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Nocturne · 12-15-2008, 10:31 PM

Deferred

Stats:

SAT: 800/800/800 (80/12) (Ironically enough, I just got my QAS results and I apparently got every question on the entire test right - some good it did me)
SAT II: Chem 800, Math II 800, US History 800
ACT: 36
GPA: 4.000 unweighted
Rank: 1 of about 200
Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): five APs, 5s on all (several self-studied); AIME 5 (not that great for MIT, I know, but I just want to be a chem/bio major!)

Subjective

Essays: I felt pretty confident about the short ones, and thought that the long one was fairly good, but I don't have anything to compare them to. Perhaps not creative enough? A friend of mine wrote hers (for a different school) about how her car wouldn't start in the morning - I just discussed an influential person in my academic career.
Teacher Recs: I haven't read them, of course, but to my knowledge both individuals considered me highly.
Counselor Rec: New counselor for the year - tried to get to know as much as possible, brought resume and packet of related material to her, talked about it - I don't know what I could have done better.
Supplementary Material: Interview was over three hours long, and we got along really well. My EC even let me borrow a (really awesome) book about MIT's hacks for two weeks. I don't know how much of a role the interview plays, though. I also included a bunch of clarifying material on various features of my application - I hope the extra information didn't disadvantage me, in terms of time to read it (?!)
Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize): I'm not female, URM, or particularly athletic.

Personal

Location: Midwest
High School Type: public, suburban, ~1,000 (rapidly growing, hence the seemingly low graduating class size)
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Male (yes, the kind subject to 9.1% admit rates last year, and probably even worse this time around)

Other

Extracurriculars: I didn't found a charity or discover a new species of lizard or become a multimillionaire - is that what I was 'supposed' to be doing? Short of that, though, I did pretty much everything I could - strong, multi-year commitments in about half a dozen activities that I really enjoy, less major ones in a few others (not for resume fluff - I just didn't have time to get more involved), research, a few hundred hours of community service, part-time job.
Awards: NMSF, Eagle Scout, AP Scholar with Distinction, some random other stuff, but nothing super-high level as of the time of application.
Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?: I don't understand what I did wrong, or failed to do right for that matter. I've wanted to go here since my fifth grade year, and through tons of college research, that has never changed. Ultimately, a demographic bulge and a terrible economy are collaborating to ruin the plans I have tended so carefully for so long.... I feel absolutely horrible.

12-15-2008, 10:31 PM	#49
Nocturne New Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 19	Deferred Stats: SAT: 800/800/800 (80/12) (Ironically enough, I just got my QAS results and I apparently got every question on the entire test right - some good it did me) SAT II: Chem 800, Math II 800, US History 800 ACT: 36 GPA: 4.000 unweighted Rank: 1 of about 200 Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): five APs, 5s on all (several self-studied); AIME 5 (not that great for MIT, I know, but I just want to be a chem/bio major!) Subjective Essays: I felt pretty confident about the short ones, and thought that the long one was fairly good, but I don't have anything to compare them to. Perhaps not creative enough? A friend of mine wrote hers (for a different school) about how her car wouldn't start in the morning - I just discussed an influential person in my academic career. Teacher Recs: I haven't read them, of course, but to my knowledge both individuals considered me highly. Counselor Rec: New counselor for the year - tried to get to know as much as possible, brought resume and packet of related material to her, talked about it - I don't know what I could have done better. Supplementary Material: Interview was over three hours long, and we got along really well. My EC even let me borrow a (really awesome) book about MIT's hacks for two weeks. I don't know how much of a role the interview plays, though. I also included a bunch of clarifying material on various features of my application - I hope the extra information didn't disadvantage me, in terms of time to read it (?!) Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, Nobel Prize): I'm not female, URM, or particularly athletic. Personal Location: Midwest High School Type: public, suburban, ~1,000 (rapidly growing, hence the seemingly low graduating class size) Ethnicity: Caucasian Gender: Male (yes, the kind subject to 9.1% admit rates last year, and probably even worse this time around) Other Extracurriculars: I didn't found a charity or discover a new species of lizard or become a multimillionaire - is that what I was 'supposed' to be doing? Short of that, though, I did pretty much everything I could - strong, multi-year commitments in about half a dozen activities that I really enjoy, less major ones in a few others (not for resume fluff - I just didn't have time to get more involved), research, a few hundred hours of community service, part-time job. Awards: NMSF, Eagle Scout, AP Scholar with Distinction, some random other stuff, but nothing super-high level as of the time of application. Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?: I don't understand what I did wrong, or failed to do right for that matter. I've wanted to go here since my fifth grade year, and through tons of college research, that has never changed. Ultimately, a demographic bulge and a terrible economy are collaborating to ruin the plans I have tended so carefully for so long.... I feel absolutely horrible.
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