Princeton University Class of 2020 SCEA Results

[bsen97]

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2300 (780 CR, 720 M, 800 W) (This is super-scored; did two sittings.)
[] ACT: didn’t take
[] SAT II: 700 US History, 710 Math Level 1, 740 Literature
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 9/323
[] AP: APUSH (5), Chem (4), Gov (4), Psych (5), Lang (5)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): none
[] Senior Year Course Load: Women’s Studies, AP Lit, APES, AP Econ (my school combines Macro and Micro into one class), AP Euro, Honors Russian 5
[li] Major Awards: AP Scholar with Distinction, National Honors Society, National High School Slavic Honors Society, New Jersey Scholars Program, US Representative in Thirteenth International Olympiada of Spoken Russian, National Merit Commended Scholar[/li][/ul]

Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars: New Jersey Chemistry Olympics, New Jersey Drama and Forensics League, Habitat for Humanity (President), Model United Nations, National Student Leadership Conference, Feminist Activist Club (President and Co-founder), Drama Club (Senior Member), New Jersey Mock Trial, Gay/Straight Alliance, New Jersey Scholars Program
[] Job/Work Experience: Intern with YouRock Media, Head of Graphics and Design at Mega Media Concepts Ltd., Busgirl at local restaurant
[] Volunteer/Community service: Habitat for Humanity president, very little otherwise
[] Summer Activities: National Student Leadership Conflict (International Relations), International Olympiada of Spoken Russian, New Jersey Scholars Program
[] Essays: Common App (10/10) Talked about the night that I was born and used it as a vehicle to discuss (or at least reference) my family, my upbringing and childhood, the lessons my parents taught us, my journey to valuing myself as a person, my ambitions and passions, and my personality. Princeton Supplement (8/10) Wrote about how it felt to participate in the Olympiada and be in a situation where I suddenly understood none of what everyone else did and had to cope with being the dumbest person in the room, essentially. Talked about how I came to accept working for my own betterment instead of keeping up with others and enjoying the unique experiences I had.
[] Teacher Recommendations: Freshman English/Senior English/Sophomore Public Speaking teacher and I are really close, she’s actually a family friend after having taught two of my older siblings, my little sister, and I, and her letter of recommendation was definitely a 10/10. My Russian teacher of 3 years wrote my other letter, and even though he isn’t the most eloquent writer, he and I are really close, so probably a 7 or 8 out of 10.
[] Counselor Rec: Not sure, but he wrote a letter specifically for Princeton separate from the letter he wrote for my other schools, so I’m sure it’s distinctive.
[] Additional Rec: none
[li] Interview: Went very well, was really casual and relaxed. It was in the local Panera and was more of a conversation than an interview. She answered a lot of my questions about Princeton and we seemed to connect really well.[/li][/ul]

Other

• [] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
  [] Intended Major: WWS
  [] State: NJ
  [] Country: US
  [] School Type: Public
  [] Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported): No
  [] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): White
  [] Gender: Female
  [] Income Bracket: between 90k and 100k
  [] Hooks/tips: None

Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: My essays were really heartfelt and didn’t tell them what they wanted to hear, but showed them who I really was, and were really well-written and exhibited my personal voice. My letters of recommendation were strong and written by people who know me well. Princeton also loves the New Jersey Scholars Program (80-plus NJSP alumni have gone to Princeton), and the Olympiada set me apart (it happens once every 4 or 5 years, 6 high schoolers in the country are chosen, 4 of those participants are already in college).
[] Weaknesses: My scores could be stronger and my grades weren’t perfect. Good to know this isn’t the only thing they look at.
[] Why you think you were accepted: My essays showcased who I am and what I can offer. Letters of rec were really good. NJSP and the Olympiada set me apart, as did taking Russian classes.
[] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: No early applications
[li] Where else are you applying for RD: Columbia, Barnard, Georgetown, George Washington (Honors), American University (Honors and FDDS)[/li][/ul]

General Comments: Absolutely ecstatic. Expected a deferral at best. This challenges what I have been told about Princeton (and Ivy Leagues in general) focusing solely on academic rigor of coursework and test scores; they definitely evaluated my application as a whole. Test scores aren’t the only decision-maker.

[pyroxenes]

Decision: Accepted

Objective: [ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): lol 2240 (760M, 740R, 740W)
[] ACT: 34 (36E, 34M, 33R, 34S, 10 on essay)
[] SAT II: 800 U.S. History, 800 Math II, 760 Chem
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 6.85 (we have a weird gpa system) but basically 4.0
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/809
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): 5’s: U.S. History, English Lang, Comp Sci 4’s: Music Theory, Physics I, Chemistry, World History 3’s: lol Spanish IV
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Macro Economics, AP Gov’t, AP Stat, AP English Lit, AP Physics C, CompSci IV, Choir
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): None? some State Science Olympiad Medals in Geology-type events, Girls State Comptroller of Public Accounts, AP Scholar of Distinction, National Merit Commended[/li][/ul]

Subjective: [ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Science Olympiad (9-12, Treasurer, Senior Officer), StuCo (9-12, ByLaw Committee Chair, Student Body Treasurer), Model UN (10-12, Historian, President), Choir (9-12), NHS (11-12), SNHS (10-12), Michael P. Hammond Prep School at Rice for Piano (11-12)
[] Job/Work Experience: Private Tutor and Accompianist
[] Volunteer/Community service: around 400 hours at Church at Worship Team, Volunteer in the Marketing Department at local hospital, Volunteer at the Health Museum
[] Summer Activities: A buttload of volunteering, Girls State, this one Creative Writing camp
[] Essays: Common App (9/10)- talked about my conflict between religion and science, incorporated geology into it, Princeton Supplement (7/10)- haha wrote this like the day before the deadline, wrote about Princeton in the Nation’s Service, wrote about my great uncle who went to Princeton and my love of museums, how we can use museums and education to promote a more democratic and freer world,
[] Teacher Recommendations: U.S. History teacher and StuCo sponsor (8/10)- he knows me well and he told me he wrote about me knitting, Chemistry teacher (7/10)- she went up to me and told me she would write a letter of rec!
[] Counselor Rec: (8/10)- she knows me pretty well considering we have so many students at our school and she nominated me for Girls State
[] Additional Rec: N/A
[li] Interview: (8/10)- My interviewer was absolutely awesome and sweet! She told me she wouldn’t write anything bad about me and offered to buy me coffee. We talked about extracurriculars for a while and then she told me about Princeton. I emailed her right away when I found out![/li][/ul]

Other [ul]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Y
[] Intended Major: Geosciences
[] State (if domestic applicant): TX
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: large public
[] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): Asian
[] Gender: F
[] Income Bracket: ~150,000
[li] Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): slight legacy, my great uncle went to Princeton :)[/li][/ul]

Reflection [ul]
[] Strengths: extracurriculars, focus on geology, i have no idea
[] Weaknesses: SAT test scores, no major awards
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: maybe my legacy?? idk it’s a bit of a stretch, i’m still in so much shock.
[] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to UT
[li] Where else are you applying for RD: lol i submitted my application to Rice and Duke, but I didn’t submit the writing supplement bc I couldn’t think of anything, Colorado School of Mines[/li][/ul]

General Comments: Congrats to everyone else who got in! I am so humbled to be a part of this wonderful institution! And for those deferred, there’s still hope!!! Thanks to College Confidential for support during this application process! I thought I’d post my stats to give hope that you don’t have to make 2300+ or do anything spectacular to get into Princeton! It’s super cheesy, but you have to really showcase yourself and your lovely personality!!!

[TigerPenguin]

I told myself four years ago that I would do this if I ever got in somewhere, so here it is, for whatever it’s worth. Remember, do your own things, STRUT YA STUFF, and no matter where life takes you you’ll be truly yourself. That is more valuable than anything a college could ever give you.

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2210 superscore, didn’t send
[] ACT: 36 (36 in every component except a 35 in science)
[] SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Chinese w/ Listening, 780 US History, 750 Literature (730 chem, didn’t send)
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 7/500 something. I think 517? I don’t remember.
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB, Calc BC, Studio Art 2D, Language and Composition, Physics 1, U.S. History, Chemistry (all 5’s except a 4 in Physics 1, self-studied for that one)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): French SL (6) Physics SL (7)
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Physics C, IB English HL 2, IB HOTA HL 2, TOK/Econ (1st semester/2nd semester), IB Psychology SL, Calculus 3 with applications to life science at a local college that is a pretty well-known liberal arts college.
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Uh… IDK what counts? AP Scholar with Distinction, NMSF, Coca-Cola Scholarship Semifinalist, Society of Women Scientists and Engineers Highest Distinction, Science Olympiad state qualifier multiple times, Speech and Debate state qualifier multiple times, International debate award, international thespian festival qualifier, etc… ?[/li][/list]

Subjective:
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): speech and debate (LD captain), science olympiad (captain), thespian, traditional Chinese music orchestra (secretary and section leader), a bunch of clubs, including one I started that raised over a hundred bucks a day during its fundraisers for charity, etc. etc.
[] Job/Work Experience: worked in the family business, a lot of freelance stuff
[] Volunteer/Community service: Mainly through orchestra, the club I founded, and a stint I did last summer teaching elementary school kids near my home town in an East Asian country. Presidential Volunteer Service Award.
[] Summer Activities: I assume this just means last year? Last year I had a full time internship researching at a graduate institute and also wrote my EE haha… T.T (IB kids unite.) And of course there’s the teaching kids thing.
[] Essays:
Common App uhhh IDK, maybe a 9? Everyone I showed it to loved it but honestly I think they’re all just biased because they know me. So I really can’t say.
Princeton Supplement definitely one of my favorite things I’ve ever written, so I’d give it a 9 or a 10, but who knows, really? I have no idea how to objectively judge myself.
[] Teacher Recommendations:
Oone is my favorite person ever and we always talk after school and I know she really loves me and what she told me she wrote on her letter made me cry… so I’m assuming it’s good aha. The other one… I am the captain of basically every club he advises and every activity he coaches (all math/sciencey) and we’re good friends so I’m assuming it was good.
[] Counselor Rec: I think it was good? He was really rooting for me.
[] Additional Rec: From my orchestra director. 9.5/10. Read it, cried.
[li] Interview: 10/10 It was amazing. Totally connected with my interviewer. By 10/10 I don’t even mean what I think Princeton thought, but just how I felt coming out of the interview. I felt like I just had a conversation with an old friend who I hadn’t seen in years, which is a 10/10 feeling for me in terms of just human experiences xD.[/li]
[/list]

Other
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yup
[] Intended Major: Physics
[] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: large public
[] Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported): East Asian
[] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): East Asian
[] Gender: F
[] Income Bracket: ~$40,000
[] Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): Kinda first gen? Hard to explain for privacy reasons.
[/list]

Reflection
[] Strengths: ECs, essays, recs, ACT
[] Weaknesses: the non-5 score in Physics 1 even as I want to major in physics; not taking an SAT II for physics
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I don’t even know
[] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Haven’t heard back from any other ones yet
[li] Where else are you applying for RD: Probably Yale, Harvard, and MIT.[/li][/list]

General Comments: Stealing this from a video by YesReneau on Youtube, but basically, if you got deferred or rejected, buy some kleenex and mail it to the admissions office ‘cause THEY GONNA BE MISSIN’ YOU! No, really, I’m so happy I got in, but I know there are incredible people out there who didn’t and I don’t want you, if that’s you, to think for a second you are not “good enough”, because YOU ARE YOU and that is so, so beautiful. There is nothing in this world that I hope will ever take away who you are. So go grab some ice cream because you’ve got a slew of acceptances coming up and you need to have ice cream in the fridge so you can celebrate immediately!

~:> chicken for the SCEA applicants thread fam

[venncornea]

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
[] SAT I (breakdown):Not taken
[] ACT:34
[] SAT II: Math II 750, BioM 780
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP World (5), AP Calculus (5), AP Biology (4)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): None
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP Comp sci, AP Lang, and other easier classes
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): None!![/li][ /list]

Subjective:
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Intern at bioengineering lab and computer science lab at state university, sport, leader of bunch of random clubs, robotics, volunteer at hospital.
[] Job/Work Experience: Internship? (it was unpaid, though)
[] Volunteer/Community service: hospital volunteering, mentored at robotics camp for middle school students
[] Summer Activities: Internship at labs. I interned during school year and summer.
[] Essays: Common App (7/10), Princeton Supplement (8/10), I can’t really judge my own essays too well but I am not an amazing writer. I didn’t have fancy wording or vocab. I think the most important thing is to write about an unusual subject or write about a common subject in an unusual way. For my supplement I literally wrote about a dead rat that I took a picture of.
[] Teacher Recommendations: Probably decent
[] Counselor Rec: I guess it was decent. I absolutely LOATHE my counselor with a passion and she hates me back, but she obviously she wouldn’t write a bad rec for her own student.
[] Additional Rec: 2 letters of rec from 2 professors I researched with at state school. I THINK THIS WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT.
[li] Interview: Good. We talked for 30 minutes. She asked me what charitable organization I was passionate about. I panicked and said Relay for Life because family member died of cancer (which is a total lie but I couldn’t think of anything else). She asked me “You don’t have to answer this but…who in your family died of cancer?” I stuttered and said my grandpa. I think she could tell I was lying…[/li][ /list]

Other
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[] Intended Major: Computer Science
[] State (if domestic applicant): Prefer not to say but west.
[] Country (if international applicant): USA
[] School Type: public, tiny, competitive, annoying
[] Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported): N
[] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): Asian
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: under 100,000
[] Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): Nope, did it all on my OWN.
[ /list]

Reflection
[] Strengths: internships, professor letter of recs, female in comp sci? But I am also Asian and Asian and comp sci is a weakness, so IDK.
[] Weaknesses: only 3 AP tests, no awards, not a genius, Asian, SAT II scores and ACT were decent but not great
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Professor letter of recs definitely helped a lot. I just followed what I was interested in. I also competed state and national in my sport, but my sport is not a sport played at colleges so I didn’t really think it helped too much.
[] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: IDK yet.
[li] Where else are you applying for RD: Too lazy to type out.[/li]
General Comments:
AHHHhhhhhh. I didn’t think I was special enough. I had research internships but I wasn’t able to publish any papers. Otherwise my other extracurricular were pretty typical.
DO NOT waste your time taking a million AP classes and tests and getting perfect SAT scores, especially for Asians. You don’t want to seem like a academic obsessed robot. Pursue your interests. Do whatever you can to show what you’re passionate about. Keep in mind that the applicant pool has thousands of people with stellar academics.
Write weird essays. Literally write about the weirdest thing you can think of. Be humble and unique in your application.

To other quiet Asian girls that dream of getting into Princeton:
YOU CAN DO IT TOO. I never thought I would get in a million years.

[Robbae]

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
[] SAT I (breakdown): CR 680 + Math 790 + Writing 780 = 2250
[] ACT:
[] SAT II: MathII 800, Physics 780
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A (international student from China); 4.1/4.3(unweighted, A+ is 4.3) during junior year abroad in US.
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): does not rank
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 English Lang, 5 Calc BC, 5 Chemistry, 4 Art History
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): None
[] Senior Year Course Load: This is funky because I’m now back at my school in China.
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): No international mega awards. some regional vocal competition. tons of Latin awards (National Latin Award and State Convention and stuff) Sociology research province/state award. choir award.[/li][/list]

Subjective:
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): sociology research, leadership in Model UN, choir, and some other stuff
[] Job/Work Experience: the cool one is that I helped build the first food bank in China through doing sociology research
[] Volunteer/Community service: lots. one thing special is that I started offering English pronunciation tutoring to kids at my community, and invited my American friends to help during my year abroad.
[] Summer Activities: Model UN, Choir tour and competition…
[] Essays: Common App (9/10) wrote about dancing at the winter formal and my perception of life; humorous tone, Princeton Supplement (8/10) talked about the moment I realized how privileged i am. genuine tone.
[] Teacher Recommendations: did not see. One of the recs is from my English teacher, in whose class I made from B to A+
[] Counselor Rec: did not see. “very good” is my counselor’s remark.
[] Additional Rec:
[li] Interview: meh. did not flow. [/li][/list]

Other
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
[] Intended Major: Woodrow wilson
[] State (if domestic applicant): I identify myself as a Texan hahaha
[] Country (if international applicant): Mainland China
[] School Type: Public in China/private in TX
[] Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported):
[] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): Asian
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: ~50k
[] Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): asian guy that does not want to study maths? haha
[/list]

Reflection
[] Strengths: I think my essays will stand out from the pool I come from? year abroad experience? I’m not sure my personality shined through.
[] Weaknesses: not superb score. no major awards.
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: deferred because Princeton admits so few students from mainland China, and that I am not outstanding enough.
[] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
[li] Where else are you applying for RD: Yale Brown Rice Amherst Georgetown UT Duke Macalester Occidental[/li][/list]

[ b]General Comments:** Deferral is what I expected. College application is only a smidgen of life. Take it easy. I would love it though if Princeton admitted me in the end.

[mormongurl69]

[ size=4][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color][/size]

[ b]Objective:**
[ ] SAT I (breakdown): 2180 (lol didn’t send)
[ *] ACT: 34 composite / 36 essay
[ *] SAT II: Math II 800, Chem 800, Phys 770
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): idk haha
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): Chem 5, Environmental Sci 5, Calc BC 5, APUSH 5, Eng Lang and Comp 5, WHAP 4, Phys 1 4 (wtf *cries)
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: 5 AP’s, varsity sport, varsity fine art
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Intel ISEF X 2, some 1st place international music thing X 2, Naval Research recognition
[ /list]

[ b]Subjective:**
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity athletics, Great musician IMO (2 instruments), Research, Community Service, the usual. I won’t elaborate.
[ *] Job/Work Experience: Paid coding job
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: An outside organization, NHS
[ *] Summer Activities: China, Research, Sleep and Netflix lol (and some “party” parties haha)
[ *] Essays: Common App (8/10), Princeton Supplement (6/10), Princeton Engineering (8/10)
[ *] Teacher Recommendations: One was eh-ok. Other was also eh- good. Both 6.5/10
[ *] Counselor Rec: Great. 10/10
[ *] Interview: Great
[ /list]

[ b]Other**
[ *] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[ *] Intended Major: Engineering
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): Don’t mess with Texas
[ *] School Type: Large Public
[ *] Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported): Asian
[ *] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): Chinese
[ *] Gender: M
[ *] Income Bracket: ~$100,000
[ *] Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): Athlete (not recruited), Arts supplement, not much else
[ /list]

[ b]Reflection**
[ *] Strengths: Well rounded, well versed in the arts, athletics, and academics
[ *] Weaknesses: recs and essays, Asian male fo sho
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Probably the additional material I added and the arts supplement
[ *] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to UT Austin! Go Longhorns!
[ *] Where else are you applying for RD: MIT, Cornell, Stanford, Northwestern, Penn (all maybies. I will probably choose 2 or something)
[ /list]

[ b]General Comments:**
Good luck to those that are deferred or applying RD. I am rooting for you guys, especially you Asians! We have it tough!
It’s honestly kind of a crapshoot. I’m not all that but they still accepted me (which I’m not arguing with).

Getting accepted has made me a better person (so far… hopefully, and I’m hoping, it lasts).

[drakethatsme]

Sorry that my formatting’s all screwed up, I’m too tired right now to fix it.

[ size=4][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Deferred**[/color][/size]

[ b]Objective:**
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): One time, CR:800 Math:800 Writing: 690
[ *] ACT: didn’t take
[ *] SAT II: Math 1: 770 Math 2: 800 Biology(E): 670
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): don’t know unweighted
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3rd as of junior year
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP World (3), AP Stat (5), AP Psych (5), AP US Gov (4), AP Lang and Comp. (5), AP Phys 1 (4)
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis): nope
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: AP Music Theory, AP Art History, AP Calc BC, AP Lit, AP Bio, Regular music, Advanced Topics (advanced math course), Video Game Design, Gym
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Nothing huge.
[ /list]

[ b]Subjective:**
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Quizbowl Team (Captain), FBLA (President), Dance (Ballet, Principal Dancer at local studio), school, district, region, state, and all-eastern choir, Mu Alpha Theta, Piano
[ *] Job/Work Experience: Part time job at local movie theater for about 1.5 years
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: Not as much as I’d like, mostly for FBLA.
[ *] Summer Activities: Quizbowl camp, a few trips and tours obviously, some local theater performances, dance
[ *] Essays: Common App (8/10): Unique-ish subject, and emphasized personal growth, Princeton Supplement (9.5/10): One of the best essays I’ve ever written, VERY unorthodox subject, I can guarantee nobody else wrote about it. Again, emphasized personal growth and goal-setting
[ *] Counselor Rec: Never read it, but she’s not the best counselor.
[ *] Additional Rec: Teacher Recs were run of the mill I guess, but they were very heartfelt and showed exactly what I felt they wanted to.
[ *] Interview: Interviewer was very nice, it just seemed like a friendly talk, we would often have to pull ourselves back as we got on to tangents
[ /list]

[ b]Other**
[ *] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yep.
[ *] Intended Major: Mathematics
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): PA
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: Public
[ *] Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported): White
[ *] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): White
[ *] Gender: Male
[ *] Income Bracket: ~100,000
[ *] Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): Male Ballet Dancer???
[ /list]

[ b]Reflection**
[ *] Strengths: Very unique supplement essay, involved in arts/academics, leadership positions, did an arts supplement for vocal singing, had a job
[ *] Weaknesses: Grades, Writing SAT, Not much community service,
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I was deferred because I took a risk with my essay, but they want to see whether I hold up academically with the RD pool. If another male ballet dancer with better stats shows up, they want to know.
[ *] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Nowhere yet, better finish my applications!!!
[ *] Where else are you applying for RD: Cornell, CMU, Williams, UMD, Stanford (?), RIT, Rutgers, Colgate (?)
[ /list]

[ b]General Comments:** Congrats to all who made it, and to those deferred, fingers crossed until next time!

[estrellabella]

Decision: Accepted

[ b]Objective:**
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): 720 CR, 730 M, 770 W : 2220 overall
[ *] ACT:
[ *] SAT II: Bio E (700) Math 2 (770) Spanish (720)
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB (5) AP Lang (4)
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: BC Calc, AP Spanish, AP Lit, AP Bio, Advanced Government
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): I won a national award, but won’t list it here for privacy reasons
[ /list]

[ b]Subjective:**
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):Orchestra, All City Orchestra, NHS, Spanish NHS, Hispanic Club, Black Student Union
[ *] Job/Work Experience: 2 internships in labs
[ *] Volunteer/Community service:I work with my cities Cultural Alliance
[ *] Summer Activities: Usually Science related activities or internships, my orchestra performed in Italy
[ *] Essays: Common App (7/10), Princeton Supplement (9/10), Princeton Engineering (X/10)
[ *] Teacher Recommendations: Very good I believe. One is a Princeton Alum and I have had her for 4 years
[ *] Counselor Rec: Probably not that good. She just met me this year
[ *] Additional Rec:
[ *] Interview: Aight
[ /list]

[ b]Other**
[ *] Applied for Financial Aid?:Yes
[ *] Intended Major: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): PA
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type:Public, magnet (small)
[ *] Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported): N
[ *] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): African American
[ *] Gender: Female
[ *] Income Bracket: ~ 80,000
[ *] Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): URM, First Gen, Quest Finalist
[ /list]

[ b]Reflection**
[ *] Strengths: My hooks and my Princeton Supplement
[ *] Weaknesses: Lack of leadership positions. Maybe test scores
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Because I had a lot of hooks. They were able to kill 3 birds with one stone.
[ *] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:nowhere yet
[ *] Where else are you applying for RD: Swarthmore and Penn
[ /list]
~:> ~:> ~:> ~O) ~:>

[buglyfe19]

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): didn’t send
[ *] ACT: 34 (36 E, 36 R, 34 S, 29 M)
[ *] SAT II: 690 World History, 660 US History, 660 Bio
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.975 (the one thing tainting my GPA is a B from Painting in 9th grade)
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5/373
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 Environmental Science, 5 Human Geography, 4 World History, 4 US History, 3 Calculus
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis): taking this spring
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: IB Math SL, IB Chemistry SL, AP Psychology, IB Language and Literature HL, German 2 ab, IB Visual Arts HL, IB History of Americas HL, Theory of Knowledge (I’m taking a lot of SLs because my school only offers SLs for those classes)
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): High honor roll, AP Scholar with Distinction, IBDP Candidate, but didn’t invent the cure for cancer or anything

Subjective:
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Tennis (JV 10th, V 11th-12th), Karate (brown belt, 6 years), Amnesty International (board for 2 years), class officer (2 years, helping with prom), grant-writing (president 2 years, trying to fund projects to beautify campus/create butterfly garden/buy fresh produce for lunch program), female empowerment initiative (created this year, district-funded, focus on sex ed/mental health), journalism (proofreading editor, 2 years)
[ *] Job/Work Experience: N/A
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: ~200 hours at the church
[ *] Summer Activities: Eco-Interns Program (river revitalization), JSA at Princeton, tennis practice
[ *] Essays: Common App (10/10), Princeton Supplement (8/10)
[ *] Teacher Recommendations: former AP Environmental Science teacher and current IBDP coordinator is definitely (10/10) the guy loves me. Current DP Language and Literature teacher/teacher for 3 years is probably (9.5/10) she admires me but I’m not her favorite student
[ *] Counselor Rec: we just got a new one but we bonded so (8/10)
[ *] Additional Rec: professor from Princeton was good but somewhat generic (7/10)
[ *] Interview: he liked that I knew a lot about Princeton but other than that it was really awkward, so (7/10)
[ /list]

Other
[ *] Applied for Financial Aid?: YES
[ *] Intended Major: International Relations (WOODY WOO)
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[ *] Country (if international applicant): USA
[ *] School Type: somewhat large public, magnet, IB
[ *] Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported): N
[ *] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): Asian (explained “Filipino” in my supplement)
[ *] Gender: F
[ *] Income Bracket: would have gotten in for free
[ *] Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): 1st gen in the states, I guess. Lower socioeconomic branch.
[ /list]

]Reflection
[ *] Strengths: Grades, ACT, Common App
[ *] Weaknesses: SAT II, no major awards
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
[ *] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: N/A
[ *] Where else are you applying for RD: Applied to UVa, UNC Chapel Hill, Tulane, UCB/LA/SB/D, Cal Poly SLO. Going to apply to Penn, Swarthmore, Dartmouth, Northwestern, Duke, Brown, Emory, Kenyon, Pitzer.
[ /list]

General Comments: Everyone’s telling me that it’s okay, that I still have a chance at RD, but man this hurt. I cried for hours. And I’m still kind of crying. Oh well. Let the waiting game commence once more. Fingers crossed till spring.

[tiger20]

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2130 (730 W, 710 M, 690 R)
[] ACT: 33
[] SAT II: 780 Math II, 760 Molc. Bio
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2 out of 252
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5), English Lang (5), Bio (4), Physics (3)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): Math HL, Sports Exercise HL, ITGS, French SL
[] Senior Year Course Load: IB French SL, gym, Honors Anatomy and Physiology, IB Sports Exercise HL, AP Chemistry, AP Psych, IB Math HL, AP English Lit.
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Gatorade Player of the Year, most of mine were mostly for sports. No major academic awards. [/li][/list]

Subjective:
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): I play a lot of softball, also in Key Club, Humanitarian, Student Council, Student Government, Captain’s Club (for sports captains at my school)
[] Job/Work Experience: I work at a pizza place year round
[] Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered at my local hospital over the summer
[] Summer Activities: I play softball, volunteer, and work
[] Essays: Common App (10/10), Princeton Supplement (9/10), Princeton Engineering N/A
[] Teacher Recommendations: 10/10 my APUSH teacher not only talked about my ability as a student but also my character; 10/10 from my AP Lang teacher, I know her very well and babysit her kids and she was always my shoulder to cry on during the recruiting process
[] Counselor Rec: N/a
[] Additional Rec: N/a
[li] Interview: 9/10, she was very nice and was a recruited track athlete. [/li][/list]

Other
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[] Intended Major: Molecular biology
[] State (if domestic applicant): CT
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported): N
[] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): White
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: Enough to not qualify for financial aid
[] Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): Recruited athlete, but also female interested in STEM?
[/list]

Reflection
[] Strengths:Recruited athlete, rigor of my senior and junior year courses (no unweighted courses my junior year, only one senior year and no off blocks/senior releases). Class rank (2), interest in STEM
[] Weaknesses: Scores, especially SATs
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Recruited athlete mostly
[] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Only applied to my state school RD
[li] Where else are you applying for RD: UConn[/li][/list]

General Comments: Everyone is extremely qualified. To those who were deferred, good luck, and to those accepted, message me so we can get to know one another!

[manwiththeplan]

Writing this pains me, but oh well…

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2300 (800M, 730 CR, 770W)
[] ACT: N/A
[] SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Physics
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A, school doesn’t do GPA on 4.0 scale,
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (5), Physics Mech (5), Physics E&M (5), Chemistry (5), English Language (5), Microeconomics (5)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: Linear Algebra (Taken online at university), AP Comp Sci, AP Stats, Random humanities courses
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): IPhO (International Physics Olympiad) Medallist, IOAA (International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics) Medallist, SIN Physics Competition (Top 10 Globally), AAPT PhysicsBowl (1st Place Nationally), random physics and math awards, random national and state debating awards, National AP Scholar [/li][ /list]

Subjective:
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Debate Club (9-12, President), Physics Club (9-12, President), Charity Talent Show Lead organizer, raised nearly $1000 in support of a certain hospital (11-12), Astrophysics research at local uni (11-12), JV Basketball (9-10), Training for International Olympiads (9-12, this has been a big one for me), Tutoring in-school, working out (lol)
[] Job/Work Experience: Nope
[] Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered at the local science centre for half a year, not too big a deal
[] Summer Activities: 2014: Summer Engineering Program at UofT, worked with 3-D printers, electron microscopes, learned about Nanotech; 2015: International Olympiads in both India and Indonesia, did astro research after coming back
[] Essays: Common App - lol this one I felt like was absolute trash (6.5/10), Princeton Supplement - much better than my Common App essay (8.5/10),
[] Teacher Recommendations: Should have been very good, got one from my Physics teacher who is also my Physics Club supervisor (9/10) and my English teacher, who is my debate team coach (9/10)
[] Counselor Rec: Should’ve been pretty good, didn’t read but I’ll assume (8.5/10)
[] Additional Rec: Nope
[li] Interview: Was a little awkward, but went well for the most part (7.5/10)[/li][ /list]

Other
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: No
[] Intended Major: Physics and Astrophysics
[] State (if domestic applicant): N/A
[] Country (if international applicant): Canada EH
[] School Type: Public Catholic (lol)
[] Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported):
[] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): Asian (as Chinese as it gets)
[] Gender: XY (wait that means male right?)
[] Income Bracket: ~150K, lol probably should’ve applied for FinAid
[] Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): IPhO and IOAA medallist? Asian male going into physics? (lol jk, fml)
[ /list]

[ b]Reflection**
[] Strengths: Scores, Recommendations, Awards,
[] Weaknesses: ESSAYS FOR SURE, CR score, relatively weak senior course load, interview?
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: REJECTED BC OF MY CRAP COMMON APP ESSAY, or maybe bc I am an asian male going into STEM.
[] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Nowhere yet
[li] Where else are you applying for RD: Ivies, MIT, Stanford, Schools up in Canada[/li][ /list]

General Comments: I’ll be honest. I was a little surprised (and very disappointed) after getting deferred especially after being told that my International Olympiad medals would be huge in my decision. But I guess this means that no matter how many awards you have, they are no guarantee for admission and I learned this the hard way! Also, I don’t think I was all that genuine and honest in my essays, and this is something I’ll work towards in my RD apps. Hopefully RD works out better and I won’t let this one deferral discourage me!

Puck Frinceton! (Jk I actually love princeton)

See you in April peeps

[Tiger2020]

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

• [] SAT I: 2380 (CR: 780)
  [] SAT II: 2380 (Math II: 800; Latin: 800; Chemistry: 780)
  [] GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
  [] AP: Gov (5); Mechanics (5); Music Theory (5); Microecon (5); Macroecon (5); English Lang (5); Chem (5);
  [] Senior Year Courses: English Lit; Latin; Bio; Calculus BC; E&M; Concert Band; Orchestra
  [] Major Awards: The Maureen O’Donnell Oxford Classical Dictionary Award (11); National Latin Exam — Gold & Summa Cum Laude (9, 10, & 11); —Redacted City— Classical Society Award for Performance in Latin Week (11); National Merit Commended (12); AP Scholar with Distinction (12)

Subjective:

[ul]
[li] Extracurriculars: (11, 12) **Science Olympiad/b; (9–12) **Latin Club/b; (9–12) **Drum Line/b; (11, 12) **Youth Orchestra/b; (12) **Youth Orchestra 2/b; (9–12) **Band/Orch/(11,12) Musical Pit/(11, 12) Jazz Band/b; (9, 10) **TSA/b; (12) **Internship at a local Charity/b; (11, 12) **Community Percussionist/b; (12) **Tutoring/b[/li][/ul]

• [] Work Experience: I had that internship but not much else
  [] Community service: Just over 100 hours
  [] Summer Activities: I did a chemistry program as Columbia HSP. It was great!
  [] Common App Essay: b; I used an anecdote about baking super-salty cookies. I then transitioned to speaking about my love for Chemistry and Kettledrums. I then tied it all up by returning to the anecdote and ended the essay in an eloquent and powerful manner, yet cliché nonetheless.
  [] Princeton Supplement: b; I chose the quote option. The essay was all about how I was shaming my little sister’s friends for not liking Latin, when I made a sudden realization about passion.
  [] Extracurricular Essay: b; I wrote about Science Olympiad. This essay would have been a ten, if I had not made an inadvertent typo right at the start!
  [] Summer Essay: b; I just gave two rather bland descriptions of my past two summers. To be honest, I didn’t do much between my sophomore and junior years!
  [] Princeton Engineering: b**; Story time!!! I had major procrastination problems with these essays — and when I say major, I mean it! During the weekend apps were do, I was actually in Disney Land with my school concert band. On Halloween, I spent the day writing my Princeton supplement in Jurassic World. Then, on the day apps were due, I had to write my entire engineering essay! That day was spent in Epcot, and I was fortunate to haphazardly stumble across the only AC outlet in the entire park (it was only there because an employ had failed to hide it). Needless to say, while my friends were enjoying their day in Future World, I was sitting at a table in Morocco scrambling to finish my essay. At 11:58.19 that night, with just over a minute before I would be thrown into the RD pool, I submitted my Princeton app from my hotel room. The essay itself was very rushed at the end, and didn’t have much of a conclusion. I am very fortunate that I was accepted in spite of this weak essay!

[ul]
[] Teacher Recs: One (9/10) from my lovely chemistry teacher, who taught me in honors, Ap, and organic chemistry. Another one (10/10) from my phenomenal Latin teacher. She has taught me since the second semester of freshman year. Ambivalently, the rest of my class is not as enthusiastic about Latin as I am, however this has really allowed me to stand out and flourish. Finally, my concert band teacher inadvertently recommended me after a mess up with Naviance (8/10), but I run the percussion section and occasionally entire band rehearsals, I’m sure it was great!
[] Counselor Rec: (8/10); Unfortunately, I don’t know my counselor as well as I should. I am sure she said many positive things, but I doubt anything along the lines of “best in class” considering the competitiveness of my high school.
[] Additional Rec: (8/10); I actually had the chance to view this recommendation as it was sent to me via mail on behalf of my chemistry professor from Columbia HSP. It was really well written, and he spoke very highly of me.
[] Interview: (9.5/10); My interview went really really well. He went to the other high school in my school district back in the day, and it turns out we both share the same favorite class: Organic chemistry (a Saturday morning class shared by student in both high schools). He was also familiar with my youth orchestra, and had just started to drum himself! After my interview was over and I had left, some of my friends walked into the Starbucks at which my interview had been held and overheard my interviewer raving to his wife about me! I only wish I had asked about his senior thesis…
[li] Art Supplement: (6/10); I had not practiced enough and did not ultimately submit enough material for the requested 10 minutes. Considering that percussion is a major part of my application, I’m really surprised they still let me in![/li][/ul]

Other

• [] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
  [] Intended Major: ChemE
  [] State: PA
  [] School Type: Public w/ class size of 309
  [] Race: White
  [] Gender: Male
  [] Income Bracket: >200k
  [] Hooks/tips: None

Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: Excluding my Engineering essay, I had really strong essays that together displayed my passion for Chemistry, Latin, and Percussion. Additionally I have very strong standardized testing scores, and a boatload of extracurricular hours over the past two years. Finally, I think that my personality is a really good fit for Princeton (and vice versa), which is why I was admitted very many other very-well-qualified candidates.
[] Weaknesses: No hooks; No major awards; I could go on
[] Why you think you were accepted: See strengths
[] Where else were you accepted: Penn State
[li] Where else are you applying for RD: I have applied to UT Austin as well as UCB (College of Chem), UCLA, and UCSB. I don’t know if I have it in me to start more essays.[/li][/ul]

General Comments:

This is, in many ways, a dream come true, however, I feel terrible for those many deferred applicants over whom I was accepted. If you are belong to this group, stay positive. This was only round 1 of 2!!! There is yet hope! Furthermore, to all you future Princeton applicants out there reading this, I was once one of you! I was certain that they were going to defer me, but look how things turned out! With this said, I cannot provide a recipe on how to get in, but I can say that so long as you pursue your passions and stay positive, you will end up okay, whether this be at Princeton, or some other magnificent university! Oh — and one last thing: whatever you do, DO NOT procrastinate like me, especially in regard to writing RD essays (my delay of which was most imprudent. If I had not been so lucky in my gamble, I would not be sleeping for the next couple of weeks

[Clarinetist42]

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2360 (800 Math, 800 Reading, 760 Writing) (one sitting)
[] ACT: 35, didn’t send, though I did self-report
[] SAT II: 800 Math II, 760 Spanish, 760 Molecular Biology
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.99
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 10 of 300
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (2, didn’t report), American Government (5), Biology (4)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): HL: English, Biology, and Spanish; SL: Math, Chemistry, History
[] Senior Year Course Load: ^See above, plus band
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): National Merit Semi-finalist[/li][/ul]

Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Youth orchestra (first chair, does that count?), Tennis, soccer and cross country 1 year each, track 2 years, Speech and Debate 2 years
[] Job/Work Experience: Camp counselor for disadvantaged kids, internship at the Cleveland Clinic
[] Volunteer/Community service: NHS, Boys and Girls Club (tutor for 5th graders)
[] Summer Activities: The jobs above
[] Essays: Common App (9/10), Princeton Supplement (9/10)
[] Teacher Recommendations: I’d think pretty strong, the one I read (Biology) was very enthusiastic
[] Counselor Rec: don’t know her at all, so it’s hard to say
[] Additional Rec: not the strongest (clarinet teacher who doesn’t have experience writing recs) but definitely positive
[li] Interview: Good, like a conversation more than Q and A after the beginning. Asked about activities on resume so I had a chance to expand on them[/li][/ul]

Other

[ul]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[] Intended Major: Biology/biochemistry
[] State: Ohio
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported): Y
[] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): White
[] Gender: F
[] Income Bracket:
[li] Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): Legacy[/li][/ul]

Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: Depth in music (submitted music supplement)
[] Weaknesses: Dabbling in other ECs, no real leadership
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Strong academics and music; legacy got me consideration; I also wrote an additional “essay” saying why I like Princeton
[] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Didn’t apply anywhere else
[li] Where else are you applying for RD: Would’ve been more if I’d been rejected/deferred, but MIT and Oberlin[/li][/ul]

General Comments: I fully expected to be deferred, so I’m thrilled to have been accepted (and have a much freer–though by no means free–winter break). Also, if someone offers to look over your essays, TAKE ADVANTAGE! And don’t be satisfied with the quality of your essays until they are literally perfect. My mom’s suggestions nearly drove me crazy, but without them I would have had crap essays and I doubt I would have been accepted

[dolph1n]

Decision: Deferred

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): didn’t take it
[] ACT: 32
[] SAT II: 730, 660
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.89
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ranked in top ten people out of around 500 but no official rank
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s in Spanish Lang & Calc AB, 4 in Euro
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: 5 APs: Macro, English Lang, Calc BC, Gov, Stats and Religion (required at my school)
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): National Hispanic Scholar, AP Scholar with Honor Award, NHS, CSF[/li][/ul]

Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars: swim, waterpolo, piano, ASB ambassador
[] Job/Work Experience: swim coach
[] Volunteer/Community service: Vacation Bible School, swim team volunteer,
[] Summer Activities: swim coach during each summer at princeton, also visited princeton this past summer
[] Essays: Common App (6/10), Princeton Supplement (9/10)
[] Teacher Recommendations: idk i didn’t read then but i would guess they are at least 8/10
[] Counselor Rec: idk i didn’t read it but probably 9/10
[] Additional Rec: I didn’t know you could submit an additional rec
[li] Interview: It went well! My interviewer studied Economics so we had similar interests[/li][/ul]

Other

[ul]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[] Intended Major: Economics, Woodrow Wilson
[] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[] School Type: private, religious
[] Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported): Yes
[] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): White
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: I’d rather not say
[li] Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): URM[/li][/ul]

Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: ECs, URM, good letters of rec (probably), 1st generation American
[] Weaknesses: test scores, Common App essay
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My test scores are pretty low for Princeton and they probably wanted to make sure that I did well senior year before accepting me because I had an off year during sophomore year.
[] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: I’ve only heard back from Princeton
[li] Where else are you applying for RD: Harvard, Stanford, Penn, Georgetown, Yale, Vanderbilt, Dartmouth, UCLA, Berkeley, Boston College, Notre Dame, WashU, CMC, USC, Brandeis, & a few others[/li][/ul]

General Comments:
Princeton is my dream and I really hope that I can call myself a Tiger in the Spring! Also I became a Junior Member on CC today so I guess there is a plus side to this day.

[Morloan]

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
[] SAT I (breakdown):2400 (800 All Sections)
[] ACT:None
[] SAT II:790 US History, 770 French
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.91
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):1st in Class
[] AP (place score in parenthesis):French (5), Calc BC (5), AB Subscore (5), Chemistry (5), US History (5), Latin(4), English Language and Composition (5)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): None
[] Senior Year Course Load: Concert Band, Chamber Music, AP Economics, AP Physics C, AP Comp Lit, AP European History, AP Art History, AP Biology
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): National Merit Semifinalist[/li][/list]

Subjective:
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):Musical theater 4 years (there are not really leadership roles), semi-professional pit orchestra 4 years (again no available roles), clarinet and bassoon lessons and practice 4 years, Nor Cal Honor Band 1 year, Crew 1 year
[] Job/Work Experience:None
[] Volunteer/Community service:Volunteer orchestra 4 years
[] Summer Activities:French immersion and music camps, regular summer session classes at UC Davis and UC Berkeley
[] Essays: Common App (8/10), Princeton Supplement (9/10)
[] Teacher Recommendations:I knew these teachers very well and have talked to them for hours on end about any number of subjects, so both were probably very positive
[] Counselor Rec:I think she wrote a good letter but I really have no idea
[] Additional Rec:None
[li] Interview:The guy really liked me and invited me to do some high school and college Quizbowl at his house the following day[/li][/list]

Other
[] Applied for Financial Aid?:No
[] Intended Major:Political Science
[] State (if domestic applicant):California
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type:Private
[] Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported):N
[] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported):Asian/White
[] Gender:M
[] Income Bracket:$60000-$80000
[] Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.):None
[/list]

Reflection
[] Strengths:Strong academics and musical focus
[] Weaknesses:Too focused on music, not enough depth in ECs or community service
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:I really do not actually know why I was rejected rather than deferred. I honestly thought I might get accepted. I think it has to do with me not having enough time to do things beyond music and theater as well as being an Asian male. Having no hooks did not help.
[] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:Shortlisted at Oxford, nothing else yet
[li] Where else are you applying for RD:Oxford, Yale, Harvard, LSE, Columbia, U Chicago, UC Berkeley, UC LA, Amherst, Emory, Stanford[/li][/list]

[GoodGrief16]

(for daughter)

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2350 (R800, M800, W750) single sitting
[] SAT II: Math 2 750, Physics 730,Chemistry 740, World History 750
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/52
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): US Govt and Politics 5, Calc AB 5, Eng Lit 5, English Lang 5, Music Theory 5 (aural 5/nonaural 4), Biology 5
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats (previously completed math through Calc 3/dual enrollment), AP Comp Sci, World Lit, State History, Econ, Mandarin 201/202 (DE), orchestra
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): Not much: NMSF, State Champ 9th grade World Language Declamation Mandarin 3[/li][/list]

Subjective:
[li] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 16 years of figure skating (employed as instructor/coach 3 yrs, elected club board member 3 yrs, show soloist 3 yrs, regional bronze medalist); cross country running 11/12 (varsity/lettered 11/12,captain 12; 3rd place team at state; couple other awards); cross country skiing (varsity/lettered 11/12, state qualifier, couple of awards); 14 years of piano and violin (State Solo and Ensemble Fest qualifier for both instruments, 3 yrs All State orchestra qualifer; employed as church accompanist current year; church worship band/keyboard); Mountain/trail endurance racer 2 years, multiple completed races of 3-24 miles/9000 ft vertical gain, winter and summer conditions, various hazards, top 10 female in Grand Prix series[/li]
[li] Job/Work Experience: skating coach, accompanist, tutor[/li]
[li] Volunteer/Community service: twice weekly involvement in homework help/mentoring program for at-risk children during the school year (involved since beginning of program/3rd yr now); barista/coffee shop supervisor weekly for church youth group fundraiser for service projects (do things locally and throughout the state, like flood relief), and participation in the projects themselves; attorney for youth court (limited hours; generally a handful of cases in the summer due to time constraints); volunteer for organization that teaches cross country skiing to youth living off the road system in Alaska; two summer-long construction service trips to Tanzania and Peru; various other things: food bank work, race volunteer, Spec Olympics volunteer, etc[/li]
[li] Summer Activities: most recently, mountain racing/skate training/off-season ski training; various volunteer gigs; teaching skating; studying Chinese; practicing violin and piano[/li]
[li] Essays: Not sure how to rate; received positive feedback on them from various mentors before submitting: Common App (X/10) was about mountain running and related it to the transition out of childhood, also wrote about homeschooling in one of the other info sections; Princeton Supplement (X/10); chose the Wasow quote prompt and talked about mental health and a very personal family situation, discussed the complexities of such; Princeton Engineering (X/10) was about lack of engineering experience, but strong interest in math, and dream to use engineering to help impoverished communities[/li]
[li] Teacher Recommendations: one from a retired teacher who taught homeschool chem and physics lab classes for 2 years; it was very kind, and compared favorably to a student he had years ago who ultimately won a Nobel prize. The other was from AP English Lang teacher, who taught online and lives on the other side of the world Obviously her personal knowledge was limited. Suspect a positive rec though, based on her assessment of writing.[/li]
[li] Counselor Rec: This was a little tricky. Daughter has always been homeschooled, but is enrolled in a public charter school for homeschoolers with curric oversight, testing, etc. Counselor obviously does not spend much time with her, and also was new this year, so had to write based on grades and a resume we gave to her[/li]
[li] Additional Rec: Not sure if it was considered, but university math professor who taught her summer Calc 2 course, and has also known her through skating for many years mailed in a rec.[/li]
[li] Interview: with local young female attorney for abt 45 min; she says she sent in a glowing review[/li]
[/list]

Other
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[] Intended Major: Civil/Environmental Engineering; Chinese
[] State (if domestic applicant): Alaska
[] School Type: Public charter for homeschoolers
[] Race: White
[] Gender: F
[] Income Bracket: $100,000
[] Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): come from an area with few Princeton applicants, female in engineering, maybe homeschooling, though that can go either way, depending on evaluator; submitted arts supplements for both piano and violin
[/list]

Reflection
[] Strengths: strong test scores and completed university classes to demonstrate the validity of homeschool grades; heavy community service; accomplishments in music and athletics; essays were probably compelling; geographic diversity; studying Mandarin 4 years (plus 3 years prior to high school) is somewhat unusual for a non-heritage speaker
[] Weaknesses: No major awards or strong leadership; no extracurrics related to math/science/engineering; sometimes people will question homeschooling curric/grades; charter school transcript looks super flaky because of the way they organize it.
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Decent package overall, and unusual location probably pushed it over the top
[] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: accepted regular and rolling decision to a number of non-selective public and private schools (did NOT apply early action to any private schools; regular and rolling only, but have already received decisions from a few)
[li] Where else are you applying for RD: all apps completed; waiting on decisions from Harvey Mudd, Harvard, Stanford, Dartmouth, Ga Tech[/li][/list]

General Comments: Though had received many acceptances from non-selective schools, was turned down for every competitive scholarship applied for this year; did not even make semi-finalist for Nordstrom or Coca Cola Scholarship

[Princetonian2020]

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2100 (710 CR, 680 M, 710 W)
[] ACT: 33 C (33 E, 33 M, 33 R, 30 S, 30 W)
[] SAT II: 700 M1, 690 M2, 650 USH
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97 (got 1 B in Calc AB sophomore year )
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 12/~400
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Calculus AB/BC: 5 (5 AB subscore), AP US Government: 5, AP Chemistry: 4, AP European History: 4, AP Comparative Gov: 4 (self-study), AP Lit: 3 (did not report AP Lit)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): IB CompSci SL: 4 (once again, did not report)
[] Senior Year Course Load: Full IB Diploma w/ 5 HLs and AP Macro and AP Microeconomics
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): one major documentary award :), AP Scholar with Distinction, African American Award for Academic Excellence, two major state essay contests[/li][ /list]

Subjective:
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): It’s Academic, Science Academic, Model UN, Econ Challenge, National History Day, and a lot more.
[] Job/Work Experience: Summer internship at NIH
[] Volunteer/Community service: around 500 hours of service from both the IB requirement and also various honor societies
[] Summer Activities: Johns Hopkins Engineering Innovation (9th), Test Prep (10th), NIH (11th)
[] Essays: Common App (10/10): Told the story of my parents and how it motivated me to achieve and make them proud. Princeton Supplement (9/10): I got really introspective in this essay about meeting this prominent speech writer and interviewing him for one of my documentaries.
[] Teacher Recommendations: (10/10) For both, I got humanities teachers even though I chose a hard science major. They both knew me since I was a wee freshman, and made it evident that I developed so much over the years.
[] Counselor Rec: 10000/10: All I know is that she made it evident that Princeton was my top choice and cried when I told her the news of my acceptance. Never read it though.
[] Additional Rec:
[li] Interview: (10/10): The interview lasted almost 2 hours and we bonded over Susan Cain’s TedTalk about being an introvert in such an extroverted society.[/li][ /list]

Other
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yup
[] Intended Major: Molecular Biology
[] State (if domestic applicant): Maryland
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Large Suburban Public
[] Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported): N
[] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported):
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: 50,000 - 70,000
[] Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): URM
[ /list]

Reflection
[] Strengths: Essay, Recommendations, Extracurriculars
[] Weaknesses: All test scores
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Holistic approach did me good
[] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: So far only accepted to Princeton/UMBC
[li] Where else are you applying for RD: HYS and a few other schools :P[/li][ /list]

General Comments: As you can tell by the username I chose, this has been the dream for almost four years of my life. This isn’t even registering into my head quite yet, and I still haven’t closed out of the notification tab that gave me the notification of admission. I can’t wait to wear Princeton memorabilia and truly be a PreFrosh of the school. Best of luck to everyone at their schools!

[18mckenna]

[ size=4][ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted**[/color][/size]

[ b]Objective:**
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): didn’t take
[ *] ACT: 34
[ *] SAT II: 770 Math 2 & 670 Lit
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Don’t know exact, but top 5% out of 730ish
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): (5) on AP Lang and Stats, (4) on US and environmental, (3) on Euro
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis): (6) on environmental
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: IB Lit HL, IB spanish SL, AP/IB Calc BC, AP Biology, student government, IB History 20th Century HL, Cross Country/Track, IB Dance HL, IB TOK
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, Girl Scout Leadership Award
[ /list]

[ b]Subjective:**
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Government (9-12) ASB president senior year, Best Buddies club (9-12) (Treasurer), NHS (11-12) (Treasurer), Swing Dance Club, Varsity Cross Country Co-Captain (9-12), Varsity Track, City Council representative, piano, black belt in taekwondo
[ *] Job/Work Experience: Held a restaurant summer job, currently work at a golf course. Also tutoring.
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer at hospital weekly, girl scouts, NHS, Stand Up to Cancer, Mexico day trips to build houses
[ *] Summer Activities: Running in Mammoth, going to the beach, reading, working on college apps, planning for Europe trip
[ *] Essays: Common App (9/10), Princeton Supplement (8.5/10), Princeton Engineering (X/10)
[ *] Teacher Recommendations: I never read them, but both my teachers loved me, so I’m assuming very thoughtful.
[ *] Counselor Rec: Same as teacher.
[ *] Additional Rec: n/a
[ *] Interview: It went well, not too fabulous, but not terrible either. She seemed to like me, but I think I could have expressed my desire for Princeton more.
[ /list]

[ b]Other**
[ *] Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
[ *] Intended Major: Biology
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: Public
[ *] Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported):
[ *] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): White
[ *] Gender: F
[ *] Income Bracket: around 140,000
[ *] Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): none
[ /list]

[ b]Reflection**
[ *] Strengths: My transcripts are really solid, and my ACT probably didn’t hurt. I only had one other person read my essays, so I can’t say how good they were, but I think they reflected a likable me.
[ *] Weaknesses: SAT subject scores, awards, passion for a particular field/interest
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: When it came down to it I have a feeling it was a combination of my personal/unique essays and recommendations, because other than that I was a fairly average candidate!
[ *] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: no where else yet!
[ *] Where else are you applying for RD: already applied UCLA, UC Berkeley, SLO, UC Davis, UMich, Chapel Hill. Going to apply to Brown
[ /list]

[ b]General Comments:**
Go for it! I never in a million years thought I would get in, and here I am! Be yourself too, more than anything else!

[azwu331]

Decision: Deferred

Objective:

• [] SAT I (breakdown): 2350 (750 CR, 800 M, 800 W)
  [] ACT: 35 (35 E, 36 M, 36 R, 34 S | 11 E) - Superscore 36
  [] SAT II: 800 Math II, 780 Chem
  [] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98 UW/4.36 W (one B+ first semester freshman year, all A’s and A+’s since)
  [] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 1%
  [] AP (place score in parenthesis): Twelve APs: eleven 5s and one 4 (world history freshman year :P).
  [] IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
  [] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): NMSF, National AP Scholar, State Science Olympiad Chemistry Champion, International Robotics Competition Silver Medalist, State Economics Challenge Finalist

Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Symphony Violinist, Pianist, Robotics, 2nd Degree Black Belt, Varsity Tennis, Science Olympiad (event captain), NHS
[] Job/Work Experience: none as of yet, but I’m a certified lifeguard
[] Volunteer/Community service: Elementary School Science Olympiad Coach, Library Website Editor/Updater, Computer Tutor, Food Distributor at Food Bank, Other Community Events
[] Summer Activities: Lifeguard training, music composition, photography, nothing too special
[] Essays: Common App (10/10) - I wrote about my difficulties talking at a young age helped me discover my inner voice through music, art, and writing. It was extremely heartfelt and I really loved it.
Princeton Supplement (10/10) - I chose the prompt about the influential person and focused on how my grandfather fostered my identity and how, through the lessons that he taught me, I realized that he and I were essentially the same person despite the fact that we were from completely different generations. I had this weird structure where I started with an experience I had with my grandfather at a young age and, as the essay progressed, I slowly combined our two selves together until the very end, where I used the same experience at the beginning to finish the essay (although through the perspective of a much older me). It was super inspirational, and my English teacher said that she absolutely loved it and would use it as an example for her future classes. I’m just sad that the adcoms did not see it that way.
Princeton Engineering (8/10) - Probably the weakest of the three, since I redid it the week before I sent in my application. I used a personal experience to explain my love for economics, and how Princeton’s ORFE program would perfectly blend my interests in math, science, technology, and finance together into something that I would enjoy doing.
[] Teacher Recommendations: AP Language teacher (8.5/10) - she actually took the time to actually write a letter specifically for me instead of using a template. She talked about my writing abilities and the qualities I would bring to the college campus. AP Chemistry teacher (10/10) - although he taught me back in 10th grade, my AP Chem teacher was honestly the best teacher I’ve ever had. I love him, and he loves me (got an A+ in that class that year, don’t know how). He wrote about my talents and my passion for helping other people.
[] Counselor Rec: Didn’t read, so I can’t really rate this. I go to a really large public school, so my counselor probably had a lot of letters to write. I do know her well though.
[] Additional Rec: N/A
[li] Interview: (8/10) Phone interview with alumni near my region. She asked me about my extracurriculars, but most of the conversation was me asking her questions about Princeton. I think it went pretty well (41 minutes in length).[/li][/ul]

Other

• [] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
  [] Intended Major: Operations Research and Financial Engineering
  [] State (if domestic applicant): MI
  [] Country (if international applicant): USA
  [] School Type: Public
  [] Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported): N
  [] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): Asian
  [] Gender: M
  [] Income Bracket: ~70k
  [] Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): none

Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: essays, academics, test scores, letters of recommendation
[] Weaknesses: scattered ECs, ORM (the Asian Male pool is ridiculously competitive), maybe GPA and the fact that I haven’t taken AP Physics C yet, which kind of looks bad since I’m applying for a BSE, but my school doesn’t offer it (although I did take Physics 1 last year and got a 5).
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Princeton is such a crapshoot; I wasn’t lucky enough. Only the admissions officers know why. Hopefully I’ll get another chance during the regular season!
[] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: several state schools
[li] Where else are you applying for RD: Harvard, Yale, UChicago, Columbia, Dartmouth, Northwestern, Duke, UPenn (already got into my safety and match, so I’m just playing the lottery right now… :P)[/li][/ul]

General Comments:
Congratulations to everyone who was accepted! You guys are such amazing people, and I am overjoyed that I got to meet a few of you guys this year on CC. Hopefully I’ll get another shot at Princeton in the spring, but until then, I’ll start investing my time into falling in love with other institutions.

Princeton is just one door of opportunity; the fact that you applied to Princeton is a remarkable achievement in itself. Everything will work out in the end, no matter what your decision was.

I cannot stress this enough: don’t be disappointed in yourself if you get a deferral! Your decision is only one part of life; when you look back several years from now, this bad news will only seem like an insignificant experience when compared with all of your other achievements! In the end, you are defined by what you do, not by what college you go to.

I wrote a whole post about this. If you want to read the full comment, click here: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19080479/#Comment_19080479

Best of luck to everyone! You’ll all do great regardless of where you go.

[elk1819]

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
[] SAT I (breakdown): did not send
[] ACT: 34
[] SAT II: 790 (French w/ Listening), 760 (US History)
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): European History (5), US History (5), French Language (5), English Language (5), English Literature (5), Latin (4)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: Calculus BC, Philosophical Lit, Physics 1, German V, French VI, International Relations, Government (all at an AP level; my school technically doesn’t have AP classes)
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): One national essay award, Maureen O’Donnell Oxford Classical Dictionary Award, multiple language awards in three languages (French, German, Latin), other minor school awards[/li][/list]

Subjective:
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): One very unique and time-consuming extracurricular; French Club (President; started new program in Haiti); Cum Laude; piano (12 years); Dance Team (captain); other minor clubs and things
[] Job/Work Experience: Hostess at a local restaurant; Internship at a local NGO related to my main extracurricular
[] Volunteer/Community service: Not a lot outside of my main extracurricular. Nothing I reported on the application.
[] Summer Activities: Lots of international travel, most of which I funded with winnings from essay contests. Also the aforementioned internship, and accelerated self-study of German.
[] Essays: Common App - maybe the best thing I’ve ever written (10/10), Princeton Supplement - solid, a bit more lighthearted than my Common App essay, clearly illustrated my “voice” as a writer (9/10)
[] Teacher Recommendations: French teacher, one of my favorite teachers of all time (11/10), Director of my main extracurricular program, we have a great relationship (10/10)
[] Counselor Rec: Erm, she likes me, but she only knows me but so well… Maybe 8/10?
[] Additional Rec: N/A
[li] Interview: Went very well. His love for Princeton was evident and seemed to roll off him in waves. I revealed the quirkier side of me that didn’t really get fleshed out in the application, and he laughed a lot! The best part of the interview came at the end, when we started talking about Russian literature… But then I had to leave because I had class. :([/li][/list]

Other
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[] Intended Major: History/French
[] State (if domestic applicant): VA
[] School Type: Private
[] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): White
[] Gender: F
[] Income Bracket:

[] Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): Literally no hooks whatsoever. I am a white female who cannot math or science to save her life.
[/list]

Reflection
[] Strengths: Languages. I really think that made me stand out. I remember passing the foreign language building on my Princeton tour, and the tour guide said, “I know a lot of you will be wanting to get out of your foreign language requirement.” I immediately said to myself, “No!!” I guess someone has to keep those foreign language professors employed, and that someone is me? I also absolutely loved my essays. I poured my heart and soul into them, and I felt like they were a perfect reflection of my best qualities. But I don’t know. This is all mere conjecture, of course.
[] Weaknesses: Race/socioeconomic background, which is pretty standard. Also, my test scores weren’t knock-your-socks-off crazy good.
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Idk man, I’m still in shock.
[] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Nowhere yet. I applied to UVA early.
[li] Where else are you applying for RD: Dartmouth; Stanford; Christ Church, Oxford[/li][/list]

General Comments: This is absolutely nuts. I never expected to get in. I owe so much to the people around me who’ve supported and helped me along the way. My advice to future applicants: before you sit down to begin crafting your application, think of the main “themes” you want it to convey. If admissions officers were talking about you, how would you want them to describe you? The languages girl who wrote about Voltaire? The chemistry boy with a passion for Shostakovich? If you design your application around these “themes,” as I call them, tying in your ECs to your essays to even your short personal responses, admissions officers will have a clearer image of what you specifically - you, the only you out there! - could bring to campus. With that (ideally favorable) image clearly in mind, they might be more inclined to extend an offer. Also: ESSAY CONTESTS! If you are a writer, these are a great way to get yourself noticed. Most of them also come with sizable monetary prizes, which can then be used to fund summer experiences (what I did), or whatever you want.

In any event, best of luck to everyone! I know that all prospective students reading this thread - whether in 2015 or beyond - will end up at incredible schools, surrounded by incredible peers and professors.