<p>Rejected</p>
<p>Stats:
SAT: 2340 (800 Math, 800 CR, 740 writing, this is in one sitting, second time I took it)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Physics
Did not take ACT.
Unweighted GPA: Something like 3.8/3.9, my school only records weighted, I got a 4.78 by the South Carolina weighted scale
Rank: not ranked, but unofficially 25/136 (competitive high school)
Other Tests (AMC, AP, IB): 5 on all AP tests except a 4 in Euro [Bio, Euro, Calc AB, Physics B, Psych, APUSH]
Subjective
Essays: Could have been better to be honest, I kind of rushed some of them
Teacher Recs: Good one by AP Bio teacher, didn’t see math teacher’s but I think it’s not bad
Counselor Rec: Don’t know, our guidance counselor is new this year so we haven’t gotten to know each other
Supplementary Material: None
Hook(recruited athlete, legacy, International Olympiads): None to speak of
Personal
Location: SC
High School Type: public magnet
Ethnicity: Asian (Bengali)
Gender: Male
Other
Extracurriculars: Cross Country (state team), Track, Volunteering (90 hours total), Mu Alpha Theta, Wrestling (one year), Palmetto Boys State
Awards: National Merit Finalist (Semifinalist when I sent my app)
Advice? Commiserations? Feel like bragging?: If you’re really set on Caltech, make sure you do research and stand out in some way. Also, be interesting in general and really carefully consider the questions well in advance. I have good numbers but not much else, and I think that’s what hurt me in the end. I am hoping to get accepted here or a school of similar caliber in grad school. I wasn’t really all that surprised to be rejected, to be honest. Also I kind of wish I took a third SAT II and took that SAT II soon after the AP test. I should have also pursued leadership positions in clubs and been more involved in them. To be honest, I’m not as bitter about it as I thought I’d be, I guess it’s because I found out about Case Western and a scholarship from them beforehand. The only thing to do is work harder in college, I guess.
Where else?: Accepted to Clemson, Georgia Tech, and Case Western. This is the first outright rejection I got (I’m sure there are more rejections to come).</p>