***TUFTS CLASS OF 2020 RD RESULTS THREAD***

Colleges and Universities A-Z Tufts University
1

Post your results here!

Choose One: (remove the spaces and it will be formatted)
[ b][ color=green][ size=4]Decision: Accepted[/size][/color=green]**
[ b][ color=orange][ size=4]Decision: Waitlisted[/size][/color=orange]**
[ b][ color=red][ size=4]Decision: Rejected[/size][/color=red]**

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

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community Service:
Summer Activities:
Essays:
Teacher Recommendations:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other:
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/deferred/rejected:
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:

2

[color=red]Decision: Rejected[/color=red]

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2030 single sitting (740 CR, 600 M, 690 W), 2060 super scored (740 CR, 720 W, 600 M)
ACT (breakdown): 31 C, don’t remember score breakdown
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 780 (US History),
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.86
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parentheses): English Lang (5), Psychology (5), US History (4), World History (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Physics 1, AP US Gov/AP Microeconomics, Senior seminar, AP European History, AP Comparative Government & Politics, AP
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Honor, National Merit Commended

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): National Honor Society (officer)(2 years, 1 year as officer), speech and debate (4 years), academic team (3 years), a school spirit committee thingy (2 years), French Club (2 years)
Job/Work Experience: 2 years working for my dad’s company
Volunteer/Community Service: volunteer at my place of religious worship, tutoring. Also an intern on a local political campaign.
Summer Activities: Debate camp summer before sophomore year, internship started last summer
Essays: 9/10 for prompt 3, 8/10 for identity, 7/10 for “why Tufts”
Teacher Recommendations: No idea, never read
Counselor Rec: No idea, never read
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Didn’t apply for one

Other:
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large(ish) public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $250k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection:
Strengths: Essays, GPA
Weaknesses: Test scores, no real hooks
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My test scores, lack of hooks, and I’m definitely not a good fit for this school lol
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted to Cal Poly SLO, Sac State, UC Davis, UCSB, Northeastern, American, and George Washington. Waitlisted at UCSD.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: I’m either going to GW (most likely) or UC Davis. Congratulations to all who got in! xx

3

[color=green]Decision:Accepted[/color=green]

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2190 (Superscore) 770 CR, 710 Math, 710 Writing (12 on the essay)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): 770 US, 730 Math II, 650 Literature
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6 W, 3.4 UW
AP (place score in parentheses): APUSH (4), AB (4), Gov (4), Literature (4, without the class)
Senior Year Course Load: 6 APs, and an online Multivariable Calculus class through Stanford
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Eagle Scout
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Debate Team (Captain), Door-to-door sales, Auto-repairs, Toastmasters, TedX program and speech, Varsity Track and Cross County, High School Investor Challenge (TCU)
Job/Work Experience: Law Firm Internship, Contracting and Home Repair Summer Job
Volunteer/Community Service: Only through Eagle Scout award
Essays: Very good and in depth interview about how I want to be a millionaire one day and why.
Teacher Recommendations: 2. Both I had done several extensive extracurricular projects with regarding their subject, in addition to becoming very close to both.
Counselor Rec: My counselor and I were tight.
Interview: Had an interview through Skype, went well. My interviewer said I was the best fit for Tufts she had interviewed.

Other:
State (if domestic applicant): TX
School Type: Private College Prep
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male

Reflection: Looking back I am really glad I put the time to express my interest in Tufts, by visiting, interviewing, and several conversations with admissions. I was also extremely honest in all parts of my application, and presented a true version of myself. I think I really am a good fit, and I am thrilled that I will attend.
Strengths: Test Scores, Junior and Senior grades and course load, Eagle Scout, Genuine Essays, Demonstrated interest, unique EQs, and Extracurricular contests with teachers.
Weaknesses: My Freshman and Sophomore year grades were abysmal, I even had a few Cs on my report card.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Legitimate interest and fit
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Be yourself entirely in your application. It may seem like a good idea to fake who you are, but it isn’t worth it. All I put on my Application was things I was legitimately interested in, which I think benefited me. I applied as a real reach, but I am glad I did.

4

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:

  • [] SAT I (breakdown): 2100 (CR: 770 M: 610 W:720)
    [    ] ACT (breakdown): N/A
    [] SAT II: Lit (700), French w/ Listening (670)
    [    ] Unweighted GPA: 3.78
    [] Weighted GPA: 4.92
    [    ] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
    [] AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (4), APUSH (5)
    [    ] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
    [] Senior Year Course Load: AICE Global Perspectives, Newspaper, AP Art History, AP Gov, AP Lit, APES
    [    ] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective:

  • [] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Newspaper (Managing Editor), Class Officers (VP), Model U.N. (Co-Founder and Co-President), City Teen Advisory Board Member
    [    ] Job/Work Experience: Senate Page for one week…that’s it
    [] Volunteer/Community service: Odd things here and there, currently a volunteer usher
    [    ] Summer Activities: Odd things here and there like volunteering or little leadership summits
    [] Essays: Why Tufts: 8.5-9/10; Out of all the college supplements I’ve written, this was the most “me”. I wrote about how the Dean of Admissions has “Puppy Whisperer” in his bio online. Let your life speak: 8/10; Wrote about my mother and feminism. It’s cool to be smart: 9/10; Wrote about the bees, lol
    [    ] Teacher Recommendation: I never read it
    [] Counselor Rec: 9/10
    [    ] Additional Rec: 6.5-7/10
    [] Interview: N/A
    [    ] Supplementary Material (portfolio, etc.): N/A

Other

  • [] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
    [    ] State (if domestic applicant): FL
    [] Country (if international applicant):
    [    ] School Type: Charter
    [] Ethnicity: Black
    [    ] Gender: Female

Reflection

  • [] Strengths: My supplements and my interest (visited, attended Voices)?
    [    ] Weaknesses: I think I’m a pretty average applicant. I’m pretty good at everything, but nothing really stands out in terms of ECs or rigor or scores. I think my writing really gave me a boost.
    [] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: See strengths (but really, who knows?)
    [    ] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted: FIU, UM, UCF, UF, American, Barnard, Bryn Mawr, and Wellesley, and Georgetown.

**General Comments: ** Congrats to the admitted Tufts Class of 2020 and best of luck to other high school seniors and future college applicants!

5

[color=green]Decision: Accepted[/color=green]

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Did not send
ACT (breakdown): 33 C (34 W, 33 S, 35 R, 34 M, 8 Essay)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Did not send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/239
AP (place score in parentheses): English Language (5) Calculus AB (5) World History (4) Chemistry (3)
IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Psychology (took over the summer) Dual Government, AP Calculus BC, AP Biology, AP English Lit, Physics, AP French
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):

Voted Secretary of Senior Class
French Club (president) - (Grades 8-12)
Prevention Club (secretary) - (Grades 10-12) ( Most active extracurricular activity; work alongside local chartered Prevention Council)
Green Club - (Grades 11-12)
Key Club- (Grades 10-12)
Concert/Symphonic Band (6-10)
Debate Team (8-9)
Beta Club (only available to 12th graders)
Pep Club (10)

Job/Work Experience: None

Volunteer/Community Service:

Volunteered 115+ hours at local VA Hospital
Volunteered at local library 8-9th grade
Do the majority of volunteer work through school clubs (Key Club, Beta Club,etc.)

Summer Activities: Took an online class, worked with Prevention Council to develop a Community Summit

Essays:

Common App Main: My common app essay is about moving to America
Tufts essays: Discussed why I loved Tufts’ spirit of adventure, growing up as an immigrant, and why I love neuroscience as a subject (related it to my childhood)

Teacher Recommendations:

I had one recommendation from my English Lang teacher that I think was pretty good. He writes very formally and I think he is the best writer out of all of my recs. (9/10) I had the other from my chem teacher. I know my chemistry teacher on a personal level so I think her rec will be pretty good too. (8/10)

Counselor Rec: I’ve had my counselor write me a rec before for another thing and it was good but not anything exceptional. (7/10)

Additional Rec: I also had a rec from the head of the Prevention Council who I know personally. I think her rec was good and gave insight about me outside of the classroom (9/10)

Interview: I requested an interview but never got one

Other:
State (if domestic applicant): VA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Small, rural (<1000 total students)
Ethnicity: Black (Ethiopian)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: ~100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, First generation immigrant, Female going into STEM

Reflection:

Strengths: To be honest, I really didn’t expect to be this successful in my college app process. Of course I had good stats, but I think the most important thing was my essays? I really can’t tell you for a fact what set me apart, but I’m excited nonetheless!

Weaknesses: Definitely my ECs and even some of my stats. I mean they were good but I don’t think they were exceptional. I really do think that Duke looks at the bigger picture when it comes to your application!

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I couldn’t tell you if I tried. Only the admissions officers know. Sorry, I know that’s not very helpful, but hopefully the other information I’ve provided can help you discern anything else.

Where else you are applying or have already applied:

Admitted: UVa, UNC-Chapel Hill, College of William & Mary, Johns Hopkins, Duke, Cornell, Brown, Columbia
Waitlisted: Lehigh
Rejected: Harvard, Dartmouth

General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
I was really happy with my application to Tufts! Unfortunately, I will most likely not be going to Tufts. Congrats to all of those who made it in as well, and to those who were rejected or waitlisted, I know you’ll be amazing wherever you go!

6

hey guys @allthingstesla @ellesea @TuftestOG @gonewiththeair
where do you guys get the “temporary pin” from? i can’t seem to log onto the portal because i wasnt given the pin
thanks!

7

[color=green]Decision: Accepted[/color=green]

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Reading: 720; Math: 720; Writing: 700
ACT (breakdown): 35 C (E 35, M 33, R 36, S 36, Essay: 10)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Literature (760), Math 2 (770), Math 1 (740)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): UW 3.875, W 4.6250
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Probably like 20/802
AP (place score in parentheses): Calc BC (5), Comp Gov (5), English Lang (5), French Lang (4), US Gov (5), World History (5), English Lit, Stat, Macro, Micro
IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: Honors Debate, Physics Honors, French Lit, Auditioned Women’s Choir, AP Lit, AP Stat, AP Macro, AP Micro
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Top 100 out of 8000 in nation in International Extemporaneous Speaking, National Merit Commended Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, Finalist in CO Voices Contest for Denver Post, Top 5 in Girls’ State, etc.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): International Extemporaneous Speaking (Captain), Auditioned all women’s choir (Spirit Officer), NHS (Inside Tutoring Chair), Intern for State Senator, Receptionist at hair salon, member of Inspire COLORADO, Intern in congressional campaign, FHS, regional choral organization (rehearsal assistant), CO Girls’ State
Job/Work Experience: Receptionist at hair salon, Intern for State Senator, Intern in congressional campaign
Volunteer/Community Service: see extracurriculars
Summer Activities: see extracurriculars
Essays: Common App: talked about how my love for zombies translated into my love for current events, as the popularity of zombies comes from an increased awareness and fear of global issues
Why Tufts?: pretty standard, discussed Tufts’ encouragement of students to pursue everything that interests them, rather than follow social conventions, also mentioned classes I thought sounded really cool
Let your life speak: talked about the Filipino standard of the “Maria Clara” contrasted with my mom’s fearlessness and authenticity
It’s cool to be smart: focused on my love for literature, particularly how Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar had a big influence in my life; ultimately stated that I love literature because it allows us to grow more connected and aware of the collective unconscious
Teacher Recommendations: English Lang teacher is known for writing really good letters of rec, and we get along really well, so I’d guess 9/10; AP Comp & US Gov teacher also really likes me, so probably 9/10.
Counselor Rec: I go to a school of 3600 students, so it’s hard to get to know our counselors very well, but I made sure to establish a connection with mine, so she probably wrote me a pretty good letter of rec as well; 8/10.
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: Amazing! We talked for three hours, and we could’ve continued, but I had another appointment; hugged several times at the end, then kept in contact by email for a week or so. When I got into Tufts, she immediately friended me on Facebook and emailed me to meet for coffee again.

Other:
State (if domestic applicant): CO
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: big public school (around 3600 kids)
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 150,000-170,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first gen immigrant

Reflection: Incredibly happy, I started crying when I got my letter. Also very surprised because I didn’t expect to get in.
Strengths: ACT, strong extracurriculars, strong writing, great interview
Weaknesses: GPA (4 Bs, a C+ in Calc BC, but I explained in the Common App’s Additional Information I had a couple extenuating circumstances that prevented me from being my very best academically); I also go to a really competitive, big school, so a lot of people applied to Tufts
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: All of my essays established I’m a good fit for Tufts, and I had an amazing interview. Other than that, I honestly thought I’d get waitlisted or rejected.
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
Accepted: Colgate, Fordham, William & Mary, CU Boulder, University of Michigan, Wellesley, now Tufts!!
Waitlisted: Amherst, Vanderbilt, Georgetown
Denied: Dartmouth, Middlebury, USC
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
So incredibly excited about Tufts!! It was the last college I heard from, and I definitely did not expect an acceptance. Something I noticed about the college admissions process is that colleges can definitely tell if you’re passionate about going there or not; the schools I got denied from were the schools that I spent the least amount of time on essays, etc. To future applicants: academics are above all the most important thing of your application, so make sure to take challenging classes, but also not to overwhelm your schedule and screw yourself over (AKA don’t take Calc BC haha) . Ultimately, everything works out for the best, and we’re all going to go to amazing places. Yay Class of [2020]!!

8

Class of 2020 u mean :))

9

@MayiqueCynthia I had gotten an Email setting up my portal months ago, and I just logged in there, I’m not sure I got a pin.

10

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I: 2360, 760 M/ 800 CR/ 800 W
[] ACT: N/A
[] SAT II: 770 US History, 790 Bio E
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 UW, 5.1 W
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): Bio (5), US History (5), Lit (5), Euro (5), Chem (4)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Art History, AP BC Calc, H Physics, H Spanish 4, H English Seminar
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Semi-Finalist
Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars: NFTY Regional Religious and Cultural Vice President (youth group leadership), School Support for African Vitality and Education Club Vice President, Various lead roles in school theater group, founder of school theater group marketing team (2 Cappies), National Honor Society, 2 years JV Track, Semester study abroad program in Israel, special needs teaching fellowship, Spanish exchange program
[] Job/Work Experience: not on my application (recent development), but I work at a local newsstand
[] Volunteer/Community service: 5 years as a religious school aide for special needs kids
[] Essays: My common app was about my relationship with my brother. He has Asperger’s, and we have had a complex relationship. I know that sounds hackneyed, but I used the failure prompt in a creative way and my college counselor loved it. I think it was my best work, especially because it was so intimate and personal. Also, my Tufts essays were my best ones (in my opinion). I wrote about how Judaism is essentially my family business, and I wrote about how reading plays makes me happy. To future applicants, try as hard as possible to pour your soul out to the admissions officers. Don’t be afraid to take a risk and be really personal.
[] Teacher Recommendations: My AP Chem and AP Lit teachers- I don’t know how good they are. They both are very hard to read, but I did very well in both of their classes, and my college counselor assured me that they are solid recs.
[] Counselor Rec: I think he likes me a lot so I hope it was good!
[] Additional Rec: N/A
[] Interview:[/ul] It was with a current Tufts student! I thought it went really well and we had a lot to talk about.
Other

[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): PA
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Medium-Large (350 in grade)
[] Ethnicity: White, Jewish
[] Gender: F
[] Income Bracket: upper middle class (150-200 K)
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul] none :frowning:
Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: Scores, GPA, Essay, Semester abroad

[] Weaknesses: Few Awards/ Competitions
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: see above
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul]
Accepted: Connecticut College, U of Rochester, Wesleyan, Tufts
Waitlisted: WUSTL, Vanderbilt, Emory, Princeton
Rejected: Yale (deferred then rejected)
General Comments: SO Excited!! Congrats to everyone who was accepted! Go 'Bos! In hindsight, seeing how many schools waitlisted me, I would have applied to maybe 3 more schools. 12 seems like a good number. But no regrets :slight_smile:

11

I meant the high school graduation year, haha. But Tufts Class of 2020 yay!

12

[color=green]Decision: Accepted[/color=green]

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A

ACT (breakdown): 31 (E36 M31 R32 S26 Essay 32)

SAT II (place score in parentheses): N/A

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95

Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 27/407

AP (place score in parentheses): Human Geography (5), US History (4), English Comp (4), French (3)

IB (place score in parentheses): N/A

Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc, AP Psychology, AP Comp Gov/AP American Gov, Modern Literature, Physics, Newspaper

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): JV/Varsity soccer 2 years, varsity lacrosse two years, varsity track two years, varsity XC one year, high ranking club soccer team 4 years, school Outdoors Club captain, school environmental club VP, other random stuff

Job/Work Experience: Assistant teacher at an art school in the summers

Volunteer/Community Service: 400+ hours with an outdoors preservation nonprofit

Summer Activities: Working and volunteering (see above)

Essays: I think the essays I wrote for Tufts were my best! Common app-- talked about how I’ve overcome my fear of taking on life alone. Why Tufts?-- how I appreciate the importance Tufts places on kindness. Let your life speak-- told a story about being close to nature my whole life. What makes you happy?-- talked about the hiking trail maintenance I do in the summers.

Teacher Recommendations: I have no idea! Both awesome teachers but neither of them know me that well… 7/10?

Counselor Rec: My counselor was new this year and my school is pretty large, but I tried to form a connection. 7/10?

Additional Rec: 10/10! My art teacher wrote this for my and when I read it I literally burst into tears.

Interview: 10/10! I feel like this probably made such a difference. My interviewer had graduated recently and we instantly clicked.

Other:
State (if domestic applicant): WA

School Type: Fairly large public

Ethnicity: White

Gender: Female

Income Bracket: <120k

Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Parents are immigrants?

Reflection:
Strengths: Essays, interview, commitment to outdoors?

Weaknesses: Test scores, ECs don’t stand out, I got a B in 2 semesters of math

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: My dazzling personality, perhaps? In all seriousness I think I am a great fit for Tufts, and that came through in my application. Though my stats/ECs are average, my essays were good and my interview was amazing. I think that maybe being from the NW helped as well?

Where else you are applying or have already applied: Accepted to University of Washington, Whitman, Pitzer, University of Denver. Waitlisted at Middlebury, Claremont McKenna, WashU. Rejected from Brown, Pomona, Colorado College (after EA deferral), Bowdoin (after ED1 deferral).

General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: So surprised! I was rejected/waitlisted at so many schools at the same level as Tufts that I thought there was no way I was getting in. I think that this just shows that all of us are so qualified but the process can be so random. Everything will work out in the end! I plan on being a part of the Class of 2020 if I get enough financial aid. Go Jumbos!

13

[color=green]Decision:Accepted[/color=green]

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 620 CR/ 740 Maths/690 Writing:
ACT (breakdown):N/A
SAT II (Bio; 800/ chem 790/ Maths level2 740):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 8 A*s O level
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): among top !%
Senior Year Course Load: 4 A levels
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Many great ECs

Strengths: ECs
Weaknesses: SAT scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: No idea. Luck. I had poor SAT 1. Need huge aid. International and south Asian
Where else you are applying or have already applied: NYU Shanghai, CUHK ( 140% scholarship), HKUST, HKU, Kaist ( 160% scholarship), Bilkent( full scholarship), Wait-listed at Middlebury, BAtes, F&M ,Columbia and Barnard.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: SOuth Asian International with huge aid.

14

**Decision: Rejected **

Objective:[ul]

[]SAT I and/or ACT (breakdown): 2260 (800 CR, 760 M, 700 W)
[]SAT II (place score in parentheses): 2400 (chem, math 2, bio e)
[]Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): NA
[]Rank/Percentile: NA
[]AP (place score in parentheses): NA
[]IB (place score in parentheses): NA
[]Senior Year Course Load: NA
[]Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NA

[/ul]Subjective:[ul]

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
[]Job/Work Experience: Summer internship with doctor )
[]Volunteer/Community Service: hundreds of hours (hospital volunteer + rotary)
[]Summer Activities: 150+ hours shadowing a doc (he even gave me a rec which I used for CA)
[]Essays: CA was pretty good 8.5/10. Supplements were really good 9/10. Wrote about how Newtons first law of motion applies to our life. Sincere, genuine stuff. The other supplements were a bit generic but well written nonetheless
[]Teacher Recommendations: average to good prolly 7/10, 8/10
[]Counselor Rec: didn’t know her, so probably very generic
[li]Interview: NA[/li]
[/ul]Other:[ul]
[]Applied for Financial Aid? Nope
[]Projected Concentration: Bio Engineering
[]State/Country: International, but US citizen
[]School Type: Private
[]Ethnicity: B
[]Gender: M
[]Income Bracket: NA
[]Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

[/ul]Reflection:[list]
[]Strengths: Def SAT scores, transcripts and ECs
[]Weaknesses: My mid terms were really bad (2Cs) and my ECs were not that unique compared to some other applicants. (plus no sports)
[]Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Average SAT 1, luck
[]Where else you are applying or have already applied: Some ivies and random colleges.
Already got into Tulane 32k/y merit, UCSD, UCLA, Case Western 31k/yr merit, Cal, UNC Chapel Hill
Rejected: Johns Hopkins, Grinnell, Northwestern, Brown, Yale, Cornell, UPenn
[*]Advice: College admissions are a crapshoot. Good luck to everyone else!

15

[color=green]Decision: Accepted[/color=green]

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): superscored my ACT. I don’t remember what I got though…
SAT II (place score in parentheses):
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.73
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parentheses): psych, chem, lang, Calc ab, physics 1, literature, government, Spanish
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: lit, Spanish, physics, calculus, government, economics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): cello and nonprofit work
Job/Work Experience: teacher, research intern
Volunteer/Community Service: nonprofit work
Summer Activities: research internship, cello, nonprofit work, summer college at UCLA and UChicago
Essays: 10/10.
Teacher Recommendations: 10/10
Counselor Rec: 10/10
Additional: 10/10
Interview: 10/10

Other:
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: not sure
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection: I WAS SO SHOCKED, and I still am. Like I started crying and shaking when I read the first sentence (lol). Tufts was a reach for me so I put a ton of effort into my essays and demonstrating interest. (I didn’t visit though. Only went to receptions and talked to my friends at Tufts.)
Strengths: essays, interview, recommendation
Weaknesses: grades/ test scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I showed a strong interest in Tufts.
Where else you are applying or have already applied:
Accepted- Babson, NEU, UCSB, UCR, UCSC, UCI, Case Western
Waitlist- UCD, Boston College, Smith College
Denied- UCLA, UC Berkeley, WUSTL, Michigan, NYU, USC, Cal Poly SLO, UCSD
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: If you love Tufts, put a lot of work into the supplements and everything will be okay. Good luck to future applicants :slight_smile: I felt like this admissions process was super random for me this year…so another thing to have is HOPE (be realistic though).

16

[color=orange]Decision: Waitlisted[/color=orange]

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2250 (780M, 770CR, 700W)
ACT (breakdown): 34 (35E, 34M, 32R, 35S)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 730 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): European History (5), BC Calc (5), Computer Science A (5), Physics I (5)
Senior Year Course Load: Calc 3/Linear Algebra (university), AP Physics C, AP Chemistry, Advanced Compsci (AB), Portfolio Studio Art, English electives
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): School service grant, AP Scholar with Honor

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Attended two conferences on climate change, math competitions (ranked in state Math League), ACSL, Varsity 2 Tennis (captain), Varsity ultimate frisbee
Job/Work Experience: 1 summer internship at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1 year (ongoing) independent research with the National Center for Atmospheric Research
Volunteer/Community service: 20 hours at an optical clinic
Summer Activities: 2 summers Stanford EPGY in Physics and Engineering, internships (above)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): EC 9/10, wrote about one of the conferences I went to, Area of Study 8/10, explained most of it in the engineering-specific essays, Why Brown 9/10, wrote about how my friends call me a hipster despite my protests, Where Lived 8/10, wrote about spending lots of time at my best childhood friend’s house, Communities 9/10, wrote about how my small group of friends has grown throughout high school.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Math Teacher 10/10, have had her for two years
Teacher Rec #2: English Teacher 8/10, she liked me more than most of the boys she’s taught…
Counselor Rec:10/10, she knows me very well and included excerpts from a recommendation written by my research supervisor
Interview: Pretty good, lasted almost an hour.

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): CO
School Type: Small private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 150,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Research

Reflection:

Strengths: GPA, essays, research, interest in school
Weaknesses: Volume of extracurriculars (esp. clubs)
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have the stats for Tufts (I think), but I never really showed much interest. Also, engineering is tough to get into.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Brown, Harvey Mudd (merit scholarship), Carleton, UCSD, UW (Honors, Purple and Gold Scholar), Case Western, CU Boulder (Engineering Honors). Waitlist: UC Berkeley, Tufts, Dartmouth. Rejected: Stanford.
Comments:
Not very bummed by this because Brown 2020! Best of luck to everyone. Remember, college admissions makes absolutely no sense.

17

[color=green]Decision: Accepted[/color=green]

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2320 (800 CR, 770 Math, 750 Writing)
ACT (breakdown): n/a
SAT II (place score in parentheses): US History (760), Chemistry (740), Biology (730), Math II (690)
GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7 unweighted, 4.25 weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a, school does not rank
AP (place score in parentheses): APUSH (5), AP English Lit (5), AP Biology (4), AP Chemistry (4)
IB (place score in parentheses): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AB Calc, AP Stat, History/English Elective Topics, H. Physics, Independent Study in Music are the main ones
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Spanish Exam Medalist, National Merit Commended

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): MUN (3 years, leadership 1 year), Political Discussion Club (co-founder, 1 year), School Newspaper (2 years, editor 1 year), Squash (4 years, no leadership), Swimming (3 years), Cross Country (1 year, Regional Qualifier),
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community Service: Tutoring Middle School Students (2 years), Coaching Squash for an Inner-city program (2 years), Relay for Life (3 years)
Summer Activities: One summer at WUSTL for a program they offered
Essays: “Why Tufts” 8/10, “Let Your Life Speak” 10/10, “Supplement F: Role of Sports in Your Life” 9/10
Teacher Recommendations: APChem and APUSH teachers, both of which are known for writing fantastic recommendations and both of whom I had a great relationship with because I was engaged/successful in their classes and enjoyed talking to them outside of class as well. 9/10
Counselor Rec: 10/10, I’ve also had my counselor as a teacher and I have a great relationship with him as well.
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: Yes. Went really well in my opinion she is in the field I am interested in.

Other:
State (if domestic applicant): OH
Country (if international applicant): n/a
School Type: Small private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Upper-Middle
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Sibling currently attending.

Reflection:
Strengths: Testing Scores, rigorous course load, great school with a good reputation, good essays, good recommendations
Weaknesses: GPA (strong but unweighted is pretty low for Tufts I think), Work/Volunteer experience, Leadership roles?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: n/a
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Rejected from JHU and UMichigan, Waitlisted at Emory and WUSTL, Accepted to Miami (of Ohio), OSU, Colgate, and GWU
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: not off the top of my head.

18

Better late than never, I suppose.

[color=red]Decision: Rejected[/color=red]

Accepted: UMass Amherst, UMass Dartmouth, UMass Boston w/Chancellor’s Scholarship, WPI, Boston University, **Boston College/b, Holy Cross, MCPHS

Waitlisted: Northeastern, and I still have no idea why.

Rejected: Harvard, Tufts, Amherst College, and the one that stung the most…Brown.

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2080 (CR: 580 M: 700, W: 800)
ACT (breakdown): 31C (36E, 33M, 28R, 27S, 35W)
SAT II: Math I: 630, Biology M: 680
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.776; W: 4.012
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10%; 3/65
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language (5), Biology (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
-AP Chemistry
-AP Calculus AB
-AP Spanish Language
-AP Psychology
-AP English Lit
-Ancient History
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A. Awards were mainly local/regional.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-Hymns lead teacher
-Main facilitator of NHS tutoring at school
-Hospital volunteer, nurse assistant
-Member of GreenSchools society; local cleanups, raising environmental awareness through speeches, and other things

Job/Work Experience: Own my own online store on eBay, with excellent customer satisfaction.
Volunteer/Community service: Avid volunteer at my local hospital, wrote my main commonapp essay on an experience that touched me, as well as an earlier medical experience.
Summer Activities: Hardcore SAT prep + volunteering. Not to mention AP summer work! (fun…)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9/10, thought it was really well-written and from the heart.
Tufts Supplements: Okay, maybe 7/10. Showed great interest in the school, took the essays seriously.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9/10, teacher I had for 3 years straight, knows my work ethic really well. Didn’t see the letter though.
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10, AP Lang teacher knows I am a hard-worker, as I got a 5 on the exam.
Counselor Rec: 10/10, We’re like best friends. Since I go to a really small school, the counselor knows everyone personally, so a recommendation from her was bound to be great.
Additional Rec: Nope
Interview: I think it went well. It was a bit awkward since the questions were sort of probing and strange. My interviewer really liked me though, and I felt like she was appreciative of my effort and polite demeanor that I presented during the interview. Doubt this made a difference in anything.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes (I heard they are also need-aware, so my income might have factored into the admission decision)
Intended Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Pre-Med
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Charter
Ethnicity: White, Middle Eastern (Egyptian)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <$70,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nope

Reflection

Strengths: Definitely my essays, GPA, and recommendations. Very strong courseload
Weaknesses: Standardized test scores… Tried a lot to study for them, would have liked higher scores, but oh well. Too low for Tufts. ECs were a bit lacking as well.

Final Comments: I was pretty bummed by this one, but not completely surprised simply because of the absurdly low 14% acceptance rate. The rejection letter was blunt and unapologetic. Our salutatorian was also rejected with a 34 ACT, so saying that Tufts is hard to get into is a bit of an understatement. You have to be extremely intelligent and hardworking to get in, it is so difficult. Congratulations to all who got in!

19

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

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Never took

ACT (breakdown): 33 (3rd exam), 34 (superscore)

SAT II (place score in parentheses): Chemistry (700), US History (760), Math 1 (670)

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): ~4.0

Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 17 out of just under 800 (top 2%)

AP (place score in parentheses): World History (4), AP English Lang (4), AP Biology (4), AP US History (5), AP Human Geography (5), AP US Gov (5), AP Macro (5), AP English Lit (5), AP Calc AB (4), AP Physics C (2)

Senior Year Course Load: AP US Gov, AP Macro, AP Eng Lit, AP Calc AB, AP Physics C

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

-AP Scholar w/ Distinction
-Nat’l Honor Society

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):

-Junior State of America (4 year member, 2 year board member)
-President of local BBYO chapter
-Worked on city Youth Court
-3 years on JV Tennis (1 yr manager)
-Math Honor Society
-English Honor Society

Job/Work Experience:

-2 internships relevant to my intended major
-Tutored for a private local firm
-Camp counselor for 2 years

Volunteer/Community Service:
-Did food runs for local organization for several years

Essays:
My essays generally were clever and funny. Don’t remember all of the Tufts prompts but I made sure to spice up every essay while at the same time making them personal and truly “me.” I believe that this is hugely important.

Teacher Recommendations:
Counselor Rec: Probably solid, she liked me
Additional Rec: Excellent - both teachers known for writing beautiful recs

Interview:
No interview but reached out to a few Tufts alums to learn more about the school

Other:
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: >100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection:
Strengths: Essays, grades were on par, internships

Weaknesses: Subject tests were eh

Other schools I applied to:

Accepted: Tufts, UMich Honors (attending after initial deferral), Washington University in STL, Binghamton University, University of Virginia, U of Rochester (w/ scholarship), Tulane (w/ scholarship), Emory University, UMaryland Honors

Waitlisted: Cornell, Northwestern, Lehigh

Rejected: Dartmouth, Vanderbilt