<p>[size=4]Decision: ACCEPTED[/size=4]</p>
<p>Objective:</p>
<p>SAT I (breakdown): Not taken at time of app, but I put in my two PSAT scores of 197/196 (Just received my SAT score today, which is 2060 total: 680 R, 690 W, 690 M)</p>
<p>ACT: Not taken at time of app, but I put in my PLAN score of 32 (took state-mandated ACT test in April but yet to receive score)</p>
<p>SAT II: Not taken at time of app (will take on June 7th)</p>
<p>Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93 (Weighted GPA is 4.17 out of 5)</p>
<p>Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 28/540 UW, 4/540 W</p>
<p>AP (place score in parenthesis): US Govt (5), Physics B (4)</p>
<p>IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A</p>
<p>Award(s) Granted: Invite to Stanford college conference, nomination for college visit. I think I forgot to apply for the test prep, which was why I didn’t get it! :(</p>
<p>Subjective:</p>
<p>Extracurricular Activities (place leadership roles in parenthesis): NHS 1 yr, Chinese Natl Honour Society 1 yr, JV Tennis 3 yrs, school speech & debate team varsity and ranked in Natl Forensics League </p>
<p>Job/Work Experience: None</p>
<p>Volunteer/Community service: ~30 hrs at local natural history museum, ~5 hrs miscellaneous work</p>
<p>Summer Activities: Not really much, don’t remember what I put in my app…</p>
<p>Essays: 8/10. I wrote about growing up as part of the majority Asian-American population in the working-class LA neighbourhood I used to live in. I also mentioned how my perspective of America and my place in it completely changed after moving to an upper-middle class town in Colorado, where I’ve had to adapt to being a minority and living with white people for the first time. I pulled a lot of it from a previous memoir assignment from my English class because I procrastinated on applying. I thought it was a good essay overall, but not great.</p>
<p>Teacher Recommendation: 10/10. I chose my English teacher I’ve known since freshmen year. She also chose me for an English award this year during our school academic awards ceremony, and she must’ve written an amazing rec judging from her awards speech about me alone.</p>
<p>Other:
State (if domestic applicant): Colorado</p>
<p>School Type: Public</p>
<p>Ethnicity: Asian American (Chinese)</p>
<p>Gender: M</p>
<p>Income Bracket(mention if FA candidate): ~30k</p>
<p>Hooks (First Generation College, Minority,Learning Disability, etc.): First generation college student, First generation immigrant, Minority (not URM)</p>
<p>Reflection:
Strengths: Teacher rec, essay, relatively good grades</p>
<p>Weaknesses: mediocre ECs, lack of job experience</p>
<p>Why you think you were accepted/rejected: Honestly I think my teacher rec was the biggest factor in my acceptance. Up until this year I didn’t know my English teacher loved my writing so much (I had her freshmen year as well). My advice to future applicants? Find a teacher you know super well and you’re certain will give you outstanding remarks. </p>
<p>What other Scholarships will you be applying for: Applying for QuestBridge NCM for certain. I was thinking of trying out for the Gates Millennium Scholarship, but I highly doubt I’ll make it.</p>
<p>**General Comments: **
Do not procrastinate! Seriously, take it from the guy who started the application first day it came out and finished right at 11:59PM on the night of the deadline. Get to know your teachers more, and find one you connect with who you can trust will write you a good recommendation. I wouldn’t suggest padding your essays, awards, ECs, etc. with too much fluff; in my opinion, trivial information can make you look like you’re trying to hard to impress them rather than presenting what you truly excel in. Find a topic or personal experience you’re extremely passionate about, because you’ll need it for both the personal essay and the short-answer responses. Congratulations to everyone accepted; hope to see you all at the Stanford conference! Even if you didn’t get in, I salute you for trying your best. Don’t let this alone discourage you from the NCM application or any other scholarships!</p>