Decision: Waitlisted (Received Alumni Scholarship Email)
Merit scholarships awarded (if any): None
Major (and division if applicable) applied to: Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics.
Academic stats:
UC Unweighted GPA: 3.8 (When I applied)
UC Capped Weighted GPA: IDK
UC Fully Weighted GPA: 4.39 (When I applied)
Eligibility in Local Context?: IDK
ELC eligibility (Local or State): No
Comments about course load (including senior year): I was involved in the IB Diploma Program my Junior and Senior year, and in all honesty, I believe this helped a lot. I did not get all As , in fact I had low and high Bs my junior year, but you should not get caught up on the letter grade if anything. I will post my course load throughout my highschool career now, and I think it was not as intense as other applicants, but it was a grind nonetheless.
Freshman Year (All As and A-): Band, Biology, Health (Semester 1 only), Modern World History, Honors Algebra 2, Honors English 1, P.E. (Semester 2 only) and Spanish 1.
Sophomore Year (All As and A-): Honors English 2, AP US History, Honors Precalc, IB Spanish AB Initio Yr. 1, Chemistry, Physics, Lifting (Semester 1 only), Sociology (Semester 2 only)
Sophomore Year Summer: Took Sociology at Columbus State for College Credit.
Junior Year (All As and 2 Bs): IB HOTA Yr. 1, IB English Yr. 1, IB Spanish AB Initio Yr. 2, Human Physiology and Anatomy, IB Math HL Yr. 1, IB Biology Yr. 1, IB Psych, TOK (Theory of Knowledge) Yr. 1.
Junior Year Summer: Took Chem 1210 at The Ohio State University for College Credit.
Senior Year (Mix of As and Bs because of senioritis ): IB HOTA Yr. 2, IB English Yr. 2, IB Spanish SL Yr. 1, IB Math HL Yr. 2, IB Biology Yr. 2, AP Econ (Macro and Micro), TOK (Theory of Knowledge) Yr. 2.
SAT (total and sections): 1420 (690 Reading, 730 Math)
ACT (total and sections): 35 (36 Science, 35 English, 34 Math, 33 Reading)
SAT Subject Tests (if any): 780 in Math 2, 760 in Bio.
AP exams (scores in parentheses): AP US History (4), AP Calc BC (3)
IB exams (score in parentheses): IB Psych (5)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Honor Roll (lmao)
Subjective:
For the following, indicate level of recognition or award (e.g. local, state, national, international) and/or leadership roles: Honor Roll (Local), Borlaug Scholar (State), State Delegate to the Global Youth Institute in Iowa (National/State)
Extracurriculars: Marching and Concert Band my Freshman Year, Football and Track and Field my Sophomore Year, Volunteered at COSI (my local science museum) for over 80 hours my Junior Year, and Senior Year I volunteered weekly at my local Food Pantry. I put in over 750 Hours at my local temple throughout my high school career, in which we learned about our culture, landscaped, volunteered, prepared cultural activities and performances, etc.
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: Lots. Over 80 Hours at COSI, easily over 100 at my local Food Pantry, and about 15 in NHS (Persoanlly, I think NHS is a club that everybody is part of it, which is why I did not put as much time as I should have.)
Summer Activities: Took classes at both Columbus State and Ohio State. I did have football practice over my Sophomore Year summer as well.
Personal insight essay topics:
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“Every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. Describe how you express your creative side.” - I talked about how I like building Legos, and that it is my escape and a great way to let my creativity run loose.
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“Describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced.” - Talked about how I took advantage of my Bio Teacher offering to submit an essay we wrote for a competition held by The World Food Prize.
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“Describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. How has this challenge affected your academic achievement?” - Talked about living without my father for most of my life since he started med school late, and how before he left to study I lived with my relatives since my parents were college students who could not financially take care of me at the time.
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“Think about an academic subject that inspires you. Describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom.” - Talked about how me going through puberty furthered my interest in Bio and prompted me to volunteer at my local science museum.
Letters of recommendation submitted: 3 (I have really good relationships with all my teachers. They are all amazing, and I can say that over the past four years some of them have become great friends with me. I submitted my Freshman History teacher and Freshman Bio teacher’s letters of rec since both of them taught me throughout my high school career. I also submitted my counselor’s letter of rec).
Demographics
State (if domestic applicant): Ohio
Country (if international applicant): United State of America
High school type: Public
Gender: Male
Race/ethnicity: Indian
Applied for need-based financial aid?: Yes
Pell grant eligible?: IDK
Maximum Pell grant (FAFSA EFC = $0)?: IDK
Highest level of parent education: Graduate
Living with both, one, or no parents?: Both
Relation to alumni of college: None
Reflection
Strengths: I was academically strong, I did a lot of volunteer work at places that I liked to be at, had the IB Diplomma, and had good test scores.
Weaknesses: I was to spread out in extra curricular. I should have kept on playing sports, and done more outside of school such as research or starting a business (both of which I was interested in but never carried out). If anything, do what you love, and keep doing it. Do not spread yourself out and be “well rounded”. Be focused on a few things that you enjoy.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at OSU, University of Cinanatti, UC Davis, UCSD, UCR, and UCI. Rejected from Stanford, Berkeley, Cornell, Dartmouth, and Brown. Waitlisted at UCLA
General Comments: I was really sad about this, especially since I kept on receiving emails from UCLA and received an email about the Alumni Scholarships. UCLA is my first choice, so I hope the wait list works out. I hope everybody who is on the wait list and wants to go to UCLA gets off