknesses above
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to UCSD, URochester, Brandeis, UCSB, UC Davis
General Comments:
I really liked WUSTL but surprisingly I’m not all that sad about not being admitted. It is a little scary however to think how my other school decisions are going to go considering Wash U’s the only one of my non-safeties that’s come out yet. Fingers crossed for good news to come! Congrats to everyone admitted :)</p>

82

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:

  • SAT: 2240
  • ACT: 33
  • SAT II: Did not submit
  • Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.89 (UW)
  • Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 20%
  • AP (place score in parenthesis): Chinese (5), Biology (4), European History (4), US History (4), Chemistry (4)
    *IB: N/A
  • Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP English, AP Physics C, Hon. Spanish IV, Glee Club, Madrigals,
  • Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none really </p>

<p>*Common Awards: AP Scholar w/ Distinction, Piano Achievement and honors awards, a school district award and volunteer badges and honors. Nothing too serious. </p>

<p>Subjective:

  • Extracurriculars/Volunteer/Community service (place leadership in parenthesis):
    Glee Club (VP, Section Leader), Madrigals, Co-head of school charity club, volunteered at 3 different local hospitals (clerical work, HR office, hospitality), worked in post-production on a movie set in China (low-profit, small film, included mostly shadowing crew, translating into english subtitles and minimal editing work), volunteered at two local but pretty renowned botanical garden, shadowed a professor at Harvard and conducted research with him, school ambassador, brief involvement in Speech and Debate and Track & Field my sophomore year, interned at my parent’s office, camp counselor,Red Cross, affinity club, Chinese NGO volunteer for two summers and some other miscellaneous things. </p>

<ul>
<li><p>Job/Work Experience: The internship on the movie set was paid</p></li>
<li><p>Essays: Pretty unique. It was written about a childhood memento and how that and my experience with it taught me something about myself. </p></li>
<li><p>Teacher Recommendation: One from an english teacher. I know she really likes me; I had her freshman year and I was really unassertive and basically very lost, and I improved majorly both in speaking and writing skills my junior year…so she probably talked a lot about my transition and improvement? Other was my chemistry teacher and it was probably mediocre; all my friends who applied to WASHU had her write their rec too and I am definitely not stellar in comparison so…I do know she thinks I’m very mature and thoughtful…? </p></li>
<li><p>Counselor Rec: I know she knows me well and she likes me, but I go a fairly small school and she loves everybody so…</p></li>
<li><p>Interview: N/A</p></li>
</ul>

<p>Other

  • Applied for Financial Aid?: No
  • Intended Major:
  • State (if domestic applicant): CA
  • School Type: Private
  • Ethnicity: Asian
  • Gender: F
  • Income Bracket: Upper middle
  • Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Reflection

  • Strengths: I did not apply for financial aid. Um…well I had 6 letters of recommendation written by my volunteer supervisor, professor I worked with, my teachers, my counselor, and another from my Glee teacher. </p>

<ul>
<li>Weaknesses: Awards/extracurriculars/GPA/SAT: I have shown no demonstrated interested. Never visited, interviewed, so I’m a little surprised. My GPA also is a eh. I have only had two B+'s ever in my freshman year, but that was enough damage…Also had a couple A-'s throughout sophomore and junior year so my GPA is a little low (I guess the upward trend helped? Went from like a low 3.8 something my freshman year to a 4.0 my junior year). Also considering that most WASHU admits are within the top 10% of their grade, and I’m only in the top 20%, I’m surprised! My SAT is in range but not super stellar, and I have done a lot and I am well rounded, but none of them are super high achieving, impressive or stand out either…well, let’s just say I’m still in some serious shock! </li>
</ul>

<p>Where else you are applying or have already applied: rejected: Columbia, Pomona College, UChicago; accepted: UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UC Riverside, University of the Pacific. </p>

<p>General Comments: I am extremely surprised! I am also extremely, extremely happy! I would definitely describe myself as an underdog at school. I don’t think anyone, including myself, expected that I would get into a school anywhere near WASHU’s caliber. I was feeling somewhat dejected after receiving basically three rejections in a row; I honestly thought I was bound to go to a state uni which is also great, but it’s not WASHU! I definitely needed this acceptance, and I can’t wait to learn more about the school, the people and the city! I still have to pinch myself! </p>

83

<p>ACCEPTED!
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2340 supersocred
SAT I (breakdown): M 800 CR 800 W 740
SAT II: 800 Math II, 780 Chem, 800 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.80
Weighted GPA: NA
AP (place score in parentheses): None
Senior Year Course Load: Regular Courses in mainland China
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Founder and president of “Mind Reading Association” Club of school. Traveling a lot to strange places shot pictures of migrant birds
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: Tutor</p>

<p>Writing (Write a brief description and Rate Quality on 1-10 Scale; 10 as Best):
Essays (Include Subjects):
Common App Main: 10/10 (Not content but the quality of writing, in the sense of English language)</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation #1: Bio Teacher. Top ratings
Teacher Recommendation #2: Math teacher Top ratings</p>

<p>Counselor Rec: Top ratings
Interview: None</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): Beijing
Country (if international applicant): China
School Type: RDFZ
Ethnicity: Mainland Chinese
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
Where else I applied: 10 of top 12 except from CIT, MIT</p>

<p>General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations, etc: Wait listed from Uchicgo and GIT, Accepted UCSD, UIUC. Rejected by Swarthmore</p>

84

<p>Decision: Accepted </p>

<p>Objective:
SAT: 2270 (700 CR, 780 M, 790 W)
SAT II: 750 Math II, 700 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Weighted GPA: 4.4
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 13/262
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language (5), US History (5), Physics C: Mechanics (3), Calculus BC (5), BC Subscore (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit, AP Environmental, AP Statistics, AP French, AP US Gov, Sales and Marketing 3 (Student Store Mgmt)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, Presidential Volunteer Service Award</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars/Community Service:
DECA: Chapter President, Regional VP, 3x State Qualifier, 2x National Qualifier
Microsoft Intern: 15 hr/week, whole year, statistical/competitive analysis and marketing/branding
Merchandising Intern: sales and marketing efforts, mini-business basically
Eastside Baby Corner: 1.5 hr/week for 2 years
King County Library System IT Intern: 5 hr/week for 1 year, manage purchases/invoices for entire library system
Mountains to Sound Greenway: community service project to raise money, increase awareness and volunteer
Washington Business Week: placed 1st in Traditional BW and 2nd in Advanced a year later
Maybe more but I just can’t think of any right now…</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: Mentioned above - Microsoft Intern and Intern at merchandising company
Essays: Common App - 9.5/10. Spent nearly 6 months on it and perfected it as best I could
Teacher Recommendation: 1 from math teacher who LOVES me: 9/10. 1 from freshman and senior English teacher who likes me pretty well: 7/10
Counselor Rec: Pretty decent, talked to her more often than most people: 7/10
Interview: Nope!</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Business (Finance)
State (if domestic applicant): WA
School Type: Medium Public
Ethnicity: Asian (Indian)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Little over 100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None!</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Extracurriculars for sure! I also spent a lot of time on my essay and crafted it well.
Weaknesses: Scores and objective stuff mainly
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think I really got my passion for business through and overall just conveyed why I’d be a good candidate!
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted to University of Minnesota (Carlson School of Mgmt), University of Washington (Foster School of Business). Waitlisted at University of Chicago. Rejected ED to Penn (Wharton). Still waiting on Berkeley, UCLA, Duke, Columbia, Georgetown, Harvard, Dartmouth and NYU.</p>

85

<p>Posting this again on this thread</p>

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): M 800 CR 780 W 800 (2380)
ACT: not taken
SAT II: physics 790 , M2 790 , chemistry 780
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): complicated school system
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/300
AP (place score in parenthesis): not offered
IB (place score in parenthesis): not offered
Senior Year Course Load: physics , chemistry , mathematics,economics ( rigid subject combinations so couldn’t have taken on more)</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): western classical piano 6 years( exam conducted but Trinity College London) , Vice President , student council, physics and environment club ( grade representative), regukar participation and wins in inter school quizzes , mathematics research projects and debates. Participated in school theater productions.
Job/Work Experience: internship at IATA ( aviation sector) completed a research project.
Volunteer/Community service: 100+ hours of teaching underprivileged students, heavily involved in an NGO that works towards tiger conservation.
Summer Activities: international piano exam and volunteer work
Essays (rating 1-10, details): wrote about opportunities (10/10) I spent MONTHS!
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Chem teacher ( I’m her favorite) 10/10
Teacher Rec #2: English teacher ( I’m her favorite too!) 11/10
Counselor Rec: generic but decent (8/10)
Additional Rec: tiger conservation NGO head 10/10
Interview: None</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): India
School Type:Private
Ethnicity:Asian
Gender:F
Income Bracket: upper middle class, did not apply for aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): anti hook- ORM, hook- cousin went to WUSTL</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: test scores , GPA, essay, recs, ECs
Weaknesses: could have participated in MUN
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: see strengths
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:deferred Harvard, waitlisted UChicago, rejected MIT
Accepted to Vanderbilt( Cornelius Vanderbilt scholar) and Emory and now waiting on all the Ivies and Stanford</p>

<p>General Comments: Plan ahead and start from junior year. Take time to work on your common app essay and take advantage of all the opportunities offered at your school. International applicants - don’t apply for aid as this will increase your chances exponentially!</p>

86

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective
SAT I (breakdown): 2120 - CR(620) M(800) W(700)
ACT: N/A
SAT II: MathII (800), Korean (800) Chemistry (670)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8ish. W: 4.5
Rank: 17/812
AP: Biology (3), Calculus BC (3), Chemistry (3), English Lang (3)
IB: N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit, AP Psychology, AP Physics, AP Spanish, AP Economics/Gov, AP Art History
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AMC lvl 10 </p>

<p>Subjective
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):Varsity Tennis Captain, Red Cross (President), FIA (President), HAT club (Vice President), American Cancer Society (Vice Presdient)
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: San Antonio Hospital
Summer Activities: N/A
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8. I wrote about my bullying experience
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Interview: N/A</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Income Bracket: <20,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Club positions, okay SAT score
Weaknesses: need more leadership or volunteer/work experience, GPA
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Well, WashU does waitlist a ton of people… I don’t think I’m that special.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at UCSD, UCSB so far…</p>

<p>General comments/advice/hindsight: Didn’t want to go here anywayz. Congrats to everyone who got in!!</p>

87

<p>I don’t feel like listing everything on that outline for my daughter, but here are the important data points:</p>

<p>Accepted</p>

<p>SAT W730 M770 CR750 2250
Lit 780 Bio 730
Weighted GPA 4.47 at one of the toughest private high schools in the country.
The school does not rank.
AP Lit 5 (actually, there is no AP Lit course. She took the test anyway.) AP Bio 4.
Senior courses: AP Calc, AP Mandarin, Neuroscience, Molecular Biology, Shakespeare, Contemporary Asian History, Witticism in English Literature, Anthropology </p>

<p>Probably the top high school female trumpet player in the state. Maybe #2. Member of premier jazz high school all-star band. Arts supplement sent to most colleges.
Published paper in a major medical journal after 3 years of research.
Equestrian.</p>

<p>Head Start volunteer.
Various minor school activities and clubs.</p>

<p>Not saying which state for privacy reasons.
Gender: Female
Ethnicity: African American
Income: 200,000. Limited financial aid offered due to certain family circumstances.</p>

<p>This was a last minute application. Two friends who got in EA convinced her to apply.</p>

<p>Accepted to Scripps and Oberlin. Awaiting Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, Duke, Pomona, Tufts, Vassar.</p>

88

hm