Princeton 2018 RD results discussion and review

Colleges and Universities A-Z Princeton University
21

<p>Accepted</p>

<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>]SAT: 2300 (M: 770, CR: 740, W: 790) (3 tests)
[</em>]SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Chemistry
[<em>]ACT: 34 (M: 36, S: 34, E: 33, R: 32, Essay: 8)
[</em>]GPA: 3.98 UW
[<em>]Rank: 12/325 UW, 29/325 W (transferred from another school which messed these up)
[</em>]Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): APs: Calculus BC (5) (AB Subscore: 5), Chemistry (5), Psychology (5), English Language (5), Physics C Mechanics (5), Physics C E&M (5), Statistics (4), US History (4)
[/ul]Subjective[ul]
[<em>]Essays:

  • Common App – About my brother and what he means to me
  • Work Experience – Summer Research Internship
  • Additional – About my experiences at a boarding school in India
    [</em>]Teacher Recs:
  • Physics Teacher - AMAZING, she showed it to me and I couldn’t have asked for a better one - talked about my passion for helping other students
  • Social Studies (Civics, Psychology and US Government) Teacher - Probably pretty good, she knew me and liked me
  • Research Mentor – Probably very good, we’ve worked together for 2 years and it’s been great
  • PGSS Director – Saw it, was pretty good
    [<em>]Counselor Rec: IDK, probably all right.
    [</em>]Interview: Amazing! We connected immediately as she was a post-doc at CMU doing research.
    [<em>]Supplementary Material:
    Research Paper
    Summary of what kind of research I do
    A novella related to my experiences in India
    [</em>]Hook (recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize): None, really
    [/ul]Personal[ul]
    [<em>]Location: PA
    [</em>]High School Type: Large public
    [<em>]Ethnicity: 1/2 White, 1/2 Indian (Asian)
    [</em>]Gender: XY
    [/ul]Other[ul]
    [<em>]Extracurriculars: FIRST Robotics Team Captain, Science Bowl Co-captain, Improv Club, Varsity Frisbee, Science Olympiad, Volunteering as teaching assistant at museum summer camps, debate, piano
    [</em>]Awards: National AP Scholar, National Merit Semifinalist, Accepted to Pennsylvania Governor’s School for Sciences, Science Olympiad Regional Champion, RIT Computing Medal
    [li]Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?: Not sure why I got in… I’m pretty average for an Ivy applicant to be honest. Maybe it was the research supplement that set me apart. Anyways, I got rejected by Yale, Stanford, MIT, Penn and waitlisted at Harvard so I guess this was my lucky school! Best of luck to everyone![/li][/ul]</p>
22

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2260 (superscored- 730 M, 760 R, 770 W)</p>

<p>ACT: 34</p>

<p>SAT II: 800 MII, 790 Chem, 780 Physics</p>

<p>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85</p>

<p>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 45ish/ 330ish</p>

<p>AP (place score in parenthesis): Chem (5), Calc AB (5), APUSH (4), Psych, Lit, Lang, BC, Physics C- Mech self-study</p>

<p>IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A</p>

<p>Senior Year Course Load: Organic Chemistry I, Calc BC, Calc III, AP Psych, AP Lit & Lang, German IV, Band, Orchestra, Physics C-self study (for credit)</p>

<p>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMF, I guess. </p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Violin and bassoon performance (all-state for both, various concertmaster/principal positions, lots of ensemble playing, many solo festival high ranks, etc), FRC robotics (student leadership, build lead, international liason), FTC robotics (captain, build lead), science and math clubs (cofounded/copresided), Rubik’s cube clubs (cofounded/copresided), Guitar in jazz band, Model UN, science olympiad, some other science/math/music stuff</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: Paid research assistant this past summer</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service: Small amount of library work</p>

<p>Summer Activities: Vacationing, research, music camp, summer classes, also moving took up a lot of time lol</p>

<p>Essays: CA essay: I guess it sucked, cause I didn’t get into any of my common app schools. Wrote about my bed (where I’m most content)
Princeton essays: Thought they were decent… recycled my UC essay for one of them though.</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation: Both were probably ok, probably not stellar…</p>

<p>Counselor Rec: Meh. Knew me a little, but not much. </p>

<p>Additional Rec: N/A</p>

<p>Interview: Went decently, but didn’t seem like a super conversation either. </p>

<p>Other
Intended Major: Mathematics or Chemistry</p>

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

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

<p>School Type: Public</p>

<p>Ethnicity: Asian</p>

<p>Gender: M</p>

<p>Income Bracket: No finaid. </p>

<p>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): lolnope</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: N/A haha</p>

<p>Weaknesses: GPA, ECs, Essays. </p>

<p>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Because Princeton. </p>

<p>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: UCLA, UC Berkeley, UIUC, safeties; Waitlisted: UChicago, Vanderbilt, Case Western; Rejected: Brown, Dartmouth, CMU, Northwestern, MIT, Caltech, Stanford</p>

23

<p>**[color=green]Decision: Accepted[/color=green]</p>

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>]SAT I (breakdown): 2130, didn’t submit
[</em>]ACT (breakdown): 35 (32 M, 35 S, 35 E, 36 R)
[<em>]SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math I (790), Biology-E (750), Spanish (600)
[</em>]Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
[<em>]Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/329
[</em>]AP (place score in parentheses): Chemistry (2), Language (5), Microeconomics (4), Macroeconomics (4), US History (5)
[<em>]IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
[</em>]Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Calc AB, AP Biology, Spanish V, AP U.S. Gov, AP Psychology
[li]Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):Statewide math competition, AP Scholar w/ Honor, Boys’ State Nominee[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Subjective:

[ul]
[<em>]Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): NHS (vice president), Spanish Club (founder and president), setting up Red Cross Blood Drives, Reaching Higher, Communications Camp.
[</em>]Job/Work Experience: 2+ years as technology intern for my school district w/ promotion to highest position.
[<em>]Volunteer/Community Service: Miscellaneous volunteering, Red Cross, community cleanup, etc.
[</em>]Summer Activities: Work, travel baseball.
[<em>]Essays: I’d give my essays an overall score of 9/10
[</em>]Teacher Recommendations: 10/10, 7/10
[<em>]Counselor Rec: 7/10
[</em>]Additional Rec: 9/10, it was from the superintendent of our district.
[li]Interview: 9/10, I talked for a long time and had a good experience with my interviewer.[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Other

[ul]
[<em>]State (if domestic applicant): MI
[</em>]Country (if international applicant):
[<em>]School Type: Public
[</em>]Ethnicity: White
[<em>]Gender: Male
[</em>]Income Bracket: <$30,000
[li]Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation, low income, single parent home (father died when I was a kid), very underrepresented area (I’m the only student to be accepted to Princeton or Harvard in ~40 years since its opening).[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Reflection

[ul]
[<em>]Strengths: Essays, recommendations, hooks.
[</em>]Weaknesses: Some standardized testing, international awards.
[<em>]Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I’ve got good hooks and I wrote pretty good essays.
[</em>]Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted: Harvard, UMich. Waitlisted: Yale, Dartmouth, Vanderbilt.
[li]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I was really surprised that I was accepted, considering a 2 (ugh) on my AP Chem exam and no phenomenal awards. They must have just pulled my number out of the hat.[/li][/ul]</p>

24

<p>Decision: ACCEPTED</p>

<p>Objective:
•ACT: 35 Composite (one sitting in Grade 10)
•SAT II: Math Level 2 800, Chemistry 790, US History 800
•Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
•Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/278
•AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus BC 5, Chemistry 5, US Govt & Politics 5, US History 5, World History 5, Spanish Language 4, English Language & Comp 4, Psychology (self-studied) 4
•IB (place score in parenthesis): NA
•Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Statistics, AP Biology, AP Physics, Multivariable Calculus Independent Study, Medicaid Nurse Aide, Senior Seminar
•Honors/Awards: National Merit Finalist, National AP Scholar, Kentucky Governor Scholar, HOSA 1st Place State & Region Medical Math</p>

<p>Subjective:
•Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 4-yr Varsity Soccer (Team Captain, Defensive MVP, All-Region, Academic All-State), Math Club/Mu Alpha Theta (Founder & President), Track & Field, Health Occupations Students of America HOSA (President, VP of Programming, Secretary), Club Soccer (Team Captain), Church Youth Group (3x Mission Trip Volunteer, Small Group Leader), National Beta Club (President, Treasurer), National Honor Society (President)
•Volunteer/Community service: 3x Mission Trip Volunteer and other church volunteer activities, TOPSoccer volunteer for young athletes with special needs, volunteer math tutor
•Summer Activities: KY Governor’s Scholar 5-week summer program in Physical Science (12), DukeTIP Institute of Advanced Cancer Therapies (11), “So You Want to be a Doctor?” online course while recovering from ACL surgery (10), Three Mission Trips (9, 11, 12), Soccer conditioning every summer
•Essays: Common app essay was very personal about a family set-back that we all had to overcome
•Teacher Recommendation: Great (requested way in advance)
•Counselor Rec: Great - she loves me
•Additional Rec: Club Soccer Coach and Church Youth Pastor
•Interview: Intense & thorough but pleasant</p>

<p>Other:
•State (if domestic applicant): KY
•Country (if international applicant): USA
•School Type: Public
•Ethnicity: White
•Gender: F
•Income Bracket: Middle class
•Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): ??girl who is good at math from Kentucky??</p>

<p>Reflection:
•Strengths: High test scores & GPA , Rigorous course load & AP classes/exam scores, focused elective course load in Health Sciences, Valedictorian, good ECs with leadership and continuity, good essays and recommendations, doctor shadowing experiences
•Weaknesses: Non URM, no USAMO/Intel/Major Awards, no research experience
•Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: ??Took time on my essays, prayed!
•Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted to Northwestern and HPME Program, Harvard, Princeton, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt with Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship, Georgia Tech, UVA and Jefferson Scholar Finalist, UF, UGA, Auburn, Alabama, Clemson, UK & BS/MD program; UofLouisville & GEMS program; Wait Listed at MIT and WashU; Rejected from Yale and Stanford</p>

<p>General Comments: So thrilled and thankful!! Can’t believe it!! . Big decisions to make over the next few weeks!</p>

25

<p>Decision: DENIED</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Not Taken.</p>

<p>ACT: 35 Composite - 34 English - 33 Math - 36 Reading - 36 Science</p>

<p>SAT II: 720 Math 1 - 680 Physics (Little too low right?)</p>

<p>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.91 (Two Bs)</p>

<p>Weighted GPA: 4.09</p>

<p>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%</p>

<p>AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 Calculus BC (5 AB Subscore) - 5 US History - 5 US Government</p>

<p>IB (place score in parenthesis): School Does Not Offer.</p>

<p>Senior Year Course Load: Calculus 3 - Calculus Based Physics - AP Chemistry - AP Language and Composition - Senior Design - Robotics</p>

<p>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Commended National Merit Scholar - AP Scholar - Leadership and Academic All Star</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Government (Class President and Student Body President) - School Spirit Shop (Founder and Manager) - Soccer (4 Year Varsity Player, Captain Senior Year) - FRC Robotics (Administration Captain) - FTC Robotics (Team Captain) - Basketball (2 Time JV Captain) - Track</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: None</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service: Local Foodbank, 3 Years, Warehouse Assistant - Botanic Gardens, 6 years, Construction Projects</p>

<p>Summer Activities: Sports camps and volunteering, but not much here. This was probably my biggest weakness. weakness.</p>

<p>Essays: It’s hard to judge these accurately. I thought my Princeton essays were absolutely the best ones I wrote and are true to who I am, but it’s impossible to know if they were up to snuff.</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation:
Calculus/Physics Teacher: I took a risk with this one. He had only known me for a little over three months, but he was an incredibly smart guy with an amazing story. He wrote his LOR about me teaching third graders about the different kinds of waves and how we use those waves in sonar and radar. Overall, 8/10.
Latin Teacher/Leadership Mentor: This one was probably fairly generic. He’s a smart, motivated guy, but I’m not sure about his writing style or ability. 7/10.</p>

<p>Counselor Rec: Outstanding. I was one of the only students from my school applying to this level of school, so I was sure to meet with my counselor numerous times. She knew me exceedingly well as we had worked together on a number of projects and presentations. 10/10.</p>

<p>Interview: The BEST interview I have ever had! We talked for more than two hours about everything from the ski and snow conditions to current events to Princeton itself. He acknowledged the fact that the interview really didn’t mean anything in terms of admissions, but he was determined to give the best shot he could at getting me in. I walked out of that coffee shop feeling like I had just become friends with a 28 year old CEO, and it turns out I had. He has continued to help mentor me and assist with a couple of projects I had in the works.</p>

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

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

<p>School Type: Small Charter</p>

<p>Race: White</p>

<p>Gender: Male</p>

<p>Income Bracket: Apparently too much for any financial aid…</p>

<p>Hooks: Geography? But other than that, none to speak of.</p>

<p>Reflection:
Strengths: ACT, Letters of Rec (I think), Leadership, School Involvement</p>

<p>Weaknesses: SAT IIs, Essays, Interview was nothing special, Summers weren’t spent doing the “right” things, I also needed to take more AP tests (I took 7 AP classes, but only took 3 tests.)</p>

<p>Why you think you were denied: I guess I didn’t have that one special/different/unusual thing that could’ve put my application over the edge. I was very well rounded, and this isn’t all that a school like Princeton is looking for. I also began preparing fairly late so this could have shown through. But in the end, I really think I needed one big, standout extracurricular to set my application apart.</p>

<p>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/denied:
Accepted: Colorado School of Mines, University of Colorado at Boulder, and the United States Military Academy at West Point
Denied: United States Naval Academy, Yale, Harvard, and Duke</p>

<p>General Comments: I really, really wanted Princeton, so that rejection hurt the most, but things are okay for me. I know that I will excel and thrive at West Point, so I am perfectly content with where I am headed. Good luck to all future applicants! Do everything you can to get in to your dream school, but just remember that everything will fall into place in the end. You can succeed anywhere as long as you put your mind to it.</p>

<p>I hope that future CCers can find my stats and results useful in the future!</p>

26

<p>My friend got into Princeton, but I have no idea how.
Regular Decision</p>

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 1820 (600M 600R 620W)
ACT: 27
SAT II: 640 US History, 600 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 21/395 (Insanely competitive school)
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH(4), Computer Programming (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Academic Anatomy, AP Calc, Honors Portuguese IV, AP Euro
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Math Team
Job/Work Experience: works at a grocery store
Volunteer/Community service: none
Summer Activities: work
Essays (rating 1-10, details): his sister wrote it for him
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 8/10
Teacher Rec #2:8/10
Counselor Rec: standard
Additional Rec:
Interview: Great</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large public
Ethnicity: W, but lied and put hispanic
Gender: M
Income Bracket: <$100K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Grades
Weaknesses: extracurriculars, essays, bad scores
Why you think you were accepted: no idea
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted WPI, UMass AMherst, RIT. Rejected: Carnegie Mellon, Northeastern</p>

27

<p>Decision: Accepted (Regular Decision)</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2340 (760 Math; 780 Critical Reading; 800 Writing)
ACT:
SAT II: 800 Math Level II; 800 Biology (Molecular); 770 U.S. History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/514
AP (place score in parenthesis): English III (4); U.S. History (5); Biology (5); Chemistry (5); Computer Science (4); World History (5); Comparative Politics (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP English IV, Theater III Dual Credit, Physics AP B, Calculus BC, Latin IV AP, Government AP/Microeconomics AP
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar and the like
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Summer Neuroscience Research at UT Southwestern, Volunteer at Science museum for 4 years, Junior Classical League for 4 years, Quiz Bowl Captain for 2 years, Science Team, Theater for 2 years and several plays, Rock Climb as a hobby
Job/Work Experience: Tutor and Researcher
Volunteer/Community service: Science Museum
Summer Activities: Researcher and museum volunteer as travelled to learn about my Jewish heritage one summer
Essays: All were okay, but my main Princeton essay was perfect. I really displayed somebody who saw a problem with the world and set out to fix it. I performed a play at my school even though the school said the material was inappropriate (dealing with southern conservatives and evolutionary backlash).
Teacher Recommendation: 9.5/10 from Latin teacher (She spoke about how I was energetic and funny as well as a good student); 7.5/10 from English teacher who worded things a little awkwardly.
Counselor Rec: 5/10 or worse. He barely knew me and always got my name wrong.
Additional Rec:
Interview: Pretty good, the woman talked mainly about herself the whole time.
Other
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection
Strengths: One particular essay, Grades, Scores
Weaknesses: Lack of diversity early on in high school; counselor rec-letter; not too diverse in general
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: luck of the draw and a spot-on essay.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: ACCEPTED: Rice, Vanderbilt, University of Texas (Dean Scholars and Plan II). WAITLISTED: Harvard, Dartmouth, Brown, Duke REJECTED: WashU, Stanford, Columbia, Yale, UPenn</p>

28

<p>Decision: Accepted/Waitlisted/Rejected</p>

<p>Decision: Accepted
(Deferred SCEA)</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 800 M, 800 CR, 770 W
SAT II: 800 US History, 800 Physics, 800 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 99%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (5), Microeconomics (5), Macroeconomics (5), Chemistry (5), English Lang (5), Statistics (5), Physics C: Mech (5), Physics C: EM (5), Gov: US (5), Gov: Comparative (5), US History (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Spanish Lang, Human Anatomy & Physiology, Princeton University MAT 214, Independent Study
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 1st Place Academic Decathlon States (2012, 2013, 2014), National History Day 4th Nationals (2012), AIME Qualifier (2012, 2013, 2014), National AP Scholar</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Academic Decathlon (President), National History Day (Officer), Debate (President), National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, violin, volleyball
Job/Work Experience: minimal
Volunteer/Community service: NHS Tutoring, Juvenile Conference Committee
Summer Activities: Pennsylvania School for Global Entrepreneurship (I do not recommend this at all), visiting family in China
Essays: mediocre–nothing sparkly
Teacher Recommendation: excellent
Counselor Rec: excellent
Additional Rec: NHD Adviser (worked closely w/ her for several years)
Interview: extremely short</p>

<p>Other
Intended Major: History
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
School Type: medium public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: female
Income Bracket: highest
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: commitment and success in extracurriculars, objective stats, good recs
Weaknesses: no major internships, AcaDec and NHD are lesser-known competitions than SciOly or USAMO, etc.</p>

<p>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: stats and extracurriculars</p>

<p>btw, I doubt essays helped/hurt me</p>

<p>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
accepted at MIT, Williams, Cornell, Dartmouth, Brown, Duke, UC Berkeley, UMich, Rutgers
waitlisted at Harvard, Yale, Columbia, JHU
rejected by UPenn, Stanford</p>

29

<p>Decision: Waitlisted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): M 710 CR 770 W 730, superscore: 2210
ACT (breakdown): 30 (didn’t submit)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math I (750) Chemistry (770)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 94
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 8/104
AP (place score in parentheses): AP US (5) AP Bio (4) AP World (4) AP Spanish (4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP Physics B, AP English, AP US Gov, AP Stats
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Hispanic Scholar, American Chemical Society Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry, New York State Department of Education Scholarship (highest regent examination scores)
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Co-Captain of Varsity Hockey (4 years), Chess Team, Math Team, Soccer Team goalie, Robotics Team,
Job/Work Experience: Paid Tutor
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteered Hospital
Summer Activities: 2 summers at Harvard taking General Chemistry (b+) and Organic Chemistry (B+)
Essays: Amazng – Spoke about my love for science and how I view the world in a quirky way.
Teacher Recommendations: Both amazing
Counselor Rec: I think it was good
Additional Rec: Recommendation from my Professor in Gen Chem who also is the head of the chem department at Harvard
Interview: Went pretty good
Other
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 70,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):Urm, Organic Chemistry at Harvard, and Letter of rec from head of chem department at harvard
Reflection
Strengths: Strong focus in chemistry, very good essays and subject test scores
Weaknesses: Gpa and rank could have been higher (9th grade)
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: My essays, my letters of rec, and my summer classes (organic chem as a high schooler)
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Duke, Northwestern, Cornell, NYU (full tuition), Macaulay Honors College, Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education. Wait listed: Yale, Princeton, Amherst College, University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins, University of Chicago, Washu, Rice, Vanderbilt. Rejected: Harvard (deferred EA), Dartmouth
General Comments: Apply to as many schools as possible. Each year, acceptance rates keep going down. As you can tell, had I only applied to 11 schools, there could have been a chance of getting in nowhere. Make sure you work on those essays since everyone starts to look the same with the same stats. Also regardless of where you get in, know that what you do in college counts much more than where you go to college.</p>

30

<p>Posting for my son - </p>

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2310 (CR: 790, M:800, W: 720) - single sitting</p>

<p>ACT:</p>

<p>SAT II: Math 2 (800); Physics (800); Chem (800)</p>

<p>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.84</p>

<p>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank</p>

<p>AP (place score in parenthesis): USH(5), Eng Lang(4), Phys C E&M(5), Phys C M(5)</p>

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

<p>Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Calc BC, AP CS, AP Stat, Hon Org Chem, Band</p>

<p>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): No major awards. Won several state level science and math awards</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 6 years in school symphonic and jazz bands, Band President, Section leader, state ensembles in senior year and regional level ensembles all 4 years. Science awards at state level in Biology and Physics.</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: Research internship in the summer</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service: Mix of music related activities and volunteering for various local events</p>

<p>Summer Activities: Rutgers YSP, internship, music camps</p>

<p>Essays: Common App - used the prompt on a place of contentment. The Princeton supplemental essays turned out the best of all the supplements.</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation: We did not see any of the teacher recommendations, but we assume they were good. One from Physics teacher who liked him a lot and the other was from History teacher.</p>

<p>Counselor Rec: Did not see it. Assume it was good.</p>

<p>Additional Rec: Great rec from his band director who adores him.</p>

<p>Interview: Went very well. The interviewer even complimented me when I went to pick him up.</p>

<p>Other
Intended Major: Some science, maybe physics</p>

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

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

<p>School Type:Public</p>

<p>Ethnicity: Asian</p>

<p>Gender:M</p>

<p>Income Bracket: >$200K</p>

<p>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Test scores, and maybe essays, recommendations that conveyed his passion in whatever he does.</p>

<p>Weaknesses: GPA and the B’s he got. Small number of APs. No extraordinary awards.</p>

<p>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:My son is very passionate in everything he does and we assume Princeton saw that, even though his GPA and scores were not extraordinary. We also think that his art supplement (music recording) helped.</p>

<p>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: CMU, UC Berkeley, Cornell. Rejected: Yale, Harvard, Stanford, U Chicago, Columbia</p>

31

<p>Decision: Rejected (Engineering)</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2380 (800 CR/790 M/ 790 W)
ACT (breakdown): 36
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (800); Physics (750); Spanish (750)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parentheses): Calculus (5); Comp Sci (5)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, AP Micro/Macro Econ, AP Stats, Engineering
Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit finalist; Scholar-Athlete Award</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Football, Mu Alpha Theta, Science Honor Society
Job/Work Experience: Product development team for a local start-up company (computer related)
Volunteer/Community Service: math tutor
Summer Activities: football training, work
Essays:
Teacher Recommendations: no idea
Counselor Rec: great (according to her)
Interview: good</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: large public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: too high for financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: University of Pennsylvania; Penn State (Schreyer’s Honors); Purdue (Honors College).
Rejected: Harvard, Cornell, MIT, Stanford, Duke
Waitlisted: Carnegie Mellon SCS</p>

32

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2250 (CR:800 W:770 M: 680)</p>

<p>ACT: Did not take</p>

<p>SAT II: Lit (780), French (800)</p>

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

<p>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank, but in the top 1%</p>

<p>AP (place score in parenthesis): AP German (5), AP French (5)</p>

<p>IB (place score in parenthesis): 7 in English HL</p>

<p>Senior Year Course Load: I’m taking the German Abitur so: Japanese, advanced English, German, French, Ethics, History, advanced Biology, advanced Chemistry, Math
— very rigorous (the German Abitur will gain you an advanced standing if you request it, which I obviously won’t be doing because who–on scholarship - would want to shorten the already limited time they can spend at such an amazing institution?!) </p>

<p>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 1st place at National German Foreign Languages Competition in French; English; Japanese; Farsi, Scholar of the National German Academic Foundation, Honors by Minister of Culture for extraordinary voluntary service, Honors by US Department of Veteran Affairs for extraordinary voluntary service, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA departmental honors for extraordinary voluntary service, selected to represent the European Youth Parliament Germany at the 75th International Session of the EYP in Riga</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Chamber choir (lead soprano), European Youth Parliament (delegate, journalist, chairperson), municipal student council of Frankfurt (VP), state student council (board member), student council §</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: Tutor/ Interned at a hotel in Essex, GB</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered in Epilepsy research at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA for 250+ hours, volunteered at the Epilepsy Center of Excellence WLAVA for 160 hours, served as a mentor to underprivileged students and tutored them</p>

<p>Summer Activities: Chaired in EYP sessions around Europe, volunteered at UCLA, taught myself Dutch, worked to save up for college, studied for the SAT (courses are too damn expensive), worked out a lot</p>

<p>Essays: About the roots of racism – the Princeton essay (10/10), personal essay about how my work on the state student council affected me, since I met so many inspirational people and underwent sort of a personal/political story of initiation (7/10)</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation: English/Math – both (10/10)</p>

<p>Counselor Rec: We don’t have counselors, so my English teacher wrote me an additional one with more of a social focus (10/10)</p>

<p>Additional Rec: /</p>

<p>Interview: Was the only public school kid sans richy rich parents who dared to apply from around my area, so he was a bit baffled at first. Lasted like three hours and we mainly talked about destructive/ human rights undermining American policies and the lack of pluralism in the bipartisan system we witness today. My interviewer was very cool and I honestly just went to Starbucks and had a chat with an engaging person, so it would have paid off either way. </p>

<p>Other
Intended Major: Comparative Literature/Philosophy (we’ll see…)</p>

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

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

<p>School Type: Public (Gymnasium)</p>

<p>Nationality: Parents are Iranian (political asylum seekers), but I was born in Germany </p>

<p>Gender: Female</p>

<p>Income Bracket: ~9000$</p>

<p>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation, single mother, low income household</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Personality (I guess), awards, I speak eight foreign languages, SAT critical reading and writing scores, the Princeton essay, the fact that I aligned my extracurriculars with my political mindset and what I was most invested in as a person, volunteering in the neurology department at UCLA also showed my commitment to my vocational/ethical aspirations (hopefully going to do pre-med to work with Doctors Without Borders)</p>

<p>Weaknesses: Definitely SAT match scores, personal essay, if they didn’t know that sports teams aren’t a thing at German schools that as well</p>

<p>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I tried to be candid (probably why I got rejected by Harvard) about my ideas and values so that if I ended up at a school it’d be the perfect fit for me and not for the person I pretended to be in order to be accepted. In my personal essay I dedicated quite a few lines to a harsh criticism of educational systems and the indoctrination they include in many countries which obliterates the meaning of freedom completely. Especially to an American audience, this might have seemed too “leftist” but then again, some Americans consider Obama a socialist….</p>

<p>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Princeton, JHU Waitlisted: Yale Rejected: Harvard, Stanford</p>

33

<p>[color=red]Decision: Rejected[/color=red]</p>

<p>I realize this is a bit late, so I’ll just post my quick stats:</p>

<p>Objective:
-SAT: 2370 (math 770)
-SAT subject tests: 800 math 2, 800 bio, 770 US History
-Unweighted GPA: 4.0
-Class rank: salutatorian (out of about 280 students)
-AP: US History 5, Bio 4 (The AP’s probably did me in).
-Senior course load: second most rigorous possible for me + independent study project.</p>

<p>Subjective:
-Captain of varsity sport, played sport all four years
-played on competitive club team for this sport
-play obscure instrument at a high level (2 city-level honors bands, 2 state-level honors bands, 1 national-level honors band)
-350+ hours of community service</p>

<p>Other
-Caucasian male from overrepresented geographic location.
-My major weaknesses were the number of AP’s I took + my geographic location/ethnicity (Although I didn’t have control over these things. Would have taken more AP’s if it weren’t for my school).
-I’ll probably be going to my flagship state school for cheap.</p>

34

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): CR: 800 Math: 750 Writing:720</p>

<p>ACT: Took twice, first time without writing</p>

<h1>1: 35 (Science: 36, English: 36, Math: 35, Reading: 34)</h1>

<h1>2: 34 (Science:34, English:34, Math :35, Reading: 34, Writing:32)</h1>

<p>SAT II: Math II: 750 Chem: 780 Lit: 710</p>

<p>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): My school doesn’t do unweighted, but I think it’s around 3.9 (I got a 91 and a 92 sophomore year)</p>

<p>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not reveal rank for college apps</p>

<p>AP (place score in parenthesis):Euro (5), Chem (5), Calc AB(5), Lang (4), Bio (Pending), Physics C: Mech (pending), Stats (pending), Lit (pending), Spanish (pending), U.S Gov (pending), macro (pending)</p>

<p>IB (place score in parenthesis): none</p>

<p>Senior Year Course Load: Bio, Physics C: mech, Stats, Lit, Spanish, US gov, macro (all aps)</p>

<p>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit winner, Presidential Scholar nominee, Moody’s Mega Math Challenge Honorable Mention</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity and AAU basketball, used to play soccer (JV captain sophomore year) and won state championship on varsity call up, National Spanish honor society (Vice President), Jewish Awareness Club (President), BBYO (an international Jewish youth group, Regional Vice President)</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: minimal, small summer jobs</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service: ~120 hours</p>

<p>Summer Activities: Stuff related to my youth group </p>

<p>Essays: Common App was mediocre, supplement was good</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation: both good-really good</p>

<p>Counselor Rec: she was new this year so it was generic</p>

<p>Additional Rec: my peer rec (I think I attached it to my Princeton app) was incredible</p>

<p>Interview: I thought it didn’t go as well as my other interviews, but that is mostly just because it was short and I was not in the mood to talk myself up too much.</p>

<p>Other
Intended Major: I put astrophysics on my app but I’m leaning towards ORF now</p>

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

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

<p>School Type: Nationally recognized magnet school</p>

<p>Ethnicity: White</p>

<p>Gender: M</p>

<p>Income Bracket: 125-150k</p>

<p>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Sibling at Princeton</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Rigor, variety of ecs, test scores, supplement essay</p>

<p>Weaknesses: 9th/10th grade grades, common app essay</p>

<p>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: sibling legacy, course rigor, supplement essay</p>

<p>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Rejected: Harvard, MIT, Dartmouth, Northwestern, Wharton
Accepted: UVA, UNC, UGA, Emory
Waitlisted: Vandy</p>

35

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

<p>Objective:

[ul]
[<em>]SAT I (breakdown): Two sittings: Second - 2090 (790 M, 690 W, 610 CR); First - 2000 (750 M, 640 W, 610 CR).
[</em>]ACT (breakdown): Two sittings: Second - 34 (35 E, 34 M, 32 R, 33 S, 9 Essay); First - 30 (31 E, 34 M, 30 R, 26 S, 8 Essay).
[<em>]SAT II: 800 Math Level 2, 780 World History, 760 Math Level 1, 720 Chemistry, 710 US History.
[</em>]Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 105.926 (6th semester GPA, should go up throughout senior year). Unweighted: 99.6/100.0. For weighted GPA, an added 10% to all AP classes and 7% to all honors classes that are not AP. Unweighted GPA uses raw grades.
[<em>]Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1 out of 387.
[</em>]AP: Have taken 6, will take 7 more this year. 5 Statistics, 5 US History, 5 Human Geography, 4 Chemistry, 4 English Language, 4 World History. Will take Calculus AB, Physics B, Biology, Environmental Science, English Literature, US Government, and Microeconomics.
[<em>]IB (place score in parentheses): none
[</em>]Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB, AP Physics 1, AP Biology, AP Environmental Science, AP English Literature, AP US Government (semester), AP Microeconomics (semester), Band.
[li]Major Awards: AP Scholar with Distinction, 4x NM State Science Olympiad Champion, NM Congressional Award for Academic Achievement, Regional Scholar selected by Independent Committee (looks at academics, essays, interview, recommendations), 2x All-State Clarinetist.[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Subjective:

[ul]
[<em>]Extracurriculars: Science Olympiad: team captain for 4 years, I’ve won 5 titles at State, and have 20 other 1st-3rd placings at Regionals/State combined. I’ve performed exceptionally well in Anatomy & Physiology. Band: 2x All-State Clarinetist, 3x All-District Clarinetist, Drum Major, Clarinet Section Leader, Principal clarinetist in school’s Symphonic Band. National Honor Society: Elected President each of 3 years. Student Council: 10-12. Was Secretary 11th grade. Student Advisory Committee: was nominated by teachers and administrators to be the senior class representative. We plan things/fix issues that can make students’ lives better. Tennis: Junior Varsity freshman year.
[</em>]Job/Work Experience: I was a Youth Soccer Referee my freshman year. I officiated about 5 games a week for a fall and spring season for kids aged 5-12.
[<em>]Volunteer/Community Service: American Red Cross: I founded and currently am President of a Youth Club in our area. We go on disaster calls and do disaster prevention presentations at various community events. The club was founded in January and has grown to 10 students to-date. Nursing Home shadower: I’ve shadowed nurses in a nursing home intermittently since sophomore year. I’ve assisted, bathed, fed, and entertained patients. Physician shadower: I’ve shadowed a local cardiologist junior year. I helped in simple diagnostic activities, interacted with patients in examination rooms, and have shadowed testing at hospitals. National Honor Society: various associated projects. Student Council: various associated projects.
[</em>]Essays: I humbly think they were be great. Usually write good essays; my junior AP English teacher says I’m one of the best writers she’s ever had. I get them proofed by a college prep counselor.
[<em>]Teacher Recommendations: All should have be great. I have always had stellar relationships with my teachers. Most have taught for 20+ years, and they usually comment that I’m one of the best student’s they’ve ever taught. Have had a significant or special story in class with all of them.
[</em>]Counselor Rec: Should have beeen good. He really likes me and has made the comment that I am the most serious kid he’s seen about striving academically. Not sure how he conveyed that in writing, however.
[li]Interview: Went really well! She was an alumnus. Telephone call.[/li][/ul]</p>

<p>Other

[ul]
[<em>]State (if domestic applicant): New Mexico
[</em>]School Type: Public, only school in rural town of 40,000 people. ~2400 students. Graduation rate of 50-65%, but top students in the past have been accepted at Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Brown, Columbia, Dartmouth, Duke, Emory, Rice, Northwestern, UC-Berkeley, and Notre Dame.
[<em>]Ethnicity: Asian Indian
[</em>]Gender: Male
[<em>]Income Bracket: >$150,000
[</em>]Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Established and currently lead a community service organization (American Red Cross Youth Club). Good academic record for a student from a rural area in NM, if that counts.
[/ul]</p>

<p>Reflection

[ul]
[<em>]Strengths: ECs, ACT, GPA, courseload
[</em>]Weaknesses: SAT, essays
[<em>]Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Not really sure. I’m probably one of those standard great applicants that just happened to be overshadowed by other stellar applicants.
[</em>]Where else you are applying or have already applied: ill be attending UNM Combined BA/MD Program. Applied to Ivies, Northwestern, Rice, Duke.[li]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Glad I applied, but I was accepted to the offer that was best for me. Congrats to everyone accepted![/li][/ul]</p>

36

<p>Decision: Accepted/Waitlisted/Rejected</p>

<p>Objective: ACCEPTED</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown):2350</p>

<p>ACT:</p>

<p>SAT II:Physics 800, Chem 800, Math2 800</p>

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

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

<p>AP (place score in parenthesis):5 in APs</p>

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

<p>Senior Year Course Load:</p>

<p>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):USAMO, Intel Semifinalist, ISWEEP gold and other awards</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):Tennis, tutoring</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience:</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service:tutoring</p>

<p>Summer Activities:</p>

<p>Essays: good</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation:great</p>

<p>Counselor Rec:</p>

<p>Additional Rec:</p>

<p>Interview:</p>

<p>Other
Intended Major:</p>

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

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

<p>School Type: Public </p>

<p>Ethnicity: Asian</p>

<p>Gender:M</p>

<p>Income Bracket:</p>

<p>Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths:</p>

<p>Weaknesses:</p>

<p>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: so happy, college seems to be a gamble</p>

<p>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at Caltech, Duke, Stanford.</p>

37

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I: 2320 (790/730/800)
SAT II: 800 World History, 750 Chem, 750 Math II
Unweighted GPA: 3.8/4.0; >6 B’s
Rank: 18/420 at noncompetitive suburban school lolz</p>

<p>AP: Soph: Euro 4; Jun: Chem 4, CS 4, Lang 5, Art History 5
Senior Courses: Physics C (Mech/E&M), Calc BC, AP Stat, AP Lit, AP World, Computational Sci/Eng, senior reqs</p>

<p>Major Awards: NASA Engineering Design Challenge winner, NASA Space Habitat Innovation Challenge Finalist, Conrad Finalist, NASA Aerospace Scholar</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
FRC (Captain), NASA Aerospace Scholars (Captain), Theatre (I put tech as leadership lol), Science Club (VP - I may not have even listed this), NASA INSPIRE, club rugby
conducted rover research with the Mars Society
founded a hardware startup</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: worked at a restaurant since middle school, counselor at a robotics camp, babysitting; nothing impressive but it paid the bills and tied into my essays
Volunteer/Community service: nothing on my app; super unimportant honestly</p>

<p>Summer Activities:
senior: founded a hardware startup, went to NASA for Aerospace Scholars, worked at a robotics camp
underclass: NASA workshops on robotics, rocketry, and exoplanets/astrobiology; babysat</p>

<p>Essays:
10/10 CA - The Time I Accidentally Destroyed My Parents’ Marriage; one reader cried and another requested to keep it on file for demonstrating Showing vs. Telling
9/10 quote supplement - used a quote about freedom to discuss how I learned it’s okay not to be independent
8/10 why princeton/BSE - very specific; showed how I fit Princeton’s philosophy and I’d use Princeton’s opportunities
8/10 excur - got philosophical about stargazing
8/10 summers
my short answers were pretty fantastic but I hear those don’t count for much</p>

<p>Teacher Recommendation:
6/10 physics (form letter - a nice form letter but still a form letter)
?/10 art history (I didn’t see it and he rarely writes recs so idk)</p>

<p>Counselor Rec: probs put my GPA/rank in context - I took the most rigorous schedule in ages.
Additional Rec: 9/10 from my robotics coach; phenomenal, sincere, and showed another side of me</p>

<p>Interview: one of my worse; I did little research and had exciting plans for afterwards</p>

<p>Other
Intended Major: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
State: PA
School Type: unremarkable zoned school
Ethnicity: I have about as much color as a snowball
Gender: XX
Income Bracket: <$20,000/year
Hooks: poor as hell</p>

<p>Reflection:
Strengths: huge aerospace/mechanical engineering focus (NASA INSPIRE, NASA Aerospace Scholars, NASA SHIC, NASA RWIW EDC, Mars Society research, startup), phenomenal essays</p>

<p>Weaknesses: GPA, rank, over-represented geographic area - not sure how much a factor that is</p>

<p>Why you think you were accepted: perfect fit, compelling app, somewhat unusual excurs, luck</p>

38

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

<p>Hoping this gives hope to anyone who has been waitlisted, is international or knows the struggle of being one of two people in his/her school to apply to colleges overseas! I ended up posting more than I anticipated on the waitlist forum this year, and since very few people post their waitlisted-turned-into-acceptance results, hopefully someone will find this helpful in the future!</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown):
ACT: 30, 31, 32
SAT II: Math II (640, 630), English (710), US History (620, 640, 660), Math I (680)
Unweighted GPA (out of 100):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: A-Levels in History, Maths, Further Maths, Economics. Also did a Cambridge Pre-U qualification in Global Perspectives and Research
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): UBS Award for Outstanding Students (? Not really a ‘major’ award)</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Chinese Club (President), President of the Gifted and Talented (sounds really arrogant but basically, I just helped younger kids achieve their potential and organised programmes for them to take part in), violinist in the school orchestra, local college radio presenter, played piano for 5 years, an SEO Scholar, Maths Officer
Job/Work Experience: Spent summer working at a local accountants, three years at a local solicitors, worked in my parents’ takeaway since the age of 11, numerous banking and law insight days
Volunteer/Community service: Mentored students at my school, volunteered at a local library
Summer Activities: Duke of Edinburgh, working at a local accountants, working at my parents’ takeaway, attending banking and law insight days at places like Morgan Stanley and Norton Rose Fulbright, attended the Experience Cambridge Maths summer programme
Essays: I loved all my essays. I really got to show all the different sides of my personality!
Teacher Recommendation: I think they were very average - in the UK, teachers are really reserved when writing recommendations so although I had said that the format of US references was very different and used a lot of superlatives and anecdotal evidence, I think that I ended up with a standard ‘Vanessa is a great student…’ reference
Counsellor Rec: Lovely! It took months of badgering my Head of Sixth Form to get her to write the reference, but when she did, she really pulled through!
Additional Rec: from the Congressman that I worked for on Capitol Hill, generic I assume.
Interview: I absolutely adored my interviewer. The essay I was writing for my Pre-U qualification was a subject she had written a book on, so she gave me so much advice and we really bounced ideas off each other. I could really relate to her because she had been an international applicant (not from the same country though!) to Princeton and after I was waitlisted, I did e-mail her with my result. I didn’t expect her to say anything except maybe congratulations for not being rejected outright, but she went out of her way to e-mail the head of the alumni society in the UK to ask about what I should do to get off the waitlist! Basically, she was an absolute sweetheart.</p>

<p>Other
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): United Kingdom
School Type: State Grammar school
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Below £20,000 (so about $40,000 - 50,000?)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): One of two students to apply in my school for colleges overseas? First generation college, international? (although I don’t think being an international applicant is really a bonus as I’m from the UK, and lots of people in the UK apply overseas so I’m just one of many.)</p>

<p>Reflection
Strengths: Common App essay, AS level grades and predicted grades for A-Levels
Weaknesses: Low admissions test scores, particularly SAT IIs! I ended up paying so much to re-take admissions exams and I regret doing so because with the exception of English (which I didn’t even decide to take until a week before my third try at the SAT IIs), none of my scores were great or improved massively. Scores are a major part of the application process, despite it now being holistic, but I think sometimes it’s best to just cut your losses because I really didn’t have the money to spend on doing so many exams and meeting alumni for interviews etc. I can’t even remember which scores I sent to Princeton now, but they were definitely a mix of some of the worst and best scores I got on that awful list above.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I wrote a HUGE post on this in the waitlisted forum for the Class of 2018 but basically, after I was waitlisted, I let them know that I really wanted to attend Princeton and I think ultimately that’s why I got accepted in the end! Let’s face it: my SAT scores were nothing to write home about and my extracurriculars are definitely not as amazing as some of the other people’s on here, but I took the time to let Princeton know I wanted to attend and I must have been extremely lucky!
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: UNC Chapel Hill, Mt. Holyoke, Washington University in St. Louis (waitlisted), London School of Economics, Warwick plus too many other rejections to count</p>

39

<p>Oops, not sure how to edit my post above but I didn’t have an additional recommendation - I forgot to delete that from someone else’s post who I copy and pasted then edited</p>