What kind of application gets you into Yale, UPenn, CalTech, and more

Today’s #howigotin.fyi features Natalie, who received offers from a total of 17 selective universities including Yale, UPenn, Caltech, UC Berkeley and others! Take a look at what her application looks like.

💯 Acceptance

Received offers from: 

• Brown University

• California Institute of Technology

• Carnegie Mellon University

• Cornell University

• Duke University

• Georgia Institute of Technology

• Harvey Mudd College

• Northwestern University

• Rice University

• UC Berkeley

• UC Irvine

• UCLA

• UC San Diego

• UC Santa Barbara

• University of Pennsylvania

• University of Southern California

• Yale University

Joining the class of 2028.

🌆Background

Natalie studies in a highly competitive high school in the SoCal area. She holds a GPA of 4.0 Unweighted and 4.7 weighted. She ranks #1 in her high school - Valedictorian. 

She has taken 16 AP classes over the course of her high school - 11 in sophomore and junior years and 5 in senior year - receiving all 5s on the AP tests. The list of APs taken are Biology, Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Chemistry, Chinese Language and Culture, Computer Science A, English Language and Composition, English Literature and Composition, European History, Microeconomics, Physics 1, Physics 2, Physics C: Mechanics, Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, Spanish Language and Culture, United States History.

🔖 Test Scores

SAT: 1580 (780 + 800)

🏅Academic Honors

• Top national awards (from competitions)

  • 2nd - Networking Infrastructures, FBLA

  • 2nd - Intro to Business Communication, FBLA

  • 1st - Western Region Passion Project, FBLA

  • 1st - Codebusters, Science Olympiad at Cornell

  • 1st - Forensics, Science Olympiad at Cornell

  • 1st - Environmental Chemistry, Science Olympiad at Cornell

• National Merit Scholar

• Aspirations in Computing National Honorable Mention

🤖Extracurricular Activities

• President of External Affairs - Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)

  • National pre-professional organization focused on career and academic development, especially in business and other related fields

• Co-Captain - Science Olympiad

  • National science competition with 23 science events

• Co-Captain - Science Bowl

  • National science competition held in a trivia-style question-and-answer format

• Defense Pre-Trial Attorney - Mock Trial

  • Criminal trial simulation in which students act as trial and pre-trial attorneys and witnesses to evaluate the guilt of a defendant based on a fictional fact situation

💭Advice

• It’s very important to start writing your essays early before senior year starts

• Started planning a strong course schedule for your junior and senior years that would stand out in the college admissions process

• Specifically for essay-writing, write down a list detailing the most important qualities that you want admissions officers to know about yourself (accomplishments, interests, character traits, etc.) and wrote essays based on those topics

• Be confident in yourself, don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try new things, and put your mind to achieving your goals! Good luck! :)

Bet you figure it out by now, this candidate’s persona is a technologist and a business leader.

This case study is sourced independently by https://howigotin.fyi.

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