u/whalelegs3

Hey everybody,

As a rising college freshman, I wanted to just share my thoughts about this sub and others similar (which I'm also posting this in). I'm heading to MIT this fall, and was also admitted to 2 other T5s (H, Stanford) and a couple of other T20s. During the college admissions process, I didn't spend a whole lot of time on subreddits like this, but now that it's all over, I've spent some time looking through- and to be honest, I'm absolutely shocked at how some people act.

Firstly: I think it's absolutely ridiculous that someone can take a look at another student's activities list and test scores, which reveals probably 1% about who that person is as a human being, and pretend to accurately predict exactly which schools they'll be admitted to. This is flawed in so many ways.

If you're looking through these subs and developing depressive symptoms because all of these superhumans seem like they have all the research and internships in the world, trust me; schools do NOT look upon these activites any more highly than if you spent that time, I dunno, crocheting or something. Who are they to judge if you prefer crocheting to conducting research? It's all about developing your own profile and how the activity fits into the context of your application.

Which leads into my next point: Context. Everything matters in context. Where you're from and the pool of applicants (which in turn, affects institutional priorities at each school) are the biggest factors, and guess what? You can't control either them one bit.

Secondly: admittedly, I also did once put my info up on Chanceme one time. You know what they said?

>t20 no chance, t50 if you're lucky

>You're delusional, but gl

>😬

My EC list, in order, was:

1. Athletics
2. Athletics
3. Athletics
4. Music
5. Music
6. Music
7. Research
8. Volunteer
9. Hobby
10. Work

And no, I was not a recruited athlete. Since I had nothing major-related, I suppose people like to assume that I was an auto-reject from my dream colleges.

The truth is, people develop such a narrow field of view regarding what 'looks' like a successful college application, but in truth, everybody spends their time differently, and whatever it is, AOs want to hear about it and how it defines who you are. If you lean into your love for frog-catching better than someone who did research at a big uni, you're in a better spot than they are.

In my case, I just really leaned into the things I loved - music and sport were my two big "things" in high school. I got really good at what I loved, and I got involved in my community through these things too. I made sure to let my passion shine through in my essays, and I'm sure that went a long way.

The takeaway I want to make clear is this: As a human being, you are infinitely more multifaceted as a human being than 10 extracurricular activities and a couple test scores define you as. There is nothing within these metrics that could possibly predict T20 school admissions. So I advise you all: Stay off of these subreddits, don't listen to a single soul, and discover who you are.

Cheers. Feel free to reach out with questions if you have any

P.s. SUPER SHORT GUIDE ON GETTING INTO T5 (in order of importance)

1. Have good grades and scores
2. Have good grades and scores
3. Have good grades and scores
4. Do what you love, show others what you love, teach others what you love, show your love in your writing, get good at writing so can show your love for what you love. In other words: PASSION gets you into your dream school.

Hey everybody,

As a rising college freshman, I wanted to just share my thoughts about this sub and others similar (which I'm also posting this in). I'm heading to MIT this fall, and was also admitted to 2 other T5s (H, Stanford) and a couple of other T20s. During the college admissions process, I didn't spend a whole lot of time on subreddits like this, but now that it's all over, I've spent some time looking through- and to be honest, I'm absolutely shocked at how some people act.

Firstly: I think it's absolutely ridiculous that someone can take a look at another student's activities list and test scores, which reveals probably 1% about who that person is as a human being, and pretend to accurately predict exactly which schools they'll be admitted to. This is flawed in so many ways.

If you're looking through these subs and developing depressive symptoms because all of these superhumans seem like they have all the research and internships in the world, trust me; schools do NOT look upon these activites any more highly than if you spent that time, I dunno, crocheting or something. Who are they to judge if you prefer crocheting to conducting research? It's all about developing your own profile and how the activity fits into the context of your application.

Which leads into my next point: Context. Everything matters in context. Where you're from and the pool of applicants (which in turn, affects institutional priorities at each school) are the biggest factors, and guess what? You can't control either them one bit.

Secondly: admittedly, I also did once put my info up on Chanceme one time. You know what they said?

>t20 no chance, t50 if you're lucky

>You're delusional, but gl

>😬

My EC list, in order, was:

1. Athletics
2. Athletics
3. Athletics
4. Music
5. Music
6. Music
7. Research
8. Volunteer
9. Hobby
10. Work

And no, I was not a recruited athlete. Since I had nothing major-related, I suppose people like to assume that I was an auto-reject from my dream colleges.

The truth is, people develop such a narrow field of view regarding what 'looks' like a successful college application, but in truth, everybody spends their time differently, and whatever it is, AOs want to hear about it and how it defines who you are. If you lean into your love for frog-catching better than someone who did research at a big uni, you're in a better spot than they are.

In my case, I just really leaned into the things I loved - music and sport were my two big "things" in high school. I got really good at what I loved, and I got involved in my community through these things too. I made sure to let my passion shine through in my essays, and I'm sure that went a long way.

The takeaway I want to make clear is this: As a human being, you are infinitely more multifaceted as a human being than 10 extracurricular activities and a couple test scores define you as. There is nothing within these metrics that could possibly predict T20 school admissions. So I advise you all: Stay off of these subreddits, don't listen to a single soul, and discover who you are.

Cheers. Feel free to reach out with questions if you have any

P.s. SUPER SHORT GUIDE ON GETTING INTO T5 (in order of importance)

1. Have good grades and scores
2. Have good grades and scores
3. Have good grades and scores
4. Do what you love, show others what you love, teach others what you love, show your love in your writing, get good at writing so can show your love for what you love. In other words: PASSION gets you into your dream school.

Hey everybody,

As a rising college freshman, I wanted to just share my thoughts about this sub and others similar (which I'm also posting this in). I'm heading to MIT this fall, and was also admitted to 2 other T5s (H, Stanford) and a couple of other T20s. During the college admissions process, I didn't spend a whole lot of time on subreddits like this, but now that it's all over, I've spent some time looking through- and to be honest, I'm absolutely shocked at how some people act.

Firstly: I think it's absolutely ridiculous that someone can take a look at another student's activities list and test scores, which reveals probably 1% about who that person is as a human being, and pretend to accurately predict exactly which schools they'll be admitted to. This is flawed in so many ways.

If you're looking through these subs and developing depressive symptoms because all of these superhumans seem like they have all the research and internships in the world, trust me; schools do NOT look upon these activites any more highly than if you spent that time, I dunno, crocheting or something. Who are they to judge if you prefer crocheting to conducting research? It's all about developing your own profile and how the activity fits into the context of your application.

Which leads into my next point: Context. Everything matters in context. Where you're from and the pool of applicants (which in turn, affects institutional priorities at each school) are the biggest factors, and guess what? You can't control either them one bit.

Secondly: admittedly, I also did once put my info up on Chanceme one time. You know what they said?

>t20 no chance, t50 if you're lucky

>You're delusional, but gl

>😬

My EC list, in order, was:

1. Athletics
2. Athletics
3. Athletics
4. Music
5. Music
6. Music
7. Research
8. Volunteer
9. Hobby
10. Work

And no, I was not a recruited athlete. Since I had nothing major-related, I suppose people like to assume that I was an auto-reject from my dream colleges.

The truth is, people develop such a narrow field of view regarding what 'looks' like a successful college application, but in truth, everybody spends their time differently, and whatever it is, AOs want to hear about it and how it defines who you are. If you lean into your love for frog-catching better than someone who did research at a big uni, you're in a better spot than they are.

In my case, I just really leaned into the things I loved - music and sport were my two big "things" in high school. I got really good at what I loved, and I got involved in my community through these things too. I made sure to let my passion shine through in my essays, and I'm sure that went a long way.

The takeaway I want to make clear is this: As a human being, you are infinitely more multifaceted as a human being than 10 extracurricular activities and a couple test scores define you as. There is nothing within these metrics that could possibly predict T20 school admissions. So I advise you all: Stay off of these subreddits, don't listen to a single soul, and discover who you are.

Cheers. Feel free to reach out with questions if you have any

P.s. SUPER SHORT GUIDE ON GETTING INTO T5 (in order of importance)

1. Have good grades and scores
2. Have good grades and scores
3. Have good grades and scores
4. Do what you love, show others what you love, teach others what you love, show your love in your writing, get good at writing so can show your love for what you love. In other words: PASSION gets you into your dream school.

Kinda clickbait-y title, I actually have one. But it's number 7, and that's pretty awkward to clarify.

Demographics

Asian Male from Western NY, seeking finaid

Academics

SAT: 1560 (780/780) (two takes)

ACT: 35 (35, 35, 35, 36S) (one take)

Course Rigor: 13 APs by graduation, couple Dual Enrollments at local uni (Linear Alg & Calc III)

Intended Major: Neuro, Music, Math

ECs

1. Athletics (club): Some state & national recognition
2. Athletics (varsity): Some state recognition, little snippet about Sat morning breakfasts included in the desc.
3. Athletics (club): Representative for my local [sport] committee, represent ~2000 swimmers
4. Music (instrumental): Some regional & state recognition, local youth orchestra, solo festivals
5. Music (instrumental): Prestigious summer music program
6. Music (instrumental): Section leader for my school's Wind Ensemble, Symph Orch, [instrument] Ensemble
7. Research/Internship: Officially classified as an internship within our lab, but I work as a research assistant. No publications, just experience. Neuro-related
8. Art: Digital Creator, Photography & Videography; framed it as a way of documenting communities I love (music and sport). ~200k views on Insta
9. Community Service (volunteer): Couple PVSA awards, 150+hrs as an usher for local Symphonic Orchestra, and other various activities
10. Work (Paid): [sport] instructor.

Interesting point: All but one activities on this list have been done from 9th - 12th grade. I began my research in 11th, but apart from that I'm pretty proud of my consistency

Awards

1. State-level Solo Festival placements
2. NYSPHSAA (state level) Winter Scholar-Athlete Award
3. Most Outstanding Fr/Soph Award within school music department
4. Various CollegeBoard Awards (AP, National Recognition Program)
5. Presidents' National Volunteering Service Award: Silver, Bronze

Essays:

Doing my best just to stay honest and capitalize on the fact that I'm not gonna be the cracked IMO kid.

LoRs:

How do people even do this?

Schools:

HYPSM

Comments:

Need to figure out my central application theme in order to make my EC list make sense. Something about doing stuff for 10-15 years straight, and going to your school will help me find my next 'thing' I suppose

In the preview, it simply shows one long list. This is how I hope that AOs will see it ..? Where the only mental break is that of their own attention?

Or is it true that they see two separate pages? I suspect it may also depend on the school’s own software

For context, I am just working out the order of my EC list, and it just so happens to be that I have six activities that I would love to include on the front “page.”

Hello,

Just by selection bias I’m willing to bet a good number of you also play an instrument. I applied to 7 programs this year, split about half/half academic and musical. So I thought I’d share my results to hopefully give some people who are both passionate about their studies as well as musical interests some info.

[Stats]
Demographics: Asian male, public high school, medium income
Scores: 98.05 GPA, 14 APs (5s on all except for a 4 on psych holy shit), 1510 SAT (730 EBRW / 780 M)

Don’t know how much help these stats are since admission to pre-college type programs are largely based on essays.

[Results]

MITES -> Accepted summer

BU RISE -> Waitlisted

SSP -> Reject

SPARC -> Reject

Juilliard Summer Music -> Accepted

BU Tanglewood -> Accepted percussion intensive, waitlist YA orchestra

Interlochen -> Accepted Percussion Intensive

-

I’m committed to Juilliard this summer. Some of my friends gave me shit for turning down MITES but I honestly see myself enjoying myself and learning a lot more from Juilliard, even though I don’t plan on going into music in the future. Furthermore I’m lined up to do research at a local university already and MITES would interfere too much with the researchers I’ve gotten quite close with.

I saw a post here a few weeks ago talking about how they got “rejected from every program so now I’m fried and I have nothing to do this summer.” I think this is the wrong mindset to have as there are so many opportunities even within your own community that would provide more personal enrichment and value (to yourself and your college app which I know damn well is the only reason why that person applied to any programs) to them. Your acceptances don’t define you!

Hopefully this information is useful to those out there who are both academically and musically passionate. My DMs are open if anyone has any questions

I really do not like these online score calculators. Is it true that you need a ~65-70 / 108 in order to score a 5? Some sources online say it’s even less.

Thanks all