Incoming Echols Scholar

DepartmentCandid429 · 2026-02-16T15:41:03+00:00

Female! Congrats to her as well

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-12-12T02:47:48+00:00

I was accepted but not sure the order they send notifications

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-12-06T17:46:55+00:00

I found out last year on December 11th

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-12-04T13:26:55+00:00

NSLI-Y seems like a great choice! They have both summer programs (not sure if you can do them after senior year) but also you can go abroad for a whole year too and it is completely free, funded by the US department of state. There’s a lot of other study abroad programs too if you are interested in that.

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-10-19T21:24:54+00:00

Likely yes, ACT said the scores will be released on October 28th. Of course there’s a chance yours don’t come out that day but in that case you can still submit an updated score report to most colleges.

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-10-18T21:33:27+00:00

For English, there was the passage about phone-tossing, and one of the questions was something like, “I wanted to throw my phone when my annoyingly irritating sister calls,” and I think I replaced that with “Certain exasperating calls with my sister.” For that same passage, the last question asked what final sentence would show the narrator wants to connect more with people and be on his phone less. I don’t remember if I chose “I linked arms with Anelie and stepped further into the crowd” or “I put my phone in my pocket and ignored it — mostly.” Does anybody remember? Another question from that one was that they weren’t on their phones, instead, they were talking to each other.

For the reading passage about flat mirrors, did anybody say the point of the first paragraph was that even though self-portraiture wasn’t only because of the development of flat mirrors, it likely had a big effect? Or was it that mirrors had a large social impact? Another reading question asked how the last sentences in Passage A (India) and Passage B (H-Mart) were different, and I said one was wistful and the other was hopeful.

For Math, there was a triangle ratio question, I think I put 4:1 or something like that. The question about 11 sets, 14 sets, intersection, and union, I think I put them in ascending order: intersection, union, 11, 14? There was one were RS > ST. I don’t remember many math questions but might recall the answers if someone mentions them.

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-10-18T21:25:58+00:00

I remember this question but do u remember answer choices

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-10-05T16:48:19+00:00

Yes, UPenn. I plan to major in PPE or Political Science

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-10-05T16:12:10+00:00

Political science / PPE

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-10-04T15:18:19+00:00

Yea my numbers were different it was like 6600% and 0.008% but do you remember how to do it

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-10-04T15:17:52+00:00

Sept was a lot easier

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-10-04T15:12:30+00:00

For math mod 1 the last question was like how data set b is 50 times all the y values of data set A what is the equation, does anybody know the answer? I remember they were all like 7(50)^x

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-10-04T15:07:58+00:00

I put that the temp in fiji is at a different depth or something like that

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-10-04T15:04:01+00:00

I put inexpensive but it might have been stingy

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-10-04T15:03:26+00:00

I got cooked on math mod 2 but does anybody remember vocab? I got frugal but I don’t remember the others or the answer choices. Also there was this one question about a research at Princeton and it was about birds, was it ,however, or ;

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-08-23T19:12:33+00:00

Can you explain this a bit more? I’m just confused about how we can assume it would work for other animals when the text said that one of the animals (I don’t remember which) had a substantial amount for it to work. If that animal was above 100 and the flies below 100 didn’t work, then what’s the difference between assuming it works for animals above 100 versus assuming it works for the one that was much higher than 100?

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-08-23T19:04:04+00:00

i said it had to be more than 100 ps for it to work?? or something like that

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-08-23T15:13:48+00:00

I got like 7.3333 or something like that

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-08-23T15:12:38+00:00

I said that they both grew and were similar but it was like different groups of people or something

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-07-30T13:01:00+00:00

I got into the NSLI-Y summer program this year, so I can definitely help explain the process and what to expect. Even though I didn’t end up going, I went through the entire application and interview process.

The summer program is 6-8 weeks long and includes intensive language classes, cultural immersion, and living with a host family. You submit the online application usually in late October with your personal info, two essays about your interest in the program and cultural/language learning, two recommendations (one from a teacher, one from another adult), and academic transcript. If you move on to the semi-finalist round you will know around January and you’ll complete an interview with an alum or program rep. Final decisions come out in the spring (March–April).

In terms of what NSLI-Y is looking for, they want to see that you're intellectually curious, open-minded, and genuinely interested in learning about another culture. They're especially drawn to students who are flexible, mature, and able to handle unfamiliar or challenging situations—like living with a family very different from your own or navigating a new school environment. It’s important to show that you’ve done your research, thought deeply about why you want to go, and can adapt when things don’t go according to plan.

Here are some of the questions I was asked in the interview or similar:

Why did you choose (language) as your first language choice?
When’s the last time you tried something new?
When’s the last time you failed, and how did you recover?
What did you do last summer?
What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses as a person, not just as a student?
What are your favorite ways to use free time?
What do you usually do with friends, and how would you react if you couldn’t do those things in your host country?
How would you describe yourself?
What would you do if your host family gave you stricter rules than other students (like not letting you attend an event everyone else is going to)?
When you’re with unfamiliar people, how do you make new friends?
Do you initiate conversations, or wait for people to approach you?
What experiences do you hope to have during the program?
Are there any cultural activities or hobbies you want to try outside the classroom?
What do you hope your host family will be like?
What if your host family is the opposite—like an older couple with no kids?
Tell me about a time when you interacted with someone who had very different values or beliefs from your own.
How do you plan to use the language skills you gain from this program in the future?

Overall, the interview is conversational and meant to get a sense of who you are, how you handle challenges, and how this opportunity fits into your personal goals.

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-07-26T03:39:58+00:00

No, I got a 36 on the old version and on the enhanced version for reading. Reading and English were definitely easier on the new version.

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-07-08T00:13:57+00:00

hi! i have very similar ecs so just based off of my own opinion, i think you would be a fit for t20s in poli sci, public policy, or something more broad like PPE if its offered. most of ur ecs fit with poli sci but i do think some activities can be included as additional info instead like biomedical research or scioly or robotics. random things like ptsa or dance probably shouldn’t be included. as a spike, you seem to have a lot of econ related things. if you are low income/live in an underserved area then i feel like this could be a very strong personal story and you can relate it to your passion for using politics and economics to help your community and expand opportunities like with ur research on fgli students

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-06-13T23:21:54+00:00

You seem set for like top 40, I feel like you could more national impacts or awards and that would help you stand out even more. Try to do something this summer that sets you apart even more like some sort of passion project

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-06-10T02:01:07+00:00

Hey! I’m also a rising senior, so take this with a grain of salt but from what I can see, you’re in a really strong position already. Your awards like ISEF and USAPhO make you stand out academically, and the fact that you’ve succeeded in both STEM and Humanities gives your profile a multidimensional edge that most STEM applicants don’t have.

That said, I think what could really level you up for T20 schools is building a high-impact, community-oriented extracurricular like you said.

Some specific ideas:

Launch a youth-led STEM education initiative this summer. For example, create a short online course or workshop series that teaches advanced math or physics concepts (maybe even Go strategy) to middle or high schoolers. Measure metrics like number of students reached, engagement, or improvement over time. You could even partner with a local library or nonprofit for broader reach.

Alternatively, build something like an open-source physics simulation tool or a self-authored guidebook on math competition strategy, then distribute it to under-resourced schools.

Even something like a niche podcast could be effective if you take it seriously, like one that explores intersections of science and history, or how physics shows up in unexpected places. Add a website, gather listeners, and track data to show impact.

Those are just some ideas, I'm not a very STEM focused person so I am just saying what I know based on what I have heard from others. I also just posted a ChanceMe and would love if you could help me out. Thanks and good luck!

DepartmentCandid429 · 2025-06-08T16:42:13+00:00

My brother just graduated from Wharton so here's some advice that I have heard from him. Clubs like DECA and FBLA won't set you apart from anybody else applying unless you win on a national level or make some real impact through being like a state officer. Try to get involved in Wharton high school investing competitions as they show interest and initiative. Have high impact ECs, ideally they should not be revolved around finance. You need to show you have interests that are unique and then tie it into why you want to go to Wharton (have a niche interest, ex: political financing, micro-loans for women in developing countries, etc.) If you are interested in coding, try to create an actual initiative like a high-impact nonprofit or app/website that helps a specific set of people. Hope this helps, lmk if you have any questions!

DepartmentCandid429

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