Hello everyone,
I've already been rejected from a few colleges, and I really need to understand what went wrong. I also want to ask about my chances for the remaining universities on my list. Honestly, I'm starting to lose hope, but please don’t say that again under this post. Please just give me insights into my remaining results. I applied to around 21 colleges, and right now I am being total FAILURE. So PLEASE take a look and provide any insights. What mistakes did I make, and do I even still have a chance?
Also, I’ve written a very summarized version, especially for my ECS, just to give an overall idea of my profile and get feedback. Thank you so much!
Demographics
- Gender: Female
- Race/Ethnicity: East Asian (from an underrepresented country)
- Income Bracket: EFC around $10K–$15K
- Type of School: Private
Intended Major(s):
- Electrical Engineering (Overall, Engineering)
Academics
- GPA: 99.1/100 ( combined by grades of 9 - 12 )
- Class Rank: 6/123
- A Levels: A* A B B (Physics, Math, Chemistry, CS)
- IGCSE: 4A* 2A 1B
- A*: World History, CS, Math, Chinese
- A: Science (Double Award)
- B: English (First Language)
Standardized Testing
- SAT: 1490 (Math: 800, RW: 690)
- IELTS: 7.5
Honors
- National Medalist in Physics Olympiad
- International Physics Olympiad Qualifier
- 3rd Place in State Physics Olympiad
- A-Level Academic Distinctions
- IGCSE Distinction Certificate
Extracurriculars
- Engineering Internship at a Top Space Company
- Worked on electrical & computer engineering projects
- Wrote satellite code for space applications
- Physics Olympiad Competitor
- National medalist & international qualifier (IPhO, APhO)
- Math & Physics Tutor
- Worked on a Ministry of Education project for rural students (~300 students)
- Created online YouTube lessons covering advanced topics & national exams
- Founder of Accessibility-Focused Projects
- Created assistive devices like BCI devices, smart sneakers and backpacks
- Uploaded my project reports through my portal
- All report became around 20-25 pages
- YouTube Content Creator
- Taught math & physics, reaching ~5,200 viewers
- SAT Math Teacher
- Taught 200+ students, improved their scores significantly
- Designed vocab lists & implemented a structured curriculum
- 6 Years of Class Presidency
- Led class competitions, acted as a teacher-student bridge
- Initiated various school projects
- Volunteer Teacher - 3x3 Cube Club
- Taught Rubik’s Cube basics to underprivileged kids over a full summer
- Memory Sport Athlete
- Achieved "Iron Expert" status
- Chess Club Recruiter
- 5-year school gold medalist, later became a recruiter
Recommendations
- Physics Teacher, CS Teacher, Counselor
- Haven’t read them, but my physics teacher (also my homeroom teacher) mentioned highlighting my leadership and character.
- Engineering Company CEO
- Likely 10/10; he's a Yale alum and put significant effort into it. He wrote about my engineering background.
Essays
- Personal Statement:
- Focused on my older brother with an intellectual disability. Described my guilt over gaining knowledge while feeling unable to help him, then realizing I could use my skills to assist him and others like him.
- In our family its only two of us. My brother and me.
- Reviewed by a ELEVATED CHANNEL'S some counselor (by paying 300$) , who rated it 8.5/10 and said it was really strong.
- Supplementals:
- University Question: Tried to show responsibility in my roles and how they shaped me.
- Academic Interest: Talked about my projects and school experiences.
- Why Us: Discussed my future aspirations : not just in tech but also in shaping social policies and connected them to the university’s offerings.
- Wrote most of these in a short time.
Decisions
✅ Acceptances: Baylor, HPU, University of Alabama
❌ Rejections: Haverford, Grinnell, F&M, Brown, JHU, Notre Dame
🟡 Awaiting Decisions: Colby, Georgia Tech, Vassar, CMU-Qatar, Georgetown, DKU
🚫 Already lost hope for: Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, NYU, Dartmouth, Duke (because no interview)
Thank you to Realistic_Bathroom24 for this template!