I am literally so grateful I thought I’d get deferred. Wow.
**Decision: Accepted!! **
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1570 (R:770 M: 800) one-sitting [essay score was trash]
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: Math - 800 Bio M - 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8 UW
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis): CS A (5) APUSH (5) Lit (4) Chem (4) Bio (4) Calc AB (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: 6 APs its a doozy
(not really) Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
- 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalist
- Science fair awards in the state and inter-state competition (recognized in the state talent search for science fair)
- lots of special awards from my 10th grade project during inter-state comp.
- first place in my state for a writing competition on finance
- got a poem in an anthology lol
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
- founder of CS club at my school (3 yrs and VP)
- National Honors Society
- Student Council
- Multicultural Initiative (Officer)
- Science Fair
- Marching band (4yrs)
Job/Work Experience:
- Co-founder and current president of a non-profitable charity and organization (local though)
- work as a paid teacher on weekends for CS and teacher at a CS summer camp
Volunteer/Community service:
- Volunteered at hospitals over summer (over 200 hrs) (did music, actual volunteer work, intern at hospitals almost annually)
Summer
- lab research bio-related at a university in the big city nearby during summer
- Lots of volunteer work!!
- went to a selective summer program before senior year @ an ivy
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
–Personal Essay (9??) My personal essay was really personal. I think it was pretty good and I had a lot of people edit. Completely different flow by the end of the editing which was like 2 months.
–Supplemental (7/8) I stated why the school fit me very well for my varying interests and such. I am an active person and I guess it showed through this.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: CS teacher - 7/10 (i’d say pretty good had him for 3 years and club; not that standout though)
Teacher Rec #2: Math teacher - 7/10 (i dunno have them again this year and she liked me but probs average)
–for both teachers, I wasn’t like an eXCEptional student of best friends, but they both knew me decently as a human and I was good in their class
Counselor Rec: 8/10 (Pretty good; had my older sibling and knows my parents well from those meetings; in a public school, definitely found me to be standout a bit)
Additional Rec:
Interview: Alumni interview went well and went overall well for ~50 minutes. older alumni so wasn't that in touch with how it is now but thoght I was a good fit!! Went off topic a lot. idk how big of an impact alumni interviws have
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major and College: CS in CALS
State (if domestic applicant): OH
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: public (fairly big with a competitive batch ot students)
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: not getting anything most likely
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection
Strengths: I don’t think my supplemental was that good because I didn’t spend as much time on it as others. However, I did show my passions and clearly stated why I think this school fits me which was a push. Activities were definitely pursued for a long time and showed passion
Weaknesses: Really thought being asian would hurt me. In my school my rank is like just in top ten which is cutting it close for my type of large public school. I personally thought my achievements weren’t as good as others in my school for being asian but I think my passion shined through.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I really thought I was going to be deferred. There are other people at my school who were doing ED and definitely quite eligible. I think I was overall a good student with the test scores, grades, and activities. I didn’t have a major hook but I definitely showed my personal side in my essay and had passion in my supplementals (still would give them 8 and 9 if it’s a good day).
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: 2 state schools but nowhere now bc of Cornell!!
General Comments: I always hear about having a hook or spike or something and heard that being well rounded is not good. In my case, I think that being well rounded is absolutely fine if you have a genuine interest in all those areas and the admissions can see that in your application! Maybe this is what made me stand out compared to others in my school. Good luck to everyone in the future 