Writing this pains me, but oh well…
Decision: Deferred
Objective:
[] SAT I (breakdown): 2300 (800M, 730 CR, 770W)
[] ACT: N/A
[] SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Physics
[] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): N/A, school doesn’t do GPA on 4.0 scale,
[] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank
[] AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (5), Physics Mech (5), Physics E&M (5), Chemistry (5), English Language (5), Microeconomics (5)
[] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[] Senior Year Course Load: Linear Algebra (Taken online at university), AP Comp Sci, AP Stats, Random humanities courses
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): IPhO (International Physics Olympiad) Medallist, IOAA (International Olympiad on Astronomy and Astrophysics) Medallist, SIN Physics Competition (Top 10 Globally), AAPT PhysicsBowl (1st Place Nationally), random physics and math awards, random national and state debating awards, National AP Scholar [/li][ /list]
Subjective:
[] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Debate Club (9-12, President), Physics Club (9-12, President), Charity Talent Show Lead organizer, raised nearly $1000 in support of a certain hospital (11-12), Astrophysics research at local uni (11-12), JV Basketball (9-10), Training for International Olympiads (9-12, this has been a big one for me), Tutoring in-school, working out (lol)
[] Job/Work Experience: Nope
[] Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered at the local science centre for half a year, not too big a deal
[] Summer Activities: 2014: Summer Engineering Program at UofT, worked with 3-D printers, electron microscopes, learned about Nanotech; 2015: International Olympiads in both India and Indonesia, did astro research after coming back
[] Essays: Common App - lol this one I felt like was absolute trash (6.5/10), Princeton Supplement - much better than my Common App essay (8.5/10),
[] Teacher Recommendations: Should have been very good, got one from my Physics teacher who is also my Physics Club supervisor (9/10) and my English teacher, who is my debate team coach (9/10)
[] Counselor Rec: Should’ve been pretty good, didn’t read but I’ll assume (8.5/10)
[] Additional Rec: Nope
[li] Interview: Was a little awkward, but went well for the most part (7.5/10)[/li][ /list]
Other
[] Applied for Financial Aid?: No
[] Intended Major: Physics and Astrophysics
[] State (if domestic applicant): N/A
[] Country (if international applicant): Canada EH
[] School Type: Public Catholic (lol)
[] Ethnicity (Hispanic Y/N/not reported):
[] Race(s) (AI/AN, Asian, AA, NH/PI, White, not reported): Asian (as Chinese as it gets)
[] Gender: XY (wait that means male right?)
[] Income Bracket: ~150K, lol probably should’ve applied for FinAid
[] Hooks/tips (URM, athlete, legacy, 1st gen, etc.): IPhO and IOAA medallist? Asian male going into physics? (lol jk, fml)
[ /list]
[ b]Reflection**
[] Strengths: Scores, Recommendations, Awards,
[] Weaknesses: ESSAYS FOR SURE, CR score, relatively weak senior course load, interview?
[] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: REJECTED BC OF MY CRAP COMMON APP ESSAY, or maybe bc I am an asian male going into STEM.
[] Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Nowhere yet
[li] Where else are you applying for RD: Ivies, MIT, Stanford, Schools up in Canada[/li][ /list]
General Comments: I’ll be honest. I was a little surprised (and very disappointed) after getting deferred especially after being told that my International Olympiad medals would be huge in my decision. But I guess this means that no matter how many awards you have, they are no guarantee for admission and I learned this the hard way! Also, I don’t think I was all that genuine and honest in my essays, and this is something I’ll work towards in my RD apps. Hopefully RD works out better and I won’t let this one deferral discourage me!
Puck Frinceton! (Jk I actually love princeton)
See you in April peeps