Official Harvard University 2016 Early Action Decisions Thread
Ten days to go! Here's the template we'll be using for posting decisions and stats; credit to felixfelicis for it. Copy and paste this into your reply, and you're set. Please try to keep this thread clean until you're actually notified- discussion will carry on in the discussion thread.
I'll keep track (or try to) of the acceptances/deferrals/rejections. No matter what, everyone here will end up at a great school and will go on to do great things.
SAT II: Math II: 800, Chemistry: 800, US History: 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1? (No rank)
AP (place score in parenthesis): Stats (5), Biology (5), Chemistry (5), Environmental Science (5), US History (5), BC Calc (5), Spanish Language (5), Physics C (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Chemistry, AP Psychology, Econ/AP Econ, AP Physics C, AP Computer Science, AP English, Stanford Math 51
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None?
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Key Club (District Projects Chair), NASA Internship (Astrophysics), Stanford Internship (Radiology/Cancer Research), Math Club (Publicity Chair), Clarinet / Alto Saxophone, Relay for Life (Team Captain, Youth Chair, Accounting Chair)
Job/Work Experience: Private Math Tutor
Volunteer/Community service: Key Club (700+ hours)
Summer Activities: Key Club, Relay for Life, Private Tutoring, Enjoying Life
Essays: Decent, but definitely not the best.
Teacher Recommendation: Did not read.
Counselor Rec: Did not read. Probably not very intimate (I don't know her that well)
Additional Rec: Key Club & Research Mentor
Interview: Okay
Other
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public, highly competitive
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: I don't know. 150k+?
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None.
Reflection
Strengths: Academics? Leadership?
Weaknesses: Essays, Awards, Uniqueness as an Asian
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Stroke of luck
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: SCEA, so I did not apply elsewhere.
General Comments:
TOTALLY Unexpected! Congratulations to everyone else who was admitted, and good luck to all Regular/future applicants!
Last edited by theshadowunicorn; 12-15-2011 at 10:02 PM.
Reason: Server Lag, edited post.
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): I don't know, weighted=4.299
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 12
AP (place score in parenthesis): APUSH (4), APLang&Comp (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load: History of Genocide, Contemporary Issues, AP Calc BC, AP Euro, AP Physics B, AP French, AP Lit&Comp, H Latin 4 (our school doesn't offer AP Latin)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NHS, French NHS, Latin NHS
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Debate (Captain for 2nd year), JSA (Membership Secretary, President), Academic Team (Secretary, Treasurer, Captain), Secretary of Senior Class
Job/Work Experience: Market Research Place for 30 hrs a week
Volunteer/Community service: Church (3 hours week, play guitar in the youth group band and teach kindergarden)
Summer Activities: UChicago Summer Program, Work at a Country Club, took Macroeconomics at county college because they don't offer econ at my school
Essays: they were great, had them read by mommy's friends who are deans at other colleges
Teacher Recommendation: these were great
Counselor Rec: I'm not sure, but I'm sure it was good
Additional Rec: none
Interview: went great, we connected quickly, also, it was my friend's dad
Other
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: under 75k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, half-first gen
Reflection
Strengths: EC's, also that I could keep good grades with working 30 hrs
Weaknesses: grades
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: deferred because of grades, also, I made a spelling mistake, oops..also, I think the URM helped
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: no where yet
General Comments: I'm just really surprised I wasn't rejected
Too tired to post full stats but I got deferred. I am honestly not impressed by the fact that 2/3 of the applicants were deferred. Don't appreciate the game Harvard is playing here...
SAT II: 800 Math Level II, 800 Physics, 800 Chemistry, 800 World History, 790 Bio E
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/300
AP (place score in parenthesis): Bio (5), Physics B (5), Chem (5), World Hist (5), Microecon (5), Macroecon (4).... All self-studied - No APs offered at school
IB (place score in parenthesis): Don't have it at my school
Senior Year Course Load: Most rigorous possible
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 1st place in several well-recognized international business competitions, 3rd place in an international innovations competition (competed with adults), Own a Patent, Won around $5,000 from all the different competitions.
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Business (Business Owner), Writing (Published Author), Student Govt. (Class President), Yearbook (Head Writer), Drama (Director, Actress-won award, Editor), Band (Keyboard Player), Tennis
Job/Work Experience: Research internship with the University of Chicago (100 hours), intern at a pediatrics clinic (200 hours), work at local library (50 hours)
Volunteer/Community service: Start an initiative to help rural farmers gain more wealth (increase income 20 folds), start a small-scale cooperative and rural social security system for farmers, volunteer E-Learning elementary teacher at a temple school, Raise funds to build libraries and playgrounds for poor children.
Summer Activities: A combination of extracurriculars, working, and community service.
Essays: Awesome. ComApp about farming initiative (9/10), Short Answer about business (9/10), Harvard supplement essay about savings, my goals, and why Harvard (9/10)
Teacher Recommendation: Superb. Both are Best Student in Teaching Career (10/10)
Counselor Rec: Awesome. We are close and she likes me (10/10)
Additional Rec: Awesome. From a government officer + Fulbright Scholarship Admissions. Said that I was in the top 1% even among Fulbright candidates (10/10)
Interview: Great! We discussed apps for about half an hour then went on to talk about random things for almost 2 hours.
Other
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Thailand
School Type: Public
Ethnicity:Thai
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: mid income
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None or maybe about my unique background
Reflection
Strengths: Well-rounded, Unique ECs, Unique life experiences, Recommendations, lots of community service, Clear goals, passion, and character. (I think the application reflect who I am very well)
Weaknesses: Unhooked International Applicant from a not so well-known school.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have a good life story, I guess.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Harvard is the first place I heard from
General Comments:
I'm so ecstatic right now. My school has sent less than 5 students to a top-10 school and Thailand has only like 20 people who has ever got in Harvard College. So, I'm super excited to add to the list.
And for others:
Think positive and believe in yourself. I thought I was gonna get deferred because although I have a pretty good application (I think), I am still an unhooked international applicant (and what more, Asian! lol ). But I got in! So, believe in yourself and go for it!
SAT II: Math II - 800, Chem - 780, US History - 720
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.95
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):30/222
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chemistry-5, BC Calculus- 3 (AB subscore 4), US History-3
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, AP US Government & Politics, AP English, AP Statistics, and Applied Differential Equations at Oregon State University
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, National Honors Society, i-Sweeep semifinalist, Eagle Scout
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Boy Scouts (patrol leader) [as i said before Eagle Scout], tennis [placed top sixteen in the state for singles, was varsity for all four years of high school], cello (co-principal of Camerata, 1st desk in local youth symphony) [made the Allstate Orchestra];
Job/Work Experience: Worked in a research lab at Oregon State University for 2 months.
Volunteer/Community service: Over 300 hours
Summer Activities:I trained at Weil tennis academy and participated in research internships.
Essays: My supplement essay was decent, my common app essay was crap (thank goodness for common app replicates )
Teacher Recommendation:I think they were good (I'll never know though)
Counselor Rec:I think it was good
Additional Rec:
Interview:I was interviewed by a former Harvard admissions officer and I thought it went extremely well
Other
State (if domestic applicant):OR
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Medium Public
Ethnicity: Asian, White
Gender:Male
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
Reflection
Strengths: Extra Curriculars
Weaknesses: Class Rank, Essays, AP Scores, Half Asian
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Location: If at first you don't succeed, then you're not cut out for Plano. --> Cambridge, 2012
Posts: 88
My mind is crying
Decision: Accepted
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2210 (forgot my subscores)
ACT: 35
SAT II: US History (790), Literature (750)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.5+
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): less than top 0.5% (uncomfortable revealing rank); class size: 1300+
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Biology (5), AP World History (5), AP European History (5), AP Human Geography (5), AP US History (5), AP English Language and Composition (5), AP Studio Art (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load: 8 AP classes + etc
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Community Trustee Awards, international finalist in an art design contest (H&M), three time winner in an international art contest, Academic World Quest** (5th»2nd [B team! A team went to nationals and won first!]), national laureates for AATF National Examination in French, National Merit, National AP Scholar, SMU Hart Global Leaders Forum, Gold Key for South Art Region-at-Large for Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, Texas French Symposium, Future Business Leaders of America, Visual Art Scholastic Event of Texas Art Education Association, local visual art competitions, AATF (North Texas) awards, UIL Social Studies, school awards… (published artist/writer), exhibited art in galleries, art scholarships, a lot of design awards // contacted by Sears (9th grade) and Youtube (12th grade) about design/art/animation, etc (those ventures never went anywhere LOL)
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Director of Public Relations, 12th), Asian Culture Club (Officer of Public Advertising, 10th), Peer Tutoring Society (Vice President), Art Club/National Art Honor Society (President, 12th)… Habitat for Humanities, Future Business Leaders of America, Student Congress: Community Service Committee, etc. ...designed websites, business cards, logos, etc., online shop
Job/Work Experience: writer for major newspaper (11th), intern at local art cooperative (12th), own artist business (8th-12th), entertainment website (12th)
Volunteer/Community service: 380+ hours, participated in online auctions to raise money for Sichuan relief (my parents are from Sichuan), silk-screened shirts for Red Cross Japan earthquake relief, Backpacks for Peace! (just started helping this one this year!)
Summer Activities: ACIS: Travel is Education scholarship, Project: Open Door Scholar to Rhode Island School of Design Pre-College (6 weeks, full scholarship), SMU: Meadows School of the Arts Pre-College (2 weeks, full scholarship), Marie Walsh Sharpe Summer Seminar Alternate (60 juniors/rising seniors from across the nation), produce merchandise/artwork to sell at local venues/conventions, Princeton Creative Arts and Humanities Symposium (80 seniors from across the nation)
Essays: Left with a willing editor for any future book ventures (haha) -- they were both very "vonnegut"y? one was about classrooms, geography, maps vs. globes, and culture. the other was about glenn beck, my dad, and globalization.
Teacher Recommendation: Both from teachers with whom I ADORE AND LOVE AND ADMIRE AND MENACING AFFINITY, ETC
Counselor Rec: My counselor abhors me.
Additional Rec: Writing (published articles) -- one of them was about the college admissions process! i was sure H was going to reject me after reading it lol IT WAS TERRIBLE LOL
Interview: sociology/philosophy/business major told me I had a “good chance”, my resume may just pop, that he’d do his best to help me get in (crossing his fingers for me dec. 15th), and to keep in mind that it’s a crapshoot (he was rejected from his first choice, stanford - “everything will be okay”)
Other
State (if domestic applicant): Texas
Country (if international applicant): (born in NZ >> Australia >> Canada >> Texas), US citizen
School Type: Large public high school that sends a reasonable number of kids to the Ivies each year
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: female
Income Bracket: <60,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation in the US (so, none, basically); my dad lives in Beijing (?)
Reflection
Strengths: CRYING (i think i did really well on my interview? i basically told him everything i couldn't get on the app - that i had bought french books from friends in france, because of my boner for art history/hugo, etc, that i had found an unabridged french version of les mis and had read it along with the english version, that i just loved comparing languages with my friend - i would read her translations (since they were not available in english) THINGS, BASICALLY)
Weaknesses: CRYING (SO MANY)
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: CRYING
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: MY WHOLE BRAIN IS CRYING
General Comments: SO MUCH CRYING
Last edited by pylades; 12-15-2011 at 11:23 PM.
Reason: SCREAMING INTERNALLY
Sorry this isn't very detailed... my mind is completely blown and I don't have the attention span to write out everything D: I apologize
Decision: Accepted
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2370 (780/790/800)
ACT: n/a
SAT II: Math II 800, Chem 750
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.6 (my school doesn't do unweighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top decile (no rank either, sadly)
AP (place score in parenthesis): European History (5), Chemistry (4), U.S. History (5), Literature (5), BC Calculus (5), French (4), U.S. Government (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra & Differential Equations, Engineering, AP Physics C, AP Computer Science, AP English, AP Spanish
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, AIME Qualifier, AP Scholar with Distinction? I dunno
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Speech and Debate (founder, captain and student coach), Varsity Math Team (President and captain), NHS (Chapter Project Committee Chair), Tutoring (President of an online tutoring program), Karate (black belt), Piano, a bunch of languages
Job/Work Experience: Internship with a law firm last summer, lots of paid and unpaid tutoring experience
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer tutoring, assorted community service projects through NHS
Summer Activities: Harvard SSP, law firm internship, MIT SSP, traveling
Essays: pretty solid, I thought. I wrote about my love of speaking x)
Teacher Recommendation: only saw one of them, but it was fantastic; I was really flattered.
Counselor Rec: we have a great relationship, so probably strong.
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: thought it went terribly, actually - I was so nervous I was shaking.
Other
State (if domestic applicant): Massachusetts
Country (if international applicant): n/a
School Type: Charter
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: ~80k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): legacy...?
Reflection
Strengths: Objective things, I guess. Scores and whatnot. And leadership, maybe?
Weaknesses: No focus; none of my activities really had much to do with my intended concentration.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Pure, unadulterated luck.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: n/a
General Comments:
I have never been this happy in my entire life I'm ecstatic. Congratulations to everyone else who was accepted - see you in the fall!
To those of you who were deferred, I wish you the best of luck - and I know every single one of you will succeed wherever you go. You're all amazing people, and I appreciate being able to stress out with you through every second of this process.
Last edited by strangecharm; 12-15-2011 at 11:25 PM.
Reason: disclaimer
ACT:31 (33 super scored) -35 English, 26 math, 34 reading, 30 science, new 33 in math
SAT II: Math II: 730, Chemistry: 630, English: 680
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.54
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 68/986
AP (place score in parenthesis):Stats (2), Chemistry (3), Environmental Science (4), US History (4), English Language and Comp. (5), Psychology (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:AP Bio, AP Calc AB, AP Chinese (taught after school), AP Physics B, AP English Lit, Hon Mixed Chorus
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Achievement Semifinalist, NSLIY study abroad Scholarship winner, AP Scholar w/ Distinction, Illinois State Scholar
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):GCCLCC (President), NHS, Math Team (Rank 12th in City), Bio Olympiad Team (Founder and Cap), Chem Olympiad Team (Founder and Cap), Science Olympiad Varsity, Chess Team Member, Science Fair (State almost all years), Fair child Challenge (1 yr), MCTA State Bronze Medalist for Chinese Speech Contest, 13 Science Olympiad medals (8 firsts, 2 State)
Job/Work Experience:Mentoring Cousin, taking care of siblings (have a single parent)
Volunteer/Community servicenly 93 hours of work...
Summer Activities: Studied Chinese at DePaul (w/ credits), U of Chicago (w/ credits), East China Normal University (in Shanghai, via scholarship), independent science research and bible study
Essaysecent; completely out of the box though (one was long and a collage of emails, thoughts, conversations, and school projects I'd done)
Teacher Recommendation:1 Stellar, 1 ok, one BEAST LIKE from my science mentor, One very insightful and also BEAST LIKE by my host dad from China
Counselor Rec:Lukewarm
Additional Rec:Already listed in Teacher section
Interview: ok
Other
State (if domestic applicant): IL
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:Public, competitive
Ethnicity:African/American
Gender:M
Income Bracket: ~42,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):URM, first generation, english is not my first language though I was born here, low income, have a single parent (mom) who has 4 kids
Reflection
Strengths:Obvious OP EC's, really touching essay about how screwed up my life is family wise, but still trying to make the best of it, and Hooks.
Weaknesses:Scores (I sent my SATII's blindly...), Grades (1 F, 5 C's, long story)
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:To be honest, these grades and scores are weak. If I can bump it all up, then Reg Desc. should be easy for me.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:SCEA, so I did not apply elsewhere.
General Comments:Decision: Deferred, My vice principal said he'd write me a rec. Hmm... This is harder than I thought, having all these advantages and still... For full list of stats, read my other posts.
Last edited by Oluwamide; 12-15-2011 at 11:45 PM.
Reason: Better Format
SAT I (breakdown): dont remember. 2050. didnt submit.
ACT: 35
SAT II: 800 math 2, 780 chem, 780 bio e
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8 uw, 4.45 w
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 9 out of 430
AP (place score in parenthesis): 8 APs 2 3s, 3 5s, 3 4s
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: 5 APs and an arts class for a-g for uc
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): uhhhh, rank 11 in the nation for fbla? almost national qualifier for USACO
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): president for 2 years of environmental club, officer team of engineering club, member of FBLA, various competitions related to clubs that i have leadership in
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: tutoring, and i mean like CRAZY
Summer Activities: COSMOS before senior year, USC Frontier of Energy Resources before junior, both years did alternative energy research
Essays: i liked common app, and supplemental was pretty good as well
Teacher Recommendation: must have been great, since i have very close relationships with the teachers i asked, and even read one teacher's previous rec for a summer program
Counselor Rec: must have been good too, my counselor is blown away by my schedule every year
Additional Rec: didn't have one
Interview: domestic applicant and didnt even have one, i think i'm gonna request one now that i'm deferred
Other
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public, thinks its good, but its really not >.<
Ethnicity: Mixed Asian/White and i put both on app
Gender: F
Income Bracket: ~100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): uhhh, female engineering?
Reflection
Strengths: i dont think i really have anything that stands out against 2400s + 4.0s. i felt like an interview and my essays could have cleared that up.
Weaknesses: now that i'm deferred, i think everything was a weakness
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: eh.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: NOWHERE. WHEEEEEE.
SAT I (breakdown): 2170 CR: 760, Math: 700, Writing: 710
ACT:
SAT II: French 780, Math II: 730, Lit: 740
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.61
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): somewhere betwen the 20-40 percentile
AP (place score in parenthesis): French (4), World History (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: School doesn't do APs, but all AP-level classes
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Hispanic Scholar, Grand Concours - National Laureate (national French exam), National Merit Commended, Gold Level - President's Volunteer Service Award
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): assistant editor of online magazine, swim team (club, 4 years), piano (14 years), leader of Asian affinity club at school, tutoring
Job/Work Experience: internship for African organization over the summer, worked at summer program at high school
Volunteer/Community service: assistant editor position is volunteer, tutoring is all volunteer
Summer Activities: internship at African organization, traveled to Senegal for a month, volunteered at summer school for underprivileged children
Essays: weren't my best ever, but I thought were pretty good
Teacher Recommendation: very good - I never saw them, but I picked teachers who really liked me
Counselor Rec: great - he knows me very well.
Additional Rec: founder of online magazine wrote me a rec
Interview: great - he said that he thought I'd be a great candidate for Harvard at the end, and we had a great conversation
Other
State (if domestic applicant): WA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Asian and Hispanic
Gender: F
Income Bracket: >100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM (Hispanic), kind of legacy b/c dad went to business school
Reflection
Strengths: recommendations, interview, essays
Weaknesses: GPA, SAT
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I don't have a 4.0, and my SATs aren't stellar. But they obviously saw potential, I'm guessing in my recommendations and interview.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
General Comments: I'm completely okay being deferred. Of course, it would be nice to be accepted, but this is basically where I saw myself anyways.
SAT I (breakdown): 2290 (800 CR, 690 MA, 800 WR), Single-Sitting
ACT: Didn't take.
SAT II: 790 Literature, 790 U.S. History, 780 Biology E
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 21/613
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (5), Psych (5), Bio (4), U.S. History (4), English Comp (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Japanese, AP Euro History, AP Calc AB, AP Government, AP Macro, AP Physics B, Newspaper Production, Track and Field, Theater Productions
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NROTC Scholarship (Designated to Harvard/MIT detachment; ISR), Okinawa Peace Scholar, Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellow, Reischauer Scholar, National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar with Distinction. E in C of a nationally-recognized student publication, winner of regional newspaper internship, essay exhibited in local museum for a spring season.
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Track and Field (Letterman from 9th onward), Newspaper (Staff Writer in 9th, Editor-in-Chief from 10th to 12th), Student Government (Class Rep in 9th, President in 10th), NHS (President in 12th), Studying Japanese (Self-studied grades 2 and 3 after foreign exchange; accelerated to AP Japanese- fourth-year course- this year), Latin Club (Secretary in 9th-10th, VP in 11th). I play video games and watch anime. I'm a dorkface.
Job/Work Experience: Freelancer for largest metropolitan paper in a major city.
Volunteer/Community service: I hold babies! Working the nursery at my church, caring for infants and newborns. I organize obligatory NHS events; Food Bank, local hospitals, a number of different charities.
Summer Activities: Road trips and assorted fun stuff. Won a scholarship to go on a foreign exchange in Okinawa for the summer of '10; two months of life as a high school student in beautiful Naha! The following summer, I spent a month at the Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Institute through yet another competition/scholarship. It's freaking awesome. Look it up ;D
Essays: Personal statement was about being a werewolf for Halloween in the first grade/marching to the beat of my own, ill-constructed drum. Generally detailed my passion for defying the expectations of others, having my own weird sort of fun with life. No one edited it, so I was nervous about that essay's quality. Additional essay was really raw; about a relative who is a sex offender, and the criminal/fringe nature of my family at large, and how I use the filial love I have for them to understand and empathize with all others who seem to be written off by society at large.
Teacher Recommendation: I picked the teachers who have known me the longest. They've seen me at my best and my worst, but, almost four years down the line, are almost like a second set of parents to me. Didn't read them, but I trust that both were honest and lovely.
Counselor Rec: I'm in a very large school, so I asked an AP that I've actually spoken with to write it, as opposed to the counselor I scarcely see or talk to. It was vague, but good-hearted.
Additional Rec: I asked an adviser from a summer activity to write one. I have no idea if it ever actually arrived or was considered.
Interview: Awesomesauce. We hit it off, big time. And totally disagreed on politics and religion in the process. Gave me an amazing feeling about Harvard in general
Other
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Ice, Ice, Baby. (VANILLA~)
Gender: Arguably female.
Income Bracket: < 100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Parents went to CC; one dropped out. No real hooks here.
Reflection
Strengths: Long-term investment in ECs/athletics and a number of national awards; many geared toward my interests (EAST ASIAN STUDIES FTW).
Weaknesses: WOE, 690. Mediocre rank. Some 'meh' AP scores. Lacking volunteerism. Brunette.
Why you think you were accepted: Because the Lord works in mysterious ways. I don't feel nearly special enough for this.
Where else were you accepted: Baylor University. Two years ago, I didn't think I would be accepted there.
General Comments: To every student reading this thread for some sort of formula for acceptance (as I did for many months; not gonna lie), please take my worn-out advice: DO WHAT YOU LOVE. Really. I never had a plan for high school, and I never saw this coming. I didn't understand the weighting of courses when I moved to a large city and a much larger school, and by the time I did, I only knew that to have the experiences I wanted- to become an exchange student in Japan, to be a leader in the extracurriculars I loved, to pursue athletics- I wouldn't want to spend my time whoring out for APs I had no interest in. Harvard wants a narrative; a personal journey. Don't compromise on your passions- however silly- or on the things and people you love. They define you and make for far more interesting essays and interview conversations than anything a transcript could inspire. Also- to all my Christian, conservative, ROTC-aspiring peers out there: yes, there is apparently a place at Harvard for you, too
Last edited by theagentofchaos; 12-16-2011 at 12:02 AM.
SAT II: Chem:800 / MathII: 800 / World History: 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.271
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Does Not Rank, Valedictorian
AP (place score in parenthesis): 9 X 5 (Chem, World, Physics Cs, US, Bio, Calc BC, HumanGeo, English Language)
Senior Year Course Load: 4 APs, 3 College Courses, Orchestra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Siemens Award of AP, USABO Semis, USNCO Finalist, Some Debate stuff, Some Spanish Stuff, Top-10 Quiz Bowl team in the nation, Science Olympiad Nationals Medals, Etc.
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Quiz Bowl (Captain, All-Star), Science Olympiad (President), Spanish Honor Society (State VP), Debate, Student Government (Chairman), National Honor Society (President), JETS (Founder, President)
Job/Work Experience: - None, I'm an Asian Male -
Volunteer/Community service: ~500 total, I ran summer camps for disadvantaged children and volunteered at a blind school
Summer Activities: Volunteering, chilling, Governor's School
Essays:Good, I guess, I mean, they got me in.
Teacher Recommendation:Generically Good
Counselor Rec:Excellent, I am her Aide
Additional Rec: None
Interview: Went really well, was told that I was the best applicant he's ever interviewed
Other
State (if domestic applicant):-Not Telling-
Country (if international applicant): USA! USA! USA!
School Type:Public, top-100
Ethnicity:Asian
Gender:Male
Income Bracket: 100,000 - 150,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nope
Reflection
Strengths: Test Scores, GPA, Awards, Rec Letters, I guess Essays (I liked my essays, they were really unique)
Weaknesses: Asian Male, 2 legacies applied from my school....
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Who knows?
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nowhere!
General Comments:
OH MY GOD. It's been hours and I'm still in shock. I've talked to my relative in about 6 countries and screamed until my voice is sore. I'm really shocked I got in, and I can't wait.
I's just like to say, that while I'd like to see every single one of you deserving applicants in Cambridge next year, the competition is though. Don't worry about Harvard, until a few hours ago, I couldn't care less about my decision, I was content with my state school. To all the admitted students, I'll see you in September and in Visitas. All the deferred students, hold out hope. I know that I'll see some of you! Remember that there are plenty of other great schools (including that one in New Haven). Rejected Student, the same goes to you. Harvard didn't deserve you anyway. Future applicants, good luck! I don't know what else to say.
I feel like I'm rambling here... That's all guys, I'll see CC later. To celebrate/study for finals now.
idn't take it
nly 93 hours of work...
