**WUSTL RD 2019 DECISION THREAD**

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington University in St. Louis
41

**Decision: Accepted CAS **

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I: n/a
[] ACT: 32/ 33 superscore
[] SAT II: didn’t send
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): n/a
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
[] AP scores: n/a
[] IGCSE scores: 6A, 4As
[] IB scores: 40/45; midyear was 42/45
[] Senior Year Course Load: HL Bio, Chem, Econ; SL Maths, Span Ab Initio, Eng Lit
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Not much- Grade 8 saxophone, Citywide service award (though only given to a few people)
Subjective:

[list]
[] Extracurriculars: vball, (some) soccer, several committees within school, jazzband, orchestra(s)
[] Job/Work Experience: Interned at University
[] Volunteer/Community service: a student organized citywide event which was pretty big, lots of leadership in other service
[] Essays: My common app was pretty solid- quite unique 9/10
[] Teacher Recommendations: They were probably good
[] Counselor Rec: No idea
[] Additional Rec: n/a
[] Interview: it went well! She said I’d fit into WUSTL [/ul]
Other

[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): N/a US citizen but living elsewhere
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Private
[] Ethnicity: Chinese
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: Middle Class
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):Definitely the double legacy[/ul]
Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: common app, interview and legacy?
[] Weaknesses: Probably lack of awards and extracurriculars
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I HAVE NO IDEA
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: U Minnesota, U Michigan (now) WUSTL! ; Still waiting on everything else [/ul]
General Comments:I’m so excited I have no idea what to do with myself

42

[ b]Decision: Accepted CAS**

Objective:

  • [] SAT I:2370 (800R 790M 780W 8E)
    [    ] ACT:36
    [] SAT II: Lit 800, Bio 790, Math I 770
    [    ] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
    [] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): no ranking
    [    ] AP scores: US History 5, Lang 5, French 5, AB Calc 5, Microeconomics 5
    [] IB scores: n/a
    [    ] Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, Hon World Lit, AP Stats, Multivariable Calc (graded as AP), Hon Art I, Hon French Independent Study, Modern Dance (PE)
    [] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMF, Presidential Volunteer Service Award Bronze

Subjective:

  • [] Extracurriculars: Science Olympiad team founder/competitor, Academic Decathlon captain 9th-11th grade, 7 years of ballet, NHS, FHS, Mu Alpha Theta, 3D fabrication training program, Knitting Club founder/president, writing for HS lit mag
    [] Job/Work Experience: Assistant in cancer research lab at high-ranked university (comparable to WUSTL), 9th-10th grade
    [    ] Volunteer/Community service: over 150 hrs as educational volunteer at nationally-known science museum, assorted NHS service projects
    [] Essays: CA decently well-written, funny
    [    ] Teacher Recommendations: one stellar, one good
    [] Counselor Rec: positive, described me as “high flyer” w/in competitive HS
    [    ] Additional Rec: Lead scientist in cancer lab
    [] Interview: none

Other

  • [] State (if domestic applicant): Illinois
    [] Country (if international applicant):
    [    ] School Type: selective enrollment public, #1 in state
    [] Ethnicity: white
    [    ] Gender: F
    [] Income Bracket: middle
    [    ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None, unless “girl in already-decently-balanced STEM field” counts

Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: test scores, academic record, recommendations
[] Weaknesses: Essay only decent, some lighter 12th grade classes, didn’t interview
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: test scores, academic record, recs
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/ul] Accepted UIUC Honors & UMich, deferred Yale REA, waiting for everything else
General Comments:

43

Remove the spaces in the brackets for the effect.

Results only posts please

Template:
Decision: Accepted CAS

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I: Didn’t send
[] ACT: 34 (35E, 32S, 33M, 36CR)
[] SAT II: Didn’t send
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 30/590
[] AP scores: 5 US History, 5 World History (only ones I took junior year)
[] IB scores: N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP English, Forensics, AP Micro/Macroeconomics, AP Spanish 5, AP gov, and study hall
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing major honestly. A couple tegi[/ul]
Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars: Speech team (captain), stand-up comedy (5 years total, 2 professionally), varsity XC (captain), class president, NHS (service officer), theatre (cast and student director), Envirothon, Model U.N. (president), Power of the Pen (coach of middle school team) and a student rep for school district PR department.
[] Job/Work Experience: Little under 2 years at a movie theater, about 15-20 hours a week.
[] Volunteer/Community service: I worked for a year at a tutoring program for at-risk kids in the inner city. I also have a lot of hours with GLSEN (LGBT-related group), and am a student ambassador for them.
[] Essays: Very, very unique. My common app was a big risk. I wrote about growing up gay in a Catholic family and attempting suicide, but I littered jokes from my stand up throughout.
[] Teacher Recommendations: One was an English teacher who I speak to daily. Most likely very good. The other was a junior year history teacher. Eh.
[] Counselor Rec: Better than most. I’m very persistent and see her often about college questions.
[] Additional Rec: The middle school teacher that I coach with for the Power of the Pen team. She’s known me for six years and it was a very personal rec letter.
[] Interview: Short. We joked a little bit, but it was a fairly average interview. [/ul]
Other

[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): OH
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: Male
[] Income Bracket: ~80k
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Gay? [/ul]
Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: Lots of leadership, unique EC in stand-up, and good essays. I also expressed interest by going to see their rep at my school, interviewing, and mailing a thank you note to my interviewer afterwards.
[] Weaknesses: My scores were middle of the road for them and my GPA was eh.
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Definitely my ECs and my essay.
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to OSU honors, deferred from Yale SEAS. No others yet.[/ul]
General Comments: So so excited and grateful for this blessing! WashU is my #1 and if the FinAid comes through I’ll definitely be attending.

44

Decision: Accepted CAS

Objective:
SAT I: 2260 (760R 750M 750W)
ACT: NA
SAT II: 720 Bio M, 730 Math 2, 750 US Hist
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP scores: 5 Lang, 5 US Hist, 5 Bio, 4 Euro
IB scores:
Senior Year Course Load: AP CalcAB, AP Physics 1, AP Lit, AP Gov/Econ
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): ap scholar with honor, National Merit Commended
Subjective:
Extracurriculars: Club Soccer (State Champs), Varsity Soccer (Div 1 State Champs), Big Brother (High School Mentor), Honor Chorale, NHS, Retreat Leader, Future Physicians
Job/Work Experience: Youth Soccer Referee
Volunteer/Community service: 200 hours community service, 8 week research internship
Essays: good
Teacher Recommendations: I think they were okay
Counselor Rec: good
Additional Rec: Research Mentor/Director of Program, I think probably very good
Interview: yes, it went well
Other
State (if domestic applicant): AZ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: private catholic
Ethnicity: white
Gender: male
Income Bracket: 250k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I expressed interest by visiting/touring, applying for scholarships (which I didn’t get), requesting an interview
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:Accepted at USD (merit), Barrett the Honors College at ASU (merit), and Rhodes College (Merit)

45

[ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted CAS**[/color] WOOHOO!!!

Hope this is useful to future applicants!

[ b]Objective:**
[ list]
[ *] SAT I: 2370
[ *] ACT:
[ *] SAT II: 800 math 2, 800 chem
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): no gpa in my school
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
[ *] AP scores:
[ *] IB scores: 42
[ ] Senior Year Course Load:
[ ] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/list]
[ b]Subjective:
[ list]
[ *] Extracurriculars: community service oriented; I truly enjoyed doing what I did, and did a looot of it :slight_smile:
[ *] Job/Work Experience: community service related jobs (teaching, social work)
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: ^
[ *] Essays: i did a funny one about finding acceptance by being myself! :slight_smile: it was very light-hearted, and I’m glad it paid off
[ *] Teacher Recommendations: didn’t see, hopefully good 8-9/10.
[ *] Counselor Rec: 8-9/10
[ ] Additional Rec:
[ ] Interview:[/list] requested interview, but was too late :frowning:
[ b]Other
[ list]
[ *] State (if domestic applicant):
[ *] Country (if international applicant): Asia
[ *] School Type: private
[ *] Ethnicity: Asian
[ *] Gender: F
[ ] Income Bracket: >200,000
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/list]
[ b]Reflection
[ list]
[ *] Strengths: SAT scores, consistently good grades, real dedication to community service, some leadership, worked really hard on my essays, hopefully? good rec’s
[ *] Weaknesses: being an international Asian, did not have major achievements, EC’s were not very unique-sounding haha
[ ] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I showed my love for WUSTL through the additional information in the common app! That probably made up for the lack of interview (although I demonstrated interest by requesting for it twice :smiley: ). Also applied (and was rejected) for a scholarship.
[ ] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/list] still waiting for the rest! first decision’s a good one, so relieved!
[ b]General Comments:
Congrats to all those who were accepted! I’m so excited! Will be waiting for other news to make a choice! But first one’s the charm :slight_smile:

46

Decision: Accepted CAS

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I: n/a
[] ACT: 34
[] SAT II: US History: 800, Chem: 680
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 11/~300
[] AP scores: US History: 5, Calc AB: 5, Chem: 4
[] IB scores: n/a
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Stat, AP French, AP US Gov, AP Euro, Choir, Honors English 4
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul]
Subjective:

  • [] Extracurriculars: Theater/Stage Crew, Choir, NHS, Tri-M
    [] Job/Work Experience: none
    [    ] Volunteer/Community service: 36 Hours on Navajo reservation, Jewish leadership program, NHS, Tri-M
    [] Essays: Just the common app, did the one on failure. I got a lot of help from parents and teachers, but I’m really proud of it and honestly I really like it.
    [    ] Teacher Recommendations: Glowing
    [] Counselor Rec: Probably fine
    [    ] Additional Rec: none
    [] Interview: On campus, requested the day of. It was really short, yet good.

Other

  • [] State (if domestic applicant): NJ
    [] School Type: Public
    [    ] Ethnicity: W
    [] Gender: M
    [    ] Income Bracket: did not seek aid
    [] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none?

Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: Academics, visited, went to a local info session in NYC, strong essay, dedication to my ECs (theater and choir all years)
[] Weaknesses: No real leadership positions in ECs
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: No aid needed, strong academics, luck
[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Into Rutgers Honors College, Deferred at UChicago, Rejected from Swarthmore[/li][/ul]
General Comments: Really happy! Teared up during musical practice!

47

Decision: Accepted CAS

Objective:

[ul]
[] ACT: 36 (Single sitting): 36W, 36M, 36R, 35S
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 3%
[] AP scores: APHG (5), Lit (5), APUSH (4), APMacro (4)
[] IB scores:
[] Senior Year Course Load: Calc BC, English 4 Honors, AP Stats, AP Lang, AP Physics 2, AP Chem
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] National Merit Commended? Does that even count?
Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars: Science Olympiad (Captain), Knowledge Bowl (Proxy captain lol), Peer Counseling program (Exec Board), NHS, dance, a couple of small things
[] Job/Work Experience:
[] Volunteer/Community service: Youth Frontiers (did an interview with them and worked pretty intimately w/ the org. for a bit), Key Club
[] Essays: Absolutely awful. I’m convinced they didn’t read mine otherwise they wouldn’t have accepted me. 3/10 at best.
[] Teacher Recommendations: Should be reasonably good. Submitted 3. One from a math teacher, one relating to my major (sociology), and one from my Sci Oly Coach and teacher
[] Counselor Rec: Should be pretty good-we talked quite a bit this year.
[] Additional Rec:
[] Interview: Wasn’t offered one and I kind of freaked out because lots of other kids in my area were offered interviews. So future kids, don’t worry too much-interviews tend not play a huge role. A great interview won’t save you if your application is weak and a particularly poor interview won’t ruin your chances. I’m sure that differs to some degree from school to school, but that’s what I’ve learned based on my experience. [/ul]
Other

[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): Minnesota
[] Country (if international applicant): USA
[] School Type: Medium size public, around 350 kids in my grade.
[] Ethnicity: Chinese lol. As if there aren’t enough qualified asian-american kids applying.
[] Gender: Female
[] Income Bracket: No F/A
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Brother attended WashU. [/ul]
Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: ACT/GPA
[] Weaknesses: Everything else-Essay for sure, volunteering and extracurriculars. Didn’t express much interest either.
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Scores and sibling legacy probably
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: let’s not [/ul]
General Comments: Congrats to everyone who was accepted, maybe I’ll see you next year! To those who were waitlisted: If this is your first choice school-let them know. Email them and express your continued interest and dedication to WashU. Best of luck. To those rejected: It’s a crapshoot. It really is. In four years you will not trade your experiences at whatever you school attend for anything in the world. And if you really are unhappy-there’s always transferring. It’s corny- but what undergrad you attend isn’t the most important thing about you. It’s who you are, what you do, and how you treat others. But of course that’s not what you want to hear; it’s still early-have hope. I really just got super lucky with WashU and had the sibling legacy. Some things work out, some things don’t. There’s lots of things I would have changed (and that I DID change after submitting) about my application, but it seems to have worked out alright. Good luck to everyone.

48

Congrats to all of those accepted! To those rejected or waitlisted, don’t be too hard on yourselves. WUSTL is within the top twenty schools in the country, and I highly respect you all for taking the risk and doing all of the work that it takes to apply, admitted or not.

49

Congrats to everyone who got in! I got waitlisted but it don’t even matter because I got into Harvard and I got a full ride to a state university! So I probably wouldn’t have gone to WashU anyways!

50

Decision: Waitlisted SEAS

Objective:

[ul]
[] ACT: 32 C (34 E 32 M 30 R 30 S 8 W - 31 E/W), 33 C Superscore (34 E 34 M 32 R 30 S 10 W - 33 E/W)
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.91 (3.9 after first semester senior year)
[] Rank: 32/1000, (42/1020 after first semester senior year)
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit, AP Comp Sci A, AP Calc AB, AP Environmental, AP Micro and other regular-level classes
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None… but have general ones like Illinois State Scholar, NHS, Spanish Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, school honor roll[/ul]
Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars: track & field, business club, engineering club, peer tutoring, relay for life (team captain), outside physics class
[] Job/Work Experience: internship at a national science lab, cashier at McDonald’s
[] Volunteer/Community service: hospital volunteer (120+ hours), tutor at elementary school
[] Essays: common app was okay maybe 7 or 8/10
[] Teacher Recommendations: didn’t see
[] Counselor Rec: didn’t see
[] Interview: asked for one too late, but an admissions person put a note in my file saying I had requested for one, which demonstrated interest[/ul]
Other

[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): IL
[] Gender: Female
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Absolutely none[/ul]
Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: nothing really… maybe class rank and demonstrated interest. I visited campus going into junior year and requested for an interview.
[] Weaknesses: ACT scores, weak extracurriculars w/ no leadership
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I probably wasn’t rejected because I showed interest
[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: University of Alabama (full tuition), SUNY at Buffalo (merit), CO School of Mines (merit), University of Delaware (merit + honors), University of Dayton (merit + honors), Iowa State University (full tuition), LSU (merit), Missouri S&T (merit), Tulane University (merit); still waiting on Syracuse and Tufts[/ul][/li]General Comments: If you have stats like mine, be sure to strengthen your extracurriculars and leadership! If you do that and show demonstrated interest, I think you have a pretty good shot of getting in.

51

Accepted CAS! I also received a travel grant to see the school for free (although I don’t know whether or not this was extended to everyone)! I will post a comprehensive reflection of my stats and extracurriculars in April after all of my decisions come out in order to maintain my anonymity until then. Just a quick overview: 2310 SAT (one sitting), 4.0 UW / 4.87 W, 1/304 UW / 4/304 W, and focused extracurriculars in the history and political science fields.

52

Decision: Accepted CAS

Objective:

  • [] SAT I (breakdown): 2280 (760/760/760)
    [    ] ACT: 35
    [] SAT II: 800 Math II, 720 US History, 720 Biology M
    [    ] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
    [] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/822
    [    ] AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB (5), Chemistry (5), European History (5), US Government & Politics (5), US History (5), Biology (4), Statistics (4), Microeconomics (3, lol…didn’t report this)
    [] IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
    [    ] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C: Mechanics and Electricity & Magnetism, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Psychology, Honors Anatomy & Physiology, orchestra
    [] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Harvard Book Award, National Merit Finalist

Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Service Club (President), School Orchestra (Concertmaster), Youth Orchestra (Violist), National Honor Society (Chair), Mu Alpha Theta, Research at local medical center
[] Job/Work Experience: Violin Teacher
[] Volunteer/Community service: Hospital Volunteer, tutoring for underprivileged children
[] Summer Activities: Did a summer camp at a top university, but didn’t mention this in my application at all
[] Essays: Common App was okay, probably a 7/10.
[] Teacher Recommendation: Math teacher - probably very good, 10/10. He really loved having me in his class and said he would write me as many recs as I need. English teacher - probably good, but generic, since many students go to her. 8/10.
[] Counselor Rec: He likes me, so hopefully it’s also good.
[] Additional Rec: n/a.
[] Interview: n/a[/ul]
Other

[ul]
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[] Intended Major: Biochemistry
[] State (if domestic applicant): Ohio
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Public
[] Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported):
[] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): Asian
[] Gender: F
[] Income Bracket: 250k
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): LOL[/ul]
Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths:
[] Weaknesses: Test scores, GPA, cookie-cutter-Asian-ness
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted UVA Echols Scholar, OSU Honors, Miami of Ohio Honors/Premedical Scholars, Deferred Princeton SCEA
Still waiting on a few more schools :)[/ul]
General Comments:

53

Decision: Accepted CAS

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I: Never took
[] ACT: 34
[] SAT II: 770 Chem, 760 Bio M, 750 USH
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.89
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): no rankings
[] AP scores: 5 Spanish, 5 English Lang, 5 US History, 4 Euro, 4 Chem
[] IB scores: N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Bio, AP Calc AB, Level 4 CA in Jazz Studies (100 minutes a day, 1/4 blocks-this has been the case throughout my high school career, and is why I didn’t take more AP’s-- my schedule wouldn’t allow it. Also, my school places a cap on 3 AP classes per year per student), Spanish 3031 at local University
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Minor Awards (hahaha)? 1st Place State US History competition, 1 time gold and 2 time silver medalist in National Spanish Exam (2nd Place in State for Spanish V), Scholastic Writing Awards honorable mention, AP Scholar of some sort
Subjective:

[list]
[] Extracurriculars: Student Government Association (Executive Treasurer), Science Olympiad (co-Captain), Varsity Football, Young Republicans Club (Founder in a very liberal school), National Honor Society
[] Job/Work Experience: I play the saxophones in a jazz/funk band; we gig around and make pretty decent money; I love it. I sent in a picture with my app.
[] Volunteer/Community service: Very, very little
[] Essays: Good. In my CA Essay, I wrote about the effect music has had on my upbringing
[] Teacher Recommendations: Both should have been 10/10. They are amazing teachers who have not only taught me but served as mentors in my other activities.
[] Counselor Rec: Really good 10/10. He likes me a lot and really wanted the very best for me.
[] Additional Rec: From UPenn head of physical chemistry department. I’m guessing pretty good
[] Interview: It was a little rushed, but it was a good conversation nevertheless. 6-7/10.
Other

[list]
[] State (if domestic applicant): LA
[] Country (if international applicant):
[] School Type: Public Charter Magnet
[] Ethnicity: White
[] Gender: M
[] Income Bracket: Too High for FA
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/ul] Absolutely none
Reflection

[list]
[] Strengths: I would like to think that I am a unique applicant. I attend an inner-city charter arts school, play the saxophone in a funk band, direct the orchestra for school musicals, am involved in nearly everything my school has to offer, and I show passion for an eclectic subset of activities.
[] Weaknesses: Since I spend so much time in school, between my studies and the 10,000 other things I am involved in, I don’t do much outside of school.
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I showed immense interest in Wash U. I officially visited back last February, attended an information session there, attended a session at my school and at a local hotel, got to know my rep very well (and made sure she would be able to put my face to my name), and communicated with her and the office a lot. Wash U is very big on expressed interest. Also, a lot of luck!
[] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Auburn University. Waiting on a bunch of others. I was really surprised how early these decisions came!
General Comments: Wash U was the very first school I ever visited. I would be honored to be a Wash U Bear. I was born in St. Louis, and even though I haven’t lived there for nearly 16 years, I love the city and can totally see myself there for four years. Best of luck to all future applicants, and those on the waitlist.

54

l

55

WAITLISTED (Engineering)

[ b]Objective:**
[ list]
[ *] SAT I: 2370 Superscore (770 M 800 W 800 CR)
[ *] ACT: N/A
[ *] SAT II: Math 2 790 Biology E 800
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.15, unweighted unknown but probably 3.95 or so, It got dragged down by an overly difficult PE class in 10th grade. That PE (yes, physical education) was the bane of my academic record.
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Not ranked. Would be 1, but again the PE class dragged me to 3rd out of 30 or so students, so my counselor suggested that since they don’t officially report I should not report it on the application. I think he mentioned this in the counselor recommendation though.
[ *] AP scores: Computer Science A 5 Biology 5 US History 5
[ *] IB scores: N/A
[ ] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB, AP Statistics Online, AP English Literature, Honors Physics (No AP available), some electives
[ ] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/list] Not many other than NMS commended student and the boring AP scholar one.
[ b]Subjective:
[ list]
[ *] Extracurriculars: Violin for a long time, youth orchestra, founded a club at my school for using 3D printers, making stuff on my own with 3D printer, martial arts, track for a few years, lights/sound for school plays for two years. Also went to a summer youth conference on the constitution with a full scholarship summer of 10th grade.
[ *] Job/Work Experience: None
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: Food and clothes closet for a few months (I stopped because I wasn’t really of much help, e.g. they had to save work for me to do), tutoring elementary students at the local library
[ *] Essays: Just the common app one. Again, not sure what to put here. Wrote about my varied interests from being a kid to now.
[ *] Teacher Recommendations: One is definitely really good, no idea on the other one but I can’t really see it being bad. I don’t read any recommendations so I can’t say for sure.
[ *] Counselor Rec: Should be good, he talked to one of my teachers who helps with my club meetings.
[ ] Additional Rec: None, at least not for Washington University.
[ ] Interview:[/list] It was alright, wasn’t nearly as good as my MIT/Harvard ones because it was really REALLY short (there were a ton of people at the school that day all getting interviewed, it was less than fifteen minutes long). Could have been better. It was also one of my first interviews so I was pretty nervous. If it wasn’t clear I did it on campus.
[ b]Other
[ list]
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): California
[ *] Country (if international applicant): N/A
[ *] School Type: Very small private
[ *] Ethnicity: White
[ *] Gender: Male
[ ] Income Bracket: High
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/list] Not really.
[ b]Reflection
[ list]
[ *] Strengths: SAT, GPA, and I thought the essay was pretty good, although obviously not good enough? Also have some interesting extracurriculars and some leadership experience.
[ *] Weaknesses: Not very much volunteering, VERY small school doesn’t very many opportunities, academic or otherwise (for example, barely any APs at all so I couldn’t take AP Physics/Chemistry). Also, my ethnicity/gender cannot have helped.
[ ] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: No idea. I showed quite a bit of interest. There isn’t really a way to tell, and it’s times like these where I wish that the admissions would leave comments on why you did/didn’t get in.
[ ] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/list] Just Cal Poly SLO Engineering acceptance right now, but they didn’t require an essay. Also Baylor, but I am almost certain I would choose Cal Poly over them. Deferred EA to MIT and Caltech, hoping very much to get into those but I highly doubt it at this point. I’m just irritated that in order to get to other schools’ decisions where I have a shot I have to get through the Caltech/MIT near-certain rejections later this week.
[ b]General Comments: Congratulations if you got in. Don’t take it lightly.

56

Decision: Waitlisted SEAS

Objective:

  • [] SAT I: 2280 single and only sitting (700 R, 800 M, 780 W)
    [    ] ACT: 35 single sitting (35 R 34 M 35 W 36 S)
    [] SAT II: 720 Math II, 640 Lit
    [    ] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.76/4.0
    [] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 15% out of ~400
    [    ] AP scores: 5 Lang, 5 Spanish, 4 US History, 4 Gov
    [] IB scores: 35/42
    [    ] Senior Year Course Load: APCS, IB Design and Technology, AP Stats, and two college courses
  • Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None really

Subjective:

  • [] Extracurriculars: Internship @ local startup (10 hrs/week), youth symphony (highest level, 5 years), chess club (president), DECA (medaled in every competition so far, and just qualified for ICDC this coming April! That didn’t make it onto the app in time though hahaha), varsity badminton
    [    ] Job/Work Experience: Internship (see above), private chess tutor, freelance piano accompanist
    [] Volunteer/Community service: AP Institute, pit orchestra for local ballet
    [    ] Essays: Alright, maybe 7/10? CommonApp was definitely on the shorter side.
    [] Teacher Recommendations: 10/10 and 9/10, both knew me really well.
    [    ] Counselor Rec: 7-8/10. She’s new to our school this year so we didn’t get a chance to talk very much.
    [] Additional Rec: None, but should have tried for one- got really close with a WUSTL professor this summer at camp.
    [    ] Interview: N/A

Other

  • [] State (if domestic applicant): WA
    [    ] Country (if international applicant): N/A
    [] School Type: Public
    [    ] Ethnicity: Asian
    [] Gender: Female
    [    ] Income Bracket: Under $100,000
    [] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: Demonstrated interest (kept contact with professors, went to High School Summer Scholars), chess maybe? Honestly don’t know.
[] Weaknesses: Grades for sure. SAT subjects were a disaster. Not much volunteering, also didn’t apply for the scholarship…
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: See weaknesses!
[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: This was the only decision I’ve gotten so far![/li][/ul]

General Comments: Huge congratulations to all who were accepted! :slight_smile: To any younger students browsing this - don’t underestimate your high school classes and slack off. Best of luck to everyone!

57

** Decision: Rejected CAS**

Objective
SAT 1: 2370 (Superscore: M 800, CR 780, W 790), 2350 (Single: M 800, CR 760, W 790), took it twice (junior 2210 and senior 2350)
**SAT Subject Tests: **Chemistry 740, Math II 800, Biology M 800
**ACT: **Did not take
**GPA: **3.86/4 UW, 4.02/4 W (all six of my Bs were from freshman year, straight As afterwards including senior year)
Rank: School doesn’t rank
AP: Spanish Lang (5), Biology (5)
IB: School doesn’t offer
**Senior Course Load: **AP Economics, AP English Lit, AP BC Calculus, AP Spanish Lit, Advanced Journalism, AP Physics C
**Major Awards: **National Spanish Exam Gold Medal Levels 3 and 4, National Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society, World Language Department Award, NSPA Pacemaker Award (awarded to newspaper, not individual)

Subjective
Extracurriculars: Young Scholars Program at UC Davis (selective research summer program), LGBT teen-counseling group, Co-President of Spanish Club, VP of healthcare-related club, 300 hours of community service at blood center and hospital, Board Member of community service club, Photo Editor in school newspaper, Piano
**Job: **Was a dental intern at a dentistry
**Essays: **Talked about being gay on Common App essay, supplemental essay about my views on science (~2000 words and had a very obvious typo)
**Teacher Recs: **Submitted three, not allowed to read them, but my teachers all love me.
Counselor Rec: Large school with overworked counseling, so don’t really know
Hooks: Sent a science research supplement through Slideroom with an evaluation from the grad student I worked with, being gay may have helped with diversity…
**Interview: **N/A

Other
**State: **CA
**School Type: **Large Public School (a little less than 2000 kids)
**Ethnicity: **Asian
Gender: Male
Applied for Financial Aid: Yes

**General Comments/Reflections/etc.: **I feel like I should’ve focused more on my passion in Spanish. I’m also an Asian male who wants to be a doctor, so I’m totally breaking the mold and flouting society’s stereotypes.

58

r=green][ b]Decision: Accepted SEAS**[/color]
[ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted Olin**[/color]
[ color=green][ b]Decision: Accepted Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts**[/color]
[ color=orange][ b]Decision: Waitlisted CAS**[/color]
Decision: Waitlisted SEAS
[ color=orange][ b]Decision: Waitlisted Olin**[/color]
[ color=orange][ b]Decision: Waitlisted Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts**[/color]
[ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected CAS**[/color]
[ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected SEAS**[/color]
[ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected Olin**[/color]
[ color=red][ b]Decision: Rejected Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts**[/color]

Objective:

[ul]
[li] SAT I: 800 M 800 CR 730 W[/li][ *] ACT:
[ *] SAT II: 800 M2 750 Physics
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
[ *] AP scores:
[ *] IB scores:
[ ] Senior Year Course Load: Ap Physics 1, 2 AB Calc, English H, AP Spanish, Engineering H
[ ] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):[/ul] Presidential Scholar Nominee
[ b]Subjective:
[ list]
[ *] Extracurriculars: A little above average high school stuff
[ *] Job/Work Experience:
[ *] Volunteer/Community service:
[ *] Essays: Common app 9/10, WUSTL supplement 6/10 I think this is what killed me
[ *] Teacher Recommendations: Both really good
[ *] Counselor Rec: 7/10
[ ] Additional Rec:
[ ] Interview:[/list]
[ b]Other
[ list]
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): MA
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: Rich public suburb of Boston
[ *] Ethnicity: White
[ *] Gender: M
[ ] Income Bracket: Applied for FA
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):[/list] Expressed good interest
[ b]Reflection
[ list]
[ *] Strengths: SAT, interest, essay
[ *] Weaknesses: Not that strong for chosen major/school
[ ] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Chose engineering
[ ] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:[/list] CWRU, McGill
[ b]General Comments: Bummed out because WashU was my first choice

59

Decision: Rejected CAS

Objective:

[ul]
[] SAT I: 2350 (800 M 760 CR 790 W)
[] ACT:
[] SAT II: Bio (800) Math II (800) Chinese (800) USH (790)
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9-something
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/262
[] AP scores: 5’s on Bio, APUSH, Lang, Chinese, APES, APCS
[] IB scores:
[] Senior Year Course Load: Most rigorous available
[] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): USABO Honorable Mention (top 50), CONRAD innovation semifinalist, a bunch of state science awards (merck scholar, NJSL state champ), some regional MUN awards, qualified for ACSL nationals[/ul]
Subjective:

[ul]
[] Extracurriculars: Chair of largest student-run MUN conference in the nation, vp of MUN in our school, NHS executive board, research club vice prez (published DNA sequences in NCBI), newspaper editor, math team (top scorer for math league, but i’m not that good at math), president of ACSL, JV track, columbia SHP
[] Job/Work Experience: Research intern at a Rutgers lab, co-authored paper but didn’t mention, private tutor
[] Summer: med intern at university (9th grade), Biomed academy at Penn (10th grade), prestigious TASP-like summer program (11th grade)
[] Volunteer/Community service: coordinator of Day of Service for YMCA, tutor underprivileged kids at youth ministry, private tutor, TA at Chinese school (most of these didn’t fit into my app)
[] Essays: Common App: 8.5/10, wasn’t going to knock anyones socks off but well written and distinctly me
[] Teacher Recommendations: Both should have been glowing
[] Counselor Rec: Eh. If he knows anyone it would be me.
[] Additional Rec: Nada
[] Interview: lmao [/ul]
Other

[ul]
[] State (if domestic applicant): NJ
[] Country (if international applicant): USA
[] School Type: public
[] Ethnicity: asian
[] Gender: male
[] Income Bracket: financial aid=0
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): how bout anti-hook? [/ul]
Reflection

[ul]
[] Strengths: objective stats, awards, maybe leadership?
[] Weaknesses: didn’t do anything insane, being asian. ZERO DI. literally least amount of shits I could ever give to a university. I was even contemplating lying about the application fee waiver loool (though I know someone who actually did and he got in).
[] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I feel like lack of supplement meant I couldn’t give them the full picture. Also no interest though would’ve at least expected a waitlist…
[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at Rutgers (Full ride @ Honors College) and Umich, deferred Princeton SCEA[/ul][/li]General Comments:
eh never wanted to go anyway, later nerds

60

Anybody else hoping their acceptance wasn’t a fluke? I keep checking my email to see the “oops! We meant to reject you!” email aha