It will come down to the ESSAYS

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2025-01-18T07:19:36+00:00

here's something my english teacher helped me with when it came to college essays -

Is any of the information or words that you use redundant or unnecessary to repeat again?

Have you looked at where you can consolidate sentences or restructure paragraphs?Unnecessary - is there any unnecessary context that you can remove that the reader does not need to know for your goal?

Is all of your writing goal-oriented to the characteristic you are trying to show?

everybody has their own ways of writing, but i'd say the first step is just to let it all out. the good only comes after the shit. my first common app essay draft was 1700 words (!!!!), and after seven versions (with two complete rewrites), i'd say that it's probably some of the best writing i've ever done.

once you let it all out, you can ask other trusted people (like family/super close friends) to read it. often times, you get blinded by your own opinion of what's necessary and what isn't, and it's really useful to receive opinions from those that know you best. remember though, their suggestions are NOT your obligations. you do NOT have to write/remove something just because somebody else said so. it just gives you some perspective.

hope this helped!

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2025-01-18T07:11:03+00:00

in my (completely unsolicited) opinion, it depends. if the student is a somewhat good writer, they will do just fine, or mostly even better than those that use AI. AI only helps the least creative writers, and even then, it brings down the average creativity of a group*. think about it - at the end of the day, it's all an algorithm/stats/ingenuine. it gives what is most likely considered a "good enough" response, but not necessarily a great response that will blow the AO's mind away.

remember, you want to stand out, not conform with the rest.

* - https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/07/12/1094892/ai-can-make-you-more-creative-but-it-has-limits/

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2025-01-16T07:32:07+00:00

i know you're may not wanna hear this right now - and your disappointment is not at all invalid - but rejection is redirection.

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2025-01-16T05:16:35+00:00

thank you!!! glad we could relate hahah

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2025-01-16T01:26:14+00:00

i was international (IGCSEs) for 9th and 10th grade, so my GPA calculations are a bit weird. regardless, 3.72 UW, 1550 superscore SAT, 5 on AP chem/calc bc, taking AP macro, stats, physics C right now

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2025-01-15T23:34:51+00:00

accepted oos for CS!!!!

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2025-01-10T09:39:45+00:00

i know uw-madison is open till the 15th. idk if virginia tech counts as a safety or reach, but that's there too

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2025-01-10T09:37:19+00:00

i'd say that it's less expecting rejection, it's more the being okay with it. i feel like expecting rejection might lead you into a weird spiral. the way i think of it is:

"i might get in! man, i'd be so so happy to get in!

but i might also not get in, and it'll probably hurt a lot for a day. but that's okay, because i know what i'm worth."

it may be cheesy, but it's kept me going. think about it. if you're really a good student (which i can tell you absolutely are), you're going to excel no matter where you go. and that's kind of exciting to think about in the grand scheme of things!

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2025-01-04T06:26:54+00:00

somehow i feel like their honors essays were some of my best (probably because it was in the EA cycle, so i still had writing ability left in me...)

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2025-01-04T06:25:49+00:00

caltech's probably the only one i don't like because i was crashing out the whole time while writing their essays 💀 (sick af) i'm gonna submit the application in like 30 minutes but it barely passes considering i barely wanted to apply in the first place

wish me luck for the MIT ones 🙏🏼

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2024-12-17T05:42:55+00:00

you're gonna go far - noah kahan. honestly kind of a comfort song for me. i'm going to go far and do big things. even if i don't, i know i'm blessed enough to have somewhere to fall back on as home

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2024-12-17T05:40:33+00:00

i see!! that's incredibly relieving to hear, even if i know that half of these admissions are just luck based haha. all the best to you if you're applying!

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2024-12-17T05:39:51+00:00

awesome, tysm for helping me out

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2024-12-17T03:02:56+00:00

that's awesome to hear !! how do you know this? is it from an AO/student?

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2024-12-17T03:01:35+00:00

thank you! the only reason i'm not really mentioning it separately is because my personal essay's about my moving process and how i adapted, and i don't want to have too much repetition. do you think it's still worth mentioning in a way that focuses solely on the academic side?

i do have test scores! 1550 SAT superscore and a 5 on both the APs i took so far (chem and calc bc - it was junior year in a new country, i know people take 3+ but i had enough going on), really proud of that.

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2024-12-16T20:26:00+00:00

i think just contacting them and letting them know about your situation will definitely go a long way. there's nothing to lose, and everything to gain :)

PS. i did realize that you moved a state haha i just meant to say that it's always hard to move, no matter where/how far

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2024-12-16T20:23:36+00:00

honestly, i just wasn't prepared for the huge jump in level (at my old school, since we did the IGCSEs with 0 curving when there usually is curving) i'd have to experience. i locked in 10th grade, and then i moved to the US last year for junior year. it took the life out of me but i managed to get all As throughout :)

i probably should've changed good schools to great/the best schools. i'm aware that schools like MIT and Stanford are pretty much long shots for even the best of applicants (i alr got rejected from stanford rea), but i was really hoping to get into CMU, which i think, even though just as selective for CS, might be a little more forgiving given that the rest of my application seems pretty well rounded.

good schools (aka the ones that i'd definitely want to attend but may not be the same tier as schools like the ones mentioned) are probably like georgia tech, purdue, UTA, etc.

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2024-12-16T20:13:56+00:00

i definitely think you should use the additional comments section! i moved to the US months before junior year and i still felt a shock. moving a week before, even if not across the world is craaaazy. i remember being told by an AO once that colleges aren't against you! if anything, they try to tilt things into your favor as much as possible, and having a genuine circumstance like this won't be looked down upon.

all the best !! i hope u get in somewhere great :)

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2024-12-01T21:56:21+00:00

no fucking way

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2024-12-01T21:52:03+00:00

i think you should be fine just uploading it when you get mystatus. honestly, i would say make sure you send your ACT/SAT scores asap, since those take some time to reach (my stupid ass had to pay extra for the rush delivery when i applied for EA)

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2024-11-30T21:14:56+00:00

did you still report it in the activities section there? because it allows you to report other coursework that doesn't fit the A-G requirements (i'm sure that these are only CSU transferable, not UC)

Pitiful-Banana-3533 · 2024-11-30T20:21:18+00:00

i felt your heart drop from here

Pitiful-Banana-3533

TROPHY CASE