***Official Wellesley Class of 2021 Results Thread***

Colleges and Universities A-Z Wellesley College
1

No-one’s made one yet, so here’s a results thread! They tend to help future applicants, so hopefully some ED applicants can come by and post their results from December. ED II and EE decisions are released tomorrow and RD should be late March. Congrats to those accepted and good luck to those who have yet to hear back! :slight_smile:

Pick one:
[B][size=4][color=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size][/b]
[B][size=4][color=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred[/color][/size][/b]
[B][size=4][color=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected[/color][/size][/b]

Decision Plan:

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Weighted GPA:
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.):

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details):
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details):
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details):

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major:
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflections:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments (if any):

2

[B][size=4][color=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size][/b]

Decision Plan: ED I

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): On the 1600 scale: 1,440 overall, 750 English, 690 Math
SAT II: I signed up for the Latin SAT II and the Literature SAT II, but could not get the results to Wellesley in time for it to be considered in my admissions and was told that they would defer me if the results of the tests would impact their decision.
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6
Senior Year Course Load: honors English, one term honors science, honors Latin, honors Ancient Greek, math course (not honors), one term honors history course.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Delmas Classical Studies Award, Keio School Award

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): fencing (captain and varsity member for three years), Jewish Student Organization (President), staff writer for a campus poetry publication, Japan Club (vice president
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: 38 hours, 15 of which were knitting with seniors
Summer Activities: Studied Ancient Greek with local college professor, Scholarship trip for two weeks to Italy to work on Latin, reading, working on my family’s farm.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10, about how I found my own voice on a high school campus of about 800 and how I want to continue to develop my voice at Wellesley.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): 10, about how I am not your ‘ordinary’ student: I am very intrigued by words (connotations, denotations, and etymologies) and how I would be a great classics scholar.
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): 8, a math teacher who asked me if she could write a rec. I did not actually do that well in her class (it was when I learned that I am not actually a math person), but she wrote that I went to consultation every day and how I worked incredibly hard.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 10, about how I did a significant amount of research (emailed the head of the classics department, met with her, and visited a class, and have been in touch with the fencing coach) and soul searching to decide that this was the best place for me.
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): 9, spoke to the admissions officer about books that I liked (even recommended a book to her).

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Classics
State (if domestic applicant): NY
School Type: Boarding School
Ethnicity: White
Income Bracket: top 20 %
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Classics major (no one has classics majors) and a fencer (Wellesley is working on rebuilding their fencing team).

Reflections: I am so happy that I got accepted by such a wonderful school. I really sold myself as a niche candidate and am so glad that their admissions people ‘got’ me.
Strengths: interested in a major that no one wants, a member of a sport that they do not have many people for, did my research and met with many members of the faculty and staff, have decent grades and test scores, a great essay, great recs, a few extracurriculars that I am very committed to, and I go to a prestigious boarding school.
Weaknesses: My grades and test scores were only decent, in junior year I got C+ in precalculus.
Why you think you were accepted: I am interested in a major that very few people are interested in that many institutions have tenured professors for, I signed the waiver allowing their fencing coach to contact me and we spoke (not actually sure if I was recruited or not), and I had great conversations with my interviewer and with my regional representative.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I only applied to Wellesley and to Wooster (the only reason why I applied to Wooster was because they kept harassing me via email, waived the application fee, and offered a significant scholarship, and I thought that if I applied they would stop emailing me.) Wooster did accept me and I turned down their acceptance and their scholarship.

General Comments (if any): Best of luck to everyone who is finding about ED II today!
[B][size=4][color=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size][/b]

3

I can’t edit the original post, but I forgot to add: remove the asterisks that are inside the brackets before posting!

4

Decision: Accepted

Decision Plan: ED II

Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 31 Composite (31 R, 31 S, 34 E, 27 M)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.66
Weighted GPA: 3.92
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History(4), US History(4), I got 3s on Bio and Lit, so I didn’t report them.
Senior Year Course Load:

  • DE World Religions
  • DE College Trigonometry
  • DE General Psychology
  • DE Computer Science I
  • DE Japanese I
  • DE Macroeconomics
  • DE Japanese II
  • DE Global Issues
  • AP Art History
    Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): I’ve got minor, school awards, but nothing major.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Band, National Honor Society, National Beta Club (secretary), Yearbook, self-study Japanese (no one told me I couldn’t include it)
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service: 300+ hours
Summer Activities: Hospital volunteer for 3 years, took summer semester dual enrollment classes, got CPR certified

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
-Personal statement - 8, talked about how/why I started teaching myself Japanese and how it changed my views on life and the lessons that it’s taught me about diversity and cultural tolerance.
Wellesley 100 - 10, talked about my class visits at Wellesley/how the professors inspired me and discussed the importance of organizations for minority students on campus and how they affected me during my visit.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): 10, from my AP Lit teacher. We have a good relationship and she’s known for writing great recommendations.
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): 8, from my math teacher. He’s known me since freshman year and could give more insight on my personality.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): I have no idea, but I gave her a detailed resume and she seems to like me.
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): n/a
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): 9, my alumna interviewer was impressed with my knowledge of Wellesley and promised to put in a good word for me. It was meant to be more of an info session, but I was familiar with everything she brought up.

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: History and East Asian Languages
State (if domestic applicant): GA
School Type: Magnet and Charter
Ethnicity: Black
Income Bracket: ~$80,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM and legacy (sister)

Reflections: I’m extremely shocked that I was accepted, but I’m elated.
Strengths: My greatest strength was, without a doubt, my interest level. I’ve been on Wellesley’s mailing list since sophomore year after attending a rep visit, I applied and received a travel grant to visit in October, I signed up for an interview, and my sister graduated fairly recently (2014). My school has one of the most competitive magnet programs in my state and majority of my senior year classes were dual enrollment.
Weaknesses: My test scores, my GPA, and the D that I received in my trig class. I think they were forgiving of my GPA when considering my course load. I explained my trig grade (long story) and talked about what I learned from it and how I’ll use that experience in my future classes.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: God, my high interest level, and my sister.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to UGA. Won’t get my decisions from any other schools now.

General Comments (if any): I am living, walking proof that Wellesley has holistic admissions. I’m not the most competitive applicant, but I’m passionate about Wellesley and my intended major and I’m glad they could feel that! Good luck to RD and I’m sure everyone will end up somewhere where they’re happy.

5

Pick one:
Decision: Accepted

Decision Plan: Early Evaluation (so technically it’s likely to be accepted, not accepted)

I hope this helps future applicants!
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1410/1600
ACT (breakdown): 31 (didn’t send)
SAT II: 730 biology molecular, 720 chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
Weighted GPA: idk
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/450
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Psych: 5; AP Chem, APUSH, and AP English: 4
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP bio, Ap calc BC, AP English Lit, Honors Physics, Honors Stats, Symphonic Band
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Lots of science fair awards, AP scholar with honor

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Symphonic band, marching band (section leader), research (put a lot of time into it because it’s what I want to do for a career and got a good amount of awards), helped start school garden, math team, dance, NHS
Job/Work Experience: worked at a summer camp and at a party store (didn’t mention the later in my app though)
Volunteer/Community service: I taught Spanish to kids after school for 30 hrs and did 60 hrs of community service at a summer camp
Summer Activities: Working at summer camps, band camp, helplessly filling out the common app, actually enjoying myself, having a social life
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common app was like 8.5-9/10. I wrote about how playing the xylophone shaped me into who I am. Tbh I’ve read it so many times at this point that I can no longer view it objectively (not that I really could in the first place though:p). Wellesley one was like 8/10. I wrote about how the student body is intriguing and how I’d enjoy being around the women at Wellesley because I could learn from them. I also tied this in to why Wellesley would be a good place to study science.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): 10, it was from my apush teacher and was so kind (possibly the nicest thing anyone has written about me). He talked highly of my intellectual ability and used a lot of superlative statements while also addressing how I’m still humble.
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): 8, from my Ap Bio teacher, just addressed my potential in biology and that I have a good work ethic/ the ability to use inquiry
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 6, it was just your average counselor essay.
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details):
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): This was back in the summer, so I can’t remember it well. What I do remember is that the woman and I had a really long, captivating conversation.

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: biology or biochemistry
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large public
Ethnicity: White
Income Bracket: Low middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation

Reflections: My advice to future applicants is to just do what you love. Don’t become those people who do things just to appeal to colleges. Find your own personality and express it in your applications.

Strengths:I feel like my passion for the sciences is evident, my dedication to my extra curriculars is genuine, and my essays were good. Plus, in the context of my school, my schedule is very rigorous. I don’t know if this is worth noting, but I took the Bio SAT w/o taking AP Bio, so I had to teach myself a lot (I mentioned this in my app). First gen might have also helped.
Weaknesses: Test scores weren’t super high, but I feel like other parts of the application can make up for that.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’ve done well at the things I like while remaining humble and also emphasized how I’d fit in well at Wellesley
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: UMASS Amherst Honors College (accepted), Cornell ED (rejected, but I wouldn’t have been happy there, so I’m glad that happened). Still waiting to hear from a lot of schools

General Comments (if any):
I never planned on making one of these things, but I figured it would be helpful for future applicants, especially ones who were really anxious like me. Congrats to everyone who got accepted, good luck to anyone who got wait-listed, and sorry to anyone who got rejected:(
I don’t know if I’m attending Wellesley yet, but I’d love to talk to other people who got accepted!! This was one of my top choices!!! I’m so excited!!

6

Pick one:
[B][size=4][color=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size][/b]

Decision Plan: Early Decision

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1510/1600
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 800 physics, 750 Math 1
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.88
Weighted GPA: 4.72
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 42/327
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP euro (5), AP psych (5), AP phys 1 (4), AP calc Ab (4), AP english language (5), Ap US history (5), AP chem (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): IB french sl (5/7)
Senior Year Course Load: AP French 5, AP English Lit, Ap Physics 2, IB TOK/AP COMP GOV, AP stats, AP Phys C (Em& kinematics), IB HL contemporary euro history, IB HL film
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
lol National Merit Commended scholar?

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Varsity Swim Team
Running Club
French club President
Physics Club
NHS
NEHS (english honor society)
SNHS (science)
NFHS (french)
NHHS(history)
Science Seminar Series with lecturers
Intern at Womens empowerment group

Job/Work Experience: Retail job
Volunteer/Community service: food sorter and packager at a Feeding America branch, Women’s empowerment group volunteer and leadership role (chairman of board and youth representative)
Summer Activities: Travel, Volunteer-work, film festival
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8.5, about a transformative experience pertaining to privilege
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 9, about my character not about my academic prowess (they have that info from grades)

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): 9 (ap chem teacher)
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): 9 (ap euro teacher and running coach)
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 9 (i am really close with her so she knew me well)
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): n/a
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): it went really well we talked about books and why airplanes fly and i asked a lot of questions

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: yes lol
Intended Major: Physics
State (if domestic applicant): Florida
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: College Preparatory Magnet
Ethnicity: White
Income Bracket: 150k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): volunteer work and killer personality i guess (no other reason)

Reflections:
Strengths: essays, grades and extra curriculars
Weaknesses: didnt really have a hook
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: see below
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: i applied ed so this was the only school other than state schools that I applied (I got into UF as well).

General Comments (if any): i tried to be very genuine in my essays and i guess i was just thinking if it is a good fit they will appreciate my humour and honesty, if not, i will apply elsewhere. i didnt take myself too seriously, and i think that showed. i genuinely think that this was the best fit for me and i think they recognized that. There isn’t really one definite reason that they accepted me, it was very much a wholistic thing. I wasnt partixularly strong in any one area (like sports or music). I did add a vocal supplement, which probably helped.

7

[B][size=4][color=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size][/b]

Decision Plan: Early Decision

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2120 (didn’t submit)
ACT (breakdown): 34
SAT II:N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75
Weighted GPA: 4.55
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A

AP (place score in parenthesis): AP European History (4) AP Psychology (5) AP Environmental Science (4) AP US History (4) AP Lang (5) AP Drawing (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Computer Science, AP Government, AP Macroeconomics, Spanish 4 Honors, AP Statistics, AP 2-D Art, AP Literature

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Evening of Excellence Winner with Best in School Designation (School, State/Regional)
AP Environmental Science Honors
Creativity Award (School)
AP Scholar with Distinction (National)
Competitive scholarship award to travel to and attend art Precollege
1st Place in a poster design contest held by the Sarasota County School Board and Education Foundation.
10 Gold Keys for individual pieces in Scholastics, 1 Gold Key for my portfolio, and an American Visionary Nomination.
Embracing Our Differences Quote winner 2 years in a row.
Congressional Recognition for one of my paintings

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, History Club, Theater (played Main Character in traveling Holocaust Performance, ‘Who Returned My Soul’, and villain in Phantom Tollbooth), Illustrated a Children’s Book, Art Precollege at KCAI, STEM Precollege at Kansas State University, Cobalt Committee Member (Creative Director), Independent Artist, Designed Class of 2017 Jacket, Creating a Visual Novel

Job/Work Experience:
Interned at Venice Theater with Becky Hollahan
Volunteer/Community service:
Venice Art Center, (I worked the front desk and helped teach classes),
3 Mission Trips with my Youth Group
Summer Activities:
Precollege,
Illustration,
Mission Trips

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App General Essay- 10. When I first set out to write my essay, I was turning out philosophical muck. It didn’t say much about who I am, but when I really focused on what was important to me, I was able to encompass myself as much as I could considering the word count. It addressed my passion for art, my personal principles, and my family life. I think it probably helped make me more human.
Supplemental Essays-
Visiting 39- 9. It wasn’t the best thing I’ve ever written if analyzed on nothing but prose; however, it served to exemplify my profound love for Wellesley.
Students 100- 10. It was short, but well written and I think it showed that I was a good fit and that I understood exactly what I wanted out of a Wellesley Education.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details):
10 Okay, my APUSH teacher wrote the most amazing letter of rec. My mom cried when she read it. It was good.
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details):
8 This was written by my art teacher of 4 years and while it was very nice, the writing was only so-so. Altogether, it was pretty good.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):
10 I didn’t read it, but my guidance counselor (who was also my AP Psych teacher) is the most amazing person. He is so dedicated to helping us with college and he’s just superb…I know it was fantastic. And he’s nice and down to earth, so that probably came off well in his writing.
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details):
9 This was written by Tammy Zeitler. She’s currently a professor at Ringling College of Art and Design and she was an animator for Disney (some works she was on the animation team for are Tarzan, Lilo and Stitch, and I think Mulan) It was a very generous and professional letter.
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): 7.
I was so sleep deprived I could hardly remember my name. I believe I made a good impression by wearing a suit and arriving early, but I was so tired that I wasn’t as quick-witted as I’d have liked to have been. She was nice and confident, though, leaving me with a good impression.

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Art/Art History Double Major
State (if domestic applicant): Florida
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Income Bracket: $60-70 thousand
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): My art experience and awards and the supplementary portfolio that I submitted along with the fact that I’m interested in their less popular majors were my hooks.

Reflections: Looking back, I wish I’d taken more leadership roles and hadn’t signed up for some of the APs that I took Senior year. I’m gonna be honest… I don’t like math. Why did I take 3 Math focused AP’s as a Senior instead of AP Art History and AP World History? …I don’t know … I thought they would help me get into Wellesley, but I would have probably been okay to take what I really wanted. Let this be a warning to all future applicants! Take what you want to take (but still make sure they’re challenging)

Strengths: Definitely my art. It was almost funny…everything except for the supplements was pretty much all about art. I also think that taking all of those AP’s probably paid off and my ACT was above Wellesley’s Middle 50.

Weaknesses: Not many leadership positions and my GPA could have been higher.

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think I was accepted because I was an academic fit for Wellesley and I think they wanted me to come so I could use my art in Wellesley’s community.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I rescinded all of my applications upon having gotten into Wellesley. My second choice would have been Hamilton College.

General Comments (if any): Do what you love. Take the classes you want and be genuine. Connect with your guidance counselor early, s/he’s your lifeline and will hopefully help you along with your college process. Also, show interest in your college early and often. The more you show your love, the more they know you aren’t just using them as a backup. They want to know that you have done your research and you believe yourself to be a fit. Remember, they have to protect their yield rate, so they will reject some people with really great scores and qualifications because they don’t think you’re serious. It is so easy to send an email. Just shoot one off every month or so, visit, and demonstrate your passion for your school. This will help your admissions officer get to know you (also, try to send your e-mail directly to your regional admissions representative if you know who it is. They will be the ones advocating for you.)
Also, be confident and believe in yourself. Even if you don’t get into your first choice school, you’re going to go on and do wonderfully wherever you end up!

8

** Decision: Likely **

Early Evaluation

Objective:
SAT I: Old 2380, New 1490
ACT: 35 - (36R/34M/36W/35S)
ACT superscore: 36 - (36R/34M/36W/36S)
SAT II: Math II 800, Physics 770, Spanish 720
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.4
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/350
AP (place score in parentheses):
Chemistry (5)
US History (5)
Spanish (5)
Physics C Mechanics (5)
Psych (5)
Calc AB (5)
Senior Year Course Load:
Dual Enrolled 300-level Spanish
AP Calc BC
AP English Lit
AP US Gov
AP Physics II/E&M
Highest level orchestra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.):
Nothing
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.):
National Merit Finalist, some level of AP Scholar but tbh I didn’t report that

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):
Girls in STEM program (Founder, President - 10,11,12) - Ran elementary outreach. This is probably the thing I emphasized most in my application because it’s very important to me.
Science Olympiad (B division coach, C division competitor, 9-12)
National Honors Society (Officer, 11,12)

Job/Work Experience:
Worked at a supermarket for 2 years
Tutoring and babysitting

Volunteer/Community Service:
Tutored English language learning students
Worked at humane society
Misc. small service projects

Summer Experience:
Researched at local college’s astronomy department (I was the only high school student and worked really independently with a professor and a college student)
Attended PAN (Physics of Atomic Nuclei) Camp at Notre Dame in 2014

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

Essays: Common app essay was tbh not very good, maybe a 6/10. I talked about girls in STEM.
My W100 essay was pretty good but really not that phenomenal, maybe a 7 or 8/10?

Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10 - AP Psych teacher - She let me read it, called me the best student she’s had in 45 years of teaching and really emphasized my personality in and out of the classroom
Teacher Recommendation #2: 8 or 9/10? - The advisor for Girls in STEM and my chemistry and AP Chem teacher; she’s my teacher BFF but I have no idea what she wrote about me.
Counselor Rec: 5/10. He knows me reasonably well but he usually misspells my name and isn’t the brightest.
Additional Info/Rec: 8/10 - My research advisor, I feel like he probably described my role in the research process which hopefully showed my readiness for college
7/10 - My B-division SciOly head coach. She loves me (I tutored her kids, etc) but I just have a gut feeling that her letter was kinda weird?
Interview: Amazing - 10/10. Drove 2 hours to meet with her and it was totally worth it. Didn’t think I could love Wellesley more than I already did, but once I met with her I did!
Art Supplement: None

Other

Date Submitted App: 12/31
U.S. State/Territory or Country: MI
School Type: Public
Intended Major: Physics/Astronomy
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: approx 150k
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athlete, development): none

Reflection

Strengths: Scores/grades, demonstrated passion for STEM education, interview
Weaknesses: Common App essay, no amazing hooks or huge national awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I feel like my love for Wellesley was evident even if my W100 essay wasn’t the best.
What would you have done differently?: Spent more time on my CA essay, and maybe looked more carefully at financial aid before applying (because based on NPC it’s soooo expensive for my income bracket)
Where else did you apply? Accepted UMich, Michigan State (full ride), Caltech
Waiting on Princeton, Harvard, Harvey Mudd, Mount Holyoke, Barnard, UChicago, Northwestern, Scripps, Stanford, Boston University

General Comments & Advice:
Don’t fall in love with schools that aren’t in your price range :frowning: Also, it’s totally worth it to do EE.

9

Accepted:

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1390 690M 700W
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 510 LIT 570 M1
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75 UW
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): IDK anymore for sure, but def. Top 10 maybe top 5
AP (place score in parenthesis): No AP I take all college classes to have more time for family reps. But these aren’t just community college, I attend a decent status 4 year state school as an honors student.
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Mostly College: Macroecon. Calc 1. Stellar and Galactic Astronomy. High Energy Astrophysics Research (Fundamentals) American Literature. Physical Science.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): QB college prep scholar. Then just my Uni’s dean’s list etc. But, I did compete in MIT Inspire topic in Philosophy of Physics.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Didn’t put all of these in the Activity section, but they were mostly all mentioned in my app in some way.

-Family Commitment: I am the eldest of 4, and my youngest sister has severe non-verbal autism. As my parents recently graduated college (last year) and are now starting their first careers, I take on most of the responsibility of caring for my sister. Most of my time goes here. This is why decided to do early college and online. Only having two lectures a week, I am able to remain at home the other 3.
-Currently researching a high energy X-ray binary system: Cygnus X1 (may be published)
-Assisted 2 profs from the Harvard CFA write a Hubble Space Telescope proposal to view CEN X4 and SCO X1 (later)
-Minor research in psych: Behavior correction for children with severe non-verbal autism. (will not be published)
-HOSA (only 9,10)
-Drama Club/Courses (10 to current): Didn’t talk about specifically, but I got a rec from my Drama teacher.
-NHS
-State Uni’s Honors Program
-Rotaract Club
-Assisting 2 autistic twins research in astronomy
-Graphic and web design: Small school/uni-wide projects, one state wide, and I’ve designed a few info graphics for the NASA JPL. I wrote the book cover for my uni’s English textbook I did NOT put these in supp. material. I was worried they weren’t good enough.

Job/Work Experience:
I’m a janitor during the summers at my local primary school. I don’t get payed money, but I do get food to support my sisters.

Volunteer/Community service:

Alot through my University’s Honors Program. Wrote about being a campus tour guide for adult program students.
-Initiative: Register new voters on my Uni’s campus and the surrounding community. Generally Speaking, the community is low income, young, and African American. So, unfortunately, many voices here do not reach a ballot. I visited political science classes in the spring and gave short presentations about the importance of voting and then registered
the interested to vote.
-Summer volunteer at a local primary school and their community library. I also started working a janitorial job there. I talked about how that helped us buy food when my parents got pay cuts.
-Rotaract Club: Organized several leadership conferences each year. Last year we helped make hundreds of WAPIs (Water Pasteurization Indicators) for donation to a somewhat well known charity.

Summer Activities:
Caring for severely autistic sister.
Janitorial job at primary school to feed my family.

Rate out of 10
Essays: 10 CA: Got really personal. I talked about my parents beating my sister after she used our floors for toilets (she has severe autism, fecal smearing) and how I convinced them to stop. Tied it into how it taught me why it is so important to listen and understand other people’s perspectives no matter who they are.

This was really vivid, but everyone loved it. One of the schools I applied to early action called me and my counselor to talk more about it.

Supplement: Talked about trying to calm my severely austitic sister down so she wouldn’t get beaten. How I created sensory toys, and why I want to study the philosophy of sense perception.

Teacher Recommendation: 6 Haven’t read but prob. bland
Counselor Rec: 8 Knew me and what I did well, but she had SOO many recs to write.
Additional Rec: None
Interview: None
Other: My academics are very poor, but I think they saw that I made the best of the little time and resources I had

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Philosophy or Sociology
State (if domestic applicant): GA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public. Hmm…Interesting mix between really poor students from one county and really rich from the other.
Ethnicity: Black
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Probably less than 40k for 6 people, but alot of our $$ goes to extra therapy and emergency med. expenses for my sister.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM. Almost first gen (I was first gen when I went to college for the first time). Low Income. Family Reps.

I also applied to all of the ivy league except for brown and columbia, barnard, william and mary, boston college (accepted), oberlin, georgetown, emory, and duke.

10

Decision: Waitlisted

Decision Plan:

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): didn’t send
ACT (breakdown): 34 Composite; 36 English, 34 Reading, 34 Science, 33 Math
SAT II: 800 Math II, 720 Literature
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.33
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Somewhere in top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): self reported 5 AP Mandarin
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Enviro Sci, AP Calc BC, AP English Lit, AP Computer Science Principles, Civics/Econ, Orchestra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Commended Scholar, Scholastic Art & Writing

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • Founded and run an online political teen literary journal (Founder and Editor in Chief)
  • MUN (Founder and President)
  • Mock Trial (Team Captain)
  • Student Ambassador to Non-Profit Political Organization
  • Graphic Designer for other teen magazine
  • School Lit Mag (Editor-in-Chief)

Job/Work Experience:

  • Interned at Congressperson’s Office
  • Interned at DA’s Office

Volunteer/Community service:

  • Volunteering with nonprofit political organization
  • Some minor tutoring

Summer Activities:
Interning.

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 6/10. Could’ve been quirkier/more unique, I guess. It was well-written but I usually can do better. Something about the prompts kills my creativity.
Wellesley Supp: 5/10. I wrote them in like an hour, they were good though… but there were some conceptual flaws.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Counselor: 8/10. He loves me, but he wouldn’t wax poetic for me.
Teacher 1: 8/10, probably. Loves me, talked about how I’m LGBTQ+ and Asian but still manage to be on top of a very white school.
Teacher 2: 7/10, probably. She doesn’t know me too well but I did well in her class.
Outside: 9/10. She said it was the best she’s ever written, and she thinks of me very highly.
Interview: None.

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Nope
Intended Major: Political science
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: White upper middle class, competitive but not overly so
Ethnicity: Chinese
Income Bracket: 150k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): LOL!!!

Reflections:
Strengths: Scores, GPA, ECs
Weaknesses: Essays, recs, lack of awards
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: My essays were half-assed and it probably showed.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at UCLA, UCSD, UCD (with Regents). Waiting on 6 Ivies and Stanford. Deferred from Harvard.

General Comments (if any):
I’m not really surprised because I didn’t really want to go (in comparison to other schools). Congrats to all who got in!

11

Decision: Accepted

Decision Plan: Regular Decision with Early Evaluation

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1490 720R 770M
ACT (breakdown): didn’t send
SAT II: 800 Math2, 750 USH, 680&730 Lit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Weighted GPA: n/a
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Lang, U.S. Gov & Pol, Calc BC (5); US History, Micro (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C (dropped after 1st semester), Calc III at local university, Stats at local community college, AP English Lit, AP Euro, Latin IV, AP Macro
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist, published in some small lit mags, varsity letter in forensics

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): VP of debate team, member of multi-state debate exec board, captain of quiz bowl, member of forensics, secretary of student government, NHS, Link Crew, hair and makeup specialist at local theater
Job/Work Experience: election inspector, intern on congressional campaign (200+ hours, we lost lol awk)
Volunteer/Community service: not much, mostly at local library
Summer Activities: summer programs at Brown, UMich, Penn, working on congressional campaign, volunteering
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App: 9.8/10: not my favorite at the time, but people who read it loved it and looking it over it’s pretty good. I misstated the name of a country, though…
Wellesley 100: 7/10: it wasn’t as pretty as my other essays, but it got the job done and I clearly wasn’t bs-ing it
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): 9.8/10: math teacher/former quiz bowl coach; she really likes me, and her letters have gotten kids into Harvard before so we know it’s good
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): magnet teacher; got me into a competitive summer program, but also she wrote ~40 this year and I’m not sure how personalized it was
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): 8/10: I think she likes me, she had to write almost a hundred however
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details):
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): 7/10; I was nervous (it was my first interview) and I called Wellesley a girls’ college (which is a big no-no, @all future applicants reading this), but I’m a good talker

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: political science & math
State (if domestic applicant): MI
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public magnet
Ethnicity: Asian/white
Income Bracket: 200K+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): my counselor claims the Midwest is a hook lol but no none

Reflections:
Strengths: test scores, ECs, essays
Weaknesses: Why Wellesley could have been stronger, not much volunteering
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have the stats and strong ECs
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: accepted UMich-Ann Arbor, Eastern Michigan, Smith; rejected WashU in StL; deferred Harvard; still waiting on Penn, Columbia, Brown, Georgetown, American, Princeton, Wesleyan

General Comments (if any):

12

WAITLISTED

Decision Plan: RD

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 35
SAT II: 1520
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.3
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 3%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Bio, APUSH, AP German, AP Human Geography, AP Language and Composition, AP Calculus AB (all 5s)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Micro/Macroeconomics, AP Chemistry, AP Literature and Composition
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
National Merit Finalist
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Speech & Debate (VP)
Hip-Hop club (President)
School Board Student Representative
Job/Work Experience:
Sandia Labs Intern
Piano teacher
Tutor
Public Schools Intern
Volunteer/Community service:
Church kids’ ministry
Choral accompanist
Summer Activities:
Scientific research at Sandia
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
I personally believe my supp. essay really came across as cold and impersonal, since my writing style tends towards the matter-of-fact (if you can’t tell already based on this response haha sobs)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Unsure. Probably around 8 overall
Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): 7 bio teacher a little distant from me
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): 9 AP Lang teacher and speech and debate coach
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details):
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details):
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details):

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: biochem
State (if domestic applicant): NM
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Chinese (probably hurt)
Income Bracket: ~180k per year, two working parents
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): literally nothing. Chinese-American, upper middle-class privileged girl #blessed

Reflections:
Strengths: great on paper
Weaknesses: little personality displayed outside of school
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: impersonal in essay
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted UNC-Chapel Hill
Accepted ASU, UPitt, UNM
Accepted UCLA
Waitlisted Northwestern
Rejected WashU
Waiting on: Duke, Rice, Stanford

General Comments (if any):
Sell yourself. And if admissions doesn’t want you, don’t take it too personally <3. Also if money is an issue, apply to other schools similar to Wellesley which offer merit aid, like Mt. Holyoke, Smith, Lewis & Clark, Clemson, etc.

13

Decision: Accepted

Decision Plan: RD with Early Evaluation (Likely)

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): did not submit
ACT (breakdown): C: 32, E: 36, M: 31, R: 33, S: 29
SAT II: did not submit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75
Weighted GPA: not calculated
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school does not rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Physics 1 (did not report) NOTE: My school restricts APs to upperclassmen, so this was my first one ever. Unfortunately, most of the APs offered at my school are either history or natural sciences (subjects I detest), and offers almost none of the APs that I would have liked to take (AP Psych, AP Stats, AP Lang, etc.)
IB (place score in parenthesis): school does not offer
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Music Theory, AP Calculus AB, AP Spanish Language, Psychology, Leadership 12, Chorus
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Hispanic Scholar

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Taekwondo (2nd degree black belt, junior instructor, Leadership team, regional demonstration team), Glee Club (President), Young Feminist Society (President and co-founder), Musical Theatre (in-school credits include Little Shop of Horrors (Chiffon), Mary Poppins (Ms. Andrew), and Annie (Annie - as a senior! I’m 4’11" lol)), Student Government (Vice President), Student Ambassador, International Club
Job/Work Experience: Junior Instructor at my TKD; family responsibilities (I have 3 younger brothers and my mom is a single parent)
Volunteer/Community service: I enjoy volunteering at local schools’ theatre programs, as well as the summer camp at my TKD and a few other organizations such as Adopt a Family, the Humane Society, and the Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless
Summer Activities: Brown University Leadership Institute, working at my taekwondo, family responsibilities
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App:I wrote about how helping this one little boy at my taekwondo with his anxiety made me realize how to deal with my anxiety disorder. This is one of the best essays I have ever written. 9/10
Supplements: I chose #23 (the Multifaith Center - I talked about being raised by a convert to Islam and how growing up Muslim has taught me to reject society’s stereotypes and judgement of certain groups of people) and #93 (Yanvalou - talked about the concert they had at DWW and how music is the ultimate form of expression and communication). Looking back at my application as a whole, I honestly think these paragraphs were the reason I was accepted. 9.5/10

Recommendations:
Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): My 11th grade English teacher and academic advisor for all 4 years of high school. I waived my right to read it, but she told me bits and pieces and, knowing her writing, it was the best recommendation I could have ever gotten. 11/10
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): My 9th, 11th, and 12th grade Spanish teacher. Did not read, but he is also a great writer and has been a wonderful mentor to me in and out of the classroom. 9/10
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): She knows me better than about 80% of my class (of 40 haha) and has a reputation for her awesome recommendations. She has a lot on her plate (she just found out she’s having a baby!) but I’m sure it was still a great recommendation. 7/10
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): My high school chorus teacher. He actually offered to write me a recommendation as I was about to ask him. 4 years of chorus with 1 year of being his assistant director, as well as being in 3 of the shows he’s directed at my school, has resulted in a pretty close student/teacher relationship. 9/10
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): Subpar. My interviewer arrived late and left early because she had other plans. The actual interview was pretty good. 5.628/10

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: heck yeah
Intended Major: Sociology + Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Private (bless my scholarship)
Ethnicity: african-american + puerto rican
Income Bracket: <$25,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, single mother (my mom is one, not me haha)

Reflections:
Strengths: Essays (!!!), recommendations, extracurriculars
Weaknesses: GPA (I had extenuating circumstances in 9th grade that I explained in the additional information section), lack of geographic diversity (NY is one of Wellesley’s most popular states), lack of APs, interview, generally low self-esteem lol
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think my essays probably pushed me over the edge. I also showed a lot of demonstrated interest and overall think I’d be a good fit for the school’s community.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Barnard, Brandeis, Bryn Mawr, MoHo, SUNY New Paltz, Wheaton MA. Rejected: Swarthmore. Waiting on: Brown (Deferred ED), Hamilton, Haverford, Smith, Syracuse, Vassar, and Wesleyan.

General Comments (if any): I’m blown away! Before my likely EE I thought for sure I’d be rejected. Wellesley is by far one of my favorite colleges and I can’t believe I’ve been given this opportunity to attend. Best of luck to everyone else in their college search!

1 Like
14

Decision: Accepted

Decision Plan: RD with Early Evaluation (Likely)

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): did not submit
ACT (breakdown): C: 32, E: 36, M: 31, R: 33, S: 29
SAT II: did not submit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75
Weighted GPA: not calculated
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school does not rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Physics 1 (did not report) NOTE: My school restricts APs to upperclassmen, so this was my first one ever. Unfortunately, most of the APs offered at my school are either history or natural sciences (subjects I detest), and offers almost none of the APs that I would have liked to take (AP Psych, AP Stats, AP Lang, etc.)
IB (place score in parenthesis): school does not offer
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Music Theory, AP Calculus AB, AP Spanish Language, Psychology, Leadership 12, Chorus
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Hispanic Scholar

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Taekwondo (2nd degree black belt, junior instructor, Leadership team, regional demonstration team), Glee Club (President), Young Feminist Society (President and co-founder), Musical Theatre (in-school credits include Little Shop of Horrors (Chiffon), Mary Poppins (Ms. Andrew), and Annie (Annie - as a senior! I’m 4’11" lol)), Student Government (Vice President), Student Ambassador, International Club
Job/Work Experience: Junior Instructor at my TKD; family responsibilities (I have 3 younger brothers and my mom is a single parent)
Volunteer/Community service: I enjoy volunteering at local schools’ theatre programs, as well as the summer camp at my TKD and a few other organizations such as Adopt a Family, the Humane Society, and the Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless
Summer Activities: Brown University Leadership Institute, working at my taekwondo, family responsibilities
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App:I wrote about how helping this one little boy at my taekwondo with his anxiety made me realize how to deal with my anxiety disorder. This is one of the best essays I have ever written. 9/10
Supplements: I chose #23 (the Multifaith Center - I talked about being raised by a convert to Islam and how growing up Muslim has taught me to reject society’s stereotypes and judgement of certain groups of people) and #93 (Yanvalou - talked about the concert they had at DWW and how music is the ultimate form of expression and communication). Looking back at my application as a whole, I honestly think these paragraphs were the reason I was accepted. 9.5/10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): My 11th grade English teacher and academic advisor for all 4 years of high school. I waived my right to read it, but she told me bits and pieces and, knowing her writing, it was the best recommendation I could have ever gotten. 11/10
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): My 9th, 11th, and 12th grade Spanish teacher. Did not read, but he is also a great writer and has been a wonderful mentor to me in and out of the classroom. 9/10
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): She knows me better than about 80% of my class (of 40 haha) and has a reputation for her awesome recommendations. She has a lot on her plate (she just found out she’s having a baby!) but I’m sure it was still a great recommendation. 7/10
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): My high school chorus teacher. He actually offered to write me a recommendation as I was about to ask him. 4 years of chorus with 1 year of being his assistant director, as well as being in 3 of the shows he’s directed at my school, has resulted in a pretty close student/teacher relationship. 9/10
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): Meh. My interviewer arrived late and left early because she had other plans. The actual interview was pretty good. 5.628/10

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: heck yeah
Intended Major: Sociology + Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Private (bless my scholarship)
Ethnicity: african-american + puerto rican
Income Bracket: <$25,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, single mother (my mom is one, not me haha)

Reflections:
Strengths: Essays (!!!), recommendations, extracurriculars
Weaknesses: GPA (I had extenuating circumstances in 9th grade that I explained in the additional information section), lack of geographic diversity (NY is one of Wellesley’s most popular states), lack of APs, interview, generally low self-esteem lol
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think my essays probably pushed me over the edge. I also showed a lot of demonstrated interest and overall think I’d be a good fit for the school’s community.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Barnard, Brandeis, Bryn Mawr, MoHo, SUNY New Paltz, Wheaton MA. Rejected: Swarthmore. Waiting on: Brown (Deferred ED), Hamilton, Haverford, Smith, Syracuse, Vassar, and Wesleyan.

General Comments (if any): I’m blown away! Before my likely EE I thought for sure I’d be rejected. Wellesley is by far one of my favorite colleges and I can’t believe I’ve been given this opportunity to attend. Best of luck to everyone else in their college search!