Stanford Class of 2019 REA Results Thread

[Sabrina2372]

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2040 (620 M, 630 CR, 790 W)
ACT (breakdown): 32 superscore (31 without, I took it three times)
SAT II: 710 Bio, 710 History, 720 Literature
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 8/845
AP (place score in parenthesis): Psych (5) Bio (4) Calc AB (4) Lang (5) APUSH (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP Physics C, AP Lit, AP Gov, regular Spanish 4, Treble Choir
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Outstanding Participant in PSAT, AP Scholar with Distinction</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Treble Ensemble (President 12th, Section leader 11th) Silver Pen (writing club President for 2 years) and published a book. CSF (California Scholarship Fed. co-President) Published a short story sophomore year. Ongoing piano lessons since age 8.
Job/Work Experience: Writer/Editor at All Women Stalk, an online magazine. Tutor.
Volunteer/Community service: Homeless shelter during school breaks; taught Sunday school year round.
Summer Activities: NSLC Communications, DWC Script and Video Productions summer 2014
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9-10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I don’t know, I didn’t read them.</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: Probably good; from my AP Lang teacher and she included things I forgot in my App (like awards and publishing because I’m dumb and awful and forgot to include those!) Plus I know her outside of school. Hopefully 9-10
Teacher Rec #2: Maybe generic. He said he had a “formula”, but he really liked me and is an amazing writer so maybe like 7-8-9
Counselor Rec: Who knows? There are 4000 kids in my school, so she doesn’t know me that well. But we had a few good talks, so probably 7-8.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Not yet
Intended Major: English/ Literature
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $110,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM</p>

<p>Reflection
I honest-to-goodness did not think I would get in. I prayed my butt off and fasted for two days, so maybe that’s why I got in. I cried like a freaking infant and tore off my jacket and threw it on the floor when I found out. I don’t know if those are congruent symptoms of shock or what but that’s what happened. Then I fell on the floor and my mom and I just cried because we both didn’t think this was humanly possible, for me at least. I honestly didn’t see it coming, my test scores are so low. My essays honestly rocked though, both AP Lit teachers at my school thought they were good enough to get me in.
Strengths: I published a book and work for a magazine so that shows interest and dedication to me field. So basically extracurriculars and essays. My voice was really strong and unique in my essays.
Weaknesses: Test scores. So so so bad. Like if my kid got those scores I would chastise her into the ground.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Hopefully this isn’t the chief reason, but being a minority probably helps. And my essays… they really kicked butt, I’m not afraid to say it. I legit like reading them! Plus, like I said, not many teens can say they’re a paid editor of a magazine nor a published author so that helps. Plus, I really care about what I do. Like I really, sincerely care about writing, teaching (as in tutoring and Sunday school), and music, so that’s why everything in my life revolves around those things. I think that shows in an application.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nowhere yet. Applied to Harvard, Yale, UCI, and UCR. Applying to Scripps. </p>

<p>General Comments: To conclude, good luck to EVERYONE applying! Pray and send positive thoughts into the universe because if I can make it, anyone can. I always tell my friends “I’m not a real person yet”, but I finally feel like I am. It’s a great feeling, so keep working hard and you might get there! I heard something like this in a sermon once, but I think it applies quite well here too: Make sure you’re not a lake, that covers a lot of space but doesn’t go very deep. Also, don’t be a well that only goes deep in one area. Be an ocean, that spans miles and has great depth. Basically, do a lot, and be passionate. That’s the BEST advice I can give to prospective applicants. Also important is simply having fun. I shopped and hung out with friends in HS way more than I studied or worked on college apps. Everyone is different, but I think that if you focus on yourself more than anything else, colleges will view you as a “real person” and you’ll view yourself the same way, then that will show in your application!
Also I can’t wait to meet all of my potentially-future classmates! Message me so we can get to know one another before we embark on this next chapter of our lives together! Ahhh so exciting! Good luck again! </p>

[weissp68]

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2240 800 Math 740 Reading 700 Writing </p>

<p>ACT (breakdown): Didn’t take!</p>

<p>SAT II: 800 Math II, 750 Chemistry</p>

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

<p>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/353 Weighted/Unweighted</p>

<p>AP (place score in parenthesis): None</p>

<p>IB (place score in parenthesis): Math SL 7, Chemistry SL 6 (Took HL Math and HL Chem junior year)</p>

<p>Senior Year Course Load: IB English HL, IB History HL, IB Mandarin SL (Only SL yet manages to be my hardest class), IB Physics HL, IB TOK.
I was also accepted into the Reed Young Scholars program which allowed me to take math classes at Reed for free. I drive to the college from my high school twice a week. I just finished a Number Theory course, and I’m about to start an Analysis course. </p>

<p>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Eagle Scout (Does this count?)</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-Captain of chess team for two state championships.
-Eagle scout, senior patrol leader, some random awards for my eagle project.
-Unit captain on constitution team. Mock trial freshman year
-Cross Country 4 years
-Started project to make an open source dictionary for the Haian dialect of Chinese. (To be honest this is the biggest reason why I’m excited to have gotten in… I can continue this awesome project with Stanford backing)
-Lots of volunteering. Other random things. </p>

<p>Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: Lots. Free Geek, Scouts mostly. </p>

<p>Summer Activities: Worked on Chinese project, Philmont Hike (120 miles), Part time job with Portland Chess Shop, finished eagle project and got eagle scout. </p>

<p>Essays (rating 1-10, details):

1. I think my common app essay was a 10/10. I wrote it about playing chess in the park and building a community through it.
2. Work experience was just about my part time job with PCC. Not too noteworthy, but added to the overall feel of the application. 10/10 for what it accomplished, 7/10 in terms of writing.
3. Short answers were quirky. I wrote “Free cone day at Ben and Jerry’s” for one of my favorite events. Definitely didn’t take it too seriously.
4. I honestly didn’t feel as though my short essays were good, but they definitely added to the texture of my application. Again, I didn’t take myself too seriously and I just talked about things that I’m passionate about. The roommate essay was actually based off of my experiences at the Stanford high school summer college in 2013. I talked about baking baklava, going on runs, and playing shogi in the quad. The roommate essay was definitely the best of the three. </p>

<p>Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: Math Teacher. I was in his Math SL and Math HL classes. I also TA’d for Math SL 1 my sophomore year. Had him three times overall and I think he wrote me an awesome letter. 9/10. </p>

<p>Teacher Rec #2: English teacher who I had a really good relationship with. She read my common application essay right before writing my letter of recommendation, and she told me that it inspired her to write a strong letter. 9.5/10. </p>

<p>Counselor Rec: No idea! My counselor was pretty animated about it though so I’m assuming it was good. Ill be conservative and say 8/10. </p>

<p>Additional Rec: None. You don’t need these folks!
Interview: Honestly can’t tell. Interviewer was a high powered neurosurgeon who pretty much just had a conversation with me for 50 minutes. He was pretty unreadable, but I talked about my Chinese dialect project and hopefully let him see a “spark”. </p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: No. My grandpa left behind a college fund, and we make enough that financial aid isn’t really on the table.
Intended Major: Physics? Computer Science? Mathematics? I know I’m getting a minor in Chinese haha.
State (if domestic applicant): Oregon
School Type: Large Public School
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 150-200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths:
Lot’s of things. I found myself in a really good position while applying. The hardest part for me was getting things down on paper. Great applicants get rejected because they didn’t have the time or the patience to get themselves down on paper in a way that truly reflects their amazingness. </p>

<p>Weaknesses:
Interview, and maybe some of my short essays. I poured everything I had into this application, so I tried to nip weaknesses at the bud early. My SAT scores are good (not great, but good), and I have good grades and a rigorous schedule. Again, I was put in a fantastic position to apply with and it was really just a matter of crafting the best on-paper application that I could. </p>

<p>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Hard-work, in high school and in the application. I think Legacy also might have helped, but I feel like my application was strong without it. </p>

<p>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nowhere else. I’m withdrawing all of my other applications tomorrow. No point in being a headhunter when I’m already satisfied with where I’m going. Waste of money, my application reader’s time, and my own time for me to apply to other schools. </p>

<p>General Comments: </p>

<p>Overall I have to say that the biggest part of the application is giving them a feel for who you are as a person. An individual essay does not have to be fantastic as long as it adds a small piece to the puzzle of who you are. Talk about the things that you love doing, but also know that they don’t want you to take yourself too seriously. Don’t slip in outright jokes, but maybe give a few lighthearted answers. </p>

<p>I’m really excited to be a member of the Stanford Class of 2019. If anyone wants to ask me anything, just post in this thread or PM me and I’ll get back to you. </p>

[fivetangotango]

<p>[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**
<em>disclaimer</em>: I made a CC account 20 minutes ago, barely know what I’m doing lol
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2310 (but I took them October, not sure if Stanford got it).
ACT (breakdown): 3x, (33, 34, 34), 35 superscore
SAT II: 780 math, chem and physics were too low to send O_O
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.994
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): unavailable, probably in the top 10 out of 70
AP (place score in parenthesis): n/a
IB (place score in parenthesis): haven’t taken yet
Senior Year Course Load: IB Classes: HL Math, HL Chem, HL Physics, HL French, SL Lit, SL History, the Product Team (tutoring middle schoolers) and TOK (Theory of Knowledge - dope class!)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
-Math Modeling National Finalist
-National Merit Semifinalist
-Eagle Scout
-Private Pilot (gliders), Solo Pilot (powered)</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Boy Scouts (Senior Patrol Leader), Venture Crew (Founding President), NHS (President), Junior State of America, Model United Nations, Civil Air Patrol (Aerospace Education Officer)</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: Internship at local University’s Aerospace Department, I work in the wind tunnel, observe grad students in lab, help professors and technicians with whatever!
Volunteer/Community service: IB CAS Hours: (150 total over HS mandatory), lots of NHS hours, Scout Troop hours, I put in 89 hours on my Eagle Scout Project alone
Summer Activities: powered flight academy (with Civil Air Patrol), volunteered at Art Fair, went to university engineering camp (received scholarship), visited Galapagos
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9 or 10… Common app about flying solo at 14, how I’ve grown as a person and pilot. Really emphasizes the passion and love for why I love flight more than anything else… Stanford supplement… Extracurricular: boy scouts, Significant Issue: environment, Intellectual vitality: Deciding engineering over flying as a career path (really emphasized entrepreneurial spirit), Roommate: talked about juggling everything, whistling jazz, how I’d arrange the room. It was super casual What matters to me: talked about nature, how it inspires and grounds me.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): (9 or 10) CAP Squadron Commander: talked about my aerospace passion, excellence in the squadron, and… character? Selflessness?)</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: Physics Teacher: Probably fantastic - she went to MIT, she understands my passion and I really respect her a lot. (I designed an Angle of Attack indicator under her supervision)
Teacher Rec #2:Literature teacher: Probably great - he had to write a TON (of other recommendations), but I think he understood my work ethic and passion.
Counselor Rec: Probably great! He’s nationally recognized (board of college counselors), and compiled it from 15 community resources! I’m super lucky to have him.
Additional Rec: CAP Squadron Commander: talked about my aerospace passion, excellence in the squadron, and… character? Selflessness?)
Interview: No interview</p>

<p>Other: not legacy!</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: yes, but… probably won’t get much
Intended Major: AEROSPACE ENGINEERING, BABY
State (if domestic applicant): no
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: International Baccalaureate. we are the inaugural class!
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: upper middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): unsure</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>I think I got in due to my unique passion and experiences: I’m a private pilot, I fly, and I absolutely love all of it. I’m sure my character helped, too; I’m easygoing, non-confrontational, and incredibly happy. All the time ;-)</p>

<p>Strengths: PASSION
Weaknesses: test scores, demographic
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I conveyed my passion through my essays!
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: got a scholarship to University of Michigan engineering, haven’t applied anywhere else</p>

<p>General Comments:</p>

<p>Wow. It feels great. It feels like my sense of self worth has been reassured, that a huge burden has been lifted from my shoulders. Isn’t that messed up?? this decision shouldn’t mean this much, and I’m confused about how to feel. So many of my friends were rejected, people I looked up to, respected, and even thought were smarter than I was. It gets so arbitrary at these top schools… as you all know… and there are simply too many qualified students to all fit. But I’m 100% that all of those students will go on to great schools and accomplish great things - I was just lucky that my first shot worked out. This will only define you if you let it, and I don’t want it to define me!</p>

[plzStanford]

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

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):N/A
ACT (breakdown): Comp - 23, Read - 22, Math - 24, Sci - 21, Eng - 25
SAT II:N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.1
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):Not sure but definitely top 15%
AP (place score in parenthesis):US Gov (3), Calc AB (4), Chinese (5), Latin (2)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:Psychology, AP bio, Calc BC, web design, yearbook, environmental science
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):None really but Basketball player of the month in 10th grade</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

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

<p>Basketball
NHS
STudent Council
Youth in Governement
Church group</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience:None
Volunteer/Community service:NHS
Summer Activities:traveled to ethiopia to dig wells
Essays (rating 1-10, details):probably like 13s i spent a really long time on them; at least 45 minutes on each and my english teach said they were really good
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: English teacher: 10 I didnt know her very well but she called on me a lot (and she liked my essays)
Teacher Rec #2:Psychology Teacher:10 I think the teacher liked me
Counselor Rec:very ungeneric since the counselor was an ass: 10
Additional Rec:Basketball Coach:10 told me I was the best JV point gaurd in school histroy
Interview:</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major: FGSS
State (if domestic applicant):vermont
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:public
Ethnicity:native american
Gender:female
Income Bracket:under 45K so yeah
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):URM</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths:NAtive American, recommendations for sure
Weaknesses:test scores
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:probably because im native american female and
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: a community college that I applied to in Vermont still waiting for MIT</p>

<p>General Comments:Im fucking flipping out holy shit I cant even believe it I cant even see. About to smoke some hallucinogenic pipes with my tribal elders CEE YA! GLHF Everyone!
ps sorry if stuff is typed wrong my hands are trembling.</p>

[ihaveacooluser]

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2140 out of 2 tries. 720 CR, 740 M, 680 W
ACT (breakdown): 34 out of 2 tries. 34 R, 36 M, 32 S, 33 E
SAT II: 800 Math II, 740 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.967
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): my school doesn’t official report that stuff, but i have the highest weighted GPA and the counselor reports that one compared to yours, so 1/58
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB (5), Literature (4), US Gov’t (5), Comparative Poltiics (4), World History (4), Human Geography (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP US Gov’t, AP English Literature, AP Computer Science A, Physics with Calculus (college equivalent of C - Mecahnics), Linear Algebra, Calculus 2, Calculus 3, Differential Equations, and a couple of college electives
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nope lol</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Programming Club (founder), Rho Kappa (president), SNHS (treasurer), NHS, Math Club, Debate
Job/Work Experience: Paid Summer internship. Currently I work at a Kumon and tutor on the side
Volunteer/Community service: mostly NHS-related stuff. only 160 hours or so
Summer Activities: research internship after 10th grade at a local university and spent last summer at Stanford Summer College on a full scholarship
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8 or 9. I don’t have very good vocabulary, but I worked very hard on them, and my teachers/friends told me they were very good essays/
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: Calc teacher 10. I had him last year, and he really loved me. he gave me a copy of previous letters, and they were very good.
Teacher Rec #2: English teacher 8-9. She really likes me, so I’ll assume she wrote very good things about me
Counselor Rec: 10 he really likes me, and my school is small, so he knows me pretty well
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: n/a</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Computer Science
State (if domestic applicant): FL
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public Magnet
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~10k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): minority, low income, single mother, first gen college</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: My essays were really good and I had a good transcript from being at the summer college program
Weaknesses: Test scores could’ve been better, but I didn’t want to bother with a third try
Why you think you were accepted: hooks, teacher recs, and essays
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to a local university so far</p>

<p>General Comments: I got in through QuestBridge Match</p>

[sunnya97]

<p>**Decision: Rejected**</p>

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

<p>ACT: 35 Composite, 35 English, 36 Math, 33 Reading, 35 Science, 10 Essay</p>

<p>SAT II: Math 1 - 800, Math 2- 800, Physics - 800, US History - 770</p>

<p>Weighted GPA: 4.41</p>

<p>Rank: Does not Rank</p>

<p>APs:
Computer Science (5)
English Language (5)
Macroeconomics (5)
Physics C - Mech (5)
Physics C - E&M (5)
US History (5)
Calculus BC (5)</p>

<p>Senior Year Courses:
AP Chemistry
AP Psychology
Honours English IV
AP Microeconomics
AP Probability and Statistics
Calculus 3 and Differential Equations
Media Communications III
Media Communications IV</p>

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

<p>RoboSoccer Club (Founder and Team Captain)

• 3rd Place RoboCup Jr. Soccer Internationals
• 1st Place RoboCup Jr. Soccer Nationals
• RoboCup Jr. National Electrical Design Award</p>

<p>Boy Scouts Troop 88 (Senior Patrol Leader)

• Life Scout working on Eagle
• Order of the Arrow (Scouting’s “Honour Society”)</p>

<p>FIRST Robotics Competition Team 303 (Student Leadership Council Member)

• 3rd Place FRC World Championships
• TCNJ District Engineering Excellence Award
• Mount Olive District Robot Design Award
• MAR Region Chairman’s Award
• Mount Olive District Imagery Award
• Clifton District Chairman’s Award
• Hatboro-Horsham District Team Spirit Award</p>

<p>ZeroRobotics (Team Captain)

• ISS Finalist (Programmed satellites aboard the ISS) </p>

<p>Future Business Leaders of America (Webmaster, Tech Director)

• 1st Place NJ FBLA Entrepreneurship
• FBLA Nationals Entrepreneurship Finalist
• NJ FBLA Economics 3rd Place
• NJ FBLA JA Titans 2nd Place in Industry</p>

<p>VEX Robotics Competition Team 2409A (Co-Captain)

• VEX Regional 2nd Place
• VEX Regional Programming Skills 2nd Place </p>

<p>FIRST Technical Challenge Team 756 (Team Captain)

• FTC Regional 2nd Place</p>

<p>NJ iSTEM Organization (Co-President)

• 2nd Place Princeton Engineering Olympiad Environmental Engineering</p>

<p>Forensics Speech and Debate (Webmaster) </p>

<p>Geography Club

• 1st Place WorldQuest NYC Regionals</p>

<p>Scuba Diving (Advanced Open Water Diver)</p>

<p>Ultimate Frisbee Team</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience:
Internship in Creative Media Department at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
Co-Founder of PeerEditr
CMO of REV Apparel
App and Website Company PocketApps (Multiple Android Apps and websites)</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service:
~100 hours through Boy Scouts
Currently working on my Eagle Scout Project
~100 Hours at local Hindu Temple
~150 Hours at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center</p>

<p>Summer Activities:
MIT Launch Summer Program (Created PeerEditr there)
Volunteered at Temple
Internship at Hospital (Volunteered in creative media department and used photography, Photoshop, and Illustrator skills to create posters, newsletters, etc for both hospital-wide and city-wide events)
Boy Scouts Camping and High Adventure Trips
Competitions during the summer (RoboCup Jr Internationals, FBLA Nationals)</p>

<p>Recommendations:
Got from Calculus Teacher, Economics Teacher, and Boy Scouts Scoutmaster</p>

<p>Essays
What Matters To You: Reconciling the humanities with STEM. Talked a lot about my videography, in which I need both artistic/creative skills as well as technical skills.
Roommate Essay: I thought I made it funny.
Intellectual Vitality: Talked about why I hate post-its. They don’t let me connect ideas to together like my whiteboard does. Talked about how I learn best my connecting different ideas.</p>

<p>Interview:
I think it went pretty well.</p>

<p>State: New Jersey
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: Male</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: I think my extracurriculars and awards are really good. I truly loved everything I did and think I made that clear.
Weaknesses: My grades were not the best (couple of B+s). Demographics are against me. Other than that, not sure.</p>

<p>General Comments: Congrats to everyone who got in! For everyone who didn’t, best of luck in RD!</p>

[BrodoSwaggings]

<p>I’ll try to give as much details as possible, so I may break format a little bit and may list everything rather than selecting just the best! Apologies in advance for any inconvenience!
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred[/color][/size]**</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): CR 800, M 770, W 710 (Superscore, over 4 sittings but only 2 accounted in the super score)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: Biology (Molecular) 800, Chemistry 770, Math II 800, US Hist 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8 unweighted, 4.33 weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank, but in Cum Laude Society (top 10%) (School size is <700, class size is 128)
AP (place score in parenthesis):Bio (5), Chemistry (5), Computer Science (5), Statistics (5), US History (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Greek III Honors, Independent Study in Computer Science (maxed out my schools program), French V AP, AP BC Calculus, AP Modern European History, AP Physics C: Mechanics, Early British Literature: Heroic Archetypes, British Romantics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, Cum Laude Society, Yale Book Award, Presidential Service Recipient (3 years in a row, over 2000 hours total service), Malone Family Foundation Scholarship (to the private school I go to, which normally costs $20,000 per year), USA Gymnastics First Team Academic All American (3 years in a row), National Greek Exam Merit Award, National French Exam ‘With Honors’ (3 years in a row)</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):Gymnastics for 9 years 3.5hrs/day 5days/week (Captain of team) (3rd in the nation on Floor Exercise), Internship at Thought Span Technologies, Mobile Application Developer/Consultant, Technology Club (president)
Job/Work Experience: Internship at Thoughtspan (Created security software for Bank of America and Wachovia), Mobile Application Developer/Consultant (created several apps myself on the app store as well as aided in the creation of apps for several businesses)
Volunteer/Community service: Parents of Infants and Children with Kernicterus (Head of Technology), Lexi’s Voice (President) (Non-profit my family and I started dedicated to my disabled sister who has Kernicterus. Aid kids in using their communication devices and promote their use of them (difficult to use and configure devices)), Global Prevent Kernicterus Network (Worked in close association with the leader (who is head of the neurology department at Stanford) to create a data mining program for his organization)
Summer Activities: All of my work experience and community service listed above plus extra gymnastics practice during the summer
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 10. I wrote about when I tried to start my own online business when I was 12 after winning a notional competition but not realizing the actual cost of the product and having to work over time. Also touched on my sister.
Intellectual Vitality: 9. Talked about computer science and how I had to teach myself from 8 years old and the pleasure I get from coding and the passion I have for it.
What Matters: 9. Talked about my sister and her disabilities and how what matters most to me is taking care of her throughout her life. Moved into talking about how helping kids with disabilities is rewarding and thus also matters. Worked pretty well, but not as good as my common app essay.
Letter To Roommate: 7. I used a very relaxed tone and talked about gymnastics, how I will have to take them to our meets, and in general was lighthearted and joking.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): We don’t get to read any of our recs but having such a small class size they are extremely personal</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: 10 - Head Master (who is my Greek Teacher). Didn’t specifically read this one but have read other recs he has done for me and it is top notch (best writer i have ever read, better than most authors xD)
Teacher Rec #2: 9 English teacher from Junior year. Loved me (called me the only member of the ‘intelligencia’ he had met in a long while in a conversation).
Counselor Rec: 10 - Highlights almost everything I left out in my own essays and emphasizes my intellectual curiosity. Since we have so few students broken up over 3 counselors they are very personalized. Plus he graduated from Stanford
Additional Rec: 8 - Computer science teacher from past 3 years. He has repeatedly called me the best student he has ever had and better than most professional computer scientists that he has known. As a comp sci teacher, however, his writing was most likely not even close to my other three recs.
Interview: Not offered.</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Computer Science
State (if domestic applicant): North Carolina
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Private College Preparatory (class size of 128)
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <$100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Disabled sister that has completely changed my entire family (so massive medical expenses, will have to be taken care of her entire life, etc.) (idk if this counts haha)</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Community service, passion for the things I do, essay, recs
Weaknesses: gpa (have gotten 4 B+'s in high school, just not enough time in the day ), sat?, not as many AP’s as others (although I took as many as is possible at my school)
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’m going to guess they want to look at my first semester grades from this year as my grades have never been perfect. I also do not think I got all of my EC’s on the application so I will be adding those with the update form.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Haven’t heard from anywhere else yet!</p>

<p>General Comments: I was bummed for about three minutes after I got my decision, but then realized “hey, only 8% of applicants get deferred. That’s a pretty good accomplishment.” To those that also got deferred: remember we are close! Only till March do we have to wait.
To those accepted: Congratulations, I hope I see you at Stanford next year!
To those rejected: Don’t take it personally, you are still an amazing candidate.</p>

<p>I hope this may help someone in the future get an idea of what Stanford was looking for this year. I will be sure to update with whether I get accepted/rejected in RD. </p>

[SaphLieRe]

<p>Decision: Accepted!!!</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2310 (780 W, 770 M, 760 R) <-- though this is superscored; my best sitting is actually something like 2270
ACT (breakdown): 35
SAT II: 740 Chem, 760 Math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1 (I’m technically tied for 1st but I believe my counselor and I both put 1…)
AP (place score in parenthesis):
5 - Calc BC, Chem, Lit, Psych, Geo
4- Comp Sci A, Physics C EM/Mech, Macro/Micro Econ, US History
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lang, AP Gov, AP Bio, APES, Band, online gym? lol… >.>
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): ISEF twice, BPA nationals twice. NCTE nomination for school, does Harvard Book Award count? National AP Scholar.</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Cultural asian dance, band, scioly, math league, BPA, science fair.
Job/Work Experience: Private tutor for elementary/middle school kids
Volunteer/Community service: Local hospital volunteer for 3 years, NHS for 2 years (though NHS at our school is utter crap).
Summer Activities: read??? babysitting… eat food and get fat. Regret it after summer.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App- 10- I described how cultural dance created a “content environment” for me.
Intellectual Vitality- 8- science fair project idea origin… pretty unique, but i thought it probably wasn’t “intellectual” enough…? Kinda philosophical in nature.
Letter to Roommate- 8- meh just put it together the day before. Though I did include things like my irrational love for marching band, Iron Man (or all Marvel movies in general), um my hello kitty table drawer (totally random??), how I ponder the existence of astronomical objects, how much I love books. And frozen yogurt. And exploring. And talking like a Minnesotan! Oh ya betcha! Also my need to apologize every 2 seconds.
What Matters to You- 10- It made my counselor cry when she read it so must be pretty good?</p>

<p>Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1/??: Did not read, but pretty sure it was solid because my math teacher is DA BOMB <3
Teacher Rec #2/8: Read, was a solid essay.
Counselor Rec/10: Beautiful, made me cry!
Additional Rec:
Interview: Thought it went well! Took a bit more than an hour; we just chatted and shared our love for medicine and the interdisciplinary aspect of Stanford. </p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Y
Intended Major: Chemistry? Though that might change…
State (if domestic applicant): MN (Midwest baby!!)
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: F
Income Bracket: $20,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Strong extracurricular/international or national awards. My essays really shined and showed the “human” side of me, because my ECs showed how much of a machine I am (secretly). Twas a nice balance. </p>

<p>Weaknesses: I hate standardized testing. But I can’t complain, I have to say I’m satisfied with the scores I ended up with (after taking it soooo many times… finally…). I had a lot of ECs, and I only have so much time to focus on a few specific ones, so I maybe stood off as trying to be too involved. (i.e. Scioly and math league, like I never spent any time preparing for them so I never really did well… :P) </p>

<p>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Honestly, when it comes down to 10% acceptance rate, it’s a bit like asking to win the lottery. Very holistic and arbitrary; who knows?? Maybe the admission officers were just having a good day?</p>

<p>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: NADA! Stanford’s the first one. Pretty nice gift before the break!!! </p>

<p>General Comments: For real though, this is the real life. I bawled my eyes out the minute I got my email, and then bawled for the next few hours before I went to sleep (if I even went to sleep at all…). Still in disbelief and shock - I’ve been refreshing my email frantically, making sure that they won’t send an email saying it was a fluke (which has totally happened to me before with one of those prestigious summer research programs… can’t remember which one). Essay advice, just be yourself. To be honest, I didn’t let anyone check my essays and just trusted my gut instinct. And wrote them with a month left to go. You just have to wait for that spark of inspiration; you can’t force words to come out. I am so thankful that this has happened to me - so many negative events have happened and I sort of just broke down into a bundle of nerves; but in retrospect, good things will come to those who wait. Always be optimistic - even if you get rejected, there’s always other colleges out there. I’m sure you will find the perfect match for you. And if you got deferred, keep those spirits up!! You’re one of those rare cases that Stanford values enough to keep in the running. I believe in every single one of you. No matter what happens, never stop loving yourself, because that’s all that will matter in the end. </p>

[flyingwatermelon]

<p>I’ll put some details, but not too much to give myself up. Hope this helps!
Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 750 CR 800 Math 800 Writing
ACT (breakdown): Took it but didn’t submit. Parents were concerned SAT was reasoning and ACT was more recall and that college could delineate the differences. Honestly, it doesn’t matter.
SAT II: 800 Physics 800 Math II 800 Biology M 800 Chemistry 780 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Nope
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5’s on Physics B, Physics C M, Physics C E, Biology, AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC, US History, Chemistry, Language and Composition, Computer Science
IB (place score in parenthesis): No IB Program
Senior Year Course Load: Four academic classes, one leadership, one music, one physical education (because graduation requirements)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Science Bowl, USABO Semi-Finalist, Physics Bowl (Awards not specified cause identity), International Physics Report competition (not specified cause identity), High School Mathematics Modeling Contest National Finalist, National ASTA All-National Orchestra. (Couple other awards from Science Olympiad, FBLA, National Spanish Exam, AP, Science Fairs, Toshiba Exploravision, Young Naturalist, California Certificate of Merit)</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Spanish Club (Currently President), FBLA(Currently President), Science Club(Currently President and Captain of Science Bowl), Student Government (Tech Commissioner and Treasurer)
Job/Work Experience: Never got paid for any of my work sadly so its all “volunteer but not volunteer”
Volunteer/Community service: Research lab, taught local communities science, political interning (I don’t have strong community service. I didn’t create my own 501c3 nonprofit organization and I personally feel that it does nothing unless you truly are impassioned about a certain cause and you are doing it more for service than getting into college.)
Summer Activities: Research. Always research or something related to helping students with science. Took some classes for remedial benefits or to enhance my knowledge of science/math. Would recommend you start classes before high school.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7-9 overall

1. Common App: Leadership, passion for entrepreneurship/building organizations. Strong essay.
2. Extracurricular: Research
3. Intellectal Vitality: Computer Science. Dabbled in mobile apps/websites/hacking competitions
4. Future Roommate: Fried Chicken nuff said. (Talked about how it related to my personality)
5. What matters?: Music. Talked about determination.
   Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
6. Science Teacher: Pretty decent I would say. Was president/captain for two of his clubs, been in both his clubs for pretty much my entire high school career, and traveled with him on science competition. We have a great deal of mutual respect for each other. Strong writing on leadership/academics I presume.
7. Spanish Teacher: Very good. Mutual respect and she perceives me as a very kind, generous individual. She was the only person I discussed family tragedies with because she was approachable and we both experienced loss. Connected with her on an emotional basis. Strong writing on personal qualities I presume.
8. Research Professor: Unsure. He doesn’t know me on a personal level, but I worked for him since I was a freshman…attended barbeques and lunches with him and group meetings. Very nice fellow. Very generous. Decent to Strong writing about my research experience and involvement in my high school.
9. Counselor: Pretty much just fed her information about my extracurriculars. I think there’s a formula to how they write rec letters to make it easy, but I was pretty descriptive with my involvement. Would recommend you actually are INVOLVED in your extracurriculars. If you simply view them as “padding”, you won’t be able to talk about them to anyone.</p>

<p>Interview: Doesn’t interview in my state</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Nope.
Intended Major: Bio-Engineering or Computer Science.
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~150k-200k before income taxes wreck
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nope. </p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Uh…very well-rounded? I guess Stanford likes determination/passion for entrepreneurship
Weaknesses: Community Service
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Was a pretty strong candidate at my school. Upon realization that the acceptance rate was 10.2% and reading a lot these profiles…I honestly don’t know. Could be essays or rec letters.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: N/A</p>

<p>General Comments: As an asian male growing up in a pretty competitive environment, I will have to emphasize two things. 1) Start early. I know that you are still searching, but if you love the humanities or you love the sciences…start early! Learn more, get ahead, and push yourself. Have a great support group with friends and family. They are the ones that will guide you through your toughest times. 2) Do what you love. Don’t follow my profile or someone else’s profile exactly because you “think it works”. Everyone is unique. Present yourself as a determined, passionate person who loves to do what he/she does and is successful despite failures and you will be seen as a go-getter and a driven individual. A person with potential whose ideas are not framed by your parents, but by yourself.</p>

[DanEdS897]

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2390 (790/800/800)
ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
SAT II: MathII 800, Physics 790
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Chem (5), AP US History (5), AP Physics B (5), AP Psychology (5), AP Comp Sci (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB (self studying), AP Macro Econ, AP Eng Lit, 2 other required classes in Arts and Humanities, and one fun class at local community college
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Physics Olympiad participant, AMC 12 (125)</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Building model planes with free and cheap materials
Job/Work Experience: Grocery store employee
Volunteer/Community service: Free tutoring to other neighborhood students
Summer Activities: Work
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Reasonable. Hard to assign a rating but probably high single digits
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Not preview to what was written</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: Physics teacher
Teacher Rec #2: History teacher
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview: Was fun, we talked for about 1 hour while it was scheduled for 15 minutes</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Engineering for sure
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Didn’t disclose in my application
Gender: M
Income Bracket: <$30K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM and first generation college (but I didn’t tell my URM status in my application, so it couldn’t have had any effect)</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: My interest in science and engineering was probably clear through my activities and essays
Weaknesses: Could have taken some more challenging classes
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I just wrote frankly and openly and did things that interested me, but I am still in shock
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Stanford wasn’t my first choice initially, but after talking to a few from MIT and judging from a few that were admitted to MIT from my school over the past 4 years among other brighter ones who were turned down, I was completely turned off and decided to switch my MIT EA to Stanford REA. I am so glad I made the switch about 30 days before the applications were due.</p>

<p>General Comments: Pursue what interests you</p>

[Cardinal1012]

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I: n/a
ACT: 34
SAT II: n/a
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Euro (3), U.S. (5), Language and comp (5), Biology (3), 2D Design (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP Physics 1, AP Gov, Syracuse University Project Advance english, AP Spanish, Documentary filmmaking, health
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, HOBY but other than that, nothing crazy</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars: US Lifesaving Association Youth National Team member and Lifesaving World Championships competitor (placed pretty well), Former participant/coach/alumni coordinator of the team USA youth track and field program sponsored by the Italian National Olympic Committee, Key Club secretary, Model UN vice president, Varsity Swimming, Track and Field Hockey, club YMCA swimmer for 7 years.
Job/Work Experience: Summer Ocean Lifeguard
Volunteer/Community service: Teaches children with special needs how to surf and swim
Summer Activities: Ocean lifeguard for my town and lifeguard competitor
Essays (rating 1-10, details):</p>

<p>Common App (10): described the connection between lifeguarding as a job and lifeguarding as a competative sport and described everything I did to make it to Worlds, took me two months to fully edit and perfect </p>

<p>Intellectual Vitality (9): talked about when I met the Consulate General at the Italian Embassy when I was 12 and how since she was a women in politics, it impacted me to study IR and join Model UN. </p>

<p>Roommate (10): I presented myself as having two personalities, one as the type A always crazed and busy girl and the other as a chill, type B surfer. Probably the best essay I’ve ever written. </p>

<p>What Matters? (9): Spoke about the role of motion in my life and how it has affected everything and anything that I do. </p>

<p>Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: (10) My math teacher who i’ve had for 3/4 years of HS, told me he talked about watching me mature from freshman to senior year</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #2: (9) My favorite history teacher who was the main person supporting me when I applied, when many people in the school told me I had little to no chance. </p>

<p>Counselor Rec: (can I rate a 1000?) been my counselor since 5TH GRADE so knows me better than anyone</p>

<p>Additional Rec: (10) program manager for the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) Track Team and US Representative to CONI, almost like a grandfather to me so it should have been amazing</p>

<p>Interview: Went really well, made it my mission to make her laugh and I did! Short and very formal though. </p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: International Relations
State (if domestic applicant): NY
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Puerto Rican
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: doesn’t qualify for financial aid, i"ll just say that
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, probably some of the strangest EC’s they’ve seen and sent an arts supplement</p>

<p>Reflection: I honestly was not expecting this at all, only one other person from my school has ever gotten in and that was almost a decade ago! If I were to guess why I got in, it would have to be the essays… it took me almost two and a half months to do four essays! They really want to see passion and that you stick with something that you love. And if you want to go to Stanford, JUST APPLY… you never know, seriously. Good luck to anyone that was deferred, and to anyone that was rejected, even applying to Stanford means something, and it most likely means that you are extremely gifted and will thrive wherever you end up. Things happen for a reason and you always end up where you are supposed to! </p>

<p>Strengths: ESSAYS and strange EC’s
Weaknesses: no major awards, most of my EC’s were athletic and not academic based
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: like I said above, passion and sticking with something that I loved.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nowhere yet, though I may pull the rest of my apps and just be done :)</p>

<p>General Comments: Still in shock and it’s not real. But can’t wait to see the rest of the Class of 2019 on The Farm!!!</p>

[trx1150]

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>I am a recruited athlete to Stanford University in track and field.</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 33 superscore, 32 best composite
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 17/389
AP (place score in parenthesis): Lang/Comp (3), Calculus AB (3), Psychology (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C Mechanics, AP Physics C Electricity/Magnetism, AP Lit, AP Calculus BC, AP Spanish Lang, Government, Economics, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): </p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Marching Band (Woodwind section leader [11], Drum Major [12]), Spanish National Honor Society (Officer 11-12), National Honor Society, Track and Field, Tri-M Music Honor Society
Job/Work Experience: Lifeguard at a local recreation center
Volunteer/Community service: 100+ hours through various organizations
Summer Activities: Took a summer course in trigonometry at a local community college to move up a year in math, lifeguarded
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I don’t really feel like I can rate the essays I wrote very well. I tried to make my voice stand out and focused on that more than spending hours looking for grammar/wording errors.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I wouldn’t know how to rate these either. </p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: English teacher who I’ve had two years
Teacher Rec #2: Spanish teacher
Counselor Rec: I got a new counselor this year which kind of sucked, but I did my best to get her to know me
Additional Rec: Music teacher who I’ve had in my various music activities and known very well since he came to my school three years ago
Interview: It went pretty well, we talked for an hour. It seemed a bit awkard</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Undeclared
State (if domestic applicant): Colorado
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public, around 1700 kids
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: My dad gets paid in commission and it varies greatly, not sure exactly
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Athletics for sure, as well as my extracurriculars
Weaknesses: Not enough AP classes in my opinion, I could have way more community service hours
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Athletics
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nowhere! I’m going to Stanford!</p>

<p>General Comments: I’ve always had above average but not perfect grades, so I decided to really focus on my athletic ability since freshman year in order to push me over the edge to get into a top school, and it worked! Congrats to all who got in, I can’t wait until next year!</p>

[dissealguem]

<p>I and my normal, un-extraordinary self bring tidings of hope to this desolate land! Read my post and let your worried hearts be stilled!</p>

<p>Decision: Accepted!!!</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2120 (730 CR, 680 M, 710 W)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (35 E, 34 M, 35 R, 36 S, 33 W)
SAT II: 620 Math 2 LOL, 680 Physics LOL
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9 (4.5 weighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/132
AP (place score in parenthesis): school does not offer
IB (place score in parenthesis): school does not offer
Senior Year Course Load: Calculus, Political Science/Economics, Engineering Design & Development (all dual enrollment); Anatomy, English 12 (both honors); College Writing (aka application work time), Flight School, American Pop Culture
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended, National Hispanic Recognition (lol)</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

• FIRST Robotics Competition (10-12) Team Captain (12), Head of Strategy (11), Safety Captain (11)
• Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (11-12) Founding Member, President (11-12)
• Mock Trial (10-12) Founding Member, Opening & Closing Attorney (11-12), Double witness (10)
• VEX Robotics (11) Founding Member
• Yearbook (10-11) Chief Editor (11), Assistant Editor (10)
• Society of Women Engineers (10-12) Founding Member
• CrossFit (12)
  Job/Work Experience: Boeing internship, summer 2014
  Volunteer/Community service:
• Interact Club (10-12): ~200 hours of community service
• Church Audio & Visual Technician (7-12): 50 hours/year
  Summer Activities: summer 2014: Boeing internship; summer 2013: worked in my mom’s office lol
  Essays (rating 1-10, details):
  Common App: 8/10, wrote about how the really difficult history class I took in junior year changed my identity as a “perfect student”; pretty unpolished, will probably revise
  Intellectual vitality: 7/10, wrote about listening to the ISS live stream and visiting JPL and how I’m obsessed with space and being an astronaut; literally wrote this a few hours before submitting
  Roommate: 5/10, tried to put all my interests into one big mess of a paragraph
  What matters: 6/10, wrote about my school and our “ethic of excellence” and how my goal in life is to always keep improving; I didn’t even know what to write for this one so it was preeeeeeetty bad
  Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: 11/10, 11th grade US History teacher; this teacher has had people from the Gates Foundation contact him and thank him for writing letters for so many accepted kids. His writing is lovely.
Teacher Rec #2: 10/10, robotics mentor/homeroom teacher for 4 years; he’s my BFFL
Counselor Rec: 9/10, we’re pretty close and she really likes me.
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: n/a (California struggle)</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: yep
Intended Major: Mechanical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public charter (new school, low-income area)
Ethnicity: Latina (Brazil) (Portuguese, English, Spanish - got that trilingual thing goin for me)
Gender: F
Income Bracket: ~$90k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, 2nd generation American, girl in engineering</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: ECs, recs, ACT, grades/curriculum, “engineering/space” theme
Weaknesses: SAT IIs (what a joke), essays were some of the worst I’ve ever written, I’m not extraordinary at all
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think what pushed me over were my recs. I was certain I would be rejected because of my SAT IIs and my essays. But my recs really tied together the disjointed, interested-in-everything person I communicated through my application. I LOVE YOU MR. ANDERSON AND MR. TOSTADO AND MS. MARQUEZ <3 <3 <3 <3
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at Purdue; waiting RD on Cal Poly SLO, UCB, UCLA, UCSD, UCD, UCSB; applying RD to Yale, Caltech, UPenn, Rice, Carnegie Mellon, Princeton (removed Georgia Tech and Columbia after Stanford acceptance) (swag)</p>

<p>General Comments: Hey, you. It’s 2015, you’re reading the decisions thread (like I always did for so many desperate hours), and you’re shaking and sweating as you see these perfect kids get rejected for no reason. It’s terrifying. It’s disheartening. You don’t even want to apply. You shouldn’t have applied. How could you even stand a chance? Well, guess what? You do stand a chance. Close the multiple CC tabs you have open, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and go work on the applications you’re procrastinating on. You can only compare yourself to yourself, and if you HAVE to compare against other people, do it on the Naviance graphs that show the acceptances from your high school. I believe in you, your family believes in you, and your school believes in you - but we don’t believe in what university you’ll attend, but what you’ll do with your entire life. I hope my mediocre application gives you the hope you need to drag yourself out of the clutches of CC. You accomplish nothing by dwelling on results threads - go out and do great things! Your world is counting on you! And always, always, always remain aware of your true motivations! I believe that you will win :)</p>

[BrainUnconscious]

<p>[asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred[/color][/size]</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2220 (760 CR, 790 M, 670 W)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (35 E, 34 M, 35 R, 36 S, 32 W)
SAT II: 800 Math 2, 800 World History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.87
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (5), Calc AB (5), US History (5), Chemistry (4), Spanish Lang (4), English Lang/Comp (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): None
Senior Year Course Load: 6 APs: Calc BC, English Lit, Spanish Lit, Env Sci, Physics C, Macro/US Gov’t
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

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

<p>Financial Leaders of America (Vice President and cofounder): basically a finance-focused spinoff of Future Business Leaders of America. Founded at the beginning of 12th grade (this isn’t a résumé-booster; I’m taking this places).
Spanish Honor Society - active member
A bunch of things that I stayed at for a short period of time (student gov’t, translating for Spanish-speaking patients at health fairs,
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: Delivered for a local meal-on-wheels program.
Summer Activities: The volunteer service above (it coincided with school hours, so I could only do in in the summer or on breaks)
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 9. Lauded by many. Talked about the first time I successfully made eye contact for more than a minute (I was diagnosed with autism early in life)
Intellectual vitality: 7. Talked about the origins of my interest in economics.
Roommate: 8. Gave some insight on my family background and how it shaped me.
What matters to me: 7. Just some philosophizing on the balance between caring for others and caring for oneself.</p>

<p>Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 9. 11th grade APUSH teacher. Talked with her a lot after class.
Teacher Rec #2: 7. 11th grade AP English Lang/Comp teacher. I got a B in her class first semester and managed to pull an A second semester.
Counselor Rec: I think she knows me better than any student at my school (although that isn’t saying much at a school of ~3100)
Additional Rec: 8. The supervisor of the meals-on-wheels program.
Interview: N/A (SoCal problems)</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Economics
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public, ~3100 kids
Ethnicity: Korean/White (50/50)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~$140k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: ACT, SAT IIs, unique psychological background
Weaknesses: Extracurriculars. No signficant awards. No long-lasting leadership. Just jumped around from extracurricular to extracurricular.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: There are kids with better grades, better test scores, and far more loaded résumés than I who were rejected. I believe the adcoms liked my character and personality enough to defer me.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nothing yet. Applied/applying to UChicago, Northwestern, Claremont-McKenna, UC-Berkeley, Haverford, Carnegie Mellon, and Lafayette. Before you call me out on my lack of Ivies, I want to say that I honestly couldn’t think of a non-prestige-related reason to go to any of them (I know that sounds insane, but just believe me).</p>

<p>General Comments:</p>

<p>I honestly expected rejection. Yet they valued me enough to defer me.
I just lacked some prestigious award, some grand charity project, some random interest.
Judging by this thread, it appears I am in very good company in my deferral…
Whatever, undergrad probably won’t matter in the long run as long as I’m happy with the school.</p>

[Ellkay]

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 630, 720, 660 (2010 Total)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 770 Math I, 750 Bio M
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): (unavailable: IB curriculum)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis): Bio 6, Chem 6, ITGS 6, Math 7, English 5, Spanish 5
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): achievement awards in soccer (athletic involvement), math, chemistry</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Soccer, water for life club, roof over heads foundation (co-founder), the ecocommittee
Job/Work Experience: Research intern at Sports City Academies/
Volunteer/Community service: Kenya CAS trip
Summer Activities: Soccer trip to Cardiff for TTD International Youth Super Cup
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7, 8, 10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): didn’t read due to school policy</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: didn’t read due to school policy
Teacher Rec #2: didn’t read due to school policy
Counselor Rec: didn’t read due to school policy
Additional Rec: didn’t read due to school policy
Interview: no</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Bioengineering
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): UAE
School Type: IB curriculum
Ethnicity: South Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Athlete</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Athlete, Essays
Weaknesses: SAT score
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Academic performance wasn’t up to scratch.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: </p>

<p>General Comments: Congratulations to everyone who got in!</p>

[theshins]

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): -
ACT (breakdown): 35 (34 R 35 W 36 M 34 S)
SAT II: 800 Chemistry 800 Physics 800 Math II 740 Bio (M)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Doesn’t rank, but top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB, Psych, Physics B, Chem, US History - 5s / Eng Lang, World History, Biology - 4s
IB (place score in parenthesis): –
Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, Ceramics, AP Spanish Language, AP Gov/Econ, AP Eng Lit, AP Calc BC
Self studying AP Physics C & Theory of Knowledge
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
10+ Awards from high school for being top 5% in every subject
Frederick Douglass & Susan B Anthony Book Award
Lemei Book Award (awarded to the single best student in Alg 2 Honors)
Shining Star Award (awarded by Reuben H. Fleet Science Center for excellent service)
AP Scholar with Distinction</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Society of Science treasurer (9)
Paid private tutor (11-12)
President of Debate Team (9-12)
Debate Enrichment (9)
Guitar Enrichment (9)
President & Founder of Mu Alpha Theta (12)
Academic League (Captain’d a couple of meets) (9-12)
Track and Field Hurdler (10, 11, 12)</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience:
Each summer I visit my dad in England and work in his surgery due to there being a short amount of staff - I help out at the reception desk
I tutored kids in spanish at John Harvard Academy in junior year</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service:
Gallery Facilitator and Nano Demonstrator at Rueben H. Fleet Science Center - 100+ hours
NHS Treasurer </p>

<p>Summer Activities: Intern at local karate studio, Intern for Digigirlz at Microsoft, Went to England, volunteering</p>

<p>Essays (rating 1-10, details): I’d give an 8 for each, I thought about each essay a lot, teachers liked them and said they had a good rhythm
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: 8, I have a really good relationship with my AP Physics teacher, I would stay after class each day of junior year to talk with him about various physics questions and life questions
Teacher Rec #2: 8.5, I also have a solid personal relationship with my AP Chem teacher - to the point where I asked her who I should ask to Sadies and asked the boy she recommended. Our AP Chem class was really close and she really knows my personality well. She is very in tune with how the college system works and what to write to get kids into college as she also is a college consultant on the side.
Counselor Rec: 8, pretty close with her, she said my rec was the longest one this year.
Additional Rec: -
Interview: -</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Biochem
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public, competitive
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 150K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation immigrant? Moved from England to US at age 9 and have lived in 3 continents</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Scores
Weaknesses: Didn’t cure cancer, no real huge areas of leadership
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: They weren’t looking for someone like me
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: None yet</p>

<p>General Comments:
Congrats to everyone who got in!</p>

[chandelle]

<p>@flyingwatermelon‌ : is that allowed?
“ACT (breakdown): Took it but didn’t submit. Parents were concerned SAT was reasoning and ACT was more recall and that college could delineate the differences. Honestly, it doesn’t matter.” </p>

[alafin]

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2250, 750 CR, 770 M, 730 W (one sitting)
ACT (breakdown): 36, 36 on all sections except 35 math (one sitting)
SAT II: 800 physics, 780 math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/229
AP (place score in parenthesis): 9 5’s, one 4, did not take APCS exam
IB (place score in parenthesis): not available at my school!
Senior Year Course Load: rigorous; several dual enrollment classes and no regular courses
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMSF, several regional/national science fair awards (JSHS and Intel level), state champion in extemporaneous speaking. No national tests or anything like that</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): all very science oriented, leadership positions in most and athletics/humanities taken care of as well
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: Summer volunteer work
Summer Activities: Research camps (EPGY and HSHSP!), travel, self study, running
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common app-- 8/10, about my childhood and growing up with physics as the central focus of my household
What matters–8/10, communication and truly connecting with others, wrote about my experience as a 10 yr old in a foreign country for a year
Intellectual vitality–9/10, about my research in neutrino physics and how pushing the boundaries between the known and unknown is where I belong
Roommate–9/10, structured as an adaptation of the Pauli exclusion principle but for the rules of rooming together (this was my favorite, I laughed so hard writing it!)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: 8/10, physics teacher from junior year. We had a great relationship and I did very well in his class
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10, government teacher/model UN supervisor. Really liked me, did well in his class, and helped him run his political campaign.
Counselor Rec:9/10, we had a very good relationship and he probably added several very unique details about me/my involvement at school
Additional Rec: 9/10, my research mentor from over the summer. Spoke about both my abilities in the lab and my social tendencies
Interview: 6-7/10. My interviewer was very nice and I think she liked me, but not much was really added to my app from our meeting!</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Have not yet, but intend to!
Intended Major: Physics/math
State (if domestic applicant): VA
School Type: Half of the day at public, half of the day at science/technology magnet
Ethnicity: Caucasion
Gender: F
Income Bracket: slightly above average for my area
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Strengths: Transcript, scores, ESSAYS, recs, summers, female STEM student
Weaknesses: No real academic awards besides science fairs, far behind class selection of some extremely competitive high schools in VA, less than stellar interview
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: My passion for physics and disregard for traditional measures of success showed in my essays, and I think I made myself seem like a likeable person (:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: None yet, and probably nowhere else!</p>

<p>General Comments: I promised myself that if I got an acceptance letter, I’d do one of these because I’ve been reading them/dreaming since freshman year! Congrats to everyone that’s been accepted, and to those waiting on a decision or applying elsewhere, I have absolutely no doubt that you’ll go on to incredible things–Stanford’s loss. If any RD applicants or future applicants have any questions or want advice, feel completely free to message me! Good luck guys :)</p>

[detwylder]

<p>@chandelle‌ I thought the same thing. I was told at an information session that you HAVE to send in both tests if you take both. Pretty sure that sending in my low SAT killed my shot at admission. Even though ACT was high. </p>

[llxxdd2200]

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 800 c/ 800 m/ 790 w
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 800 math 2, 800 physics, 770 bio m, 750 US
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis): physics B, Calc BC, Stat, World History, US, Comp sci, Enviro Sci -5; lang-4
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: multivariable, ap gov, ap lit, ap comp gov, ap physc c, spanish
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): USAMTS Bronze, AIME x1, National AP scholar</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Piano (MTNA state winner, International Young Artist Finalist and 4th Place), Performed at the US State Department for an Arts Festival (woo hoo), math club (VP), comp sci (Sec), intramural basketball (captain lol), quizbowl, swimming
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: summer camp (120 hrs)
Summer Activities: college courses, volunteering
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 2/10 on all of them, maybe a 5/10 on common app
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: Math solid
Teacher Rec #2: History solid
Counselor Rec: solid
Additional Rec:n/a
Interview: none</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: math
State (if domestic applicant): pa
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: asian
Gender: XY
Income Bracket: >100000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: test scores/awards?
Weaknesses: extracirriculars, essays sucked (dont start ur app the day before its due)
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: affirmative action, crappy essays
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: n/a</p>

<p>General Comments: time to beef up those regular apps…</p>