Objective: SAT I (breakdown): M 750 CR 800 W 800 Essay 11 SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (780) USH (780) GPA: 4.61 (weighted); 3.98 (unweighted) AP (place score in parentheses): World History (5), Spanish Language and Culture (4), US History (5), Computer Science (5) Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Physics, AP Music Theory, AP English, Shakespeare, HarvardX edX CS50 Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended, National AP Scholar with Honors, NCTE Achievement Award Winner School Awards: Letters of Commendation in Honors Geometry, Honors Biology, Honors English 10, Honors American Lit
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses): Music—School Orchestra (Concertmaster, Vice-President), Tri-M Honors society, Renown Local Youth Orchestra (toured Netherlands, Carneige Hall), Senior Districts, All-States, All-Eastern, National High School Honors Orchestra, All-National Honors Orchestra, Community service outreach**, Started chamber program at local middle school school a cappella group (President, arranger, singer) Politics/Relations— Politics Club (Founder, President), Model UN (founded and fundraised for the school’s team, Head Delegate), Civics Bee (chosen for the town’s team), school rep and project leader for Greater Boston Students of Color Achievement Network Sports— Varsity Soccer, Swimming, Assistant swim coach at town’s summer swim program, sports correspondent for town paper Writing— NCTE Achievement Award Winner, literary magazine article Volunteer/Community Service: From the Top Center for the Development of Arts Leaders (helped inner city kids learn chamber music), Sports correspondent for town paper, Assistant swim coach at town’s summer swim program Summer Activities: Music festivals, Netherlands tour with orchestra Essays (rating 1-10, details): Let's say a 10 is the best of my ability. Common app 10, IV 10, Extracurricular 8, Roommate 9, What matters 10 Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Didn't see any of these so this is based off of my intuition/relationships with them. Teacher Rec #1: English teacher jr year-- stellar. 10 Teacher Rec #2: Math teacher jr year-- probably good, but not as confident about this one. Counselor Rec: Good relationship with her, but I'm not really close with her. Additional Rec: Probably good, but not as confident about this one. Interview: Went well!
Other State (if domestic applicant): Northeast Country (if international applicant): School Type: Public Ethnicity: Asian Gender: Female Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): female interested in computer programming
Reflection Strengths: Stanford is currently trying to boost its music program so my violin playing helped a lot I think. I'm a female interested in programming, which there aren't very many of. And possibly my biggest strength was my ESSAYS. Poured my heart out into them. Weaknesses: Asian that plays violin Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: See strengths. Where else you are applying or have already applied: Will apply to Harvard RD and then choose between!
I can't believe I'm in. I've been dreaming about this moment for so long and I had really thought I'd be rejected. But for all of you that are gonna be future applicants, DON'T LOSE HOPE! BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!! HARD WORK PAYS OFF. Case 2:Decision: Accepted
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 2290 total - 730 CR, 770 M, 790 W (9) ACT (breakdown): N/A SAT II: Math II 800, Literature 740 Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.975 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Calculus AB (5), AP Chinese Language and Culture (5), AP English Language and Composition (5), AP U.S. History (4) IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature and Composition, AP Statistics, Chemistry, Computer Programming Java, U.S. Government / Economics (semester-long classes), Studio Art Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semi-Finalist; AP Scholar with Honor Award; Le Grand Concours Lauréat National (national recognition in a nation-wide French exam); Red, White & Blue Award (the most prestigious academic award at my high school)
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National and international level harpist; pianist of twelve years; Music for Community club (President); member of Barbershop Quartet club; member of a table tennis club in my local community; Chinese School student Job/Work Experience: N/A Volunteer/Community service: Music for Community, in which students perform music for the elderly at nursing homes in their local community Summer Activities: Traveling across the state, country, and nation's borders for national and international harp competitions and performances Essays (rating 1-10, details): - Common App: wrote about my harp competitions and performances and the lessons I've gained from my experiences - Activity Question: wrote about my involvement and leadership in Music for Community - Intellectual Vitality: wrote about how art classes have taught me to think differently and take risks - Roommate: wrote about my two younger brothers and their role in my life - What matters: wrote about my contributions to the community through harp and the harp's significance to me Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Math teacher - waived right to view, but I performed exceptionally well in her class, and she and I have a very good relationship. She knows I play the harp and invited me to perform at her wedding. 10/10 Teacher Rec #2: Physics teacher - waived right to view, but in his class, I displayed diligence, honesty, and selflessness in unusual circumstances in which no other students did. 10/10 Counselor Rec: Waived right to view, but she and I have a very good relationship. She is aware of both my academic capabilities and personal talents. 10/10 Additional Rec: N/A Interview: N/A
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes Intended Major: Undeclared State (if domestic applicant): California Country (if international applicant): N/A School Type: Public Ethnicity: Asian-American Gender: Female Income Bracket: ~ 90K Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A
Reflection
Strengths: Academically qualified, deep involvement and significant accomplishments in a unique extra-curricular activity, strong music and art supplements, very strong teacher recs, essays Weaknesses: Light number of AP classes( compared to my peers - I attend a very competitive high school), light senior year schedule, few Subject Tests, less experience in leadership, few activities unrelated to music Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: All of the strengths listed above, but it all came down to the essays. The essays are so important, I cannot emphasize this enough. When writing, I tried to tell a story, illustrate a scene so my audience could visualize everything and feel something in their hearts. What was important was to write something from my heart and something that would leave a lasting impression on an audience that was reviewing thousands of applications. Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at Indiana University at Bloomington
General Comments: I am incredibly grateful, honored, and humbled that Stanford selected me to be part of their Class of 2019. I realize that others may have to wait several more months to receive their decisions, and others still may have been already rejected. To all of those students, I offer you my best wishes and support as you continue applying for colleges. I believe that we will receive answers to all of our questions in time, so just keep having faith that everything will be all right, and keep persevering and never lose sight of what's most important to you. To those who have been accepted to Stanford, congratulations. I look forward to meeting you next year! Case 3:Decision: Accepted!!!!!!!!!!!
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 2310 (780 W, 770 M, 760 R) <-- though this is superscored; my best sitting is actually something like 2270 ACT (breakdown): 35 SAT II: 740 Chem, 760 Math 2 Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1 (I'm technically tied for 1st but I believe my counselor and I both put 1...) AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 - Calc BC, Chem, Lit, Psych, Geo 4- Comp Sci A, Physics C EM/Mech, Macro/Micro Econ, US History IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A Senior Year Course Load: AP Lang, AP Gov, AP Bio, APES, Band, online gym? lol... >.> Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): ISEF twice, BPA nationals twice. NCTE nomination for school, does Harvard Book Award count? National AP Scholar.
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Cultural asian dance, band, scioly, math league, BPA, science fair. Job/Work Experience: Private tutor for elementary/middle school kids Volunteer/Community service: Local hospital volunteer for 3 years, NHS for 2 years (though NHS at our school is utter crap). Summer Activities: read??? babysitting... eat food and get fat. Regret it after summer. Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App- 10- I described how cultural dance created a "content environment" for me. Intellectual Vitality- 8- science fair project idea origin.... pretty unique, but i thought it probably wasn't "intellectual" enough...? Kinda philosophical in nature. Letter to Roommate- 8- meh just put it together the day before. Though I did include things like my irrational love for marching band, Iron Man (or all Marvel movies in general), um my hello kitty table drawer (totally random??), how I ponder the existence of astronomical objects, how much I love books. And frozen yogurt. And exploring. And talking like a Minnesotan! Oh ya betcha! Also my need to apologize every 2 seconds. What Matters to You- 10- It made my counselor cry when she read it so must be pretty good?
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1/??: Did not read, but pretty sure it was solid because my math teacher is DA BOMB <3 Teacher Rec #2/8: Read, was a solid essay. Counselor Rec/10: Beautiful, made me cry! Additional Rec: Interview: Thought it went well! Took a bit more than an hour; we just chatted and shared our love for medicine and the interdisciplinary aspect of Stanford.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Y Intended Major: Chemistry? Though that might change... State (if domestic applicant): MN (Midwest baby!!) Country (if international applicant): School Type: Public Ethnicity: Chinese Gender: F Income Bracket: $20,000 Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection
Strengths: Strong extracurricular/international or national awards. My essays really shined and showed the "human" side of me, because my ECs showed how much of a machine I am (secretly). Twas a nice balance.
Weaknesses: I hate standardized testing. But I can't complain, I have to say I'm satisfied with the scores I ended up with (after taking it soooo many times.... finally...). I had a lot of ECs, and I only have so much time to focus on a few specific ones, so I maybe stood off as trying to be too involved. (i.e. Scioly and math league, like I never spent any time preparing for them so I never really did well... )
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Honestly, when it comes down to 10% acceptance rate, it's a bit like asking to win the lottery. Very holistic and arbitrary; who knows?? Maybe the admission officers were just having a good day?
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: NADA! Stanford's the first one. Pretty nice gift before the break!!!
General Comments: For real though, this is the real life. I bawled my eyes out the minute I got my email, and then bawled for the next few hours before I went to sleep (if I even went to sleep at all....). Still in disbelief and shock - I've been refreshing my email frantically, making sure that they won't send an email saying it was a fluke (which has totally happened to me before with one of those prestigious summer research programs... can't remember which one). Essay advice, just be yourself. To be honest, I didn't let anyone check my essays and just trusted my gut instinct. And wrote them with a month left to go. You just have to wait for that spark of inspiration; you can't force words to come out. I am so thankful that this has happened to me - so many negative events have happened and I sort of just broke down into a bundle of nerves; but in retrospect, good things will come to those who wait. Always be optimistic - even if you get rejected, there's always other colleges out there. I'm sure you will find the perfect match for you. And if you got deferred, keep those spirits up!! You're one of those rare cases that Stanford values enough to keep in the running. I believe in every single one of you. No matter what happens, never stop loving yourself, because that's all that will matter in the end. Case 4: Decision: Accepted
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 2390 (800 M, 790 CR, 800 W) ACT (breakdown): 35 (36 M, 35 R, 34 S, 35 E) SAT II: Math II - 800, Biology M- 800, Chemistry- 800, Literature - 790, World History - 770 Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3 AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB/BC (5), Biology (5), World History (5), US History (5), Statistics (5), Chemistry (5), Psychology (5), Literature (5) IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish, AP Gov/Econ, AP Physics II, AP Language and Composition, AP Environmental Science Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Commended Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Honor Society, International Thespian Society
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Volleyball (Captain, Varisty), Track (Varisty), Badminton (Varsity) Red Cross Club (President), Medical Club (Co-President) ASB (Treasurer & Vice President) Job/Work Experience: Private Tutor for SAT/ACT/school Volunteer/Community service: Girl Scouts (Gr 3-10), Key Club (Vice President), UNICEF (Vice President), NHS volunteer, Elderly center (450 hours), Leader for hospital volunteering (600 hours) Summer Activities: College classes, Researched cancer for a private program @ UCLA Essays (rating 1-10, details): Overall 9/10, Spent weeks on them, gave them to teachers to read, etc. Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 9-10 AP Biology teacher- Really wanted to help me, had faith in me Teacher Rec #2: 9 AP Literature- I was probably her favorite student Junior year bc I would always talk to her after school and at lunch. Counselor Rec: 8- Counselor knows me but not personally Additional Rec: 9- One of head surgeons of the hospital I volunteered at. I always asked him questions and he would take his time to explain everything Interview: n/a
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: no Intended Major: Human Biology State (if domestic applicant): California Country (if international applicant): School Type: Large public Ethnicity: Asian Gender: Female Income Bracket: ~200k Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): n/a
Reflection
Strengths: Essays, Grades, Test Scores, Experience, Leadership Weaknesses: No actual internship Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Essays and Recs probably. Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: n/a
General Comments: I was stocked to see the acceptance letter and felt that the hard work actually DID pay off in the end. Three other students from my school got accepted. Best friend got rejected but made it into Harvard. DeferredCase 1:Decision: Deferred
Objective: ACT (breakdown): 35 (english 36, math 35, reading 36, science 34, writing 8) SAT II: Bio E (780), Math II (790) Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn't rank, but other applicants from my school were equally competitive AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB (5) -- school doesn't offer APs IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A Senior Year Course Load (first semester): Intro Philosophy, African-American Literature, American History Seminar, Chem B, two college courses (math and macroeconomics) Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, ISAC Scholar
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Ballet (company dancer, volunteer teacher -- 13 years, 15-20 hrs/wk. Performances in several productions & participation in intensives at some amazing national studios. My main extracurricular), production intern with local radio station (3 yrs), neurology shadow (2 yrs), VP of state Latin organization Job/Work Experience: Tutor (math & reading, with a company -- almost 2 years) Volunteer/Community service: Camp counselor (1 yr only), SSAT tutor for underprivileged children with organization (3 yrs) Summer Activities: academic summer programs at universities, work, shadowing neurologist, camp counselor, ballet intensive, etc. Not very cohesive Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App (9 -- I was really proud of this one. Talked about ballet from a failure aspect/redefining success), Extracurricular (7 -- nice, uplifting, and pretty, but doesn't tie in too much with the rest of my app or life in general, as it discussed the kid I worked with at a disability summer camp), Short Answers (7 -- honest, varied, but nothing standout here. Tied in ballet and neuroscience, two big passions, though), Intellectual Vitality (6 -- talked about how my love for neuroscience started in the home but grew into an animal of its own. I liked it a lot when I submitted it, but to be fair, it's cliche), Future Roommate (7 -- the mix of big city/small town feels in my hometown and how that's developed my hobbies/kept me curious. Bubbly little essay, but again, not exactly "wow"), What Matters (8 -- how family dinner has evolved over the years) Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): didn't read any, but here are my guesses
Teacher Rec #1: Bio teacher of 2 years, though I don't have him this year. Really enjoyed his class and he was very enthusiastic to do this (7 -- not "best student ever" or anything, but very positive) Teacher Rec #2: English teacher of 2 years. Hands down most passionate teacher I've ever had, and such a good writer. (I'm guessing 8 for the same reasons) Counselor Rec: Loved her! We met all the time and she even read over some of my essays. Knew me pretty well, and was always so warm (9?) Additional Rec: Neurologist that I shadow on weekends (8 -- he probably had some good details that couldn't be captured by regular schoolteachers) Interview: n/a
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: no Intended Major: Biology Area: Midwest School Type: small selective admissions public school Ethnicity: Asian-American Gender: Female Income Bracket: $100,000+ Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
Reflection
Strengths: common app essay, long-term dedication to ballet, scores and GPA Weaknesses: no major awards, a few subpar essays, too scattered -- some "themes" but none shining out
General Comments: Hey, the most selective college in America thinks I'm worthy of another look in RD, that's definitely something! I normally wouldn't want to post my stats like this, but just writing this post really got my head together, so here goes. Good luck everyone RejectedCase 1:Decision: Rejected
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): (one-time) 2350; Critical Reading-760, Math-800, Writing-790 ACT (breakdown): N/A SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Physics, 760 Chemistry, 720 World History (did not submit World History) Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 (or really close, not exactly sure b/c my school uses 6. 0 scale) Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1st AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB, Psychology, Physics B, English Language and Composition, Statistics, Biology, Chinese Language and Composition, Human Geography, World History- all 5’s; Chemistry and Spanish Language and Composition - 4 IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A Senior Year Course Load: AP Macroeconomics, AP U.S. Government, Advanced Anatomy and Physiology, AP Calculus BC, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Physics C, AP Environmental Science Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, AP National Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, Carson Scholar (some more extracurricular/science fair stuff but not big like Intel/Siemens)
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): President of Red Cross Club, Secretary of Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), Model UN, National Honor Society, Science Fair, Cross-country JV, Advanced Dance; for HOSA went to State for Extemporaneous Writing Job/Work Experience: Worked over summer (rather not say where) Volunteer/Community service: Lots of stuff, but did not volunteer at one place consistently Summer Activities: Dual credit (high school + college credit), work Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App 7, about failing – some parts unique, some parts cliché, but it was a true story Intellectual Vitality 8 – talked about a letter I found and talked about the use of punishment as a mode of learning Roommate 9 –not perfect, made it funny but no jokes Matters 8 – Health
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Teacher Rec #1: waived rights, but I expect it was a 10 Teacher Rec #2: waived rights, I expect 9-10 Counselor Rec: waived rights, 10 Additional Rec: N/A Interview: Went pretty well! Kind of stressful – the coffee shop was full and we had to go to another place…and another place…but it was a good opportunity to show how I coped with stress. Interview was conversational and I felt at ease.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes Intended Major: Bioengineering State (if domestic applicant): Texas Country (if international applicant): N/A School Type: Public Ethnicity: Asian Gender: Female Income Bracket: 100 Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A
Reflection
Strengths: My grades, AP tests, I thought essays were good overall Weaknesses: Maybe the essays were too cliché? I can’t really blame myself if this were the case because I do believe that they represent myself. Why you think you were rejected: Lack of very good extracurriculars – although I have leadership positions and am very involved in my rather few activities, I seem to lack the things that make me STAND OUT. No Intel, no Siemens or any of the sort. Red Cross is a relatively new club but I can’t say I founded it because it’s in its 2nd year. No one needs to win big things like Intel or even go but I believe that in my case it just made me a mediocre candidate. Where else were you accepted: University of Texas-Austin
General Comments: Congratulations to everyone I got in! For those rejected, I understand how you’re feeling. However don’t be discouraged! There are other colleges out there that will accept you! Good luck to everyone! 2018RejectedCase 1: [size=+2]Decision: Rejected[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 2270 ( 760 CR 720 M 790 W) ACT: 36 SAT II: none lol Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/ 544 AP (place score in parenthesis): stats (5) whap (5) apush (5) english lang (4) chem (5) IB (place score in parenthesis): Senior Year Course Load: calc BC, physics C, AP english iv, AP gov/econ, AP bio, AP psych, orch, study hall Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NONE HAHA Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): orchestra, region orch, musical orch Job/Work Experience: summer at cell phone repair shop and summer at pizza shop (min wage) Volunteer/Community service: wildlife center, tutoring, festival stuff (NHS) Summer Activities: Essays (rating 1-10, details): do i give myself a 3? naw but it was about my struggle to lose weight and failing bc i wasn't trying, it was sort of dumb, roommate : pleased with it Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Teacher Rec #1: 3 (ugh just all these big statements and no examples, a "to not" for a rec, my orch director) Teacher Rec #2: (9, wonderful, i gave her a letter with stuff I wanted her to write...eh) Counselor Rec: (dunno) Additional Rec: Interview: had one, it was nice Other State (if domestic applicant): TX Country (if international applicant): School Type: public Ethnicity: chinese Gender: F Income Bracket: 110k Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): female engineer? Reflection Strengths: grades, test scores (ACT?), rank Weaknesses: essay, recs, EC Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: it's stanford, i wasn't remarkable Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: none yet General Comments: i applied for kicks, wasted $90, didn't really work on my essays, got what i deserved oops. Case 2: [size=+2]Decision: Rejected[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 800 Writing, 700 Math, 760 CR (2260) ACT: 33 SAT II: 750 Lit, 730 US History Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 63 out of 11,000 something (county-wide) AP (place score in parenthesis): US History, Environmental Science, Studio Art, World History, European History, Language (5's on everything but Art) IB (place score in parenthesis): Taking this year Senior Year Course Load: IB Classes - English HL, French SL, History SL, Physics HL, Math SL, Psychology SL, Theory of Knowledge Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, NHS, French Honor Society Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Some minor clubs, historian of one Job/Work Experience: Volunteer/Community service: Hospital/cancer center, humane society, relay for life Summer Activities: Worked at a cancer center for 3 summers, did lab work in combination with that for the last summer Essays (rating 1-10, details): Intellectual - 8 - Wrote about Pokemon and most people I read said I made an unlikely topic work Roommate - 6 - Kind of meh, just talking about my interests Matters - 9 - About my art and I really like this one because it wasn't in a normal essay format Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Psychology teacher, French teacher, additional rec from the cancer center where I worked, but I can't rate because I didn't read any of them Counselor Rec: No idea, didn't see Interview: Other State (if domestic applicant): Florida Country (if international applicant): School Type: IB magnet Ethnicity: Asian Gender: Female Income Bracket: Upper middle class Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Reflection Strengths: Submitted an art supplement and art was a main theme of my app Weaknesses: Asian, subpar stats, generally not a super strong app Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: See weaknesses Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: No idea yet General Comments: This surprisingly didn't hurt that much, partially because I had been starting to doubt whether I really wanted to attend Stanford or not towards the end. I don't want to sound like one of those people who says that just because they're bitter, but I realized that since I still wanted to continue something in art, I might be better off going somewhere else to play to my strengths. Anyway, I didn't have a spectacular application or anything, so this wasn't too shocking for me. Was disappointed that my arts supplement didn't make a difference though.
Congrats to accepted and deferred! Time to go work on my other applications with double the effort. 2017AcceptedCase 1: [size=+2]Decision: Accepted[/size]
Objective: ACT: 33/35/35/33/29/10 (Comp/English/Math/Reading/Science/Writing) SAT II (if submitted): 750 Math II, 720 US History Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.78 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10% AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5), Lang Comp (5), Biology (4), European History (4), Art History (5) Senior Year Course Load: AP Economics, AP Government, AP Calc BC, AP Lit, AP Psych, AP Spanish, AP Physics C Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, National History Day Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Key Club (VP in 11th grade, Historian in 10th grade, now Scholarship and Awards Coordinator in 12th grade, chairman of lots of events), Junior LA County Fair Board, Art and Architecture Club (VP), Math and Science Scholar for Physiology Department - research at a local college with a professor Job/Work Experience: Student teacher for Algebra I over the summer Volunteer/Community service: Organizer of Shoes That Fit shoe and sock drive - worked with other kids from neighboring communities to collect shoes and socks for Shoes That Fit, an organization that gives these shoes and socks to children in need Essays: Common App (the time I went to a political protest, connected with my culture there), intellectual vitality (why I take so many AP classes), roommate (love of Bollywood movies, Korean dramas - how much I love other cultures), what matters (writing a blog about connecting economics to teenagers) Teacher Recommendation: Both should have been great - one teacher is known for writing great recs. The other teacher's class last year was the hardest class of my life. I've never worked harder for a class than I did in his. Counselor Rec: Based off the packet seniors at our school fill out for the counselor recs Other Applied for Financial Aid?: yes. Intended Major: Economics State (if domestic applicant): California School Type: public Ethnicity: Asian Gender: female Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.): first generation Reflection Strengths: I thought my ACT was, but now that I'm seeing all these amazing 35's, I'm not so sure xD Definitely my essays. I spent part of August and all of September writing, re-writing, and editing them. Weaknesses: SAT subject tests... I was too lazy to re-take them. Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Essays. General Comments: I was so prepared for rejection before opening that e-mail! Stanford gets such great applicants and lots of qualified students are turned away. Case 2: [size=+2]Decision: Accepted[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 2400 second try, single sitting (11 essay) ACT: Never took SAT II (if submitted): Math 2 & Chem (both 800s) Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): All As, school grades on a 0-100 scale, so I guess a 4.0 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4/704 AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geography, Comp Sci A, World Hist., Chem, Eng. Lang., Physics B, Stats (all 5s), US Hist. (4) IB (place score in parenthesis): Not offered Senior Year Course Load: Bio AP, Calc BC, Eng. Lit., Japanese AP, Physics C, Psychology AP, Macroeconomics AP, US Government AP, PE Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit, National AP Scholar, Oracle Professional Programmer and Microsoft Certified Professional. Some UIL awards, but nothing major. Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): A whole bunch. See my chance thread for more details. Generally very focused, yet diverse enough to demonstrate strength in several areas. Job/Work Experience: IT Intern at ST Aerospace Volunteer/Community service: Dont really believe in volunteering. I just do the minimum required for NHS. Tutoring, I guess? Essays: Good, I guess. I didnt let anyone else read or see them, since I felt that would let me be more personal. Common App: About a book very dear to me: The Windows 95 Resource Kit. It was unique, but not overbearing. I tried to keep it as simple as possible. EC Essay: About making websites, which I have done in several of my ECs. Showed a lot of passion and creativity. Intellectual Vitality: About my familys history. My dad was literally a peasant farmer, but he got out of it through education. I talked about how education isnt about money, but about extending mans potential. Roommate: About my love for graphic design and my evolving personality. Showed a bit of my self-deprecating humor. I was really unsure about this one. What Matters: About how I overcame my parents racism toward Japanese people, by learning Japanese myself and learning about their culture. Very heartfelt. Teacher Recommendation: Both definitely awesome. Counselor Rec: I dont know. Probably better than average. Additional Rec: From my research professor. Accidentally saw some of it, and it was good. Interview: Not offered Other Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes Intended Major: Computer Science State (if domestic applicant): TX Country (if international applicant): USA School Type: Very large, public, yet few students, if any, go to HYPSM each year despite the school being the richest in the city. Those accepted are generally URM, since half the school is Hispanic. Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese) Gender: M Income Bracket: High Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.): Research paper accepted to bioinformatics conference and will be published early next year. (Generally, computer science conferences are more prestigious than journals) Reflection Strengths: Stats, ECs, essays (in retrospect) Weaknesses: Didnt volunteer much. No amazing awards like USAMO. Asian. Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Showed a lot a passion. Wasnt afraid of my race. General Comments: Im still in shock. Stanfords my first choice, but Ill apply to a few other colleges for the fun of it. Good luck to everyone who hasn't been accepted yet. I'm sure you'll find a place right for you. DeferredCase 1: [size=+2]Decision: Deferred[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 800, 800, 800 = 2400 (second sitting) ACT: N/A SAT II (if submitted): 800 (Math II), 800 (English Literature), 790 (US History) Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92 (counting +'s and -'s), 4.0 (not counting +'s and -'s) Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A, school doesn't rank AP (place score in parenthesis): BC Calculus (5), AB Calculus Subscore (5), AP English Literature & Composition (5), AP US History (5) IB (place score in parenthesis): My school doesn't offer IB Senior Year Course Load: Playwriting, Poetry, Photography, Concert Choir, AP Statistics, Japanese Culture and Communications (fourth year level), Mandarin Independent Study (sixth year level) Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist (will likely be Finalist), National Council of Teachers of English Superior Writing Award (only four winners in my state), first place in All-School Writing Contest for two consecutive years, AP Scholar, National Society of High School Scholars [ b]Subjective:[/b] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Model United Nations, Mock Trial, Varsity Fencing, Art & Literature Magazine (editor), Concert Choir, A Capella Job/Work Experience: I work as a private tutor in math and writing for about five hours each week Volunteer/Community service: executive member of the Youth Advisory Council for a nonprofit for the prevention of teenage substance abuse and suicide; I also volunteer on a local suicide hotline for three hours each week Essays: all extremely well written; I want to be a novelist when I grow up, and my writing is my strongest skill Teacher Recommendation: not allowed to read according to school rules, but my counselor said they were fantastic Counselor Rec: didn't read either, should be fairly excellent Additional Rec: none Interview: I thought it went well, but I'm not sure I managed to distinguish myself--I'm rather shy, and conversing with strangers is not my forte Other Applied for Financial Aid?: yes, couldn't go to college otherwise Intended Major: undecided State (if domestic applicant): Oregon School Type: private Episcopalian school, top ranked in state Ethnicity: 50% Asian, 50% white Gender: Female Income Bracket: ~59k with one working parent and four siblings Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.): I'm only first-generation if you don't count my non-custodial parent, an immigrant who attended college in another country; my main hooks would be my writing and low socioeconomic status Reflection Strengths: grades, test scores, essays, recommendations Weaknesses: Asian, no four-year extracurricular involvement or serious sports, somewhat weak senior curriculum (not my fault, I had to fulfill credit requirements or I couldn't graduate, and my school has a serious lack of AP classes) Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Honestly, I think the biggest point against me was my ethnicity. As far as I know, Asian (even half-Asian) is the worst race to be in college admissions, even though my custodial parent (my parents are divorced) is white. General Comments: I'm very disappointed and somewhat hurt. I can't think of any ways to improve my application between now and February; the only major disadvantage I have, my ethnicity, is something that I can't change. I thought a 2400, excellent grades, decent extracurriculars, and unique essays would be enough to get admissions officers to overlook the color of my skin. Guess not. Another point: for the past five years at my school, 3 members of the senior class (70-80 students) have been admitted to Stanford each year. This year, no one was admitted through REA. Including me, two were deferred, and the other two rejected. RejecttedCase 1: [size=+2]Decision: Rejected[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 2310 (CR: 730, M: 800, W: 780) (All 2nd sitting) ACT: N/A SAT II (if submitted): Math II 800 / Chemistry 760 / Chinese 800 / Biology M 780 Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.975 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 9/519 Weighted, 10/519 Unweighted AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (4), Chemistry (4), Biology (5), Physics B (4), Calculus BC (5, AB subscore: 5) IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature and Composition, AP US Government, AP Macroeconomics, AP Psychology, AP Statistics, Wind Ensemble, AP Computer Science Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar with Distinction Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Marching Band 4 years (Clarinet Section Leader), Piano (like any other Asian..), 3 years in 2 Volunteer Clubs in school (Treasurer for both this year), 3 years in Tri-M Music Honor Society Job/Work Experience: Unpaid research assistant at a university research center during the summer Volunteer/Community service: Tons of stuff for church (Praise team, VBS..), organization that gives out books to underprivileged kids, 2 aforementioned volunteer clubs, about 200 hours total Essays: Common App Main: 6, wrote about piano Intellectual Vitality: 7, wrote about why biology appealed to me so much, especially after I got to see it being used in the lab during my short research stint. Letter to roommate: 7, wrote about squirrel-watching. What matters to me: 8, wrote about how my childhood and the optimism and wonder at life I had then mattered to me. Teacher Recommendation: Got them from 2 of my favorite teachers, they should be relatively decent. Counselor Rec: Typical public school counselor who doesn’t really know the kids, probably decent as well? Additional Rec: Got one from the head of a small organization I volunteer with, only one I got to read, and I thought it was pretty good. Interview: N/A Other Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes Intended Major: Biochemistry State (if domestic applicant): California! Country (if international applicant): US School Type: Noncompetitive Public Ethnicity: Chinese Gender: Female Income Bracket: >$200k Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.): None. D: Reflection Strengths: Academic courseload? Weaknesses: I’m Asian.. and relatively stereotypical at that. Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Didn’t stand out too much, no major awards General Comments: I’m totally okay with my rejection, actually. Taking it way better than I thought I would, because I’ve always been on the fence between Stanford and UCLA as my dream schools, and after getting rejected, I realized that UCLA probably has a much better fit for me than Stanford does. I’m glad the admissions officers were able to realize I wouldn’t fit in at Stanford before I realized it. [: That being said, congratulations to everyone who got accepted! I’m sure you all will have a wonderful time at Stanford, and I’m truly happy for everyone who got in. To those who were deferred, good luck! Three months will be over before you know it. And to those rejected like me, please don’t be too upset about it. I’m sure all of you will find a college where you can happily pursue your dreams. After all, everyone says college is what YOU make of it, right? Case 2: [size=+2]Decision: Rejected[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 2380 (800/800/780) one sitting ACT: SAT II (if submitted): 800 Bio M, 800 Latin, 800 USH, 800 Math II, 800 Chem Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 (97.73) Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Lang (5), AP Stats (5), AP Chem (5), AP Macro/Micro (5's), APUSH (5), AP Physics B (5) - self study, AP Euro (4) IB (place score in parenthesis): Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Gov (US + Comp), AP Calc BC, AP Bio, AP Studio, AP Psych, AP Latin, Health + semester elective Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National AP Scholar, National Latin Exam Gold Medal x4, National Latin Exam Dictionary Award, Rotary Youth Leadership Award [ b]Subjective:[/b] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Model UN (Co-President, 3x Committee Chair, awards), Chinese School Teacher's Assistant (3rd year now), Piano (11 years), Quiz Bowl-like team (Co-President 2 years, JV Captain in 10th grade), Interact Club (VP for Fundraising 2 years), New Student Mentor, Great Books Club (Reorganizer--revamped entire concept to attract new members), Math League Varsity/All Star, Chinese Club (Treasurer/Secretary), Ballet/Pointe (11 years), Math Contest Club (Founder, prepare people for AMC), NHS Job/Work Experience: Summer internship at local university lab for two summers (300+ hours) Volunteer/Community service: ~200 hours Essays: Unique and very true to who I am--Common App about how I better understand myself through TV character (8/10), Extracurricular about why I love MUN (7/10), Intellectual Vitality about how growing up in NYC shaped my aspirations as a woman (9/10), Roommate about balancing American/Chinese lives (10/10), What Matters about finding connections between different subjects (10/10) Teacher Recommendation: Terrific--had Latin teacher all 4 years, Precalc teacher really liked me Counselor Rec: Terrific--we get along well Additional Rec: Lab mentor from internship, got Ph.D. from Stanford (whether it's significant), 2 Arts Supplements Interview: Not in zone Other Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes Intended Major: Human Biology State (if domestic applicant): NY School Type: Public, relatively competitive Ethnicity: Asian Gender: F Income Bracket: High Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.): None Reflection Strengths: Academics, leadership in extracurriculars Weaknesses: Perhaps breadth of extracurriculars? After seeing what people are saying now about committing to single area... Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Seemed unfocused in activities General Comments: This is sad. I don't want to do anything else now. Case 3: [size=+2]Decision: Rejected[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 2320 (one sitting) 780 CR, 750 M, 790 W SAT II (if submitted): 800 Math II, 780 USH, 750 Physics, 760 Chinese Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 7/477 AP (place score in parenthesis): Physics B (5), Calc BC with AB subscore (5, 5) US History (5), Computer Science A (4) Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Biology, AP Art History, AP Stats, CP Chemistry, School Newspaper, AP Gov Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar with Honor (Okay who cares about that?) Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): School newspaper, theater review, MUN (all top leadership positions but I'm going to be vague here because I'm lazy), piano, tennis Volunteer/Community service: Library (120+ hrs), food pantry, used to do clubs but not anymore Essays: Common App: What I gained from quitting piano; Vitality: the connection between art & math (fractals, Islamic art); Roommate: on how much I love Veronica Mars, the TV show; What matters to me: books! Teacher Recommendation: Waived my right. Both awesome I'm assuming. One of them used to work at Stanford. Counselor Rec: Waived my right. Thorough, insightful, although I think he hinted that Stanford may not be the best fit for me. Other Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes Intended Major: Mathematics State (if domestic applicant): CA School Type: Public Ethnicity: Asian Gender: F Income Bracket: Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.): None Reflection Strengths: My grades, my essays (I thought they showed a lot of me), my letters of rec. Weaknesses: My extracurriculars weren't particularly outstanding, nor did it match my intended major. I decided my major quite late in the game. Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Aside from the weaknesses I listed above, I don't strike as Stanford material. I'm not "egg-shaped." I also didn't want to go there as much as other schools. The SCEA was my parents' suggestion, and Stanford's supplements came most naturally to me. General Comments: Congrats to everybody who got in! And to those rejected, here's an Internet hug and some comfort. (I'm still grumpy over the one line in the rejection letter where Richard Shaw suggested we read an article he wrote.) Case 4: [size=+2]Decision: Rejected[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 2280, 690 M 790 R 800 W ACT: did not submit SAT II (if submitted): 800 chem, 790 US History, 750 Literatire Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5% AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s on everything. Chem, USH, Psych, Euro, Lang, Human Geo IB (place score in parenthesis): Senior Year Course Load: AP everything. Econ Macro/Micro, Physics C, Calc BC, Eng Lit, Gov/Comp, World, studying Latin on the side Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP whatever it is with that many tests. I am not a science/math major. Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Latin Club (President), Parliamentary Debate (Varsity), Science Research Program, Peer Tutor, Peer Mentor, Honor Society, JSA Job/Work Experience: I tutor for a bit of extra cash, but did not mention it. Volunteer/Community service: God knows how many hours I've put into a local community center that I've been volunteering at since 8th grade. Essays: CommonApp: 9/10 - summer exchange program. Topic is slightly contrived, but I thought my humor came through. Roommate: Not my best. 6/10, Intellectual thingamabob: Wrote about how my first history teacher inspired me in 4th grade. 8/10. Matters to me: Wrote about honesty. Did not like this essay much either. Slightly unfocused. 7/10 Teacher Recommendation: English and Physics. Former has known me since freshman year, and I have her again now. Latter I had for sophomore year, and TA'd for a semester in junior year, and is club advisor for JSA Counselor Rec: Probably only above average. Counselor knows me better than most, but we aren't that close. Additional Rec: Interview: Other Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes Intended Major: History/Political Science State (if domestic applicant): CA Country (if international applicant): School Type: Competitive Public. We have long-standing tensions with Stanford. Most of us here who apply are incredible students, but they have ridiculed us as AP machines. I guess I'm no exception, chalking up a grand total of 16 by the time I finish high school. Ethnicity: Chinese (whodaguessedit?) Gender: Female Income Bracket: Middle Class. 90-110k Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.): Nothing. Reflection Strengths: Volunteering Commitment (5 yrs), SAT score, APs Weaknesses: Ethnicity. Unbalanced SAT score (reflected my ** in math), AP scores, Unimpressive ECs, no awards Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I tried to portray myself as an academically oriented person, but still had a soul - humor, volunteering, etc. Guess it didn't work. General Comments: Guess it's time to go work on my liberal arts college apps. 2016AcceptedCase 1: [size=+2]Decision: Accepted[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): n/a ACT: 35 SAT II:chem-770, bio-760, math2-800 Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a AP (place score in parenthesis): n/a (school doesn't "do" AP, we've replaced it with "AT"-- we don't take the AP tests. IB (place score in parenthesis):n/a Senior Year Course Load: most rigorous courseload available: all AT's except for spanish. bc calc, english lit, chem, studio art, and macroeconomnics Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): PSAT natl merit commendation? Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): fencing- nationally ranked, got recruited by the team, many natl medals, travel around alot, etc. and same thing with debate ('cept i wasn't recruited for that!!) Job/Work Experience:Clerk at the town's local bakery for the last 2 years. Internship at the Animal Hospital for the last 2 years Volunteer/Community service: 60 hours at Costa Rica one summer Summer Activities:internship at vet, nationals for fencing and debate, job at bakery, studied abroad in UCLA and Oxford. Essays: Common App Main: about how i'm an "oxymoron" 10/10 <-- most awesome essay of my life EC Short Answer: about debate 9.5/10 "Profile" questions: i wrote down what i actually liked to do, in contrast to what i thought they would like.... idk, seemed to work out!! Intellectual Vitality Essay: about sudoku 7/10 Letter to Roommate Essay: i was very funny, very chill, 9/10 What matters to you and why? Essay: wrote about my dog hehe 8/10 Teacher Recommendation: verrry good! Counselor Rec: Good Additional Rec:i think it was OK... don't think the guy really likes me, but i've contributed a lot so... Interview:N/A [ b]Other[/b] Applied for Financial Aid?: No Intended Major: Undecided State (if domestic applicant):NY School Type: Public- very competitive Ethnicity: White Gender: F Income Bracket: 100K + Case 2: [size=+2]Decision: Accepted[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown):NA ACT:34 SAT II: 760 Math II, 790 Chem, 780 World History Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):4.0 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):2/829 AP (place score in parenthesis): WHAP-5 APUSH-5 AP Stats- 5 AP HUG- 4 AP Chem- 5 AP Euro- 5 AP English Lang-5 IB (place score in parenthesis):NA Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Calc AB, AP Art History, Independent Study and Mentorship, AP French Lang, AP English Lit, AP Gov, AP Econ Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):Siemens Semifinalist, Texas Girls State, US Academic Achievement Scholarship Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Debate (TOC bid in Extemp, LD Captain, Extemp captain, secretary), Key Club (co founder and President), Team HBV (Vice President and Treasurer), Independent Study (did research on historical figures), National Society of High School Scholars Ambassador, National English Society President, French Club VP Job/Work Experience:2 year research internship in addition to working on some small research projects. Volunteer/Community service: Key Club stuff, Team HBV Stuff, I also worked with some Stanford nonprofits Summer Activities: research at UTMB, Girls State, debate camp Essays: See below Common App Main: I wrote about overcoming mental illness (depression) because of perfectionst standards I created because I didn't fit in, and how that motivated me to fight for mental illness. Bit risky, but it paid off EC Short Answer: I wrote about debate and how I had to overcome difficulties of being from a small team. "Profile" questions: was myself Intellectual Vitality Essay: I wrote about stem cells and the research I had done. Letter to Roommate Essay: I wrote about getting up halfway in the morning to write down my crazy ideas... don't ask What matters to you and why? Essay:I wrote about working in Team HBV, and how my dad being a Hepatitis B researcher motivated me to do this work. Teacher Recommendation: I asked my AP Stats and AP Euro teacher... should have been good. Counselor Rec: didn't know my counselor too well. Should be standard. Additional Rec: got my research mentor to write me one Should have been pretty good. Interview: was not offered one (did not have one in my area) Other Applied for Financial Aid?:Mais oui Intended Major:Uh.. Public/Global Health or Neuroscience. Considering Internatinal Relations and Women's and Gender Studies aussi State (if domestic applicant):TX Country (if international applicant): NA School Type:PUBLIC Ethnicity:Asian and proud baby Gender: chick Income Bracket: 80,0000-90,0000 Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): my older bro goes to Stanford. Also, lots of work with Stanford non-profits and did some research for a Stanford professor (not like medical research. Like literally looking up articles). Reflection Strengths:academics, extracurriculars (kind of), and solid passion Weaknesses: not too many national awards Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I honestly think it was because of my brother. General Comments: SO HAPPY. PM if you have any questions Also, don't trust CC. Too many **** lulz.Case 3: [size=+2]Decision: Accepted[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): M 800, CR 800, W 800, first sitting ACT: SAT II: Math II 800, Biology M 800, Chemistry 800 Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%, was #2 but school doesn't officially rank AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB, Calc BC, Eng. Language & Composition, US History, Biology, Chemistry, all 5s IB (place score in parenthesis): Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics B (school doesn't offer C), AP US Gov., AP Macroeconomics, AP Stats, AP Literature and Composition, T.A./Peer Tutor (LOL my counselor said I'd never get in with this) Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Intel ISEF 2nd Grand Award National JSHS 1st Place Single-author research paper published Scholastic Nat'l Art and Writing - 2 Gold Medals Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Last 1.5 years I lived for my research XD Taught myself how to design/code computer simulations and slaved away at a problem in computational imaging from home. Somewhat ironically, I've also edited for an international high school literary journal for 3 years (currently Co-EIC), and transformed a lot of the ways we run things. Yep, those two things are basically my whole life. Job/Work Experience: Volunteer/Community service: Summer Activities: Research, research, and more research, by which I mostly mean spending weeks debugging single convoluted simulations XD Good times. And editing through last-minute swamps of 1000+ literature submissions, finishing editorial commentary, putting together final cuts, polishing the publication versions, figuring out layout designs, etc...It's horrific but I love it XD Also took linear algebra at a local university sophomore summer. Essays: I thought they were okay-ish when I submitted. Obviously, every time after Nov. 1 that I read them, they sounded worse and worse XD So idk. Common App Main: On how my research converted me from a mathematics purist into a believer in computational science. Not terribly original, but hey, you write what you know. EC Short Answer: Editorial work. "Profile" questions: Most significant challenge - Discernment in the floods of information offered by the digital age, particularly being conscious of the ridiculous growth of pseudoscience. Favorite events - Mine were totally weird, because TBH I don't really get out that often XD Monterey Bay Aquarium's first-ever sea-dragon eggs, and the de Young Museum's "Balenciaga" exhibit. Historical moment - How Larry Page dreamt up and coded the PageRank algorithm. Five words - expressive, keen-eyed, exploratory, insatiable, idea-guzzling Kitschy as hell, but I guess they worked. Intellectual Vitality Essay: On wavelet transforms and multiresolution analysis, the most brilliant signal processing concepts ever devised XD An ISEF judge told me about them and I used them in my research. Letter to Roommate Essay: About how my brother and I are polar opposites and still the best partners-in-crime ever. What matters to you and why? Essay: How I notice subtleties and that's basically all you need to love your world. Tossed in some poetry and a bunch of weird obscure scientific observations XD It sounds super cheesy but I think it was actually my favorite one. Teacher Recommendation: Definitely not bad, but I don't think smashing brilliant or anything for either of them. Counselor Rec: Ditto. Additional Rec: From the managing editor of the journal I edit for, who's a novelist. Didn't read it, but it's the one rec I would bet was ridiculously amazing lol Interview: Other: Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes Intended Major: Electrical Engineering or Computer Science State (if domestic applicant): NorCal's where it's at. Country (if international applicant): School Type: Public, about 1800 kids Ethnicity: Asian and proud of it. Gender: F Income Bracket: ~$100,000 Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None Reflection Strengths: Research and editing? Idk, those were basically the only things my whole application talked about XD Test scores, I guess. Weaknesses: Prolly teacher recs. Again, not bad, but aside from the additional rec I really wouldn't think they were fantastic. Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: No freaking idea. I was in the library when I found out and screamed XD General Comments: Oh myyyyy Goooooood. So happy and so thankful, it's been my dream school since forever Don't think it's totally sunk in yet. I'll prolly wake up tomorrow screaming. Three people from my school have gotten in so far, so we're having a rocking year for admissions already XD Case 4: [size=+2]Decision: Accepted[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 800 math, 770 writing, 730 CR ACT: none SAT II: 800 Math 2C, 800 US History, 780 Chemistry Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/736 AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 Euro, 5 APUSH, 5 AB Calc, 5 MacroEcon, 4 Microecon IB (place score in parenthesis): 6 Chem, 6 Econ Senior Year Course Load: Theory of Knowledge IB, History HL IB, Math IB HL, Physics Honors, Journalism class, English 4 HL IB, Spanish 4 IB/AP, Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit SemiFinalist, J8 World Summit USA Top Ten Finalist, FBLA Nationals 2nd place public speaking, Published in the Wall Street Journal, Multiple journalism awards in yearbook, HOBY delegate (chosen to be regional rep for World HOBY) Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): CEO of 501(c)3 nonprofit, Founder of a newspaper, Yearbook Editor in Chief, Model UN President, FBLA Vice President, National Honor Society, Relay for Life Publicity Department, #1 Doubles Tennis team Job/Work Experience: Microphilanthropy firm intern, Senate intern Volunteer/Community service: Tutored underprivileged children at local elementary school, City Youth Commission Chairperson Summer Activities: Northwestern journalism residency (cherubs), internships, taking courses, yearbook camp Essays: Pretty good. I'm a writer, so I suppose they were good. Common App Main: Starting my own newspaper/ civic government. EC Short Answer: Speech helping me overcome past insecurities. "Profile" questions: Good and quirky. Talked about my music tastes and love for sports. Very happy with these. Intellectual Vitality Essay: Economics' application to philanthropy. Liked this one, as I want to pursue this as a career. Letter to Roommate Essay: Made fun of myself. Go Nicki Minaj! What matters to you and why? Essay: Journalism-related. Very personal to all the people I have met as a journalist. Teacher Recommendation: Strong. My history teacher always says how I'm one of the best students he's ever had, and my English teacher likes me enough I guess haha Counselor Rec: Strong, have a good relationship with him although he has 350 students. Additional Rec: Very strong, he let me read it (from my newspaper editor from an outside publication). Known him since freshman year and wrote about my compassion as a writer. Interview: none Other Applied for Financial Aid?: no Intended Major: Economics, English State (if domestic applicant): CA Country (if international applicant): School Type: Public Ethnicity: Asian Gender: Female Income Bracket: 100k+ Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none. Reflection Strengths: I really showed my passion and accomplishments in journalism and zoned in on it. It really is my great passion, and it shined in my essays. Weaknesses: I knew Stanford looked for that "special" quality in students, and I really didn't feel like I was that special. It's that "Stanford" quality everyone strives for, and I certainly felt like my essays weren't special enough. Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: NO IDEA. I really thought I was going to get a rejection. I was balling in the car because I thought I got rejected. I refused to open the email for 10 minutes haha. Not my shining moment. :') General Comments: Never give up! I thought I HAD NO CHANCE AT STANFORD. I considered not applying, as I know a lot of amazing people who were rejected, but I thought I'd give it a shot. It's been my dream school since the 3rd grade. My greatest piece of advice is zone in on something you truly love (not something an adcom would love) and let that thing shine! I refused to wear my Stanford sweatshirt for the past four months. I'm wearing it again right now though haha. GO CARDINALS <3 DeferredCase 1: [ size=+2][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Deferred[ /b][ /color][ /size]
[ b]Objective:[ /b][ list] [ *] SAT I (breakdown): [2300] Math: 800 Reading: 760 Writing: 740 (Essay 8) [ *] ACT: [ *] SAT II: Biology: 750 Math II: 800 [ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92 [ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10% or maybe 20%? [ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): CompSci (4) USH (4) Music Theory (5) Biology (5) [ *] IB (place score in parenthesis): [ *] Senior Year Course Load: APEcon Micro/Macro, AP English Lit, AP Stat, AP Chem, APC Mech/E&M, AP BC Calc [ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NCWIT (Computing) Award Winner, AIME qualifier (Missed USAMO by 20 points..so still a lot)
[ /list][ b]Subjective:[ /b][ list] [ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Robotics (Captain), FBLA (VP), Technology Club (Prez), Speech & Debate, SciOly, Math Club, Piano (Lvl. 10) [ *] Job/Work Experience: Piano Teacher, Web Designer, Mechanic [ *] Volunteer/Community service: Camp Counselor & Other Small things (200 hours) [ *] Summer Activities: Research at Stanford, Longboarding Business (Built & Sold) [ *] Essays: Awesome. I believe they really showed who I was & I'm a good writer when it's not analytical [ *] Common App Main: Food & Family [ *] EC Short Answer: Robotics [ *] "Profile" questions: Eccentric [ *] Intellectual Vitality Essay: Entrepreneurship [ *] Letter to Roommate Essay: Wandering through cities [ *] What matters to you and why? Essay: Research [ *] Teacher Recommendation: Awesome/Alright? (didn't see this one) [ *] Counselor Rec: Who knows. [ *] Additional Rec: Boss, different take on everything [ *] Interview: N/A
[ /list][ b]Other[ /b][ list] [ *] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes [ *] Intended Major: CS or ChemE [ *] State (if domestic applicant): CA [ *] Country (if international applicant): [ *] School Type: Public [ *] Ethnicity: Chinese [ *] Gender: Female [ *] Income Bracket: High [ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
[ /list][ b]Reflection[ /b][ list] [ *] Strengths: solid student [ *] Weaknesses: I definitely had some horrible grades junior year. I probably should have explained them in my essays, as there were unusual circumstances, but I couldn't find the right place for it.
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: [ /list][ b]General Comments:[ /b]
Grades not perfect (in comparison to everyone else at my school) Not as interesting (typical Asian/Engineering/piano type of activities) RejecttedCase 1: [size=+2]Decision: Rejected[/size]
[/list][/b]Objective:[/b] SAT I (breakdown): superscore 2190 (M 720 R 720 W 250) Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 7.0 IB Scale (about 3.9ish on the 4.0 scale) Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3% AP (place score in parenthesis): school doesn't offer any IB (place score in parenthesis): IB examinations scheduled this May;) IB English HL IB Physics HL IB History HL IB Visual Art SL IB Math SL IB German Ab Initio Theory of Knowledge Senior Year Course Load: full IBDP course, listed above Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none:P [/b]Subjective:[/b] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Editor-in-Chief student newspaper/MUN delegate/ambassador (THIMUN, RRMUN),Correspondent for student magazine,Varsity Tennis,Tennis Club, Student Library Advisory Job/Work Experience: none Volunteer/Community service: service hours for the library. not a lot:P Summer Activities: German lessons Essays: Common App Main: about a significant event. i wrote it like a prose passage, a short story type. it wasn't too witty or lighthearted. maybe it was a bit cheesy. i don't know... i just got my rejection letter like 15 minutes ago so a bit insecure about all parts of my application right now;) 9/10 EC Short Answer: wrote on landing the editor-in-chief position at the paper "Profile" questions: in the first one for listing the books and music etc i didn't write in two lines, doubt it had much significance though. was lighthearted with it. i have a hunch the grammar was a bit off but don't want to look at the supplement now.. Intellectual Vitality Essay: wrote about a Theory of Knowledge type issue. limitations and restrictions on language. was pretty serious about it but straightforward 8/10 Letter to Roommate Essay: light and friendly. wrote about my habits and etc 7/10 What matters to you and why? Essay: wrote about food, this was a second version and came naturally 8/10 Teacher Recommendation: should've been good but one teacher has very high standards, i dont know what she wrote about me Counselor Rec: should be okay. i don't expect anything spectacular though Additional Rec: didn't send Interview: nope Other Applied for Financial Aid?: No Intended Major: International Relations, Cultural Studies, Linguistics (interests) State (if domestic applicant): N/A Country (if international applicant): Nationality Korean, living in Europe School Type: private international school, English speaking Ethnicity: Asian (and proud to be.) Gender: Female Income Bracket: meh. 140+? euros and dollars.. Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none really Reflection Strengths: i thought my essays were pretty good, i love to write. but at the moment i'm being harsh with myself. maybe i'll come back later after i've COMPLETELY gotten over the decisions and try to be objective about it.. Weaknesses: SAT scores, no particular awards or summer activity, no internships, no research projects..:( Why you think you were rejected: What a weird question. Cause they thought i wasn't motivated enough? My grades from my public school back home were pretty grim. I jumped tremendously after moving to my current school. But my thought when the applications went out was that the huge increase would make me interesting. Guess it didn't.. overrated myself or something Lol I DONT KNOW. General Comments: Im still slightly emotional, and so im going to blab on - it was really, really awful for about 3-5 minutes. But i think i'm pretty much over it now just i have all this complaining to get done. Will probably call my bf after this and get it all out instead of pouring out my insecurities here on CC;) but that article from the Dean helped. i think it's better to carefully read the whole rejection letter. Case 2: [size=+2]Decision: Rejected[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 2280, 800CR/720 M/760 W (single sitting); 2340 super-scored ACT: didn't take SAT II: 710 Math 2, 730 Bio M, 720 Bio E Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 10 (it changed to 3 after I submitted my application, grr) AP (place score in parenthesis): (all 5) Bio, Calc AB, World History, English Lang, Stats, US History IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A Senior Year Course Load: AP Psych, AP Physics, AP Gov, AP Lit, Concert Band, year 2 of a healthcare academy program at my school, AP Chinese at an off-campus Chinese school Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Scholarship Commended Student, NHS, CSF, AP Scholar with Distinction Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): academic league (captain 9th, 11th, and 12th), concert band percussionist, marching band percussionist (captain 10th), piano Job/Work Experience: private piano teacher, pipa / Chinese lute performing Volunteer/Community service: volunteering at the local library Summer Activities: performed pipa at the county fair, took classes at local community college, visited China and the East coast with my family Essays: See below Common App Main: I am a year or two younger than the average freshman applicant, and I wrote about how I didn't let that stop me from gaining opportunities EC Short Answer: I elaborated more on my pipa performing experience "Profile" questions: I was honest, though it took me a while to figure out what my favorites were, haha Intellectual Vitality Essay: I wrote about how a debate assignment we had in chemistry helped me become more open-minded to different points of view Letter to Roommate Essay: Fun, I told a cute story and talked about my love of reading What matters to you and why? Essay: Learning... haha, I didn't like this essay Teacher Recommendation: one teacher's was amazing, the other's I didn't see Counselor Rec: I dunno Additional Rec: N/A Interview: N/A (I wish they gave interviews in their own state! -.- I love interviews!) Other Applied for Financial Aid?: I would have, yes Intended Major: biology, pre-med State (if domestic applicant): CA Country (if international applicant): N/A School Type: Public Ethnicity: Chinese -.- Gender: Female Income Bracket: Below 60,000 Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Not really Reflection Strengths: most of my academics, my pipa / Chinese lute performance experience & music activities in general Weaknesses: I'm an ORM, I didn't do many healthcare-related activities, my SAT IIs weren't that good Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: The weaknesses General Comments: I'm pretty sad, Stanford was my first choice... Oh well, I guess. Time to wait for my other colleges. Congratulations to everyone who is / gets accepted!
2019 Accepted Case 1: Decision: Accepted
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): M 750 CR 800 W 800 Essay 11
SAT II (place score in parentheses): Math II (780) USH (780)
GPA: 4.61 (weighted); 3.98 (unweighted)
AP (place score in parentheses): World History (5), Spanish Language and Culture (4), US History (5), Computer Science (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Physics, AP Music Theory, AP English, Shakespeare, HarvardX edX CS50
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended, National AP Scholar with Honors, NCTE Achievement Award Winner
School Awards: Letters of Commendation in Honors Geometry, Honors Biology, Honors English 10, Honors American Lit
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parentheses):
Music—School Orchestra (Concertmaster, Vice-President), Tri-M Honors society, Renown Local Youth Orchestra (toured Netherlands, Carneige Hall), Senior Districts, All-States, All-Eastern, National High School Honors Orchestra, All-National Honors Orchestra, Community service outreach**, Started chamber program at local middle school school a cappella group (President, arranger, singer)
Politics/Relations— Politics Club (Founder, President), Model UN (founded and fundraised for the school’s team, Head Delegate), Civics Bee (chosen for the town’s team), school rep and project leader for Greater Boston Students of Color Achievement Network
Sports— Varsity Soccer, Swimming, Assistant swim coach at town’s summer swim program, sports correspondent for town paper
Writing— NCTE Achievement Award Winner, literary magazine article
Volunteer/Community Service: From the Top Center for the Development of Arts Leaders (helped inner city kids learn chamber music), Sports correspondent for town paper, Assistant swim coach at town’s summer swim program
Summer Activities: Music festivals, Netherlands tour with orchestra
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Let's say a 10 is the best of my ability. Common app 10, IV 10, Extracurricular 8, Roommate 9, What matters 10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Didn't see any of these so this is based off of my intuition/relationships with them.
Teacher Rec #1: English teacher jr year-- stellar. 10
Teacher Rec #2: Math teacher jr year-- probably good, but not as confident about this one.
Counselor Rec: Good relationship with her, but I'm not really close with her.
Additional Rec: Probably good, but not as confident about this one.
Interview: Went well!
Other
State (if domestic applicant): Northeast
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): female interested in computer programming
Reflection
Strengths: Stanford is currently trying to boost its music program so my violin playing helped a lot I think. I'm a female interested in programming, which there aren't very many of. And possibly my biggest strength was my ESSAYS. Poured my heart out into them.
Weaknesses: Asian that plays violin
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: See strengths.
Where else you are applying or have already applied: Will apply to Harvard RD and then choose between!
I can't believe I'm in. I've been dreaming about this moment for so long and I had really thought I'd be rejected. But for all of you that are gonna be future applicants, DON'T LOSE HOPE! BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!! HARD WORK PAYS OFF. Case 2: Decision: Accepted
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2290 total - 730 CR, 770 M, 790 W (9)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: Math II 800, Literature 740
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.975
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Calculus AB (5), AP Chinese Language and Culture (5), AP English Language and Composition (5), AP U.S. History (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature and Composition, AP Statistics, Chemistry, Computer Programming Java, U.S. Government / Economics (semester-long classes), Studio Art
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semi-Finalist; AP Scholar with Honor Award; Le Grand Concours Lauréat National (national recognition in a nation-wide French exam); Red, White & Blue Award (the most prestigious academic award at my high school)
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National and international level harpist; pianist of twelve years; Music for Community club (President); member of Barbershop Quartet club; member of a table tennis club in my local community; Chinese School student
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: Music for Community, in which students perform music for the elderly at nursing homes in their local community
Summer Activities: Traveling across the state, country, and nation's borders for national and international harp competitions and performances
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
- Common App: wrote about my harp competitions and performances and the lessons I've gained from my experiences
- Activity Question: wrote about my involvement and leadership in Music for Community
- Intellectual Vitality: wrote about how art classes have taught me to think differently and take risks
- Roommate: wrote about my two younger brothers and their role in my life
- What matters: wrote about my contributions to the community through harp and the harp's significance to me
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Math teacher - waived right to view, but I performed exceptionally well in her class, and she and I have a very good relationship. She knows I play the harp and invited me to perform at her wedding. 10/10
Teacher Rec #2: Physics teacher - waived right to view, but in his class, I displayed diligence, honesty, and selflessness in unusual circumstances in which no other students did. 10/10
Counselor Rec: Waived right to view, but she and I have a very good relationship. She is aware of both my academic capabilities and personal talents. 10/10
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: N/A
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Undeclared
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian-American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: ~ 90K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A
Reflection
Strengths: Academically qualified, deep involvement and significant accomplishments in a unique extra-curricular activity, strong music and art supplements, very strong teacher recs, essays
Weaknesses: Light number of AP classes( compared to my peers - I attend a very competitive high school), light senior year schedule, few Subject Tests, less experience in leadership, few activities unrelated to music
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: All of the strengths listed above, but it all came down to the essays. The essays are so important, I cannot emphasize this enough. When writing, I tried to tell a story, illustrate a scene so my audience could visualize everything and feel something in their hearts. What was important was to write something from my heart and something that would leave a lasting impression on an audience that was reviewing thousands of applications.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at Indiana University at Bloomington
General Comments: I am incredibly grateful, honored, and humbled that Stanford selected me to be part of their Class of 2019. I realize that others may have to wait several more months to receive their decisions, and others still may have been already rejected. To all of those students, I offer you my best wishes and support as you continue applying for colleges. I believe that we will receive answers to all of our questions in time, so just keep having faith that everything will be all right, and keep persevering and never lose sight of what's most important to you. To those who have been accepted to Stanford, congratulations. I look forward to meeting you next year! Case 3: Decision: Accepted!!!!!!!!!!!
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2310 (780 W, 770 M, 760 R) <-- though this is superscored; my best sitting is actually something like 2270
ACT (breakdown): 35
SAT II: 740 Chem, 760 Math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1 (I'm technically tied for 1st but I believe my counselor and I both put 1...)
AP (place score in parenthesis):
5 - Calc BC, Chem, Lit, Psych, Geo
4- Comp Sci A, Physics C EM/Mech, Macro/Micro Econ, US History
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Lang, AP Gov, AP Bio, APES, Band, online gym? lol... >.>
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): ISEF twice, BPA nationals twice. NCTE nomination for school, does Harvard Book Award count? National AP Scholar.
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Cultural asian dance, band, scioly, math league, BPA, science fair.
Job/Work Experience: Private tutor for elementary/middle school kids
Volunteer/Community service: Local hospital volunteer for 3 years, NHS for 2 years (though NHS at our school is utter crap).
Summer Activities: read??? babysitting... eat food and get fat. Regret it after summer.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App- 10- I described how cultural dance created a "content environment" for me.
Intellectual Vitality- 8- science fair project idea origin.... pretty unique, but i thought it probably wasn't "intellectual" enough...? Kinda philosophical in nature.
Letter to Roommate- 8- meh just put it together the day before. Though I did include things like my irrational love for marching band, Iron Man (or all Marvel movies in general), um my hello kitty table drawer (totally random??), how I ponder the existence of astronomical objects, how much I love books. And frozen yogurt. And exploring. And talking like a Minnesotan! Oh ya betcha! Also my need to apologize every 2 seconds.
What Matters to You- 10- It made my counselor cry when she read it so must be pretty good?
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1/??: Did not read, but pretty sure it was solid because my math teacher is DA BOMB <3
Teacher Rec #2/8: Read, was a solid essay.
Counselor Rec/10: Beautiful, made me cry!
Additional Rec:
Interview: Thought it went well! Took a bit more than an hour; we just chatted and shared our love for medicine and the interdisciplinary aspect of Stanford.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Y
Intended Major: Chemistry? Though that might change...
State (if domestic applicant): MN (Midwest baby!!)
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: F
Income Bracket: $20,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Reflection
Strengths: Strong extracurricular/international or national awards. My essays really shined and showed the "human" side of me, because my ECs showed how much of a machine I am (secretly). Twas a nice balance.
Weaknesses: I hate standardized testing. But I can't complain, I have to say I'm satisfied with the scores I ended up with (after taking it soooo many times.... finally...). I had a lot of ECs, and I only have so much time to focus on a few specific ones, so I maybe stood off as trying to be too involved. (i.e. Scioly and math league, like I never spent any time preparing for them so I never really did well... )
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Honestly, when it comes down to 10% acceptance rate, it's a bit like asking to win the lottery. Very holistic and arbitrary; who knows?? Maybe the admission officers were just having a good day?
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: NADA! Stanford's the first one. Pretty nice gift before the break!!!
General Comments: For real though, this is the real life. I bawled my eyes out the minute I got my email, and then bawled for the next few hours before I went to sleep (if I even went to sleep at all....). Still in disbelief and shock - I've been refreshing my email frantically, making sure that they won't send an email saying it was a fluke (which has totally happened to me before with one of those prestigious summer research programs... can't remember which one). Essay advice, just be yourself. To be honest, I didn't let anyone check my essays and just trusted my gut instinct. And wrote them with a month left to go. You just have to wait for that spark of inspiration; you can't force words to come out. I am so thankful that this has happened to me - so many negative events have happened and I sort of just broke down into a bundle of nerves; but in retrospect, good things will come to those who wait. Always be optimistic - even if you get rejected, there's always other colleges out there. I'm sure you will find the perfect match for you. And if you got deferred, keep those spirits up!! You're one of those rare cases that Stanford values enough to keep in the running. I believe in every single one of you. No matter what happens, never stop loving yourself, because that's all that will matter in the end.
Case 4: Decision: Accepted
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2390 (800 M, 790 CR, 800 W)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36 M, 35 R, 34 S, 35 E)
SAT II: Math II - 800, Biology M- 800, Chemistry- 800, Literature - 790, World History - 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB/BC (5), Biology (5), World History (5), US History (5), Statistics (5), Chemistry (5), Psychology (5), Literature (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish, AP Gov/Econ, AP Physics II, AP Language and Composition, AP Environmental Science
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Commended Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Honor Society, International Thespian Society
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Volleyball (Captain, Varisty), Track (Varisty), Badminton (Varsity)
Red Cross Club (President), Medical Club (Co-President)
ASB (Treasurer & Vice President)
Job/Work Experience: Private Tutor for SAT/ACT/school
Volunteer/Community service: Girl Scouts (Gr 3-10), Key Club (Vice President), UNICEF (Vice President), NHS volunteer, Elderly center (450 hours), Leader for hospital volunteering (600 hours)
Summer Activities: College classes, Researched cancer for a private program @ UCLA
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Overall 9/10, Spent weeks on them, gave them to teachers to read, etc.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 9-10 AP Biology teacher- Really wanted to help me, had faith in me
Teacher Rec #2: 9 AP Literature- I was probably her favorite student Junior year bc I would always talk to her after school and at lunch.
Counselor Rec: 8- Counselor knows me but not personally
Additional Rec: 9- One of head surgeons of the hospital I volunteered at. I always asked him questions and he would take his time to explain everything
Interview: n/a
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: Human Biology
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: ~200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): n/a
Reflection
Strengths: Essays, Grades, Test Scores, Experience, Leadership
Weaknesses: No actual internship
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Essays and Recs probably.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: n/a
General Comments: I was stocked to see the acceptance letter and felt that the hard work actually DID pay off in the end. Three other students from my school got accepted. Best friend got rejected but made it into Harvard.
Deferred Case 1: Decision: Deferred
Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 35 (english 36, math 35, reading 36, science 34, writing 8)
SAT II: Bio E (780), Math II (790)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn't rank, but other applicants from my school were equally competitive
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB (5) -- school doesn't offer APs
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load (first semester): Intro Philosophy, African-American Literature, American History Seminar, Chem B, two college courses (math and macroeconomics)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, ISAC Scholar
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Ballet (company dancer, volunteer teacher -- 13 years, 15-20 hrs/wk. Performances in several productions & participation in intensives at some amazing national studios. My main extracurricular), production intern with local radio station (3 yrs), neurology shadow (2 yrs), VP of state Latin organization
Job/Work Experience: Tutor (math & reading, with a company -- almost 2 years)
Volunteer/Community service: Camp counselor (1 yr only), SSAT tutor for underprivileged children with organization (3 yrs)
Summer Activities: academic summer programs at universities, work, shadowing neurologist, camp counselor, ballet intensive, etc. Not very cohesive
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App (9 -- I was really proud of this one. Talked about ballet from a failure aspect/redefining success), Extracurricular (7 -- nice, uplifting, and pretty, but doesn't tie in too much with the rest of my app or life in general, as it discussed the kid I worked with at a disability summer camp), Short Answers (7 -- honest, varied, but nothing standout here. Tied in ballet and neuroscience, two big passions, though), Intellectual Vitality (6 -- talked about how my love for neuroscience started in the home but grew into an animal of its own. I liked it a lot when I submitted it, but to be fair, it's cliche), Future Roommate (7 -- the mix of big city/small town feels in my hometown and how that's developed my hobbies/kept me curious. Bubbly little essay, but again, not exactly "wow"), What Matters (8 -- how family dinner has evolved over the years)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): didn't read any, but here are my guesses
Teacher Rec #1: Bio teacher of 2 years, though I don't have him this year. Really enjoyed his class and he was very enthusiastic to do this (7 -- not "best student ever" or anything, but very positive)
Teacher Rec #2: English teacher of 2 years. Hands down most passionate teacher I've ever had, and such a good writer. (I'm guessing 8 for the same reasons)
Counselor Rec: Loved her! We met all the time and she even read over some of my essays. Knew me pretty well, and was always so warm (9?)
Additional Rec: Neurologist that I shadow on weekends (8 -- he probably had some good details that couldn't be captured by regular schoolteachers)
Interview: n/a
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: Biology
Area: Midwest
School Type: small selective admissions public school
Ethnicity: Asian-American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $100,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none
Reflection
Strengths: common app essay, long-term dedication to ballet, scores and GPA
Weaknesses: no major awards, a few subpar essays, too scattered -- some "themes" but none shining out
General Comments: Hey, the most selective college in America thinks I'm worthy of another look in RD, that's definitely something! I normally wouldn't want to post my stats like this, but just writing this post really got my head together, so here goes. Good luck everyone Rejected Case 1: Decision: Rejected
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): (one-time) 2350; Critical Reading-760, Math-800, Writing-790
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Physics, 760 Chemistry, 720 World History (did not submit World History)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 (or really close, not exactly sure b/c my school uses 6. 0 scale)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1st
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus AB, Psychology, Physics B, English Language and Composition, Statistics, Biology, Chinese Language and Composition, Human Geography, World History- all 5’s; Chemistry and Spanish Language and Composition - 4
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Macroeconomics, AP U.S. Government, Advanced Anatomy and Physiology, AP Calculus BC, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Physics C, AP Environmental Science
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, AP National Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, Carson Scholar (some more extracurricular/science fair stuff but not big like Intel/Siemens)
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): President of Red Cross Club, Secretary of Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), Model UN, National Honor Society, Science Fair, Cross-country JV, Advanced Dance; for HOSA went to State for Extemporaneous Writing
Job/Work Experience: Worked over summer (rather not say where)
Volunteer/Community service: Lots of stuff, but did not volunteer at one place consistently
Summer Activities: Dual credit (high school + college credit), work
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App 7, about failing – some parts unique, some parts cliché, but it was a true story
Intellectual Vitality 8 – talked about a letter I found and talked about the use of punishment as a mode of learning
Roommate 9 –not perfect, made it funny but no jokes
Matters 8 – Health
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: waived rights, but I expect it was a 10
Teacher Rec #2: waived rights, I expect 9-10
Counselor Rec: waived rights, 10
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Went pretty well! Kind of stressful – the coffee shop was full and we had to go to another place…and another place…but it was a good opportunity to show how I coped with stress. Interview was conversational and I felt at ease.
Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Bioengineering
State (if domestic applicant): Texas
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 100
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A
Reflection
Strengths: My grades, AP tests, I thought essays were good overall
Weaknesses: Maybe the essays were too cliché? I can’t really blame myself if this were the case because I do believe that they represent myself.
Why you think you were rejected: Lack of very good extracurriculars – although I have leadership positions and am very involved in my rather few activities, I seem to lack the things that make me STAND OUT. No Intel, no Siemens or any of the sort. Red Cross is a relatively new club but I can’t say I founded it because it’s in its 2nd year. No one needs to win big things like Intel or even go but I believe that in my case it just made me a mediocre candidate.
Where else were you accepted: University of Texas-Austin
General Comments: Congratulations to everyone I got in! For those rejected, I understand how you’re feeling. However don’t be discouraged! There are other colleges out there that will accept you! Good luck to everyone! 2018 Rejected Case 1: [size=+2]Decision: Rejected[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 2270 ( 760 CR 720 M 790 W) ACT: 36 SAT II: none lol Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/ 544 AP (place score in parenthesis): stats (5) whap (5) apush (5) english lang (4) chem (5) IB (place score in parenthesis): Senior Year Course Load: calc BC, physics C, AP english iv, AP gov/econ, AP bio, AP psych, orch, study hall Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NONE HAHA
Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): orchestra, region orch, musical orch Job/Work Experience: summer at cell phone repair shop and summer at pizza shop (min wage) Volunteer/Community service: wildlife center, tutoring, festival stuff (NHS) Summer Activities: Essays (rating 1-10, details): do i give myself a 3? naw but it was about my struggle to lose weight and failing bc i wasn't trying, it was sort of dumb, roommate : pleased with it Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Teacher Rec #1: 3 (ugh just all these big statements and no examples, a "to not" for a rec, my orch director) Teacher Rec #2: (9, wonderful, i gave her a letter with stuff I wanted her to write...eh) Counselor Rec: (dunno) Additional Rec: Interview: had one, it was nice
Other State (if domestic applicant): TX Country (if international applicant): School Type: public Ethnicity: chinese Gender: F Income Bracket: 110k Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): female engineer?
Reflection Strengths: grades, test scores (ACT?), rank Weaknesses: essay, recs, EC Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: it's stanford, i wasn't remarkable Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: none yet
General Comments: i applied for kicks, wasted $90, didn't really work on my essays, got what i deserved oops. Case 2: [size=+2]Decision: Rejected[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 800 Writing, 700 Math, 760 CR (2260) ACT: 33 SAT II: 750 Lit, 730 US History Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 63 out of 11,000 something (county-wide) AP (place score in parenthesis): US History, Environmental Science, Studio Art, World History, European History, Language (5's on everything but Art) IB (place score in parenthesis): Taking this year Senior Year Course Load: IB Classes - English HL, French SL, History SL, Physics HL, Math SL, Psychology SL, Theory of Knowledge Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, NHS, French Honor Society
Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Some minor clubs, historian of one Job/Work Experience: Volunteer/Community service: Hospital/cancer center, humane society, relay for life Summer Activities: Worked at a cancer center for 3 summers, did lab work in combination with that for the last summer Essays (rating 1-10, details): Intellectual - 8 - Wrote about Pokemon and most people I read said I made an unlikely topic work
Roommate - 6 - Kind of meh, just talking about my interests
Matters - 9 - About my art and I really like this one because it wasn't in a normal essay format Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Psychology teacher, French teacher, additional rec from the cancer center where I worked, but I can't rate because I didn't read any of them
Counselor Rec: No idea, didn't see Interview: Other State (if domestic applicant): Florida Country (if international applicant): School Type: IB magnet Ethnicity: Asian Gender: Female Income Bracket: Upper middle class Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Reflection Strengths: Submitted an art supplement and art was a main theme of my app Weaknesses: Asian, subpar stats, generally not a super strong app Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: See weaknesses Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: No idea yet
General Comments:
This surprisingly didn't hurt that much, partially because I had been starting to doubt whether I really wanted to attend Stanford or not towards the end. I don't want to sound like one of those people who says that just because they're bitter, but I realized that since I still wanted to continue something in art, I might be better off going somewhere else to play to my strengths. Anyway, I didn't have a spectacular application or anything, so this wasn't too shocking for me. Was disappointed that my arts supplement didn't make a difference though.
Congrats to accepted and deferred! Time to go work on my other applications with double the effort.
2017 Accepted Case 1: [size=+2]Decision: Accepted[/size]
Objective: ACT: 33/35/35/33/29/10 (Comp/English/Math/Reading/Science/Writing) SAT II (if submitted): 750 Math II, 720 US History Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.78 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10% AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5), Lang Comp (5), Biology (4), European History (4), Art History (5) Senior Year Course Load: AP Economics, AP Government, AP Calc BC, AP Lit, AP Psych, AP Spanish, AP Physics C Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, National History Day Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Key Club (VP in 11th grade, Historian in 10th grade, now Scholarship and Awards Coordinator in 12th grade, chairman of lots of events), Junior LA County Fair Board, Art and Architecture Club (VP), Math and Science Scholar for Physiology Department - research at a local college with a professor Job/Work Experience: Student teacher for Algebra I over the summer Volunteer/Community service: Organizer of Shoes That Fit shoe and sock drive - worked with other kids from neighboring communities to collect shoes and socks for Shoes That Fit, an organization that gives these shoes and socks to children in need Essays: Common App (the time I went to a political protest, connected with my culture there), intellectual vitality (why I take so many AP classes), roommate (love of Bollywood movies, Korean dramas - how much I love other cultures), what matters (writing a blog about connecting economics to teenagers) Teacher Recommendation: Both should have been great - one teacher is known for writing great recs. The other teacher's class last year was the hardest class of my life. I've never worked harder for a class than I did in his. Counselor Rec: Based off the packet seniors at our school fill out for the counselor recs Other Applied for Financial Aid?: yes. Intended Major: Economics State (if domestic applicant): California School Type: public Ethnicity: Asian Gender: female Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.): first generation Reflection Strengths: I thought my ACT was, but now that I'm seeing all these amazing 35's, I'm not so sure xD Definitely my essays. I spent part of August and all of September writing, re-writing, and editing them. Weaknesses: SAT subject tests... I was too lazy to re-take them. Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Essays. General Comments: I was so prepared for rejection before opening that e-mail! Stanford gets such great applicants and lots of qualified students are turned away. Case 2: [size=+2]Decision: Accepted[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 2400 second try, single sitting (11 essay) ACT: Never took SAT II (if submitted): Math 2 & Chem (both 800s) Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): All As, school grades on a 0-100 scale, so I guess a 4.0 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4/704 AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geography, Comp Sci A, World Hist., Chem, Eng. Lang., Physics B, Stats (all 5s), US Hist. (4) IB (place score in parenthesis): Not offered Senior Year Course Load: Bio AP, Calc BC, Eng. Lit., Japanese AP, Physics C, Psychology AP, Macroeconomics AP, US Government AP, PE Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit, National AP Scholar, Oracle Professional Programmer and Microsoft Certified Professional. Some UIL awards, but nothing major. Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): A whole bunch. See my chance thread for more details. Generally very focused, yet diverse enough to demonstrate strength in several areas. Job/Work Experience: IT Intern at ST Aerospace Volunteer/Community service: Dont really believe in volunteering. I just do the minimum required for NHS. Tutoring, I guess? Essays: Good, I guess. I didnt let anyone else read or see them, since I felt that would let me be more personal. Common App: About a book very dear to me: The Windows 95 Resource Kit. It was unique, but not overbearing. I tried to keep it as simple as possible. EC Essay: About making websites, which I have done in several of my ECs. Showed a lot of passion and creativity. Intellectual Vitality: About my familys history. My dad was literally a peasant farmer, but he got out of it through education. I talked about how education isnt about money, but about extending mans potential. Roommate: About my love for graphic design and my evolving personality. Showed a bit of my self-deprecating humor. I was really unsure about this one. What Matters: About how I overcame my parents racism toward Japanese people, by learning Japanese myself and learning about their culture. Very heartfelt. Teacher Recommendation: Both definitely awesome. Counselor Rec: I dont know. Probably better than average. Additional Rec: From my research professor. Accidentally saw some of it, and it was good. Interview: Not offered Other Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes Intended Major: Computer Science State (if domestic applicant): TX Country (if international applicant): USA School Type: Very large, public, yet few students, if any, go to HYPSM each year despite the school being the richest in the city. Those accepted are generally URM, since half the school is Hispanic. Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese) Gender: M Income Bracket: High Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.): Research paper accepted to bioinformatics conference and will be published early next year. (Generally, computer science conferences are more prestigious than journals) Reflection Strengths: Stats, ECs, essays (in retrospect) Weaknesses: Didnt volunteer much. No amazing awards like USAMO. Asian. Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Showed a lot a passion. Wasnt afraid of my race. General Comments:
Im still in shock. Stanfords my first choice, but Ill apply to a few other colleges for the fun of it. Good luck to everyone who hasn't been accepted yet. I'm sure you'll find a place right for you. Deferred Case 1: [size=+2]Decision: Deferred[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 800, 800, 800 = 2400 (second sitting) ACT: N/A SAT II (if submitted): 800 (Math II), 800 (English Literature), 790 (US History) Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92 (counting +'s and -'s), 4.0 (not counting +'s and -'s) Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A, school doesn't rank AP (place score in parenthesis): BC Calculus (5), AB Calculus Subscore (5), AP English Literature & Composition (5), AP US History (5) IB (place score in parenthesis): My school doesn't offer IB Senior Year Course Load: Playwriting, Poetry, Photography, Concert Choir, AP Statistics, Japanese Culture and Communications (fourth year level), Mandarin Independent Study (sixth year level) Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist (will likely be Finalist), National Council of Teachers of English Superior Writing Award (only four winners in my state), first place in All-School Writing Contest for two consecutive years, AP Scholar, National Society of High School Scholars [ b]Subjective:[/b] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Model United Nations, Mock Trial, Varsity Fencing, Art & Literature Magazine (editor), Concert Choir, A Capella Job/Work Experience: I work as a private tutor in math and writing for about five hours each week Volunteer/Community service: executive member of the Youth Advisory Council for a nonprofit for the prevention of teenage substance abuse and suicide; I also volunteer on a local suicide hotline for three hours each week Essays: all extremely well written; I want to be a novelist when I grow up, and my writing is my strongest skill Teacher Recommendation: not allowed to read according to school rules, but my counselor said they were fantastic Counselor Rec: didn't read either, should be fairly excellent Additional Rec: none Interview: I thought it went well, but I'm not sure I managed to distinguish myself--I'm rather shy, and conversing with strangers is not my forte Other Applied for Financial Aid?: yes, couldn't go to college otherwise Intended Major: undecided State (if domestic applicant): Oregon School Type: private Episcopalian school, top ranked in state Ethnicity: 50% Asian, 50% white Gender: Female Income Bracket: ~59k with one working parent and four siblings Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.): I'm only first-generation if you don't count my non-custodial parent, an immigrant who attended college in another country; my main hooks would be my writing and low socioeconomic status Reflection Strengths: grades, test scores, essays, recommendations Weaknesses: Asian, no four-year extracurricular involvement or serious sports, somewhat weak senior curriculum (not my fault, I had to fulfill credit requirements or I couldn't graduate, and my school has a serious lack of AP classes) Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Honestly, I think the biggest point against me was my ethnicity. As far as I know, Asian (even half-Asian) is the worst race to be in college admissions, even though my custodial parent (my parents are divorced) is white. General Comments:
I'm very disappointed and somewhat hurt. I can't think of any ways to improve my application between now and February; the only major disadvantage I have, my ethnicity, is something that I can't change. I thought a 2400, excellent grades, decent extracurriculars, and unique essays would be enough to get admissions officers to overlook the color of my skin. Guess not. Another point: for the past five years at my school, 3 members of the senior class (70-80 students) have been admitted to Stanford each year. This year, no one was admitted through REA. Including me, two were deferred, and the other two rejected. Rejectted Case 1: [size=+2]Decision: Rejected[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 2310 (CR: 730, M: 800, W: 780) (All 2nd sitting) ACT: N/A SAT II (if submitted): Math II 800 / Chemistry 760 / Chinese 800 / Biology M 780 Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.975 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 9/519 Weighted, 10/519 Unweighted AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (4), Chemistry (4), Biology (5), Physics B (4), Calculus BC (5, AB subscore: 5) IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature and Composition, AP US Government, AP Macroeconomics, AP Psychology, AP Statistics, Wind Ensemble, AP Computer Science Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar with Distinction Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Marching Band 4 years (Clarinet Section Leader), Piano (like any other Asian..), 3 years in 2 Volunteer Clubs in school (Treasurer for both this year), 3 years in Tri-M Music Honor Society Job/Work Experience: Unpaid research assistant at a university research center during the summer Volunteer/Community service: Tons of stuff for church (Praise team, VBS..), organization that gives out books to underprivileged kids, 2 aforementioned volunteer clubs, about 200 hours total Essays: Common App Main: 6, wrote about piano
Intellectual Vitality: 7, wrote about why biology appealed to me so much, especially after I got to see it being used in the lab during my short research stint.
Letter to roommate: 7, wrote about squirrel-watching.
What matters to me: 8, wrote about how my childhood and the optimism and wonder at life I had then mattered to me. Teacher Recommendation: Got them from 2 of my favorite teachers, they should be relatively decent. Counselor Rec: Typical public school counselor who doesn’t really know the kids, probably decent as well? Additional Rec: Got one from the head of a small organization I volunteer with, only one I got to read, and I thought it was pretty good. Interview: N/A Other Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes Intended Major: Biochemistry State (if domestic applicant): California! Country (if international applicant): US School Type: Noncompetitive Public Ethnicity: Chinese Gender: Female Income Bracket: >$200k Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.): None. D: Reflection Strengths: Academic courseload? Weaknesses: I’m Asian.. and relatively stereotypical at that. Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Didn’t stand out too much, no major awards General Comments: I’m totally okay with my rejection, actually. Taking it way better than I thought I would, because I’ve always been on the fence between Stanford and UCLA as my dream schools, and after getting rejected, I realized that UCLA probably has a much better fit for me than Stanford does. I’m glad the admissions officers were able to realize I wouldn’t fit in at Stanford before I realized it. [:
That being said, congratulations to everyone who got accepted! I’m sure you all will have a wonderful time at Stanford, and I’m truly happy for everyone who got in.
To those who were deferred, good luck! Three months will be over before you know it.
And to those rejected like me, please don’t be too upset about it. I’m sure all of you will find a college where you can happily pursue your dreams. After all, everyone says college is what YOU make of it, right?
Case 2: [size=+2]Decision: Rejected[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 2380 (800/800/780) one sitting ACT: SAT II (if submitted): 800 Bio M, 800 Latin, 800 USH, 800 Math II, 800 Chem Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 (97.73) Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Lang (5), AP Stats (5), AP Chem (5), AP Macro/Micro (5's), APUSH (5), AP Physics B (5) - self study, AP Euro (4) IB (place score in parenthesis): Senior Year Course Load: AP Lit, AP Gov (US + Comp), AP Calc BC, AP Bio, AP Studio, AP Psych, AP Latin, Health + semester elective Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National AP Scholar, National Latin Exam Gold Medal x4, National Latin Exam Dictionary Award, Rotary Youth Leadership Award [ b]Subjective:[/b] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Model UN (Co-President, 3x Committee Chair, awards), Chinese School Teacher's Assistant (3rd year now), Piano (11 years), Quiz Bowl-like team (Co-President 2 years, JV Captain in 10th grade), Interact Club (VP for Fundraising 2 years), New Student Mentor, Great Books Club (Reorganizer--revamped entire concept to attract new members), Math League Varsity/All Star, Chinese Club (Treasurer/Secretary), Ballet/Pointe (11 years), Math Contest Club (Founder, prepare people for AMC), NHS Job/Work Experience: Summer internship at local university lab for two summers (300+ hours) Volunteer/Community service: ~200 hours Essays: Unique and very true to who I am--Common App about how I better understand myself through TV character (8/10), Extracurricular about why I love MUN (7/10), Intellectual Vitality about how growing up in NYC shaped my aspirations as a woman (9/10), Roommate about balancing American/Chinese lives (10/10), What Matters about finding connections between different subjects (10/10) Teacher Recommendation: Terrific--had Latin teacher all 4 years, Precalc teacher really liked me Counselor Rec: Terrific--we get along well Additional Rec: Lab mentor from internship, got Ph.D. from Stanford (whether it's significant), 2 Arts Supplements Interview: Not in zone Other Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes Intended Major: Human Biology State (if domestic applicant): NY School Type: Public, relatively competitive Ethnicity: Asian Gender: F Income Bracket: High Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.): None Reflection Strengths: Academics, leadership in extracurriculars Weaknesses: Perhaps breadth of extracurriculars? After seeing what people are saying now about committing to single area... Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Seemed unfocused in activities General Comments: This is sad. I don't want to do anything else now. Case 3: [size=+2]Decision: Rejected[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 2320 (one sitting) 780 CR, 750 M, 790 W SAT II (if submitted): 800 Math II, 780 USH, 750 Physics, 760 Chinese Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 7/477 AP (place score in parenthesis): Physics B (5), Calc BC with AB subscore (5, 5) US History (5), Computer Science A (4) Senior Year Course Load: AP English Literature, AP Biology, AP Art History, AP Stats, CP Chemistry, School Newspaper, AP Gov Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar with Honor (Okay who cares about that?) Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): School newspaper, theater review, MUN (all top leadership positions but I'm going to be vague here because I'm lazy), piano, tennis Volunteer/Community service: Library (120+ hrs), food pantry, used to do clubs but not anymore Essays: Common App: What I gained from quitting piano; Vitality: the connection between art & math (fractals, Islamic art); Roommate: on how much I love Veronica Mars, the TV show; What matters to me: books! Teacher Recommendation: Waived my right. Both awesome I'm assuming. One of them used to work at Stanford. Counselor Rec: Waived my right. Thorough, insightful, although I think he hinted that Stanford may not be the best fit for me. Other Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes Intended Major: Mathematics State (if domestic applicant): CA School Type: Public Ethnicity: Asian Gender: F Income Bracket: Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.): None Reflection Strengths: My grades, my essays (I thought they showed a lot of me), my letters of rec. Weaknesses: My extracurriculars weren't particularly outstanding, nor did it match my intended major. I decided my major quite late in the game. Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Aside from the weaknesses I listed above, I don't strike as Stanford material. I'm not "egg-shaped." I also didn't want to go there as much as other schools. The SCEA was my parents' suggestion, and Stanford's supplements came most naturally to me. General Comments:
Congrats to everybody who got in! And to those rejected, here's an Internet hug and some comfort. (I'm still grumpy over the one line in the rejection letter where Richard Shaw suggested we read an article he wrote.)
Case 4: [size=+2]Decision: Rejected[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 2280, 690 M 790 R 800 W ACT: did not submit SAT II (if submitted): 800 chem, 790 US History, 750 Literatire Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5% AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s on everything. Chem, USH, Psych, Euro, Lang, Human Geo IB (place score in parenthesis): Senior Year Course Load: AP everything. Econ Macro/Micro, Physics C, Calc BC, Eng Lit, Gov/Comp, World, studying Latin on the side Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP whatever it is with that many tests. I am not a science/math major. Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Latin Club (President), Parliamentary Debate (Varsity), Science Research Program, Peer Tutor, Peer Mentor, Honor Society, JSA Job/Work Experience: I tutor for a bit of extra cash, but did not mention it. Volunteer/Community service: God knows how many hours I've put into a local community center that I've been volunteering at since 8th grade. Essays: CommonApp: 9/10 - summer exchange program. Topic is slightly contrived, but I thought my humor came through. Roommate: Not my best. 6/10, Intellectual thingamabob: Wrote about how my first history teacher inspired me in 4th grade. 8/10. Matters to me: Wrote about honesty. Did not like this essay much either. Slightly unfocused. 7/10 Teacher Recommendation: English and Physics. Former has known me since freshman year, and I have her again now. Latter I had for sophomore year, and TA'd for a semester in junior year, and is club advisor for JSA Counselor Rec: Probably only above average. Counselor knows me better than most, but we aren't that close. Additional Rec: Interview: Other Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes Intended Major: History/Political Science State (if domestic applicant): CA Country (if international applicant): School Type: Competitive Public. We have long-standing tensions with Stanford. Most of us here who apply are incredible students, but they have ridiculed us as AP machines. I guess I'm no exception, chalking up a grand total of 16 by the time I finish high school. Ethnicity: Chinese (whodaguessedit?) Gender: Female Income Bracket: Middle Class. 90-110k Hooks (URM, first generation college, research, etc.): Nothing. Reflection Strengths: Volunteering Commitment (5 yrs), SAT score, APs Weaknesses: Ethnicity. Unbalanced SAT score (reflected my ** in math), AP scores, Unimpressive ECs, no awards Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I tried to portray myself as an academically oriented person, but still had a soul - humor, volunteering, etc. Guess it didn't work. General Comments: Guess it's time to go work on my liberal arts college apps. 2016 Accepted Case 1: [size=+2]Decision: Accepted[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): n/a ACT: 35 SAT II:chem-770, bio-760, math2-800 Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.75 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a AP (place score in parenthesis): n/a (school doesn't "do" AP, we've replaced it with "AT"-- we don't take the AP tests. IB (place score in parenthesis):n/a Senior Year Course Load: most rigorous courseload available: all AT's except for spanish. bc calc, english lit, chem, studio art, and macroeconomnics Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): PSAT natl merit commendation? Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): fencing- nationally ranked, got recruited by the team, many natl medals, travel around alot, etc. and same thing with debate ('cept i wasn't recruited for that!!) Job/Work Experience:Clerk at the town's local bakery for the last 2 years. Internship at the Animal Hospital for the last 2 years Volunteer/Community service: 60 hours at Costa Rica one summer Summer Activities:internship at vet, nationals for fencing and debate, job at bakery, studied abroad in UCLA and Oxford. Essays: Common App Main: about how i'm an "oxymoron" 10/10 <-- most awesome essay of my life EC Short Answer: about debate 9.5/10 "Profile" questions: i wrote down what i actually liked to do, in contrast to what i thought they would like.... idk, seemed to work out!! Intellectual Vitality Essay: about sudoku 7/10 Letter to Roommate Essay: i was very funny, very chill, 9/10 What matters to you and why? Essay: wrote about my dog hehe 8/10 Teacher Recommendation: verrry good! Counselor Rec: Good Additional Rec:i think it was OK... don't think the guy really likes me, but i've contributed a lot so... Interview:N/A [ b]Other[/b] Applied for Financial Aid?: No Intended Major: Undecided State (if domestic applicant):NY School Type: Public- very competitive Ethnicity: White Gender: F Income Bracket: 100K + Case 2: [size=+2]Decision: Accepted[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown):NA ACT:34 SAT II: 760 Math II, 790 Chem, 780 World History Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):4.0 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):2/829 AP (place score in parenthesis): WHAP-5 APUSH-5 AP Stats- 5 AP HUG- 4 AP Chem- 5 AP Euro- 5 AP English Lang-5 IB (place score in parenthesis):NA Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Calc AB, AP Art History, Independent Study and Mentorship, AP French Lang, AP English Lit, AP Gov, AP Econ Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):Siemens Semifinalist, Texas Girls State, US Academic Achievement Scholarship Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Debate (TOC bid in Extemp, LD Captain, Extemp captain, secretary), Key Club (co founder and President), Team HBV (Vice President and Treasurer), Independent Study (did research on historical figures), National Society of High School Scholars Ambassador, National English Society President, French Club VP Job/Work Experience:2 year research internship in addition to working on some small research projects. Volunteer/Community service: Key Club stuff, Team HBV Stuff, I also worked with some Stanford nonprofits Summer Activities: research at UTMB, Girls State, debate camp Essays: See below Common App Main: I wrote about overcoming mental illness (depression) because of perfectionst standards I created because I didn't fit in, and how that motivated me to fight for mental illness. Bit risky, but it paid off EC Short Answer: I wrote about debate and how I had to overcome difficulties of being from a small team. "Profile" questions: was myself Intellectual Vitality Essay: I wrote about stem cells and the research I had done. Letter to Roommate Essay: I wrote about getting up halfway in the morning to write down my crazy ideas... don't ask What matters to you and why? Essay:I wrote about working in Team HBV, and how my dad being a Hepatitis B researcher motivated me to do this work. Teacher Recommendation: I asked my AP Stats and AP Euro teacher... should have been good. Counselor Rec: didn't know my counselor too well. Should be standard. Additional Rec: got my research mentor to write me one Should have been pretty good. Interview: was not offered one (did not have one in my area) Other Applied for Financial Aid?:Mais oui Intended Major:Uh.. Public/Global Health or Neuroscience. Considering Internatinal Relations and Women's and Gender Studies aussi State (if domestic applicant):TX Country (if international applicant): NA School Type:PUBLIC Ethnicity:Asian and proud baby Gender: chick Income Bracket: 80,0000-90,0000 Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): my older bro goes to Stanford. Also, lots of work with Stanford non-profits and did some research for a Stanford professor (not like medical research. Like literally looking up articles). Reflection Strengths:academics, extracurriculars (kind of), and solid passion Weaknesses: not too many national awards Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I honestly think it was because of my brother. General Comments: SO HAPPY. PM if you have any questions Also, don't trust CC. Too many **** lulz. Case 3: [size=+2]Decision: Accepted[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): M 800, CR 800, W 800, first sitting ACT: SAT II: Math II 800, Biology M 800, Chemistry 800 Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%, was #2 but school doesn't officially rank AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB, Calc BC, Eng. Language & Composition, US History, Biology, Chemistry, all 5s IB (place score in parenthesis): Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics B (school doesn't offer C), AP US Gov., AP Macroeconomics, AP Stats, AP Literature and Composition, T.A./Peer Tutor (LOL my counselor said I'd never get in with this) Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Intel ISEF 2nd Grand Award
National JSHS 1st Place
Single-author research paper published
Scholastic Nat'l Art and Writing - 2 Gold Medals Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Last 1.5 years I lived for my research XD Taught myself how to design/code computer simulations and slaved away at a problem in computational imaging from home. Somewhat ironically, I've also edited for an international high school literary journal for 3 years (currently Co-EIC), and transformed a lot of the ways we run things. Yep, those two things are basically my whole life. Job/Work Experience: Volunteer/Community service: Summer Activities: Research, research, and more research, by which I mostly mean spending weeks debugging single convoluted simulations XD Good times. And editing through last-minute swamps of 1000+ literature submissions, finishing editorial commentary, putting together final cuts, polishing the publication versions, figuring out layout designs, etc...It's horrific but I love it XD Also took linear algebra at a local university sophomore summer. Essays: I thought they were okay-ish when I submitted. Obviously, every time after Nov. 1 that I read them, they sounded worse and worse XD So idk. Common App Main: On how my research converted me from a mathematics purist into a believer in computational science. Not terribly original, but hey, you write what you know. EC Short Answer: Editorial work. "Profile" questions: Most significant challenge - Discernment in the floods of information offered by the digital age, particularly being conscious of the ridiculous growth of pseudoscience. Favorite events - Mine were totally weird, because TBH I don't really get out that often XD Monterey Bay Aquarium's first-ever sea-dragon eggs, and the de Young Museum's "Balenciaga" exhibit. Historical moment - How Larry Page dreamt up and coded the PageRank algorithm. Five words - expressive, keen-eyed, exploratory, insatiable, idea-guzzling Kitschy as hell, but I guess they worked. Intellectual Vitality Essay: On wavelet transforms and multiresolution analysis, the most brilliant signal processing concepts ever devised XD An ISEF judge told me about them and I used them in my research. Letter to Roommate Essay: About how my brother and I are polar opposites and still the best partners-in-crime ever. What matters to you and why? Essay: How I notice subtleties and that's basically all you need to love your world. Tossed in some poetry and a bunch of weird obscure scientific observations XD It sounds super cheesy but I think it was actually my favorite one. Teacher Recommendation: Definitely not bad, but I don't think smashing brilliant or anything for either of them. Counselor Rec: Ditto. Additional Rec: From the managing editor of the journal I edit for, who's a novelist. Didn't read it, but it's the one rec I would bet was ridiculously amazing lol Interview: Other: Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes Intended Major: Electrical Engineering or Computer Science State (if domestic applicant): NorCal's where it's at. Country (if international applicant): School Type: Public, about 1800 kids Ethnicity: Asian and proud of it. Gender: F Income Bracket: ~$100,000 Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None Reflection Strengths: Research and editing? Idk, those were basically the only things my whole application talked about XD Test scores, I guess. Weaknesses: Prolly teacher recs. Again, not bad, but aside from the additional rec I really wouldn't think they were fantastic. Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: No freaking idea. I was in the library when I found out and screamed XD General Comments: Oh myyyyy Goooooood. So happy and so thankful, it's been my dream school since forever Don't think it's totally sunk in yet. I'll prolly wake up tomorrow screaming. Three people from my school have gotten in so far, so we're having a rocking year for admissions already XD Case 4: [size=+2]Decision: Accepted[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 800 math, 770 writing, 730 CR ACT: none SAT II: 800 Math 2C, 800 US History, 780 Chemistry Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/736 AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 Euro, 5 APUSH, 5 AB Calc, 5 MacroEcon, 4 Microecon IB (place score in parenthesis): 6 Chem, 6 Econ Senior Year Course Load: Theory of Knowledge IB, History HL IB, Math IB HL, Physics Honors, Journalism class, English 4 HL IB, Spanish 4 IB/AP, Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit SemiFinalist, J8 World Summit USA Top Ten Finalist, FBLA Nationals 2nd place public speaking, Published in the Wall Street Journal, Multiple journalism awards in yearbook, HOBY delegate (chosen to be regional rep for World HOBY) Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): CEO of 501(c)3 nonprofit, Founder of a newspaper, Yearbook Editor in Chief, Model UN President, FBLA Vice President, National Honor Society, Relay for Life Publicity Department, #1 Doubles Tennis team Job/Work Experience: Microphilanthropy firm intern, Senate intern Volunteer/Community service: Tutored underprivileged children at local elementary school, City Youth Commission Chairperson Summer Activities: Northwestern journalism residency (cherubs), internships, taking courses, yearbook camp Essays: Pretty good. I'm a writer, so I suppose they were good. Common App Main: Starting my own newspaper/ civic government. EC Short Answer: Speech helping me overcome past insecurities. "Profile" questions: Good and quirky. Talked about my music tastes and love for sports. Very happy with these. Intellectual Vitality Essay: Economics' application to philanthropy. Liked this one, as I want to pursue this as a career. Letter to Roommate Essay: Made fun of myself. Go Nicki Minaj! What matters to you and why? Essay: Journalism-related. Very personal to all the people I have met as a journalist. Teacher Recommendation: Strong. My history teacher always says how I'm one of the best students he's ever had, and my English teacher likes me enough I guess haha Counselor Rec: Strong, have a good relationship with him although he has 350 students. Additional Rec: Very strong, he let me read it (from my newspaper editor from an outside publication). Known him since freshman year and wrote about my compassion as a writer. Interview: none Other Applied for Financial Aid?: no Intended Major: Economics, English State (if domestic applicant): CA Country (if international applicant): School Type: Public Ethnicity: Asian Gender: Female Income Bracket: 100k+ Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none. Reflection Strengths: I really showed my passion and accomplishments in journalism and zoned in on it. It really is my great passion, and it shined in my essays. Weaknesses: I knew Stanford looked for that "special" quality in students, and I really didn't feel like I was that special. It's that "Stanford" quality everyone strives for, and I certainly felt like my essays weren't special enough. Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: NO IDEA. I really thought I was going to get a rejection. I was balling in the car because I thought I got rejected. I refused to open the email for 10 minutes haha. Not my shining moment. :') General Comments: Never give up! I thought I HAD NO CHANCE AT STANFORD. I considered not applying, as I know a lot of amazing people who were rejected, but I thought I'd give it a shot. It's been my dream school since the 3rd grade. My greatest piece of advice is zone in on something you truly love (not something an adcom would love) and let that thing shine! I refused to wear my Stanford sweatshirt for the past four months. I'm wearing it again right now though haha. GO CARDINALS <3
Deferred Case 1: [ size=+2][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Deferred[ /b][ /color][ /size]
[ b]Objective:[ /b][ list]
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): [2300] Math: 800 Reading: 760 Writing: 740 (Essay 8)
[ *] ACT:
[ *] SAT II: Biology: 750 Math II: 800
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.92
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10% or maybe 20%?
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): CompSci (4) USH (4) Music Theory (5) Biology (5)
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: APEcon Micro/Macro, AP English Lit, AP Stat, AP Chem, APC Mech/E&M, AP BC Calc
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
NCWIT (Computing) Award Winner, AIME qualifier (Missed USAMO by 20 points..so still a lot)
[ /list][ b]Subjective:[ /b][ list]
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Robotics (Captain), FBLA (VP), Technology Club (Prez), Speech & Debate, SciOly, Math Club, Piano (Lvl. 10)
[ *] Job/Work Experience: Piano Teacher, Web Designer, Mechanic
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: Camp Counselor & Other Small things (200 hours)
[ *] Summer Activities: Research at Stanford, Longboarding Business (Built & Sold)
[ *] Essays: Awesome. I believe they really showed who I was & I'm a good writer when it's not analytical
[ *] Common App Main: Food & Family
[ *] EC Short Answer: Robotics
[ *] "Profile" questions: Eccentric
[ *] Intellectual Vitality Essay: Entrepreneurship
[ *] Letter to Roommate Essay: Wandering through cities
[ *] What matters to you and why? Essay: Research
[ *] Teacher Recommendation: Awesome/Alright? (didn't see this one)
[ *] Counselor Rec: Who knows.
[ *] Additional Rec: Boss, different take on everything
[ *] Interview: N/A
[ /list][ b]Other[ /b][ list]
[ *] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[ *] Intended Major: CS or ChemE
[ *] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: Public
[ *] Ethnicity: Chinese
[ *] Gender: Female
[ *] Income Bracket: High
[ *] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
[ /list][ b]Reflection[ /b][ list]
[ *] Strengths: solid student
[ *] Weaknesses: I definitely had some horrible grades junior year. I probably should have explained them in my essays, as there were unusual circumstances, but I couldn't find the right place for it.
[ *] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
[ /list][ b]General Comments:[ /b]
Grades not perfect (in comparison to everyone else at my school)
Not as interesting (typical Asian/Engineering/piano type of activities) Rejectted Case 1: [size=+2]Decision: Rejected[/size]
[/list][/b]Objective:[/b] SAT I (breakdown): superscore 2190 (M 720 R 720 W 250) Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 7.0 IB Scale (about 3.9ish on the 4.0 scale) Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3% AP (place score in parenthesis): school doesn't offer any IB (place score in parenthesis): IB examinations scheduled this May;)
IB English HL
IB Physics HL
IB History HL
IB Visual Art SL
IB Math SL
IB German Ab Initio
Theory of Knowledge Senior Year Course Load: full IBDP course, listed above Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none:P [/b]Subjective:[/b] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Editor-in-Chief student newspaper/MUN delegate/ambassador (THIMUN, RRMUN),Correspondent for student magazine,Varsity Tennis,Tennis Club, Student Library Advisory Job/Work Experience: none Volunteer/Community service: service hours for the library. not a lot:P Summer Activities: German lessons Essays: Common App Main: about a significant event. i wrote it like a prose passage, a short story type. it wasn't too witty or lighthearted. maybe it was a bit cheesy. i don't know... i just got my rejection letter like 15 minutes ago so a bit insecure about all parts of my application right now;) 9/10 EC Short Answer: wrote on landing the editor-in-chief position at the paper "Profile" questions: in the first one for listing the books and music etc i didn't write in two lines, doubt it had much significance though. was lighthearted with it. i have a hunch the grammar was a bit off but don't want to look at the supplement now.. Intellectual Vitality Essay: wrote about a Theory of Knowledge type issue. limitations and restrictions on language. was pretty serious about it but straightforward 8/10 Letter to Roommate Essay: light and friendly. wrote about my habits and etc 7/10 What matters to you and why? Essay: wrote about food, this was a second version and came naturally 8/10 Teacher Recommendation: should've been good but one teacher has very high standards, i dont know what she wrote about me Counselor Rec: should be okay. i don't expect anything spectacular though Additional Rec: didn't send Interview: nope Other Applied for Financial Aid?: No Intended Major: International Relations, Cultural Studies, Linguistics (interests) State (if domestic applicant): N/A Country (if international applicant): Nationality Korean, living in Europe School Type: private international school, English speaking Ethnicity: Asian (and proud to be.) Gender: Female Income Bracket: meh. 140+? euros and dollars.. Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none really Reflection Strengths:
i thought my essays were pretty good, i love to write. but at the moment i'm being harsh with myself. maybe i'll come back later after i've COMPLETELY gotten over the decisions and try to be objective about it.. Weaknesses:
SAT scores, no particular awards or summer activity, no internships, no research projects..:( Why you think you were rejected:
What a weird question. Cause they thought i wasn't motivated enough? My grades from my public school back home were pretty grim. I jumped tremendously after moving to my current school. But my thought when the applications went out was that the huge increase would make me interesting. Guess it didn't.. overrated myself or something Lol I DONT KNOW. General Comments:
Im still slightly emotional, and so im going to blab on - it was really, really awful for about 3-5 minutes. But i think i'm pretty much over it now just i have all this complaining to get done. Will probably call my bf after this and get it all out instead of pouring out my insecurities here on CC;)
but that article from the Dean helped. i think it's better to carefully read the whole rejection letter.
Case 2: [size=+2]Decision: Rejected[/size]
Objective: SAT I (breakdown): 2280, 800CR/720 M/760 W (single sitting); 2340 super-scored ACT: didn't take SAT II: 710 Math 2, 730 Bio M, 720 Bio E Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 10 (it changed to 3 after I submitted my application, grr) AP (place score in parenthesis): (all 5) Bio, Calc AB, World History, English Lang, Stats, US History IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A Senior Year Course Load: AP Psych, AP Physics, AP Gov, AP Lit, Concert Band, year 2 of a healthcare academy program at my school, AP Chinese at an off-campus Chinese school Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Scholarship Commended Student, NHS, CSF, AP Scholar with Distinction Subjective: Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): academic league (captain 9th, 11th, and 12th), concert band percussionist, marching band percussionist (captain 10th), piano Job/Work Experience: private piano teacher, pipa / Chinese lute performing Volunteer/Community service: volunteering at the local library Summer Activities: performed pipa at the county fair, took classes at local community college, visited China and the East coast with my family Essays: See below Common App Main: I am a year or two younger than the average freshman applicant, and I wrote about how I didn't let that stop me from gaining opportunities EC Short Answer: I elaborated more on my pipa performing experience "Profile" questions: I was honest, though it took me a while to figure out what my favorites were, haha Intellectual Vitality Essay: I wrote about how a debate assignment we had in chemistry helped me become more open-minded to different points of view Letter to Roommate Essay: Fun, I told a cute story and talked about my love of reading What matters to you and why? Essay: Learning... haha, I didn't like this essay Teacher Recommendation: one teacher's was amazing, the other's I didn't see Counselor Rec: I dunno Additional Rec: N/A Interview: N/A (I wish they gave interviews in their own state! -.- I love interviews!) Other Applied for Financial Aid?: I would have, yes Intended Major: biology, pre-med State (if domestic applicant): CA Country (if international applicant): N/A School Type: Public Ethnicity: Chinese -.- Gender: Female Income Bracket: Below 60,000 Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Not really Reflection Strengths: most of my academics, my pipa / Chinese lute performance experience & music activities in general Weaknesses: I'm an ORM, I didn't do many healthcare-related activities, my SAT IIs weren't that good Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: The weaknesses General Comments:
I'm pretty sad, Stanford was my first choice... Oh well, I guess. Time to wait for my other colleges. Congratulations to everyone who is / gets accepted!
倒过来说。所谓平常，说的是套路很规范。虽然没有中国高考那么分分严密，简单粗暴。但是也是很清晰的。无非是，
一，基本成绩不能差，SAT2300，GPA3。9 那是起码的。你可以差一点点，但是就必须得在其他方面补齐了。
二，在比较公认公正竞争比较激烈参与比较广泛的项目上拿点小奖，科技体育什么都行。比较冷门的就必须是大奖。
三，搞点什么让人醒目的活动。如果活动很平常，你的脚色就不能太平常，当个队长助理教练什么的是最起码的（一个学校十几个队长呢，不算事）。
四，还得把你干得这些说圆到一块去，得有自己的思想哲学计划，不能东拼西凑。
五，加减点小运气。
所谓不值得，说的是真想做到全面真得是不容易。只是费了这么大劲，真的得到什么了吗？真的能干出点什么吗？真的对自己好一点了吗？真的难说啊。
我觉得吧，其实第四点才是最实在的，虽然看起来是最虚的。自己有想法，该干什么干什么，一二三，干到哪算哪是按自己的想法而不是学校的要求。如果恰好吻合了，好啊。如果不吻合，玩去。