***Official Harvard University 2018 SCEA Decisions ONLY***

Colleges & Universities Harvard University
1

<p>Hi everyone!</p>

<p>With only one week left before decisions are released, I thought I might put this up.</p>

<p>Here’s the template from last year’s thread, with some revisions. Just copy and paste the template below into your post and fill in as much information as possible. Bear in mind, the more specific your answers are, the more you help curious future Harvard applicants!</p>

<p>Also, please pledge to post your results if you haven’t already: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1571567-official-harvard-scea-2018-pledge-thread.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1571567-official-harvard-scea-2018-pledge-thread.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Remember, this thread is for results ONLY; let’s save the inevitable celebration/anguish for the discussion thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1531926-official-harvard-scea-class-2018-applicants-thread.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/harvard-university/1531926-official-harvard-scea-class-2018-applicants-thread.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Good luck guys! :)</p>

<p>

</p>

2

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): M 800 CR 800 W 780
[</em>] ACT (breakdown): Never taken
[<em>] SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (770) Literature (720) Biology – M (690)
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Do not rank
[</em>] AP (place score in parentheses): AP Gov (5) AP Psych (4)
[<em>] IB (place score in parentheses):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Micro, AP Macro, AP Calc BC, AP Stat, Physics, Western Euro Cultural Studies, Mentorship
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, Intel (submitted)</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Wind Ensemble (Principal Oboist), Orchestra (Principal Oboist), Measures for the Future (President), Economics Club (President), DECA (Treasurer), Counseling Services (Peer College Counselor)
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Research internship at prestigious lab under world-famous professor
[<em>] Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteered at Camp and Conference Center, Emily K Tutoring Center, and local elementary school
[</em>] Summer Activities: Took multiple online courses, full-time research internship
[<em>] Essays: Decent – spoke about my experience at my previous high school, which was a performing arts boarding school, and also my discovery of the field in which I hope to make my living
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: Unsure of one, but the other was probably very specific and listed me as one of the best students the teacher has had
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Decent, I’m sure
[</em>] Additional Rec: Recommendation from my research mentor – had some great things to say; One of my Harvard alum neighbors wrote me a recommendation without my knowledge
[li] Interview: Was wonderful! She said, “It was a true pleasure to meet you. Harvard would be lucky to have you, and I hope very much that they will!”</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): NC
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Public Boarding
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Income Bracket: Prefer not to say
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Strong ECs, four years of boarding school experience, research internship
[</em>] Weaknesses: APs, SAT IIs, second rec, maybe?
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I have no idea
[</em>] Where else you are applying or have already applied: UNC Chapel Hill, Wellesley, Duke, Bryn Mawr, Smith, William and Mary, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, Wharton, UChicago
[/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
None. Disappointed.</p>

3

<p>Choose One:</p>

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown):2040 (700 math, 680 writing, 660 reading)
[</em>] ACT (breakdown): (didn’t take)
[<em>] SAT II (place score in parentheses):690 Physics, 670 Chem, 640 Spanish
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):3.8
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):(not done at my school)
[</em>] AP (place score in parentheses):
[<em>] IB (place score in parentheses): Projected 39
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load:
IB Biology HL, IB Physics HL, IB Chem HL, IB Spanish SL, IB Math SL
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): All American Yearbook Award, Participation in Global Issues Service Summit
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Varsity Basketball and Soccer (Player), Junior Varsity Basketball (Captain), Community Service (Project Founder), Theater (Lead Actress in Multiple Musicals), NHS, Yearbook Club (Design Editor), Student Council (Senior Rep)
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: None
[</em>] Volunteer/Community Service: Founder of Community Service Projects, Volunteer in Multiple Church Service Activities
[<em>] Summer Activities:National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine (at UC Berkeley)
[</em>] Essays: Pretty Good
[<em>] Teacher Recommendations:Very Good
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Pretty good I think
[<em>] Additional Rec:
[</em>] Interview:REALLY Good. (My interviewer hugged me afterwards)
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant):
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): South Africa
[<em>] School Type: Private International
[</em>] Ethnicity: African American
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Income Bracket: 100,000-200,000
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: Essays and Courseload
[<em>] Weaknesses:SAT Scores, Lack of Leadership
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I needed the extra kick, and higher scores
[li] Where else you are applying or have already applied: Stanford, Johns Hopkins, U Chicago, George Washington, U IL Urbana Champaign, UNC Chapel HIll, Penn State, Princeton (maybe) U Penn (maybe) [/li][/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:</p>

4

<p>Choose One:</p>

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): Writing - 790, Reading - 750, Math - 740; 2280
[</em>] ACT (breakdown): 34 (not sure of breakdown)
[<em>] SAT II (place score in parentheses): Lit (730) Physics (770) Math II (740) US History (700)
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1st
[</em>] AP (place score in parentheses):
Psych, English Lang, Calc AB - 5s
Apush, Gov - 4s
[<em>] IB (place score in parentheses): None
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: 6 APs
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Student council (Pres) with heavy involvement all four years, NHS, Lacrosse (captain and varsity letter earner), Latin club (president), (captain) of Academic Challenge Quizbowl team, Science Olympiad, Chemistry Olympiad, Interact, Key Club, more that I am forgetting to list
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Two jobs throughout HS; internship in a cardiology department
[</em>] Volunteer/Community Service: Approx. 400 hours total
[<em>] Summer Activities: Volunteered in Costa Rica, worked, volunteered,
[</em>] Essays: I thought that they were very good.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendations: I know that they were very good.
[</em>] Counselor Rec: I know that it was very good.
[<em>] Additional Rec: From a mentor from Costa Rica - I know that it was very, very good.
[</em>] Interview: It went decently. Nothing extraordinary.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): Ohio
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket: <60k
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation college student
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: Well-rounded, heavy workload
[<em>] Weaknesses: Test scores weren’t superb, apparently other things as well
[</em>] Why you think you were deferred: I am not sure.
[li] Where else you are applying or have already applied:[/li][/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
Harvard called one of my letter of rec writers to set up an interview with her. She said that it went fantastically.</p>

5

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): M 710 CR 770 W 730
ACT (breakdown): 30 (didn’t submit)
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math I (750) Chemistry (770)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 94
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 10/107
AP (place score in parentheses): AP US (5) AP Bio (4) AP World (4) AP Spanish (4)
IB (place score in parentheses):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP Physics B, AP English, AP US Gov, AP Stats
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Hispanic Scholar, American Chemical Society Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Co-Captain of Varsity Hockey (4 years), Chess Team, Math Team, Soccer Team goalie, Robotics Team,
Job/Work Experience: Paid Tutor
Volunteer/Community Service: Volunteered Hospital
Summer Activities: 2 summers at Harvard taking General Chemistry (b+) and Organic Chemistry (B+)
Essays: Amazng – Spoke about my love for science and how I view the world in a quirky way.
Teacher Recommendations: Both amazing
Counselor Rec: I think it was good
Additional Rec: Recommendation from my Professor in Gen Chem who also is the head of the chem department at Harvard
Interview: Went pretty good
Other
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 70,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):Urm, Organic Chemistry at Harvard, and Letter of rec from head of chem department at harvard
Reflection
Strengths: Strong focus in chemistry, very good essays and subject test scores
Weaknesses: Gpa and rank could have been higher (9th grade)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: gap could be higher maybe waiting for senior year grades
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Duke, Princeton, Yale, Dartmouth, Brown, UChicago, Upenn, Cornell, Amherst, JHU, Vanderbilt, Washu, Macauly Honors, NYU, Sophie Davis, Northwestern, Rice.
General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
You need to apply to as many schools as humanly possible. The fact that I was deferred means my app was at least competitive so hopefully I will have more success in RD. With such acceptance rates below 10 percent, you need to really crank out good essays and fast.</p>

6

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown):2190
[</em>] ACT (breakdown):
[<em>] SAT II (place score in parentheses):800 770
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):4
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
[</em>] AP (place score in parentheses):555443 (2 of em i sefl studied)
[<em>] IB (place score in parentheses):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: 3 ap
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):nmsf, coding medal, science medal, ap scholar crap, etc.
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):summer programs … a lot
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: thousands of hrs
[</em>] Volunteer/Community Service:idk maybe 50?
[<em>] Summer Activities:work, summer program
[</em>] Essays:maybe 7 or 8 /10
[<em>] Teacher Recommendations:excellent im assuming
[</em>] Counselor Rec:excellent
[<em>] Additional Rec:
[</em>] Interview:excellent
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant):anon.
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type:pub
[</em>] Ethnicity:asian
[<em>] Gender:male
[</em>] Income Bracket:fee waiver
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):first gem
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths:idk
[<em>] Weaknesses:my essay
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:im asian
[li] Where else you are applying or have already applied:mit, stanford, some ivies, and many more[/li][/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: GL guys.The deferral doesnt affect me much. Its just a school name IMHO. Most of my learning from high school came from the textbook, not the teachers, not my peers.</p>

7

<p>Since i had pledged:</p>

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): never took
[</em>] ACT (breakdown): 32
[<em>] SAT II (place score in parentheses): 740, 770
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 95-ish/100
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
[</em>] AP (place score in parentheses): AP Calc AB (5)
[<em>] IB (place score in parentheses): none yet
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: IB Diploma
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Community Service (Leader), Environment Group (Leader), Student Council (Class Rep.), Debate (multiple awards), 3 sports
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: none
[<em>] Volunteer/Community Service: see above
[</em>] Summer Activities: travel
[<em>] Essays: Okay – didn’t do the optional essay
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: I think they were good
[<em>] Counselor Rec: This one i’m sure was very good
[</em>] Additional Rec: None
[li] Interview: None</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant):
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): International
[<em>] School Type: Private
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket: Wealthy
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): </p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: i don’t think i have any, to be honest
[</em>] Weaknesses: standardized test scores
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: it’s Harvard
[</em>] Where else you are applying or have already applied: Other ivies + top LACs</p>

<p>[/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
Congrats those who were accepted. Good luck to us who were deferred!</p>

8

<p>To everyone who told me I won’t get in with these stats…</p>

<p>Decision: ACCEPTED!!!</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t take
[</em>] ACT (breakdown): 30 (28,35,27,30,4!!!) In my defense, I had NO means of test preparation. I live in a country where ACT and SAT aren’t available and I took these tests in two different countries. It was very stressful so it affected my scores.
[<em>] SAT II (place score in parentheses): Physics (800), Math2 (770), Math1 (760)
[</em>] TOEFL: 633 paper-based
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): We have a different grading system. Mine was 19.30 out of 20
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/~100
[<em>] AP (place score in parentheses): N/A
[</em>] IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: In my country, we don’t get to choose our course load. It’s the same for everyone. And it’s super difficult.
[</em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): I won a few national awards but then again, I’m an international applicant so it doesn’t matter that much. I was interviewed by a language magazine in my country. I won a contest to attend a robotics program. I won a swimming competition and a few painting contests.
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): We don’t have clubs and student organizations here like in the US but I did a lot of things outside of class: I am a belly dancing instructor. I have a lot of experience in electronics and science-techy stuff. I am a good swimmer and a very good painter. I also speak four languages (I learned all the foreign languages on my own). There are other things but these were the most important I guess.
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Tutored high school students and helped them get into college (I’ve been out of school for 3 years)
[<em>] Volunteer/Community Service: We don’t have these things here.
[</em>] Summer Activities: Work, learning French, stuff like that
[<em>] Essays: Common app essay: It was very personal so I’d rather not share it here, but I think it would bring tear to your eyes.
Supplemental essays: I wrote about dancing for my extracurricular activity essay and I wrote about my love for engineering for my optional essay
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: Best recommendations anyone could ever write; seriously! And it was their first rec letter! People don’t apply to US schools here.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Spectacular
[</em>] Additional Rec: I asked an online friend of mine to write this! haha. He wrote an amazing recommendation letter for me.
[<em>] Interview: I live in a place where there are no interviewers but I was contacted by the admission office and I had a Skype interview with an adcom. It was AMAZING!
[/ul]Other[ul]
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): N/A
[<em>] Country (if international applicant): Iran
[</em>] School Type: Independent
[<em>] Ethnicity: White
[</em>] Gender: Female
[<em>] Income Bracket: Uber low
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I guess underrepresented country and unique life story. Girl interested in electrical engineering
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Essays, unique ECs, recommendations, SAT IIs (sort of), my “hooks”, good interpersonal skills that led to a GREAT interview
[</em>] Weaknesses: ACT!!!
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I guess I’m just awesome :smiley:
[</em>] Where else you are applying or have already applied: I have applied to Princeton and Smith but I’m going to withdraw my applications because Harvard it is!
[/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: </p>

<p>Words cannot describe how happy I am right now. I wasn’t even going to apply to Harvard because I didn’t believe in myself but I’m glad I applied. Who would have thought I would get into HARVARD? My mom says she used to pray that I would get into Harvard when she was pregnant with me, I guess she got her wish haha</p>

<p>This shows that people with low scores CAN get into Harvard if other factors are in their favor. DON’T come here and ask for your chances and get your self esteem shattered! I wasn’t even planning to go to college. I started this whole process in August! Do what you love, don’t do things that you think will get you into Harvard.</p>

<p>See you at Harvard next year!</p>

9

<p>Choose One:
Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2400 (first sitting)
[</em>] ACT (breakdown): N/A
[<em>] SAT II (place score in parentheses): 800 Bio E, 800 MII, 800 Chem
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 5 out of 834
[</em>] AP (place score in parentheses): 5 on 7 APs
[<em>] IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
[</em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): USABO National Finalist, Siemens National Semifinalist, National AP scholar, National Merit Semifinalist</p>

<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Chess Club (President), Math National Honor Society (President), Science Olympiad for four years, Tennis for four years (Varsity, captain, MVP), Overseas China Education Foundation
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Math instructor at a tutoring company for over a year, intern at HP during the summer
[<em>] Volunteer/Community Service: Key Club, Overseas China Education Foundation
[</em>] Summer Activities: Welch Summer Scholar (research), intern at HP
[<em>] Essays: about summer activities
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations:
[<em>] Counselor Rec:
[</em>] Additional Rec:
[li] Interview: </p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): Southern US
[</em>] School Type: Public, large, not competitive
[<em>] Ethnicity: Chinese
[</em>] Gender: F
[li] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Well-rounded
[</em>] Weaknesses: Not a great writer
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
[</em>] Where else you are applying or have already applied:
[/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:</p>

10

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown):
[</em>] ACT (breakdown): Comp: 33 (E: 35 M: 34 R: 31 SCI: 36) Super Score: 34
[<em>] SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II: (760) Chemistry (760)
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.31 Weighted (School does not do unweighted)
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2 of 120ish
[</em>] AP (place score in parentheses): Chemisty: (4) English Lit: (3 blehhh was sick that day)
[<em>] IB (place score in parentheses):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: Calc AB/AP & English Lang AP and other non AP courses
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Boy’s state delegate though wouldn’t quite call it “major.” I have a ton of local awards and leadership positions which are a big deal where I’m from though.
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Pep/concert band, jazz band, marching band (drum major for all), Soccer, Mock Legislature - a 5 school combined program - (Second ever person to be elected Governor multiple times), Science, math, and interdisciplinary academic teams (captain for all), Media Analysis club (founder and organizer), SADD (leadership team), Class President (all 4 years), Principal’s Leadership Council (N/A), and School Improvement Board.
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Soccer Ref & work for a water control systems company
[</em>] Volunteer/Community Service: Local hospital, multiple mission trips to Kentucky, mission trip to Manila, Philippines, and other stuff with my church
[<em>] Summer Activities: Summer marching band (drum major), work, Boy’s state, and leadership camps.
[</em>] Essays: One over failure, short description of an experience in Model Legislature, and I did the optional on as a letter to my roommate
[<em>] Teacher Recommendations: Great
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Interesting
[<em>] Additional Rec: Good
[</em>] Interview: I had a lawyer with the best poker face I’ve ever seen for my interviewer, so not sure how he felt about me. I definitely showed enthusiasm to Harvard though. It lasted far longer than he said the maximum time would be though, so I had hoped that that was a good sign.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): IN
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Public (never has sent a student to the “top tier” schools – no one has ever even tried)
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket: Odd income situation - so not exactly sure lol
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nada
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: Recs, and leadership capability/positions
[<em>] Weaknesses: Possibly 150 word essay and AP score/lack of school offering stuff
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
[li] Where else you are applying or have already applied: Doesn’t matter now :D[/li][/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Be yourself when applying. Do your best and pour your passion into your writing. I can’t believe I made it</p>

11

<p>Decision: Accepted!!!</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown):
[</em>] ACT (breakdown): 33 (28,36,34,33,10) (I got a 36 on the October one, but I forgot to send)
[<em>] SAT II (place score in parentheses): USH - 790 Math 2 - 730
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/281
[</em>] AP (place score in parentheses): 5s in Eng, Calc Ab, BC, Stat, History
[<em>] IB (place score in parentheses):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Eng, AP pysch, AP Physics, Multivar Calc, Linear Alg, AP Gov, Ap Italian
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): All-American Speech and Debate, Jade Award, President Award, and etc
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): President of School, and Class. Board of Ed Rep, NEHS Pres. NHS, SHS VP, MHS VP, Started NEHS in my school. Speech and debate VP, 7 years in band (French horn, trombone, trumpet), SADD Pres, Academic Challenge Pres, Tennis Varsity Captain. A LOT OF OTHER STUFF
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: I run my own website and web design company. My site piggysalary.com has over 10 million views. I make websites for law firms, restaurants, and even some political candidate.
[</em>] Volunteer/Community Service: After Hurricane Sandy i stared my own Charity raised $10,000 and got the whole school together. I have a lot of hours in church, relay for life, and etc
[<em>] Summer Activities: none
[</em>] Essays: First one was about being American 7/10. Then I wrote about leading stands on the football games 10/10
[<em>] Teacher Recommendations: All excellent
[</em>] Counselor Rec:Excellent
[<em>] Additional Rec:One from the Mayor of my town (pop about 60,000) and one from a law firm.
[</em>] Interview: Went really well!
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): NJ
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): USA
[<em>] School Type: Public, medium
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian - Filipino
[<em>] Gender: - M
[</em>] Income Bracket: Upper middle
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: ECs and Work
[<em>] Weaknesses: Test Scores.
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Well-Rounded
[li] Where else you are applying or have already applied: I got in a few rolling schools. None big names[/li][/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:</p>

12

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 800CR, 780M, 800W
[</em>] ACT (breakdown): Did not take
[<em>] SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (800), Chemistry (800), Physics (800)
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): School doesn’t calculate GPA.
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Rank not available, though I’ve been told I’m in the top 10%…
[</em>] AP (place score in parentheses): Calculus BC (5), Latin (5), Chemistry (5), Biology (5), Physics E&M: Mechanics (5), Physics C: E&M (5)
[<em>] IB (place score in parentheses): none
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: More APs, lots of english electives
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Entered Intel, results not out yet
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): president of four fairly respected activities. Principal flute/piccolo. Very consistent.
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: I always intern unpaid.
[</em>] Volunteer/Community Service: teaching English.
[<em>] Summer Activities: molecular biology research
[</em>] Essays: Wrote about my journey to embracing my race, did a booklist
[<em>] Teacher Recommendations: should be great
[</em>] Counselor Rec: i think she really likes me
[<em>] Additional Rec: didn’t submit
[</em>] Interview: We ended up talking about places he’s been. Not sure if that’s good or bad.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): MA
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Prep
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>] Gender: F
[</em>] Income Bracket: idk, but definitely not eligible for a hook
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: Testing, leadership?
[<em>] Weaknesses: I don’t really know… lack of national awards?
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Good question. I don’t know the response to this either. Maybe I appeared too generic?
[li] Where else you are applying or have already applied: Probably all the other Ivies + a few state schools.[/li][/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
Since I’ve undergone rather painful studies for 4 years at a prep school (had to decide between prep school and Boston Latin School earlier), the decision made me reconsider an abundance of things. Actually, I wouldn’t change much… my primary objective was to become a more competent person, not to get into brand-name schools. Gotta get back to my roots, y’all.
Can’t say I’m not embarrassed that I was deferred even with the 21% admit rate.
Can’t say I didn’t cry a bit.
Well, I’m off to write the many applications I haven’t started on.</p>

<p>Congrats to those accepted!
As for us deferred individuals, I’m sure the situation will work out one way or another. Believe it!
c:</p>

13

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2060 (650,750,660)
[</em>] ACT (breakdown): 32, 33 superscored
[<em>] SAT II (place score in parentheses): 750, 630
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/550~
[</em>] AP (place score in parentheses): 5 5’s, 1 4’s, 2 3’s
[<em>] IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Micro Econ, AP Macro Econ, AP English 12, AP 2D Design, AP Government, Peer Tutor/TA
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): A couple state and regional awards
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Science Olympiad (VP), Academic Decathlon (A-Team)
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Unpaid online business
[</em>] Volunteer/Community Service: 100+ Hours total, mainly tutoring
[<em>] Summer Activities: Nothing significant
[</em>] Essays: Unique, probably 7-9/10 depending on the reader. Had a bit of risk, so that might have backfired. Who knows?
[<em>] Teacher Recommendations: Two were decent. One was the best he has ever written.
[</em>] Counselor Rec: We’re fairly close. Nevertheless, I don’t think it was 10/10 quality. Probably 7-8/10
[<em>] Additional Rec:
[</em>] Interview: Went well. Overall was smooth and got to talk for a hour and a half.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): USA
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: South Korean
[<em>] Gender: M
[</em>] Income Bracket: ~ 0-30k (Financial problems)
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: Essays, GPA, class rank, rigor of classes, passionate about tutoring and helping others
[<em>] Weaknesses: SAT/ACT. I believe that there was a mistake on my Lit SAT Subject where I got 630, but oh well. I’m asking for a rescore so that’ll be useful to have later on. General extracurriculars.
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I’d say that everything was a gamble. Other people were definitely qualified. It could have been anything that the readers didn’t like, but I’m fine with a deferral I suppose.
[li] Where else you are applying or have already applied: Four UC’s, Fresno State, planning to apply to a few privates including UChicago, one of the schools I’d love to go! [/li] [/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Hey, if you’re reading this as a prospective student or a fellow deferred peer, don’t sweat it so much! I believe that we were, for the most part, all qualified and I’m sure that if you’re reading this you are too. Do your best in life because the fact that we applied proves we are successful students. And for future applicants, by all means: GO FOR IT! You never really know, that’s 100% the truth. I’m a bit bummed but I really hope that the people who got accepted enjoy their time there!</p>

14

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown):780M; 760R; 750W (9 Essay) 2290. Second attempt and single-sitting
[</em>] ACT (breakdown): N/A
[<em>] SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II 800; Physics 780
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A S. Africa works on a percentage system with an A equivalent to 80%. My ‘average’ over 10 subjects is around 94%.
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):1/153
[</em>] AP (place score in parentheses): N/A
[<em>] IB (place score in parentheses):N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: As strenuous as possible in South Africa. Two extra subjects. Maths; Applied Math; Statistics and Probability; Physical Science; Life Science; Music; History; English; Afrikaans; Life Orientation (Don’t ask about the last one :/)
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): World Individual Debating Champion '13; Second Best School’s Public Speaker in the world '13; several top 5 rankings for team debating internationally; national colours for team debating and for public speaking; gold medal and winner of chemical engineering category at a national science expo… Other than these most of my awards were only relevant to my school and direct community. </p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Debating; Public Speaking (Co-chairman of school society for 3 years); 12 years of piano; a year of organ; 4 years of singing; 8 years of flute and involvement in orchestra, jazz band and flute ensemble; member of Simply Blue, a 12-man acapella singing group (leader for one year); various other school leadership and academic forums; co-founder of my schools economics and entrepreneurship society; passionate writer; adventure sportsman… diving, surfing, kloofing etc.; school prefect… There are a couple others, but nothing majorly significant.
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: None.
[<em>] Volunteer/Community Service: Founded and managed a regional project to raise money for children affected or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS in South Africa; developed a cheap fire-extinguisher to be used in informal settlements to combat shack fires; ran several smaller charity drives over my time in high-school.
[</em>] Summer Activities: Mostly music, debating and public speaking tours… Which involved a massive amount of travel (the world is so beautiful!)
[<em>] Essays: Common Essay was really solid. Thought it was brilliant actually. My supplementary essay was quite risky - I used a variant of freudian free-association to get away with just giving them bullet points regarding who I am. Wanted them to feel like they knew me by the time they’d finished reading! I guess it worked?
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: Was given one to read after my acceptance and ended up crying. So I’d give that a 10/10. That first one was from my English teacher and public speaking coach. I’ve travelled around the world with him. The other was from a teacher I know incredibly well (maths teacher and ‘house’ director [like in Harry Potter]), and I know she took weeks to write it, so I assume it was also incredibly complimentary and supportive of my application. I didn’t attend a school that worked with the American system, so my teachers had loads of time to work on these.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: We have tutors: teachers assigned to look after us for the full duration of our time at school. So my ‘counsellor’ had known me (and walked with me, literally) for five years. I guess it would have been brilliant. I received massive moral support from my school through the application process.
[</em>] Additional Rec: N/A
[<em>] Interview: Wasn’t really sure what to think about this one! He didn’t ask any of the standard ‘why Harvard’ questions… It ended up being a really interesting conversation about a range of things. From religion, to the purpose of pain, to financial trading, to music, to debating, to the challenges facing South Africa. I really enjoyed it. Just wasn’t sure what to make of it. Also, I wore a suit, which in hindsight probably made me seem like a bit of a dick…
[/ul]Other[ul]
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): N/A
[<em>] Country (if international applicant): South Africa
[</em>] School Type: Elite, all-boys private school. Bishops (Diocesan College) in Cape Town.
[<em>] Ethnicity: White
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Income Bracket: <$70 000
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Perhaps being international? Or just being from South Africa?
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: International awards for debating and public speaking; unique essays; strong recommendations; high-academic standard relative to other South Africans
[</em>] Weaknesses: Perhaps that my only real awards are only centered on talking? :stuck_out_tongue:
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I spent years researching the application process, trying to gain understanding. And then spent dozens of hours working on my essays and my application as a whole. I discussed in detail what I wanted my recommenders to touch on, and gave a lot of thought to how I wanted to portray myself. It was mostly guess-work… but I think that the time I put into shaping my application was more important. It showed focus.
[</em>] Where else you are applying or have already applied: I haven’t applied anywhere else, and don’t think I will. But if I do, I’ll probably apply to Yale (Global Affairs and hopefully Grand Strategy look epic), Princeton and Stanford. Maybe just Yale; maybe none. I’m incredibly grateful to be in this position.
[/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: These last few weeks have been some of the most stressful of my life - and I can’t express how glad I am that this has come to a close. Congratulations to everyone who’s been accepted. To the rest, good luck. Harvard isn’t everything, and there are plenty of places you can go to make your dreams for the future come true. That said, I’m over-the-moon, and am still crying.</p>

15

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2350 (800 Math | 780 Reading | 770 Writing)
[</em>] ACT (breakdown): N/A
[<em>] SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math Level II (800) | Molecular Biology (770) | German (760) | US History (750)
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1st
[</em>] AP (place score in parentheses): World History (5) | US History (5) | Calculus AB (5) | English Literature (5) | German (5) | Biology (4)
[<em>] IB (place score in parentheses): N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C | AP Chemistry | AP Calculus BC & Beyond | AP English | AP Statistics | H Latin IV
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Latin Award | National German Award (3 years in a row) | Cum Laude Society | NMSF
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): School Newspaper (Editor-in-Chief) | School Literary Magazine (Editor-in-Chief) | Glowsticking Club (President & Founder) | Piano | Dance | Fencing | Volleyball
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Residential Counselor & Science Department Assistant at American Immersion Summer Program (at my school) | Babysitting | Commissioned to draw album artwork for a local musician
[</em>] Volunteer/Community Service: Worked in school garden | Volunteered at public library | Worked at race | Tutored children in need | Donated artwork for various charities
[<em>] Summer Activities: Traveled | Took Neuroscience Course at Johns Hopkins | Worked at American Immersion | Took course for newspaper Editors-in-Chief | Did community service
[</em>] Essays: One was about how I’m content in the “place” of translation, and the other was a list of books I’d read.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendations: One was my English teacher, and one was my math teacher. I think they were good, but I didn’t get to read them!
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Didn’t get to read it, but I think I’m close to my counselor.
[<em>] Additional Rec: N/A
[</em>] Interview: Not amazing, but not bad either.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): MD
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): N/A
[<em>] School Type: Private
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>] Gender: Female
[</em>] Income Bracket: uh
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None (if anything, my ethnicity is an anti-hook)
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: School awards?
[<em>] Weaknesses: My application might’ve seemed very one-dimensional/stuffy.
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think my teacher recs were really good!
[li] Where else you are applying or have already applied: Already applied to Yale & Princeton.[/li][/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: Congrats to everyone and got in and good luck to everyone else man you’re all gonna go far!!!</p>

16

<p>Please let this serve as a reminder to future applicants that “normal people” (i.e. no major awards, imperfect scores) CAN get admitted! I am beyond honored to be a part of such an amazing Class of 2018!</p>

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): Did not take
[</em>] ACT (breakdown): 34 (35 35 35 31 9)
[<em>] SAT II (place score in parentheses): 740 Lit, 780 USH, 800 Math 2
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Not sure how to calculate but unweighted grades have always been >97
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/345
[</em>] AP (place score in parentheses): 4 Chem, 4 USH, 5 Calc AB, 5 Lang
[<em>] IB (place score in parentheses): No
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: 4 APs - Euro, Gov, Lit, Calc BC independent study (School only offers like 9 APs total
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None except National Merit Commended and Best Dressed in my grade (haha that was pretty major to me)
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Local Youth Orchestra and Wind Ensemble (Trumpet and French Horn), Cross Country, Soccer, Marching Band (Mellophone), Robotics (Co-Captain), SGA (Secretary), School Ambassador, Board of Education Advisor, County Chamber of Commerce Leader, Mu Alpha Theta (President), National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society (both VP)
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Lifeguard, Private tutor
[</em>] Volunteer/Community Service: Tutor at the local Boys and Girls Club
[<em>] Summer Activities: Intern at a Legal Advocacy Organization in State Capitol, Girls State
[</em>] Essays: Common App about overcoming segregation in my town and Supplement about losing my best friend after HB-56 was passed in Alabama and how the experience led to my internship
[<em>] Teacher Recommendations: Got three! Didn’t get to read though
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Also didn’t get to read
[<em>] Additional Rec: About 3 pages from an alumni/family friend
[</em>] Interview: Was amazing! We really connected because he was a gov major and in the Harvard Orchestra. It lasted over an hour and he told me he was going to write me an enthusiastic recommendation. I googled him later and it turned out he is president of the Harvard Club in my area!
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): Alabama (Gotta love Crimson!)
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: F
[</em>] Income Bracket: weird situation because of a split home but not that much
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): sister attended (and just graduated Magna and won a Fullbright), endowment that provides a full ride + for anyone who is accepted and graduates from my high school, being from a small town maybe?
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: I honestly don’t know. I am speechless.
[<em>] Weaknesses: No SAT, not the best AP scores, not Captain/President of very much, no major awards
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Who knows… Luck!
[li] Where else you are applying or have already applied: Alabama and Richmond (to meet scholarship deadlines) but nowhere else now![/li][/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight: After lurking on the Early Action thread (read every single post and followed obsessively… no shame), I feel so blessed to be a part of such a genial, diverse, and accomplished class! However like I said, please let me serve as a reminder that “normal people” can and do get into Harvard. I am aware that a huge part of getting in is luck, and I know that those who have been deferred/rejected will have luck on their side for an equally amazing institution! Good luck to everyone and congrats!</p>

17

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2300 (M: 770, CR: 740, W: 790) (superscore of 3 tests)
[</em>] ACT:
[<em>] SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Chemistry
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.979
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 14/325 (unweighted), 28/325 (weighted)
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Chemistry (5), Calculus BC (5), Physics C Mechanics (5), Physics C E&M (5), English Language (5), Psychology (5), Statistics (4), US History (4)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: Computer Science Advanced Placement (AP), English IV Advanced Placement (AP), US Government Advanced Placement (AP), Biology Advanced Placement (AP), German 6 (Independent Study) (AP), Science Research Course, Health 2 (1st sem.), Engineering, Gym, University of Pittsburgh Math 0290: Differential Equations (2nd sem.)
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National AP Scholar, First Place at Regional Science Olympiad, National Merit Semi-Finalist, Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences, RIT Computing Medal Scholar
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Robotics Team (Captain), Debate Team, Frisbee Team, Science Bowl Team, Science Olympiad Team
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Research Internship at University of Pittsburgh – I sent a great supplement for this where I wrote the word “Harvard” in cursive on one of my sample’s canvas to connect two electrodes
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Carnegie Museum of Natural History Summer Camp Volunteer (>200hrs)
[<em>] Summer Activities: Andrew’s Leap at CMU (competitive computer science program), Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Sciences, Research Internships
[</em>] Essays: Common App was nice, great work experience supplement about research, mediocre additional essay about experience in India
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: Saw my physics teacher’s (amazing), my social studies teacher’s was probably great too
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Probably very good
[<em>] Additional Rec: From mentor for University of Pittsburgh internship: probably very good
[</em>] Interview: Probably not wonderful, I was a little nervous and probably sounded like a huge nerd
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): PA
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: Half-white, half-Indian
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket: $200,000
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: Research, Legacy, Recommendations
[<em>] Weaknesses: Middle-range test scores and mediocre EC’s, not too “interesting” of an applicant, class rank messed up since didn’t attend public high school for first semester freshman year, interview
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Not interesting enough
[li] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to University of Pittsburgh, applying to Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Stanford, MIT, Caltech, CMU, UPenn, Columbia[/li][/ul]General Comments: I’m just sad that I have to finish the rest of these applications now. Whatever. Don’t worry too much, just do you. :wink: Good luck to all.</p>

18

<p>Decision: Accepted!!!</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 750 Math, 780 Reading, 800 Writing (2330)
[</em>] SAT II (place score in parentheses): Biology (780), Literature (740), Chemistry (730), US History (720)
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98/4
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/154
[<em>] AP (place score in parentheses): Biology (4), Literature (5), US History (5), World History (5)
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, AP English, AP Statistics, AP Modern European History, AB Calculus, Orchestra, Band, Independent Study Biochemistry</p>

<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Harpist, Varsity Football, Volunteer for Ethiopian Aid Agency, Student Newspaper (Editor-in-Chief), Varsity Lacrosse, Model UN (Under-secretary General), Student Government (Treasurer), National Honor Society (Treasurer), Chess Club (2nd chair)
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: I play the harp at weddings and other events, as well as on the street. I worked in a deli for one summer, and recently got a paid internship at the local newspaper.
[<em>] Volunteer/Community Service: Spent two months working for an aid organization in Ethiopia, where I worked in a hospital and founded a music program for children. I also fundraise for the local food pantry, and play at nursing homes, religious centers, etc.
[</em>] Summer Activities: Last summer was the two months in Ethiopia. The recent summers prior to that I have worked as a harpist, done leadership initiatives, etc., but mostly just hang out with friends and family (usually on the beach).
[<em>] Essays: My main essay was really good I think, but my supplemental essay was probably average by Harvard standards.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: Two great recommendations from an English teacher and a Biology teacher.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Again, pretty great - only a few students from my school apply to Ivy and equivalent schools each year, so she was really behind me.
[</em>] Additional Rec: An amazing recommendation from the founder of the organization I worked for in Ethiopia. I almost cried reading it.
[li] Interview: Two interviews which I thought both went really well.</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State: Massachusetts
[</em>] School Type: Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: Caucasian
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Income Bracket: High
[</em>] Hooks: Dual-citizenship (US and Australia)</p>

<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: The harp-football combination was drawing a lot of attention before I was even thinking about colleges, and I think that versatility probably helped a lot. I also think I write well and did an overall good job on my essays. Great recommendations, but I feel like almost every Harvard applicant has those. Going back to Ethiopia to found a music program in the region where my brother was adopted from probably didn’t hurt either, but I really did that for him and the children rather than an admissions ploy and I think I conveyed that authenticity effectively.
[</em>] Weaknesses: I haven’t won any major awards whatsoever. The best I had to list were a couple school awards and the AP recognition, so that definitely didn’t help. I also haven’t had any serious work experiences, but I think the novelty of my employment as a harpist and my volunteer work compensated for that. Also, I think being a high-income white male probably didn’t help either. But I guess none of it hurt too much!
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Nowhere.
[</em>] Where else you are applying or have already applied: I applied to Princeton and Vanderbilt, and had a ton of other schools on my list, but I won’t be sending anymore applications because Harvard was always far and beyond my first choice.</p>

<p>[/ul]General Comments/Advice/Hindsight:
I just found out a couple hours ago and I still can’t stop trembling with excitement. Best wishes to everyone else applying to Harvard and other schools - I’m sure everything will work out wherever you end up. And to those reading this as underclassmen/junior hopefuls, all I can say is do your best work, because no matter how hard it is, this feeling makes up for everything. Good luck!</p>

19

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I: 2400 (single sitting)
[</em>] SAT II: 800 US History, 780 Literature
[<em>] GPA: 4.0
[</em>] Rank: 3/600
[<em>] AP: 5’s on Human Geography, US History, Government, and Language. 4’s on Statistics, World History, and Studio Art.
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus, AP Biology, AP Literature, AP Microeconomics, Adv. Physics.
[<em>] Major Awards: National Merit Semifinalist, Coca-Cola Scholars Semifinalist, National League of Cities Youth Delegate, STAR Student, AP Scholar with Distinction, City Ambassador, Regional Pageant Winner.
[/ul]Subjective:[list]
[</em>] Extracurriculars: Varsity Lacrosse (Scholar Athlete, 3x Letterman), Varsity Academic Bowl (Captain), Regional Pageant (Winner), 2 Orchestras (1st Violin), Anime Club (President & Founder), Chess Club (President), Student Government Association (Senator), City Youth Council (Social Media Chair).
[<em>] Extracurriculars that I didn’t include in my application: Art Commission Business (Founder & Commissioned Artist), Piano (8 years), Mock Trial, National Honor Society, French National Honor Society, Beta Club, French Club, International Club, Literary Magazine, Gay-Straight Alliance, Students Against Destructive Decisions (President, briefly).
[</em>] Employment: Private Tutor, Violinist, Piano Teacher. Total time commitment: 8 hrs/week.
[<em>] Volunteerism: Apprx. 300 hours, mostly spent volunteering at school-related functions (arranged through Beta/NHS), helping organize local events, or giving free musical performances.
[</em>] Summer Activities: Studied abroad in an undergraduate program and earned college credit ('12); participated in a state pageant ('13).
[<em>] Essays: I liked my Common App essay a lot. I talked about an “epiphany moment” in middle school when I realized I wasn’t as smart as I once believed. I wrote my extracurricular supplemental about playing the violin as a street musician. My optional essay was about studying abroad.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: Good, positively written. At least a couple should’ve been very good.
[<em>] Counselor Recommendation: Should be great. (I hope.)
[</em>] Interview: Went well! I had the foresight to bring a r</p>

20

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul][<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 720 CR / 800 M / 800 W (1 sitting, 2320)[</em>] ACT:[<em>] SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Chemistry, 780 US History[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): No rank, but counselor insinuated #1 in recs and SSR.[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): 5’s on: Euro, Comp Sci, Chemistry, Calculus BC, English Language, Statistics, US History // 4’s on: Bio, Enviro[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Government, Economics, Theatre I, AP English Literature, AP Physics C (Mech), Academic Decathlon (inaugural year for my school’s team), Math Tutoring[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, National AP Scholar, California Scholarship Federation (Honor Roll), Outstanding Junior Scholar (school award), Outstanding Math Tutor Medal (school award, given to 5/140 math tutors/year. only Freshmen to ever receive it).[/ul]Subjective:[list][</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Math Honor Society (various positions leading up to President 2013-2014), Weather Ballooning Organization (co-founder, we have a website and documentation and video and such), Study of the Japanese Language (2007-Now), Business that imports/exports Japanese anim</p>