<p>WOOT. Hi guys, I guess I will be joining you all this summer :)))))</p>
<p>Another rejection. I don’t regret and congratulate whoever is accepted! So far one accepted, two rejection, one waiting for interview. Have a good one, everybody!</p>
<p>For the guy who PMed me, sorry I don’t have 15 posts hehe but here are my stats:</p>
<p>SAT: 2230
PSAT: below 200 lol
Subject Tests: 760 Bio-E, 700 World History
AP Tests: Bio (5), World History (5)
Grades: 3.96 UW, 4.5 W
Rank: 24/~3500
Activities: A few leadership things (2 club presidencies, few clubs), internship for cityhall/ leadership group for a congressman (won community hero award…), won some German scholarships, very minor documentary contests, and surprisingly enough, absolutely NOTHING science related…<br>
Essays: This is probably the thing that got me in. Connected my personal hardships with cancer biology. Talked about bodybuilding. Guess it was touching and unique.
Rec: It was alright. Not tear-jerking, but showed I was competent in AP bio…
State: Cali</p>
<p>Oh yeah, I’m asian.</p>
<p>WOAH! Good job dude! I’m also a body builder. I lift weights (100lb) and run on the treadmill regularly. I also get 8 hours of sleep every night. 
Congrats!</p>
<p>^in response to your PM WHY NOT? LOL sorry… geez</p>
<p>I got rejected, but I want to congratulate everyone who was accepted and wish them luck this summer! cheers to you guys!</p>
<p>Haha, this is funny. I might end up seeing people from SIMR since I live in the area. That’s a weird and creepy thought, but hey, it’s not a big area.</p>
<p>For future applicants: I have to disagree with StudiousMaximus. I am an Asian male in a relatively affluent community, had no major accomplishments on my application (such as ISEF, a national/international olympiad, etc.) and did not have perfect grades. I would even go as far as to say poor essays/letter of recommendation would be more detrimental than lack of awards. I did have A’s in my science classes (all of the AP sciences available) and pretty good test scores. Furthermore, I think my passion for science/medicine was apparent, as I had a health-related club, leadership in science extracurriculars, past internships. I also had a fairly eloquent essay (in my opinion) about my interest in science, how I became interested in science, and where I see myself as a scientist, in my career, and my life in general. I asserted my goals clearly and connected them to past experiences of mine. Also, I had a very candid essay about an unextraordinary science extracurricular that became a big part of my high school life. I wrote about how it shaped my character and my outlook. I tried to portray myself as a leader, in science as well as in my community, and I am fairly confident I had a great letter of recommendation. I put a lot of effort into my r</p>
<p>Anyone have a Facebook group set up yet? Also, anyone who doesn’t have housing arrangements, what do you plan to do (I don’t either)? What did students from outside the Bay Area do last year? I got in but don’t have friends/family I can stay with, so anyone want to pm me to discuss possible options? Any ideas would be appreciated, from others in my situation or from SIMR alumni.</p>
<p>@Urantiel: I specified significant science achievement because that can distinguish someone in a pool of 1200+ well-qualified applicants, but I also said that it’s possible to get in without such accomplishments (it’s just very unlikely). The fact remains (and I’ll defend this point) that it is incredibly unlikely that any given person will be admitted without some distinguishing factor. From what I can tell, you did in fact have significant science involvement, and your essays happened to intrigue the reader. However, my advice is still valuable: if you have perfect objective stats (best-case scenario), strong essays, and middling science extracurriculars, you <em>probably</em> won’t get in. So don’t waste your time. If, however, you have a distinguishing factor (including but not limited to minority status, science achievement, or an amazing LoR) ALONG with great objective stats, you have a chance and should apply.</p>
<p>I never said that great essays and a compelling rec were not as important as “awards.” My point was that great essays and a compelling rec are not enough.</p>
<p>P.S. I’d be happy to send my essays to anyone who’d like to read them (so that you can make a personal judgment regarding whether they’re strong or not). PM me.</p>
<p>I see what you’re saying, StudiousMaximus. You’re probably right that having little to no achievement whatsoever makes it harder. I just wanted to make sure that everyone who is interested in science seriously considers applying in the future, because I thought I had little to no shot and was not going to apply until the due date when one of my friends insisted I apply.</p>
<p>Also, to add on to my last post for future applicants, I want to highlight that I really did not change my essays much after my first draft, as I did not have much time, and I felt that that turned out to be something of an advantage. I pored over my RSI essays for two weeks, and I think they sort of gave that “overdone/over-revised” feel. As far as I can tell, my RSI essays presented me in the best light possible, but my SIMR essays were down-to-earth (not simplistic, though) and, excuse the clich</p>
<p>@StudiousMaximus: </p>
<p>Please do me the favor and just ****. You obviously have some grudge against this all because frankly, if you didn’t, you wouldn’t be posting your stats and staying on this page telling others what is needed to get in. Similarly, you wouldn’t be willing to send your essays to people as if their approval of them would somehow revalidate your ability to perform. </p>
<p>I rarely use this godforsaken desperate website (hence the username), but when I do, I keep seeing your ass around here and it’s gotten to the point where it gets kind of annoying. No one knows what the admissions is looking for, and frankly, I got into the program with very little to do with science. Stop being presumptuous and get off your high horse – you may be right in saying you need to differentiate, but there are a crap load of ways to do it. Not everyone needs to be the bioengineeringastrophysicschemical whatever to get into a program like this.</p>
<p>They looked for diversity no? Of the 1234125541124 applicants, I’m pretty sure the large majority thought like you did, and rightly so, but unfortunately, that really kills your own chances. You shoot yourself in your foot by doing that!</p>
<p>I apologize in advance if this comes off too strongly, but I’m frankly sick of it. Cmon bud don’t worry what others do, focus on yourself! Follow what you wanna do in life!</p>
<p>Accepted! Same as @Mineeto, just wondering if someone has created a Facebook group yet.</p>
<p>@Desperados: Wait a second, what about “have a distinguishing factor to have a real chance at this program” is presumptuous? Do you propound the alternative, that one should be a bland, achievement-less applicant? I never said what it takes to get in; I said that it is incredibly unlikely for anyone to get in (hence the 4% acceptance rate), so unless you have something distinguishing you from the rest of the amazing pool, you’re better off saving your time for something more productive. </p>
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<p>Where do you live? What is your race? Is there something else you’re not telling us? The simple fact is you can’t get into this program without being a fantastic applicant or at least being a great applicant with a hook.</p>
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<p>You must not have read my post very carefully, as I included the following line: “distinguishing factor (including but not limited to minority status, science achievement, or an amazing LoR)”</p>
<p>As you can see, I recognized the variety of ways for one to distinguish oneself. </p>
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<p>Yes, I’m the presumptuous one. I posted my stats and offered to share my essays because I want to help future applicants understand what is not good enough for this program. Seeing as I’ve already gotten three PM’s asking for essays, people are interested. If you’re not, fine, but don’t pretend everyone thinks the same way that you do.</p>
<p>And now for this:</p>
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<p>It does. I thought Stanford had a reputation of accepting genuinely nice students. Seem they made a mistake here.</p>
<p>Great post, StudiousMaximus. Thanks for sharing your impressive stats.</p>
<p>I also want to thank StudiousMaximus for sharing his stats. It really helped me understand the selectivity of these summer programs.</p>
<p>Guys, I want to reemphasize: DON’T BE DISCOURAGED, BY SUMMER PROGRAMS, COMPETITIONS, SCHOLARSHIPS/COMPETITIONS LIKE STS, OR COLLEGES. Yes, the people who succeed in these areas are extraordinary, but not everyone knows it haha. These things are selective, but hey, even the lotto has a winner. Yes, some of the people who get in have exceptional achievements, like international olympiads and science fairs (among the vast number of other ways one can be successful), but just as many get in due to other factors. There is a reason the application is not just a transcript, test scores, and a list of your awards. It’s holistic, as there are various ways to measure achievement, potential, and the general quality of an applicant. Passion and character are some of the most often heard of examples of factors that cannot be objectively evaluated. Phenomenal people get in, phenomenal people get rejected. Stop worrying, you can’t really predict these things unless you are an extreme outlier at either end of the spectrum.</p>
<p>@StudiousMaximus Thank your willingness to post your stats and share it with the rest of us. It didn’t make me feel so bad after reading stats of another applicant who was well-qualified for the program, but didn’t get in.</p>
<p>I have a 4.0 unweighted (4.63 weighted, cumulative), play 2 varsity sports since freshman year, and scored a 2390 on the SAT. I am also captain of my school’s sports team, president of a club, and an officer in a few other clubs, in addition to being members of CSF and NHS. I also live less than an hour away from the campus. I think what I was missing was something big in the science category. (I’m posting this so that future applicants will have a better idea to gauge their chances. I hope this will help them.)</p>
<p>@Desperados I can’t imagine what would be coming out of your mouth if you were to not be accepted into the program. I don’t even think it would even occur to you to post your stats for the benefit of others. You should try looking at this in a brighter light. People who apply next year will have a better idea of what SIMR is looking for.</p>
<p>I feel bad that SIMR accepted such a rude person.</p>
<p>Didn’t get in. But congratulations for those who got in!</p>