Stanford Class of 2020 REA Results Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

D-Day is upon us! First round of results will be released for quest bridge applicants in only 9 days! The restrictive round results are anticipated to be on December 11, 2015. Please don’t post here unless its an actual decision.

As tribute to the release of Mockingjay Part 2:

May the odds be ever in your favor.

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected[/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Weighted GPA:
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

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

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments:

Just remove the ‘a’ in the bold, size and color in your decision.

MODERATOR’S NOTE: Please only post results using the given format so that this thread can serve as a valuable resource for future applicants. There is another thread provided for discussion, congrats, etc. Non-result posts will be deleted.

2

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I: 2120 (730 CR, 660 M, 730 W 8 essay) I know
[] ACT never took
[] SAT II: 760 Lit, 700 USH
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93 UW
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Physics (2), AP Lang (3), APUSH (4), AP Drawing (4) I explained my AP Physics score in additional information. Teacher covered half of the material needed to pass AP exam, and although I raised money to get a tutor, it was too late to help much.
[] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[] Senior Year Course Load: (hardest offered) AP Literature, AP Calculus AB, AP Government, AP Spanish, AP Biology, Religion
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Spanish Exam Gold Medal, Science Olympiad, QuestBridge CPS, QuestBridge Finalist, will be published in a scientific paper, other minor awards[/li][/ul]

Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): *My school limits leadership positions to one per student per year, so I don’t know how helpful this will be. Women in Math and Science (secretary 11th, co-president 12th), Writer’s Workshop Los Angeles (10th – writing school for adults; first high school student to enroll), Queen’s Council (12th – student recruitment type of thing), National Junior Honor Society (9th), National Honor Society (10th-12th), other things.
[] Job/Work Experience: Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR) for two months. Analyzed therapeutic potential of two drugs on DIPG brain cancer.
[] Volunteer/Community service: UCLA Hospital volunteer
[] Summer Activities: Summer after 10th: Harvard Summer School (I raised $7000 to attend two summers ago. Earned 8 undergraduate credits). Summer after 11th: Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)
[] Essays: QB Biographical essay: 9.5/10. I talked about how some unusual circumstances shaped my life. My story’s kind of personal so I’ll leave it at that for now. More info in “extenuating circumstances.” I thought it was good. It had a nice ending.
QB Additional Essay: 10/10. This was honestly some of my best work. I described my experience this past summer at SIMR. The first sentence was: “That kid died yesterday.”
[li] Teacher Recommendations: Haven’t seen any but I’ll give predictions.[/li]Math teacher: 10/10. I never saw it, but he’s a great guy. He taught me sophomore year but we remained close. He knows me well.
AP Bio teacher: 9.5/10 I’ve only known her for a semester, but I told her my story and presented my research to her. We get along well, too.
Additional Rec: 9.5/10 It was from another math teacher of mine (it wasn’t really an additional rec – just one that showed up on my QB app that wasn’t in Common App) .

[li] Counselor Rec: Honestly 11/10. I didn’t see it, but she told me she wrote things like “top student in 25 years” and “this student belongs at an Ivy.” [/li][/ul]

Other

  • [] State (if domestic applicant): CA
    [    ] School Type: Private, Catholic, all-girls (I get financial aid at school)
    [] Intended major: Human Bio (for now)
    [    ] Ethnicity: Half Mexican, half Egyptian
    [] Gender: F
    [    ] Income Bracket: 40K
    [] Assets: 0
    [    ] Property: 0
    [] Extenuating Circumstances: Used to be homeless, I moved out of my house to focus on school, etc.
    [    ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first generation, previously homeless, (semi)Harvard-educated, Mexican-Egyptian girl endeavoring to become a physician-scientist. lol

Why you think you were matched/not matched and general comments:

[list]
[] Strengths: Essays for sure. I was at a Stanford admissions talk and one of the panelists said “If you were to leave your personal statement on the floor at your school and one of your friends picked it up, would they know you wrote it?” That was perfect advice for me at the time. I think my voice shined through in each of my essays.
[] Weaknesses: Test. Scores. However, I will say that my acceptance is proof that you are not just a set of numbers to them! Sure, 700 USH is eh. 660 SAT Math is bad. 2 on AP Physics seems like a mortal sin. The point is, have faith in yourself.
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: It was God, honestly. And the essays.
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

[*] General comments: The ONLY reason I’m posting this is to encourage applicants with less-than-beautiful test scores to KEEP ON GOING. Don’t lose hope! Don’t let low test scores discourage you! Just look at my SAT math score, feel better about yourself, and then plow through! And for the essays and short answers … I would be lying if I say I didn’t heavily scrutinize my short takes, like the “favorite books/movies” questions. In the end, I realized all I needed to do was be honest. As for the 250 word essays, I tried to show my quirky/curious side. I literally wrote about snails for one of them (in a science-y way, but still). I think my essays made up for my lack of decent scores (at least by CC standards). I believe in you!

3

DENIED

2250
ACT 35
3.99
770, 760 on subject tests, 5’s on all AP tests

Recs 10/10
Essays ?/10

White Male

No hooks

4

I’ll post this because I read these types of threads as well.

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2240 superscore, three tries (770R, 780M, 690W because of low essay score)
ACT (breakdown): 33C on both tries
SAT II: 800 BioM, 780 Math II, 760 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.38
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4/800ish
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5’s on AP Calc BC and AP Eng Lang; 4’s on AP World, AP Chem, AP Bio
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Macro/AP Gov, AP Eng Lit, AP Spanish Lang, Multivariable Calc/Linear Alg Diff Eq
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, nothing else too big

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Science Olympiad (Captain of Biology), Ecology Club (Secretary), Key Club, American Red Cross, CSF, drawing and graphic design (independent), jobshadowed a gynecologist, nothing else really important
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: bunch of hours from CSF tutoring and then other miscellaneous stuff
Summer Activities: went to India
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Really loved my roommate essay, others were pretty strong so I would say 8.5-9/10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Didn’t read any of them but I would say all of them were pretty strong–my teachers knew me very well but my counselor’s might have been a bit generic so 8.5/10
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Biology
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): India (citizen but live in CA)
School Type: large public
Ethnicity: Asian Indian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: middle
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection

Strengths: My essays (I thought then but idk now), GPA, test scores maybe
Weaknesses: definitely EC’s
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: my EC’s were super weak
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: N/A

General Comments: I was pretty sad but now I’m over it. Hopefully I will get into a university where I will be happy. This rejection isn’t too bad, and I was kinda expecting it. So for all of you guys out there who are anxiously reading this thread, comparing yourselves to us, just do your best and don’t worry. Some of these decisions are a crapshoot, and no one on this website can deny that. All you have to do is do your best and go for it. If you get in then that’s good, but if you don’t that’s fine as well. Your future is bright!! You WILL get into a good college in the end, and you WILL BE HAPPY GUARANTEED. So get off this thread and go work yourself to the utmost. Your hard work will pay off :smiley:

5

Posting for my Son
Denied
SAT 2250 (one sitting)
SAT II 800 MBio 800 Math II 740 US History
Unweighted GPA 4.0
Rank 1 out of 167

Essay’s teachers said they were the best they ever wrote
EC’s. Son was the only student out of 9,000 students in the district to hold a statewide position for a “outside of school” organization. internship with Congressman, fed he homeless, Many more but don’t feel like listing

No hooks, white male.

6

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 35C, 36W: 35E 34M 33R 36S
SAT II: 770 Math II, 740 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
Weighted GPA: 4.60
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (5), Chem (5), US History (5), Macro (5), Micro (5), Lang (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: H. Multivariable Calculus, AP Biology, AP English Lit, AP Spanish Lang, AP US Gov, AP Art History
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Cum Laude, RIP Medal, etc.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Newspaper (Editor-in-Chief), Debate Team (Captain, ranked in top 50 in US), Community Service Club (President), JSA (President), Technology review website (6 years, been on front page of reddit), Fencing (Varsity)
Job/Work Experience: Internship at tech company, Internship at Venture Capital
Volunteer/Community service: Through community service club
Summer Activities: Internships and entrepreneurship program
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9/10 I don’t know
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I don’t know

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Undecided
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: I thought I had great EC and grades.
Weaknesses: SAT 2s?
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: No idea, I guess I just wasn’t what they wanted.

7

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2400 (800CR 800W 800M)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: Math 2 - 800, Physics - 800, Biology M - 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA:
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/438
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB(5) Calculus BC(5) Physics B(5) Physics C(5) MicroEcon(5) MacroEcon(5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, AP Comp Sci, AP Gov/Ap Psych, Applied Microbio, AP Statistics, AP English 12
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 5th Place Ricardo Division National Economics Challenge, National Merit Commended, National AP Scholar, School Department Math Award

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 1st place twice in state Solo and Ensemble with school chamber orchestra(Principal cellist this year), State Qualifier Tennis 4A(Co-Captain this year), 2nd in grade level in State Math Competition with Math Club(president)
Job/Work Experience: Part of Peer Tutor Program at my school
Volunteer/Community service: 150+ hours volunteering in hospital.
Summer Activities: Job shadowed. Chamber Orchestra camp. Practice tennis. Coding projects.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 6, not a good writer. If I accidentally left my essays somewhere and someone who knew me read it, they wouldn’t know I wrote it. I did my best on this part though.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 7, I didn’t read it. I’m not sure if it was a 7, could be worse or better. I know the teacher likes me and they are a good writer. The college information person at my school liked it.
Teacher Rec #2: 7, I didn’t read it either, so I’m not sure about my rating. I know the teacher loves me. College information person at my school liked it. This teacher was my sophomore teacher, and that could have hurt me, but you can never tell with these things. She got two people in the past two years to Princeton and Yale. She was the sophomore teacher of the one who went to Princeton.
Counselor Rec: 7, he was really excited about his letter, so I’m sure he did a good job. I didn’t read it though. The college information person at my school liked this too.
Additional Rec: 9, this guy was a retired economics teacher who taught me economics outside of school. His letter had a few typos because they escaped him, but the content put me in a really good light as somebody who went out of their way to learn more.
Interview: 8, both of us were engaged in the interview the whole time.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: I put down physics. I’m still unsure right now.
State (if domestic applicant): WA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public, 4A
Ethnicity: Asian - Chinese Filipino
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 180K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: Test scores and GPA and possibly teacher recs
Weaknesses: Essays
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Who knows. My essays were iffy. Maybe I don’t have enough extracurriculars. Maybe it was my teacher recs. Maybe my reader was in the mood for deferring people. Maybe it’s because I had a B in my 1st quarter grades. Maybe my interview did not go as well as I thought it would go.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

8

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**
Decision: Deferred
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected[/color][/size]**

(Forgive all the semicolons ya boy’s comma key broke)

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 800 math 800 reading 780 writing
ACT (breakdown): 36 writing 36 science 35 reading 33 math
SAT II: 800 physics 790 math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.915
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5/330
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (5) European History (5) Psychology (5) Human Geography (5) Physics 1 (5) Physics 2 (5) US History (5) English Language (5) Calculus AB (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): Spanish B (6) Philosophy SL (6)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC; IB Theory of knowledge 2; AP Comparative Government; AP Statistics; IB Philosophy HL; AP English Literature; AP Physics C; IB Physics 2; IB Contemporary History
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Eagle Scout; Physics Bowl Regional Runner-up; national merit

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Boy Scouts (various minor leadership) Track; Cross country;

Job/Work Experience: Been working at an ice cream shop for a year and a half
Volunteer/Community service: Youth Group every so often; I usher at church
Summer Activities: Philmont Boys State
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Thought my common app essay was pretty good (8/10). I related my love of four square to my love of philosophy so it was unique at least. SHorter essays were 5’s though
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Didn’t see any of them; they were probably fine but not stupendous

Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview: Went very well but I hear those don’t help much

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Engineering/Management
State (if domestic applicant): FL
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Pasty
Gender: M
Income Bracket: (100-120)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nope

Reflection

Strengths: Test scores and grades. Sometimes my writing hits the mark other times it misses badly.
Weaknesses: Tried to do the whole app in 3 hours; haven’t started any charities; saved any species; etc
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: There’s a lot of talent out there man. For those of you who got in great job.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: First decision

9

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2190 Superscore (710M, 780W, 700R)
ACT (breakdown): 34 (35W, 34M, 34R, 32S, 32 essay [10 on the old scale])
SAT II: Didn’t send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 3.65
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): Microeconomics (4), Macroeconomics (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP Environmental Science, AP Human Geography, AP English Literature, Spanish III
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Film club (founder), director/editor/writer of several short films
Job/Work Experience: Worked on feature film set for two months, was personal assistant to writer/director/producer for around 2 and a half years. Worked at education software company.
Volunteer/Community service: Unpaid intern at school for low-income families in Gujarat ~300 hrs
Summer Activities: Harvard Summer Program, Internship stated above
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10/10 for main essay. 8/10 for another, and 7/10 for the essay about “what matters to you.”

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Didn’t read, probably impersonal. He was only my teacher for 2 months when he wrote it
Teacher Rec #2: Didn’t read, probably good. He told me that I was one of his best students
Counselor Rec: I read it. Very positive, but impersonal.
Additional Rec: My directing professor from Harvard Summer School. He liked me alot, but I didn’t read it, so can’t say for sure.
Interview: Not offered in my state

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Economics
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): –
School Type: Private, selective. class size of 35 (only this year, I’ve attended 4 high schools)
Ethnicity: Iraq, Afghanistan, India
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Not sure, maybe 75,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection
Strengths: Good ACT score, good GPA & transcript
Weaknesses: No SAT IIs, Activities not focused on leadership
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Combination of lack of SAT II, activities, and possibly my recs (although I don’t think they were negative). Also, this is my Post-Graduate year because I started high school early. I also had to leave the country in my junior year because my grandmother, who lives in India became ill… So some disruption in my education.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Applied to UC Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, UCI, and UCD.
Also applying to Harvard, UPenn, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Rice, Vanderbilt, Duke, Yale, NYU, and UChicago

General Comments:
I’m kinda relieved. I’m glad it’s not a deferral and I’m just going to focus on my other first choice tie. Now, time to try and get into Harvard…

10

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2290 (720 CR, 780 M, 790 W w/ 8 essay)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: Math L2 800, Chemistry 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.4
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/700
AP (place score in parenthesis): European History (3), Chemistry (5), Biology (4), Eng Lang (4), Calculus BC (5), US History (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Computer Science, AP Eng Lit, AP US Gov, AP Statistics, AP Physics C: M / E&M, Service Working
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): No “major” ones, but…
AP scholar with distinction
National Merit Commended
California Scholarship Federation sealbearer
School’s math achievement award
District’s Italian scholarship

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Girl Scouts (9-12), working on Gold Award Project (highest GS award)
Red Cross Club (9-12), president
Rocketry Club (10-12), VP
Peer Tutoring (10-12), volunteer in 10th and paid 11/12

Job/Work Experience:
Peer Tutoring (11-12)

Volunteer/Community service:
Volunteer at school library (10-12)
200+ hours through Red Cross and Girl Scouts

Summer Activities:
Officer of public library’s summer reading club (11-12)
Leader at school’s freshman orientation (11-12)
Did Civic Leadership Institute (a community service course) (12)

Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9, wrote about being kissed by a drunk stranger while in Italy and how it sort of introduced me to the “real world”

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10, from italian teacher who nominated me for a scholarship, called me her best student in thirty years of teaching
Teacher Rec #2: Didn’t read but probably 8/9, came from AP chem teacher with whom I have I have a strong personal relationship
Counselor Rec: Didn’t read, have no idea
Additional Rec: Didn’t submit
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Chemical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Large Public
Ethnicity: White (Middle Eastern)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: <$20K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First-gen

Reflection

Strengths: Maybe SAT and GPA? I didn’t think I had particular strengths
Weaknesses: ECs definitely, lack of any outstanding details
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: My scores, grades, and recs were probably seen well, but they wanted to compare me with the regular decision applicants who will most likely outshine me with ECs/awards
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nowhere yet!

General Comments: At first I was really upset, the first sentence of the deferral is “We appreciate the thoughtfulness and hard work you put into your application and acknowledge your strong interest in Stanford as a Restrictive Early Action applicant.” I thought I was rejected, then found out I got deferred and felt a little better. Now I’m actually kind of happy! By the time I get my regular round decision, I’ll probably be accepted somewhere else that’s awesome, so a rejection won’t hurt as much then…

11

I told myself I would post in this thread no matter my decision because I read these threads thoroughly in my application process. So here goes!

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Never took it
ACT (breakdown): 35C, 33E, 36M, 35R, 34S, 8W
SAT II: 770 Math II, 720 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.83
Weighted GPA: 4.69
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 8/300
AP (place score in parenthesis): Physics 1 (3), Physics 2 (3), Langauge and Composition (5), Psychology (4), US History (4), Chemistry (3), Government (2)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP Biology, AP Literature, AP Spanish, Economics, Honors Chamber Orchestra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, and a bunch of small Model UN, lacrosse, and academic awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Model UN (president), NHS (secretary), Spanish Club, Chamber Orchestra, Lacrosse, NEHS
Job/Work Experience: Small online business
Volunteer/Community service: 48 hours at a children’s summer camp, a couple hours here and there from NHS
Summer Activities: Does traveling count? I didn’t really participate in any programs.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): My common app was brilliant, 10/10. Roommate essay was unlike anything I’ve written before and I liked it a lot 10/10. Intellectual vitality was maybe an 8/10, and the what matters to me was a 7/10. The last two definitely could have been stronger…
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 11/10 She was my AP Lang teacher and wrote amazing things about me, she said things along the lines of “never had a student who has impacted the way I teach so much,” and “student was vital to success of other students.” Gave me goosebumps (she let me read it at her own discretion because she was very proud of it).
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10 General, I got it from my physics teacher who liked me as a student. He pretty much wrote general things.
Counselor Rec: 5/10 I’m assuming very generic.
Additional Rec: 11/10 My Model UN adviser. He wrote a fantastic recommendation letter about my speaking skills and abilities as a student. I was thoroughly impressed and shocked with some of the things he had to say about me.
Interview: N/A for my state

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Of course
Intended Major: Chemistry
State (if domestic applicant): Midwest
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White (Middle Eastern)
Gender: F
Income Bracket: N/A
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First Generation

Reflection

Strengths: My essays, standardized test scores
Weaknesses: Extracurriculars were generic and made me wish I had more accomplishments in high school. My AP scores were also poor in some areas, and I wish I took the time to explain in the additional comments section why.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Honestly, it’s Stanford. You can’t really expect much from a school with a five percent acceptance rate.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nothing yet. It was restricted early action after all.

General Comments: I’m a little disappointed, but I kinda expected it. I still hung on to that little sliver of hope until the end. But I’m a firm believer in that everything happens for a reason, and if it takes getting rejected from Stanford and getting accepted into a school I meant to go to, then so be it. I can honestly say I’m glad I gave it my all and tried, and I’m eager to find out where it is I’ll be spending my next four years at. Congratulations to those that got in, and to those of you who may be reading this as a reference for the future, I come bearing one piece of advice: a college education is what you make of it, and a college doesn’t define you. Everyone has in it in their ability to find success, and I’m 100% certain we will all find our little place to achieve just that. :slight_smile:

12

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1880 – CR: 580, W: 690, M: 610
ACT (breakdown): Did not take
SAT II: Did not take (could not afford it)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85
Weighted GPA: school doesn’t weight
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A - my school didn’t have AP
IB (place score in parenthesis): I’m not doing any two year complete courses but during my junior year I took IB Spanish, English and History.
Senior Year Course Load: Physics and Math Analysis all year round at my high school. I’m doing community college courses (Fall: English 101, US History; Winter: Intro to Chem, Fundamentals of Computer Science; Spring: Fundamentals of Computer Science II and another course I haven’t chose)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NCWIT Aspirations in Computing state award and national runner-up

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Coding Club for high school girls (Cofounder, president), youth dance (10 years of experience, youth leader), JSA (3 years, stopped my senior year because my new school didn’t have it but I was VP during my senior year), DECA (3 years)
Job/Work Experience: Worked on a farm last year, and now work at CenturyLink field with the Seahawks doing fan experience
Volunteer/Community service: Tutoring foster children since 9th grade, tutoring kids in math and reading through a library program starting my junior year.
Summer Activities: Girls Who Code Summer Immersion program, volunteered in a program to help prepare 8th graders for high school.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10; i think this is definitely what tipped the scale for me. I had a lot to share and have overcome a lot of obstacles.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: No clue
Teacher Rec #2: She loved me, had me as a student for 3 years
Counselor Rec: Was great, she has been a huge support
Additional Rec: Also great, she helped me found the coding club and used to be an admission counselor
Interview: Had one, didn’t go so great. He was super nice and a great guy, but we could not connect.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: computer science
State (if domestic applicant): Washington state
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public (went to a private school until my junior year)
Ethnicity:African American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 2014 -2250. My mother was laid off and went back to school. This year she’s making about 60,000 but we’re recovering from debt. Also, I’m in and out of foster care so it really depends.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First-generation college student

Reflection

Strengths: I had overcome a lot of obstacles, yet still managed to get pretty stellar grades and had great extra curriculars. I have done a lot to improve my community and have shown dedication.
Weaknesses: My SAT scores and GPA are not as great as others on here. I thought that would keep me from getting in and was honestly hoping for a deferral.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Pitzer College and Claremont Makenna. Pitzer flew me out and interviewed me and offered me admission on the spot. Pomona and CMC also asked to borrow me and interviewed as well and CMC offered me admission a few days later.

General Comments:
Scores and numbers are not everything! Do not let those things keep you from applying anywhere. I almost didn’t apply because I was 99% sure I would not get in and it would’ve broken my heart. Although I later realized that I would be ok with getting rejected, I got in despite my numbers. You miss 100% of all shots you don’t take.
Also, I’m kind of still freaking out that i got in so I probably forgot a few things and I apologize for the poor grammar. Please let me know if you’d like to ask me anything!

13

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 780 CR 790 M 800 W (2370)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II:

Math 2 800
Physics 80
Chem 800

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.98 (school grades are super inflated)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4/600
AP (place score in parenthesis):

U.S. History (5)
Chem (5)
Calc BC (5)
Phys C Meh (5)
Phys C EM (5)
English Lang (5)

IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load:

AP Lit
AP Gov
AP German
Calc 3
Calc-based Stats
Fundamentals of Semiconductor Devices

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Siemens National Finalist
ISEF Finalist 2x, Grand Award Winner 1x
Published in peer-reviewed journal
Hall of Fame Inductee at local Science Center
National Merit Semifinalist
Qualified for AIME
Some other smaller stuff

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

Research at University
Science Fair Club (president)
Marching Band (Section Leader)
Varsity Math Team
Varsity Quiz Bowl
Robotics (Head Programmer)
Varsity Tennis
National Honor Society (lol)
Orchestra + Honors Band

Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered at local science center for around 100 hours, tutored through NHS.
Summer Activities:

Classes at local colleges and summer programs (precalc, calc 2, programming)
Volunteering
Governor’s School
Research
Band Camp

Essays (rating 1-10, details):

Common App: Wrote about band and learning I’m not perfect. 8.
Extracurricular: Wrote about research. 9
Intellectual Vitality: Wrote about my sister and humanities. 8
Roommate Letter: Kinda generic but honest. 8
What Matters: Super weird, wrote about how I think. 10

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: German Teacher, 9
Teacher Rec #2: Calc Teacher, 8
Counselor Rec: 8
Additional Rec: Research Mentor, 10
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Engineering Physics
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: High
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection

Strengths: Science Stuff, scores
Weaknesses: no work experience, not much volunteering
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Science stuff, was very genuine in my essays about the way I think and my outlook on the world.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments: Just be honest and don’t overthink the essays. I didn’t write any big essay about my intended major or about science.

14

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): superscore 2340 (770 CR 780 M 790 W)
ACT (breakdown): superscore 36 (36 all across, 33 combined writing/essay) + 36 in one sitting
SAT II: Math II 800, Biology M 800, Chemistry 740
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.3
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): no ranking in my school
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s in Biology, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Computer Science, Macroeconomics, Macroeconomics, English Language, Statistics
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Organic chemistry, AP European history, Symphony orchestra, AP Literature, AP Government and Politics, AP Psychology, AP Physics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/O

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Figure skating (Team USA international competitors), piano for 11 years, violin for 7 years, Social Justice Project (PR), BuildOn (Fundraising)
Job/Work Experience: none worth noting
Volunteer/Community service: NHS and Project LEAD (Secretary)
Summer Activities: lab internship at UMich
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9.5, I worked on them all extensively with the help of consultants. However, nothing truly groundbreaking to set me miles above everyone else.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: My favorite teacher, we are very close. 10 probably
Teacher Rec #2: not sure, cool guy and great teacher and I excelled in his class.
Counselor Rec: He knows my accomplishments but not my character. 7-8
Additional Rec: Professor from UMich in charge of my lab. 9-10
Interview: I think it went pretty well! He seemed really interested in my skating and we had a lot to talk about

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: CS + X (not sure what the x will be) or Human Biology
State (if domestic applicant): MI
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: F
Income Bracket: 200k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: good ACT, AP scores.
Weaknesses: one of my SATs was a 2200, not sure how they look at those. Nothing to really set me apart from everyone else.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I thought my overall application was pretty good, but I’m thinking it might’ve been the essays or the recommendations, since I feel like my numbers and extracurriculars were strong
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: applied to Berkeley, UMich, Harvard and more soon.

General Comments:
Of course I’m disappointed to not get in, but also not being outright rejected is an accomplishment in itself. With a better chance of getting in during regular admission, I’ll stay optimistic, even if I am a little frustrated at the lack of a definite answer.

15

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2200(730R, 760M, 710W) RIP 760 math with 800 math 2
ACT (breakdown):35(34,36,35,36)
SAT II: Math(800), Chem(800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.53
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): uh tied#1?
AP (place score in parenthesis): Physics C Mechanics, Physics C E and M, Calc AB, Calc BC, Chem, Bio, Lang, Psych, CompSci, Stats
All 5’s
IB (place score in parenthesis): Business, Japanese,
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Japanese, Calc 3 dual enroll, World History, Genetics and medical tech, computer programming
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit, Chemistry Olympiad Section Runner Up

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Quizbowl(president), Robotics(Group Lead), Math Club, Cross Country, HOSA(state finalist), Chem Olympiad, Physics Olympiad
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: Mentored a Robotics FLL team, helped out other FRC teams, relay for life
Summer Activities: OUSMI summer math camp basically for best mathematicians in state, Exchange program to Japan
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7/10 definitely could have been better
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 8.5/10? Not sure cause I didn’t read, but my teachers liked me a lot

Teacher Rec #1: Pretty good, from my physics teacher who I’ve known for 3 years
Teacher Rec #2: Also pretty good
Counselor Rec: Average considering I didn’t really know my counselor
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Computer Science
State (if domestic applicant): Michigan
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public school
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: Upper Middle Class(~150k a year)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: Grades, ACT
Weaknesses: SAT, unique things?
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Asian Male without standout essays/recs/other things
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nowhere as of now

16

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Math=790 W=710 R=720 (2220 superscore)

SAT II: Language with listening=790 BioM=800 Literature=680
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.25ish
Weighted GPA: 4.5ish
IB (place score in parenthesis): HL Bio(7) HL Chem(7) HL Psych(7) SL French(5) SL Lit(6) SL Math(7)
Senior Year Course Load: see above
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Persidential call to service gold award x2, national merit commended, NHS

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Council (VP), NHS (Secretary), Speech Club, Debate club, vegetable garden
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: over 900 hours (thanks Stanford for ignoring this…JK.)
Summer Activities: Volunteering hence the 900 hours
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common app: Volunteering 9. Maybe it was too generic? I don’t know. I am really proud of it though.
Room mate; 9/10 wrote about rice again, don’t know if I was trying too hard
Integrity: 10/10 poured my heart and soul out about failure
What matters to you: 7/10 my identity as a TCK
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: never saw it
Teacher Rec #2: ditto
Counselor Rec: ditto
Additional Rec: nope
Interview: yes and in England too! Very kind young man and had a really great time! Definitely worth the time!

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: biology
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): England
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Rice
Gender: Vajayjays
Income Bracket: let’s just say I don’t qualify for financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I am a global citizen… Kinda weak but oh well

Reflection

Strengths: SAT II bio and language, gap, COMMUNITY SERVICE, unique global citizenship hopefully
Weaknesses: SAT I CR and W (720/710), SAT II Lit (680), I’m Asian.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Most Asians who apply for stem have a long list of awards that I don’t have.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: none yet fingers crossed!

Note: Stanfrod EA has the lowest acceptance rate by far out of any University (even Harvard has 14% or something like that). To those of you who made it, CONGRATULATIONS! And to people like me, just know that one day you will probably be thankful that you didn’t go to Stanford because the friends you will meet in college would not have known you if you had gone to Stanford. Also, you miss 100% of the chances you don’t take so I think it was a great learning experience.

Stand tall when you go to school Monday because we are courageous in trying for the impossible. Be proud.

17

Decision: Rejected

Posting this because it helped when I applied

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t take.
ACT (breakdown): 35 C (36 E, 35 R, 35 M, 34 S)
SAT II: 800 Math, 800 Biology
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
Weighted GPA: School doesn’t weight
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Rank unavailable
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 - US history
IB (place score in parenthesis): Nope
Senior Year Course Load: C++ through game design, Physics III, Quantum Mechanics, Tudor-Stuart History, Modern Algebra, Intermediate Piano, Emily Dickinson Literature, Data Structures, Science Research Seminar, Graph Theory, Calculus III, Topology, Studies of the English Language, European Intellectual History
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Won a couple of Debate awards at local tournaments and participated in the Harvard Debate Tournament

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Speech and Debate (Treasurer), Future Scientist Program, Student Government Senator
Job/Work Experience: CEO of 501©(3) non-profit organization that has raised thousands of dollars, Have conducted research and have a patent in progress, volunteer at an elementary lab school and also help math teacher with grading papers and teaching lower level maths
Volunteer/Community service: Included above but have over 1000 volunteer hours accumulated
Summer Activities: Intern at a pharmaceutical company’s efficiency department, Administrative assistant at a behavioral health hospital, shadowed and interned at various other industries gearing more towards the administrative side of the company, continued research, and also attended a Harvard debate council workshop
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Pretty good and unique but I could’ve done better so an 8.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Really good, two teachers and the professor I do research with so a 9.

Teacher Rec #1: History Teacher 10
Teacher Rec #2: Math Teacher 9
Counselor Rec: Pretty generic but she liked me 9
Additional Rec: From research professor 10
Interview: None

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): Louisiana
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Boarding
Ethnicity: Asian Indian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: ECs and recs
Weaknesses: GPA and maybe test scores
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Just wasn’t room for another indian guy at Stanford
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Haven’t gotten too many decision back but got accepted to Purdue so far (only one I got back) Also applied to UCs, UIUC, Umich and Gtech.

General Comments: Good luck to RD and next year applicants! Don’t be discouraged from applying.

18

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2140 superscore (670 M, 730 CR, 740 W, 8 Essay)
ACT (breakdown): 36 superscore (36 R, 35 M, 35 S, 36 E, 10 Essay)
SAT II: n/a
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.30
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (4), World History (4), English Language (5), Calculus (4), Chemistry (3), Physics (2)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: Floral I (so I could be in FFA), Econ/Civics (required), Psychology, AP Bio, AP Lit, AP Stats
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): FFA Computer Applications Team 1st in State, AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): FFA, ASB (senior class secretary), Academic Decathlon (starter), Jazz Ensemble (1st chair piano), Key Club, CSF (VP)
Job/Work Experience: A/P Payroll (clerical/secretary type job), Integrated Math I tutor
Volunteer/Community service: Key Club, CSF
Summer Activities: Work
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Roommate: Very quirky, I talked about how I love puns and told a story about how I made a pun about mayonnaise, and ended saying “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to ketchup on my puns, I only hope you’ll have mustard the courage to relish them by the time we meet.” 10 if they love silly jokes like the kind I make, probably a lot worse if they don’t.
Long essay: I’d say a solid 8-9. Talked about how I have severe eczema and basically how that’s prevented me from doing a lot of stuff with my life, but it also allowed me to discover what I love to do and am good at doing. The teacher who read over my essays said it was really good, and she was my ap lang teacher.
What matters: Probably a 6. I kinda rehashed the whole “I love to learn” thing that I talked about in my vitality essay, which I think I wrote better. This one talked about how I always ask questions.
Vitality: Maybe a 7-8? Better than my what matters essay (as I said). I talked about how I have never won anything in the Academic Decathlon yet but I keep trying.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 7 (I read it, didn’t have the best grammar in it as far as I thought but he definitely came across as sincere about how he thought I was a good student).
Teacher Rec #2: Didn’t read.
Counselor Rec: Didn’t read, probably somewhat generic though.
Additional Rec: From my piano teacher for an arts supplement, didn’t read.
Interview: n/a

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: CS + Classics
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White (European)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 80,000-90,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I asked a Stanford representative and they said it wasn’t a hook, but I am a female going into a scientific career.

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses: Low SAT. Never did anything spectacular. Am from a small school in CA where what I have done is considered pretty great, but in comparison to places with more opportunities, I haven’t done much, so I’m not an impressive applicant.
Why you think you were rejected: Not good enough for Stanford, in the end. Too much going against me, too many other applicants who I guess were better.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I applied REA so I won’t know any other college decisions until I find out about SJSU in late February.

General Comments:
I expected as much, with the low acceptance rate at all, but it still hurt a lot to know all my dreams of joint majoring and all that were crushed. I decided if I didn’t get into Stanford that I’d apply to Santa Clara University in hopes of getting a good merit scholarship from them (as a replacement for good financial aid I could have gotten from Stanford). Congratulations to everyone out there who got in, because I’m sure that in the end, you deserved it, and I hope you can all do great things with your life.
For me, though, it’s time to move on.

EDIT: I accidentally typed 2141 for my SAT superscore instead of 2140 somehow, whoops!
EDIT 2: After putting so much of my knowledge of myself into college apps, I’ve forgotten what I’ve done. Added two awards (they’re not super big but one is a state award and another is national, so yeah). I hope I haven’t forgotten anything else XD

19

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2300 (720 CR, 800 M, 780 W)
ACT (breakdown): n/a
SAT II: Physics (800), Math II (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Weighted GPA: 4.4
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Physics B (5), United States History (5), Chemistry (5), English Language and Composition(5), Calculus BC (5) [AB Subscore (5)], Spanish Language and Culture (5), Physics C: Mechanics (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Microeconomics, AP US Government, AP English Literature and Composition, AP French Language and Culture, Band, Jazz Band, Multivariable Calculus (at local community college)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): QuestBridge Finalist and National College Match Recipient, AP Scholar with Distinction, Summer Science Program 2015, regional math competitions, school awards, honor bands, student of the month, etc.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Marching Band (Drum Major), Concert Band (Principal Bassoon), Jazz Band (Principal Bass), Astronomy Club (President), National Honor Society (Secretary), Math Club (President), Coding Club (Secretary), Varsity Track and Field, Varsity Cross-Country, California Scholarship Federation
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service: Local Parades with marching band, math and astronomy outreach events to younger children, local elementary school office work.
Summer Activities: Summer Science Program, All-district marching band
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10/10 Frankly, I think I was able to compile my ideas very well, and managed to get across a important points about my hopes goals as well as my general outlook on academics and extracurricular activities. Although I wrote a initial drafts, I didn’t put in an insane amount of time into them, but I tried to be as sincere and true to myself as possible, guess Stanford liked that.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 10/10 both, I greatly enjoy actually talking with my teachers and have always been that way for some reason. As a result, they got to know me very well and I think they were very honest about who I am and what I would do with a college education.

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10
Teacher Rec #2: 10/10
Counselor Rec: 10/10 I know her very well too, and I think that the fact that I asked her for a recommendation early in the year instead of at the last minute went a long way as well!
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: n/a

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Of course! Thanks, QuestBridge!
Intended Major: Physics
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Large >2500, Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 30,000-40,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first-generation, extremely well-rounded, very motivated

Reflection

Strengths: Essays, Recommendations, Extracurriculars, and I guess test scores help too
Weaknesses: Community Service, not too many major awards
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I just tried to show why I love to do everything I do and how a college education would help me improve as an individual and academic.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: no where else yet, why would I want to go anywhere else, though?

General Comments: Not necessarily posting this to brag or appear ostentatious, but I looked to College Confidential when deciding where to apply and found it as an excellent way for others to share their experiences. Hope this helps.

20

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 34C (35 English, 34 Math, 34 Reading, 34 Science); best writing was 11
SAT II: not great (didn’t submit them to Stanford)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.64
Weighted GPA: 4.24
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): doesn’t rank, but guessing top 20%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Lang (5), AP US History (5), AP Bio (4), AP Stats (3), AP World (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit & Comp, AP Calculus, AP Gov/AP Econ, AP Psychology, Leadership, Jazz dance (required for conservatory)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing really; SAG-eligible, AP Scholar with Distinction, couple of school awards, CSF, Nat’l Honor Society.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Leadership (Student Body President, Junior Class President, Middle School Coordinator); Musical Theatre Conservatory at arts school (6 years); trained at regional theatre (9 years)
Job/Work Experience: caregiver for elderly person; intern at regional theatre; commercial actor in LA (represented)
Volunteer/Community service: a lot; taught acting classes to underprivileged kids, started a theatre arts workshop; taught Sunday school at church for 6 years; led a singing group that performed at senior homes and schools;
Summer Activities: musicals (lead several years)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): pretty good, 7-8, somewhat creative, one was narrative
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): didn’t read them, but would guess as follows:

Teacher Rec #1: 8
Teacher Rec #2: 6-7
Counselor Rec: doesn’t really know me, probably 6
Additional Rec: I think I got a really good letter from a director and friend, also a peer letter from a freshman at Stanford
Interview: didn’t interview but had a pretty good acting audition

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Theatre
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: arts school
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: probably too high to get any FA
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): no idea; I don’t think so.

Reflection

Strengths: demonstrated passion for theatre, leadership, arts letter of rec, audition, test scores were pretty good,
Weaknesses: grades
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: theatre audition, letters of rec, essays, I think they were able to get a sense of who I am from my application.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: so far, accepted at LMU; no other decisions yet.