What was missing? Rejected by 6 out of 7 schools

Applying to College
1

Hey :slight_smile:

I applied to seven schools and was rejected by six of them (accepted: UCLA, rejected: UCB, Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Columbia).

I do not want to question the results I got, but I would like to know what you guys think it is that kept me out. My little brother will be applying in about three years and I hope to help him and stop him from doing the same mistakes I did.

I am an US dual citizen living and educated abroad in Bavaria, Germany (born in the US).

ACT: 33 (34/35/30/33/9)
SAT II: 720 Maths II, 760 Chemistry
GPA: By German calculation 4.0 (strong upwards trend)
Rank: 1/102

Extracurriculars (I have been doing ECs for at least 5 years):
Violin (concertmaster in school orchestra, playing since age 4)
Taekwondo (since age 5, regional, national and international titles, black belt, fought in tournaments all over Europe)
Swimming
Piano
Chemical experiments/shows for children and parents
Android app programming

My essays were pretty good; I highlighted my cultural heritage and my diverse cultural background and experience living in Germany.
My teacher recommendations were phenomenal; I have never been praised that much before.

Also I took part in almost all seminars and workshops (musical, science, atheltic) that exist around here.

I got an interview for Yale and Stanford; both were pretty laid back and enjoyable.

My stats were in the ballpark for all colleges, I have a interesting background, I speak three languages (two are my native language), I have an extremely deep involvement in all EC areas (musical, athletic and academic), I play two instruments, I am an accomplished Taekwondo black belt, my LOR were phenomenal and my essays were interesting to say the least.

Also I was extremely enthusiastic about the colleges I applied to and I believe that also came across in my essays.

So what kept me out? I just don’t understand what I could have done better. I mean, I didn’t even get waitlisted?

I didn’t apply to any safeties, as I have German safeties (Ludwigs-Maximillian Universität München, Technische Universität München) with guaranteed full rides. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to attend UCLA, because of financial issues. I am really grateful for my UCLA acceptance, at least I have something to show for the last two years of additional work (the only thing considered by German universities is your final GPA; ECs, LOR, ACT, SAT, etc. don’t count a thing).

Thank you in advance! (and sorry if I sound somewhat bitter)

And congrats to all who were accepted!

2

What was the point of applying to a totally infeasible school?

3

@GMTplus7 My parents don’t share any financial information with me; I was expecting to survive on need-based aid, but it seems as if my parents have more money than I expected (wich they won’t spend on my education, as they think that attending a prestigious German university for free is the better choice).

4

Understand that “more money than you expected” and the ability to pay for UCLA out of state is not necessarily the same thing. State schools don’t give financial aid to out of state students as a general rule. Federal aid has much lower annual income thresholds.

5

Being honest, while you are a good student, your stats are very average. I am not at all surprised you didn’t get inot any of those schools. In fact, I am a little surprised you got inot UCLA. You needed to broaden your application prospects.

6

OP it is a brutal process. You sound mature and interesting and extremely accomplished and engaged. I am glad to hear that you have a great back-up plan (ie, attending a prestigious German college for free). You will be glad, too, in 4 years when you graduate debt-free. You can go to grad school in the US if you still desire.

As for your brother, I would simply suggest that he and your parents visit this website over the next couple of years to learn as much as possible in order to tailor a strategy for his/your family’s particular situation.

7

Only the act scores seem to be “average” (for applying to ivies). How is 4.0 and 1/102 “average?” EC’s are much more subjective, and they don’t seem “average” in any way either.

8

Honestly, your ACT , SAT 11 and class rank are just high normal - not amazing. #1 in class is good if you are in a class of 1400 kids. Those kinds of scores are standard in NY, NJ “better” school districts. Nobody I know would have even applied to an IVY with those stats, to be honest.

9

Agree very much with @momcinco and @choirsandstages.

OP, you sound interesting as a student. Keep US grad schools on your radar.

As far as your younger brother goes, I agree with the comment to have your parents (or your brother) monitor CC for ideas about how to approach this issue of coming to the US for college.

We were in the Bavarian region last spring and loved it. I’m not sure I’d be so quick to leave the EU. :slight_smile:

10

PS The dedication and passion you have shown in your ECs and academics can be put to good use at your choice of those two fine German institutions where you have full rides. As for $…You can use the you save to come to the US, travel to different parts of the country, and look at grad schools.

11

It is hard to figure out why someone is admitted or not, but if I were to give it a shot, I think it is your lack of community involvement. Most of your ECs were all about you. There are many students with great stats applying to those top tier schools. Those schools are looking for something little bit extra.

I spoke with my kid’s private counselor few years back. He told me there was an Asian student he was counseling in CA. He had great GPA, test scores, did robotic, won some school and state math awards. The counselor advised him to volunteer after school, tutor underprivileged students, etc. The student was not interested. When the results came out, the only school he was admitted to was Berkeley (his in state). He was rejected at all Ivies and top 20 schools. The counselor was not surprised because UCs care more about stats, whereas other top tier (private) schools look at their students more holistically.

Most international Unies tend to admit students based on their stats, not necessary on other factors.

12

Did you need a lot of financial aid? I always wonder if that hurts people’s chances of getting in and if they had been full-pay tey might have gotten an acceptance. I’m just speculating, as I don’t know if that was a factor

13

Lesson#1: Run the net price calculators for all schools to make sure they are affordable.
Lesson #2: Schools with less than 30% acceptance rates cannot be considered solid match schools so you applied to either Reach or Safety schools, no Match schools.

14

BTW @goldenmaster , your parents seem pretty sensible to me. What is wrong with attending a great German Uni for free?

15

I think most schools are need aware, even when they say they are need blind.

16

Kids with even higher ACTs, 4.0, ECs community involvement were rejected. There is really know way of knowing. The heart wants what the heart wants, or in this case the Harvard wants what the Harvard wants…and they keep us all on a need to know basis;)

So you did nothing wrong. You have 2 great financially affordable prestigious schools. You are in the same boat as thousands of other Anerican kids right now! Good luck!

17

Test scores and ECs are pretty pedestrian for those schools. Sorry… but it isn’t surprising that you were rejected by all. You little brother should make sure to apply to more matches and safeties that he can afford.

18

Agree with @oldfort on the community involvement. I think you needed that but that alone will not get you in. So while I think it is something your brother needs to do, it is not something he should do at the expense of his academics.

I Think your grades are great and it does not have to be 1 of 1400. Most schools with that many kids only have 100 or so kids applying to Top 100 schools. The rest are not interested. In many smaller schools the entire class is applying to the Top 100. That is more competitive. I do think 33 is on the cusp a little, especially with the 30. 720 in Math is very just ok (although I think it is fine) unless you were applying for engineering. Was the 35 in math? If it was then the 720 is fine.

For some reason, and this is anecdotal so I would not give it any weight but geographic diversity when you are talking about Europe does not seem to interest AdComs in recent years. No idea why. Although it obviously will not hurt you.

As for your brother, will your parents pay for any college? You need to run the NPCs and see if he would even qualify for FA. I would, just to give your family direction, do it now with his information for the time he applies (ie if your Dad is 45 and he will be 48 when your brother attends, put that down). Obviously FA can change over time but just to get an idea. Also did he or you consider schools in the UK or Canada? Assuming you prefer an English speaking curriculum.

19

Having the right stats would only gets you a seat at the table, but you need other softs to make you a viable candidate at those very selective schools.

Most schools do not offer FA to internationals.

20

Correct me if wrong but wouldn’t OP as a US citizen living abroad be considered in the domestic applicant pool rather than international?