My decisions are all finalized, some things in this decision process went as expected for me and some were extremely surprising. I saw a CC post like this from a couple years ago, so I want you to try and guess what my stats got me from each of these schools, and where I will be attending!
Stats:
Male low income middle eastern California resident. QuestBridge finalist. Physics major.
3.68 UW GPA, 4.36 W GPA (Upward trend: 3.36 freshman, 3.75 sophomore, 4.0 junior)
4.23 UC GPA
1500 SAT (750/750), 21/24 Writing
-3 on AP World History (10th)
-4 on AP English Lang, AP US Government (11th)
-8 AP classes total
Senior course load:
-AP Physics C
-AP Calc BC
-AP Compsci Principles
-AP Psych
-AP English Lit
Awards/Extracurries:
-QuestBridge College Prep Scholar
-QuestBridge Finalist
-AP Scholar
-NHS President in 11th grade
-Member of book club for 4 years
-Event coordinator of compsci club
-Periodic volunteering at local retirement home for the past 5 years
-Church volunteer operating sound equipment at each (weekly) service for 2 years
-Member of my city’s astronomy club which goes on star parties and field trips to cool places (briefly mentioned in an essay)
-Also member of school’s astronomy, physics, philosophy, and drama club
Essays:
Common app:
Wrote about how growing up without a dad and having a mom who worked full time forced me to become self reliant and that this translated to my academic success. Also focused on how an important resource for me was finding information online and speaking to people for advice online after joining forums like this one is what sparked my interest in technology and that by going into physics I will help advance science and further this interconnectedness and widespread availability of information.
UCs:
- Wrote about the responsibilities I had and what I learned from being NHS president (mostly organizing volunteering events and getting a sense of helping my community and being a role model for the younger NHS kids)
- Literally wrote about video games. I was so proud of this one. Basically put a positive spin on it and said that they helped me socialize, practice time and resource management, leadership and teamwork, etc
- Wrote about weight loss which for me was always a significant struggle and period of development. Also mentioned how the discipline I practiced from it translated into my academics.
- Wrote about my interest in psychology and my MBTI Personality Type, what it says about me, and how this is accurate and how said personality traits make me an ideal physicist.
Schools I applied to:
Columbia:
UCSB:
UC Irvine:
Grinnell:
Colby:
UC Davis:
UCLA:
Pomona:
Bowdoin:
Occidental:
UCSD:
UC