Stanford Class of 2019 REA Results Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
61

<p>Was a Stanford legacy applicant…pretty hopeful but oh well…</p>

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2140 ( 700CR, 700W, 740M)
ACT (breakdown): 35 ( 36S, 36M, 34E, 32R, 10W)
SAT II: Math II 800, Physics 800, Chemistry 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): n/a - school does not caclulate
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): not offered but 13A*1A in Cambridge O levels
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: 7 Cambridge A levels (all sciences)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Top 20 National Math Olympiad (eq. to USAMO); 2 Cambridge Outstanding Learner Awards</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): math/physics olympiads, space camp, international travel, french, german, science events
Job/Work Experience: internship at microfinance oragnization
Volunteer/Community service: not that much really
Summer Activities: research project in computational biology (undergrad level)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Commonapp 6/10 mainly about me and physics; supplements 8/10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): pretty decent</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: Math Teacher 8/10
Teacher Rec #2: History teacher 8/10
Counselor Rec: no idea…hope it wass good
Additional Rec: none
Interview: n/a</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: yea
Intended Major: physics, math, philosophy
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Pakistan
School Type: private - british sytem o/a level
Ethnicity: pakistani but US citizen
Gender: male
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Stanford Legacy - dad did his MS/PhD from there</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: was a pretty solid app as far as the grades and scores are concened, especially in context of my country
Weaknesses: essays…the main commonapp one probably, extracurricular activities
Why you think you were deferred: idk</p>

<p>General Comments: app was pretty strong in context of my country…despite weak essays still hopeful for regular</p>

62

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<p>SAT I (breakdown): 2270 (Critical Reading: 750 Math: 800 Writing: 720)</p>

<p>ACT (breakdown): Nil</p>

<p>SAT II: Mathematics level 2: 800 Chemistry: 800 Physics: 800</p>

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

<p>My school (From Singapore) uses ABCDESU grading system instead of GPA.
Promo: AABBC
CT1: AABBC
CT2: AAABB+A for Project Work
Prelim: AABBB+A for Project Work+Distinction for H3 Essentials of Modern Physics</p>

<p>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5%-10% (Rank is unavailable)</p>

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

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

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

<p>H2 Physics (AP Equivalent)
H2 Chemistry (AP Equivalent)
H2 Mathematics (AP Equivalent)
H1 Economics
H1 General Paper
H3 NAV Science Research (Honors Equivalent)
H3 Essentials of Modern Physics (Honors Equivalent)</p>

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

<p>4th in 2013 AstroChallenge; 3rd in 2014 AstroChallenge
3rd Position in 2013 Singapore Space Challenge
2013 ‘Cassini Scientist for a Day’ Contest Honourable Mention
2013 Singapore VEX Robotics Championships 4th Overall Alliance, 2013 Asia
Pacific VEX Robotics Championships Top 25
Silver Award in 2012 28th International Franz-Schubert Choir Competition (Youth Choirs with Mixed Voices)</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

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

<p>Choir (Grade 9-10)
Astro Club (Research Director) (Grade 11-12)
Robotics Club (Assistant team leader) (Grade 11-12)</p>

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

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

<p>Organised activities (solar-gazing and Non-Newtonian Fluid) for Secondary school students in 2013 and 2014 East Zone Science Carnival</p>

<p>Organised 2013 and 2014 Earth Hour Star Party to raise awareness among public the problem of light pollution</p>

<p>Summer Activities:</p>

<p>2013: Played with organic solar cells for one month in the laboratory, hoping to apply them on spacecraft. Unsuccessful but learned a lot.</p>

<p>2014: Travelled to Kahang, Malaysia to see the Milky Way, touched by the awe- inspiring scene so much that I developed a new hobby of astrophotography.</p>

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

<p>Commonapp Essay: </p>

<p>7-8 I reckon
Question: Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea</p>

<p>Talked about challenging my high school’s belief that general knowledge and trivia facts are boring and in general useless by organising the inaugural general knowledge and trivia competition on campus. Revealed my passion for general knowledge and my willingness to explore uncharted territories and to take initiatives.</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities Essay: </p>

<p>9
Talked about how the secondary students inspired me with a new approach to learning when I prepared them for an astronomy competition. </p>

<p>Short Questions: </p>

<p>9
Done in a rather humorous tune. Talked about things that I truly love.</p>

<p>Intellectual Vitality Essay: </p>

<p>8-9
Talked about the first time I found Sirius through my telescope.Revealed my passion for astronomy and curiosity for what’s up there in the sky.</p>

<p>Future Roommate Essay: </p>

<p>10
I reckon this is the most creative one among all. Basically, I was inspired by the Stanford undergraduate admission webpage. So I named my essay roommate ‘admission’ and divided it into five parts to talk about the various aspects of dorm life: The basics, The application process (there is no fee 'cause I believe friendship is priceless and no deadline as you are always welcomed.), The Dorm experience, The Room perspective and The Place. </p>

<p>What matters to you, and why?: </p>

<p>9
Comics. I have been fond of reading and drawing comics since primary school and never stopped ever since. But I<br>
went one step further and discussed the attitude comics represents, an attitude that life, no matter how brutal, should always be approached with a smile.</p>

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

<p>Teacher Rec #1: 10. From my Physics teacher. It was extremely detailed and talked about my in-class performance,
my curiosity and my role as the physics representative of the class. </p>

<p>Teacher Rec #2: 7-8. From my General Paper teacher. He liked me and I guess the rec letter is pretty solid.</p>

<p>Counselor Rec: 8-9. Pretty detailed and talked about some of the major aspects of my two years in Junior College.</p>

<p>Additional Rec: 8-9. From a teacher who mentored me in various projects including the general knowledge
competition I initiated. He was also my CCA teacher. We are like friends and the rec letter really
offered a new perspective to my application.</p>

<p>Interview: 8. It went pretty well although I was a bit nervous at the beginning. Chatted for about 2 hours at Starbucks.</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: No</p>

<p>Intended Major: Aeronautics and astronautics / Physics with concentration on Astronomy</p>

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

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

<p>School Type: Public</p>

<p>Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese)</p>

<p>Gender: Male</p>

<p>Income Bracket: Nil</p>

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

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Rather interesting and creative essays, solid and detailed recommendation letters</p>

<p>Weaknesses: No outstanding and stellar ECs. High School results could be better.</p>

<p>Why you think you were accepted: The strengths I listed above I guess?</p>

<p>Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Applied to UC Berkeley and UCLA. Still waiting for results.</p>

<p>General Comments:</p>

<p>I believe ‘to fit’ the college/university you are applying to is really important. Before applying, take a few days and really do some serious research into the universities you THINK you like. Look into yourself and really understand who you are and what are your characteristics. And as said and emphasised by many, I think the essays and recommendation letters are very important to your application, those are the things that set you apart. </p>

<p>All the best to all those who are applying and please DO believe your hard work of trying to understand yourself and writing creatively will pay off in the end!</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

63

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2330 (800 M, 790 CR, 740 W)
ACT (breakdown): 36 (36 M, 36 R, 36 S, 35 E)
SAT II: Math II - 800, United States History - 760, Biology M - 750
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 (4.3 weighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (5), Physics C Mechanics (5), Physics C Electricity/Magnetism (5), English Lang and Comp (5), Statistics (5), United States History (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: Dual Enrollment Calculus 3/Linear Algebra, Symphonic Band, AP English Lit & Comp, AP Psychology, AP Biology, Organic Chemistry
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Honor Society, NUMATS 1st place honoree, International Thespian Society, Joyce Ivy Scholar, (entered SIEMENS with impressive project but didn’t win)</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Marching band (squad leader, 2 years), Water Polo (varsity), Musical Theater, GSA, Writing Club, Flute Choir
Job/Work Experience: Job at local supermarket, private ACT tutor
Volunteer/Community service: NHS volunteering, mission trip in 10th grade to build houses on Native American reservation, volunteer at South Oakland Shelter
Summer Activities: Research Internship at Wayne State University, did cancer research and co-authored 2 papers to be published. Summer college program at Brown University (won scholarship to attend), took several school classes over summer
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Overall 8/10, put tons of effort and creativity into essays. Activity was maybe 5/10, but roommate was 9.5/10. Everyone who read that one said it was outstanding.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: 8+, one of the best students in his class last year and he really seemed eager to write me a rec
Teacher Rec #2: 6? Made the mistake of asking an English teacher and I’m sure she rushed a lot of the rec letters
Counselor Rec: 9, had written a great rec the year before for a scholarship
Additional Rec: 8.5, rec from mentor at research internship, wonderfully written, but he spelled my name wrong…
Interview: n/a</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Human Biology
State (if domestic applicant): Michigan
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large public
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: ~80k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Test scores, grades, essays, volunteer/work experience
Weaknesses: Extracurriculars, no major leadership, rec from English teacher, no hooks
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Who honestly freaking knows. They didn’t have room for me. I can’t help but think if my research partner and I had been SIEMENS finalists it would’ve helped.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: no other results yet</p>

<p>General Comments: Stanford has been my dream since I was about 12 years old and I honestly just don’t have much motivation to exist at this point. I did everything right and worked myself to death, but nothing’s ever enough for Stanford. With a 5% acceptance rate, I expected to get rejected, but I expected it in the way you expect a loved one with a terminal illness to die, y’know? I’m still busy eradicating the Stanford memorabilia from my house. There was a lot of it. </p>

64

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2220 (Critical Reading: 730 Math: 770 Writing: 720)
ACT (breakdown): 32 (34 M, 31 R, 34 S, 35 E) Highest out of two tests
SAT II: n/a
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 8
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (5), Psychology (5), Environmental Science (5), US History (5), Computer Science (4), English Language and Composition (4), Human Geography (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB, AP Macroeconomics (one semester), AP Microeconomics (one semester), AP US Government and Politics, AP Physics C Mechanics (one semester), AP Physics C Electricity and Magnetism (one semester), AP Statistics, AP English Literature and Composition
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction; National Honor Society; Mu Alpha Theta</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): League of Legends Club (founder/president); Programming Club (officer); Chess Club (secretary); National Honor Society; Mu Alpha Theta; JV Soccer
Job/Work Experience: Soccer Referee
Volunteer/Community service: (150 total) National Honor Society tutoring, altar serving, topsoccer (teaching disabled kids to play soccer)
Summer Activities: NSLC</p>

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

<p>Common App- competitive gaming; getting into the zone</p>

<p>Extracurricular- Process of starting a League of Legends Club at my high school.</p>

<p>Intellectual Vitality- referenced an article about the brain creating a memory of errors and how my learning process involves me analyzing and fixing mistakes.</p>

<p>Roommate- talked about being a night owl and how I value communication along with how I use my bedroom; spliced with some humor</p>

<p>What matters and why- why I fell in love with neuroscience and how I’ve explored the field through articles, neural simulators, etc.</p>

<p>Overall the essays were solid, but after writing some more for other applications I know they could have been better.</p>

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

<p>Teacher Rec #1: didn’t read
Teacher Rec #2: didn’t read
Counselor Rec: didn’t read
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: n/a</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Psychology (Neuroscience)
State (if domestic applicant): FL
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Interesting major, central theme throughout application, adequate academics
Weaknesses: No hooks, no major awards that make me stand out
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nothing extraordinary; Ultimately I didn’t have what they were looking for.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Applied to USC, Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, Rice, Emory, Miami (will update later).</p>

<p>General Comments: Congratulations to everyone who got accepted. Well deserved and I hope you make the most out of it. Overall I’m not too bummed, I knew it was hard to get in. Additionally while Stanford was one of my top schools, there are still a couple others I’ve applied to that I’m really excited about. I’m also a believer of creating your own opportunities.</p>

65

<p>@flyingwatermelon : The Stanford website is quite clear about the SAT and the ACT: - “If you take both tests, all scores are required from both” (from the Stanford Freshman Application Instructions at <a href=“Page Not Found : Stanford University”>Page Not Found : Stanford University; ).</p>

<p>I point this out primarily for any future applicants reading this thread. They need to know that if they have taken both the SAT and ACT, they are supposed to report all scores from both tests. If they choose to not send ACTs, they are not complying with Stanford’s policy. There should be no confusion from your original results post.</p>

<p>Whether you would have been admitted anyway, is not my point. I do believe this was an inadvertant mistake on your part, otherwise you would not have posted that you did this on cc. What, if anything, you choose to do about it now is, of course, none of my business.</p>

66

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2290 (800 M, 730 R, 760 W)
ACT (breakdown): 36 (36 M, 36 R, 35 W, 35 S)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0/4.71
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/300+
AP (place score in parenthesis): 10 5s, 1 4
IB (place score in parenthesis): Enrolled
Senior Year Course Load: IB HL History of the Americas, IB HL Literature, IB HL Further Maths, IB SL Philosophy, IB French, EPGY Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): national merit semi, national AP scholar, 1st place individual at statewide math tournaments</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Math Team (President), Science Olympiad (Head of Chem Dept.), French Honor Society (President), Took 3 BerkleeMusic Online Music Courses for College Credit and wrote and recorded my own EP, Volunteer performer at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Varsity Cross Country, Took Multivar. Calculus and Linear Algebra online sophomore year
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer intern at a music studio
Summer Activities: climate reality leadership project with Al Gore, started running and joined cross country, LeadAmerica program at Stanford
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8 for all, I think my tone comes off a little too formal for this kind of essay. Either way, I showed that I was a motivated, balanced, individual with other interests outside of my academics.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: 7
Teacher Rec #2: 7
Counselor Rec: 9
Additional Rec:
Interview: Alabama doesn’t get interviews</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Energy Resources Engineer
State (if domestic applicant): Alabama
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: IB school, nationally ranked as one of top 20 schools in the country consistently
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Test scores, AP tests
Weaknesses: weak recs, average essays, no hook
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Stanford really values a passion for one or two academic subjects that really shows in your extracurriculars as well and I guess the breadth of my interests hindered my application. See weaknesses also.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nowhere yet. </p>

<p>General Comments: It wasn’t my first choice. Regardless of what happens, nobody should be disappointed by their Stanford decision, the applicants that get rejected are amazing. I honestly wasn’t expecting to get accepted at all, the competition is tough, especially without some sort of hook. I do feel a little lost though. Here’s to proving Stanford wrong in the regular decision stage (;</p>

67

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2390 (800 M, 790 CR, 800 W)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36 M, 35 R, 34 S, 35 E)
SAT II: Math II - 800, Biology M- 800, Chemistry- 800, Literature - 790, World History - 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB/BC (5), Biology (5), World History (5), US History (5), Statistics (5), Chemistry (5), Psychology (5), Literature (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish, AP Gov/Econ, AP Physics II, AP Language and Composition, AP Environmental Science
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Commended Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Honor Society, International Thespian Society</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Volleyball (Captain, Varisty), Track (Varisty), Badminton (Varsity)
Red Cross Club (President), Medical Club (Co-President)
ASB (Treasurer & Vice President)
Job/Work Experience: Private Tutor for SAT/ACT/school
Volunteer/Community service: Girl Scouts (Gr 3-10), Key Club (Vice President), UNICEF (Vice President), NHS volunteer, Elderly center (450 hours), Leader for hospital volunteering (600 hours)
Summer Activities: College classes, Researched cancer for a private program @ UCLA
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Overall 9/10, Spent weeks on them, gave them to teachers to read, etc.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: 9-10 AP Biology teacher- Really wanted to help me, had faith in me
Teacher Rec #2: 9 AP Literature- I was probably her favorite student Junior year bc I would always talk to her after school and at lunch.
Counselor Rec: 8- Counselor knows me but not personally
Additional Rec: 9- One of head surgeons of the hospital I volunteered at. I always asked him questions and he would take his time to explain everything
Interview: n/a</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: Human Biology
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: ~200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): n/a</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Essays, Grades, Test Scores, Experience, Leadership
Weaknesses: No actual internship
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Essays and Recs probably.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: n/a</p>

<p>General Comments: I was stocked to see the acceptance letter and felt that the hard work actually DID pay off in the end. Three other students from my school got accepted. Best friend got rejected but made it into Harvard. </p>

68

<p>How did you friend get rejected to Stanford, but make it into Harvard if both schools are singlechoice/restricted early action? @Dream0n</p>

69

<p>I had the same question.</p>

70

<p>Typing from phone, so I can’t get into details, I’m sorry…
Accepted:
SAT score- 2200
Subject tests- 750Math 800Physics
Country- Kenya
Recommendations- music teacher and English teacher, I think they were good
Essays- slaved on them, pretty solid
Fin aid- definitely
Major- undecided
comments- all dreams are valid, just trust God and work your butt off :-)</p>

71

<p>I’ve been without internet for a while and have been dieing to see my decision!! I just received it in the mail!!!</p>

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective: </p>

<p>• SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t take because it’s overrated.
• ACT: 32C (33M, 32R, 31R, 31S) (Super Score)
• SAT II: Mathematics Level 2 (770), Chemistry (650) (didnt send), U.S History (760)
• Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7UW, 4.5W (UT)
• Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 7/650 (Top 1%)
• AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language and Comp (3), Chemistry (4), U.S History (5), Psychology (5), Environmental Sciences (5);
• IB (place score in parenthesis): Math SL (5) Enviornmental System Sciences SL (7)
• Senior Year Course Load: Full IB Schedule
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar w/ Distinction,
Subjective: </p>

<p>• Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 4 Year Varsity Basketball, 4 Year Varsity Track and Field, Mentorship program for college-bound students, ASU Summer programs, ASU Part time summer classes, Key Club (4 Years), National Honor Society, Science Olympiad (3 Years), AP Society, AAU Basketball,
• Job/Work Experience: Private Tutor/Babysitter
• Volunteer/Community service: 200+ Hours completed (Library, Church, Service Events)
• Summer Activities: ASU Program (Rigorous courses given) Basketball Summer Team, College Tours
• Essays: Intelectual Vitality I showed off my research that I’ve done over the years.
• Teacher Recommendation: ESS Teacher (10/10) Really likes me a lot
• Counselor Rec: Probably generic (5/10)
• Additional Rec: Best friends mom wrote it for me, shes known me for years and has seen how I’ve developed as a person (11/10). Shes an amazing write and I felt like she really caught the image of me
• Interview: None
Other </p>

<pre><code> Applied for Financial Aid?: duh im broke
Intended Major: History and Enviornmental Sciences
</code></pre>

<p>• State (if domestic applicant): Arizona
• Country (if international applicant): United States
• School Type: Public Magnet
• Race(s) (White, AA, AI/AN, Asian, NH/PI): African-American
• Hispanic (Y/N):N
• Gender: Male
• Income Bracket:60k
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, First Generation
Reflection </p>

<p>• Strengths: Extra Curriculars; Race, UT
• Weaknesses: GPA
• Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I GUESS THEY LIKED ME!! I REALLY THOUGHT THAT I HAD NO CHANCE!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
• Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Only school that I did REA
General Comments:[/noparse]
CAN’T WAIT TO SEE ALL OF MY FUTURE CARDINALS!! #ARIZONACARDINAL #NOWASTANFORDCARDINAL</p>

72

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Composite: 2290, math: 770, reading: 760, writing: 760</p>

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

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

<p>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/516</p>

<p>AP (place score in parenthesis): AP World History(4), AP Microeconomics(5), AP Macroeconomics(4), AP Computer Science(5), AP Human Geography(5), AP Psychology(5), AP Statistics(4), AP Calculus AB(5), AP Literature(3), AP Language(4), AP Calculus BC(5), AP Chemistry(5), AP Physics B(5), AP US History(5), AP Government(5)</p>

<p>IB (place score in parenthesis): IB Spanish(5)
Senior Year Course Load: IB Physics HL, IB Chemistry HL, IB Math HL, IB Further Math HL, IB Economics HL, IB TOK, IB English SL</p>

<p>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None</p>

<p>Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Robotics Club(Programming captain), Cross Country(Captain), MAO(secretary), NHS, SNHS, </p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience(Intern)</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service: 150 hours, beach cleanups, summer camps</p>

<p>Summer Activities: Physics Class, Internship, self study</p>

<p>Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7, just talked about myself, did not talk about my achievements or activities at all.</p>

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

<p>Teacher Rec #1: Math teacher, the generic one given to all kids
Teacher Rec #2:Chem teacher, the generic one given to all kids
Counselor Rec: Did not see it
Additional Rec: Did not submit it in time
Interview: N/A</p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Nope
Intended Major: Computer Science/Finance
State (if domestic applicant): Florida
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: 4 year Public
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: [250,000+]
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Absolutely none</p>

<p>Reflection
Our robotics team won the world championships, this must have been a very large asset. Also, in my essays I placed no emphasis on my achievements, so it was really a way for the admissions counselors to get to know me.</p>

<p>Strengths: Academics, extracurriculars
Weaknesses: Recommendations, Essays</p>

<p>General Comments:
Don’t count yourself out. You never know what can happen.</p>

73

<p>Decision: Rejected</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):800M, 780CR, 780 W (only time)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: Math 2, Physics, World History, U.S History, Chemistry: 800 Biology M: 770, 780.
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92 (downwards trend)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): just outside top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus BC, Physics B, Biology, World History, U.S History, Statistics, Physics C: Mechanics, Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism, Chemistry, English Language and Composition: 5s on all.
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Government and Politics, AP Environmental Science, AP Computer Science, AP Spanish, Creative Writing, Symphonic Orchestra, Psychology, Health, Independent Study in Mathematics (through netmath of UIUC)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 2x USAJMO qualifier, ARML High scorer, new york state math league 2x high scorer</p>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Math Team (Captain), Science Olympiad (state level medals, lots of gold medals in the regional level), Math Circle (school) Founder, Chess Team (championship, leader for four years), Programming Team co-founder, FBLA vice-president, MUN (awards).
Job/Work Experience: (paid) research internship, best local opportunity
Volunteer/Community service: Mathcounts assistant coach, ~ 100 hours at hospitals
Summer Activities: not much except research internship, visit to india, some volunteering
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 6/10, not great somewhat bland
Intellectaul vitality: 7/10, same as above
Roommate: 9/10, everyone who read it says its one of the best they’ve read
What matters: 8/10, was pretty solid
Short Answer: 9/10, I thought they showed my personality.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):</p>

<p>Teacher Rec #1: 10/10 Math Team coach, described me as one of my best students ever, said any college would be stupid to reject me after reading it, described my once in a generation student
Teacher Rec #2: 7/10, was ok
Counselor Rec: 9/10, 2 of the 3 teachers i asked to write recs for her to use said i was the best/one of the best students they ever had
Additional Rec:
Interview: 7/10, was ok but didn’t connect too well. </p>

<p>Other</p>

<p>Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Math, Math and CS, EE
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public, about 1200 students
Ethnicity: Asian (indian)
Gender: M
Income Bracket: ~ 190K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</p>

<p>Reflection</p>

<p>Strengths: Test scores, math accomplishments, teacher recs, community service, class rigor.
Weaknesses: Grades (huge huge huge), lack of leaderships
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
My grades made this a longshot from the beginning. No one’s ever got a top 10 school with a gpa this low unless they were legacy. Not to mention that my grades were on a downwards trend. All because of one english teacher who grades ridiculously hard and disliked me (caught me doing other homework in class). My advice is not to take ap classes you aren’t sure you’ll get good grades in, counselors generally tick of max rigor as long as you take a fair number of AP classes, avoid the hard ones.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Haven’t heard from anywhere else yet</p>

<p>General Comments: Congrats to those that got in. I realized I never really played the college game (sucking up, working with little sleep on drugs like caffeine pills, aderall or cutting out my time wasting) to the extent needed to get in. I’m somewhat lazy, like to get a reasonable amount of sleep, and piss off people instead of pleasing them; I didn’t really deserve to get in. If you want to get into Stanford (or a school of its ilk in selectivity), be prepared to play these games unless you have a hook or are IMO/IpHO/IChO/IBO/Intel finalist level talent. </p>

<p>The process isn’t as random as it seems, I predicted most of the early applications from the schools in my area. Play your cards correctly, I did not, and hence i was rejected. Prob would have got in if I kept my gpa 3.98. </p>

<p>And there’s always transfer admit (although it’s a ridiculous longshot). </p>

74

<p>Also forgot to note in the above post, I had additionally taken Calculus III (Multivariable Calculus) at my high school (dual credit with community college) and Linear Algebra with Differential Equations at my local top 40 university (full-tuition scholarship) (As on both courses). </p>

75

<p>Decision: ACCEPTED (sorry for posting so late)
Objective:
SAT I: 2310 (Math: 800; Reading: 780; Writing: 730)
ACT: Didn’t take
SAT II: Bio-M (800); Math II (800); Physics (770)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Weighted GPA (out of 5.0): 4.55
Rank: 1/449
AP (place score in parenthesis): Bio (5); Environmental (5); Calc AB (5); Calc BC (5); Didn’t send: Chem (4); Comp Sci (4); Stat (4); Human Geo (4); Didn’t take: Lang, Gov’t, or World
IB (place score in parenthesis): haha nope
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Physics 1, APUSH, AP Literature, AP Macro/Micro Economics, STEM Research and Data Analysis, STEM Green Media, Gym, Advanced Individual Research, AP Psychology</p>

<p>Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): I copied the awards I put down on my app
Gordon E. Moore Award (top ISEF award), National Geographic Emerging Explorer, Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award, TED mainstage speaker, 18 other TEDx venues, White House Champion of Change in Open Science, FutureMed faculty, USASEF advisory board member, SXSWedu featured speaker, Google Thinking Big Award, Time 30 under 30, Featured on 60 minutes, ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, the Colbert Report, Dr.Oz, The View, CNN, CCTV (China), Wake up with Al, People Magazine, O magazine, Forbes, Popular Science, Wired magazine, smithsonian magazine, and Nat Geo, Siemens We Can Change the World First Place Nationally, speaker Delhi Sustainable Development Summit, SJWP Innovation in Water Award, speaker at over 100 venues internationally including the Clinton Global Initiative, White House State of STEM, and Yalta European Summit, published author with Harper Collins, New York Times Op-Ed Contributor, Stanford Medx Global Access Host, PLoS blogger, Stanford Medx Keynote Speaker, Wikimania Keynote Speaker, speaker at the UN/Social Good Summit, speaker at PanCan and other charity events that have collectively raised over $1,000,000, routinely lobby Congress to raise awareness and increase funding for pancreatic cancer, Speaker at HRC event with Ellen Page and Chelsea Clinton, OUT 100, Advocate 40 under 40, GWU Global LGBT health speaker, USAJMO qualifier, PUMaC A division 7th in Number Theory and 3rd in Combinatorics, 6th place at National Mandelbrot, 13 on AIME, US Junior Wildwater Team, US Eastern Wildwater Open First in Junior Mens Division.</p>

<p>Subjective</p>

<p>Extracurriculars (see above for awards): Math Team (Captain), Math Circle (Competition Coordinator/lots of international awards), LGBT activism, Whitewater kayaking (club founder/USA Junior Wildwater Team), Pancreatic and Ovarian cancer activism (raised over $1,000,000), Open Access activism (recognized by White House), Speaking (I speak worldwide about STEM and Open Access), Scientific Research (I’ve done a lot of scientific research on several different projects and I hold a patent on one of the projects, also won a lot of international awards)</p>

<p>Job/Work Experience: (paid) I ‘work’ at Harper Collins and the US State Department
Volunteer/Community service: Over 1,500 hours to different causes
Summer Activities: A lot of scientific research and speaking
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 9/10, talked about my journey to becoming a public speaker and my future aspirations
Intellectaul vitality: 7/10, same topic as above (finding topics that I’m passionate about speaking about)
Roommate: 8/10, I liked it, it talked about who I was outside of the academic setting, pretty playful in tone
What matters: 8/10, talked about my efforts in pancreatic cancer awareness
Short Answer: 9/10, I really liked them
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher #1 8/10: The Science Department chair and my AP Bio teacher who really liked me
Teacher #2 7/10: Another Science teacher who I’m super close with and eat lunch with everyday and was my supervisor for one of my research projects
Optional Rec: 8/10: From a faculty member from the Stanford School of Medicine and who ran Stanford Medx, he loves me
Counselor: 7/10: Described me as an awesome student, one of the best in her career and I hung out in her office a lot so we knew each other pretty well. Mentioned that I took every AP class available excluding language and art classes and took Calc 3 and linear algebra in 11th</p>

<p>Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Bioengineering
State (if domestic applicant): MD
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public, 2300 students
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: ~ 200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None</p>

<p>Reflection:
Strengths: awards and recs
Weaknesses: Grades (I had straight A’s except for 1 B in one semester of 10th grade English)
Overall: Before you get into high school make sure you’re super good at math and abstract thinking as this makes the AP science and math classes a breeze, also read a ton of books and write essays/blogs on topics of your choice to improve your writing, email professors your research proposals (they’re really friendly - mostly - and some might accept you). Get really good at public speaking too, I started doing national/international science fairs in 6th grade so by the time I was in 9th grade I could have a ton of experience. </p>

<p>General Comments: SOOOO EXCITEEEED!!! You don’t have to have no social life to get into these schools, I always got at least 6 hours of sleep and could watch T.V and hang out with my friends. Also you don’t have to have perfect grades, I got one B but I still ended up 1st in class by taking a bunch of APs. Can’t wait to see everyone in September :smiley: </p>

76

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Applied with 1980 (CR650 W620 M710) - Now 2100 (CR680 W660 M760)
ACT: N/A
SAT II: Did not send on REA, sent after defferal - 720 M2 640BM - going to retake on january.
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): sent 93 - probably will be 91 after a terible senior mid-year report. My school is strict on attendance, and I have missed a lot of classes because of ECs.
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%, even if I fail all my classes this year.
Senior Year Course Load: Hardest in my school, but by names I have half the classes I had in Junior year (although in hours quite the same).

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National Youth Council(represent 30,000 youth); District Youth Council(Secretary General); Regional Youth Council(Secretary General); Political party youth wing; Martial arts (black belt); Running (Half a marathon on a monthly basis).
Summer Activities: Motorcycle trip with my father, surfing, starting to learn french, running.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common app 9-10/10 - talked about the elections that I didn’t succeed in, and elegantly also discussed my especifically low voice.
Vitality - a shortened version of my Princeton & Yale application essay, I wasn’t able to retain all of its merit, but it felt pretty good. 8-10/10
Roommate - really felt like myself in it: 9-10/10
Matters - with no one to evaluate it, I have no idea how good it is. 8-10/10

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Both teachers loved me, and theirs were some of only classes that didn’t bore me to death. Those was the first recs they wrote though, couldn’t predict how it went, probably 8-10/10

Counselor Rec: We don’t have a councelor, the homeroom teacher wrote my rec. I love her, but I don’t think she can write a meaningful rec, she didn’t know me outside the two hours a week she had seen me.
Additional Rec: Regional council’s advisor; the adult I connected most with at my time in the youth council. 10/10 most likely.
Interview: N/A

Other

State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):ISR
School Type: public
Ethnicity:
Gender: M
Income Bracket: Low
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Qualities of character. First generation. Bilingual. Some of the few in my country to think of anything but military service in my age.

Reflection

Strengths: ECs. Diversity. Character. Bilingual with decent test scores.
Weaknesses: Low SAT, a few bad grades because of attendance, relatively low GPA (It is Stanford)
Why you think you were deferred: I told them about all the tests I am going to take after REA deadline, either they were playing hard to get, or they genuinely wanted to evaluate me at my final stage, and in the context of the entire pool of applicants.

General Comments: I live in a place with a different mentality. My friends didn’t truely understand what I was doing trying to get in; none of them will even think about higher education for the next couple of years. This forum and its members really did help by showing me that there are others, real people, who actualy go through the same process. I do hope that if I get in, I would meet you guys there.

77

Decision: Accepted

Objective
SAT I (breakdown): math 800 reading 800 writing 770 (composite 2370)
ACT (breakdown): n/a
SAT II: literature 770, math 750, Spanish 730
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.99
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 9%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (5), English Lang. (5), Spanish (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit, AP Chemistry, Advanced Studies in Art History, Honors Physics, Honors French IV, Spanish Literature, Multivariable Calculus
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Spanish honor society, nationally ranked debater

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

•4 yrs debate (captain)
•4 yrs organization chapter (leader)
•3 yrs (musical) theater
•3 yrs dance
•4 yrs journalist for school paper (editor)
•4 yrs music (school productions and recitals)

Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service: work with library and debate website
Summer Activities: reading, writing, debate camps, college courses, language study, theater productions, dance lessons
Essays (rating 1-10, details):

  1. Common App: 10. I focused on my love of research and where it began with a unique hook.
  2. Intellectual Vitality: 10. Focused on a paper I wrote in a research seminar and the lessons my work taught me.
  3. Roommate: 10. Focused on how they shouldn't try to turn off the light when I'm reading late at night.
  4. What matters: 10. Focused on an experience that showed me how so many people ignore a certain issue.
  5. Short answers: 10. Really had fun with this, and just showed who I am through the books, etc. I listed.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Didn’t read any of them, but…

Teacher Rec #1: 10. English/history teacher that taught me for 2 years, and worked with me a lot for an extracurricular… a lot, a lot, a lot. Knows me really well, so probably fantastic.
Teacher Rec #2: 8. Math teacher that taught me for 3 years, and talked with me quite a bit. Probably really good.
Counselor Rec: 10. My school’s really good at these.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Chemistry
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: middling with difficult circumstances
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): difficult circumstances, female interested in science

Reflection

Strengths: clear portrait of who I am in my recs and essays, debate career and passion, future goals, and it just clicked
Weaknesses: volunteer time, no major awards outside of debate, SAT II scores
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Everything in my application really showcased the person I am and how I talk— and I’ve only done things in my high school career that I genuinely care about, not things to just get into college.

Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Don’t know yet. Applied to Claremont McKenna, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UCSB, Harvard, Fordham (crossed off a bunch of apps after getting in)

General Comments: Just be yourself. Seriously. If Stanford isn’t a fit for you, figure that out yourself, and save yourself the trouble… that’s why I crossed off a bunch of Ivy League-type schools on my potential list. Not for me. :wink:

78

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2280 (740 Math, 740 Reading, 800 Writing)
[] ACT: N/A
[] SAT II: 800 Math II, 700 Math I, 700 U.S History
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/762
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB (5), Calculus BC (5), European History (5), U.S History (4), Reading and Comprehension (4)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats/IB SL Math, AP Psychology, AP Literature, AP MicroEcon/Civics, IB World Theater
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] National Merit, President’s volunteer service award, A couple of state debate awards. [/li]
Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Class Committee (Treasurer for 4 years), Debate Club (technically 3 separate clubs; VP and Co-founder), Mock Trial
[] Job/Work Experience: None
[] Volunteer/Community service: 200~ hours tutoring, volunteering at a hospital, or volunteering in the library
[] Summer Activities: Tutoring people
[] Essays
Personal Statement: 10/10. Honestly the best essay I’ve written. Showed a lot of my personality and clearly told my story. Everyone who has read it says it is an amazing essay
Intellectual Vitality: 7/10. It was OK. It wasn’t terrific but it wasn’t bad either.
Roommate: 9/10. Pretty fun and quirky. Talked about how I have a non-sleep cycle and how that shows who I am.
What matters to me: 9/10. Talked about how boba mattered to me. It showed some of my other, less academic interests off in a unique matter.
Club: 9/10. Talked about Mock Trial. Really highlighted how much I love to compete.
[] Teacher Recommendations:
Teacher 1: 10/10. Amazing. The teacher was my Mock Trial coach and class adviser meaning I knew her for 4 years. She is a great writer too.
Teacher 2: 7/10. Meh. I had her for 2 years, she really liked me but didn’t know me as well as teacher 1.
[li] Counselor Recommendation: 9/10. Told me he wrote a great rec. I was one of his favorite students.[/li]
Other

[list]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[li]** Intended Major **: Economics[/li][] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[] School Type: Public, large (just under 3000 kids)
[] Ethnicity: Asian American
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: Low
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.):[/ul] Really touching and unique back-story[/li]
Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: Great essays, good teacher/counselor recommendations, interesting and unique hook, started a club and actually grew it
[] Weaknesses: Sat II scores weren’t as great as they could be. Teacher rec 2 wasn’t great.
[] Why do you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Not sure if I can point to one thing. I think I had a pretty strong overall application
[] Schools you were accepted to: UCI, UCSD, UCLA, USC, CMC, Stanford
[] Schools you were waitlisted/rejected from: None
[] Schools you are waiting for:[/ul] None

General Comments:
Just be honest on your essays and it will come naturally. I had writers block for a long time because I kept thinking “I have to be special, I have to seem like a god if I want Stanford to accept me.” But when I just said “fuck it” and started writing the truth and nothing but the truth, the words just came naturally and cleanly. Sure, my essays highlighted some of my flaws (for example, that I was a slacker in middle school), I didn’t seem like a god when you read my essays, but they made me seem so… human. Which, in my opinion, is better than being a god. My essays were THE greatest part of my application, they should be yours too and the only way that’ll happen is if you tell your actual story.

79

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected[/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2400 (Reading: 800, Math: 800, Writing: 800)
ACT (breakdown): 34 (English: 35 Math: 34 Reading: 32 Science: 35)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 790 Chemistry, 780 Physics, 770 Bio Molecular
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5/532
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Chem (5), AP Bio (5), AP US (5), AP Lang (5), AP Spanish (5), AP Physics C: Mechanics (4), AP Euro (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB/BC (2 courses, already taken at community college, but credits didn’t transfer), AP Art History, AP Computer Science, Competitive Forensics, ROP Engineering for Manufacturing
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Selection for Delegate for Congress of Future Medical Leaders (x2), 3 Associate’s Degrees (Math, Physical Science, Social Science), Candidacy for the President’s Scholar Program (US, not specific school), Various Robotics Awards and Speech and Debate Awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Robotics Team (Team Lead, Strategy&Scouting Lead, Drive Coach, Former Programming Co-Lead), Speech and Debate (Captain, Former Oratory and Parli Manager), Tabla, National Honor Society, Chess Club (Co-President), Helping Hands
Job/Work Experience: Private Math and English Tutor, ~ 175 hours
Volunteer/Community service: Public Math Tutor ~ 90 hours, Intel Kids to Work Day Vex Workshop ~ 30 hours, Set up annual food, clothes, toy drive ~20 hours, Helped set up and be an MC for India Day ~ 60 hours, writing a math tutoring book to donate to high school (in progress) ~ 108 hours
Summer Activities: Davidson Summer THINK Institute (program to take 2 college courses at UNR in 3 weeks), Took ET (Electronics Technology) 192 and 196 at local community college
Essays (rating 1-10, details): (Warning: Most likely inaccurate self grades)
7 - Essay on intellectual vitality, talked about how I sparked my initial love of math
7 - Letter to roommate, essay on fantasy football and playful competitiveness
5 - Talked about the importance of my mind/memories
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10 - Took class, loved teacher, she loved me, said I’m the smartest student she’s ever had (probably exaggerated, but she liked me), kept in touch throughout all of high school
Teacher Rec #2: 8 - Speech and debate coach, knows me fairly well, sometimes have prioritized robotics over speech and debate so may think slight lack of committment, but otherwise likes me
Counselor Rec: 8 - Talked to the counselor multiple times to coordinate class switches/college credits, really friendly, likes me
Additional Rec: 10 - Sent me what she wrote, extremely positive rec, my first college professor, took a class taught by her 3 times in 4th, 8th, and 9th grade.
Interview: None

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Computer Science & Electrical Engineering (separate)
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian Indian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: High
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection

Strengths: Strong academic performance, multiple awards, leadership in major clubs, experience in robotics (related to intended major)
Weaknesses: essays, ORM, high income bracket
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I feel like I was rejected either because of my essays, or possibly someone writing me a bad letter of rec (more unlikely).
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Berkeley, UCSD, UC Davis, Regis, UoP Waitlisted: Harvey Mudd Rejected: CalTech

General Comments: Pretty sad, just in general I felt like my academics were strong enough to get me in compared to who they usually allow, but I guess my essays were bad, or something else I can’t think of right now. I don’t know if this is allowed in these kinds of threads or not, but I’m generally extremely interested in knowing anything about why I may have been rejected, if you could message me, that would be absolutely amazing. Sorry if the previous is not allowed, my bad.