Williams Official RD Results Thread Class of 2021

Colleges and Universities A-Z Williams College
1

Decisions only. If you received early writes via email/mail then you can post too.

Please enter as much info as you can, up to your personal comfort level.

On the decision line: Delete the decisions that don’t apply to you, and remove the 'a’s in the first two brackets. You can preview to make sure it looks right.

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Waitlisted[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected[/color][/size]**

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
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 (rating 1-10, details):

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other:

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

Reflections:

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

General Comments:

Other schools you applied to and their decisions:

2

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1530 (730/800) - Only took for National Merit, did not submit
ACT (breakdown): 35C (35E, 36M, 35R, 33S, 24W)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 790 USH, 700 WH
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.90
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School only ranks internally (does not report officially on transcript), counselor let me know that I am in top 3%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Nine 5s, two 4s; did quite a bit of self-study
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable Calc, AP US Gov/Microecon, APES, AP Physics C, AP Lit, two music classes
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National AP Scholar, National Merit Semifinalist, state-tier music awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Would not like to get too specific, but my most significant ECs were related to either art/music or community service. Also submitted two arts supplements in piano and flute.
Job/Work Experience: Worked at a music store starting the summer entering senior year
Volunteer/Community service: Music-related, did it on a regular basis for three years
Summer Activities: Music, Internet, test prep
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App: talked about the process of co-founding an organization, was not too personal though (6-7/10) Tutorial supplement: Was very creative imo, talked about SpongeBob and how his personality would match with mine to create a beneficial learning environment for the both of us (9/10)
Teacher Rec #1: Lukewarm (6/10)
Teacher Rec #2: Lukewarm (6/10)
Counselor Rec: Probably just a rehash of my Naviance resume (6/10)
Additional Rec: Most likely enthusiastic, I was more willing to show my personality to my employer than my teachers (8/10)
Interview: N/A

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Economics, History, Philosophy
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Got a lot of aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Windows on Williams attendee

Reflection

Strengths: ACT, AP Scores (and quantity), unique extracurriculars and commitment to them
Weaknesses: GPA, recs from teachers and counselor
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Attending WOW, imo, played a big role.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Deferred from Princeton SCEA

General Comments: Apply to Windows on Williams if you fall within its targeted group! Was able to get a feel for a liberal arts environment that I wouldn’t have otherwised been particularly enthusiastic about. Also, best of luck to those still waiting for a decision and to future applicants.

3

Decision: Accepted

I got an email offering me an early admissions place for the class of 2021

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): I didn’t take it
ACT (breakdown): E36, M29, R31, S28, C31
SAT II: Spanish 800 WH 670
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Valedictorian (of a class of 20)
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Lit (3), Spanish (5), Calc AB(3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lang, Macroeconomics, Calc BC, Physics 1, Leadership Development
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Florida League of Christian Schools Festival (Silver Medal Piano Solo Upper, Gold Medal Poetry Upper, Gold Medal Human Video), 6th Place AMCO National Spelling Bee, Outstanding MUN delegate, 1st Place Mexican History competition in Puebla, Mexico, National AP Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Basically the activities I had awards in.
Job/Work Experience: I work in a local dairy farm
Volunteer/Community service: Key Club, SWAT, church volunteering
Summer Activities: Work, church, camp, traveling
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10 for personal essay (talked about my identity crisis being a Mexican-Spaniard-American who just came to America for college after living my whole life abroad)

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I didn’t read any of the recs
Teacher Rec #1: 10 (my Calc teacher and counselor… we have a close teacher-student relationship)
Teacher Rec #2: 10 (my English teacher… we have a bunch of things in common and he talks very highly of me)
Counselor Rec: 10
Additional Rec: 8 (my Physics teacher… I don’t know him really well but he’s a great human being)
Interview: I didn’t have an interview

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: International Relations/ Government/ PoliSci
State (if domestic applicant): FL
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Hispanic (25% Native American)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Middle low
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation

Reflections: It was a super surprise!!!

Strengths: My essays, recs and background
Weaknesses: My scores and the fact I came to the US in Jan 2016
Why you think you were accepted/rejected/deferred? I was accepted because of my unique story I think.

Other College Decisions: Accepted to Amherst too

4

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1520 (770M, 750L)
ACT (breakdown): 33C (35E, 35M, 34R, 31S) (3 Tests)
SAT II: 710 Math2 690 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Unknown (1 B, rest A’s)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/245(+/-)
AP (place score in parenthesis): Language (4), USH (3), Chem (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: Spanish 1/2, AP US Gov, AP Lit, AP Calc AB, Physics, Band
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist, National Hispanic Recognition Scholar, AP Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Band (VP and Section Leader), Chess (VP), Science Club (VP), NHS (President)
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: NHS related
Summer Activities: Mississippi Governor’s School, Weight loss (completed Insanity)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Personal Statement: 9, Great essay. I put a lot of time into it and received lots of help from my English teacher. Williams Supplement: 7, By the time I wrote this, I was exhausted and drained from writing for other schools. It was a decent essay but could’ve been much better.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 10, English teacher of 4 years knew me well and respected me
Teacher Rec #2: 10, Math teacher of 3 years, also knew me well and loved to boast for me
Counselor Rec: 6, Never knew my counselor well
Additional Rec: 9
Interview: n/a

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Astrophysics
State (if domestic applicant): Mississippi
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 120k-140k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Hispanic (born in Mexico, moved to US in second grade)

Reflections: I was suprised to not only be accepted, but to be accepeted early, especially after being rejected from WOW.

Strengths: Hispanic from a generally overlooked area of the country, strong recommendations
Weaknesses: AP Scores, level of classes
Why you think you were accepted/rejected/deferred? I really believe my teacher recommendations really made my application memorable.

General Comments: Williams isn’t my top choice, but to be accepted with such favoribility really excites me.

Other schools you applied to and their decisions: Princeton (Deferred), Rice (invited to Vision), Columbia (Likely Letter), Cornell, UChicago, Swarthmore, Colgate (invited to Colgate in Focus)
Will update with decisions if requested.

5

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:

ACT: (Composite 34) (English: 34) (Mathematics: 32) (Reading: 36) (Science: 34) (Writing: 23) (ELA: 31) (STEM: 33)
SAT II: Mathematics Level 2: 790 Spanish: 580
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.964
Weighted GPA: 4.732
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 14/528
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Human Geography (3), AP European History (3), AP Statistics (3), AP English (4), AP World History (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): IB Spanish(6) update remainder at end of school year.
Senior Year Course Load: IB Twentieth Century History Year One HL A, IB English A Literature Year Two HL A, IB Further Mathematics Year Two HL A, IB Chemistry Year Two SL A, IB Economics Year Two SL, IB Spanish Year Two HL A, AP Computer Science A
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, National Merit Scholarship Commended Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Chinese (Mandarin 6yrs), Golf (3yrs), Chess Club (3yrs), Quiz Bowl (3yrs)
Job/Work Experience: Private Tutoring (Summer 2014)
Volunteer/Community service: Translating (Spanish)and Tutoring (Math/ Spanish)
Summer Activities: Georgia Boys State Leadership Action Program
Essays (rating 1-10, details): (8), with 10 being the best.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):(8), with 10 being the best.

Teacher Rec #1 (rating 1-10, details): (10), with 10 being the best.
Teacher Rec #2 (rating 1-10, details): (10), with 10 being the best.
Counselor Rec (rating 1-10, details): (8), with 10 being the best.
Additional Rec (if any) (rating 1-10, details): N/A
Interview (if any) (rating 1-10, details): Harvard (8), with 10 being the best.

Other:

Questbrigde: Yes/ Questbrigde Finalists
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: International Business
State (if domestic applicant): Actworth, Georgia
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public (Campbell High School)
Ethnicity: Afro-American / Pacific Islander
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Income Bracket: 60k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflections:

Strengths: Good Study Habits, combined with Good Time Management skills.
Weaknesses: Overconfidence somethings gets the best of me.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program workload and strong scores helped. I don’t think my extracurriculars were all that great, but they did not hurt.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Waiting for March to find out the rest.

**General Comments/b:Applied to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Columbia, Dartmouth, Stanford, Williams, Rice, and Georgia Tech

6

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown):didn’t take it
ACT (breakdown): 29 composite
SAT II: didn’t submit my scores
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1st decile
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s on AP English Language and AP European History 3s on Latin and French exams
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, AP Calculus AB, AP English Literature, African American History, Photographic Imaging 1, Advanced Latin Literature
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): a lot, mostly church involvement, founded 2 clubs
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: a lot, again- church involvement
Summer Activities: Harvard Summer Program and Summer Abroad in France
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 10
Teacher Rec #2: 10
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec: Superintendent
Interview: didn’t have one

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Biology
State (if domestic applicant):NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: female
Income Bracket: 60,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflections: i was honestly surprised I got in bc of my test scores.

Strengths: essays, recs, grades, family income
Weaknesses: test scores
Why you think you were accepted? essays and recommendations

7

Are you guys going to the Accepted Students Day?

8

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

ACT (breakdown): 36 (36 E, 34 M, 36 R, 36 S, 29 W)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
AP (place score in parenthesis): Art History (5), Psych (5), U.S. History (4), Calc AB (4), Lang & Comp (5), Environmental Sci (5)
**I also took 3 classes at an online college.
Senior Year Course Load: Intro to Cultural Geography (@ online college), The World in the 20th Century (@ online college), AP Stats, English 12, Advanced Physics, General Chemistry, Spanish IV, The Works of Virginia Woolf
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Commended Student (NMSQT)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Council (President), Library Council ( Vice President), Tennis (Varsity, Captain), Poverty Awareness (Organizer), Theater, Yearbook
Job/Work Experience:Farm hand for one summer, mostly helped my family on our own farm/with my 8 younger siblings
Volunteer/Community service: Organized Diversity Day, 40+ hours of community service for various things each year
Summer Activities: Summer camp counselor training
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7, on living on a farm/with 8 siblings

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1:8-9 (teacher has taught about a quarter of my classes in many different subjects since freshman year)
Teacher Rec #2: 6 (teacher advises my independent studies)
Counselor Rec: 7 (I go to a small charter school and know my counselor very well)
Additional Rec: none
Interview: none

Other: Was accepted to Windows on Williams but could not attend

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Psych/Art History
State (if domestic applicant):WI
School Type: Charter
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: around $60,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): rural, large family (?)

Reflections:

Strengths: unique school, rural, ACT score, large family
Weaknesses: GPA, lack of recognition on national/state levels
Why you think you were accepted/rejected/deferred? recommendations, essays, ACT, hooks (?)

Other schools you applied to and their decisions: Only heard back from UW Madison, Grinnell, Wesleyan, Saint Mary’s, and UW La Crosse so far (accepted to all). I also applied to Bowdoin, Bates, Colby, Brown, Carleton, Columbia, Yale, and Swarthmore.

9

@nwill324 I’m not sure if I’ll go to the visit day yet, I’m going to see what happens with my other admissions decisions first. You?

10

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 2380 (800 M, 790 R, 790 W)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 800 US History, 770 Math II, 760 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/300
AP (place score in parenthesis): Micro (5), Macro (5), Physics (5), U.S. History (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish, AP World History, AP Biology, AP Psychology, AP BC Calculus, AP Literature, Honors Philosophy
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist, AP Scholar w/ Honor, State Level DECA Awards (nationals qualifier), Regional Level Photography Awards (Scholastic Art)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Class VP, Student Council (Treasurer), Student at Performing Arts School, High School Musicals (lead for three years), Assistant Director for community theatre productions, Biochemistry Lab Volunteer at local college, Physics Club (Co-founder/co-president), Mass Boys State
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: Local hospital volunteering
Summer Activities: Theatre, hospital volunteering, lab/research work)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App - 9, very personal yet comical
Supplement - 7, kinda rushed but still fun and reflective of my personality

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 10, close relationship and loved her class (english teacher)
Teacher Rec #2: 10, another close relationship (physics teacher)
Counselor Rec: 8, pretty close with him but he had to write a lot
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Biology/Neuroscience
State (if domestic applicant): Massachusetts
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: high
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): LGBT

Reflections:

Strengths: test scores, GPA/rank, essays, volunteer work/research
Weaknesses: some bland extracurriculars, not many big awards
Why you think you were accepted/rejected/deferred?
I don’t really know. Maybe my common app essay? Was not expecting an early write from a school like Williams.

General Comments:

Other schools you applied to and their decisions: UMass Amherst (accepted), UVA (accepted), Northeastern (accepted), Yale (deferred), and still waiting to hear from 13 more!

11

Awesome (but just to be clear, LGBT isn’t a “hook”)

12

@marvin100 yeah I know I realized that after and it’s too late to change it now haha

13

No sweat–congrats, @bluekou23 !

14

Decision: Accepted

SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 33 Composite
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis): All IB courses, diploma candidate
Senior Year Course Load: 7 IB classes, 1 AP class
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience: Job for a year
Volunteer/Community service: 300-400+ hours
Summer Activities: Summer Programs
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Personal essay: 8/10, Williams supp: 8.5/10 --> both were about my interests

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 8/10
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10
Counselor Rec: New counselor… no idea
Additional Rec: 10/10
Interview: None

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Bio
State (if domestic applicant): NC
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none…?

Reflections:

Strengths: Grades…? idk
Weaknesses: Not extremely special
Why you think you were accepted/rejected/deferred? I’m honestly surprised that I got in!

General Comments: I was rejected from the WOW program, so I really didn’t think I would get in…

Other schools you applied to and their decisions: UNC (accept), nothing else so far.

15

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1500 (740E 760M 23/24W) *didn’t send
ACT (breakdown): 35 composite (36E 34M 36R 33S 29W)
SAT II: 800 U.S. History, 740 Math Level II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.99
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/261
AP (place score in parenthesis): Stats (5), English Lang (5), U.S. History (5), U.S. Gov (5), Euro (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Art History, AP Calc BC, AP Eng Lit, AP Physics 1, AP Psych, AP French, Band (Honors)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist, AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Marching Band (Drum Major), Varsity Soccer, Mock Trial (President), NHS, World Language NHS (Officer), English NHS (President), Model UN, Jazz Band, Percussion Ensemble, Indoor Track (JV/Varsity)
Job/Work Experience: had jobs all throughout highschool; cleaned tables at a restaurant for about 3 years
Volunteer/Community service: nothing spectacular, about 60 hours throughout HS
Summer Activities: Work/schoolwork, mostly
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App: 9, very very personal/raw (subject confidential), worked through it for several months with numerous English teachers; Williams Supplement: 7, very ‘me’ but also somewhat rushed (I applied to Williams only a few days before the deadline)

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 10, from an English teacher who had me 10th grade and now, highlights so many qualities inside/outside of school, very good letter
Teacher Rec #2: 8/9, from sophomore year Euro teacher (first AP teacher), focuses mainly on academics
Counselor Rec: 7/8 I’m guessing, don’t know counselor well but I would assume they talked mostly about my rank/school stuff
Additional Rec: 8, from my VP – I am the only one in my school to have received a letter of rec from him and his position in the school system is honorable, talks a lot about academic achievement
Interview: None

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: History and Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant): U.S.
School Type: public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: upper middle (around 150,000)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None really

Reflections:

Strengths: LOTS of leadership (Drum Major, Officer, President, etc.) and very strong academic achievement, great success in a difficult course load both junior and senior years
Weaknesses: counselor rec, Williams supplement
Why you think you were accepted/rejected/deferred? Very well-rounded, great recs

General Comments: I have been chosen for the Stephen Tyng Scholarship at Williams :slight_smile:

Other schools you applied to and their decisions: Northeastern (accepted, honors college), Colby (accepted, presidential scholar), Boston College (awaiting), Tufts (awaiting), Harvard (awaiting), Yale (Deferred SCEA, now awaiting), Princeton (awaiting), Dartmouth (awaiting), Columbia (awaiting)

*Will probably update college decisions once received.

16

@l’érudite I was also given the Tyng Scholarship! :slight_smile: I couldn’t really tell… Do you know if it’s only offered to 10 accepted students each year, or there’s about 10 Tyng scholars that end up going to Williams each year (but they offer it to more people)?

I’m so excited about the opportunities the scholarship provides!!

17

@l’érudite, congratulations! Are you a legacy?

18

@eyrar99 Congratulations! To the best of my knowledge, it is only offered to about 10 every year, and as such, fewer than 10 Tyng scholars may exist in every incoming class.

Will you definitely be attending Williams?

@SkipWoosnam Thank you! I am not a legacy – my father attended SSU and my mother attended Marian Court (a 2-year college for secretary stuff that no longer exists). No one in my family has ever attended Williams.

19

@l’érudite I’m not sure – If I get into Bowdoin, Brown, or Yale, I might go there. I still might pick Williams with the Tyng scholarship over them, though! :slight_smile: What about you?

20

@eyrar99 My top choices right now are Harvard and Yale, so if I get into one of those two I’ll be picking them over Williams. If I don’t get into either of those, but into another Ivy, it’ll probably come down to money and distance.

Best of luck finding out from your other colleges!