Official Caltech Class of 2016 EA/RD Decisions Thread

FyodorMend67
Mon, 19 Mar 2012 01:53:48 +0000

[ size=+1][ color=green][ b]Accepted[ /b][ /color][ /size]

Sorry guys but I copied and pasted this from my chancing thread. Excuse me for errors. But let this be the first Afro-Americano example.

Objective:
•SAT I (breakdown): Superscore: Composite (2270) 740 CR, 750 M, 780 W; took twice
•SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Physics, 790 Chem <-----(DANGIT! probably one of those stupid lab procedures some chemistry teachers avoid -___-)
•Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 Weighted: 4.6
•Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/527 (although now it will be first)
•AP: All 5’s: World History (10), European History (10), Chemistry (11), AP Physics C: Mech (11), AP Physics C E&M (11), AP Calc BC (11), AP Calc AB subscore (11), APUSH (11), AP English Lang. (11). All except English Lang. USH, and partially Calc BC were self-studied.
Tentative: AP Environmental Science, AP Biology, AP Spanish Language, AP English Literature, AP U.S Govt, Macro/Microeconomics, AP Statistics.
•Senior Year Course Load: AP Environmental Science, AP Biology, AP Spanish Language, AP English Lit., AP Govt./Econ, Yearbook
•Awards:
-Congressional Recognition by Joe Baca for Academic Decathlon
-National AP Scholar with Distinction
-National Merit Commended
-National Achievement Semi-Finalist
-Academic Decathlon: 1st on team 10th-11th grade, few regional awards.
-Questbridge Finalist: (will apply through Regular Decision)
-some awards of Recognition by California Educational Theatre Association

Subjective:
•Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National English Honors Society 10th-12th (President, 12th, Treasurer 10th)
National Honors Society (Secretary 10th) 10th-12th,
Key Club 9th-12th,
Academic Decathlon (Honors Team, 9th-12th), 9th-12th,
Cross-Country 10th-11th, Theatre 11th-12th (Try out for a few plays get major to minor roles, work backstage on sets),
California Scholarship Federation 10th-12th,
Chess Club 11th-12th,
Chemistry Tutor and local Library tutor (both Volunteer basis),
College Admissions Club (Co-founder, Vice-President; informs students on college admission process)
Student Advisory Board (Co-founder, oversees of Student Body Outreach)
•Job/Work Experience: Nothing yet, but plan on opening tutoring business (problem is, my mother is too stubborn to let me have one >.<)
•Volunteer/Community service: I’d say 300 hours (rough estimate though)
•Summer Activities: PAYS (enrichment program at Pomona College; 2009, 2011) volunteer at Pomona college radio freshman year, research assistant at Pomona College department of molecular biology (worked under actual professor on research concerning yeast genetics and their connection to human genetic diseases). Also, cross-country training and volunteering for NHS over the 11th grade summer. Mostly though, reading on anything free as far as textbooks and certain math subjects. Consider it my informal education
•Essays: good. I feel that they really do express me greatly. Best one was how Jules Verne influenced me into going into the science field.
•Teacher Recommendation: 1 from AP Calc teacher, and my AP Chem teacher, who I talk to on a regular basis. Both I know who will give good recommendations
•Counselor Rec: pretty good. Talk to him everyday.

Other
•State (if domestic applicant): California
•Country (if international applicant):
•School Type: Public (Can’t say about rank, but average SAT is low 1400’s and has 11 AP’s just as a bigger picture.)
•Ethnicity: African American (Mixed with white and African-American [with traces of Mexican heritage], but I identify myself as African-American)
•Gender: Male
•Income Bracket: <20,000 (Live with mother)
•Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
URM (irrelevant at Caltech), First generation
Reflection
•Strengths: zeal for science in my essay, possibly extracurriculars, minority and low socioeconomic status (prefer the latter in college admissions to be honest, and for Caltech, the former doesn’t matter.). Research and Questbridge, though, helped I think.
•Weaknesses: scores are meh, I believe according to Ivy statistics, and possibly lack of focus in EC’s. I would have started up science-related clubs, but unfortunately, nobody that I know has signed on board concerning such things. Hope the essay and interview compensate for such things.
]Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?: OMG!!! OMG!!! I was literally hoping to be waitlisted. This is even more surprising since I got flat-out rejected to MIT (****** bastards!) Seriously, though, when I found out about this, I was supposed to interview for UC Berkeley Regent’s; but I was so ecstatic that I felt like celebrating instead (arrogant: perhaps, but I was too shocked to care; plus even if I were to go, being a Calfornian with scholarships would even it out.). Right now, got a likely letter to Columbia, deferred from Harvard, have the feeling I will be accepted to the UC’s I applied to, and accepted to someplace that is probably even more selective than any of the colleges I applied to: UNREAL.