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Midaji · 03-31-2009, 07:07 PM

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 800 Math, 740 CR, 720 WR
ACT: 34 (did not send in, only listed on app)
SAT II: 800 US History, 790 Math II, 800 Chinese with Listening, 780 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/850 (large public school)
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s in Computer Science, World History, Psychology, BC Calc; 4s in English Comp, US History, Spanish Lang.
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load: AP Economics (Macro + Micro), AP Gov, AP Chem, AP English Lit., Art
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Science Olympiad medals, Euro Challenge semi-finalist, National Merit Finalist, AP Scholar with Distinction/Honor (forgot which)

[ b]Subjective:[/b]

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Science Olympiad (group leader-->co-captain), Key Club (secretary--> President), Euro-Challenge, Fed Challenge
Job/Work Experience: cashier
Volunteer/Community service: Through Key Club
Summer Activities: Work for family; Key Club
Essays: Good, about personal/family obstacle, additional about my rejection from Stanford
Teacher Recommendation: one was great, one didn't read
Counselor Rec: Great
Additional Rec: none
Interview: none; I sent mine at the last minute

[ b]Other[/b]

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Undecided
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large public; mildly competitive: about 10 each year to top schools
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~60k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

[ b]Reflection[/b]

Strengths: Nice, sort of emotional essays? Focused on personal circumstances instead about my accomplishments
Weaknesses: No major awards, sports, legacies, etc. All in all a regular applicant
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to Dartmouth, Cornell, Harvard, Wesleyan, Rochester, SUNY, BC, Lehigh; waitlisted by Duke, Wash U; rejected by Stanford SCEA

General Comments: The whole process is INSANELY random. You can't try to make sense out of the process. Personally, I was really paranoid, because my financial aid forms were really really late, and HYP didn't request them AT ALL. So I figured I was ignored, but it all came out great. Interviews also apparently don't matter much; didn't have one for Yale. Don't look too far deeply into things, just relax. And if you get rejected or waitlisted by a school, it does NOT forebode your results about your reaches. Even the most insignificant things you do could be very appealing to an admissions officer; just show yourself in many dimensions. All in all, I think I'm a normal candidate who got lucky.

03-31-2009, 07:07 PM	#37
Midaji Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 98	Decision: Accepted Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 800 Math, 740 CR, 720 WR ACT: 34 (did not send in, only listed on app) SAT II: 800 US History, 790 Math II, 800 Chinese with Listening, 780 Physics Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/850 (large public school) AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s in Computer Science, World History, Psychology, BC Calc; 4s in English Comp, US History, Spanish Lang. IB (place score in parenthesis): none Senior Year Course Load: AP Economics (Macro + Micro), AP Gov, AP Chem, AP English Lit., Art Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Science Olympiad medals, Euro Challenge semi-finalist, National Merit Finalist, AP Scholar with Distinction/Honor (forgot which) [ b]Subjective:[/b] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Science Olympiad (group leader-->co-captain), Key Club (secretary--> President), Euro-Challenge, Fed Challenge Job/Work Experience: cashier Volunteer/Community service: Through Key Club Summer Activities: Work for family; Key Club Essays: Good, about personal/family obstacle, additional about my rejection from Stanford Teacher Recommendation: one was great, one didn't read Counselor Rec: Great Additional Rec: none Interview: none; I sent mine at the last minute [ b]Other[/b] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes Intended Major: Undecided State (if domestic applicant): NY Country (if international applicant): School Type: Large public; mildly competitive: about 10 each year to top schools Ethnicity: Chinese Gender: Male Income Bracket: ~60k Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none [ b]Reflection[/b] Strengths: Nice, sort of emotional essays? Focused on personal circumstances instead about my accomplishments Weaknesses: No major awards, sports, legacies, etc. All in all a regular applicant Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to Dartmouth, Cornell, Harvard, Wesleyan, Rochester, SUNY, BC, Lehigh; waitlisted by Duke, Wash U; rejected by Stanford SCEA General Comments: The whole process is INSANELY random. You can't try to make sense out of the process. Personally, I was really paranoid, because my financial aid forms were really really late, and HYP didn't request them AT ALL. So I figured I was ignored, but it all came out great. Interviews also apparently don't matter much; didn't have one for Yale. Don't look too far deeply into things, just relax. And if you get rejected or waitlisted by a school, it does NOT forebode your results about your reaches. Even the most insignificant things you do could be very appealing to an admissions officer; just show yourself in many dimensions. All in all, I think I'm a normal candidate who got lucky.
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