Class of 2017 Decisions Thread (RD)

DoctorWatson
Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:55:52 +0000

Decision: Accepted

Objective[ul]
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2260–800 CR, 780 M, 680 V (Taken Once)
[] SAT II: None
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): Euro (3), U.S. History (4), Language (5)
[li] Senior-Year Course Load: AP Literature, AP Biology, AP Calculus BC, AP US Government, and religious classes.[/ul] [/li]
Subjective[ul]
[] Extracurriculars: Editor-in-chief of school newspaper since my sophomore year; seven years of professional violin; one year as student-body treasurer
[] Job/Work Experience: Tutor; physician shadowing
[] Volunteer/Community service: Hospitals and clinics for three years; significant involvement with local temples; part of a truly amazing and touching healthcare program (sorry for the intentional ambiguity)
[] Summer Activities: Reading; volunteer work; part of a laboratory in UCLA, conducting biomedical research (one summer)
[] Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10; I worked really hard on it and it wows everyone who reads it, even English professors. It’s about the above-mentioned healthcare program.
[] Supplements: 9; The intellectual vitality one was about how I taught myself to play a hard piano piece as a complete beginner; my response to the roommate question was a unique, list-like essay about my idiosyncrasies; for the last essay, I said happiness is everything in life and everyone has the right to pursue it his or her own way. Just for fun, I should mention I risked using the word “YOLO” in my first essay. I guess it worked.
[] Recommendations:[list]
[li] Teacher recommendations should have been good. I knew both the teachers well and was a good student. [/li][] Counselor Rec: Certainly above average. I have a good relationship with my counselor. It was a couple pages long and really nice. [/ul] [/list]

Other[ul]
[] State: CA
[] School Type: Small, religious
[] Ethnicity: Caucasian
[] Gender: M
[] Income Bracket: ~120K
[] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First-generation college; first cousin is an alumnus [/ul]

Reflection[ul]
[] Strengths: Extracurriculars, academics, and personal statement
[] Weaknesses: AP scores and lack of SAT Subject Tests
[] Why you think you were accepted: 4.0, unique experiences, and a strong personal statement
[] Where else were you accepted:[list]
[] UCLA
[] UCSD
[] USC (Presidential Scholar)
[] University of Pittsburgh (Full-tuition plus stipend)
[li] Occidental (Presidential Scholarship) [/ul] [/list] [/li]
General Comments:

ON STANFORD
I knew when applying that whatever the Stanford’s decision would be, it would be a surprise. Like everyone says, college admissions are a complete crapshoot. I’ve read these forums before; many of those who are turned down are highly accomplished and seemingly qualified. I am really grateful to be accepted to Stanford.

ON COLLEGE CONFIDENTIAL
Thanks to everyone here at College Confidential for sharing their experiences and advice. This website really pushed me to accomplish things I didn’t know were within my reach. I’ve spent hours here—usually moping about how I’ll ever be able to compete with so many over-achievers. Thank you to everyone for being such an inspiration.

FINALLY
Congrats to Stanford’s class of 2017 and to every college applicant this year! In America, we have the opportunity to define our own educations no matter where we attend. The doors are open here for anyone who is motivated to pursue success. The journey has just begun :)