Wash U 2021 **Results only** Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington University in St. Louis
1

Just thought we could post our results here!

[noparse]
Pick one:
Decision: Accepted
Decision: Deferred
Decision: Rejected

Pick one:
Trinity College of Arts and Sciences
Pratt School of Engineering

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown):
ACT:
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
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:
Teacher Recommendation:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:

General Comments:
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2

Decision: Deferred

College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): C&R 680, Math 800
ACT: none
SAT II: Math2 800, Bio/M 680
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): none
AP (place score in parenthesis):Physics1(4), BC Cal, Stats, CS, Bio
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Cal BC, AP CS, AP Stats, Honors Theology, ACC English
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): VEX Robotics Final 8 Chinese Reginal, National Honor Society

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Recommended to take a semester of cellular biology class in Fudan University during Sophomore year.
school math team 2 years
school swimming team 2 years
school robotics team captain 2 years
Job/Work Experience: Internship in Transfar Co., professer Assistant
Volunteer/Community service:Lions Club International member, at least 300 hours of volunteer workaround China
Summer Activities: Duke Summer College with Credit
Essays: Transform from a reckless kid to a mature man through making insect arts to raise money for a poor village(doing that for 3 years) 9/10 personal rating
Teacher Recommendation:AP CS teacher and junior English teacher, both know me very well and like me a lot
Counselor Rec: She said I was one of the best students this school has ever seen…
Additional Rec: none
Interview: campus visit and interview, went pretty good I think

Other

State (if domestic applicant): currently go to school in Massachusetts
Country (if international applicant): China
Intended major(s): Biology/Com Sci
School Type: Catholic all boys school, top 50 ranking in MA
Ethnicity:Asian
Gender:Male
Income Bracket: family income around $200K a year
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: Good characteristics, clear goal, very passionate about the future
Weaknesses: not many AP classes in Junior year(the school wasn’t sure about my academic and didn’t give me any higher level ones), don’t have many honors or awards
Why you think you were deferred: Too many Chinese applying this year, can’t stand out in them, need to compare me to a larger pool

General Comments: Could repeat sophomore year when I came here, but didn’t, and I didn’t have enough time to really acumulate awards. In short, not prepared well enough.

3

Decision: Accepted

College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):none
ACT: 33 (35E, 35M, 31R, 29S)
SAT II: Math II (800), US History (780), Math I (760)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):not sure
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Euro (5), AP US (5), AP Lang (5), AP Gov’t & Politics (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):none
Senior Year Course Load: AP Latin, Physics ACC, AP Econ (Macro/Micro), AP Calc BC, AP Lit & Comp
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Latin Exam Gold Metal (3), Scholastic Silver Key, RP Star Alumni, Scholar Athlete Award

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Club Swimming, Varsity HS Swimming (4 Year Letter, Captain), , Latin Club, Teen Mentoring Program, Track and Field/XC
Job/Work Experience: Lifeguard/Swim Instructor at the YMCA, Information Specialist and Social Media Intern at a Suicide prevention organization, Babysitting
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer with Special needs children, Service work in Thailand, Peru, and Mongolia
Summer Activities: Service work (above)
Essays: Imo mine was very very good
Teacher Recommendation: I think both were good.
Counselor Rec: Amazing.
Additional Rec: Amazing (Boss at the suicide prevention organization)
Interview: Went well

Other
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s): International Relations
School Type: Very, very rigorous
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): work experience? idk i guess they saw something

Reflection
Strengths: Everything but GPA
Weaknesses: GPA
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I was qualified and showed a lot of interest

General Comments:
Show interest!

4

Decision: Accepted

Trinity College of Arts & Sciences

ACT: 30 Composite, 31 Superscore (35E, 27M, 27S, 33R)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5% Weighted, Top 10% Unweighted
AP (place score in parenthesis): Psychology (5), World History (3), Lang & Comp (5), US History (3), Chemistry (3). I also took AP Statistics but did not test it.
Senior Year Course Load:
-AP Lit & Comp
-AP Bio
-AP Physics 1
-AP Microeconomics
-AP Calculus AB
-Yearbook
-Speech
-Anatomy & Physiology

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Hmm, no major awards. I did get the Rotary Youth Leadership Award. I’ve been in the honor roll since 9th grade, I’m an AP scholar, but that’s about it :slight_smile:

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-Yearbook (Editor-in-Chief)
-Figure Skating (For 7+ years)
-FCCLA/Family Consumer and Career Leaders of America (Volunteer Coordinator)
-National Honor Society
-National French Honor Society
-Gay Straight Alliance

Job/Work Experience:
-Figure skating coach for little kids.

Volunteer/Community service:
-Volunteer at hospital since 10th grade, and I was the volunteer coordinator for FCCLA so I did a lot of stuff in the local retirement home, at local elementary and middle schools, some tutoring, etc.

Summer Activities: N/A

Essays: I wrote my essay while I was in a spontaneous vacation in New York City. I wrote it in our hotel room and in a pizza shop by the Empire State Building, haha. It felt like my essay was really reflective my personality, of who I am as a person. It wasn’t super quirky (except for a few puns I made), but it was personal and really showed the sort of person that I am.

Teacher Recommendation: Very strong. I love my teacher and we’ve been through a lot together. She is basically my second mom<3
Counselor Rec: Also very strong. I went through a lot if health issues and the counselor was always there for me, she is lovely and we are quite close as well.
Additional Rec: Another teacher, who I am also extremely close to. The letter was very touching for me, so I suppose admissions must have thought so too.
Interview: Yes. I had an interview with a student who was a junior, and we got along amazingly! In fact we became good friends and hung out a bit later, after his last interview ended.

Other: Ahhhhhh

State (if domestic applicant): Colorado
Country (if international applicant): USA~
Intended major(s): Psychology-Neuroscience-Philosophy (PNP)
School Type: Public school, not very competitive…like at all, if I’m being honest. But I still have school pride :’)
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Less than $20k per year
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, athlete (although I won’t be a student athlete)

Reflection: <3

Strengths: Letters of recc, essay, ECs, showed interest
Weaknesses: ACT
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think my personality and perspective on life and learning really fits into the WashU way of thinking, and I think my application reflected that really well. I truly feel like I was made for this school, and I’m glad that feeling was mutual.

General Comments: INTEREST!!!
I showed so much interest and I think that was a huge part of it. I had an on-campus info session, campus tour, and interview. Besides that, I applied ED, which is the ultimate sign of interest.

5

Decision: Accepted!!

College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1410 C&R:710 M:700
SAT II: none sent
GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9 unweighted. 4.59 weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/135
AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology-4, Cal AB-4, Stat-4, Chinese-5 (the only 5 I’ve got, lol) Took 9 APs total before senior year-got 3s and 2s on the rest.
Senior Year Course Load:
AP US Gov, AP Eng Lit, AP Music Theory, Instrument Ensemble, AP Cal BC, AP Macroeconomics, Physics (regular), P.E.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NONE…

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

Flutist of Wind Ensemble 9th-12th (Second chair flute player) perform in school concert, participate in regional flute competition, train beginners and other flute members
Family Responsibilities 9th-12th (translator) paying bills, schedule and attend their medical appointments, etc
EMERGE student 12th (member)
Student Council 9th (member)
Wood’s Project 11th: (member)

Job/Work Experience: waitress (11th)
Volunteer/Community service: Kid’s Robotics Academy (~3 weeks) summer before senior year
Essays: About my father’s really bad smoking habit and health decline, but my exterior indifference to it because of our bad relationship and our huge ego to not show each other love/worry. Slightly pessimistic, but ended on a tone of acceptance. 8/10. Not the best topic but the essay was genuinely “me”.
Teacher Recommendation: I’m a pretty shy person-don’t talk much to teachers. My AP Bio teacher wrote one for me, not sure how well he writes. He really likes me though, known me since 8th grade and I always go to him during lunch for homework help. (8/10)
Counselor Rec: Slightly close, she knows me as a good student-that’s all. (7/10)
Interview: With an art major girl, all I did was giggle and gush over how WashU is so “me”. Talked about WashU’s weather, food, dorm, blahblah. Oh, and talked about my majors too and what I’d take part in if I was WashU student. (plus some awkward nervous laughs) I don’t think the interview helped my application much ._.

Other
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Intended major(s): Choosing between a major good for pre-med (chem, bio, etc) or Music performance major while still being a pre-med
School Type: Sharpstown International. Small public, low-income school, Hispanic majority, pretty bad test scores. Not competitive at all, except between me and the salutatorian (he got into Duke, full ride) AP class are not hard -easy to get As, but preparing for the exam is hard (because lack of discipline from teachers)
Ethnicity: Chinese-American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: <30,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first-generation, demonstrated interest with fly-in and attended one WashU college booth
Reflection: I can’t believe I got in. Unrealistic…

Strengths: GPA, my loyalty to flute and concert band, translator for parents show I care about family, my essay was genuine, my AP Bio’s rec probably
Weaknesses: My academic profile in general: SAT, no SAT IIs, lack of 5s in AP score, lack of leadership in EC.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
I don’t force myself to do extracurricular that I have no interest in but I do experiment/try them out. My love for flute will transfer to college-as a hobbie or a major (not sure yet) I took the most rigorous course load in my school just for the challenge, even if I don’t do well on them. My essay was genuine and I think they saw it.

General: I also got full-ride and I still can’t fully digest the fact that I got accepted AND no financial burden!! To those who don’t think you have a chance, IT’S ALWAYS WORTH A TRY. The trick that worked for me is to be genuine. Don’t write about what you think colleges want to hear, don’t force yourself to stay in clubs just to build your college profile, do what you love and will continue to do in college!!!

6

Decision: Accepted!

College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

SAT I: 1520 (C&R 770, M 750)
ACT: 34 superscore (36E, 34R, 33M, 33S)
SAT II: none
Unweighted GPA: 4.0
Rank: 1/345
AP: APUSH(3), taking more courses this year
IB: Not offered at my school
Senior Year Course Load: Honors Physics, Accounting 1, AP Lit, AP Psych, AP Calc AB, Spanish 3, US Gov (regular but with AP supplements to take test later), a special Applied Medicine class
Major Awards: National Merit Semifinalist, Dr. Jim Scholarship award, Rotary Club Student of the Month, AMP Comeback Athlete of the Month, local magazine’s Simply Amazing Teen Award, DAR Good Citizen Award, Chemistry Merit Award

Subjective:

Extracurriculars:
Soccer, 3 years (JV Captain, lettered twice)
Policy Debate, 3 years
BPA, 2 years (Chapter VP of Public Relations
NHS (Vice President)
National Business Honors Society
Student Council, 2 years (Secretary/Treasurer and Senator)
Youth Leadership Group
Job:
Concessions at an event center in town, only for a year though
Volunteer/Community Service: (total of 200-250 hours)
Hospital Summer Program, 3 years
Historical House Museum Gift Shop/Front Desk, 2 years
Kid’s Soccer Camp, 3 years
Local Recreational Soccer League coach, 2 years
Summer Activities:
Volunteering
People-to-People Medical Leadership Summit (2015)
Girls State
Essays: 9 or 10/10 I’d say; It was about my cancer survival story, which I think made me stand out
Teacher Rec: Great, AP Calc teacher is very fond of me
Counselor Rec: Superb, she knew me well through having cancer in school
Other Rec: Honors Chem teacher really liked me too, so great!
Interview: Comfortable, went alright but was low pressure

Other

State: Montana
Major: Cognitive Neuroscience, either under PNP or Psychological and Brain Sciences
School Type: Public, very few advanced courses available
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Woman
Income Bracket: 300k+, definitely not eligible for need-based aid
Hooks: I sent in an article published locally that focused on my life and my battle with cancer and later knee surgery, and that really must have shown admissions counselors that type of person that I am!

Reflection

Strengths: Great scores/rank, stood out as a Montanan and cancer survivor
Weaknesses: lack of many competitive courses to take in high school
Why I think I was accepted: I think the article was huge, as it showed counselors that I am the type of person who would fit well on campus while my scores and recs show that I am academically capable too

Comments: Like everyone else, interest is key! Besides visiting, interviewing, and applying ED, I also e-mailed the admissions office and specific counselors every once in a while to keep in touch. Good Luck!

7

Decision: Accepted

Trinity College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT: 30 (can’t remember breakdown at this moment)
SAT II: 1290, Math: 660, English: 630
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): n/a (school doesn’t do GPA)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a for both
AP (place score in parenthesis): A ton, most in the 2 to 3 range (whoopsies, I’m not the best with AP testing for some reason)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: all collegiate level
1st semester: Mechanics, Calc II, World Literature, Chem II, Human Anatomy and Physiology, Western Civilizations, Latin I
2nd semester: World Literature, Western Civilizations, Electricity and Magnetism, Probability and Statistics, Neuroscience, Latin I
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): n/a

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • Research internship at FAA, will most likely have a paper published by May
  • Native American Student Association/NASA (Vice-President, junior)
  • Zoi’s Animal Rescue (Volunteer)
  • Youth Court (Volunteer)
  • Model UN (Founder at my school)
  • Musician (Flute/Piccolo, marching/concert/jazz)
  • NJHS/NHS (member)
  • OHS French Club (VP, sophomore)
  • Société Honoraire de Français (member)
  • Oklahoma Indian Student Honor Society/OISHS (member)
    Job/Work Experience: listed above
    Volunteer/Community service: listed above
    Summer Activities: listed above
    Essays: It took so long to find a topic, but I’d rate it about a 7 to 8 out of 10 (only because it was about my two heritages and the Cherokee symbols didn’t work in the print out)
    Teacher Recommendation: I think great, it was two professors I am really close to
    Counselor Rec: Great, I knew her well and and she knew me well
    Additional Rec: My band director was like a father to me, so mostly likely nearly perfect
    Interview: I really connected with the guy (i sadly can’t remember his name for the LIFE of me!), so superb

Other

State (if domestic applicant): Oklahoma
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s): PNP, MedHum minor and Pre-Med
School Type: Public/Residential/ (technically?) prep. it’s a weird situation…
Ethnicity: Caucasian/Native American (used to be able to speak both languages, Cherokee and Norwegian, skills are a little rusty now)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 90k to 100k with an ungodly amount of medical bills
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Native American female interested in STEM, specifically medicine

Reflection

Strengths: my love for the school, everyone and their grandmother knew this was my top choice and I’d go there in a heart beat, school history, drive
Weaknesses: SAT
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I’d like to think that, personality and academics-wise, I fit into the school like a glove.

General Comments: Show!! Your!! Interest!! Not many schools go by demonstrated interest anymore (as I’ve learned at my many years of OSSM), but Wash U still does. MAJORLY. Don’t just willy-nilly apply. They can sense it.

8

[noparse]
Decision: Rejected

College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT: 32 (34E, 36R, 29M, 30S)
SAT II: none
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.5UW, 3.85W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): Bio (4), Seminar (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Enviro, AP Physics 1, Calc, AP Stats, Poetry, American History II
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Academic team state champion, HOSA national competitor

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Research internship @ local university, academic team (team leader), HOSA (historian), science olympiad, knitting club (VP), disney club (VP), model leg
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service: nothing special
Summer Activities: listed above
Essays: 8/10 I talked about the issues my family has had with disease
Teacher Recommendation: 8/10 Good relationship with both, but hard to tell
Counselor Rec: 5/10 Doesn’t know me well, probably very generic
Additional Rec: 9/10 My research advisor
Interview: 5/10 Very short, the girl giving my interview was on her way to doing something else and basically cut me off, which rubbed me the wrong way a bit tbh

Other

State (if domestic applicant): IN
Country (if international applicant): USA
Intended major(s): Bio
School Type: Residential
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 70-80k with large medical bills
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): My family member is wheelchair-bound, and my life goal is to help develop a treatment or find a cure for his condition

Reflection

Strengths: Hook, showed a lot of interest, rigorous high school
Weaknesses: GPA, needed financial aid, test scores are stellar
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: It’s probably the story of a thousand paper cuts. I wasn’t a super outstanding applicant to begin with, and I think going into such a flooded major/needing lots of financial aid to attend was the last nail in the coffin.

General Comments: Congratulations to everyone who was accepted! I wish you all the best! :slight_smile:
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9

[noparse]

Decision: Accepted

College of Arts and Sciences
Major: Political Science

Objective:

ACT: 32 superscore, 36 writing
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.83
Weighted GPA: 4.37
AP (place score in parenthesis):
World History (4), Psychology (5), Computer Science (didn’t test), Physics 1 (3), United States History (4), Statistics (5), Language and Composition (5)

Senior Year Course Load:
Advanced Hebrew Topics (AP weight)
AP Environmental Science
AP English Literature
Honors Percussion
AP American Government and Politics
AP Calculus AB

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Nothing major

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Intern Coordinator with State Senator Campaign
Dance Marathon (student-run philanthropic) Executive Board Member
Impact Freshman Peer Mentor Executive Board
Leader of Peer Tutoring Center
President of Mock Trial
Co-President of Israeli Club
Marching Band (Bass Drum Section Leader)
Percussion Ensemble
Symphonic Band

Job/Work Experience:
Ice cream shop clerk (3 years, got ‘Outstanding Work Ethic Award’)
Overnight Camp Counselor

Volunteer/Community service:
Lots, mostly political
Summer Activities:
Camp counselor
Essays:
Tied together all my extracurriculars as a passion for public service. Segwayed to my dream of being a politician.
Teacher Recommendation:
Physics 1 teacher: 9/10, really likes me
AP Gov teacher (DM and Mock Trial sponsor): 10/10, knows me VERY well, Wash U Alumn (actually founded their Dance Marathon)
Counselor Rec:
10/10
Interview:
Had a blast! Felt very conversational and natural.

Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: M
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Double legacy (mom and brother)

[/noparse]

10

These really helped me when I was applying so I made an account just to contribute! I honestly never thought anyone with my kind of stats would be accepted but Wash U saw something in me and I’m so grateful for it!

Pick one:
Decision: Accepted

Pick one:
Trinity College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown):
ACT: 33 Superscore 36 E, 28 M, 34 R, 33 S
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97, 4.64 W
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 8/490
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP bio (4) APUSH (4) APLAC (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP calc AB, AP Spanish, AP Chemistry, AP Studio Art and Design, AP Macroeconomics, APES
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, Premio De Bronce NSE, NHS, NSHS, Beta Club, Ambassador program 10-12

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Canstruction 9-12 (VP), Spanish Club 9-12 (VP), Student Council 9-12, Academics Editor of YB 10-11, Pep Club 9-12
Job/Work Experience: Summer Job as Cashier (didn’t put on common app), Private Tutor 10-12
Volunteer/Community service: Summer Library Volunteer (didn’t put on common app)
Summer Activities: N/a
Essays: wrote about living in an impoverished neighborhood and how my neighbor getting shot made me realize the effect gang violence could have had on my own life. 8/10
Teacher Recommendation: not sure honestly
Counselor Rec: not sure
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: I loved my interview. We talked about my class load for the year and Canstruction competitions. I really love construction so I babbled forever.

Other

State (if domestic applicant): TN
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s): PNP
School Type: Public suburban

Ethnicity: Black
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: less than 55,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection

Strengths:I went for pre medicine day in the summer and they flew me back to visit again for free!! I don’t know what stood out because I’m an average applicant but I’m happy it did.
Weaknesses: Low ACT especially math, my school doesn’t allow APs until Jr. year so I could only fit three into my schedule before senior year (weak course load), no national awards or recognition, no work experience besides tutoring during school year, did not take advantage of my summers, needed full financial aid.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I have no clue!! Feels awesome!

General Comments: Wash U is the ONLY school I want to attend so this is such a relief! I visited overnight, and it really solidified that wustl is where I belong.
¯_(ツ)_/¯
COME TO WASH U! You won’t want to leave!

11

Decision: Rejected
Pick one:
college of arts and sciences
Objective:

SAT I (breakdown):didn’t take
ACT:23
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):85/410
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Bio (2), AP Lit (2), AP Psych (3), AP Human Geography (didn’t take)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:AP Chemistry, AP Lang, AP Physics 1, AP Stat, Precalculus, US History, Government
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
No major awards.
Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): I lettered in both basketball and football in high school.
Job/Work Experience: Worked retail for over 2 years
Volunteer/Community service:150+ hours
Summer Activities:Garfield County Leadership Program
Essays: My essays were exceptional. Definitely the strongest part of all of my college applications.
Teacher Recommendation:My teachers recs were exceptional. I am highly admired in my public high school because of the hard work I put in and the leadership I displayed at my high school of over 2,000 students my junior and senior years.
Counselor Rec: Average
Additional Rec:
Interview:
Did not interview
Other

State (if domestic applicant):Oklahoma
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s): Biology
School Type:Public
Ethnicity:African American
Gender:Male
Income Bracket:<20,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):URM, first gen, athlete

Reflection

Strengths: My personality and my leadership definitely show through my essays. My essays really show the obstacles I had to overcome. The upward trend on my transcript is also a strength.
Weaknesses:Test scores, no huge awards, and I made a lot of B’s my freshman and sophmore years because I could care less about school during those years (averaged a 3.3).
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
My test scores were definitely the reason I got rejected.
General Comments:
I applied ED, because Washu is one of the top schools in the nation. I don’t regret applying and I am proud of myself for at least giving myself the chance to attend.

12

Decision: Accepted

Pick one:
College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): didn’t send
ACT: 33 superscore (36E, 34M, 31R, 29S, 29W)
SAT II: didn’t send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Chem (5), APUSH (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load: Physics, Chamber Orchestra, American Literature/World Literature, AP Government and Politics, AP Calc BC, AP Bio, AP German
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none really, just school Merit Award and High Honor Roll

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Figure Skating for 10 years (senior freeskate, gold ice dance), participated in shows and benefits
HOSA (Secretary, Event Coach)
I’m learning to become a figure skating judge (not many kids do this)
German club (president)
Violinist, played in Europe and at Carnegie Hall with my orchestra, state Solo and Ensemble
Job/Work Experience:
Learn to Skate Instructor at 2 different rinks
Tutor for Algebra, Chemistry, AP Chemistry
Volunteer/Community service:
I’m part of an organization that advocates for emergency response, teach people how to do CPR and use AEDs
member of service club at my school
Volunteered at hospital for 2 summers
I’m also an integral volunteer of a figure skating competition
Summer Activities:
figure skating, hospital volunteer, work
Essays:
Talked about how I stopped competitive figure skating and found other ways to participate in skating that made me happier, I liked how the essay turned out
Teacher Recommendation:
APUSH and AP Chem teachers: Probably really good. Didn’t get to read but I was really involved in the classes and had a great relationship with both teachers
Counselor Rec: she told me she wrote a really good rec, didn’t get to read
Additional Rec: none
Interview: none

Other

State (if domestic applicant): WI
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s): Chemistry, Pre-med
School Type: One of the top public schools in Wisconsin
Ethnicity: white
Gender: F
Income Bracket: didn’t qualify for financial aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none really, but figure skating is a unique sport I guess

Reflection:

Strengths: UW GPA, Letters of Recommendation
Weaknesses: lower science score on ACT, no major awards, not a lot of APs (this wasn’t really my fault; my school doesn’t really let us take APs until junior year. I took a hard course load for my school)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: showed demonstrated interest by applying ED, toured.
I think they liked how I showed my passions of medicine and figure skating in many different ways.

General Comments: So glad to be accepted! Go Bears!

13

Posting for my D

[noparse]
Decision: Accepted

Trinity College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): Did not submit
ACT: 33C (35E, 31M, 32R, 34S)
33C (33E, 30M, 35R, 34S)

Superscore: 34C
SAT II: 800 Bio (M); 780 Lit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/401
AP (place score in parenthesis): Lang & Comp (5), APUSH (4), Eur His (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): Math SL (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC; IB courses for IB Diploma
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

Student2Student Club (VP); Mu Alpha Theta (Historian); SAVE Club (Treasurer)
Job/Work Experience: Lifeguard
Volunteer/Community service: Airman’s Attic, Teen Arts Council
Summer Activities: Lifeguarding, volunteering, and Netflix
Essays: 9/10?
Teacher Recommendation: Math, Science and Lit Teachers (probably 9/10)
Counselor Rec: 9/10
Additional Red: None
Interview: Student interview–ok

Other

State (if domestic applicant): Mississippi
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s): PNP, pre-med
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $150,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None, except maybe geographical region?

Reflection

Strengths: Academics
Weaknesses: ECs
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Strong academics, ED applicant, possibly geographic region (Miss.), recommendations; also, not seeking financial aid?

General Comments: D was thrilled to be accepted to WashU as it was her first choice; she is a great fit for the school and I think it showed.
[/noparse]

14

I was really on the fence about posting this, so I just did a quick summary. Therefore, not everything on my application is listed.
Decision: Accepted

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2170 (770 M, 730 W, 670 R)
ACT: didn’t take
SAT II: didn’t take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Calc AB (5); AP Calc BC (5); AP Chem (4); AP Lang (4); AP US History (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Math and Physics at Indiana University, AP Gov, Econ, AP Lit
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): FIRST Robotics Competition Dean’s List Award, AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Cross Country (4yrs, Captain senior year) Varsity Track (4 years, don’t know about captain yet); FIRST Robotics (Team President for 2 of the 4 years)
Job/Work Experience: Research Assistant at Indiana University for past 2 summers
Volunteer/Community service: 4th grade track coach (4yrs); FLL mentor (2yrs)
Summer Activities: Research job, training for Cross Country
Essays: I’m not the best writer but I guess they were good enough
Teacher Recommendation: I don’t know, but I chose my teachers wisely
Counselor Rec: I had him for four years
Additional Rec: robotics mentor, mainly used for Langsdorf letter of rec though
Interview: on-campus, I thought it went well

Other

State (if domestic applicant): Indiana
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s): Mechanical Engineering
School Type: Public ~1700 total students
Ethnicity: multi-racial ( ½ Indian, ½ Irish
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: prefer not to answer
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy (my father got his Bachelors from WUSTL), ED applicant

Reflection

Strengths: GPA, ECs, basically everything accept test scores
Weaknesses: test scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I’m a legacy and I applied ED, that gave me a little wiggle room with the SAT score, otherwise I feel like I am a solid applicant

General Comments: Work hard but make it fun! I don’t count volunteer hours, so I don’t consider many things I do to be community service. It was really surprising when I started my application to see just how much I do. As I mentioned before, I left stuff out and listed only the big things. I’m so proud to be a bear! Good Luck to everyone else!

15

Better late than never!

Decision: Accepted

Trinity College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t Submit
ACT: 35 (33 English, 34 Math, 36 Science, 36 Reading, 22 Writing)
SAT II: 800 Chem, 780 Lit
Unweighted GPA (out of 100): mid 90’s
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10 percent
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chem (5), World (5), US (5), Spanish (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load: Regular Gov/Econ, AP Lit, AP Physics, AP Calc AB, AP Art History (most advanced available at school)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Student

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): A lot of music stuff… not gonna go into detail but I was VERY involved
Job/Work Experience: Camp Counselor
Volunteer/Community service: had over 100 hours in total but that wasn’t from doing any one big thing
Summer Activities:see work experience
Essays: Okay I guess? not the most sophisticated but I liked my overall message
Teacher Recommendation: All of these were very good but not outstanding. 8/10
Counselor Rec: I know him very well, so hopefully good
Additional Rec: had my music teacher write one to back up EC’s
Interview: good but very casual (on campus, with a student). Don’t think it had any impact.

Other

State (if domestic applicant): Northeast
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s):??? I listed Chemistry though
School Type: Small Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Upper
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Full pay

Reflection

Strengths: No financial need, ACT Scores, lack of any huge issue in my application
Weaknesses: lack of prestigious EC’s and unique parts of my application
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Luck and a good job packaging myself. Accepting an applicant like me also boosts WashU’s numbers all around (except for diversity lol)

General Comments: Good luck future applicants!

16

Decision: Accepted

College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Writing 760 CR 780 M 800

SAT II: Bio E (800), Chem (770)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.81
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Bio (5), AP CHinese (5), APES (5),
IB (place score in parenthesis):none
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics 1, AP Econ (Macro/Micro), AP Calc BC, AP Lit & Comp, AP Psych, TA
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing

Average recs and extracurriculars
Strengths: High standardized scores, solid essay
Weaknesses: poor gpa, no interview, no visit, asian. (Competitive high school might explain the low gpa tho)

General Comment:
Value the standardized tests because GPA is very dependent on your high school. Good luck!

17

Decision: Rejected

School of Engineering and Applied Sciences

SAT I (breakdown): 2190 old, 1550 new
ACT: Didn’t take
SAT II: 800 Math II, 750 USH
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s on Calc AB, Stats, APUSH, Euro, and Lang
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Econ, AP Gov, AP Physics C, AP Lit, Honors CS, Varsity Orchestra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Varsity orchestra (4years, section leader)
Student government (2 years)
Quiz bowl (2 years, co-captain)
Key Club (3 years)
Math honor society (2 years)

Job/Work Experience:
Math and Reading tutor (1 year)

Volunteer/Community service:
100+ hours for church and key club

Summer Activities:
Selective Economics Research program during junior year

Essays: 10/10
Teacher Recommendation: 9/10
Counselor Rec: 5/10 (very generic)
Additional Rec: 9/10
Interview: N/A

Other

State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s): Computer Engineering
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: East Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 100-200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection

Strengths: Essay, teacher recs, rigorous schedule and good AP scores
Weaknesses: lack of interest, counselor rec, GPA could be better
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Didn’t show enough interest, many weaknesses

General Comments:
Oh well, it’s not too big of a deal. It’s a great school, but I don’t think i would be able to afford that without financial aid.

18

Rejected - CAS (my first rejection!!!)

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2090 (only sent this to UCs)
ACT (breakdown): 32 C (35E, 32R, 29S, 33M) 33C superscored
SAT II: 790 USH, 700 M2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): na
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (4), Spanish (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): na
Senior Year Course Load: 4 APs + 2 other fun classes
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Gold President’s Award, National Hispanic Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Editor in chief of arts magazine, news editor of news publication, secretary of MUN club, co-founder of journalism summer camp, did three internships in HS, photographer at a White House Cybersummit, did JV track/XC/badminton
Job/Work Experience: Paid intern for a local website but no real job
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered ~300 hours but only reported 183 (oops) – Interned at BGCP and got most of my hours that way.
Summer Activities: Clemson Summer Scholars, BGCP internship, other summer classes for fun
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8-9; I discussed speech therapy and how it made me more resilient
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): didn’t read any of them - I feel like maybe those were my weaknesses?

Teacher Rec #1: Didn’t read
Teacher Rec #2: Didn’t read
Counselor Rec: Probably really good
Additional Rec: NA
Interview: NA

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: International Relations
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public but prestigious
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~$100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection

I didn’t show that much interest. I applied for one scholarship and signed up for the newsletter and that was it lol. While I’m disappointed, I’m also glad that my spot will go to someone who (hopefully) cares more about WashU than I did. URM doesn’t help that much.

Strengths: GPA, essays, URM
Weaknesses: No interest basically; average scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: DEMONSTRATED INTEREST!!!
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted: Cornell, UCSB, Tulane, UC Davis, UC Irvine
Waitlisted: UCSD
Rejected: WashU
Deferred at Brown ED

19

I got rejected from CAS for a major in Chemistry. My scores are: 35 ACT, SAT II (800 Math II, 800 Chemistry). WGPA 4.59, UGPA 3.95. Major interest in STEM, did a research internship last summer. I think I wasn’t accepted because I didn’t show a ton of interest in the school. We live and we learn; hopefully other decisions go better for all of us. :slight_smile:

20

Decision: Accepted into the College of Arts and Sciences

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): did not submit
ACT: 34
SAT II: Math II (800), Chem (800)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): n/a
IB (place score in parenthesis): full diploma candidate
Senior Year Course Load: IB Chemistry SL, IB Bio HL, IB English HL, IB History HL, IB TOK, IB Spanish SL, IB Math HL
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing major

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): cross country, track, tutoring, piano
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities: research in a lab
Essays:
Teacher Recommendation:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

State (if domestic applicant): midwest
Country (if international applicant):
Intended major(s): Chemistry
School Type: small
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nothing

Reflection

Strengths: academics
Weaknesses: everything else
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I visited campus, interviewed, applied for scholarships - I showed demonstrated interest!

General Comments: Congrats to everyone else! Go Bears!