**Rochester 2019 RD Results Only Thread**

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Rochester
21

DECISION: Accepted (Chemical Engineering - GEAR)

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown out of 2400): Super-score: M 690; CR 680; W 730
ACT: Composite 34; M 35, E 34, S 34, R 34, Essay 8
SAT II: 780 Math II; 730 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.00; 4.38 (Weighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Possibly 3/229

AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (4), Chemistry (4), English Language (4), Calculus AB (5), Psychology (5)

Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C: Mechanics, Honors Creative Writing, Honors Modern American Themes, Honors Death & Dying, Honors Comparative Religions, Honors Economics (but I plan to take the AP Microeconomics exam), Independent Studies, and Music Theory II

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, Baush and Lomb Honorary Science Award, United States Department of Education Presidential Scholar candidate

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): LOTS of music; Marching Band (drum major, section leader), Concert Band (1st chair), Jazz band (only flute player), Theater (both in school and out of school), Choir (student conductor); For vocal music I have been in my state’s All State Choir every year for six years with a rank in the top 10 every year. I also was chosen for the All-National Choir in Nashville, TN, and the All-Eastern Choir in Providence, RI; National Honor Society, Math League (tied for third in my district), Psychology Club (executive board member), and literary magazine editor, kayaking
Job/Work Experience: No steady job, but I do a lot of babysitting
Volunteer/Community service: Religious education teacher, camp counselor, work camps, tutoring
Summer Activities: Governor’s School for Excellence, volunteer work, swimming, traveling
Essays: Pretty good I think. My Meliora essay was the best out of all of mine.
Teacher Recommendation: I have wonderful relationships with my teachers, and I have no doubt that they all wrote me good recommendations.
Counselor Rec: Same as above.
Additional Rec: None
Interview: I did two interviews, one when I visited in September and another for the GEAR program. They both went very, very well.

Other

State (if domestic applicant): DE
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private/Catholic (my class is extremely competitive)
Ethnicity: White
Gender: F
Income Bracket: Not sure
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I’m a female going into chemical engineering so that’s pretty cool I guess

Reflection

Strengths: GPA, course load, well rounded extra-curriculars
Weaknesses: Test scores
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: They liked that I was passionate in music even though my major is engineering. They think I will bring something unique to the campus
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted University of Delaware (Honors College), Accepted University of Maryland (College Park; Honors College), Accepted Purdue University (Honors College), Accepted Penn State University (rejected from Schreyer’s Honors College), Deferred University of Virginia, Waiting for Vanderbilt University and Brown University.

22

DECISION: Accepted Intended Major: Digital Media Arts

Objective:

SAT I: 2230 (M 750, CR 730, W 750)
ACT: N/A
SAT II: 730 Math II; 710 Literature
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95 / 4.52 (W); Mid-year grades 3.84/4.41
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A

AP (place score in parenthesis): 0 AP tests

College classes: By mid-year, completed 27.5 units; by end of year, will have completed 39.5 units

Senior Year Course Load: All duel enrolled- English 105, Pre-calculus, Italian 101, Java, Calculus I, Animation II
Regular classes-Bible and Theology, Italian 3rd Year
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended; Finalist, National Merit Corporate; Elks Foundation Regional Scholarship winner; Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship for National Scholars Institute; lots of FTC Robotics Awards and trip to Super-Regionals;

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Tons of music including professional work, community service, high level orchestra, solo work, chamber work, etc. FTC Robotics for one year; bowling league for 4 years (high scorer); STEM Video Game Challenge; Hack-a-thon
Job/Work Experience: Professional cellist, cello teacher, cello coach
Volunteer/Community service: Cellist for multiple fundraisers (got letter of recognition from senator); bread ministry, communion team, church worship
Summer Activities: Cellist in professional theater production; chamber music; math classes
Essays: Probably good
Teacher Recommendation: Probably good
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec: From cello teacher, from boss
Interview: Weird

Other

State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Homeschool/Dual-Enrolled
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 60-70K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Disabilities (math, diabetes, vision) maybe; music

Reflection

Strengths: SAT score; Music; overcoming a lot of adversity
Weaknesses: Academics! GPA at mid-year
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: U Rochester looks at more than just one thing
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: SDSU, SJSU, CSU Fullerton, CSULB, UAH, UTD, SDSMT, Missouri S&T, WPI, UCCS, Purdue. Waitlisted: WUSTL, Cal Poly SLO.

23

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

ACT: 35C (34E, 33M, 35R, 36S, 6W)
SAT II: 770 Physics, 740 Math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): ~3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a, but top 10% at least
AP scores: 3 5’s, 1 4
IB scores: n/a
Senior Year Course Load: 4 AP’s, multivariable calc and intro astronomy at local uni
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Harvard Book Award, Merit Commended, some AP scholar, nothing special

Subjective:

Extracurriculars: Mock Trial (Pres. and Founder, ranked 1st in state last year), Science team (treasurer), Varsity Tennis (all 4 years), research internship at local non-profit, started tutoring program at local middle school, few other things
Job/Work Experience: 100s of hours as babysitter
Volunteer/Community service: 100s of hours as volunteer farm hand and tutor
Common app essays: Really liked mine, about overcoming personal fear.
Supplemental Essay/s: OK I thought. I tried to fit a lot into a very short essay
Teacher Recommendation 1: Great, incredibly complementary and kind
Teacher Recommendation 2: Never read, but I assumed it was very good
Counselor Rec: Excellent, we have a great relationship
Additional Rec: nope
Interview: Amazing. Interviewed on campus and afterward, interviewer said “You just absolutely crushed that!”

Other

State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: -1400 kids, competitive urban public
Ethnicity: blanco
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: upper middle?
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: ECs, ACTs, taking college classes?..not sure
Weaknesses: Haven’t taken many APs, crazy weak SAT IIs, probably a bunch of other things
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: WUSTL, UMass Honors (+merit)/ deferred: Harvard SCEA

General Comments: Very excited! Now I just have to wait and see about merit aid…

24

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t send
ACT (breakdown): 33 C, 30 M, 32 S, 35 R, 36 E
SAT II: Didn’t send
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP US History (4), AP Language & Composition (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Government & Politics, AP Literature & Composition, AP Computer Science A, AP Calculus AB, AP Macroeconomics, AP Physics, Honours Philosophy & Ethics, Music Appreciation
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): I’ve won some piano competitions, but I’m not sure that’s a major award.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 4 years of Tae Kwon Do (instructor), 12 years of music, 4 years of dance
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: 3 hours per week teaching Tae Kwon Do (I volunteer and I’m not paid, so), 6 hours at the beginning of the month working with the Surf Rider Foundation
Summer Activities: Tae Kwon Do, CTY at John Hopkins University
Essays: I’m not entirely sure? I had a couple friends and teachers look at it and they all thought that it was good.
Teacher Recommendation: Didn’t get to see it, but I think they were good?
Counselor Rec: Again, didn’t get to see it.
Additional Rec: Didn’t get to see it, but probably really good since it was from my Tae Kwon Do instructors.
Common App Essay: I thought it was good? I wrote about growing up in the middle of nowhere and how it affected me.
UR Supplement Essay: I think that it was okay over all. It had a nice message and some colourful language. The only detriments were that it was awkwardly worded in a few places.
Interview: No

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Electrical and Computer Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant): US of A (but y’know, N/A)
School Type: Private online school
Ethnicity: White as this page, but I think I put “prefer not to say” on my app.
Income Bracket: $80,000-$100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation college student, female interested in engineering

Reflection:

Strengths: Probably my course load, grades, and maybe essays and test scores?
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Well, kind of unintentional, but my common app essay was about how I’ve grown up in a pretty isolated environment (living an hour and a half from civilisation kind of does that to you) but my supplemental essay talked about how I was looking forward to the opportunities I would get at U of R and the people I would end up meeting. So I think it might of had a “This is how I grew up and now I want to explore the world” feel to it.
Weaknesses: My math score is pretty bad and I don’t have anything significant in awards.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Well, my test scores do put me above the median and I think my essays were decent enough.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted: Cal Poly - SLO; Deferred: Princeton SCEA (still crossing my fingers); Rejected: University of Washington - St. Louis
Notes: So happy to be accepted! :smiley:

25

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 600M 640W 650CR
ACT (breakdown): 27 composite (didn’t send)
SAT II: 680 on both world history and U.S. history
Unweighted GPA: 93.5 (weighted, my school doesn’t do unweighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (3), APUSH (4), AP Lang&Comp (4), AP Spanish (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Honors Economics, Film Lit, AP Calc AB, AP Physics (1, but I’m taking C exam), AP Art history, Digital Media (art class)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Honor

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Science Olympiad, Relay for Life (Planning Committee), Varsity Bowling, Varsity Handball (and others I did fresh/soph yr I didn’t stick with)
Job/Work Experience: Camp counselor/lifeguard/swim instructor
Volunteer/Community service: Relay for Life, Key Club
Summer Activities: (See job/work experience)
Essays: Pretty solid
Teacher Recommendation: I’m assuming my physics teacher’s was good, I’d like to think same for Spanish teacher’s
Counselor Rec: Didn’t see it, assume it was decent
Additional Rec: N/A
Commonapp Essay: Solid
UR Supplement Essay: Meh
Interview: Amazing, we bonded over Neil deGrasse Tyson

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Physics
State (if domestic applicant): New York
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:top public school
Ethnicity: half white/ half Hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 15K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first generation, female in physics

Reflection:

Strengths: Interview, common app essay, possibly supplements (creative writing piece, art portfolio)
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: I tried to play up being a female majoring in physics and voiced why I loved it/ can contribute
Weaknesses: SAT scores, UR supp just ok
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Well-rounded first-gen minority female pursuing physics
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted at Binghamton, Geneseo, Buffalo, Temple, RIT, Baruch, City College, Hunter. Deferred EA2 at Drexel (didn’t realize they weren’t need-blind when I applied. Waiting to hear back from Cornell, Wisconsin, uMich, Oberlin, Tulane, Northeastern, Northwestern, & Macaulay Honors College

26

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): Math: 800, CR: 800, Writing: 790
ACT (breakdown): Composite: 35, Best Section Scores: E:36, M:35, R:36, S:36, W:10
SAT II: Math 2: 790, Lit: 740, Chem: 630 (oops!)
Unweighted GPA: 3.94
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (4 with a 5 AB subscore), Music Theory (4 non aural and aural), US History (5), US Gov and Politics (5), Chem (2… yeah, most colleges don’t know about that one))
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stat, AP Lit, AP Micro/Macro Econ, AP Spanish, AP Environmental Science, Advanced Orchestra, Advanced Choir
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist, U.S. Presidential Scholar Candidate, AP Scholar with Honors?, Scholar-Athlete Award

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 2 years Advanced school choir (Senior captain), choir at U of M and regional honors choir, 3 years of private voice lessons, 13 years of private piano lessons, 8 years violin in the school orchestra, advanced orchestra, 3 years varsity track + the current season (2013 4x800 regional champ and state qualifier), 4 years forensics team, 1 year varsity cross country and 1 year jv, 4 years varsity figure skating (Senior Captain), 2 years NHS (community service group leader), community and school theatre for the past 8 years (with 2 leads in school musicals and various others in community musicals)
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: Weekly tutoring of middle school students, volunteering with Friendship Circle camps
Summer Activities:6 summers at Interlochen Arts Camp for classical voice and musical theatre, 6 summers Jewish sleep away camp
Essays: About my piano and how it’s been passed down through my family/ started my music addiction (common app), and about how i want to be better at writing (supplement)
Teacher Recommendation: Strong (I hope)
Counselor Rec: eh, probably decent
Additional Rec: i don’t think I sent one
Commonapp Essay: Strong
UR Supplement Essay: Meh
Interview: None

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: English with a Creative Writing minor
State (if domestic applicant): Michigan
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: >200,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nope

Reflection:

Strengths: test scores, extracurriculars, common app essay, which they mentioned in my acceptance letter
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: talked about my dedication and passion for music and writing
Weaknesses: my supplemental essays were all kinda rushed
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: i think my profile is relatively well balanced; i have test scores and grades to back them up, I’m in the arts and athletics, and I’m definitely a person who challenges herself
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: deferred: Yale, waiting on Johns Hopkins, Yale, Harvard, Penn, Cornell, Tufts, U Wisconsin, Oberlin, Columbia, Carnegie Mellon, Case Western, U of M
Notes: this is not my top choice, but it is my first acceptance, so I’m very happy about that!!!

27

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1450 (CR + M)
ACT (breakdown): 30
SAT II: Math II 760; Biology 720
Unweighted GPA: 3.42 at mythical very competitive HS
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 36%
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Lang 4; Spanish Lang 4; 5 in progress inc. Bio & Calc BC
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Bio, AP Macroeconomics, AP US Govt, AP Spanish Lit, Dual Credit English Comp, Symphonic Band
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Region Band (4 years), Area Band (senior yr)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Marching Band (4 yrs), Symphonic Band (4 yrs), Symphony Orchestra (2 yrs), Spanish Club (4 yrs), NHS
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: Consistent but unremarkable
Summer Activities: Travel abroad to live with extended family
Essays: Pretty Good (8 or 9/10)
Teacher Recommendation: Probably very good
Counselor Rec: Probably very good
Additional Rec: Excellent
Commonapp Essay: Talked about health conditions diagnosed during HS and eventual embrace of the way they impact his personality
UR Supplement Essay: Strong; showed application of concept of Meloria
Interview: Followed advice to just be himself

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Undecided STEM, probably Biology
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: M
Income Bracket: $75,000-$100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection:
Rank in class and GPA were adversely affected by competitive high school. Not many ECs, but strong record of dedication and accomplishment in music. Modest volunteer record compared to many peers. The school is a good match for his personality and a lot of genuine interest was expressed. Likely will attend U of R or Case Western.

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Demonstrated how he fit the mold of typical U of R student and Meloria ideals.
Weaknesses: Volunteer hours and diversity of ECs
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Stats that fit, though didn’t exceed, the norm coupled with genuine interest, a good interview, and strong music background. The ethnic and geographic diversity factors probably also helped.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted: Case Western, Pitt, Iowa, SLU, Texas A&M (Blinn TEAM) and Trinity U; Deferred: Tulane, RPI, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Minnesota; Rejected: Rice (ED), UT-Austin (offered CAP), Georgia Tech; Still Waiting: Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, Northwestern

28

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2350 — (800 CR, 770 M, 780 W)
ACT (breakdown): 33 (didn’t send)
SAT II: 790 US History, 780 Math II
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 in AP World/ AP US History, AP Statistics, 4 in AP Lang
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, AP Calculus BC, AP Literature and Composition, AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics, AP Comparative Government, French 5, Peer Leadership
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Scholar, NYS Scholar Award, Character award from the NYS Attorney General’s Office

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Model UN (Secretary-General), Mathletes (Officer), Young Women’s Forum (President), National French Honor Society (Treasurer), Bollywood Culture Club (Public Relations), Forensics Speech and Debate [State quarterfinalist in speech; Octofinalist for debate), Mock Trial (Team made top 8), Science Olympiads (Consultant), National Honor Society
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: Muscular Dystrophy Association ( Fundraising team leader – over 100 hours per year), Church Student Leader (worked to sponsor children in the Dominican Republic, World Vision International, and Silver Linings Ministry), Literacy For Life NY (Head of women’s literacy chapter of a student-run non-profit organization), volunteered as a TA at children’s summer camp, Cure Dystonia Now (Staff member at 2 annual fundraisers), Relay For Life (fundraised as part of 4 years of leadership classes)

Summer Activities: Traveled to China with family, worked as intern at a regional women’s organization, volunteered as a TA at a summer camp, attended summer camp for children with muscular dystrophy

Essays: Common app – I worked very hard on this essay over the summer because I knew it would be important. I wrote about how from grades 2 to 6, I had an aide in the classroom to help me with obstacles posed by my physical disability (a form of muscular dystrophy) and how she inspired me to always work towards my potential. I also emphasized the importance of helping others and the concept of paying it forward.
Teacher Recommendation: I had three recs, and had very good relationships with all three teachers; didn’t get to read them but I assume they were great.
Counselor Rec: Probably amazing because I’m super close with my guidance counselor. She’s the best and I love her.
Additional Rec: Had a recommendation from a camp counselor I had for two years from my summer camp. She wrote about my leadership and how I mentored younger girls with the same disability. The other was from my peer leadership teacher of 2 years, speaking of how I was interviewed then selected to be in this exclusive peer leadership class and my accomplishments there.
Commonapp Essay: See above :slight_smile:
UR Supplement Essay: Well-written. I wrote about why I loved the concept of Meliora and how it pushes us to all strive to be better members of the global community.
Interview: Interviewed with an admissions officer at a local Starbucks. We had a very stimulating conversation about economics and the history of URochester. He was really helpful in answering my questions, and I’d it went very well!

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Economics
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large, suburban public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: >180K per year
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Was born in a different country, had a somewhat unique essay because of life experiences living with a physical disability that affects under 1% of Americans

Reflection:

Strengths: SAT scores, strength of curriculum, leadership class, extracurricular leadership, worked hard on essays, close relationships with recommendation-writers
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: My love of learning, urge to help others, and leadership abilities.
Weaknesses: No huge national awards like Intel or research-related competitions

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to Stonybrook Honors College, deferred from Princeton SCEA, still waiting on all my other colleges: Harvard, Cornell, Yale, Duke, Rice, Johns Hopkins, Carnegie Mellon

Notes: I also was lucky to receive a Dean’s Scholarship of $72,000. Overall, I’m really happy about my acceptance at URochester. I haven’t had the opportunity to visit yet, but the students all seem very happy from the people I’ve spoken to and the campus looks beautiful. It’s definitely a great option at this point, and I can breathe a lot easier as I wait for all the other decisions to come back! Congrats to all those who have also been accepted, and good luck to those waitlisted or still waiting to hear back :slight_smile:

29

[asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]

Objective:

ACT (breakdown): 30 (E30, M30, R32, S28)
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2
Senior Year Course Load: AS Levels (Business, US History, English Lit, Thinking Skills, Statistics, Global Perspectives)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Show Choir (Dance Captain), Book Club (VP), NHS, Math Mentorship, Math Competition Team, Tennis
Job/Work Experience: Dishwasher (12hrs/week during school, 40hrs/week in summer)
Teacher Recommendation: Strong
Counselor Rec: Average
Commonapp Essay: Decisive (Referenced in my acceptance letter)
UR Supplement Essay: Very Strong
Interview: Very strong

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Math, Econ, or Stats
State (if domestic applicant): TN
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: W
Gender: M
Income Bracket: $30K - $40K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): 1st Gen, Gay

Reflection:

Strengths: Dedication (6 years of show choir, 8 years of any chorus), Leadership (3 years as Dance Captain),
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Focused on empathy and my dedication to further others by furthering myself
Weaknesses: Lack of recognisable advanced courses like AP, Low ACT Science scores
Why you think you were accepted: Decent ACT scores, economic diversity, fine arts leadership
Where else were you accepted: Sewanee

30

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
Psych / Neuro

ACT :35,35,36
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA: 3.8’ish
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Euro, AP Latin, Anatomy,Honrs Calc
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Blue key, Fine Arts Society

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience: Zero
Volunteer/Community service: Zero
Summer Activities: Fun stuff
Essays: Excellent
Teacher Recommendation: Excellent
Counselor Rec: Excellent
Additional Rec: This one went up to 11
Commonapp Essay: Very Good probably
UR Supplement Essay: Probably Good
Interview:

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Psych / Neuro Sci
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private Prep
Ethnicity: Asian/White
Gender: F
Income Bracket: High
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Pretty much none

Reflection:

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: God HS Resume, I play a high-demand orchestra instrument
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accept: Texas A&M, Wash U, Case, UNC Chapel Hill, SMU, St. Andrews, Tulane (Some of these included with Big Money)
Rejected: UT - Austin
Deferred: Columbia
Notes: Best of luck to all, accepted or not. Find you niche, your value is NOT DEFINED BY COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE either way

31

Accepted.

[ b]Objective:**
[ list]
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): 2120; math:670 reading:680 writing:770
[ *] ACT: N/A

[ *] SAT II: world history: 660, US history: 720
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): my school only does weighted GPA; mine is 4.0
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): English lang 5; world history 4; US history 5.
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: 5 AP classes: calculus, biology, English lit, government & politics, macroeconomics. And health and ancient Greek.
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): (honestly I have no major awards except some school awards)

[ b]Subjective:**
[ list]
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): environmental club (representative), key club, national honor society, yearbook club, magazine club (editor in chief), tennis club, moot court, library club
[ *] Job/Work Experience: teacher’s assistant in the summer before junior year
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: a bunch of service hours from clubs; also a volunteer at a nursing home.
[ *] Essays: I think they are solid, although not amazing.
[ *] Teacher Recommendation: two are amazing
[ *] Counselor Rec: sweet but generic
[ *] Additional Rec: n/a
[ *] Interview: It went well; we had a nice conversation.

[ /list]

[ b]Other**
[ list]
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant): USA
[ *] School Type: public
[ *] Ethnicity: Asian
[ *] Gender: female
[ *] Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate): low-middle
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation college student; potential valedictorian
[ /list]

[ b]Reflection**
[ list]
[ *] Strengths: Grades?
[ *] Weaknesses: few leadership roles
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: UofR likes me and I like UofR.
[ *] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted by 4 SUNYs (bing, stony, geneseo, buffalo), Maryland college park, Rutgers New Brunswick, and Brandeis.
Rejected by Northeastern.
And waiting for the replies of some top liberal arts colleges.

[ b]General Comments: I am sooooo happy that UofR accepted me! I thought it would reject me because UofR was the first college I submitted, and my essays weren’t great at that time.

Thank you U of R!!! Hopefully financial aid, the determining factor, will be nice.

32

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2350 - Math: 800, CR - 800, W - 750
ACT (breakdown): 34 - English: 34, Math: 36, Science: 36, Reading: 31.
SAT II: Biology M: 780, Chemistry: 740, World History: 720, Math1: 770, US History: 770, Math2: 800.
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 (96% unweighted), (101% weighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): No rank available but definitely top 5 out of 150. Probably 4 or 3.
AP (place score in parenthesis): European History (5), Statistics (5), Chemistry (5), US History (5), Language and Comp. (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A (not taught)
Senior Year Course Load: College Italian, AP Calculus AB, AP Physics 1 & 2, Science Research (through Univ. Albany), AP US Government and Politics/Econ., AP Literature and Comp., AP Computer Science.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Commended Student, Highest AMC 10 & AMC 12 scores in school, County Science Fair 2nd Place (Biology), Air Force Award WESEF Science Competition (Medicine & Health). Excellence Degree (Along with Honors and Merit) in Speech and Debate National Honors Society.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description):

  1. Speech and Debate - Debate Team Captain - (Grade 10 - 12)
  2. National Honor Society - Vice President (Organize Service Projects, so also community service) - (Grade 11, 12)
  3. Science National Honor Society - N/A - (Grade 11, 12)
  4. National Italian Honor Society - N/A - (Grade 11, 12)
  5. Link Crew Leadership Program - Two time Link-Leader - (Grade 11, 12) - We help assimilate the freshman into high school life and conduct the orientation and other social events for them.
  6. Cross Country (JV & Varsity) - Panther Award, 2 Varsity Letters - (Grade 9, 10, 12) Clarified out with knee injury 11th grade.
  7. STEM Strategic Action Planning Committee - N/A - (Grade 11) - Planning the future of STEM at my high school by 2025.
  8. Kapatid Martial Arts - Junior Black Belt and Sayoc Kali member - (From 1st Grade)
  9. Century Road Cycling Association (CRCA) - N/A - (Grade 11, 12)
  10. Track and Field (JV & Varsity) - (Grade 9, 11, 12) Clarified out with knee injury 10th grade.
  11. Winter Track and Field (JV) - (Grade 12)

Job/Work Experience:

  1. Pleasantville Farmers’ Market - Employee at JA Bialas Farm Stand
  2. My dad’s company - Travel and Gathering Research, creative administrative brainstorming.
    Volunteer/Community service:
  3. GRBA summer intern (not paid) Grade 9,10. NHS activities.
    Summer Activities: Science Research at Pace University. Over 230 hours of research over the past 2 summers. Conducted my own research last summer.

Essays:
Common App - Describing my creativity from a young age (central to life prompt). 8/10
Meliora - Straightforward, about my dreams and aspirations and what not. 7.5/10

Teacher Rec #1: AP US Hist. Teacher. Known for great recommendations, know her pretty well. - 8.5/10
Teacher Rec #2: Honors Chem and AP Chem Teacher. Had her 10th and 11th grade and I work with her now as the VP of NHS, so she has seen me grow. I collaborate with her a lot and we are very friendly to each other. She even lets me call her by a nickname (most people who do get written up). - 9.5/10
Counselor Rec: Known her for all 4 years, but not really well. She is known for writing good recommendations and being really on top of things though. 7/10.
Additional Rec: Cross Country Coach. He watched me grow but also saw me persevere through my knee injury (I biked to each xc meet junior year). He always speaks of me in the highest regards, saying all young runners on the team should look up to me and never give up simply due to roadblocks. Really good recommendation. - 10/10
Interview: Great. Nice man with good conversation. Simple with no extremely specific information but not too broad either. 7.5/10
Additional material (abstracts/papers/other): Research abstract from my Science Research over the Summer: Testing the Use of Zebrafish as a Model Organism for Contamination Experiments through Ethanol and Nicotine. 7.5-8/10

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): New York
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Suburban Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $200,000 +
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nothing, white male with money…

Reflection:
Strengths: Scores and Grades. Activities and Leadership, CommonApp Essay. Recommendations.
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Overcame knee problem? Creativity, Definitely.
Weaknesses: Not an ethnic person or any special hook. Rochester essay. lack of many national or state wide awards.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think my scores and grades definitely helped, but I also think I offer a lot to Rochester and my interest showed.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Waitlisted: Harvey Mudd
Rejected: MIT
Waiting: Tufts, Duke, Lehigh (& IBE Honors Program), Stanford, Yale, and Cornell.

General Comments & Advice:
Keep your head up, you will enjoy wherever you end up going. Congrats to all those that get in. Good luck to all those who are on waitlist. Hope for a low yield! :slight_smile:

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Normally, I am too lazy to do these kinds of things. But, CC has been an invaluable source for me these past few years. I hope others can realize that numbers do not define who you are, and only you define who you are. I am living proof. Goodluck to all future students!

Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): NA
ACT (breakdown): 30
SAT II: US Hist, Math II, Math I ALL 720
Unweighted GPA: 3.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): 10 Exams scores between 3-5
IB (place score in parenthesis): NA
Senior Year Course Load: Courses
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing huge; some science awards, published articles, and state awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Lots, lots, lots of leadership positions for things I LOVE!
Job/Work Experience: Started my own company
Volunteer/Community service: 1000+ hrs
Summer Activities: Internships, work, sleep lol
Essays: Stellar. These are def. what got me in. Very risk and daring. Supplement showed lots of interest. 11/10
Teacher Recommendation: 10/10
Counselor Rec: 9/10
Additional Rec: 10/10
Commonapp Essay: 11/10
UR Supplement Essay: 11/10
Interview: Eh, it was my first. Decent?

Other:

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

Reflection:

Strengths: showed LOTS LOTS LOTS LOTS LOTS LOTS LOTS OF interest. If you know where you want to go, make sure you show interest!!! Also, do things YOU LOVE!
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: my activities, very science related
Weaknesses: def gpa and scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: no clue but i am so thankful
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Notes:
There were so many times I came onto CC and felt so, so dumb. People would post 2300 SAT’s, 10 AP courses with all 5’s and win some intel science competition. In fact, I considered not even applying to many of the schools I did. But I am glad I did. I got into so many great, amazing, and international ranked schools. If you love something so much, you need to show lots of interest. Don’t let CC intimidate you. Just be who you are.
Goodluck to all future students, and may the odd be ever in your favor

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For my Son:

Decision: Accepted

Accepted as a Digital Media Studies major

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):CR-720 M-680 W-680
ACT:
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t Rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Lit (4), AP US Hist (5), AP Art History (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP Micro/Macro, AP Comp Gov, Eng 12, Leadership
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing out of the ordinary

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Club Soccer, HS Soccer, HS Lacrosse, Leadership Class (4 yrs), formed several bands and compose/produce music
Job/Work Experience: Assistant teacher - Hebrew School
Volunteer/Community service: Teaching Assistant - Sunday School, DJ at charitable events
Summer Activities: Summer program at Amherst (1 summer)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Don’t know, but the teachers liked him

Teacher Rec #1: Didn’t read, but teacher loves him and he is good friends with her son
Teacher Rec #2: Didn’t read, but it had to at least be good
Counselor Rec: Probably good, he had some medical issues, so she knew about how he needed to come back with work several times
Additional Rec: Didn’t submit
Interview: On campus with student, went very well

Other

State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public (large, highly rated school)
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
Merit Scholarship: Haven’t heard yet, but doubt he’s in the top 25% of applicants

Reflection

Strengths: Essay, ECs, commitment to music
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Good essay (related to music), strong music background for specialty program.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted: Northeastern, Drexel, Syracuse, Elon, American
Waiting: USC
Rejected: U Miami (Showed no interest and just applied at the last minute, but their music biz program is part of the conservatory and requires an audition, which I didn’t get)

General Comments: Showed a lot of interest - visited from CA, on-campus interview, got to know the regional rep (all of that stuff really helps). He applied to a new, interdisciplinary major so that probably helped him b/c not too much interest in it yet. UofR was a low reach for him, but we are happy he got in. However, he got merit aid from other schools, so that may tip the scales since we do not qualify for fin aid.

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Decision: Accepted

SAT I (breakdown): 700 Writing 670 Reading 620 Math
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II:N/A
Unweighted GPA: 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 9/341
AP (place score in parenthesis): US Hist (5) US Gov/Pol (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit/Comp, AP Art History, AP Spanish Lang, AP Environmental Science, AP Stats
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Spanish Exam Honorable Mention

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Oregon Youth and Government School Delegation (President), National Honor Society (Social Chair), National Spanish Honor Society (Secretary), 4 yr Varsity Tennis (2 year Captain), Selective School Program where 12 seniors spend their year fundraising for a Children’s Hospital, Young Democrats Club, Art History Club
Job/Work Experience: Front Desk Employee at a local tennis club
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer Teaching Assistant at local tennis club, volunteer at local elementary school
Summer Activities: work, volunteering, tennis
Teacher Recommendation: One from the teacher that gave me my one and only B, the other from a highly respected social studies teacher, most likely pretty excellent
Counselor Rec: who knows, big public school-she did it in 2 days :confused:
Additional Rec:
Commonapp Essay: Talked about being the son of a veteran and how the absence of my father for two years influenced my personality/outlook on life
UR Supplement Essay: emphasized my belief in analyzing students as more than just test scores and GPAs
Interview: none

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: undecided
State (if domestic applicant): Oregon
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: w
Gender: m
Income Bracket: mid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): not really

Reflection: I was actually surprised that I was accepted. They kept emphasizing doing an interview and I just didn’t want to do one but it ended up working out.

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: focused on my diversity of classes and my independence as a student as well as leadership
Weaknesses: no interview, writing sample, counselor rec was probably not great
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: accepted probably because of my consistent strength of classes, I showed improvement though because I started out in lower level math/science and ended up doing AP in both and my leadership in various activities
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted-Willamette, Linfield. Pacific (Forest Grove), Lewis and Clark College-Wait listed-Whitman
Notes:

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Decision: Accepted

Objective:

ACT :29 comp (34E was best subsection)
SAT II:n/a
Unweighted GPA: 3.75
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): not reported
AP (place score in parenthesis): not reported
IB (place score in parenthesis):n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Music theory, AP Spanish Language, AP English Literature, the rest are regular classes
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): n/a
Location: Kentucky (this probably served as a hook)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience: summer jobs for 2 summers
Volunteer/Community service: trips to poor areas of eastern kentucky where i worked on construction for the physically disabled for 5 straight days in the past 2 summers, also involved at local YMCA
Summer Activities: job, service trip
Teacher Recommendation: Good
Counselor Rec: No clue
Additional Rec: Excellent
Commonapp Essay: Very Good, was mentioned in acceptance letter as a big reason of admission
UR Supplement Essay: Good, not great
Interview: n/a

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Economics/Film Studies
State (if domestic applicant): KY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private, Religious
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income Bracket: not exactly sure, but EFC was 23k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection:

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: I was noted for my essay which was about a video game but revealed some idiosyncrasies about me and also my motivation to find a cool major and stick with it
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: location hook (being from a pretty southern state), being a non-stem major, being a good writer
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

Accept: McGill, Denison, DePaul
Rejected: Grinnell
Waitlisted: Kenyon :frowning:
Deferred: Tulane
Notes: i’m pretty surprised and very grateful

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Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): Total: 2250 Math: 800 Reading: 740 Writing: 710
ACT (breakdown): 34 composite
SAT II: Math L2: 710 Physics: 680 Literature: 710
Unweighted GPA: 3.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 25%
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language and Comp: 4
IB (place score in parenthesis): NONE
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None to speak of

Subjective:

Focused my application on a cultural aspect, due to my interests in international relations
I also attend a STEM based high school and have taken 6 or so college classes on top of the 1 AP
Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: CompSci/International Relations
State (if domestic applicant): Washington State
Country (if international applicant):
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 180,000

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Pick one:
Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown):N/A
ACT (breakdown): 31 (English: 27, Math: 34, Science: 33, Reading: 29, Writing 10/12)
SAT II: Math 2 (720), Biology (730), French (710)
Unweighted GPA: 3.96
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Don’t remember, but in the top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Calc AB (5), AP Calc BC (5), AP Biology (4), AP Physics Mechanics (4), AP Physics E&M (4), AP Chemistry (didn’t take), AP English Language (didn’t take)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Language, AP Calc BC Independent Study, AP Physics, French 5, Government, Sustainability & Society
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Senior French Award, Society of Women Engineers: High Honor Recipient, Academic All-America, OSAA Athlete Scholar, Iron Peer Tutor Award

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Swimming, Tennis, Choir, NHS, volunteering at a local hospital, tutoring (both as volunteering and getting paid)
Job/Work Experience: Tutoring for English
Volunteer/Community service: Tutoring peers in math at high school, volunteering at hospital
Summer Activities: Nothing really
Essays: Don’t know, but I was never good at writing essays.
Teacher Recommendation: Don’t know
Counselor Rec: Don’t know
Additional Rec:N/A
Commonapp Essay:Don’t know, again essays aren’t my forte
UR Supplement Essay: Wrote it in an hour before deadline
Interview: Didn’t do

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Biomedical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): OR
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type:Public
Ethnicity:Asian American
Gender:Female
Income Bracket: <$30,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation, women in engineering (?)

Reflection:

Strengths: GPA and Test Score? And maybe teacher/ counselor recs since I don’t think GPA and tests will let me get into UR
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Nothing
Weaknesses: Essays, no leadership position, no good EC
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Honestly I even wonder why I was accepted
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to Oregon State, Drexel University, RIT. Rejected by Northeastern, Boston University, and Lafayette College

Notes: If you’re interested in a certain college but don’t have the confidence that you’ll get in, definitely apply!! You never know what will happen, and it’s better to shoot and fail (or succeed :smiley: ) than not try and let it end as a mystery whether you could’ve reached your dream school or not.

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I know I’m a little late to the party, but I thought I would comment for posterity’s sake:

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): CR 640 M 680 W 690 Composite: 2010
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA: 100.11 (Unweighted N/A)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/413
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Govt, AP Bio, AP English Lit, AP Calc AB
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Valedictorian, Bashundhara Essay Comp First Place, Bangladesh Chess League Third Place

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): School Newspaper (Editor-in-Chief), English Teacher, Bangladesh Women’s Chess League, Yearbook (Chief Designer)
Job/Work Experience: English Teacher, Office Aide
Volunteer/Community service: English Teacher in Bangladesh, Infrastructure Work in Bangladesh
Summer Activities: Chess League
Essays: It was about my experience teaching in Bangladesh. I had like twenty drafts before the final version.

Teacher Recommendation: What I assume were two great recommendations, one from my trig teacher and the other from my newspaper adviser.
Counselor Rec: Average, probably. I wasn’t too close to my counselor.

Additional Rec: N/A
Commonapp Essay: See above.
UR Supplement Essay: I emphasized the lack of requirements and the campus vibe.
Interview: I think it went pretty great! My interviewer was nice, and I think we had a good conversation going.

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Undecided, interested in Computer Science & Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Bangladeshi
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: <$25,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation college student, lived abroad for three years (if that’s a hook? lol)

Reflection: UR was my top choice school, so I was psyched to get in and almost immediately paid my deposit. :stuck_out_tongue:

Strengths:
What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: My time abroad in Bangladesh, my transition back to living in America
Weaknesses: My SAT score, my transcript (due to living abroad and missing credits)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: The interview, my essay, valedictorian.

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Northeastern (rejected, though I submitted my app late), Skidmore (waitlisted), RPI (accepted), St. Lawrence (accepted), Binghamton (accepted), WPI (accepted), RIT (accepted), St. John’s (accepted), Ithaca (accepted)
Notes: I took the SAT once, and my transcript was a little less than stellar before my senior year bc I had just moved back the summer after my sophomore year. Add in family troubles, deaths, and mental health issues, and it was certainly crazy. However, I’m very stoked to start in a few weeks!

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