UVA EA Results/Decision Thread Class of 2022

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Virginia
21

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1550 (770 Math, 780 CRW)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36E, 35M, 34R, 33S)
SAT II: 750 Lit, 750 Math 2, 800 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Not reported by my HS
AP (place score in parenthesis): European History (4), US History (5), Calc AB (5), Biology (5), Language and Composition (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP French, AP Environmental Science, AP Comparative Government and Politics, AP Literature, AP Stat, AP Macroeconomics, Honors Physics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Council (Vice President), My Synagogue’s Youth Group (President), Reading Olympics (President), World Affairs Club including Model UN and Model Congress (Treasurer), National Honor Society, French Honor Society, Chinese Honor Society, and an Explorers program where I help train kids who want to go into the emergency medical field (Deputy Chief)
Job/Work Experience: Part-time in retail
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered at my local food pantry (from 9th-11th grade)
Summer Activities: Took EMT class two summers ago, worked last summer
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App- 8/10, UVA Supplements- 9/10 (some of my best)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: AP US History Teacher- 9/10
Teacher Rec #2: AP Biology- probably 7/8
Counselor Rec: Idk I only met him once

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Politics – Foreign Affairs
State (if domestic applicant): PA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, legacy etc.): None

Reflection

Strengths: Testing scores, a lot of ECs
Weaknesses: Not much community service or many awards
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Solid essays and test scores
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at Pitt Honors, Deferred at Princeton. More to come

22

Decision: ACCEPTED
School: Arts and Sciences
ACT: 30 C (E: 32, M:28, R:35, S: 26), 31 Superscore (E:34, M:28, R:35, S:26)
SAT I: N/A
SAT II: 710 Bio 710 US
GPA: 4.32 W 3.81 UW (Top 10% of Class)
AP’s:
Sophomore: AP World, AP Chem, AP Bio
Junior: AP Psych, AP Econ, AP USH, AP Calc AB, AP Lang
Senior: AP Gov, AP Human Geo, AP Lit, AP Stats, AP Calc BC
EC’s/Awards:

  • Debate President & Former Secretary (Ranked 3rd Best PF debater in state, Winning Record at NCFL Nationals, Placed at Competitive Tri-State Nationals-Qualifying Tournament, Championed Conference Tournament, Placed numerous times on local circuit, Varsity Letter, NSDA member with distinction)
    -Political Fellow/Intern for Democrats (Base volunteers at three staging locations and send them canvassing, canvass myself, make phone calls, train volunteers, enter voter data into database)
  • Academic/Quizbowl Team (Varsity member for three years, top 20 and top 30 finishes at regional tournaments, 3rd place preliminary standing in conference)
  • Staff writer for international magazine for the international affairs section
  • Won Honorable Mention & Congressional Recognition for Cancer Research at Intel Regional Science Fair
  • Currently working on research with George Mason University on Ulcer Prevention Research
  • AP Scholar with Distinction
  • Member of National Honor Society
  • Previous Member of National Latin Honor Society
    Essays:
    Common App: 9/10; Really deep, personal, and unique
    A&S Essay: 9.5/10 Suuuuper unique & creative
    Quirk Essay: 8/10 Pretty funny
    Rec Predictions:
  1. US teacher 8/10
  2. Lang Teacher 7/10
    Hooks: None
    Income: Pretty High
    InState (NoVa)
23

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1470
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):APUSH 4, AP Env Science 2, AP GOV 3
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stat, AP Spanish, AP human geog, AP Eng Lit; 2 classes at local college
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Student

Other

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

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: EC’s weak compared to competition
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at Tulane (my #1) , Pitt, Temple, Elon, Loyola MD, Loyola NOLA, University of Tampa; waiting to hear from Emory

General Comments:

24

Decision: accepted!

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1540 (750 reading/ 790 math)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 690 lit, 710 math II, 790 us history
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/287
AP (place score in parenthesis): (seven 5s, one 4, one no test taken)
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load: ceramics, ap: lit, gov, bio, chem, stat
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): environmental club (founder/pres), art honor society (pres), school literary magazine (chief co-editor), nhs (secretary), girl scout, year-round swimmer, varsity XC
Job/Work Experience: summer lifeguard
Volunteer/Community service: museum, hospital garden
Summer Activities: see above
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
common app- 6 or 7(talked about my love of art driving my motivation to start and improve in new things)
favorite word- 4 (“garden,” honestly didn’t put any effort into it and had just edited a random note i wrote to myself months ago…)
arts & sciences- 5 (duchamp’s fountain turning my world sideways ; )

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 8 (head of nhs & ap lang, known as one of the tougher classes at my school, but i did well)
Teacher Rec #2: 7 (ap calc and now stat, did well in class)
Counselor Rec: 6 (talked to her for the first time this year)
Additional Rec: 8 (girl scout troop leader)
Interview: none

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: environmental science
State (if domestic applicant): va
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: small
Ethnicity: asian
Gender: female
Income Bracket: >150,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, legacy etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: class rank
Weaknesses: essays, ECs, no awards
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: in-state!
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: accepted to ODU & VCU

General Comments: i wish i’d tried harder in school, but at the same time i wish i’d devoted more time to my hobbies, even if they didn’t help with admissions. overall i wish i had started on the app earlier so that i would be prouder of my essays. i feel like i mostly got in bc of my in-state status, but i’ll happily accept all the luck i receive. i’m very grateful! good luck to everyone and remember that any college is a great step forward!

25

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1420 (710 in both all one test but super scored is the same)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: Bio M: 700 Math 2: 670 I also recently took Lit and received a 610. This was after the deadline but I probably won’t send as it isn’t very good.
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): We only do weighted and on a 100 point scale… But it is a 97.88
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 27/303 didn’t report although it is top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology(4) Microeconomics (4) This year: Chemistry, Calculus BC
IB (place score in parenthesis): IB History of the Americas HL IB English HL
Senior Year Course Load: Year two of IB Hota and IB English, AP Chem, Calc BC, Honors Anatomy, Dual Credit Forensic, Dance Major 4 (My school works on major system so this was a class I have had all four years)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None sadly :frowning:

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Competitive Dancer, Student Council (Business Manager 11, Rep at Large 12), Key Club (Webmaster 12), Mock trial ( Lead Witness), NHS, National Italian Honor Society, National English Society, National Science Honor Society, STS Peer Leader. As an underclassman, I participated in the musicals and cheerleading.
Job/Work Experience: Babysitting, tutoring, Carlos O’Conors Mexican Restaurant, Beach Eats snack Bar, The Parker House. Two are summer jobs and the first three are year round.
Volunteer/Community service: Through my many clubs and I am part of the charity Holiday Express
Summer Activities: Working!!
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I honestly think these were my strongest feature. It seems obvious this was my top school
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: English teacher whom I am very close with
Teacher Rec #2: Biology teacher I have had for two years and pertains to major.
Counselor Rec: New this year so that made me nervous. I’ve only talked to her once so I have no idea what she wrote.
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major: Chemistry ( But I already want to change to biology…)
State (if domestic applicant): New Jersey
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, legacy etc.): Nothing again :frowning:

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Pretty average ( which means below average from admissions officers perspectives) and I am horrible at test taking. This is evident for standardized tests and in my grades as well.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Denied from Duke, Deferred from Villanova, Accepted at UGA, South Carolina, and Rutgers. Waiting on UNC-Chapel Hill, Georgetown, Wake Forrest, and Lehigh.

26

Decision: Accepted!!

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1470 (770 CR, 700 M) - did not submit
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36 R, 35 E, 34 M, 35 S)
SAT II: did not take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.99
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): definitely top 5%, school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): currently taking AP Chem, AP English Lit, AP BC Calc, AP Stats; have taken AP Bio (5), AP French (4), AP Macro (5), APUSH (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP English Lit, AP BC Calc, AP Stats, French Literature, Religion, Dance
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): science olympiad (executive board), rowing (out on medical leave currently, but intense hours and major commitment), student leader for a school retreat (not well known but major time commitment and a huge deal at our school), Girls in STEM, National French Honor Society
Job/Work Experience: just babysitting, not a major thing
Volunteer/Community service: volunteer at top rehab hospital in the country, working directly with PTs
Summer Activities: volunteering as listed above, babysitting, a lot of training for rowing
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
common app (9)- unusual, think it’s quirky and reflected my character really well
supplement for arts&sciences (7)- talked about a piano piece I learned, not that groundbreaking but my writing was good
quirks supplement (6)- how my instinct to cry a lot helps me through life, not that exciting but again well written

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9, from english teacher who loved me and has lots of experience writing recs, really knew each other well
Teacher Rec #2: 7-8?, from bio teacher, did super well in her class but don’t know if she’s written many recs before
Counselor Rec: 8, I’ve spent a lot of time with him
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: n/a

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: econ, plan to apply into commerce
State (if domestic applicant): Illinois
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private/Religious
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, legacy etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: definitely my scores and gpa/academic history, I’ve been very consistent all 4 years and well rounded
Weaknesses: essays were my worst of all of my schools but hey they must not have been too bad
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: who knows! it’s all a crazy process but I’m certainly grateful
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: deferred from Princeton EA, accepted at McGill, waiting on Dartmouth, Columbia, Duke, Yale, Boston College, Georgetown, College of W&M, Fordham, and Vanderbilt RD

General Comments:

27

Decision: Accepted

ACT (breakdown): 34 (36E, 36R, 35S, 27S)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
AP (place score in parenthesis): Not offered, took 4 dual enrollment classes junior year
Senior Year Course Load: All honors, 3 dual enrollment

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 12 seasons of track/XC, qualified for nationals (MVP, captain), student council, Spanish tutor, NHS
Job/Work Experience: Worked at a local country club for 2 summers
Volunteer/Community service: Junior fire department for 5 years (captain)

Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9/10, personable common app essay and I think my supplements were very good
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 8/10

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): NY
School Type: Private Catholic
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Hooks (URM, first generation college, legacy etc.): Legacy

Reflection

Strengths: Essays, ACT
Weaknesses: GPA
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: ACT, essays, and legacy
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to Nova, Binghamton, Marist, and Fordham, haven’t heard back from ND, BC, Wake Forest, or W&M

28

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36 superscore)
SAT II: 760 math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 , weighted like 4.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): we dont technically rank but #1
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Spanish 4 AP Chem 4 AP Stat 4 AP Lang 4
IB (place score in parenthesis): not offered
Senior Year Course Load: ap Lit AP macro and micro econ AP calc AB AP Bio gov, physics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing major

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): basketball and baseball model un other clubs

Job/Work Experience: 20 hours at golf course
Volunteer/Community service: went to mexico twice to build houses, works at dog shelter, volunteer through habitat for humanity
Summer Activities: sports, church group activities
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7 i havent really had anything that interesting happen to me so essays were probably a little boring but id say im a good writer

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: chem and AP chem teacher: 7 had for two years and knew me well and I was really successful in her classes
Teacher Rec #2: ush teacher: 8 knew me well wrote about him in one of my essays
Counselor Rec: 5 probably not very good didnt know her too well
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: n/a

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: ya
Intended Major: undecided
State (if domestic applicant):CA
Country (if international applicant): n/a
School Type: Public medium sized
Ethnicity: white
Gender: male
Income Bracket: 200000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, legacy etc.): lol nope

Reflection

Strengths: gpa test scores
Weaknesses: recommendations maybe essays

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: not sure but probabaly ECs and gpa and being strong compared to others at my school
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: sdsu, /Rejected: stanford, probably usc because i didnt get that white box /deferred: michigan
Also applied to: All ivies but yale and columbia, Ucla, uc berkely, johns hopkins, stanford, umich, ucsb, sdsu, cal poly, uc davis, usc, duke, emory, tulane, gonzaga, northeastern, northwestern, unc, vanderbilt, washington university (ik its a lot lol)
General Comments: looking forward to touring uva and seeing if im gonna want to go there. Dont worry to people who didnt get in, you’ll for sure go somewhere great

29

Decision: Deffered

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1460 (740 CRW, 720 Math)
ACT (breakdown): 32
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.88 (weighted = 4.5)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): NA
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): French (6) - almost everyone’s IB scores are senior year
Senior Year Course Load: Asian History HL, Literature HL, Economics HL, Math SL, Environmental Systems and Societies SL, Theory of Knowledge II
Major Awards: Lelyveld Award for Social Justice, Merit List

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Regional Jewish Youth Group (Vice President), Student Council (Vice President), Student Group on Race Relations, Democratic Club (Communications Director), student newspaper (Managing Editor)
Job/Work Experience: Work at local ice cream shop for 1 year, local city council campaign (Communications Director)
Volunteer/Community service: US Rep. Marcia Fudge’s Youth Advisory Council, went to Seattle for summer 2017 to work with refugee children, over 250 community service hours, coordinated interfaith events, Food Bank
Summer Activities:Literally my job experience and volunteer service
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9/10 - omg that one for the college of arts and sciences was sooo good
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: IB Math teacher, had me for two years, I think she likes me a lot (7/10)
Teacher Rec #2: IB French teacher, she LOVES me, and she’s really good (10/10)
Counselor Rec: 10/10 I’ve gotten to know my counselor really well

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yep
Intended Major: Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): Ohio
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public, large
Ethnicity: White (Jewish)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: $200,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, legacy etc.): N/A

Reflection

Strengths: the essays and extracurriculars were really good
Weaknesses: im white and sort of unoriginal lmao
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: out of state, also UVA is sort of random
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at UMichigan (YAY), Ohio State, Pitt, the rest still to come

General Comments: i dont care tbh uva is sort of preppy and i didn’t really want to go there i’d rather go to Michigan

30

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1540 (770 English, 770 Math)
ACT (breakdown): n/a
SAT II: 800 USH, 780 Math II, 690 Lit (didn’t report the last one)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4 / 350ish
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (5), Calc BC (5), Lang (5), Comp Sci (3), Physics (didn’t take)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Euro, AP Lit, AP Econ, AP Stat, AP Art History, Forensics, Phys Ed
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, Eisenhower Leadership Award, AP Scholar with Honor, NHS

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Academic Team (co-president), TSA (secretary), Math Team, NHS, Science National Honor Society
Job/Work Experience: Camp counselor, YouTube content creator (monetized w/ 26K subscribers)
Volunteer/Community service: Red Cross (ran clothing drives, etc.), Assistant camp counselor
Summer Activities: see above
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
CommonApp - 9/10 (This one probably had more personality in it and I put more effort into proofreading it)
Supplement #1 - 7/10 (Challenging work of art / literature / math: talked about my love of the Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds album and how it challenged my preconceived notions of the band; I think it was well-written but kinda dry)
Supplement #2 - 7/10 (Quirks / traditions: Talked about my family’s elaborate Halloween decorations; a little rushed but maybe a little more genuine?)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I couldn’t read any of them but…

Teacher Rec #1: APUSH Teacher - 10/10 (I was top of her class and she likes me so)
Teacher Rec #2: AP Calc Teacher - 7/10 (I was good at her class but she’s a little dry)
Counselor Rec: 5/10 (she’s out on maternity leave half the year and probably just used a generic format)
Additional Rec:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Economics
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: > $100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nothing

Reflection

Strengths: Test scores, GPA, some of my rec letters
Weaknesses: ECs were alright, but not extraordinary. Some of my essays were kind of weak.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Essays, EC
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted NJIT, Deferred Dartmouth ED and UChicago EA

General Comments:
This is my first serious acceptance so far. I’m pretty happy about it. I haven’t seen the campus but I’m looking forward to visiting. After the twin deferrals from my other early applications, this is a welcomed acceptance. There’s definitely a degree of luck involved but I’m thankful anyway. Go Cavaliers!

31

Decision: accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 34
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):1
AP (place score in parenthesis): Bio-3 Psych-5 Stats-5 US History-3 Lang-4
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): alot (i.e. STUCo prez, tutoring program coordinator, math club prez)
Job/Work Experience: tutor
Volunteer/Community service: some with stuco but not an outstanding amount
Summer Activities: summer job selling uniforms
Essays (rating 1-10, details): on average a 7/10 im not super gr8 at writing
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 8/10 on average i am assuming (didnt read any of them)

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: neuroscience
State (if domestic applicant): GA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: private
Ethnicity: asian
Gender: female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, legacy etc.): first gen but never mentioned in app anywhere besides the basic info part

Reflection

Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Georgia tech (admit) scared for UNC chapel hill

32

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Did Not Submit
ACT (breakdown): C: 33 E: 35 M: 34 R: 33 S: 31 W: 11
SAT II: Did Not Submit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School Doesn’t Rank
AP (place score in parenthesis):
Sophomore Year: AP Music Theory (3), AP European History (4)
Junior Year: AP Macroeconomics (5), AP Microeconomics (4), AP US History (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP Lang, AP Comp. Gov, AP US Gov, AP Comp Principles, Ethics, Calculus.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Honor Society, 2017 West Point Leadership Award, AP Scholar, School’s High Ranking Scholar Awards, Headmaster’s List

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Co-Founder/CEO of political organization

  • 10k followers on Instagram
  • Endorsements from many Senators, Congressmen/women, and other notable figures/public figures

Intern for local Political Party

Chairman of local chapter of National Political Party for Teenagers

  • Attended National Conference representing chapter

Social Media Director for a fairly notable NGO/Think Tank that works with North Korean defectors and promotes democracy, human rights, and other basic freedoms in North Korea via radio from South Korea.

Boy Scouts

    • Eagle Scout, (2016)
  • Eagle Scout Bronze Palm (2017)
  • Started from Tiger Cub (2006)

Debate

  • Co-Captain of a National Caliber Policy Debate Team
  • National Speech and Debate Association Recipient of the Degree of Special Distinction
  • Harvard Forensics Invitational Semifinalist & Octofinalist (two years in a row)
  • Harvard Forensics Invitational 6th Speaker
    -Georgetown Finalist
  • Wake Forest Policy Invitational Semifinalist & Octofinalist (two years in a row)
  • Wake Forest Policy Invitational 1st & 25th Speaker
  • Other Awards, very long list

Fencing

  • Captain of School’s Fencing Team
  • Captain of Epee and Foil Team when studied abroad in England
  • Ranked Fencer for the British Fencing Association

International Study

  • Studied at Oxford/Cambridge Feeder
  • Studied in Mollet, Spain, located right outside of Barcelona
  • Exchange with a top-ranked university affiliated school in Beijing (Spring break of senior year)

Others:

  • I was in my school’s Jazz Ensemble, I played the Trumpet and Piano
  • I am an admission guide for my school
  • I’ve played the piano for 13 years, I’ve won a few awards here and there, mostly on the district level
  • I’m a 1st degree black belt in Tang Soo Do,
  • I used to draw when I had the chance, and most pieces I submitted would win 1st place ribbons at the state fair
  • I was an intern at my local Cancer Center, which ranks very high in the nation, shadowing a doctor in Oncology
  • I’m a choir pianist for my church

Job/Work Experience:

  • I’ve worked for my parent’s business
    Volunteer/Community service:
    -See Above
    Summer Activities:
    -7 week long Debate Institutes
    Essays (rating 1-10, details): I really liked them, but I’d say 8/10
    Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: FERPA, knew pretty well, probably 8/10
Teacher Rec #2: FERPA, also didn’t get to see, probably 8/10
Counselor Rec: Thinks she likes me, 8/10
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major:
State (if domestic applicant): FL
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 100,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, legacy etc.): Don’t think I have any

Reflection

Strengths: I’m pretty Meh
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Luck
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Deferred from Harvard early.

General Comments:

33

Decision: Accepted - CAS
Note: I wrote this before the decisions came out to remove any bias. I will add small tidbits, but most of this is pre-decision.

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 35C (36E, 34M, 35R, 34S), 8/12 essay (1 sitting)
SAT II (subject, score): Spanish w/ Listening (800), Literature (710), but I didn’t send to UVA.
Unweighted/Weighted GPA: 3.77 UW(bad freshman year… I know). 4.47 W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 15/430 (hardest course load in the school helps my low UW)
AP/IB (place score in parentheses): Calc AB (5), Calc BC(5), US History(5), Spanish Language(5), English Language (4… very salty, had the highest essay avg. in the school of 8.27), Euro History (4), Biology (4), Physics 1 (4), Environmental Science (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics 2, AP Stats, AP Lit, AP US Gov, AP Macro, AP Micro, AP Chem, Honors Accounting (lol)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): National AP Scholar, NHRP, NM Commended, won two local essay contests, two-time winner of the state-wide Apps4VA initiative, where I did a large research / data analysis / economics project.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Economics Club (Founder and President), NHS, SNHS, Debate, Youth Group (President for 3 years), 2 research projects listed in awards (project manager). Actor, have been in 2 local short films, several commercials, and several professional theater productions.
Started a financial literacy workshop program for Hispanic ESL students at a disadvantaged school in my area.
Job/Work Experience: Intern/Financial Analyst for an Economic Consulting Firm during summer between junior and senior year, worked with corporate mergers and litigation. Also worked at Chick-fil-A for 2 years (my pleasure) (lmao)
Volunteer/Community Service: Run / participate in many projects through youth group, ESL financial literacy workshop program is my “big” CS project.
Summer Experience: Internship above, summer camps, nothing major.
Teacher Recommendation #1: 10/10 APUSH teacher, talked about how I would challenge him on everything but did so in a way that made me sound very intelligent and curious to learn.
Teacher Recommendation #2: 9/10 AP Lang teacher, talked about how I’m an excellent writer and a creative thinker, etc. etc.
Counselor Rec: 7/10, generic for a class of 430 students, but she likes me and knows about some of my big achievements.

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details)
Common App Essay: 6.5/10 - metaphor about windows, perspective, systems, and curiosity. Not too much personality, I changed it for my other schools.
UVA Essays: 9/10, wrote about a rap song that unsettles me and connected it to my goals in education for one.

Other:
Date Submitted App: November 1st… smh
Intended Major: Economics
State: VA
School Type: Mid-sized public
Ethnicity: Hispanic, U.S. Dual Citizen
Gender: Male
Hooks (URM, First Generation, Legacy, etc.): URM

Reflection
Strengths: ACT, ECs, in-state, UVA essays, 17 APs by the time I graduate.
Weaknesses: Unweighted GPA & freshman year grades
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Rejected ED for a dual degree at UPenn.
Applied to Princeton, Yale, UChicago, Harvard, Cornell, Columbia, Georgetown, Northwestern, Duke, and Swarthmore.
What would you have done differently?: Nothing

34

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 35 (E 34 M 34 R 36 S 36)
SAT II: US History 800 Math II 800 Chemistry 760
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.87
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): ~5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Comp Sci A, Statistics, Human Geography, World History, Psychology, United States History, English Language (5) Chemistry, Spanish Language, Microeconomics (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: All AP, Art History, Comparative Government, Macroeconomics, Literature, Physics C, Seminar
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Boys State 2017 State Senate Majority Leader, JSA 2017 Governor’s Gavel National Finalist, MTAC State Convention 2015-7

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

Speech and Debate Executive Board
Robotics Strategy Lead
National Honor Society member

Job/Work Experience:
-Piano Tutor 2015-Present
-Tutor 2016-Present

Volunteer/Community service:
Member of parish youth group

Summer Activities: Took Calculus I and II over summer
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9/10 personal essay, 8/10 supplementaries
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10 I was top of my class in US History so this one was glowing
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10 Really enjoyed Chemistry and she loved me in her class
Counselor Rec: 7/10 Just a formality
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Chemical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, legacy etc.): Son of mexican immigrant, unusual background in humanities for someone going into stem.

Reflection

Strengths: Academics and decent ECs
Weaknesses: Didn’t do as much research in STEM or in competitions as I would have liked to.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: UVA probably thought I would be able to add to the diversity of their class and I’m so honored that they gave me the opportunity to attend!
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Deferred at MIT/Caltech
Accepted to UMichigan, UWisconsin, UIllinois, Georgia Tech

General Comments:
I am really surprised at how wrong I was when trying to predict who would get in and who wouldn’t. It seems like scores play a part to an extent but after that it’s just a matter of conveying a passion to the admissions officers. Congratulations to all who got in and to those who didn’t please do not despair everyone will end up where they need to be.

35

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1510 (790 Math, 720 Reading)
ACT (breakdown): 35
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 20/700+
AP (place score in parenthesis): Psychology, Human Geography, Calculus (AB& BC), Environmental, Macro, Language- 5. US History-4
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Spanish 3, Chamber Orchestra, AP Biology, AP Statistics, AP Computer Science, AP Literature, AP Comparitive Government.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NHS, NMS Commendation.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience: Worked at a tutoring facility (Office manager when the owner is not present)
Volunteer/Community service: 200-250 hours over the four years of HS, in a hospital, In-school tutoring (Started the group), Community events.
Summer Activities: Attended a Bio-Med camp at GA Tech, Shadowed/ internship with a physician.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Really, really good essays. Wrote about Tommy Boatwright’s funeral speech in “The Normal Heart”, and suggested Reskilling Workforce for student seminar in the second essay.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Did not read any of the recommendations. Teachers offered to write them, so I expect they were good, the Counselor, no idea. Only met her a couple of times (very large school!) Employer wrote a letter, too.

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

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes.
Intended Major: Cognitive Science
State (if domestic applicant): NC
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian (India)
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 170,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, legacy etc.): Not sure.

Reflection: UVA was the aspirational school- never expected to get in!

Strengths: Grit.
Weaknesses: Iffy health.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Got lucky, and maybe, the essays.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments:

36

Decision: Accepted from California

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 34 composite
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.81
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (5); AP Human Geo (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP US Gov/AP Comp Gov/AP Micro/AP Macro/AP Calc BC/Chinese independent study/Entrepreneurship/Two senior english courses
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Water Polo (Captain)
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities: Notre Dame Summer Scholars; 3 summers in China
Essays (rating 1-10, details): strong
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): strong

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

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major:Business
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:Private
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: High
Hooks (URM, first generation college, legacy etc.): double legacy (UVA law)

Reflection

Strengths: recommendations; strong record at strong school
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: accepted at U Chicago/Georgetown/Notre Dame/Boston College/Colorado College.

General Comments:

37

Accepted

SAT: 1540 (750 Math, 790 Reading/Writing)
SAT IIs: N/A
GPA: 5.2 Weighted, around 3.8 Unweighted (upward trend from 9th-12th grade)
Rank: N/A
AP: Human Geography (4), World History (4), English Language & Composition (5), U.S. History (4), Environmental Science (4)
Senior Course Load: AP Calculus AB, AP Physics 1, AP Macroeconomics, AP Literature & Composition, Honors Government, Leadership
Academic Awards: Commended National Merit Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, National Science Honor Society
Extracurriculars: Eagle Scout, 4 years Varsity Lacrosse, SGA Vice President and former Parliamentarian, FBLA Honors Member, one of two students from class chosen for Leadership Palm Beach County, Scholar Athlete Club
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community Service: Key Club, raised money for two children’s education (9, 10) and two beds for children in need in Bali (11) via Education Rocks, built turtle pond in local garden as Eagle Scout project, served as buddy to help disabled children to play soccer via TOPSoccer (9-11) and will serve buddy captain in program come spring (12), counselor at local Vacation Bible School (9-12), 500+ total community service hours
Common App Essay: Very unique, shows my personality well
Supplementals: Unique, will definitely stand out
Teacher Recs: Probably decent, though not sure how much they’ll reveal about my personality out of the classroom
Counselor Rec: Again, same as the teacher recs.
State or Country: Florida
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Strengths: SAT, extracurricular activities, essays
Weaknesses: GPA, letters of recommendation

38

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1520 (790 math 730 reading)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 740 US History 800 Math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.77 (Junior and Senior year grades were very strong)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (5), US History (5), Computer Science (5), Environmental Science (5), Calculus AB (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Macro, AP Micro, Post-AP Computer Science, Post-AP Calculus (Multivariable), AP Spanish, AP Literature, Honors Physics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): GW Book Award, Academic Honors with Distinction, Math Honors Society, Spanish Honors Society

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Class President, Varsity Soccer Captain, Senior Prefect, Varsity Wrestling, Internship at tech company, Business and Entrepreneurship Program (Student Leader), Global Education Policy Program (presenter)
Job/Work Experience: Intern at tech company
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered in non profit school in India, taught English in Spain
Summer Activities: Duke Global Entrepreneurship Summer Session, HOBY, volunteering, internships
Essays (rating 1-10, details): both essays were the strongest essays I’ve written (9.5/10 each)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9/10
Teacher Rec #2: 9.5/10
Counselor Rec: 9/10
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Computer Science
State (if domestic applicant): New Jersey
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 200k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, legacy etc.): strong athlete, student, and community leader

Reflection

Strengths: I had a well rounded application
Weaknesses: My GPA was somewhat low my freshman and sophomore year, but I showed strong improvement Junior and Senior year
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Essays and diversity
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

Accepted: Northeastern (Dean’s Scholarship), Rutgers University
Deferred: UMich, UIUC, Georgia Tech (All have very difficult Computer Science programs)

General Comments: I guess they were looking for students that were overall well rounded rather than strong in one aspect but lacking in another. I was happily surprised to receive admission, and I hope you guys received the decisions that you had hoped for.

39

Decision: Accepted
College of Arts and Sciences
In-State

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1360 (690 English, 670 Math)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.3 W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP US Government & Politics (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): IB Psychology SL (6)
Senior Year Course Load: IB French HL, IB Theory of Knowledge, IB English HL, IB French HL, IB Chem SL, IB Math Studies SL, Chorus
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Government, NHS, other honor societies (French, Science, Math, English)
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: Babysitter for local community events
Summer Activities: Pre-College Programs
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9/10; strongest of all my applications, connected my interests to the prompts, creative with formatting
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Assume they were strong!

Teacher Rec #1:7/10; IB History Teacher
Teacher Rec #2: N/A
Counselor Rec: 8/10; New counselor, provided supplemental info about my background for the rec
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major:
State (if domestic applicant): VA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, legacy etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: Essays, strong academic record, IB Diploma Candidate, Leadership
Weaknesses: SAT score
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Deferred Northwestern

General Comments: Good luck to everyone that was deferred!

40

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36 E, 36 S, 35 R, 33 M)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): I don’t have unweighted, but weighted is 4.43
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4/300
AP (place score in parenthesis): Cal AB (4), Cal BC (5 on BC and AB subscore), Spanish Language (5), English Language and Composition (5), US Government (5), AP Environmental Science (5), APUSH (3)
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit, AP Computer Science A, AP Physics C Mechanics, AP European History, Cal 3 at a state college, Online Spanish via the same state college
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMSF, National Honor Society, 1st place in MS on Level 4 National Spanish Exam, AP Scholar with Distinction, Principal’s List, AP Honor Roll, various state literary magazine awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Literary magazine (editor), Beta Club (VP), Diamond Girls, Feminism Club, Anchor Club (secretary), church youth group (council member), Volleyball
Job/Work Experience: 20 hours/week as a sales associate at a local shop
Volunteer/Community service: Junior Leadership (4 different service projects sophomore year), Beta Club (10 hrs/semester), Anchor Club (5 hrs/semester), etc.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9; my optional essays were unique and insightful. Common app essay was very personal, and I discusses a medical condition I have that made me lose all of my hair this year.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9/10. My Spanish teacher who has taught me for 3 years wrote this one; we are extremely close and have traveled to Spain together on a school trip.
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10. My AB/BC Calculus teacher wrote this one; we are also close, and he thinks highly of me.
Counselor Rec: 7/10. Our counselor recs aren’t very personal because there’s 1 counselor to write 300 students’ recs each year, but she knows me fairly well.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Spanish/Pre-med path
State (if domestic applicant): Mississippi
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: top 1%
Hooks (URM, first generation college, legacy etc.): Not much except that I’m from Mississippi

Reflection

Strengths: Scores, grades, workload
Weaknesses: Lack of dedication to a large variety of activities (ex: Debate, Science Bowl, etc.)
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have a good academic resume and my writing was very personal and unique.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to Notre Dame. Waiting to hear from UNC (decisions come out tomorrow), Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, and NYU.