Dartmouth Class of 2023 Early Decision Results

[AudreyKang]

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 34 composite (35 English, 35 Math, 36 Reading, 29 Science)
SAT II: 740 Bio E, 760 Math II (proof that you don’t need an 800 for acceptance to an Ivy League… )
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.1
IB (place score in parenthesis): HL Math (6), HL Psychology (6), HL History (6), SL Chinese (6), SL Biology (7), SL English (7)
Senior Year Course Load: all above + TOK
Major Awards: 1st in Chinese Speaking Comp (school), MUN Honorable Delegate, several book awards, several art awards (local, regional, semi-national), Scholastic Gold and Silver Keys, NHS Secretary

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Council (President), Art Club, MUN (Secretary General), School Gazette (Co-Founding Editor-In-Chief), Piano, Voice, ultimate frisbee, running
Job/Work Experience: worked in microbiology lab (studying sustainability) over senior summer
Volunteer/Community service: museum work, local library art teacher, school office student clerk
Summer Activities: volunteered at local museum a few hours a week, worked in research laboratory at local university 40 hours a week; previous summer I went to South Africa.

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Personal: 9/10, wrote about passions, was well written but message was a little unclear.
Dartmouth prompt: 10/10. The creativity one; really emotional and VERY personal, about eating disorder and art
Why Dartmouth: 8/10 there just wasn’t enough space to really paint the picture of myself I wanted to, but I was very specific.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10, history teacher, good relationship with teacher, I do ECs with him as well so he can really explain my strengths
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10, psychology teacher, work a lot together in and out of school, but she can be a little snippy
Counselor Rec: 7/10, not a great writer, pretty generic, but does reference a lot of my strengths.
Additional Rec: PEER REC 10/10 love her, definitely portrayed me realistically (though not highly personal)
Interview: 11/10, really connected, she knew a lot about my school and we had similar interests

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: hell yeah
Intended Major: linguistics, international relations, Chinese
State (if domestic applicant): MA
School Type: Charter
Ethnicity: White
Gender: F
Income Bracket: under $90,000 a year
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): parents are South African, I speak a few languages, go to unusual school

Reflection:

Strengths: strong writing, coherent application, unique background, I really tailored my application to what I envisioned myself doing at Dartmouth, and made sure it was honestly reflective of me.
Weaknesses: scores, awards

Why you think you were accepted: I honestly don’t know. I don’t deserve the acceptance, and so many people were rejected who were so much more qualified than I am. (I’m so sorry.)

General Comments:
First, expect rejection so that if you actually are accepted you’re pleasantly surprised. This was the best advice ever.
Secondly, always explore your passions, and make this really clear on your application! This, in turn, makes your application more coherent, and you’ll look more “together” as an applicant if you have a clear interest in something that you’re making a clear effort to pursue.

At the end of the day, Dartmouth is one incredible school of many. Have faith in yourself and in the universe, because you will end up in the place you were intended to be. Much love.

[screamingkettle]

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): did not submit
ACT (breakdown): 33 (35E, 27M, 33R, 35S)
SAT II: 670 M1 and 760 BioM
GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7 unweighted 3.9 weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s in, Psych and Biology
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Chem AP, Physics AP, Calc AB AP, Forensics, English, Dance (required because my school is weird), Human Bio, and two art classes.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Gold medals for service in Emergency Medical services, Two letters from President Obama and Trump for my service, #1 in the state for medical terminology, selection for medical excellence (national), Barnard Book Award.

Subjective:
Extracurriculars: EMT 2,300 service hours, researcher with Yale virology (publishing soon), owner of design business, Captain of science bowl club, Varsity math team, founding member youth mental health first aid, medical education (400+ hours), trainer/supervisor on ambulance for interns, Driver for safe rides (program to stop drunk driving), HOSA (health occupation students of America)
Job/Work Experience: 30 hours a week as EMT, 5 hours a week as a lifeguard (not on application), art business, few thousand in profit.
Volunteer/Community service: EMT, Saferides program
Summer Activities: research and working my butt off
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9/10, wrote my main one on being an EMT and dealing with mass casualties, saving people with CPR, and car accidents… tried to not make it depressing. The first supplemental was about my ideal day at Dartmouth, lots of very specific Dartmouth detail. 2nd supplemental (I chose the mo’olelo one) was about living on a farm and growing my own food and raising animals and how it really connected me to the planet. VERY earthy.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Probably all close to 10. My counselor liked me and I hope my teachers did too.

Teacher Rec #1: 10
Teacher Rec #2: 8
Counselor Rec: 9
Additional Rec (EMT Partner): 10
Interview: 8/10, about an hour and a half, we really connected about philosophy and cultural diversity.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: biochemistry
State (if domestic applicant): CT
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: F
Income Bracket: 100k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy

Reflection

Strengths: Weird EC’s, successful Emergency responder
Weaknesses: GPA, I had a really bad sophomore year with a C and a few B’s.

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think my weirdness made me stand out, also a legacy.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: just D.

General Comments: Guys, don’t freak out about grades/ tests scores. I had a C and many many B’s in my high school career, I did make up for it with some really strong ECs but don’t lose hope if you don’t have “Ivy level” grades.

[Shocker7]

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1350 (650E 700M)
ACT (breakdown):32 (31E 33M 31R 31S)
SAT II: 690 Bio M 720 Math II (Not submitted)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4 out of more than 1,000
AP (place score in parenthesis): Comp Sci(4) Bio(5) Stats(5) Lang(5) Calc AB(4) APUSH(3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): None
Senior Year Course Load: 5 APs(Chem, Physics C, English, Gov, Calc BC) and French 4
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with distinction, State scholar (not submitted), History Fair, Honor Roll, undefeated state chess Junior year.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Three Main Ones: A College-bound Organization, Scholastic Bowl, and Chess team (senior leader)
Job/Work Experience:Busboy started over summer
Volunteer/Community service: Help students in my school, not much tbh
Summer Activities:Summer College Program summer into Junior year, Went to Colorado to learn about CLimate change and psychology last summer.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10. Worked extra hard with these
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 8, Bio teacher. Loved me but he’s a science teacher and don’t think he’d correctly express some ideas
Teacher Rec #2: 10, Lang teacher was the best. Excellent writer. For sure cared to take time out of her day
Counselor Rec: 9, close college counselor with CBO. Knew me for 2 years and cared.
Additional Rec: None
Interview: Great. We both were extremely similar and was a cool guy. Honestly may be a reason why I got accepted and not deferred. I talked about my true passions in life and what I want to become

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Comp Sci, BIo, Chem
State (if domestic applicant): Illinois
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Mexican
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Yikes, low-income, all I wanna say
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, First-gen, boy in bad school/neighborhood with big dreams

Reflection

Strengths: Passion. I think they saw this in me, how much I care about my schooling and why I want to go to Dartmouth. I have dreams of changing the legal system and my interviewer saw that in me. Dartmouth being a LAC I think they liked that especially since I like STEM, wide interests.
Weaknesses: Lack of community engagement or leadership positions. I thought this would lag me from getting in. The one I had I care about which must’ve helped.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

Overall I think I was accepted because of where I come from and the situations I’ve been in. I come from a school that started with a class size of 1,300+ students, we’re now down to around 1,000. Kids dont care about their education here and colleges know this. Im one of the few who care and they saw that in me. Being a first-gen american also boosted me in their eyes since they saw what I accomplished with so little I had or knew about this system.

Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments:
College process in wack and you shouldnt feel bad for not getting in. It’s not you, its them.

[goldnuggets]

**Decision: Deferred **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A (Didn’t submit)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (35 E, 34 M, 36 R, 35 S)
SAT II: 780 Math II 770 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98 (4.35 Weighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 15/543
AP (place score in parenthesis): Lang(5), Stat(5), Calc AB(5), Human Geo(5), World History(5), Environmental Science(5), Micro(5), Macro(5), US Gov(5), Comparative Gov(4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Spanish 5, AP Lit, AP Calc BC, US History, AP Psychology, AP Comp Sci, Concurrent Enrollment Business Strategies
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP National Scholar, National Merit Semifinalist, National rank 2nd Principles of Finance (MBA Research High School of Business), National rank 2nd Principles of Marketing (MBA Research High School of Business), National Rank 23rd Business Economics (MBA Research High School of Business), National Rank 22nd Principles of Business (MBA Research High School of Business)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Most notable: Founder and ceo of non-profit tutoring company (Revenue $3000 and over 404 tutoring hours), President of Operation Smile club (head planner of annual leadership conference and raised over $4,000 over 4 years), Varsity captain of speech and debate team, FBLA and DECA international qualifier and state winner 2 years (Economics, Personal Financial Literacy, Intro to Financial Math),
Job/Work Experience: McDonalds 2yrs, Van Huessen (summer job), Credit Union internship (very selective 8/73)
Volunteer/Community service: Student medical mission trip (Operation Smile), Tutoring
Summer Activities: Addmited student volunteer to Medical Mission trip w/ Operation Smile, Internship
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App: 8.5/10 Solid but just not spectacular
Why Dartmouth 8/10
Supplemental 9/10

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: lang teacher: 8/10
Teacher Rec #2: gov and econ teacher: ???
Counselor Rec: Prolly basic so 6/10
Additional Rec: Branch Manager at Credit Union 10/10 (really good relationship w him)
Interview: 10/10 (Really good! Alumni offered me a position at her own company by the end of it lol)

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Ye
Intended Major and College: Econ
State (if domestic applicant): CO
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Somewhat Competitive Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Wealthy
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): lol

Reflection

Strengths: Extracurricular spike towards business,
Weaknesses: Race, no legacy, no 800 on math II, rank? (idk if that is still relevant in college admissions), not outstanding extra curriculars or letters of rec?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: ^^^
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Waiting on UChicago, Boston College, SMU, Umich

General Comments :
Disappointed to say the least but at the Ivies you really never know. Congrats to those who did get accepted though, hopefully, I will be able to join you guys next year!

[Ecatta]

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t submit
ACT (breakdown): 33 C (35 E, 33 M, 32 R, 33, S)
SAT II: Didn’t submit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Unweighted: 4.0, Weighted: 4.57
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/144
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Human Geography(5), AP Psych(4), AP English Lang(5), AP Capstone Seminar (4), AP American Government and Politics(3), AP Macroeconomics (4), AP Environmental Science(4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: U.S. History Hon, Anatomy and Physiology Hon, AP Stats, AP Spanish Lang and Culture, AP English Lit, AP Capstone Research, Physics 1
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP diploma, Capstone Diploma, Valedictorian (was a tie at our school),

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): FBLA(District President: managed 10+ different schools in the district, School Co-President), Academic Team 4 years-won district in scoring 4 years in a row and were district champs this year(officer 2 years), Varsity Swim 4 years, NHS 3 years, Cantor for a 5,000 person parish (5 years), Theater and Chorus, Certified Yoga instructor(200 hour training program),
Job/Work Experience: Part-time handyman, yoga instructor
Volunteer/Community service: Every Sunday volunteering at my church as the cantor, free yoga classes at a Women’s substance abuse recovery center. youth group leader at church.
Summer Activities: International Language college in Barcelona 2 years in a row, International language college in Cannes France, Interning at the city hall of a small village in France to help with Tourism Promotion,
Essays (rating 1-10, details):

Personal Statement: 8.5- I wrote about how my father was abusive. He graduated high school at the age of 15 but failed out of college, couldn’t keep his life together long after he met my mom, became a raging alcoholic and addicted to marijuana. Talked about how his tyranny taught me self-dependence and how to survive in the real world. could’ve been more descriptive in how I’ve grown from it but it was a very strong essay.

Supplemental 1(Why Dartmouth): 7, not as strong as I would have liked, talked about my interest in the Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network as I hoped to take advantage of it and the gospel choir.

Supplemental 2 (The job that doesn’t exist yet): 9.5, was a very creative and interesting approach with a strong theme and message while addressing the prompt
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10: AP stats and Algebra 2 teacher, struggled in her class a lot but was there almost every day during after hours to get an A and understand the material. Was an excellent writer and had a Ph.D. in education, helped me immensely and has been a major source of support in my life.
Teacher Rec #2: 8-9 English teacher had her for 10th grade English 2 hon, AP Lang, and AP lit, has helped me tremendously in my writing and knows me very well.
Counselor Rec: 5: standard issue recommendation that doesn’t stand out, she came to our school last year and didn’t know me very well and quit this year.
Additional Rec: 7 Very good friend of mine that gave a good testimony to how he knew me as well as how he’s seen me grow. Not the strongest writer but knew me the best.
Interview: 6 Went fairly well, we agreed on a few points, but she was big on political correctness and I am big on freedom of personal expression within the confines of respect, but still we had a constructive interview.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Economics
State (if domestic applicant): FL
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Competitive School of choice, required GPA to be considered for ethnicity
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income Bracket: Very low income: <30,000 but high in valued assets >100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Yoga instructor, abusive father, triple nationality, can speak 3 languages fluently

Reflection
Not going to lie, I wasn’t necessarily expecting to get in, but considering my credentials I was surprised and extremely disappointed that I didn’t even get deferred. I know that at a school of this level that there are no guarantees but a rejection was not was I was expecting. Then again I guess no one is. I think that maybe if I had SAT subject tests and a few more major awards it would have put me over.

Strengths: GPA and my extracurriculars as well as my essay given my home environment.
Weaknesses: My ACT could’ve been higher, and the first supplemental as well.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Honestly not sure what brought me down, I know its a difficult school to get into but again I’m struggling to see the weakest link that brought me down. Anyone that has information on that please let me know so I can try and change it before my other applications are due.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nowhere yet hopefully it stays that way.

General Comments: They say there’s no point in crying over spilled milk, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be upset. Most people don’t get into their first choice and unfortunately, I ended up in that bracket. As for the people reading this, I spent a lot of time on this site seeing how I compared to other people that applied and did or did not get in and I thought that I had a halfway decent chance. It’s with a heavy heart that I will have to make my path elsewhere but to those of you who do get in, congratulations and I wish you the best of luck.

P.S. This took a crapload of time to do correctly, please pay attention to what the other applicants have said so far, it might just change your decision result.

[guyfierifan]

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1440 (730 English, 710 Math)
ACT (breakdown): 32 (35 Science, 30 Math, 35 English, 28 Reading)
SAT II: Did not send. Testing schedule just didn’t work with all the bad things happening in my life.
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75 Weighted 4.65
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 73 percentile. I go to a very competitive school.
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Lang (5), AB Calculus (5), Psychology (5), Physics (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): Can’t take IB classes at my school.
Senior Year Course Load: Chinese 2, AP Computer Science A, AP US Government and Politics, Honors Macroeconomics (gov and macro are semester courses taught by the same teacher), AP Calculus BC, AP English Literature, AP Chemistry, Personal Fitness, Two honors orchestra classes (I’m in a magnet program and am required to take two per year)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Questbridge College Prep Scholar in my Junior year. Army Challenge Coin as a reward from research completed during summer as a rising senior.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Violin (First chair and first stand in various orchestras), Programming (Lead Programmer in two clubs), AEOP HSAP Research Internship, Art, Ocarina (Solo ocarinist during various performances)
Job/Work Experience: N/A (unless my internship counts, which it really doesn’t)
Volunteer/Community service: I got a lot of hours from performing. It’s a little complicated, but it wasn’t listed on my application. I had hours on my transcript, however.
Summer Activities: HSAP Research internship as a rising senior.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I’d say a 9 or a 10 overall. I wrote about a surgery that went very wrong earlier this year and how I developed as a person in the Common App essay. My supplemental essays were pretty good as well, although I will admit the one speficially about why I want to attend Dartmouth might have been a bit too generic. I really did put hours into writing and editing them, though.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10. I had a fantastic relationship with my Calculus teacher, and we still talk when we see eachother. She was really excited to write my recommendation for me, and I performed very well in her class.
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10 I missed a lot of this teachers class due to my health being very bad, but when I asked him for a recommendation he seemed very happy to see me and willing to do it, which was surprising. He seems to like me now, probably because I passed the AP exam, but we weren’t too close when I had him as a teacher.
Counselor Rec: 10/10. I put a lot of effort into filling out the questionnaire, and my counselor knows me really well.
Additional Rec: 8/10. IT was honestly a little rushed because I told my friend about it a little last minute, but he did a very good job. I think he used my preffered name instead of my birth name, which might have worsened it a bit.
Interview: 10/10. My interview went great. Me and my interviewer really vibed, and she seemed really interested in me as a person.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Computer Science
State: Florida
School Type: Public Magnet
Ethnicity: Latina
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 40,000-50,000. Elevated by around 20k because my parents messed up their tax returns.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM and first-generation college student. My first language is Spanish and my parents are both immigrants.

Reflection
Strengths: My essay and my recommendations, as well as my background as a person.
Weaknesses: My test scores were not good. All the SAT test dates just happened during terrible times in my life. Before my Dartmouth application was due, I got in a very severe car crash and had two other family members pass before I took my subject tests for the first and ONLY time in November, so the subject test scores I planned to submit were terrible. My ACT test was around the same time. Abysmal reading score, lol. Earlier in the year I had surgery that was severely infected, and was only able to test in June because that’s when I was physically well enough. Things just didn’t go very well for me in 2018, and I didn’t do enough to fix it.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think I was rejected because my application just wasn’t strong enough. There’s nothing I see about me that’s really ‘extraordinary’, and I assume the admission officer that read my application just wasn’t charmed by it. I had filled out the Microstory essay questions during the summer, so I was hoping the admission officer that saw that would respond. I guess not.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Don’t know yet. I only applied to Dartmouth early.

General Comments:
I honestly expected a deferral. A rejection was rather shocking, but my test scores just weren’t the strongest and I wasn’t too confident in my application as it was. I feel like this year was very…odd. I really did think I had a decent chance of getting in, but I was clearly mistaken. Congratulations to everyone who got in! I honestly applied to Dartmouth because I loved the nature around it, but there’s a lot of alternatives to that. I’m happy no matter where I go as long as it’s not hot and humid like it is here in Florida, haha!

Dartmouth will still be very dear to me in my heart

[gillywhs]

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1340 680R 660M
ACT (breakdown): 32C 27M 34S 32E 35R
SAT II: n/a
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.756
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 58 out of 315
AP (place score in parenthesis): Psychology(5), English Language(4), Seminar, Biology, English Literature
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Sem, AP Bio, Coll Chem, Honors PreCalc, Coll French IV, Coll Human Body Systems, Leadership(an elected class, we plan all assemblies, spirit events, etc)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Academic letter, honor roll, Société Honoraire de Français, I’ll graduate with an honors diploma

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): HOSA(Historian), French Club(President), STUCO(Rep), Renaissance Peer Mentor, Prom Committee, a competitive local photography program that included my work being displayed in a world-class museum(I didn’t submit any of my portfolio, as I thought it wouldn’t help me, but now I wish I did.)
Job/Work Experience: I work 20 hours a week. I completed a 80 hour competitive medical based internship.
Volunteer/Community service: 70 hours of community service towards my diploma, which was all tutoring. In a tutoring organization in school.
Summer Activities: work, internship, and tutoring as mentioned.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):

1: My common app essay: 9/10, a little inelegant, but one of the most emotional pieces I've wrote. About sexual assault and how I've dealt with portraying my femininity and survival. I did have a little trouble finding the right words and it's a little short.

2: Why Dartmouth: 8/10 had a hard time portraying this in such a short box, but I went into how I think Dartmouth creates interesting, well-rounded, intelligent people.

3: Which of the world’s “troubles” inspires you to act? How might your course of study at Dartmouth prepare you to address it?: 8/10 I went a little too literal with the course of study part, but I talked about how a patient of mine during my internship was dying slowly because he couldn't afford his medication, and being lower income myself inspires me to strive to help others. Wrote about my dreams of having my own pro bono foundation.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10 AP English teacher. She’s in charge of NHS so she really knows how to elaborate on strengths. We’re not too close, but I really enjoyed her class and she told me that I changed her opinion on many classic books.
Teacher Rec #2: 8-9/10 French. Unsure of how quality this one is just because she has a habit of procrastinating, and not too many people ask her for recs, but we’re very close. I think this probably shows more of me as a person which is nice.
Counselor Rec: 8/10. Standard counselor rec. We’re not too close, but I did share some of my driving factors and life story with her, which I think she may have portrayed.
Additional Rec: 7/10. My best friend. I think she did portray me emotionally, but she’s not the best at elaborating on her thoughts. She didn’t really write anything too great and it was kind of short, but I’m thankful for it.
Interview: 9/10. Went a little short(45 min) just due to our own schedules, and we kind of ran out of things to talk about. But he told me he thought I was a great fit and was rooting for me. Talked about how I typically deal with school and activities, and a research project I was doing on welfare drug-testing.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Psychology / Neuroscience
State (if domestic applicant): MO
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Under 60,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first gen, maybe sexual assault survivor?

Reflection

Strengths: first gen, decent act, strong emotions in my essay, show a range of interests
Weaknesses: low sat(didn’t mean to submit), no subject tests and little AP(due to financial struggle), I didn’t really cover why I hadn’t achieved as much in my underclassman years as my upperclassman years as much as I wanted to. Low GPA(due to switching schools and couch-surfing(unstable living)), my essays were a little unlike me as they were not as well written as I like. not as many extra curricular as others
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: low SAT + GPA, no subject tests and little AP, basic freshman and soph year
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: only state schools so far

General Comments: I honestly thought I might be deferred, so I was a little shocked. I’m pretty upset, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I honestly thought me being a SA survivor going into psych would help Dartmouth out rn lol.

[liska21]

Posting for my son since he is not on CC, but asked him to fill out for 2024 and RD applicants.

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1590 (800 Math, 790 ERW)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 780 Biology M
Unweighted GPA: 3.98/4.0
Rank: N/A school does not rank
AP: BC Calculus (5), AB Calculus (5), Spanish (3); school does not offer any AP classes so all self-study;
Senior Year Course Load: Multivariate Calculus; Play Production: Musical; Spanish 5; English 4th year; History 4th year; Physics 2nd Year; Yoga;
Academic Awards: National Merit SF, Qualified for AIME as sophomore; various regional math competitions awards; NHS, Spanish honors society; top school AMC scorer (9-11)

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
US Junior National Team in an Olympic sport (10th-11th); many national medals; competed for TeamUSA in Europe in international events for 2 years;
Varsity Soccer (9-11) - All-league 2nd team in 11th grade
Club Soccer (9-12) (co-capitan)
All-state Travel Soccer team “academy” (9-12)
Cross-country Ski Race Team (9)
Robotics Team (9-12)
Opera Club (9-12)
A capella Club (10-12) (co-leader in 12th)
Student Council (12) (elected as class rep)
National Honor Society (10-12) (officer)
School musical (10-12)

Job/Work Experience:
4 Years, soccer referee

Volunteer/Community service:
Trails Association (9,10,12) - (ambassador 9-10) build hiking trails and talk at schools
Parks Association (9-12) - volunteer at events (a lot)
School Ambassador (9-12) - work all school events
National Honor Society (10-12) (officer) - this is a big service org at school

Summer Activities:
sport training is full-time in summer; a lot of sport related national and international travel

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: Wrote about passion for creating things starting wirh making up songs when a child on long wilderness trips with my parents and finishing with my passion for math and science; unique but also kind of quirky essay. Definitely showed my personality.
None of my essays were about athletcs.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Should have been good. My teachers knew me well.
Teacher Rec #1: Physics
Teacher Rec #2: English
Counselor Rec: 10/10 she put a lot of work into it
Peer: 10/10 friend who has known me my entire life who did trail crews with me; great writer
Coach: 10/10 wrote about my TeamUSA stuff and how I am a good team member

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Math/Bio
State (if domestic applicant): WA
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection:

Strengths: Test scores, academics, athletics, outdoorsy ECs that suit Dartmouth, recs, one of the top students at my school (which does not rank), I did not write about any of my athletics but I asked my coach to emphasize my national team stuff. I won’t be an Olympian (!! that’s super hard) but athletics was my big and unique EC.

Weaknesses: not a recruited athlete; no hooks; SAT essay score weak; no major awards (besides athletic); no major leadership positions; main EC has been athletics and trail building.

Why I got in? I had top stats and grades and great sport ECs, but many others had the same stats and amazing ECs. I spent my childhood summers doing wilderness trips (canoeing and hiking) so I think I was a good fit there. Since I am not from the NE, I prob had it easier. My commitment to outdoor stewardship and trail work prob helped. I read the 3D magazines they sent and tried to show how I would exemplify Dartmouth traditions. But maybe it just came to chance.

[moomom2]

Posting for my daughter who would die if she knew I was on CC and talking about her, but I hope this helps someone?

Decision: Accepted
Objective:
ACT 34 (E36/M 30/ R 35/ S 31)
Subject SATs: 710 history, 750 English? May be the other way around
Unweighted GPA: 4.2, wGPA 4.7
Rank: N/A school does not rank but we know she has top GPA
AP: World Hx (5), APUSHx (5), English Lang (5).
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc AB, AP Chinese, AP Eng Lit, AP Eur Hx, honors A&P, honors Studio Art
Academic Awards: Art award (9,11), English Award (9,10)
Cum Laude Society, Headmaster’s List every term

Extracurriculars
Varsity Swimming (on US team since grade 6), Captain (11,12)
Year round USA swim team but couldn’t always attend d/t other sports
Varsity Cross Country, Captain (12)
Varsity Tennis, Captain (12)
Model UN (leader 11, 12); various delegate awards
Peer Educator (elected position, 11,12)
Class Officer (9, 12)
Student Activists and Allies
Diversity Council (not diverse, super white, just likes people who are different)
FemCo Feminism Council
Pursuing pilot’s license
School speech competition, 1st place x 5, 2nd place x1, 3rd x1

Job/Work Experience:
Swim coaching
Media web design internship
Fundraiser for Mass Breast Cancer Society
CIT art camp

Volunteer/Community service:
Open water swim fundraisers every summer
NEADS fundraising (service dogs)
Mornings at food bank

Summer Activities:
cross training for 3 sports, 1 week class at Brown on marine invertebrates, art classes at art museum, internship, flying lessons to get pilot’s license

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: Wrote a guide to greeting Aliens if they should land on Earth. Very quirky, highlighted her approach to others, feelings about society. Really showed her character.
Why Dartmouth- wrote in prose about Green and the many different interpretations
Other essay- can’t remember, sorry

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
probably good
Teacher Rec #1: Honors Chem, from grade 10 but good relationship
Teacher Rec #2: APUSH and this year AP Euro: probably excellent, teacher herself writes well and loves my D
Counselor Rec: 10/10 , D is well respected in the school and community
Peer: 10/10 friend who has known her her entire life

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: undecided, probably put down Chinese, studio art, archeology, who knows?
State (if domestic applicant): MA
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: F
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Mom (the one writing this) is a legacy but honestly I give $100/year

Reflection:

Strengths: scores and GPA definitely helped but I think leadership qualities are very evident. Unusual to be captain of 3 varsity sports at her school and it is not because of amazing talent (not recruited but will try to walk on to swim or do club swim) but because she is well liked and works hard is best guess

Weaknesses: not a recruited athlete;ACT could be higher esp math. Undecided course of study makes her sound wishy washy?

Why I got in? who knows? This is just a numbers game. She had some unusual interests, between multiple sports, art portfolio with art awards, student activism and taking flying lessons.

[shsjaidjs]

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1520 (780 M/740 R)
ACT (breakdown): 33 (idk lol)
SAT II: 760 Lit 660 Bio E (oof)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): forgot to report whoops will probably send now but- Gov (5) Bio (4) Lang (5) Chem & APUSH but didn’t take exams
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: BC Calc, AP Physics C, AP Lit, Dual Enrolled Comp Sci, English Independent study on disability in Lit, Nueroscience, intro to organic Chem, poetry
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): idk if this goes here but I placed 4th at FBLA Nationals for a community service project

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Body President, Women’s Job Readiness Program coordinator, research assistant in medical lab (required by my school & not a big program), senior peer counselor, FBLA president, varsity tennis, b-ball, & swimming (tennis captain)
Job/Work Experience: Tennis & swimming coach, program coordinator for local junior tennis league
Volunteer/Community service: writing center tutor, local hospital summer volunteer, stuff with women’s seminar
Summer Activities: see above whoops
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
common app- 7 I think it was very well written, but I’m not sure how unique it was. Basically, I go to a stem boarding school that’s only for juniors & seniors so I wrote about how coming to my school helped me learn to identify myself by how i effect other people & not numbers.
supplement-10? I really liked this one, I wrote about how I want to use my love for humanities in the medical field to connect with people & make systems that better serve patients. I though it was v good for 250 words
Why D- 8 I wrote about how my grandfather went to Dartmouth & all the progress that’s happened since he went there & how I wanted to be in that atmosphere of progress
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10 the guy is a published author, so he’s a great writer. I had him for AP Lang & worked really hard & wrote about some personal topics for his class. He also nominated me to be a writing center tutor & taught an independent study on disability in literature that we designed together.
Teacher Rec #2: 7? My AP chem teacher from junior year. Had a low B in there, so I got him mostly to write that I worked really hard for the grade I got.
Counselor Rec: 9, he knows me pretty well from tennis, but he’s very busy
Additional Rec: 10, the Vice President of my school, we’ve worked together on tough issues & he knows me very well, so it was pretty good
Interview: went for an hour & 15 minutes so we definitely connected, I don’t think it was anything that would help or hurt me

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: I think public health?
State (if domestic applicant): South Carolina
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: fresh/soph: large, public jun/sen: public, selective, boarding STEM focused (it’s weird I know lol)
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: around 100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): grandfather is alum/donor, doesn’t count as legacy, but might have gotten me the pity deferral

Reflection

Strengths: ECs, leadership, woman from South Carolina, my school/me choosing to go here
Weaknesses: test scores, had 1.5 Bs last year, essays
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think I just wasn’t unique enough, nothing really makes me stand out, I’m just well rounded
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
accepted to Clemson & Furman lol
General Comments:

[SacredCow29]

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t submit
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36 Math, 36 English, 36 Science, 32 Reading)
SAT II: 790 Math II, 740 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 10/400
AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5), Human Geography (5), Chemistry (4), Macroeconomics (4), European History (4), Language and Composition (4),
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, Honors Advanced Studies in American Government/We the People (Basically AP Gov on steroids), Honors Multivariable Calculus, Band, Honors Advanced Debate, AP Psych, AP Physics II, AP Spanish Lang
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Kansas Honor Scholar, National Merit Commended, Presidential Service Award, AP Scholar with Distinction, Math League 5th Place at Internationals, Mock Trial National Qualifier, Bunch of debate stuff, DECA nat qual, Bunch of piano awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Debate (VP), Tri-M (President), Kay Club (VP), Relay for Life (Board Member), Categories (Co-Captain), Science Honor Society (President), Tennis, Political Science Club, Math Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Piano
Job/Work Experience: Interned with Congressman Kevin Yoder, Worked at Kumon
Volunteer/Community service: Hospital, Library, Service Club, Relay for Life, Religious group
Summer Activities: Internship, Work, Debate camp
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: 9/10, Talked about personal growth
Why Dartmouth Essay: 8/10, Spent a lot of time on it, thought it was pretty good
Second Essay: 8/10, Talked a lot about my passion pretty well
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 7/10, I’m guessing it was alright
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10, I’m guessing it was alright
Counselor Rec: 7/10, generic I’m guessing but I know her decently well so it’s probably alright
Additional Rec: 8/10, really good friend and really good write, I’m sure it was good
Interview: 9/10, felt pretty confident, had a convo with my interviewer

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yuh
Intended Major: Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): KS
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 100K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nah

Reflection

Strengths: Essays, Extracurriculars
Weaknesses: GPA
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I worked pretty hard and put a lot of time into it
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted: KU, Minnesota, George Mason,

[PerpetualWorrier]

Posting DS’s results (with his permission of course) as another data point. Hope this helps!

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1560 (M790, R770); taken for NMF confirming score, submitted late so not sure this was a factor
ACT (breakdown): 35 (M35 W36 R34 S36); single sitting
SAT II: Math2 800, Chem 780
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8 (90-92 is a 3.7, 93-100 is 4.0), 4.3 weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school does not rank, guessing top 5-10%?
AP (place score in parenthesis):
Sophomore: Comp Sci (4), World History(4)
Junior: Lang(4), Chem(5), Calc BC (5), Calc AB subscore(5), Physics 1(5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, MultiVar/Linear Algebra, AP Physics C, AP Gov, AP Statistics
Major Awards: National Merit SemiFinalist, AP Scholar with Distinction

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Comp Sci Club (President), Math Honor Society (President), Science Olympiad, CyberPatriots, NHS, 4-year varsity track athlete (Pole vaulter, State qualifier, D3-recruitable, NOT Dartmouth level).
Job/Work Experience: summers only
Volunteer/Community service: tutors at local elementary schools, volunteers at athletic center for kids with disabilities, limited hours
Summer Activities: Virginia Governor’s School (STEM), Summer camp counselor/assistant STEM instructor for 5-7 year olds, Travel (multiple trips exploring “Roadside America” and National Parks, International)

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Can’t rate these objectively as I personally loved them b/c his voice was all over them. None were what I would call profound or intellectual but they all had good humor, humility, and sincerity throughout. Not sure how a stranger would respond but his English teacher and counselor really liked his Common App essay.
Common App essay was about movies and life parallels. A lighthearted and honest read.
Why Dartmouth was VERY specific to Dartmouth programs and location. Brief and to the point.
Creativity Supplement was about dental floss.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I can’t rate these but I assume they were very helpful.
Teacher Rec #1: AP Chem teacher and Science Olympiad sponsor.
Teacher Rec #2: AP Comp Sci teacher and Comp Sci Club sponsor.
Counselor Rec: New counselor this year so possibly quite generic, though DS did fill out a detailed “about me” questionnaire.
Peer Rec: Written by his older sister (Williams '21) because he didn’t realize it was an important part of the application until the night before the deadline and she was the only person he felt comfortable asking at that point. She let me read this after she submitted it. It was amazing and literally brought me to tears.
Interview: He said the interviewer was very nice and they had a good conversation that lasted about 1 1/2 hours.

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Comp Sci (modified with engineering)
State (if domestic applicant): VA
School Type: Non-magnet, non-specialized public school. Well regarded but not an Ivy feeder by any stretch of the imagination.
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: No aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy (Father '89)

Strengths: Test scores, course rigor, essays.
Weaknesses: No spike; nothing really setting him apart from the other thousands of qualified applicants.
Why you think you were accepted: Legacy with strong course rigor, grades, and test scores and no huge holes in his application. I also believe that admissions got a good feel for his personality and character through his essays and recommendations.

Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: None as he withdrew all other applications.

General Comments: DS is very blessed. Hoping he makes the most out of this wonderful opportunity.

[HeisenbergPi]

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):1430(E:640M:790)
ACT (breakdown):30(M36 S33 R27 E24)
SAT II: Math 2 800 physics 740
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.17
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 63/716
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geo (4) Psychology (5) Physics 1 (4) World History (4) Calc AB (5) Calc BC (5) Physics C (5) Physics 2 (4) US History (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:Eng H AP Macro AP Micro Debate 2 AP Environmental AP Euro AP Gov AP music theory
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):8th in Gemini (All topics inMath, including Calculus) at theMu Alpha Theta National national convention,6th in Computer Programmingat the Mu Alpha Theta State convention Top twenty speakers at The
Princeton Classic Debate Tournament 8 debate awards at Regiona Competitions (1st, 1st,1st ,1st,3rd, 3rd, 3rd,5th)14th in Mu Individual Relay (Alltopics of Calculus) at the MuAlpha Theta NationalConvention

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Team captain of the swim team, Math club VP , programming club co founder.
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 6
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 7

Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:
prob an 8.5/10

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major: Mathematics
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection
Bad GPA is a hard life

Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Bad GPA is a hard life

General Comments:
Bad GPA is a hard life

[coffeemugdonut]

Posting this for all the international students who think it’s impossible to get accepted, let alone receive financial aid. I was once in your shoes, you can do it!

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 34 (E:35,M:35,R:35,S:32)
SAT II: Math II 790, Physics 760 (people told me to retake those, especially considering how easy a 800 in math would be for me, so glad I didn’t listen to them. colleges really don’t care that much)
TOEFL iBT: 117/120
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): in my country GPA is out of 20, I had a 19.2 in 9th and a 19 in 10th grade, then the last two years I switched systems to full IB diploma and I have 45/45.
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): school doesn’t offer APs
IB (place score in parenthesis): Math HL (7), Further Math HL (7), Physics HL (7), Philosophy SL (7), English A Lang&Lit (7), Modern Greek A Literature (7).
Senior Year Course Load: full IB diploma, so see above
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): I have been qualifying for and competing in the Greek national math Olympiad (the equivalent of USAMO) every year of high school and got a bronze medal once. Also qualified for the national olympiad in informatics twice. A couple of national awards in earlier stages of math competitions.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

• Founder of my school’s Gender Equality Club, organized an event on feminism in contemporary society, roundtable group discussions, and debates.
• Math Club (we don’t have a president of the club or anything, we just solve problems, but I am usually assigned TA duties)
• Computer Science Club (same as math club)
• Editor in Chief of my school’s Math&Science magazine
• Wrote an article on women in STEM for my school’s newspaper
• Member of my school’s team in Oratory and Impromptu speaking (competed in the national tournament)
  Job/Work Experience: none
  Volunteer/Community service:
• I tutor underprivileged children (most of them immigrants whose parents are not able to help them with school) in math and English.
• I raised money for my local center for homeless and unemployed adults by creating/decorating and selling traditional Greek Easter candles.
  Summer Activities:
• CTY (9th grade)
• MathILy (10th grade)
• Canada/USA Mathcamp (11th & 12th grades)
  (Note: MathILy and Mathcamp are amazing, very selective 5-week programs, I strongly recommend them to anyone who loves math!)
  Essays (rating 1-10, details):
  -Common App: I won’t go into much detail about what I wrote here, but I’m very proud of it and I feel like it did a great job of reflecting how I think and approach the world. (9.5/10)
  -Why Dartmouth: Nothing fancy, mentioned the D-plan, study abroad opportunities and tight-knit community that Dartmouth offers, and (more specific to me) the Jack Byrne Scholars Program and a professor I’d like to pursue research under. (8.5?/10)
  -Creativity: I loved this one, it was about my passion for cosplaying (making costumes and dressing up as fictional characters) and how it led to my interest in other forms of textile art, also connected it to my passion for math. It showcased my quirky personality and I think it distinguished me from other applicants cause it’s not a very common hobby. (10/10)

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: My math and further math teacher, whom I see as a friend who also happens to teach me math 12 hours per week. I didn’t read his rec letter, but I’m sure it was excellent. (guessing 9-10/10)
Teacher Rec #2: My English teacher. I read this one and honestly, it was amazing. She talked about how I’m not only an excellent student whose work is a benchmark for my classmates but also a person who stands up for my beliefs and she really focused on my strong personality and how I inspire those around me (10/10)
Counselor Rec: I didn’t read but I have a good relationship with my counselor.
Additional Rec:

• Peer Rec: My best friend for like 5 years. She is an excellent writer and I cried reading it. (10/10)
• Other: My academic advisor from Mathcamp. I had a really good relationship with her and she emphasized my active role in the Mathcamp community. Didn’t read but I guess 9/10.
  Interview: It went really really well, my interviewer seemed impressed and she even told me I am charismatic and that I would be a great addition to the Dartmouth community (10/10)

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yeah and I got basically a full ride
Intended Major: Math modified with Computer Science and a minor in Philosophy
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Greece
School Type: Private, very competitive, sends many students to top universities abroad.
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none (unless girl in STEM counts as a hook?)

Reflection

Strengths: Strong spike in math, math and cs olympiads, took the most rigorous program available in my school, essays were unique and imho memorable.
Weaknesses: International student asking for A LOT of financial aid, 19/20 is great but not perfect, ACT science could be a bit higher, same with Subject Tests.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: see strengths
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: didn’t apply anywhere else in the US early. Received offers from Durham and Warwick in the UK.

General Comments:

Although high grades and test scores are necessary for admissions to top colleges, they are by no means sufficient. After a certain point, they are looking for intangible “measures” of your potential both in and outside the classroom. This is why rec letters, essays, and genuine ECs (i.e. those you actually care about and didn’t sign up for just to put in your resume) are so important. To those who didn’t get in, don’t let that upset you. You will end up somewhere amazing, and there’s much more to life than gaining admissions to elite colleges.

[123bruhwhat22]

Objective: REJECTED
SAT I (breakdown):1560
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 800 US 770 CHEM
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chem 5, US 5, Euro 5, Calc AB 5, Phys (This year), Stats (This year), Econ (This year)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Econ Ap stats AP Physics, Spanish Honors, English Honors
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 3 sport varsity athlete, ocean research
Job/Work Experience: Sailing instructor
Volunteer/Community service: Work at farm
Summer Activities: Sailing
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common app, 8 kinda boring, Why Dartmouth? - 10, Quote - 8
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 7/10
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10
Counselor Rec: 10/10
Additional Rec: 10/10
Interview: 10/10 we had a lot in common talked for a while

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: NO
Intended Major: Envrionmental Studies
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income Bracket: High
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nothing at all

Reflection

Strengths: Test scores, grades
Weaknesses: Nothing interesting about me, too boring - no special skills/recognition
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Too basic/ Boring
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nowhere

General Comments: None

[Notpop78]

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT (Not submitted)
ACT: 35 (36 in english, 35, 35, 35)
SAT II: 800 Math 2, 790 Physics
GPA: 4.0 unweighted 4.17 weighted (my school does it weird so even an A- counts as a 4.0)
Rank: Top Decile (School only does decile
AP’s: 4’s in Calc AB and World, 3’s in Literature and US
IB: Math SL 7
Senior year course load: IB literature, IB Physics, IB History of the americas, IB Spanish, IB Biology, Theory of knowledge
Major awards: Ap scholar with honors, Advanced regents honors diploma with endorsements in science and math

Subjective:

Extracurriculars: Gifted Math Program, program outside of school 5 hours a week teaching advanced mathematics, Junior and senior year in this had me take College calculus 1, 2, 3, and linear algebra
Started the Squash team and was first seed every year
Youth Leadership buffalo
Piano
Tennis
Hockey
Job/Work experience: was a staff at an all boys canoe tripping camp, a camp I have attended since I was 7
Internship in the nephrology department at a local hospital
Volunteer/Community service: none
Summer activities: I spend 8 weeks in algonquin park on canoe trips, I was a camper for 9 years and last year I was a staff

Essays:
Common app: Solid 6 maybe I wrote about my experience at my all boys canoe tripping camp and how it taught me to appreciate nature and the strong community within the camp
First supplement: 8/10 I wrote about the BME program and how amazing it was along with the beautiful natural surrounding of Dartmouth and how it really appealed to me
Second Supplement: 8/10 I wrote about growing up in an Irish, german, jewish, catholic house being the youngest of 6 kids
Recommendations: First was probably a 10/10 super nice history teacher who has known me since I was ten and taught me US history
8/10 another history teacher because my other teacher bailed I had to beg for it last minute, but he’s a super nice guy who loved my sister and appreciated the effort I put in in his class
Peer recommendation: 9/10 one of my best friends who I have known for 7 years wrote it and she’s really good at writing
Other recommendation: 10/10 my boss at my summer camp wrote me a 2 page recommendation because he has known me since I was seven and loved the work I did at camp and my abilities with campers
Interview: 5/10 nothing special, lady was super nice and just graduated Dartmouth and seemed impressed with my work but it wasn’t really special

Other:
Applied for financial aid?: no
Intended major: Biomedical engineering with pre-med
State: NY
School type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income-bracket: Upper class (I dont know specifically my parents won’t tell me)
Hooks: Legacy, really good at math, strong appreciation for nature and community which Dartmouth loves

Reflection:
Strengths: Really strong test scores, grades, nature loving guy, appreciation for community
Weaknesses: No volunteer service, I dont think my common app essay was very outstanding and I wish I wrote something else but it seems like it worked
Why do I think I was accepted?: Legacy, strong appreciation for nature and community (again)
Accepted where else: no where else
General Comments: Study hard and work hard, if you ever get too stressed applying to college, take a step back, breathe, and just realize that even if you dont go to dartmouth, college will be the best experience of your life.

[RCaz1923]

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Reading- 750 Math- 790 (1540)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Unweighted 4.0 Weighted- 4.433 (lower because of required religious courses)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): APES- 5 APUSH- 5 AP US Gov- 5 AP Lang-5 AP Bio- 4 AP Macro- 4 AP Latin- 3
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc. AB, AP Psychology, AP Comparative Government and Politics, AP English Lit, AP Studio Art, Advanced Latin Studies, Senior Synthesis (Religious)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar with Distinction, NHS, National Art Honor Society, National Latin Exam Summa Cum Laude

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Crew Lightweight Rower (4 years and 6th at Nationals), Art Club (National Art Honor Society), Yoga Nidra Club, Big Brother Leader (serve as a mentor to 9 freshman, organize Frosh retreats, reflections, and school spirit events), Kairos and Magis Retreats
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: Boys Team Charity Chapter President, Volunteered and Researched at Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center (SARRC), Math Tutor at Saint Vincent de Paul. Memory Portrait Project (in which I am working on drawings to auction off of immigrant orphans to raise money for detainees at the border) Project Cure (raised funds for medical supply donations to Africa and Central America, and remolded warehouse)
Summer Activities: UCLA Medicine Camp, Canoe Wilderness Adventure in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, Summer School

Essays (rating 1-10, details):

Common App (One thing about me that is integral)- 9/10 Spoke about how there are many experiences in my life that have made me incredibly interested in psychology and neuroscience. I wrapped the mysteries around my sister’s childhood seizures and how I saved her life, my concussion and how it affected my personality, my grandmas’s stroke and how I had to care for her, and the mysteries of my cousin’s case of Autism and developmental speech issues into the reasons I am taking AP psychology and volunteer at SARRC. Also how I would like to pursue these interests in my time at Dartmouth.

Why Dartmouth?- 10/10 Spoke about how I have many passions that I would like to pursue and that could be made possible by their mixed majors, cross college work, and quarter system. Also my love for the outdoors and the outfitting club.

What is a problem you would like to address?- 9/10 Spoke about canoe trip to Minnesota and how the beauty of the place is threatened by possible uranium mining.I am normally right leaning, but this issue made me want to side with views of protecting this gem at the cost of economic profit. Also, how I would like to take political science courses to address it.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Math (PreCalc) 10/10- Helped me get through a tough time, never missed a single point in his class the first semester, led my Kairos religious retreat.

Teacher Rec #2: English (AP Lang) 10/10- Would always come into his class and have political discussions, participated in his class all of the time, has a reputation for writing great recommendations.

Counselor Rec: 9/10- Had me and my parents fill out an extensive survey with over 30 questions each very deep (took 5 hours to fill out), knew him very well and often came in for assistance, worked in the Notre Dame admissions committee.

Additional Rec: Arts Teacher 10/10- I have had her all 4 years of high school and she teaches AP Studio Art. I am always on task in her class, and she loves my drawings.

Interview: 10/10- Went to the same school as the Interviewer’s son and had the same history teacher that helps coach with my interviewer. Shared similar interests in history, government, and athletics. Told me he would do the best of his ability to write a recommendation to get me in. He was incredibly welcoming and made me want to be a part of the community.

Other:
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Undecided but demonstrated interest in Neuroscience. Political Science, and Drawing
State (if domestic applicant): AZ
Country (if international applicant): United States
School Type: Jesuit Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 150K +
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none, no legacy (Maybe from Southwest if that helps idk)

Reflection:
Strengths: Into the Arts aside from STEM, 4.0, Essays, Crew, took as many rigorous classes as I could.
Weaknesses: no subject test submission since I did not have them completed by the application deadline
Why you think you were accepted: The way I am passionate about science and psychology, art and drawing, and government and politics all at the same time. Also possible place in art programs and rowing team. Expressed love of outdoors.
Where else were you accepted: University of Arizona Honors College, Northern Arizona University

General Comments:

I submitted an art portfolio with 5 works. Although they were not my best, they showed a diverse range of medium from colored pencil to charcoal to pencil to scratch board. I would say they were above average for a high school student.

[bucky2019]

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 35 (35 math, 36 science, 35 english, 33 writing)
SAT II: 800 math II, 730 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.86
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 BC Calc, 5 English Lang, 5 Comp Sci A
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Multivariable/linear alg (honors), AP macro, honors science research seminar, post AP computer science (honors), English (honors)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National merit commendation

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Chess Club and Team (captain, president, and founder), Computer science club (president), guitar player, alpine ski racer, varsity cross country, jv crew, math team
Job/Work Experience: Tennis Coach in summer
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common app: 10/10. I made it in my own voice, which I think is the most important thing. I talked about how I initiate things like music groups at my school, the clubs I created, and an app I developed. I tied this back to parts of my childhood and how I have always initiated things.
Supp 1: 10/10. Talked about how I would like to participate in cross disciplinary research and how Dartmouth is the perfect place for that (liberal arts focus and strong stem programs).
Supp 2: 9/10. Curiosity prompt, talked about the time I had a conversation with one of the computer science faculty, how it had happened because I had been curious enough to read his book. 9/10 because not as tightly written as other essays.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10- chem teacher who knew me not only as an interested student but as a guitar player and a person outside of class
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10- my advisor and calc teacher, probably talked about how I skipped a year of math and am on the math team but he tends to say passive aggressive things in comments.
Counselor Rec: 10/10- knew me very well from numerous meetings and I believe thought highly of me
Additional Rec: 10/10- written by my girlfriend who did an excellent job- talked about my dedication and such
Interview: 8/10- we connected over music and got along nicely but only talked for under 30 minutes

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Computer Science
State (if domestic applicant): Massachusetts
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Upper Middle Class (don’t know past there)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): My aunt went to Dartmouth but that doesn’t count as legacy… Not sure why they include that other than maybe for the statistic of how many alumni were included (gotta keep the alums happy). Made it very obvious that I was interested in creating solutions to problems (whether it be linked to technology or music). Honestly I think having a hook is less about having a parent that went to a college or being a URM or what have you and more about being interesting and interested.

Reflection

Strengths: Course load, recommendations, essays
Weaknesses: GPA seems low for Dartmouth, but is quite high for my school (very competitive private school, top 30% ish goes to top ten schools).
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I gave a really good picture of myself and how I’ve used my drive and initiative up until this point which I think struck a chord with the admissions staff
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: N/A

General Comments: I also turned in a music supplement. I played two pieces, one was a jazz piece and one was a blues piece. I am (humbly of course) around NEC/Berkley level (I play with a few NEC/Berkley guys). I also wrote an essay about how I would play music at Dartmouth- probably another 10/10.

Also** People on College Confidential seemed really focused on interviewing. I think it matters very little and I have heard it is more of a way to get alumni involved and get applicants excited rather than be a deciding factor.

[ghood2696]

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1410 (740 R, 670M) but they got to see my 1270 (650 R, 620 M)
ACT (breakdown): 29 (29 E, 32 R, 28 M, 28 S, 10 W)
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 8/533
AP (place score in parenthesis): Spanish Lit (5), Spanish Lang (5), APUSH (4), English Lang (4), Psych (5)

Senior Year Course Load: AVID Senior Seminar (basically a class that aids with college apps), AP Environmental Science, American Government (1st semester), Economics (2nd semester), Photography I, AP Stats, AP English Lit

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
QuestBridge College Prep Scholar, QuestBridge National College Match Finalist, AP Scholar with Distinction, School-based awards (Academic Excellence in English 9H, English 10H, AP Spanish Lit, APUSH)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): AVID, California Scholarship Federation, Educational Talent Search Wahoopa
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: 200+ hours aiding at a middle school in my community & at a retirement home
Summer Activities: stayed at USC during summer for 3 weeks

Essays (rating 1-10, details): for both 8/10 (personally feel like my essays spoke a lot about who I am as a person & what I have gone through as a minority [being both Hispanic & gay in a conservative community], but my essays felt like they lacked something at times; however showed my passions [aiding underprivileged people in my communities & hopefully becoming a speech therapist] & how I am willing to give back to my community at an academic & personal level)

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 10/10 AP English Lang (didn’t really talk in her class but would do all her work & would talk to her a lot about how I could improve my writing skills; became close to her since she helped me come out of my shell)
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10 AP Psych (gave her my resume, transcript & personal info which she basically regurgitated onto the rec which made her look like she knew me a lot; horrible at teaching, but a good person who would force me to volunteer in class discussions)
Counselor Rec: 8/10 (I feel like I bug her all the time so that she can do counselor recs, doesn’t really know me since my school is somewhat large & the only time she sees is when I go bother her about counselor recs or that one time that I had a break down my sophomore year)
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: didn’t do one

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes & got a full ride
Intended Major: Linguistics & Environmental Science
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Female/Nonbinary
Income Bracket: around 24K per year
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation college, first language is Spanish, parents are immigrants, huge dreams for someone who lives in bad town, minority status??

Reflection

Strengths: taken the most rigorous courses in a high school that doesn’t have much to offer, have worked to remain in the top of my class while at the same time maintaining a connection with my community through comm. service, extracurriculars show that I am determined to go to college, awards, writing about topics that show that I am able to bounce back from my traumas/weaknesses & am willing to fight for what I believe in, strong recommendations

Weaknesses: not the best SAT score, essays were a mix & match since I could have worked harder on them, felt like my application would not really stand out from the rest of the applications at times because I am not as involved as other students or am not a student-athlete

Why you think you were accepted: based on my community service & determination to remain at the top of my rigorous courses, minority status?? (but let’s be real I still don’t know how I got in)

Where else were you accepted: for right now only to CSUs (public California colleges) & my local community college

[Darkbluewho]

Posting this for fellow Questbridge kids like myself (or other low-income kiddos):

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1400 (700 E/700 M)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 660 Bio M/ 660 Lit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Weighted GPA: 4.66
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4/640
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geography (5), World History (4), Psychology (4), Music Theory (2), Statistics (3), English Lang (5), Biology (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): Music SL (5)
Senior Year Course Load: IB TOK, IB Music HL, IB Contemporary History SL, IB Calc/Stat SL, IB English HL, IB Biology HL, IB Spanish HL, Speech/Presentation Skills, US History until 1865, College Trig, College Pre-calc (the last four are dual enrollment classes)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Questbridge National College Match Finalist, Questbridge College Prep Scholar, Tomorrow’s Leaders, Science Olympiad State/Regional Awards, Full Ride Scholarship to UF SSTP, AP Scholar with Distinction, and Chosen for Academic Team State Competition (1 of 6 out of the county)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Science National Honor Society (President and Co-Founder), Envirothon (Captain), Academic Team (Captain), Marching Band/Wind Ensemble (Uniform Manager, Logistics Manager, Co-Section Leader), National Honor Society, Science Olympiad, Spanish National Honor Society, Florida High School Democrats (State Parliamentarian), , Environmental Science Research with a professor, and Genetics Research with a professor (UF SSTP)
Job/Work Experience: Babysitting, Math Tutor
Volunteer/Community service: Soup Kitchen, Science Outreach,
Summer Activities: UF Student Science Training Program, Dual-enrollment classes
Essays (rating 1-10, details): (10/10) I wrote one of my essays as a letter to my father who passed away when I was younger. This essay charted the experiences that followed including losing my grandmother, having to take over his role and take care of my sibling, and having to take care of my elderly aunt and uncle nearly every weekend. Beyond this, it discusses how writing letters to my father as a way of coping opened up an entire world of story-telling and writing that I wouldn’t have had if he hadn’t passed away. The essay is very personal and intimate. It made every person who read it cry and my counselor said it was the best essay she had read.
(8-9/10) Through Questbridge I submitted two other essays one was a slightly weaker essay about the importance of enduring uncomfortable times and the other was about my interest in music despite my musical incompetence. My teachers and friends thought they were really good but they aren’t as personal as the first essay.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10, My English teacher is probably the only teacher who knows about my family situation, mental health, and other issues. She knows how much college means to me and she respects my writing ability. She told me she wrote me a wonderful recommendation, and knowing her writing ability it was definitely a stellar rec.
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10 My biology teacher is also the Science NHS sponsor, Envirothon sponsor, and Academic Team sponsor so she knows me very well. She has had me for two years and my other two siblings. She definitely wrote me a good recommendation, one that was probably a little sarcastic as she always is, but otherwise, it was decent.
Counselor Rec: 10/10 My counselor has seen me through some things including taking on receiving my Associate’s degree on top of my IB diploma. She has also seen me increase my class rank by about 30 places over the past four years. She knows me inside and out as she attended my father’s funeral and has long since been a family friend. She told me she wrote an amazing rec and I believe that whole-heartedly.
Additional Rec: N/A for Questbridge applicants
Interview: N/A for Questbridge applicants

Other

Applied for Financial Aid: Yes, and received a full ride (more or less)
Intended Major: Earth Sciences
State (if domestic applicant): FL
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: > 30000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Low-income (Questbridge), LGBTQ+

Reflection

Strengths: My essays and recs were the strongest points of my application. They explained everything my grades, test scores, and such couldn’t and really emphasized the idea that I was worth a shot. My extracurriculars also showcased the idea that I was dedicated to science and really sold the idea that I knew what I was doing (even if I felt like I didn’t). Additionally, my transcript was quite impressive. I have taken on an Associate’s Degree on top of my IB diploma and will be finishing it this semester. I have also taken AP classes online when they wouldn’t fit into my schedule. This means that I currently have 40+ credits to my name (With an A in all except 3). I think that the idea that I took the initiative to drive myself to extra classes, or spend extra time taking online classes helped instill the idea that I was willing to work hard in order to get the results I wanted. Also the UF Student Science Training Program I attended this summer is considered one of the best summer programs in the country as it involves dedicated basically your entire summer to living on UF’s campus and doing nothing besides research. I think this was also a highlight of my application. In my present situation where I spend a lot of time attending to family matters what I did with my free time really spoke to my commitment to getting into Dartmouth.
Weaknesses: Let me be the first to say my test scores are mediocre. Nothing about the objective side of me screams “Ivy League”. My subject test scores are quite terrible, my SAT score is decent but not the best, and my unweighted GPA isn’t a 4.0.

General Comments: I understand that it may infuriate some that I was admitted with such low stats, but understanding that colleges also want real people is important. I am a low-income student from a single-parent background, I knew I would never be the smartest person nor the kind of person who could get in based on money, legacy, or status, so I took the harder route and chose to work as hard as I could. For the past two years, I have taken nearly thirty classes spent many nights at my local community college until 10 pm, spent every free moment working towards getting in even when it was at the expense of my family. The idea that every moment I spent at school, band, or engaged in extracurriculars required such a large sacrifice as I take care of my brother and elderly aunt and uncle a lot because my mom has to work made every accomplishment that much more impressive. So for any students out there who are like me, know that there is a chance for you. For Questbridge students who don’t get matched to Dartmouth through the match don’t be scared to switch to ED. I did, and couldn’t be happier.