Essays: My CA essay was a response to visiting the land of my ancestors.
Teacher Recommendation: Good, but nothing spectacular.
Interview: Out of all my interviews, this was the worst. It just goes to show how little they effect your admission decision.
Other
State (if domestic applicant):New York City
School Type: Catholic
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: Male
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM
Reflection
Strengths: Essays, grades and achievements in Track and Field
Weaknesses: Standardized test scores
Where else were you accepted/deferred/denied: Accepted: Princeton, UPenn, Brown, Georgetown, UChicago, Emory, Williams and Swarthmore / Waitlisted: Dartmouth and Columbia / Rejected: Harvard, Yale and Stanford
General Comments:
I'm grateful to have been accepted. And without a doubt, my writing was a key factor in my acceptance.
SAT I (breakdown): 2350 Superscore, 2300 one sitting (770 M, 790 CR, 790 W, 12 Essay)
ACT:
SAT II: 800 Math II, 790 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):1/105
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):45/45 Predicted
Senior Year Course Load:IB Maths HL, IB Economics, HL, IB History HL, IB English SL, IB Physics SL, IB French Ab Initio SL
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):Cambridge Top in India in IGCSE in IT, felicitation with ex-President in India for achievements in Indian development (microcredit), Times of India Student of the Year, Selected to be part of the official Indian delegation to the 2nd Preparatory Conference for Sustainable Development, chosen to go to Wockhardt though leadership Conference where I had personalized time with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Muhammed Yunus, South Asian Leadership Conference, Many MUN awards
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):President and Founder of Eutopia, a microcredit organisation that has lent hundreds of thousands of dollars
President and Founder of Project Synergy, a network of schools and organisations that work towards sustainable development, over 30 schools and 1300 volunteers.
Editor-in-Chief of School Newspaper
Economics Club President
Head Boy
Varsity Tennis for 4 years
Job/Work Experience: Internship at ASA Bangladesh, for microcredit
Volunteer/Community service: See Eutopia and Project Synergy
Summer Activities: ASA Internship
Essays: Excellent
Teacher Recommendation: Excellent
Counselor Rec: Excellent
Additional Rec: None
Interview: None
Other
State (if domestic applicant): GA
Country (if international applicant): India (US Citizen attending High School overseas)
School Type: Independent
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <30,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
Reflection
Strengths: Unique Extracurriculars, Essays, a great Journey
Weaknesses: No Hooks
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Perhaps I should the Stanford "entrepreneur" spirit. Either way, I'm immensely thankful.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Stanford (w/Likely), Brown, Dartmouth, LSE (UK), UCL (UK), Northwestern, Berkeley, UCLA, Warwick (UK), University of Edinburgh (UK)
Waitlisted: Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Cornell, UChicago
Rejected: Harvard, UPenn
General Comments: To all accepted, a great journey awaits you. To those rejected/waitlisted: The most important thing is hope. I know its hard but don't lose it. Ever.
Senior Year Course Load:AP (Government, English Lit, Statistics, Physics B, Calculus AB), Academic Decathlon
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):National Merit Commended, National Achievement Finalist/Scholarship Winner
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):Key Club(Treasurer/Secretary), Ambassador Club(Officer), Academic Decathlon (Co-Captain)+several medals, Mayors Youth Commitee (Vice-President), Governor's Youth Commission (Member), Library Advisory Board, Youth in Philanthropy, District College Readiness Advisory Board, National Soceity of High School Scholars, French Club (President), Deca.
Job/Work Experience:N/A
Volunteer/Community service:200+ hrs
Summer Activities:Volunteered at local library, summer leadership program at local instate university
Essays:Common App: Good Supplement: Good, could have been better ( a little too weird maybe)
Teacher Recommendation:1) From APUSH & Acdec Coach: good/informative/positive 2) From Anatomy & Chemistry Teacher: Never saw it, but assume it was nice as well.
Counselor Rec:Amazing
Additional Rec:Nope
Interview:Good, It was a little strange. My interviewer asked me almost no questions, I basically interviewed him on Princeton.
Other
State (if domestic applicant):AZ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:Public
Ethnicity:Black/African
Gender:F
Income Bracket:~60,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):URM
Reflection
Strengths:Voice/Essays, Letters of Rec, Community Involvement
Weaknesses: Gpa/Test Scores, maybe interview?
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:I don't Know. I really loved Princeton, and thought I had a chance. But overall, I'm glad I wasn't rejected.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:Accepted: Cornell ILR, UPenn Wharton, Dartmouth, Duke, Williams. Waitlisted: Harvard, Princeton, Columbia Rejected: Stanford
General Comments: I loved Princeton, but Princeton did not love me enough. Its okay though, I've moved on.
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chem (4), World (5), Bio (5), USH (5), Eng Comp (5), Calc BC (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP phys, AP Lit, AP french, AP COMPSCI, AP USGov
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): all-state piano, intel, ap scholar w distinction
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): piano (All-state, won county competition, play for jazz band, chorus, orchestra, recitals, pit band, accompanist, piano teacher), running (varsity xc captain, varsity winter and spring track, coaches award 2011), school newspaper (editor-in-chief, layout editor, staff writer), student gov (vice president), summer internship (physics), violin (all-county one year), Tri-M
Job/Work Experience: piano teacher (2hrs/week)
Volunteer/Community service: ~200 hours
Summer Activities: summer science program & research internship (intel semi)
Essays: about piano- was good, alittle long though
Teacher Recommendation: Math teacher was prob good (never read), Chem teacher was a little weird but good
Counselor Rec: prob a little above average
Additional Rec: from my coach- heard it was really good
Interview: yes
Other
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: asian (-1)
Gender: male (-1)
Income Bracket: ~120,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection[list][*] Strengths: essays/ academics/ ecs[*] Weaknesses: maybe recs/ perhaps essays if the committee wasn't so liberal, long CA essay[*] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: because of who I am[*] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: accepted to dartmouth, pomona, swarthmore, wesleyan, urochester, rejected at princeton, yale, stanford, brown, columbia
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 700 CR, 790 M, 690W
ACT: N/A
SAT II: Biology M: 790, Chem: 740, Math L1&2: 800, U.S. History: 690, World History: 700
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): not reported... probably around 3.8-3.9?
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): not ranked
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Biology (5), APUSH (4), AP English Lang. (5), AP Chemistry (5), AP World (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP English Lit., AP Statistics, AP Calc BC, AP Psych, AP 2D Design (independent study), Honors Spanish 5
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar w/ Distinction, NJ Governor's Scholar (for engineering and technology), SWE Certificate of Merit, two essays published (including common app one) with Editors Choice Award
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Marching Band (mentor), Spanish Club (secretary, fundraising committee), NSHS (historian), NHS, NAHS, NMHS, Peer tutor (math, spanish, ESL, science), MUN, Interact & Able, FCA (discussion leader)
Job/Work Experience: None :'(
Volunteer/Community service: Basically every extracurricular, volunteer at food pantry and run drives for them, assistant teach for ballet and catechism classes
Summer Activities: Summer Institute for the Gifted (Princeton), Governor's School for Engineering and Technology (Rutgers)
Essays: philosophy of walking (result of injuries), and a very very detailed Why CMU
Teacher Recommendation: really awesome from english teacher, good from physics teacher
Counselor Rec: super awesome!
Additional Rec: Gov School Director (Rutgers Admissions person)
Interview: Very good, but not my best
Other
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Moderately competitive public
Intended Major: Mechanical Engineering (hopefully double major in Astrophysics)
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: too much yet not enough :'(
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): female engineer, research experience
Reflection
Strengths: I think my interest was very genuine and my essays were really unique. Honestly CMU is what I would be if I were a university, so I'm happy that really came through!
Weaknesses: SATs... I never liked standardized tests...
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Because I'm Scottish :P But really, I don't know... it was so competitive this year I'm ecstatic that I was accepted!! I think it probably is because I sent in an arts supplement (with a few obviously Pittsburgh pictures) as an engineering applicant?
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: Rutgers, Villanova, Lafayette, Lehigh, Carnegie Mellon & Cornell; Rejected Princeton & Duke
General Comments: Honestly, I wasn't expecting to get in... I have dreamed about attending Princeton since I was 8 (my uncle was a physics professor at Pton for a while) but I don't fit into the student body too well... It still would have been a dream come true to get in! But it makes my decision a heck of a lot easier! Congrats to everybody who was accepted!! And to everyone else who didn't get in: you're still going to go places, maybe one day you'll be waving a nobel peace prize in the admission comittee's faces! (jk, don't do that, it'd be rude)
SAT I (breakdown): 2380 Total, 800 M, 800 W, 780 CR.
ACT: -
SAT II: 800 Chem, 800 Bio, 800 Math II.
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): -
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 1%.
AP (place score in parenthesis): All self-studied. Grade 9: Macroeconomics (5), Microeconomics (5), Statistics (5). Grade 10: Biology (5), Environmental Science (5).
IB (place score in parenthesis): Math SL (7), French SL (6). Predicted: English HL (7), Chemistry HL (7), History HL (7), Physics SL (7).
Senior Year Course Load: IB English HL, IB Chemistry HL, IB History HL, IB Physics SL
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Two international science fairs (no Intel), gold medal at national science fair, provisionally patented research filed by a hospital, national/international media exposure, top honors in a national biology competition.
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Science research (11-12), a lot of public speaking (10-12), music in a pre-professional wind orchestra (9-12), member of school DECA chapter (9-12).
Job/Work Experience: Intern at a bank for one summer (after grade 10), research student another summer (after grade 11). Both paid.
Volunteer/Community service: Council for a regional student program for a charity (10-12, Chair in 12), fundraising and awareness for the disease I do research on (raised a few thousand) (11-12).
Summer Activities: Each job took up one summer each, worked full-time. Grade 10 summer was spent at Shad Valley. Did nothing in grade 9 summer.
Essays: Worked on them all summer. Have something like 30 drafts of each essay. Best pieces of writing I've ever done. Talked about how I saw the people side of research after meeting the patients that my work impacted, sketchy Chinese takeout food, and the importance of childhood.
Teacher Recommendation: Chemistry teacher said research was at a Master's thesis level. English teacher's was absolutely glowing.
Counselor Rec: A bit generic, but very long and based on what she heard from my teachers. Really good considering we talked maybe three times throughout high school.
Additional Rec: Research mentor said I was doing research at a comparable quality and level to her Master's and PhD students.
Interview: Phone interview. Short, but it went pretty well. Maybe 25 minutes.
Other
State (if domestic applicant): -
Country (if international applicant): Canada.
School Type: Public magnet.
Ethnicity: Asian.
Gender: Male.
Income Bracket: ~$100,000.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None.
Reflection
Strengths: National/international science awards and media coverage, whole application showed passion for the disease I work on (research, public speaking, fundraising). Good objective stats with early self-studied APs.
Weaknesses: Only one major leadership position, almost no ECs outside of my passion area, not involved in the school at all.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: True passion for research and for the impact science can have on people was able to shine through. That's it.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Early action acceptance at Yale, likely letter from Harvard, regular decision acceptance at Princeton. Rejected from Stanford (international asking for aid).
General Comments: Tried too hard to be that kid that was the president of all the clubs, etc in the first two years of high school, but began research in grade 11 and discovered my passion. My entire application was essentially built on my final two years. Realized it's so key to find what you love and just do it - regardless of when you realize or how do you realize it, you'll end up a better person whether you get into your dream school or not.
Hope this is at least somewhat helpful to future applicants. I know I went through countless posts like this one over the last few years so I figured I had to return the favor. You really don't need to be the president of 6 clubs or whatever and chair five committees to get into a good college - however cliché it is, just do what you love to do, and the rest will come.
AP (place score in parenthesis): English 3, Calculus BC, Pre-Cal
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Career Prep, Restaurant Management (Pointless), Gov./Eco., Forensic Science, Calculus BC AP, English 4 DC, Theater 2
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Texas State Champion in English at Beta Convention, Regular Regional Qualifier in U.I.L. Ready Writing/Journalism events
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Youth Representative of Church, Member of Youth Praise Band, Mu Alpha Theta Club (Pres.), Beta Club (Pres.), National Honor Society, Young Ambassador in JCC, U.I.L. Ready Writing, News Writing, Feature Writing, Headline Writing, One Act Play, Theater in general
Job/Work Experience: Intern at City Hall in my home town
Volunteer/Community service: Frequent work with church mission projects
Summer Activities: Work at church including repair work, mission projects, organization, VBS, etc.
Essays: My saving grace. I can't screw up an essay.
Teacher Recommendation: Would've been great.
Counselor Rec: Also great.
Additional Rec: Also great.
Interview: I actually thought I came across as a nervous wreck, but it either didn't matter/didn't go like I thought.
Other
State (if domestic applicant): Texas
School Type: Public - Rural Community
Ethnicity: Whitey
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $70,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Had to be extracurriculars/essays.
Reflection
Strengths: Essays, rec. letters, extracurriculars. My personality had to come off really well.
Weaknesses: My only perfect scores were on my reading and writing ACT's. I'm no super genius.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I honestly have no clue whatsoever. Must have been a God thing.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to Baylor, UT Austin Liberal Arts Honors Program, Dartmouth, and Princeton. Waitlisted by Brown. Rejected by Harvard and Columbia. Go figure.
General Comments: All I can say is that I was blessed beyond measure to be accepted, and that I have seen that many very worthy applicants have been rejected. You are all beyond amazing, and regardless of where you end up, you will accomplish wonderful things. If a five foot tall girl from small town East Texas can get accepted into Princeton, then there are awesome things in store for you. Just wait.
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (5), Biology (5), English Language (5), Environmental Science (4), Psychology (5), United States History (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Computer Science A, AP Chemistry, AP English Literature, AP Calculus BC, Pharmacy Technician (certification course)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Hispanic Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Ventures Scholar
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Math Club (President), Computer Science Club, Health Occupations Students of America, National Honor Society
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service: Participated in a summer hospital volunteering program.
Summer Activities: see above
Essays: Fairly good. I wrote about a person who influenced me.
Teacher Recommendation: Likely good.
Counselor Rec: Likely good.
Additional Rec: none
Interview: Good, but not overly amazing.
Other
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public, 4A (Roughly 1800 students), Moderately competitive
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: M
Income Bracket: $60,000 - $79,999
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM
Reflection
Strengths: GPA, Essays
Weaknesses: Nothing in my app stood out
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I was simply an average applicant whose hook was not enough to make him stand out from the unarguably more qualified applicants that Princeton typically accepts.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted - UT Austin, USC, WashU, Vanderbilt, Northwestern; Waitlisted - none (other than Princeton); Rejected - none
General Comments: At least I didn't get rejected. All jokes aside, I am not too concerned about being waitlisted because I have other amazing universities to choose to attend the upcoming fall. That being said, I am not currently sure whether I will attempt to get off the waitlist by submitting more information and demonstrating a clear interest in going if accepted.
SAT I (breakdown): 2400 (first time, single sitting)
ACT:
SAT II:Physics: 800, Chemistry: 800, Math II: 800, US History: 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis):Chemistry: 5, Physics B: 5, Physics C Mechanics: 5, Calculus BC: 5, Macroeconomics: 5
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Siemens Semifinalist, Intel ISEF Finalist, Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards: national Silver Key, Siemens Award for Advanced Placement, Yale Science and Engineering Award, National Merit Finalist (received a scholarship), Model Security Council--3x winner at state, AP Scholar with Distinction, various state math, science, and writing awards
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): President and Founder of a non-profit, student-run organization (raised ~$4,000); research: published a journal paper; piano: 7 consecutive years of Superior rating and placed in state competitions, President of National Honor Society and Beta Club; Mu Alpha Theta VP; Student Government officer; Science Bowl--going to nationals in DC; Cross Country varsity team member, school literary magazine assistant editor, Science Olympiad--state awards
Job/Work Experience: very little
Volunteer/Community service: ~ 450 hours
Summer Activities: Duke TIP program for two years, research, travel
Essays: They were decent, but I think they could have been stronger.
Teacher Recommendation: don't know
Counselor Rec: don't know
Additional Rec: don't know
Interview: It went well but it was a pretty standard interview.
Other
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
Reflection
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: There are so many qualified applicants each year. In the end, I think it comes down to a certain degree of luck as to which school accepts you.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: accepted at Yale (early action)
General Comments: I wish everyone the best of luck--no matter where you end up, I'm sure that all of you will find success.
SAT I (breakdown): 2140 (1st and only attempt) (740 M, 720 WS, 680 CR)
SAT II: 780 Math Level II, 800 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): (none; school system works differently)
GCE O Levels: 8 A* and 1 A
GCE AS levels: 4 A
Senior Year Course Load: Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None (studying on 100% scholarship in school, but that isn't anything major)
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 2nd position in national robowars competition, 2nd position in national Rube Goldberg Machine competition, served as class prefect in grade 13, 1st prize in short film making competition, 3rd prize in inter school/uni story writing competition.
Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service: Served as a volunteer at an asylum for disabled children, charitable kidney hospital, relief camp for flood victims (total 100 hours+)
Summer Activities: (voluntary work mentioned above)
Essays: Pretty well thought out; my counselor said they were one of the best she'd ever seen
Teacher Recommendation: Math teacher's was really good, didn't see physics teacher's
Weaknesses: low SAT score, lack of impressive ECs and work experience
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Asian background, asking for financial aid, low SAT score, no impressive ECs
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Rejected by Dartmouth as well.
General Comments: I think another fault was that I only decided to apply to the US in August last year. Should have made up my mind before so I could improve my SAT score etc. Anyway, what's done is done.
Objective:
SAT I : 1970 superscored (610 CR, 620 M, 740W)
ACT: never took it
SAT II: 720 US History, 690 Lit
Unweighted GPA: 3.8 Weighted: 4.25
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/240ish
AP (place score in parenthesis): none prior to senior year
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Latin: Vergil, AP Art History, AP United States Government
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing outstanding, mainly local and school awards
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Scholastic Bowl, Latin Club, National Honor Society, etc. (I have a really long resume)
Job/Work Experience: none at time of applying
Volunteer/Community service: 200+ hours
Summer Activities: Congressional Academy for American History and Civics (most prestigious one), lots of volunteer work
Essays: Wrote about dramatic experience that changed my perspective of the world and life itself and about one of my favorite teachers.
Teacher Recommendation: Great! Got them from two teachers who know me very well.
Counselor Rec: Don’t know but must have been good because I got in!
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: didn’t think it went that well, interviewer didn’t ask many questions
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes (and got an amazing FA package btw)
Intended Major: English
School Type: Inner-city public school
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: under $65,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM
Reflection
Strengths: Tons of ECs and leaderships positions, class rank, all A’s in AP classes, high-achieving minority, lots of honor classes
Weaknesses: SAT scores, lack of AP classes prior to senior year
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/denied: affirmative action and lots of confidence
Where else you were accepted/waitlisted/denied: accepted to College of William and Mary, Cornell University, UVA, NYU, Barnard College rejected from Harvard, Columbia
General comments: I was so shocked to have gotten in. Columbia was my first choice but I don't mind "settling" for Princeton (please notice the sarcasm). I can't wait to go here!
SAT II: Spanish: 790, U.S. History: 730, Physics: 720
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): Spanish Language (5), English Language (5), Physics B (5), Psychology (5), U.S. History (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Physics B, AP Calculus BC, AP Government, AP Macroeconomics, AP Spanish Literature, AP English Literture, AP Art 3-D Portfolio
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National Charity League (several positions), Crochet Club (President, Founder), Ceramics, Soccer (Captain), NHS (Sergeant at Arms)
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: 900 hours through National Charity League
Summer Activities: traveled to Spain for immersion program
Essays: Mine was about my fictional interview with Superman. It was a little goofy, obviously, but my English teacher loved it.
Teacher Recommendation: Pretty good, I think.
Counselor Rec: Pretty good, I assume.
Additional Rec: I thought she did a good job.
Interview: It was AMAZING
Other
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: White & Asian
Gender: female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): submitted art portfolio
Reflection
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: Columbia University, University of Virginia, University of Michigan, University of Texas
Waitlisted: Georgetown University
Rejected: Stanford University, Princeton University
I'm doing this because I promised myself I would. I don't feel like bragging or boasting at all, but these threads helped me a lot in my time and I feel like I owe something to the CC community.
Decision: Accepted
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Math 790, Reading 800, Writing 800 (2390 single sitting)
ACT:
SAT II: Math II 790, Chemistry 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): No GPA, but I had 15A*s in my O levels (International)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn't rank, but probably 1 or 2
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Physics, Chemistry, Math, Economics, History and English (A-level)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Top in the World in three of my O level subjects, Won national debating championship, lots of 'student of the year' type prizes
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Member student council/government
President debating society
Member national debating team for WSDC
Won lots of national debating competitions
3 and a half years of soccer
Part of the team that created my school's first ever newsletter
Space settlement design competition
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Spent most my time reading lots and lots of books, which I mentioned in my essays. Literally rediscovered myself and turned my life around. Trained with the debate team.
Essays:
I wrote my essays in like a week. I spent lots of time dwelling, but they finally clicked in the last week. I liked my Common App essay; it was about metaphors and being mainstream. 8/10
My supplement was about reading philosophy and economics in the summer. 8.5/10
Summer essay was pretty candid. 8/10
Teacher Recommendation:
Chem teacher- 10/10
English teacher- didn't read, but probably 7-8/10
Counselor Rec: Counselor knew me pretty well from his time judging entrepeneurial competitions. Excellent recommendation, though I didn't see it.
Additional Rec: Brilliant. 11/10. I made my debate coach write this one. Probably why I got in.
Interview: It was okayish. I was too nervous, and it was on the phone. Lasted about 15 minutes. My interviewer was pretty cool though; she loved my favourite book choice.
Other
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Pakistan!
School Type: Large, Private
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Around $60000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None, I suppose.
Reflection
Strengths: SAT score, grades, Additional Rec, ECs
Weaknesses: No real community service or work experience, too little time writing essays
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think it was a combination of luck, good grades and very good recommendations
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted:
Dartmouth
Amherst
Middlebury
NYU Abu Dhabi
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Journalism (editor-in-chief), varsity tennis (captain 2 years, #2 singles), tournament tennis (ranked top 20 in Norcal for Boy's 16s), research, speech and debate, piano (CM Panel Finalist with honors),
Job/Work Experience: Paid research internship, tennis coach
Volunteer/Community service: Piano accompanist for a local choir, random things here and there
Summer Activities: CTY, tennis tournaments, Garcia MRSEC research, SIMR research
Essays: Commonapp: pet death, wasn't what you probably expected though. Supplement: Research experience where I got humiliated in front of my lab, haha
Teacher Recommendation: Didn't read, I'm sure there were fine/great/insert adjective
Counselor Rec: Didn't read
Additional Rec: Big shot professor at Stanford, emphasized that I was well rounded yet very passionate about research.
Interview: With a soccer player - went terribly, absolutely terribly. I couldn't connect with her at all. Lasted 15 minutes.
Other
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: medium-high
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection
Strengths: research, essays, test scores, grades
Weaknesses: leadership
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: It's the whole package, I don't think there's any specific reason to pinpoint.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted - Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Duke, JHU BME, UCs. Rejected - Yale.
General Comments: I'm leaning Stanford, if anyone's wondering..
