<p>**Decision: Accepted **</p>
<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (CR/M/W): 2200 (740/680/750) and (710/710/710)
[</em>] ACT: N/A
[<em>] SAT IIs: 790 Lit, 720 USH
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0 or 100): 3.5 or a 90.02
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Eng. Literature (5) AP Eng. Language (5) AP US History (5) AP Microeconomics (5) AP Macroeconomics (5) AP Biology (5)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, honors lit, honors social studies, college course, and physics</p>
<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (leadership in parenthesis): Newspaper (Editor, Columnist), Model UN (Head Delegate), Social Studies Honor Society
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Work exp essays talked about how I work after school everyday to help my mom bills.
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: Tutor at ethnic youth empowerment organization, Intern at local courthouse.
[</em>] Summer Activities: Enrichment program for economics, Feminist enrichment program
[<em>] Barnard Essays + Common App: ‘Why Barnard’ was persuasive; I talked about how my religion impedes female empowerment and how this led me to want to go to a woman’s college. Also discussed some specific programs I’m interested in and mentioned that I participated in Barnard Bound. ‘Famous Women’ picked an important congresswoman. ‘Community/Ethnic’ talked about how my female family members are from third-world countries and resistant to feminism–how I want to change that. Common App essay was intense and personal; talked about why my parents are separated.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: Hmm… My social studies teacher might have written a great one because she interviewed me and was taking really good notes. She’s also a really good writer. My math teacher probably wrote a mehhh one.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: I read it. She focused in on ethnic diversity.
[</em>] Additional Rec: Additional rec from a Barnard professor, my manager at work, and a prof at my community college class (that I’m not sure got sent…).
[li] Interview: Ahh… My interview was so-so/not very good if you ask me. I talked a lot more than she did and ranted a lot… It lasted like 45 minutes? At the end, I tried to connect with her, but failed miserably and quite obviously. I didn’t know much about her major.</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State: NYC
[</em>] Country: USA, durf
[<em>] School Type: Competitive public.
[</em>] Income Bracket: ~17,000
[li] Diversity Status (URM/legacy/first generation college, etc.): I’m asian, totally not a URM, but I talked in my essays about how its a third-world country. First gen college.</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Reflections[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: I really played the diversity status in my essays. Talked a lot about my academic area of strength (social studies) in relationship to feminism and how my parents immigrated from a developing country. I also think that my ‘unafraid’ essay was a really great piece of writing and very poignant.
[</em>] Weaknesses: I was worried for a while that they might be turned off by how I blatantly revealed how great my financial need is. My GPA is also pretty low, but I explained why (my parents separating) in my Common App Essay without making it sound like an excuse.
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think the extra recs were most deff my hook, if not anything else. I just kind of tried to fill my application with hooks! Really focused on ethnic diversity, feminism, and low-income. I talked a lot about wanting to “catalyze change.” I desperately hoped that using so many hooks wouldn’t be too obvious haha 
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: I had already applied to my safeties: SUNY Binghamton, SUNY Stonybrook and CUNY Macaulay Honors. If I hadn’t gotten in, I would’ve applied to Cornell, NYU, Wesleyan, Vassar, and Trinity</p>
<p>[li] General Comments:[/ul] I tried so hard to get in. My GPA was so weak (I have C+s EVERYWHERE science/math related), but I tried so hard. My acceptance has made me a firm believe in the fact that if you try hard enough, you can do anything. Ahhh this was a TIRING run, but so rewarding. I got sick from the anxiety (literally). But now I’m really happy and really looking forward to finishing senior year and attending Barnard! Already looked through the First-Year Guide!! Looking forward to the open house! You know who will be stalking the campus allday errday now ;)))</p>[/li]
<p>For all those who didn’t get in: Remember that there is a HAPPY place for each and every one of us. I honestly believe that disappointment is only a veneer for serendipity. 
GOOD LUCK TO ALL YOU RD-ERS!!</p>