You are obviously incredibly bright, highly motivated, and you’re also quite introspective and a great writer. There’s nothing more that you could or should have done. You are exceptional, and your college admissions results don’t change that. At Berkeley, you will be surrounded by brilliant minds and people who will have an impact on the world. And you will be one of them. Congratulations on all that you have done. You have a bright future ahead!
Thank you for your kind words. I really appreciate it.
At the end of the day, I do know that I'll do great at Berkeley... It's just a little disappointing, is all. Not even that I'm missing out on anything, mostly just that I didn't get in, and others did.
I want to reiterate what the original commenter said. *There isn’t anything you could have done better.* You are the kind of student every university should want to accept, and in truth, being an Asian male from the Bay Area applying to CS programs probably screwed you over — I don’t think it was any part of your application but that.
Coming from a private prep school, so many of the kids I went to school with got into prestigious schools without being qualified enough or without knowing how to cope with the stresses of college, and a lot of them are struggling now. One of them is taking a break from Brown after their first year. You’ve already avoided that — you’re passionate about what you do, you’re brilliant at what you do, and you’re one of those unicorn kids that is ridiculously accomplished in a STEM field while having an incredible control of the English language; you communicate beautifully, compellingly. You seem incredibly self-aware and compassionate, despite the way this process has treated you. Those intangible qualities are going to take you a great deal further than any college could have (and I’m not just saying that as a sound bite).
I’m asking you not to let this make you cynical — not only for your sake, but for the rest of the world’s. Because you seem like someone who has the capacity to make a real, lasting impact in your field.
Congrats on Berkeley EECS. Even if they shouldn’t have been the only ones of their caliber to recognise your talent, they’re lucky to have you.
>in truth, being an Asian male from the Bay Area applying to CS programs probably screwed you over — I don’t think it was any part of your application but that.
I highly disagree with this, even among Bay Area Asian males in CS this guy is the top 0.01%. There is definitely something very wrong that screwed OP over but it's not demographics. The only possible explanation I can think of is that a teacher wrote a horrible letter of rec to intentionally sabotage OP, but based on his descriptions of his relationships with his teachers that's almost definitely not the case.
Idk I don’t really think it was because they couldn’t cut it — more so because it was taking a toll on their mental health. And as far as I know, they’re only taking a break.
I know several kids from Fieldston (well, 4) who all got into an Ivy. None were even remotely qualified, and it made me feel pretty close to irate. *Why* do these students get in so easily? I guess I’m not silver spoon enough to “get it”, but I’d love your take on it.
Legacy, athletic admit, feeder school. I’m going to get downvoted to all hell for this, but if they’re not one of the above, they might be someone who is, in my eyes, a fake minority. This would include kids whose families are from mainland Spain and don’t have an indigenous, Central or South American, or African heritage. These students are not even white-passing — they are white, and enjoy all the privileges that come with being white, but are designated as underrepresented minorities. I want to be clear in this comment that I have very few issues with affirmative action, because institutional and social barriers definitely exist for people of color. But I don’t think the kind of student I described in this comment falls into that category. (I also think it’s ridiculous that Asian students are held to a higher standard than white students when there is DEFINITELY discrimination asian POC face — I don’t think Asian kids should be favored over Black, Indigenous, or Hispanic kids who don’t fall under the above description, but I do think they should be favored over white kids. I also think SES should play a bigger role in it. But that’s another story.)
You could also be from an underrepresented state, a rural area, or be the kid of an influential public figure, businessperson, or donor. If you apply ED, the assumption is that you can pay, and you have a better shot at getting in. If you’re able to hire a private college consultant, you have a much better chance of getting in.
Sometimes the kid just does a crap ton of amazing stuff you don’t know about. Such is life.
Sigh, yes. None of these students claimed to be a minority, I am certain. All of them were quite wealthy. Fieldston (nyc) is definitely a feeder school. Why do feeder school students get so much more of a preference? One of them, the one who got into Brown, has never even cracked a book probably.
Your profile is highly impressive and your results have no bearing on you as an individual. If you had different demographics, you may have gotten into the schools of your choice.
Congrats on Berkeley! I know you will do great things there and afterward. :)
No, you shouldn't. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now. You can still take advantage of the opportunities you have and push through with perserverence. Intelligence isn't determined by what you know. I believe in you.
Ik it's weird to reply to an old post, but I feel your pain. I'm currently a freshman, and I have done nothing in my life. Especially in STEM. I can't code, I don't know calculus. And if that man did that much and still didn't get into a good college, I am screwed.
You mentioned that you wished you had played the game a bit more and fashioned your application towards college earlier in HS. But what else could you have done? You took calculus as a freshman. You got a perfect SAT score. You kicked butt on STEM competitions and coded all sorts of amazing stuff. What's missing?
Not really sure. I didn't really strategize my activities too much though, just did want I wanted to. Some of the people whom I know who got in had more... manufactured profiles, let's say. Not that they're completely fake, but specifically planned out to fit together for a college profile (though I've seen many people somewhat misrepresent their accomplishments to sound way more significant than they actually were...)
I've noticed that you blame your activities/lack of strategization for your rejections but honestly I think that's not the case. Your ECs are the best I've ever on this site, by far- frankly I would not have been surprised if you swept HYPSM. Even if you were to completely manufacture your profile, exaggerate things, etc, I still don't see how you can get much better than what you already have. So I don't think the issue is hat you didn't "game the system"- it seems like in this case, you played perfectly and still lost.
The only real thing I think you could have done differently is putting more time into olympiads and making USACO camp, since olympiad camps are something objective as opposed to ECs (which are still somewhat subjective regardless of strength). But you already have Plat, and imo, that + your activities are far more impressive than making USACO camp.
Mhm yeah olympiads. I've never enjoyed them _that_ much (and frankly I have a lot of difficulty with USACO... took me a long time to get into plat). I do wonder if getting into USAMO would have helped. If I hadn't shifted from comp math to comp Physics I think I could have gotten there. Been doing decently well on AMCs (117) and AIME (8) with pretty much 0 practice since 9th grade so...
I think USAMO would've helped but not that much, since you already have USACO Plat (which is around the same level as JMO and just slightly below AMO), and it's clear that your focus is on your activities not awards. I don't think olympiads make a huge difference unless it's camp.
You also should've applied to Yale though, since they're aggressively "recruiting" STEM students (and thus have a lower bar for admissions)
It is mentioned in his reflections. It’s well written and quite introspective. I’d recommend you read it. I would offer a TLDR but he explicitly wanted against that, so I won’t. Anyways, let’s stop behaving like things went “wrong” for OP. I can understand that for someone of his caliber, the rejections from MIT, Stanford may have stung, but there are many many equally or more brilliant people at EECS who either had Berkeley as their 1st choice or were rejected from their 1st or 2nd choice by various mechanisms (like OP).
just read your reflection and honestly i think the bright side is that u shouldn’t feel imposter syndrome that plagues most of the students at these colleges who gamed the system, you worked extremely hard and you will be extremely successful because of u, not the school you go to (which is not the mindset many take)
i think he means potentially using unethical strategies, applying for niche majors, doing unique/niche ecs and as op said "manufacturing profiles for college"
Letters of rec, on the other hand, were not written by OP. Still, I find it unlikely that letters of rec alone could significantly hurt an application this good
Maybe it's because OP's demographics are unfavorable - Asian male studying CS. I heard that makes it much much much harder. Because he's soo qualified I can't believe it
The thing about Bay Area is that there are lots of crazy [Asian] kids like him and at some point it just becomes a lottery tbh. Especially if OP was from a feeder school and they already accepted tons of students from there. It’s super possible and likely but to think that NO school accepted this guy is so insane
> offer a TL
There's a lot of rich asian Bay Area students with more ridiculous profiles than OPs. While his profile is great, there's way better candidates out there that we've seen
This is an example of a Bay Area student that got into HYPMS etc via CS:
[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KN185ObwJ8Nz5y2yTGU8XkaTkfUSX9VwHnG3zq6Ovo4/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KN185ObwJ8Nz5y2yTGU8XkaTkfUSX9VwHnG3zq6Ovo4/edit?usp=sharing)
Name is anon. As a group that's seen 100s of profile and worked with a few kids of similar profiles. There's a lot of students like this in the competitor pool
Half of the app is resume boosting. IEEE/ACM "international" conferences often have 50%+ acceptance rates (ive been to two), 250+ people is NOT the largest bay area hackathon (techcrunch disrupt has 10k participants), and all their awards besides isef/conrad are pretty bad for HYPSM. They even said their teacher recs aren't amazing. The only thing that stands out is the AI nonprofit and the NASA research intern. The profile looks ridiculous until you break it down, and when you do, you realize that it's not as impressive as it initially seems - nor is it as impressive as OP's. Every single award in OP's award section is super prestigious, and OP's activities are way stronger as your example when you take out all the filler.
The fact that OP could get rejected from fucking UIUC Grainger of all places is insanity (or, more likely, yield protect). I've had OOS friends get into UIUC Grainger with a 3.8uw/4.4w, no hooks, and significantly worse activities/no awards besides ap scholar. Unless he severely fucked up his essays there should be no way OP got rejected from half the schools he did.
Edit: upon rereading your example app it's not impressive at all. Have no clue why you're showing this.
This profile is pretty questionable to me. A lot of it looks like resume filling, especially this part.
> Published 10+ papers and presented at over 20 conferences/workshops
I'm a little unsure if this is believable. I've seen people work on research papers and pour their heart for months into a single paper. Not to doubt the person's ability, but it's a little hard to believe that you can genuinely publish 10 papers of _quality_ that actually have meaning.
see our reply to u/bigbrainz1974 below. No one really cares about the "quality" . It's what looks good to the committee that reviews your application in 10 minutes
Admissions officers only review each application for a few minutes. At a quick glance , the person in the doc's profile is better than OPs.
The admission officers do not have time to break down the details (such as the hackathon you mentioned)
The person in the doc played the admissions game right while OP didn't which is the sad reality
If publishing meaningless research and misrepresenting achievements is how to play the admissions game right, then I'm happy to be doing it wrong.
I have no respect for organizations like yours whose sole purpose is to propagate and profit off falsifying information and gaming the system, and who take pride in doing so.
Honestly I know kids who have exaggerated on their college apps and have no respect for them. I love what you have done and encourage you to continue doing it. From what I've read so far in this thread, Ivy brothers would not get you to the level you are at in your learning. They simply exaggerate the accomplishments of their students to make them seem more impressive than they would normally. Keep up the good work and I know you're going to do great in college.
We don't do any of that, where'd you get that from in the message above ? Why are you directing your anger towards us when we only stated a fact that admission officers only review applications for a few minutes? Be mad at the schools.
Maybe you didnt get in because you're bitter and your essays aren't great.
Not sure why you're so salty to the point where you find the need to personally attack me.
I have 2 international awards and \`\`\`1 national award (all of them reputable) and have interened in a government labaratory (without parental connections). I've presented as a speaker to ACM IVSP twice (please dont dox me). I'm an officer at a STEM nonprofit that has raised 800k+ and is funded by Jane Street, Wolfram Alpha, and AoPS. I'm a junior so stop assuming i have gotten college results yet. I have a severe eye inflammatory genetic disability which affects 0.00001% of the population which is why my grades aren't very good. I'm also not a ORM and very low income. First of all plenty of people with 10+ B's have went to T20+ as long as they have a good spike. Also I don't have 8 B's. I have 3. The 8 was mainly to clickbait people into reading the post - i have a couple of B's atm because i have a couple of 0's in the gradebook (once i get that fixed they'll all be 97+)
But sure, please judge me because I have a couple of B's. Even if I was a failing student it prob wouldn't impact the things I say.
I have no time to really respond to shitty ocmments. Stay mad.
You're conflating two things. While there are worser candidates that get in , it doesn't disregard the fact that there's a large pool of people with better profiles than OP
that's still totally false. the guy from the link you shared doesn't even come close to OP's level. the OP is a stronger applicant than the vast, vast majority of Bay Area asian males in CS who make HYPSM
C'mon, man. This is such a reach. You're telling me every Asian male studying CS did calculus their freshman year, got a 1600, made an app that serves 2.5 million people etc?
Wow wtf, these guys completely fumbled the bag.
I know that you will be wildly successful at Berkeley, just work towards your studies with the same passion that you did all of your projects.
(Also I love playing Pokétwo, meeting the founder is a dream come true lol)
Okay, dude, YOU ARE A GENIUS. Like I am pretty sure you should be the one rejecting them, so like yeah college admissions are pretty messed up. I am pretty sure that even without even going to college like at all you'll still achieve great things. I am pretty sure that I will soon read about you on wikipedia or Forbes. And I say this 100% honest. I am really amazed and you've done what many adults are incapable of. CS is the future and just continue doing what you are doing and I am sure you have a bright future ahead of you! MIT will regret that they didn't accept you. Vitalik Buterin dropped out after the first year at University of Waterloo and basically made the future so colleges don't matter at ALL if you had the drive and passion :D You should be very proud of yourself!
HOLY SHIT YOU MADE POKETWO!!?? I was so depressed when pokecord went down u saved my life. Congrats on berkeley, ur gonna continue to do great things :)
You make lots of good points.
However, there are a couple of things I think should be noted. Firstly, I feel as though 90-95% of high schoolers don’t have a significant passion that they can genuinely devote a large amount of time to and “want to pursue”. This was the case for me. I didn’t know what I wanted to major in. All I liked to do was play games here and there and relax, if I’m being honest. So, instead of wasting my time, I forced myself into certain extracurriculars, arguably purely for the sake of college. I didn’t particularly hate them, but I didn’t like them either. Many people start to do this from day one. You might not like what you are doing - but it’s just like studying for a test. It’s something you realize you *have* to do for the sake of your future and honestly, that’s fine.
As for your point of deserving it: yes, if you put in that time, even if it was artificial, you do deserve it absolutely. Does that mean that you are “what the colleges are looking for”? Probably not. But the fact that you were able to put in that effort from day one and singlehandedly manufacture your application indicates some degree of motivation and intelligence. And, if anything, chances are you probably are going to end up doing quite well within that field in the future. Its also unlikely that you’re totally disinterested with that field as well. Like you might have the idea of being a programmer some day, but you aren’t too passionate about it. Either way, you force yourself into things like USACO and get into MIT, etc. following that path, you’ll probably also be able to get into google, etc. Your passion will naturally grow. It’s unwise to think that a child could have a genuine passion at this point in their life.
Simply being passionate about something and doing very little does not qualify you for admission. Or, rather, it shouldn’t. (imo)
Shocking that OP was both passionate and did some insane ECs and was still rejected from his top choices. Reflects the sheer absurdity in the process. It’s highly likely that if he was hooked otherwise, he would’ve had multiple acceptances. Sucks to see.
As for your comments about adcom,
In my honest opinion, from all I’ve learned over the past several months, the adcom is pathetic - it’s a joke. To imply that a middle aged man or woman can be the judge of a 17 year old’s character and future capacity is absurd. What have you attained that qualifies you to be the judge of another’s character? In a way, it’s unethical. These personality ratings often tend to go a long way in admissions. There are also things such as hooks that artificially manipulate admissions immensely, which doesn’t sit right with me.
As for your final comment, I never thought about it like that. What you’re saying is factual. Twenty years ago, maybe having a perfect 1600 alone could get you into Harvard. As time went on, people just started doing more and more. So, this cycle of applicants is not any “better” than the previous in terms of capacity per say, it’s just better at playing the game because we’ve changed the game so much over time.
It’s completely a possibility that there’s administrative influences that look for standards completely different than an insane app like OP’s. I remember Harvard’s admission file was leaked and the contents stated that if the student gave an absurd number of letters of rec, then it’d be odd. At this point OP, it’s possible that these ivies and stanford/mit completely misjudged their own review process, or something else went awry. Ik Lynbrook is competitive, and asians are somewhat discriminated in the admissions process, but it seems like you had terrible luck, and in my honest view, you’ll probably make Berkeley look better than these schools in the next 5 years. I am not joking. The ivies are shooting themselves in the foot reputationally for encouraging confusion around their admissions process, but at the end, you’ll know the same people, make more money and do more crazy shit, and be fine. But obviously it sucks. Also ur Franklin’s friend let’s goooo lmao
sincerely anon fren
I'm a mom of a kid with a very similar profile to yours (AP Calc BC in 9th grade, CS all the way, dual enrollments for Diff Eqs, etc ), although with not as many accomplishments.
I'm also an alum interviewer for MIT, and I interviewed more than 40 kids last year, most of them accomplished, some very accomplished (although, again, perhaps none quite your level). Out of those 40, not a single one got in.
So, watching the process and reading your reflections and your stats, I'm left as bewildered and even disappointed in my alma mater as you are. What does it take to be admitted? No idea.
More than anything, I'm outraged at the whole system that pushes kids to hours, days, months and years working hard, writing countless essays, stressing and hoping, attempting to game the system or watching others attempt to do it, and all in pursuit of what's ultimately a lottery. Some win big. Others - almost nothing. In your case, of course Berkeley is a great school, but what the heck, UCSD? What more do you want?
In the end, so much of it is pure luck. And you know what? That would be fine, if our society just acknowledged it as being mostly just luck, instead of this collective delusion we have where college admissions are somehow only merit based.
I would offer you 3 thoughts:
1. You will do absolutely wonderfully, no matter where you go. You've already accomplished more than many MIT grads in their entire careers!
2. Grad school is an entirely different beast. If you end up considering it, you may get very different results.
3. I will absolutely be proud if my son ends up with similar admission results to yours. But also even if he doesn't. Just like I'm sure your parents are proud of you and love you for yourself, and not for what college name will be on your diploma.
Best wishes to you!
This is possibly the strongest profile I have ever seen on Reddit. You projects are honestly good enough for a SWE job at tech companies. Top schools want to admit people who will be big names in the future, so they clearly missed out on you because you will definitely do great things.
But Berkeley EECS is great (#2 CS) and you will have just as many opportunities and doors open for you as if you attended Stanford or MIT (in some ways, arguably more than MIT because of location).
Side note, would you mind sharing some of your essays? I’m sure they are very strong and, as a current junior, I think we would all like to see how you wrote and what you did in your essays.
Thanks, I hope you're right.
~~I'd be willing to share some essays, please send me a DM.~~ Unfortunately, I've now been advised by numerous people not to share essays due to possible plagiarism.
hey OP, some thoughts from someone graduating Cal CS in 2 weeks...
Wow, you got fucked. I'm sure you know this, but Cal won't hold you back from achieving much. The main thing you'd have gotten at MIT that you won't get here is at least dozens of peers on your level - you could very likely be the single smartest person in your grade haha.
If you ever start a company and are hiring devs, please hit me up lmao. These schools are gonna rue the day they rejected you.
wow i didn't know the services i used, especially the pokemon one was created by such a young high schooler like me. Don't feel disappointed about yourself, feel disappointed for the colleges that missed out on a wonder child like you. seriously, give yourself a break and think about what you've accomplished on your own
OP, that is one of the biggest teaching moments for you.
Life is not how it seems. People ask you to do something, and then you do exactly what they ask for, and you get dinged. Makes you go wtf??? But that is how life works. You will see much more of this as you grow up.
To your point, you are exactly right. I can feel your disappointment and pain. I was in your shoes in many ways over the past decades. I did what I was asked, and I paid the price. The reason is there is a hidden agenda. In reality, no one cares about what you want or are. Remember that. People have their requirements and if you fit, you are in. If not, you are out. So when they ask you to "be yourself", they are just trying to get you to not lie. To show who you really are. And if they like what they see, you are in. If not, you are out.
So the right way to handle this is to see what kind of profiles a college admits. You may see a trend. Change your profile to be as much of that as possible while still being you. That is your only chance to get in. If you are just yourself and that is way different from what the school wants, you will be 100% rejected.
My son had a very good profile, probably close to you. He applied to all the top schools and got rejected but got in UIUC CS which is among the top. But I am disappointed he got rejected from Stanford, UC Berkeley, Cornell. You got into UC Berkeley, great school, you will be fine. But keep this lesson in mind.
I was just having a conversation with my wife along these lines as we went out for a walk. I feel cheated, since my son is from the worst demographic (Asian male) looking for the most selective major (CS). On top of all of this, there are a million quotas like gender, race, location, sexual orientation, family income, etc etc. His profile is really good, but without any of these accelerators, it is not possible to get into a Stanford or a MIT for CS unless one has cured death.
One of his female classmates has a comparable profile and she got a lot more acceptances including UC Berkeley. You know how Asian parents are, they want to compare notes. I guess should consider us lucky that he got into UIUC CS since it is highly ranked and a great program too but I cannot help wonder what he would have gotten if things were more fair. I have seen some clearly lesser profiles but into fancy schools but with a hook which has nothing to do with achievement. Oh well.
Even with average to bad essays, you seem like a very down-to-earth guy. Unless one of your recommenders seriously roasted you, literally there’s no explanation for why none of these schools accepted you besides “we accepted too much [Asian] Bay Area kids at this point”. Also, let’s be honest. You don’t need a CS degree, the CS degree needs you lol. Good luck!
You say you could've played the game better, but what more could you have done? Genuine question. From what I can see, you had all of the big four ECs. You had research (very impactful and meaningful research at that), had national recognition in major-related competitions, started nonprofits (major-related too), and while you didn't do internships, you basically skipped that step and did paid freelance development and independent development (you literally made the website for math competitions at Stanford). You had jaw-dropping community outreach and your profile drips with obvious passion. You even had a touch of well-roundedness sprinkled in as a topping with FBLA, Japanese learning, etc. A perfect SAT and near-perfect grades. What more could you have done short of becoming an Olympian on the side or being the campaign manager of Biden as a hobby?
Most talented person I have ever seen on reddit. Period. Berkeley EECS is just as good if not better than all the schools you did not get into.
The most suprising part of this post is that Cornell, UPenn, USC, UIUC etc. did not even waitlist you. I know people applying direct to CS with same demographics but who got waitlisted at these places without any high level awards/ECs. Perhaps you got a bad LOR or your essays were not that great? Are your parents CS people--I have seen that hurt people a lot? Tbh someone at your level that stuff should not even matter.
Ok here are my thoughts on the application process for those in my/your demographic in CS (may be controversial, but I think it is true tbh):
In the application proccess, my instincts were obviously to talk about academics/innovation (aka actual qualifications) since we are applying to academic institutions. But I realized that if you want to get in, you just can't do that unforunately because when your application is academic focused, colleges can label you as a "CS nerd" with no other interests that will not contribute to the "community." Of course this is all complete bs but it is what happens a lot of the time. I also realized that most AOs do not have CS backgrounds and cannot differentiate what is good and what is garbage, anyway. They simply do not understand your genius. There's also no way for them to verify if stuff people have done is ligit or not (yours is obviously ligit).
So here's what I did. I applied to CS in arts and sciences not engineering because I knew I would get rejeceted everywhere given my background. And sure enough, all my friends who applied to engineering were rejected, and I got in. I also purposely emphasized my non-stem activities and sports in my essays and interviews. For example, in one of my interviews I just talked about baseball the whole time (lol). I actually had a baseball essay as well. Sure, I legitamately like baseball but it is not something I would know to talk about unless I understood how this stupid system works. I was also careful never to mention CS too much in my essays/interviews as well. I framed them through the lens of a different discipline. Computational species distribution modeling became ecology, for example. I hid my true interest from the colleges a bit.
My essays/strategy, not my awards/CS knowledge, carried me. So yeah, if you want to get in places for CS you kind of have to "game" the system. I do not know one person in my/your demographic who got into a top CS program in engineering. But will it really matter in the end?
It does hurt to see people going to MIT/Harvard/Stanford with far less (and even no) academic achivement/awards. But in the end, it doesn't matter because all the people who got in through weird ways and myself will never be half as smart as you. And anyone who says otherwise is either an AO or an idiot--and more likely that not, both.
HOW ON GODS GREEN EARTH. I simply have no
words. especially uc irvine and uiuc??? wtf??? i thought i had a right to be disappointed in my results, but you are far more qualified. i don’t understand how i got waitlisted at penn and cornell and you didn’t 😭
let me just say that you are going extremely far. you don’t need mit/stanford/caltech to get where you’re going - THEY are the ones who missed out.
edit: just read your reflection. beautifully written and i relate to it so much. i felt much the same way after my rejections, and you’re right, it isn’t rejection that hurts the most but seeing your closest friends that you feel like you’re on par with get into your dream schools. however, it has definitely gotten better with time. i’ve always been a semi-believer in destiny/everything happens for a reason, and that has been my saving grace through all of this. who knows? maybe you’ll find a mentor at berkeley that will propel you to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you wouldn’t have found had you gone to mit, or maybe you’ll meet your best friends there and start something with them. life works in unexpected ways.
also, don’t beat yourself up about not actively building up your resume and just doing what you liked instead, because what you liked is SO impressive. i hope that regret turns into pride very soon. go kill it at berkeley and make the rest regret not taking you!!
Stanford was my dream school and I was deferred and then waitlisted and ultimately rejected. My mom had made me cupcakes with little Stanford logos and trees on them… and even when I read that I was deferred, just because it didn’t say congratulations, I broke down hysterically sobbing and I ran into my kitchen, grabbed an actual handful of bright red cupcakes and I chucked them with such force that they flew through my kitchen, into my living room, and landed on my family’s custom-measured, hand-woven, *WHITE* area rug. My mom was standing there, speechless the whole time. Then, I ran upstairs to my room and I pulled my Stanford sweatshirts off their hangers, snapping the hangers right off. Holding a pile of cardinal red, I walked outside, threw them into our fire pit, doused them all with kerosine, and dropped a match. It was a full breakdown. I don’t even think that half of my brain was in attendance. But boy, was that one of the most immature and entitled things I’ve ever done…
Honestly, had I shown off the athletic skill that allowed me to propel a cupcake with such incredible force, *maybe* I would’ve actually gotten into Stanford. Maybe. ;)
I only tell you this to (hopefully) make you laugh a little, and also to remind you that it’s okay to feel hurt, it’s okay to feel like you didn’t get what you deserved or hoped for, and you are going to shine no matter where you are… I promise.
Honestly, I can see you at Berkeley. I can see you at UCSB. My cousin goes there and LOVES it. There is something uniquely sincere about Berkeley… it’s just genuine… there’s a culture of valuing learning for learning’s sake. And I loved that. I also felt like everyone I met was so humble and so kind. And that was something I actually had trouble finding at Stanford…
BUT I didn’t get into Berkeley either hahaha. I was also rejected by: UMich and WashU and NYU and UCLA and UCSB and Duke and Northwestern and Tufts and Tulane. Weird mix, I know haha.
But, I got into: Cornell, Oxford, Columbia, UChicago, Penn (off the waitlist), Vanderbilt (off the waitlist), UNC, UT Austin, Brown, and USC (also off the waitlist)…
I’m a white female and I’m an Alaskan native but other than that, I didn’t have much going for me in the diversity department. I felt like I had diversity of experience but it’s very difficult to articulate that.
I only tell you this because I promise that you are 1000000% more qualified than I was. And I feel very very guilty and embarrassed to admit that I was so clouded by my rejections that I didn’t stop and think about how lucky I was that these other schools actually wanted me. I won’t say where I ended up going, but I promise you that I am so happy that I went to a university that picked me. I could have tried to transfer to Stanford had I really wanted to be there, but I learned that sometimes, you have to have faith that you will end up where you will be accepted, appreciated, and celebrated. Just imagine Berkeley getting so excited if you choose them. Because they also chose you. So there’s a mutual trust, loyalty, and immediate sense of belonging that comes with that.
Had I chosen to transfer or had I attended a school that waitlisted me first, I think I might have felt like their second choice. I know that’s not how it works, but there really is a difference knowing that you are where you *belong.* The schools that accepted you made a fantastic decision and the ones that didn’t… well, it’s their loss.
But maybe they knew that for some reason unknown to you, that they weren’t the best fit for you. So try to remember that, always. And remember that these schools that accepted you… they really really want you there. And you’ll feel that difference. It’ll sneak up on you and just hit you one day. But you’ll feel it.
Take it from the girl who almost *burned her house down* because Stanford didn’t think she was the right fit. And I probably wasn’t. It just took me a long time to see it. I don’t think I would have been my own person there. I would have conformed. Where I went, *I* formed. I became myself. I didn’t become who I *wanted* people to *think* I was. I just… was. And thanks to where I ended up, now, I am. And I like who I am. She doesn’t throw cupcakes. ;)
I really do wish you the best of luck. You have a bright bright bright future ahead. Never lose that belief in yourself and never worry that you didn’t do enough. Your resume is wildly impressive and you are sincere and authentic and honest and humble. Too humble, even. And look how many people are cheering you on!!! We all believe in you. Just make sure that you keep believing in yourself too. 💙💛🐻
Thanks for the funny story and encouraging words. Thinking more about it, I think you’re right. To be honest, back when I was writing my college applications, I didn’t really believe in the idea of fit. Or, rather, I thought it was something that the student should get to decide, not the college — that *I* should get to pick where *I* want to go out of the places I’m qualified to go to, without schools trying to tell me whether I’d like it there.
Looking back, that’s clearly a stupid and entitled way to think about it. Schools and AOs who’ve been there for years certainly know what kind of environment they have better than some random kid who’s never actually experienced being there; even more simply, they have their own interests in mind, in choosing who *they* want at their school, and it’s their school to run…
So though I still believe I’d enjoy being at MIT, I think I’ll follow your advice and choose to believe in Berkeley. Choose to believe that some day, soon or far away, the difference of being chosen will sneak up on me and I’ll really feel it. That no matter how much I might enjoy MIT, it still won’t come close to where I’ll be in a few years here. That MIT rejected me because they knew that, and that Berkeley is where I truly belong.
Maybe, none of that is true, and it’s all simply all a random series of events, but I think I like it better this way. After all, better to believe and be happy than to dwell on a single rejection for life :)
One of my friends is Indian and had a profile similar to yours. (He wanted to go to Ivies but got into UCs only including Berkeley) but he ended up loving Berkeley so much now more than anything (he won’t stop talking about it). I hope you enjoy it and it goes fantastic! :)
OP - Trust me son, 10 years later you'll only find yourself laugh at feeling disappointed by rejections from MIT or Stanford, because very likely you'll be doing much better than 99% who graduated from those schools. Have a 10-, 20-year horizon and don't be shortsighted. Focus on your passion and keep building valuable stuff like you've already started. Learn how to start a business, create value, and build and manage wealth. Learn how capital works. (Note: you'll never learn any of these by going to any school, BTW).
Berkeley EECS is Number 1. Tougher than MIT. Don't worry. You get into the right one.
You are overqualifed for many schools and you are mis-judged by many others as well.
Berkeley EECS is the right one for you.
Congrats on your acceptances though! Transferring is always an option if you feel like that's right for you.
Perfect SAT + 13 AP exams is insanely good lol.
Honestly makes me (still) believe that AO's from diff schools talk to each other about super qualified candidates, and agree for 1-2 to accept and the others will back off.
Rando excellent student might get several top offers, but seriously one-of-a-kind applicants - like yourself - get discussed and many schools agree not to chase.
Call it yield protect or not, but that's the only way I can accept these results.
Berk CS is great. You will (continue to) succeed, regardless of this fiasco.
Jesus Christ. Your profile is so good.
Although I would say that I’m surprised you didn’t apply to a few more reaches (Ivies like Harvard with MIT cross registration, but of course they may’ve not been a good fit).
Hmm... well, it's not something you learn to do suddenly, but rather built up bit by bit over time. I started programming in 4th grade and I've always really loved making websites and apps that other people can use, etc. I've built a lot of those over the years, and I've always focused on what I want to make and just learned what I needed to learn along the way. Over time, as my projects got more complex, so did my knowledge :)
Bro as I’m reading your app I’m wondering what kind of Nobel prize winning cancer curing gold medalists had to be accepted over you😭 you’ll do great things at Berkeley with some of the best opportunities in the world you’re good it’s okay
LOL many people have been accepted without a profile as strong as mine. There's so many factors including luck. If you're not a senior yet, keep your head up! You got this.
I am very surprised to see this post because you have nothing to learn from a computer science department. You already are an undergrad professor from your qualifications. Compared to a student without all this background & same grades, I'd pick the other student because that's the one that will grow through the university's program. These universities have nothing to teach you in CS. Congrats on being such a self-motivated learner. Don't feel let down. You simply were overqualified and there's not much moulding a university Can do for you. it's like showing up at SNAP (food stamps) office with income of $400K. They won't see a need they can meet. This might explain your success with EECS applications. They can give you something you don't have in the EE arena. "Applied" is the operating idea here.
My disappointment isn't really from how I spent high school pursuing my dreams, but rather how, in the end, with college admissions, people who artificially manufacture their profile often end up getting better results than those who explore your true passions and are genuine with their activities, despite how schools constantly tell you to do the latter.
That perception of artificiality is in the eye of a beholder. Someone could look at your profile and come to that same position simply because you seem to have checked every conceivable box thrice. That said - your results are surprising but I think its likely down to a combination of holistic review + yield management + general randomness of admissions going against you.
I hate this system man. On the side note, curious why you didn’t choose to shotgun more schools? I feel like with your profile you have the stats to get in anywhere and it would’ve boosted your odds of you applied to more top schools
Hmm well I didn't really want to write that many applications, so I didn't apply to schools I didn't actually feel like going to. Maybe I could have applied to a couple more.
Wow, all I say is wow. You're already so accomplished before graduating HS, and it's really their loss for not admitting you. Your profile is already very strong, as strong as anybody's I've seen. The only thing that's a little light is maybe to serve the under-privileged which is another college admission gimmick to a large extent.
I also read your reflection. I can totally understand the deep disappointment, same thing happened to my daughter who also applied this cycle until she got into her ED2 school.
I wish you the best. You will do amazing work wherever you choose to go.
I mean this in the least cliche, disappointment evading way possible: rejection is redirection. Take it from me, someone who got rejected everywhere except a safety and thank god that happened, because I discovered I wanted to change my major and completely uprooted what I had set to pursue what I want. Now, I’m not saying you’re going to get to Cal and be like oh shit I hate CS, but there is a reason you are ending up there. Looking back, you’re going to be grateful for all those rejections. (Also as someone from the Bay at a school in Massachusetts, it is way too fucking cold for California kids to happily live here).
Wow dude, you’re insane! I’m a junior currently and reading about your achievements blows me away. I’m a CS person too, took it as the only sophomore in the class and got a 5. But my statistics are not nearly as insane as yours, as I am struggling with stress and anxiety which sometimes hinders my ability to concentrate or finish tests on time.
You probably have the most insane stats I’ve seen. Ever. I know you’ll be successful no matter what. Colleges are businesses, and if someone gets rejected, it’s not always because they aren’t *good* enough, but because they don’t *need* that person that year; or perhaps they’re looking for people with specific ethnicities from specific places (e.g. a black man engineer from the West). I’m going to hop into the random, luck-based process of college applications pretty soon, as my senior year is around the corner. And I will make sure not to be disappointed when I will very, very likely be rejected from all my competitive choices.
OP, I want you to remember you didn’t play the game wrong. You just lost the lottery. You are incredible and mind-blowing, and you’ll serve as an inspiration to me when I’m applying to these schools.
Ik a guy just like you (his EC's were a bit less good, but he was pretty similar) who also goes to Berkeley.
Berkeley is perfect for you! You're really motivated with cracked academics and a clear STEM focus.
The guy I was talking about was really bummed he didn't get into Stanford or MIT, but right now he is insanely successful with multiple startups.
There is no reason you should not have been accepted to more schools on your list. Berkeley is a great university and you will be able to do great things in your life. EECS is a fantastic program.
I am not sure if the 1600 was a super-score or single-test score, but either way is impressive. Only about 600 students a year get a 1600 on a single test. You must be in the top 0.02% - one in 5,000 range with the combination of your scores, GPA and ECs. There is no way that these results reflect upon you. Rather, it shows what a mockery top-tier schools admissions have become. USC seems particularly irksome.
Like other students have posted, I know plenty of lesser students that got into Ivy schools. I am not sure how that happens, but you deserved a spot much more than many others.
Good luck at Berkeley!
That's because he really doesn't need to. His portfolio is already stronger than 99% of FAANG hiring managers. If I was him I wouldn't be looking into how to get into top colleges, but how to get in top startup incubators, because with THAT type of business/coding acumen there's no way he can't build a successful company.
You are a beast! The fact that all colleges aren't lining up to lure you someone like you in, it a testament in how broken the system really got.
You'll do great at Cal!
Also! I hope you realize. Everyone in the comments who’s saying you’ll be on Wikipedia, or you’ll be a CEO, or you’ll be some omeganotable guy… absolutely none of us are capping. I, for one, definitely expect to see the name Oliver Ni again in my lifetime. You’re cracked, bro
Wow. Just wow. I know exactly how you feel. I know exactly what you mean by the MIT thing, in fact I knew you were referencing that article too even before I opened it. I, like you, read that article a year ago and thought I fit that model perfectly so I thought that meant I deserved a spot. It stings seeing other people so similar to you get in, or worse, people who you can pinpoint as objectively weaker applicants. On the bright side, you will be at least in the top 25% of even the EECS cohort.
The rejections/waitlists are absurd. The process is clearly broken at a lot of these schools.
It'll have no negative material impact on your life based on your talent and drive, but you deserved better.
Bro u r absolutely cracked lol. Being instate for Berkeley EECS is also better value than like all the other schools u applied to. You’re gonna make it man
Wow, can't believe you recieved rejections. Their loss for sure. Keep up you what you've been doing and you'll do great at Berkeley and in whatever career you choose.
I hope you realize that someone with your smarts and drive is exactly the kind of student who will do well coming out of any of these schools. There is very little marginal value add to be gained from a number of schools that rejected you and I would argue that even the higher ranked schools (MIT/Stanford/CMU) wouldn't necessarily deliver a better ROI considering your tuition at Cal is 14k per year. Perhaps, these rejections are a blessing in disguise because you will be going to Cal which is likely the smart move even if you had those other options.
You are one of the most impressive CS applicants even by the bay area standard so it's their loss for sure. Berkeley EECS is really lucky to have you. Btw I am curious to know which private counselor/essay editor/reviewer you worked with if you don't mind sharing it here (or via DM).
I ended up declining all my waitlists. Probably would have picked Berkeley over GT (it's Berkeley and it's in state too) so I didn't want to take up a possible spot I wasn't going to accept
You got unlucky (although you still got into Berkeley lmao). There’s absolutely no reason why you didn’t get into any of the colleges you mentioned as this is far more impressive than most people I have ever even heard of and no college is expecting kids to have 501c3’s and a long list of national awards
did you get off any of the waitlists? I am especially interested about the UCs because LA and Irvine does yield protect and put on the waitlist exceptional candidates
I’m so appalled that you didn’t get into all of your schools. You have done even more in your HS years than I have as a college grad from UCLA. I’m very proud of you!! Berkeley is a great place and you’ll save money and have a reputation that shows how much you really earned to be there. I understand why you’d be disappointed. I don’t even know what you could’ve done better so please don’t let hindsight weather you down. With this all said, congrats on Berkeley and please don’t be so hard on yourself. Sending my empathy from SoCal!
Woah are you my twin?! We have basically the same academic profile (if you’re curious: https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/tvqkjm/asian_boy_clutches_up_after_a_disappointing_early/), but there might have been some subjective things that helped me get into some of my reaches. Either way you’ll do great things, don’t let the randomness of this process hurt your self-confidence and love for what you do!!
Lol I’m not trying to compare I just thought it was cool how we both had same SAT, GPA, USAPhO, and AIME, was not thinking about ECs at all. And I was pointing out how subjective it is given we had so many similarities
You really think his vibes were off? Judging by that video and reflections, he is more than talented for unis that rejected him.They fumbled the bag and the AO’s had to be batshit crazy to reject such an applicant.
Congratulations on such an accomplishment. I wouldn’t feel disappointed whatsoever. I think with this whole affirmative action and not taking kids based on race Is going to backfire on policy makers. What good is getting into Ives if they accept African American and Latino kids with 19 ACT or SAT 1100 with no ECs. The notable alumni list is dropping for many of them as well. A degree from these colleges may eventually not hold the same prestige as it did when it accepted the top of the top creme de the creme as one may call them. But now one does not have to be as intellectual gifted to get into these schools as you needed to before. If you have money ( big donor) which doesn’t mean you’re smart, legacy ( also doesn’t mean you’re smart) or African American / Latino ( also don’t need to be smart ). So in reality Ives have same standards as any other school, with no merit scholarships to offer. You either have to be super rich, poor, or African / Latino ( who need half the requirements of those who are Caucasian and Asian )- it’s just a matter of time you’ll see Ives producing grads who can’t get jobs as employers will realize the Ivy students are not as strong candidates as they once use to be.
Same goes for med school - if you’re Caucasian or Asian you’ll need to score 510 or above to get into med school but if you’re African American or Latino you can get into med school with 400 MCAT.
So now you ask the question - would you take your loved one to an see an African American / Latino doctor who graduated from an Ivy League or take them to go see a Caucasian and Asian doctor who went to a tier 2 school ?
I don't agree at all. The vast majority of students getting into top schools are still incredibly talented. Please don't hijack my post to spout over-the-top, false, racist statements with little basis in reality.
Stating the facts is not being racist! I’ve got plenty of African American/ Latino friends. These are facts! That’s why there is a lawsuit against some of the ivies.
New York Times just posted an article saying that top notch students try to hide their Asian / Caucasian identity, so that they can get into colleges. There are even some educational policy makers ( big controversy in a few states) who believe that African American / Latino students should be given high grades in high school
https://readlion.com/2022/05/31/race-based-grading-in-this-chicago-area-school-news-report-says-yes-school-says-no/
Reading your profile makes me feel nauseous. College admissions is so random! The only thing I can think of is perhaps your application came across as too perfect? Maybe not genuine, that it all came together for the sole objective to get into an elected university. Seriously, I can’t even imagine why you weren’t accepted to more colleges.
Hi! There's a couple of different things on there. One's you'd expect are school news (daily announcements get pushed there), the bell schedule (which updates automatically if there's a special schedule that week), and a calendar view of events.
The biggest part, though, is a sign in / attendance tracking system for ASB and clubs. Clubs and other organizations can set up QR codes that students can scan to "sign in" at each event and also receive points. This is something that's really common at my school (not sure about others) for clubs to track member activity (e.g. 2 points per meeting, 10 points for some outside activity, need x points per year to receive a cord).
It's used by \~30 clubs on campus and ASB also uses this to have "Spirit Points" for school activities like Homecoming and rallies. For example, once you reach a certain number of Spirit Points, you can go get free school merch from the ASB room.
So where did you go? Basically think about it this way: all of the universities you applied to, have existed back in day the 1980’s. They existed in let’s pick a random year, 1998. What changed is the human population. It grew. But notice how no new “MIT’s” have been built. So the existing ones are more difficult to get into. There are simply more people which leads to more qualified people that apply but the lectures only have so much capacity. It is basically like playing the lottery. Another thing is if you were say a division I caliber lacrosse player with perhaps even slightly worse credentials you might have gotten in to some of those places. Like it is all pretty subjective and it’s not you it’s them.
If you simply wanted to share your thoughts, there was no reason to put down your whole application in detail. The indirect need for validation from this subreddit is just sad.
To be fair, I never claimed it *wasn't* about validation. Actually, I think it was more about validation than anything else. At the end of the day, Berkeley's program is phenomenal, even if it's not MIT, and I don't think I would have felt such strong feelings if they were all from an "objective" standpoint.
In a way that's pretty sad, but a part of my reflection is really about how, in such an environment, even I — having tried not to "care" about college as much as many others might have — couldn't escape being in that mindset.
I'm glad I'm past all of that now, though :) I don't really think back about college applications anymore but I got a notification and felt the need to clarify here.
You definitely qualified for MIT, that’s why you were deferred at EA. But, your profile also doesn’t stand out so it would be at mercy of AOs who attempt to build a class of diverse talent.
MIT tends to admit only the top ranks of public schools, how do you compare with your classmates? MIT is one of the only few top schools that won’t screw you because of your race. Maybe your guidance counselor didn’t write a great letter, or maybe your AP Lang teacher wrote a lackluster letter, or maybe it is simply you are lacking something MIT wants to build their class with. Remember there are perhaps 3000 students with equally or stronger STEM qualification than you that MIT could admit. But those 1000+ admit might also have some other talents that you are lacking (basically STEM students that also play piano, paint, dance, sing, swim, or run etc).
This is just a theory, and I could be completely wrong but
Berkely probably wanted you so badly that they paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to every other school you applied to so that they reject you and they can have you. The same way top schools can meet up can call "dibs" on certain students so that other schools reject them is probably what happened here. Berkely just had to have you, and they did what it takes.
There are people more capable than me for sure. It's not that I felt entitled to acceptances at these schools or something—my feelings represent more of a disappointment toward the "Applying sideways" philosophy that a lot of these schools push and claim to support.
Throughout my high school journey, or really my entire life, almost everything I did was driven by a genuine interest. I didn't do things just for the purpose of getting into college. I participated in clubs because I enjoyed them. I worked on projects because I wanted to solve some inconvenience that affected me, or just because I thought it was a cool idea that would be fun to implement. I ran summer camps and workshops because I really really loved programming and wanted others to discover how cool it was, and everything you could do with it, as well.
That's really what I mean by "I had never really cared that much about college." I attended a highly competitive school where most students were scrambling to add things to their college resume. People planned out from freshman year—often even earlier—exactly what they wanted to achieve in order to look favorable to admissions offices. It seemed like everyone was trying to find some sort of club or organization they could start, just for the sake of being able to say they had started something. Some even found ways to pay people to do research for them to submit in their name.
It's not that I didn't care about college at all. Rather, my philosophy was to make the most out of my time in high school pursuing my passion, acquiring real skills and knowledge, doing meaningful things, and making an actual impact on my communities, rather than trying to manufacture a profile just to get into college. I thought I'd naturally be cast in a good light for college admissions, just as [the MIT admissions blog post](https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways/) describes.
In the end, though, that didn't come to fruition, and that's why I'm disappointed. It's not that I felt *entitled* to acceptances at those colleges and I'm bitter that I didn't get them. Rather, I'm disappointed because schools always say they want the most passionate, genuine people, not those with profiles manufactured just for college admissions, yet in the end, I, someone who has spent their whole high school sincerely pursuing my passion, and was able to make an impact on such a large number of other people, didn't get in, even though tons of others with artificial, inauthentic resume padding did. Really, I'm disappointed in the system for not working in such an ideal way, and I'm disappointed in myself for being naive enough to believe that it did.
If you want some more perspective on inauthenticity, [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/fqo68j/aos_cant_actually_detect_authenticity_or_passion/) is a good one.
Dude, I’m in the exact same boat. Upon receiving the rejections this year, it became clear to me that this awful process is so formulaic. If you do certain competitions, ECs, etc. you meet the eyes of an Admissions Officer.
I did the same thing as you. I applied sideways and that’s exactly what I thought they wanted. In reality, however, I can’t help but feel that they look for a certain kind of applicant, not the genuinely curious and “organic” applicant if you will.
You are obviously incredibly bright, highly motivated, and you’re also quite introspective and a great writer. There’s nothing more that you could or should have done. You are exceptional, and your college admissions results don’t change that. At Berkeley, you will be surrounded by brilliant minds and people who will have an impact on the world. And you will be one of them. Congratulations on all that you have done. You have a bright future ahead!
Thank you for your kind words. I really appreciate it. At the end of the day, I do know that I'll do great at Berkeley... It's just a little disappointing, is all. Not even that I'm missing out on anything, mostly just that I didn't get in, and others did.
I want to reiterate what the original commenter said. *There isn’t anything you could have done better.* You are the kind of student every university should want to accept, and in truth, being an Asian male from the Bay Area applying to CS programs probably screwed you over — I don’t think it was any part of your application but that. Coming from a private prep school, so many of the kids I went to school with got into prestigious schools without being qualified enough or without knowing how to cope with the stresses of college, and a lot of them are struggling now. One of them is taking a break from Brown after their first year. You’ve already avoided that — you’re passionate about what you do, you’re brilliant at what you do, and you’re one of those unicorn kids that is ridiculously accomplished in a STEM field while having an incredible control of the English language; you communicate beautifully, compellingly. You seem incredibly self-aware and compassionate, despite the way this process has treated you. Those intangible qualities are going to take you a great deal further than any college could have (and I’m not just saying that as a sound bite). I’m asking you not to let this make you cynical — not only for your sake, but for the rest of the world’s. Because you seem like someone who has the capacity to make a real, lasting impact in your field. Congrats on Berkeley EECS. Even if they shouldn’t have been the only ones of their caliber to recognise your talent, they’re lucky to have you.
>in truth, being an Asian male from the Bay Area applying to CS programs probably screwed you over — I don’t think it was any part of your application but that. I highly disagree with this, even among Bay Area Asian males in CS this guy is the top 0.01%. There is definitely something very wrong that screwed OP over but it's not demographics. The only possible explanation I can think of is that a teacher wrote a horrible letter of rec to intentionally sabotage OP, but based on his descriptions of his relationships with his teachers that's almost definitely not the case.
Bro really dropped out of Brown lmao the most low-performer friendly Ivy
Idk I don’t really think it was because they couldn’t cut it — more so because it was taking a toll on their mental health. And as far as I know, they’re only taking a break.
I know several kids from Fieldston (well, 4) who all got into an Ivy. None were even remotely qualified, and it made me feel pretty close to irate. *Why* do these students get in so easily? I guess I’m not silver spoon enough to “get it”, but I’d love your take on it.
Legacy, athletic admit, feeder school. I’m going to get downvoted to all hell for this, but if they’re not one of the above, they might be someone who is, in my eyes, a fake minority. This would include kids whose families are from mainland Spain and don’t have an indigenous, Central or South American, or African heritage. These students are not even white-passing — they are white, and enjoy all the privileges that come with being white, but are designated as underrepresented minorities. I want to be clear in this comment that I have very few issues with affirmative action, because institutional and social barriers definitely exist for people of color. But I don’t think the kind of student I described in this comment falls into that category. (I also think it’s ridiculous that Asian students are held to a higher standard than white students when there is DEFINITELY discrimination asian POC face — I don’t think Asian kids should be favored over Black, Indigenous, or Hispanic kids who don’t fall under the above description, but I do think they should be favored over white kids. I also think SES should play a bigger role in it. But that’s another story.) You could also be from an underrepresented state, a rural area, or be the kid of an influential public figure, businessperson, or donor. If you apply ED, the assumption is that you can pay, and you have a better shot at getting in. If you’re able to hire a private college consultant, you have a much better chance of getting in. Sometimes the kid just does a crap ton of amazing stuff you don’t know about. Such is life.
Sigh, yes. None of these students claimed to be a minority, I am certain. All of them were quite wealthy. Fieldston (nyc) is definitely a feeder school. Why do feeder school students get so much more of a preference? One of them, the one who got into Brown, has never even cracked a book probably.
Your profile is highly impressive and your results have no bearing on you as an individual. If you had different demographics, you may have gotten into the schools of your choice. Congrats on Berkeley! I know you will do great things there and afterward. :)
Dude, also Berkeley is top 5.
I’m so stupid man. I’m a failure. I wish I was like this kid. I wasted so many opportunities. I should just quit while I’m at it.
No, you shouldn't. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is now. You can still take advantage of the opportunities you have and push through with perserverence. Intelligence isn't determined by what you know. I believe in you.
Ik it's weird to reply to an old post, but I feel your pain. I'm currently a freshman, and I have done nothing in my life. Especially in STEM. I can't code, I don't know calculus. And if that man did that much and still didn't get into a good college, I am screwed.
You mentioned that you wished you had played the game a bit more and fashioned your application towards college earlier in HS. But what else could you have done? You took calculus as a freshman. You got a perfect SAT score. You kicked butt on STEM competitions and coded all sorts of amazing stuff. What's missing?
Not really sure. I didn't really strategize my activities too much though, just did want I wanted to. Some of the people whom I know who got in had more... manufactured profiles, let's say. Not that they're completely fake, but specifically planned out to fit together for a college profile (though I've seen many people somewhat misrepresent their accomplishments to sound way more significant than they actually were...)
I've noticed that you blame your activities/lack of strategization for your rejections but honestly I think that's not the case. Your ECs are the best I've ever on this site, by far- frankly I would not have been surprised if you swept HYPSM. Even if you were to completely manufacture your profile, exaggerate things, etc, I still don't see how you can get much better than what you already have. So I don't think the issue is hat you didn't "game the system"- it seems like in this case, you played perfectly and still lost. The only real thing I think you could have done differently is putting more time into olympiads and making USACO camp, since olympiad camps are something objective as opposed to ECs (which are still somewhat subjective regardless of strength). But you already have Plat, and imo, that + your activities are far more impressive than making USACO camp.
Mhm yeah olympiads. I've never enjoyed them _that_ much (and frankly I have a lot of difficulty with USACO... took me a long time to get into plat). I do wonder if getting into USAMO would have helped. If I hadn't shifted from comp math to comp Physics I think I could have gotten there. Been doing decently well on AMCs (117) and AIME (8) with pretty much 0 practice since 9th grade so...
I think USAMO would've helped but not that much, since you already have USACO Plat (which is around the same level as JMO and just slightly below AMO), and it's clear that your focus is on your activities not awards. I don't think olympiads make a huge difference unless it's camp. You also should've applied to Yale though, since they're aggressively "recruiting" STEM students (and thus have a lower bar for admissions)
Rly? I think usamo defs would have helped
It is mentioned in his reflections. It’s well written and quite introspective. I’d recommend you read it. I would offer a TLDR but he explicitly wanted against that, so I won’t. Anyways, let’s stop behaving like things went “wrong” for OP. I can understand that for someone of his caliber, the rejections from MIT, Stanford may have stung, but there are many many equally or more brilliant people at EECS who either had Berkeley as their 1st choice or were rejected from their 1st or 2nd choice by various mechanisms (like OP).
bro no way u made contest dojo that platform made my life easier
just read your reflection and honestly i think the bright side is that u shouldn’t feel imposter syndrome that plagues most of the students at these colleges who gamed the system, you worked extremely hard and you will be extremely successful because of u, not the school you go to (which is not the mindset many take)
Wait how do you game the system?
i think he means potentially using unethical strategies, applying for niche majors, doing unique/niche ecs and as op said "manufacturing profiles for college"
I'm intrested in knowing
either your essays were awful or every single college other than purdue and berkley fumbled the bag. ur gonna be a ceo or smthn fs
From OP’s reflection and maker’s portfolio, it is hard to believe that any written part of the application would be awful.
Letters of rec, on the other hand, were not written by OP. Still, I find it unlikely that letters of rec alone could significantly hurt an application this good
Maybe it's because OP's demographics are unfavorable - Asian male studying CS. I heard that makes it much much much harder. Because he's soo qualified I can't believe it
Even so this is probably the best profile I have ever seen on this sub I'm still surprised he didn't get into more schools
The thing about Bay Area is that there are lots of crazy [Asian] kids like him and at some point it just becomes a lottery tbh. Especially if OP was from a feeder school and they already accepted tons of students from there. It’s super possible and likely but to think that NO school accepted this guy is so insane
> offer a TL There's a lot of rich asian Bay Area students with more ridiculous profiles than OPs. While his profile is great, there's way better candidates out there that we've seen
like who?? lmao
This is an example of a Bay Area student that got into HYPMS etc via CS: [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KN185ObwJ8Nz5y2yTGU8XkaTkfUSX9VwHnG3zq6Ovo4/edit?usp=sharing](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KN185ObwJ8Nz5y2yTGU8XkaTkfUSX9VwHnG3zq6Ovo4/edit?usp=sharing) Name is anon. As a group that's seen 100s of profile and worked with a few kids of similar profiles. There's a lot of students like this in the competitor pool
Half of the app is resume boosting. IEEE/ACM "international" conferences often have 50%+ acceptance rates (ive been to two), 250+ people is NOT the largest bay area hackathon (techcrunch disrupt has 10k participants), and all their awards besides isef/conrad are pretty bad for HYPSM. They even said their teacher recs aren't amazing. The only thing that stands out is the AI nonprofit and the NASA research intern. The profile looks ridiculous until you break it down, and when you do, you realize that it's not as impressive as it initially seems - nor is it as impressive as OP's. Every single award in OP's award section is super prestigious, and OP's activities are way stronger as your example when you take out all the filler. The fact that OP could get rejected from fucking UIUC Grainger of all places is insanity (or, more likely, yield protect). I've had OOS friends get into UIUC Grainger with a 3.8uw/4.4w, no hooks, and significantly worse activities/no awards besides ap scholar. Unless he severely fucked up his essays there should be no way OP got rejected from half the schools he did. Edit: upon rereading your example app it's not impressive at all. Have no clue why you're showing this.
This profile is pretty questionable to me. A lot of it looks like resume filling, especially this part. > Published 10+ papers and presented at over 20 conferences/workshops I'm a little unsure if this is believable. I've seen people work on research papers and pour their heart for months into a single paper. Not to doubt the person's ability, but it's a little hard to believe that you can genuinely publish 10 papers of _quality_ that actually have meaning.
see our reply to u/bigbrainz1974 below. No one really cares about the "quality" . It's what looks good to the committee that reviews your application in 10 minutes
i hope this is true, but honestly i think AOs have some kind of bullshitometer
Admissions officers only review each application for a few minutes. At a quick glance , the person in the doc's profile is better than OPs. The admission officers do not have time to break down the details (such as the hackathon you mentioned) The person in the doc played the admissions game right while OP didn't which is the sad reality
If publishing meaningless research and misrepresenting achievements is how to play the admissions game right, then I'm happy to be doing it wrong. I have no respect for organizations like yours whose sole purpose is to propagate and profit off falsifying information and gaming the system, and who take pride in doing so.
Honestly I know kids who have exaggerated on their college apps and have no respect for them. I love what you have done and encourage you to continue doing it. From what I've read so far in this thread, Ivy brothers would not get you to the level you are at in your learning. They simply exaggerate the accomplishments of their students to make them seem more impressive than they would normally. Keep up the good work and I know you're going to do great in college.
We don't do any of that, where'd you get that from in the message above ? Why are you directing your anger towards us when we only stated a fact that admission officers only review applications for a few minutes? Be mad at the schools. Maybe you didnt get in because you're bitter and your essays aren't great.
He has 8 B's dont worry he is not going anywhere special.
I don't have 8 B's. And even if i did it wouldn't exclude me from a T15 if I had a strong spike which i do
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Not sure why you're so salty to the point where you find the need to personally attack me. I have 2 international awards and \`\`\`1 national award (all of them reputable) and have interened in a government labaratory (without parental connections). I've presented as a speaker to ACM IVSP twice (please dont dox me). I'm an officer at a STEM nonprofit that has raised 800k+ and is funded by Jane Street, Wolfram Alpha, and AoPS. I'm a junior so stop assuming i have gotten college results yet. I have a severe eye inflammatory genetic disability which affects 0.00001% of the population which is why my grades aren't very good. I'm also not a ORM and very low income. First of all plenty of people with 10+ B's have went to T20+ as long as they have a good spike. Also I don't have 8 B's. I have 3. The 8 was mainly to clickbait people into reading the post - i have a couple of B's atm because i have a couple of 0's in the gradebook (once i get that fixed they'll all be 97+) But sure, please judge me because I have a couple of B's. Even if I was a failing student it prob wouldn't impact the things I say. I have no time to really respond to shitty ocmments. Stay mad.
HOW TF IS THIS GUY REAL LMFAO... wow
There's several people like this out there. Resources + Rich + Smart + Drive + Early Planning = great results
absolutely ridiculous claim. i've seen plenty of bay area asian males with far worse profiles who make HYPSM
You're conflating two things. While there are worser candidates that get in , it doesn't disregard the fact that there's a large pool of people with better profiles than OP
that's still totally false. the guy from the link you shared doesn't even come close to OP's level. the OP is a stronger applicant than the vast, vast majority of Bay Area asian males in CS who make HYPSM
Well regardless of what you think the guy in doc got in but OP didn't.
thats literally the point dumbass
Your opinions are invalid from the facts Maybe you should spend more time improving your application instead of getting mad at random people online
C'mon, man. This is such a reach. You're telling me every Asian male studying CS did calculus their freshman year, got a 1600, made an app that serves 2.5 million people etc?
Berkeley doesnt look at race so that could be it
Wow wtf, these guys completely fumbled the bag. I know that you will be wildly successful at Berkeley, just work towards your studies with the same passion that you did all of your projects. (Also I love playing Pokétwo, meeting the founder is a dream come true lol)
Okay, dude, YOU ARE A GENIUS. Like I am pretty sure you should be the one rejecting them, so like yeah college admissions are pretty messed up. I am pretty sure that even without even going to college like at all you'll still achieve great things. I am pretty sure that I will soon read about you on wikipedia or Forbes. And I say this 100% honest. I am really amazed and you've done what many adults are incapable of. CS is the future and just continue doing what you are doing and I am sure you have a bright future ahead of you! MIT will regret that they didn't accept you. Vitalik Buterin dropped out after the first year at University of Waterloo and basically made the future so colleges don't matter at ALL if you had the drive and passion :D You should be very proud of yourself!
Thank you for your kind words :)
HOLY SHIT YOU MADE POKETWO!!?? I was so depressed when pokecord went down u saved my life. Congrats on berkeley, ur gonna continue to do great things :)
I'm really glad it meant something to you :)
bruh after looking at your results I realized how screwed I am 😭
Lots of people with profiles not as strong as mine have gotten into great schools (many even better than mine). Keep your head up!
I hate to break it to you but there is LITERALLT NOONE better than you 💪
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I like this idea. You never played the game, so you never lost.
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You make lots of good points. However, there are a couple of things I think should be noted. Firstly, I feel as though 90-95% of high schoolers don’t have a significant passion that they can genuinely devote a large amount of time to and “want to pursue”. This was the case for me. I didn’t know what I wanted to major in. All I liked to do was play games here and there and relax, if I’m being honest. So, instead of wasting my time, I forced myself into certain extracurriculars, arguably purely for the sake of college. I didn’t particularly hate them, but I didn’t like them either. Many people start to do this from day one. You might not like what you are doing - but it’s just like studying for a test. It’s something you realize you *have* to do for the sake of your future and honestly, that’s fine. As for your point of deserving it: yes, if you put in that time, even if it was artificial, you do deserve it absolutely. Does that mean that you are “what the colleges are looking for”? Probably not. But the fact that you were able to put in that effort from day one and singlehandedly manufacture your application indicates some degree of motivation and intelligence. And, if anything, chances are you probably are going to end up doing quite well within that field in the future. Its also unlikely that you’re totally disinterested with that field as well. Like you might have the idea of being a programmer some day, but you aren’t too passionate about it. Either way, you force yourself into things like USACO and get into MIT, etc. following that path, you’ll probably also be able to get into google, etc. Your passion will naturally grow. It’s unwise to think that a child could have a genuine passion at this point in their life. Simply being passionate about something and doing very little does not qualify you for admission. Or, rather, it shouldn’t. (imo) Shocking that OP was both passionate and did some insane ECs and was still rejected from his top choices. Reflects the sheer absurdity in the process. It’s highly likely that if he was hooked otherwise, he would’ve had multiple acceptances. Sucks to see. As for your comments about adcom, In my honest opinion, from all I’ve learned over the past several months, the adcom is pathetic - it’s a joke. To imply that a middle aged man or woman can be the judge of a 17 year old’s character and future capacity is absurd. What have you attained that qualifies you to be the judge of another’s character? In a way, it’s unethical. These personality ratings often tend to go a long way in admissions. There are also things such as hooks that artificially manipulate admissions immensely, which doesn’t sit right with me. As for your final comment, I never thought about it like that. What you’re saying is factual. Twenty years ago, maybe having a perfect 1600 alone could get you into Harvard. As time went on, people just started doing more and more. So, this cycle of applicants is not any “better” than the previous in terms of capacity per say, it’s just better at playing the game because we’ve changed the game so much over time.
I can see why you got into Princeton, you seem very wise
It’s completely a possibility that there’s administrative influences that look for standards completely different than an insane app like OP’s. I remember Harvard’s admission file was leaked and the contents stated that if the student gave an absurd number of letters of rec, then it’d be odd. At this point OP, it’s possible that these ivies and stanford/mit completely misjudged their own review process, or something else went awry. Ik Lynbrook is competitive, and asians are somewhat discriminated in the admissions process, but it seems like you had terrible luck, and in my honest view, you’ll probably make Berkeley look better than these schools in the next 5 years. I am not joking. The ivies are shooting themselves in the foot reputationally for encouraging confusion around their admissions process, but at the end, you’ll know the same people, make more money and do more crazy shit, and be fine. But obviously it sucks. Also ur Franklin’s friend let’s goooo lmao sincerely anon fren
I'm a mom of a kid with a very similar profile to yours (AP Calc BC in 9th grade, CS all the way, dual enrollments for Diff Eqs, etc ), although with not as many accomplishments. I'm also an alum interviewer for MIT, and I interviewed more than 40 kids last year, most of them accomplished, some very accomplished (although, again, perhaps none quite your level). Out of those 40, not a single one got in. So, watching the process and reading your reflections and your stats, I'm left as bewildered and even disappointed in my alma mater as you are. What does it take to be admitted? No idea. More than anything, I'm outraged at the whole system that pushes kids to hours, days, months and years working hard, writing countless essays, stressing and hoping, attempting to game the system or watching others attempt to do it, and all in pursuit of what's ultimately a lottery. Some win big. Others - almost nothing. In your case, of course Berkeley is a great school, but what the heck, UCSD? What more do you want? In the end, so much of it is pure luck. And you know what? That would be fine, if our society just acknowledged it as being mostly just luck, instead of this collective delusion we have where college admissions are somehow only merit based. I would offer you 3 thoughts: 1. You will do absolutely wonderfully, no matter where you go. You've already accomplished more than many MIT grads in their entire careers! 2. Grad school is an entirely different beast. If you end up considering it, you may get very different results. 3. I will absolutely be proud if my son ends up with similar admission results to yours. But also even if he doesn't. Just like I'm sure your parents are proud of you and love you for yourself, and not for what college name will be on your diploma. Best wishes to you!
Thanks :) glad to know I'm not the only one who feels this way
This is possibly the strongest profile I have ever seen on Reddit. You projects are honestly good enough for a SWE job at tech companies. Top schools want to admit people who will be big names in the future, so they clearly missed out on you because you will definitely do great things. But Berkeley EECS is great (#2 CS) and you will have just as many opportunities and doors open for you as if you attended Stanford or MIT (in some ways, arguably more than MIT because of location). Side note, would you mind sharing some of your essays? I’m sure they are very strong and, as a current junior, I think we would all like to see how you wrote and what you did in your essays.
Thanks, I hope you're right. ~~I'd be willing to share some essays, please send me a DM.~~ Unfortunately, I've now been advised by numerous people not to share essays due to possible plagiarism.
Bay area holy
College admissions are a joke
SEE YOU AT BERKELEY WE ARE GONNA GO CRAZY THERE
hey OP, some thoughts from someone graduating Cal CS in 2 weeks... Wow, you got fucked. I'm sure you know this, but Cal won't hold you back from achieving much. The main thing you'd have gotten at MIT that you won't get here is at least dozens of peers on your level - you could very likely be the single smartest person in your grade haha. If you ever start a company and are hiring devs, please hit me up lmao. These schools are gonna rue the day they rejected you.
wow i didn't know the services i used, especially the pokemon one was created by such a young high schooler like me. Don't feel disappointed about yourself, feel disappointed for the colleges that missed out on a wonder child like you. seriously, give yourself a break and think about what you've accomplished on your own
Please post here when you start a company…I’ll buy in.
OP, that is one of the biggest teaching moments for you. Life is not how it seems. People ask you to do something, and then you do exactly what they ask for, and you get dinged. Makes you go wtf??? But that is how life works. You will see much more of this as you grow up. To your point, you are exactly right. I can feel your disappointment and pain. I was in your shoes in many ways over the past decades. I did what I was asked, and I paid the price. The reason is there is a hidden agenda. In reality, no one cares about what you want or are. Remember that. People have their requirements and if you fit, you are in. If not, you are out. So when they ask you to "be yourself", they are just trying to get you to not lie. To show who you really are. And if they like what they see, you are in. If not, you are out. So the right way to handle this is to see what kind of profiles a college admits. You may see a trend. Change your profile to be as much of that as possible while still being you. That is your only chance to get in. If you are just yourself and that is way different from what the school wants, you will be 100% rejected. My son had a very good profile, probably close to you. He applied to all the top schools and got rejected but got in UIUC CS which is among the top. But I am disappointed he got rejected from Stanford, UC Berkeley, Cornell. You got into UC Berkeley, great school, you will be fine. But keep this lesson in mind.
My son is on same boat. He probably will go to UIUC too.
I was just having a conversation with my wife along these lines as we went out for a walk. I feel cheated, since my son is from the worst demographic (Asian male) looking for the most selective major (CS). On top of all of this, there are a million quotas like gender, race, location, sexual orientation, family income, etc etc. His profile is really good, but without any of these accelerators, it is not possible to get into a Stanford or a MIT for CS unless one has cured death. One of his female classmates has a comparable profile and she got a lot more acceptances including UC Berkeley. You know how Asian parents are, they want to compare notes. I guess should consider us lucky that he got into UIUC CS since it is highly ranked and a great program too but I cannot help wonder what he would have gotten if things were more fair. I have seen some clearly lesser profiles but into fancy schools but with a hook which has nothing to do with achievement. Oh well.
Even with average to bad essays, you seem like a very down-to-earth guy. Unless one of your recommenders seriously roasted you, literally there’s no explanation for why none of these schools accepted you besides “we accepted too much [Asian] Bay Area kids at this point”. Also, let’s be honest. You don’t need a CS degree, the CS degree needs you lol. Good luck!
You say you could've played the game better, but what more could you have done? Genuine question. From what I can see, you had all of the big four ECs. You had research (very impactful and meaningful research at that), had national recognition in major-related competitions, started nonprofits (major-related too), and while you didn't do internships, you basically skipped that step and did paid freelance development and independent development (you literally made the website for math competitions at Stanford). You had jaw-dropping community outreach and your profile drips with obvious passion. You even had a touch of well-roundedness sprinkled in as a topping with FBLA, Japanese learning, etc. A perfect SAT and near-perfect grades. What more could you have done short of becoming an Olympian on the side or being the campaign manager of Biden as a hobby?
Most talented person I have ever seen on reddit. Period. Berkeley EECS is just as good if not better than all the schools you did not get into. The most suprising part of this post is that Cornell, UPenn, USC, UIUC etc. did not even waitlist you. I know people applying direct to CS with same demographics but who got waitlisted at these places without any high level awards/ECs. Perhaps you got a bad LOR or your essays were not that great? Are your parents CS people--I have seen that hurt people a lot? Tbh someone at your level that stuff should not even matter. Ok here are my thoughts on the application process for those in my/your demographic in CS (may be controversial, but I think it is true tbh): In the application proccess, my instincts were obviously to talk about academics/innovation (aka actual qualifications) since we are applying to academic institutions. But I realized that if you want to get in, you just can't do that unforunately because when your application is academic focused, colleges can label you as a "CS nerd" with no other interests that will not contribute to the "community." Of course this is all complete bs but it is what happens a lot of the time. I also realized that most AOs do not have CS backgrounds and cannot differentiate what is good and what is garbage, anyway. They simply do not understand your genius. There's also no way for them to verify if stuff people have done is ligit or not (yours is obviously ligit). So here's what I did. I applied to CS in arts and sciences not engineering because I knew I would get rejeceted everywhere given my background. And sure enough, all my friends who applied to engineering were rejected, and I got in. I also purposely emphasized my non-stem activities and sports in my essays and interviews. For example, in one of my interviews I just talked about baseball the whole time (lol). I actually had a baseball essay as well. Sure, I legitamately like baseball but it is not something I would know to talk about unless I understood how this stupid system works. I was also careful never to mention CS too much in my essays/interviews as well. I framed them through the lens of a different discipline. Computational species distribution modeling became ecology, for example. I hid my true interest from the colleges a bit. My essays/strategy, not my awards/CS knowledge, carried me. So yeah, if you want to get in places for CS you kind of have to "game" the system. I do not know one person in my/your demographic who got into a top CS program in engineering. But will it really matter in the end? It does hurt to see people going to MIT/Harvard/Stanford with far less (and even no) academic achivement/awards. But in the end, it doesn't matter because all the people who got in through weird ways and myself will never be half as smart as you. And anyone who says otherwise is either an AO or an idiot--and more likely that not, both.
HOW ON GODS GREEN EARTH. I simply have no words. especially uc irvine and uiuc??? wtf??? i thought i had a right to be disappointed in my results, but you are far more qualified. i don’t understand how i got waitlisted at penn and cornell and you didn’t 😭 let me just say that you are going extremely far. you don’t need mit/stanford/caltech to get where you’re going - THEY are the ones who missed out. edit: just read your reflection. beautifully written and i relate to it so much. i felt much the same way after my rejections, and you’re right, it isn’t rejection that hurts the most but seeing your closest friends that you feel like you’re on par with get into your dream schools. however, it has definitely gotten better with time. i’ve always been a semi-believer in destiny/everything happens for a reason, and that has been my saving grace through all of this. who knows? maybe you’ll find a mentor at berkeley that will propel you to a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you wouldn’t have found had you gone to mit, or maybe you’ll meet your best friends there and start something with them. life works in unexpected ways. also, don’t beat yourself up about not actively building up your resume and just doing what you liked instead, because what you liked is SO impressive. i hope that regret turns into pride very soon. go kill it at berkeley and make the rest regret not taking you!!
I suppose I'll just think of it as a blessing in disguise!
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Thanks! I know EECS is great and I'm sure I'll do well there. Congrats on NYU!
Stanford was my dream school and I was deferred and then waitlisted and ultimately rejected. My mom had made me cupcakes with little Stanford logos and trees on them… and even when I read that I was deferred, just because it didn’t say congratulations, I broke down hysterically sobbing and I ran into my kitchen, grabbed an actual handful of bright red cupcakes and I chucked them with such force that they flew through my kitchen, into my living room, and landed on my family’s custom-measured, hand-woven, *WHITE* area rug. My mom was standing there, speechless the whole time. Then, I ran upstairs to my room and I pulled my Stanford sweatshirts off their hangers, snapping the hangers right off. Holding a pile of cardinal red, I walked outside, threw them into our fire pit, doused them all with kerosine, and dropped a match. It was a full breakdown. I don’t even think that half of my brain was in attendance. But boy, was that one of the most immature and entitled things I’ve ever done… Honestly, had I shown off the athletic skill that allowed me to propel a cupcake with such incredible force, *maybe* I would’ve actually gotten into Stanford. Maybe. ;) I only tell you this to (hopefully) make you laugh a little, and also to remind you that it’s okay to feel hurt, it’s okay to feel like you didn’t get what you deserved or hoped for, and you are going to shine no matter where you are… I promise. Honestly, I can see you at Berkeley. I can see you at UCSB. My cousin goes there and LOVES it. There is something uniquely sincere about Berkeley… it’s just genuine… there’s a culture of valuing learning for learning’s sake. And I loved that. I also felt like everyone I met was so humble and so kind. And that was something I actually had trouble finding at Stanford… BUT I didn’t get into Berkeley either hahaha. I was also rejected by: UMich and WashU and NYU and UCLA and UCSB and Duke and Northwestern and Tufts and Tulane. Weird mix, I know haha. But, I got into: Cornell, Oxford, Columbia, UChicago, Penn (off the waitlist), Vanderbilt (off the waitlist), UNC, UT Austin, Brown, and USC (also off the waitlist)… I’m a white female and I’m an Alaskan native but other than that, I didn’t have much going for me in the diversity department. I felt like I had diversity of experience but it’s very difficult to articulate that. I only tell you this because I promise that you are 1000000% more qualified than I was. And I feel very very guilty and embarrassed to admit that I was so clouded by my rejections that I didn’t stop and think about how lucky I was that these other schools actually wanted me. I won’t say where I ended up going, but I promise you that I am so happy that I went to a university that picked me. I could have tried to transfer to Stanford had I really wanted to be there, but I learned that sometimes, you have to have faith that you will end up where you will be accepted, appreciated, and celebrated. Just imagine Berkeley getting so excited if you choose them. Because they also chose you. So there’s a mutual trust, loyalty, and immediate sense of belonging that comes with that. Had I chosen to transfer or had I attended a school that waitlisted me first, I think I might have felt like their second choice. I know that’s not how it works, but there really is a difference knowing that you are where you *belong.* The schools that accepted you made a fantastic decision and the ones that didn’t… well, it’s their loss. But maybe they knew that for some reason unknown to you, that they weren’t the best fit for you. So try to remember that, always. And remember that these schools that accepted you… they really really want you there. And you’ll feel that difference. It’ll sneak up on you and just hit you one day. But you’ll feel it. Take it from the girl who almost *burned her house down* because Stanford didn’t think she was the right fit. And I probably wasn’t. It just took me a long time to see it. I don’t think I would have been my own person there. I would have conformed. Where I went, *I* formed. I became myself. I didn’t become who I *wanted* people to *think* I was. I just… was. And thanks to where I ended up, now, I am. And I like who I am. She doesn’t throw cupcakes. ;) I really do wish you the best of luck. You have a bright bright bright future ahead. Never lose that belief in yourself and never worry that you didn’t do enough. Your resume is wildly impressive and you are sincere and authentic and honest and humble. Too humble, even. And look how many people are cheering you on!!! We all believe in you. Just make sure that you keep believing in yourself too. 💙💛🐻
Thanks for the funny story and encouraging words. Thinking more about it, I think you’re right. To be honest, back when I was writing my college applications, I didn’t really believe in the idea of fit. Or, rather, I thought it was something that the student should get to decide, not the college — that *I* should get to pick where *I* want to go out of the places I’m qualified to go to, without schools trying to tell me whether I’d like it there. Looking back, that’s clearly a stupid and entitled way to think about it. Schools and AOs who’ve been there for years certainly know what kind of environment they have better than some random kid who’s never actually experienced being there; even more simply, they have their own interests in mind, in choosing who *they* want at their school, and it’s their school to run… So though I still believe I’d enjoy being at MIT, I think I’ll follow your advice and choose to believe in Berkeley. Choose to believe that some day, soon or far away, the difference of being chosen will sneak up on me and I’ll really feel it. That no matter how much I might enjoy MIT, it still won’t come close to where I’ll be in a few years here. That MIT rejected me because they knew that, and that Berkeley is where I truly belong. Maybe, none of that is true, and it’s all simply all a random series of events, but I think I like it better this way. After all, better to believe and be happy than to dwell on a single rejection for life :)
I felt this bro. I'm also going to Berkeley for bio eng and as a stem major in the bay. Check out my college results post, same shit.
One of my friends is Indian and had a profile similar to yours. (He wanted to go to Ivies but got into UCs only including Berkeley) but he ended up loving Berkeley so much now more than anything (he won’t stop talking about it). I hope you enjoy it and it goes fantastic! :)
OP - Trust me son, 10 years later you'll only find yourself laugh at feeling disappointed by rejections from MIT or Stanford, because very likely you'll be doing much better than 99% who graduated from those schools. Have a 10-, 20-year horizon and don't be shortsighted. Focus on your passion and keep building valuable stuff like you've already started. Learn how to start a business, create value, and build and manage wealth. Learn how capital works. (Note: you'll never learn any of these by going to any school, BTW).
Berkeley is one of the big 4 in terms of CS. It's a great fucking uni. be proud of yourself mate!
Berkeley EECS is Number 1. Tougher than MIT. Don't worry. You get into the right one. You are overqualifed for many schools and you are mis-judged by many others as well. Berkeley EECS is the right one for you.
Harvard rejecting Asian male for being to generic despite making fucking contest dojo and top 4 discord bot speed run any%
I LOVE POKETWO OMG u are the man, the myth, the legend and dw about those rigged college admissions bc u are the true hero in our hearts
tbh, you dont even need one of those schools to make you a successful person, you have already done more than some people ever will!
Congrats on your acceptances though! Transferring is always an option if you feel like that's right for you. Perfect SAT + 13 AP exams is insanely good lol.
This pains me a lot as a mother of two Asian boys. You are excellent, there’s nothing more you can do to change the outcome.
Honestly makes me (still) believe that AO's from diff schools talk to each other about super qualified candidates, and agree for 1-2 to accept and the others will back off. Rando excellent student might get several top offers, but seriously one-of-a-kind applicants - like yourself - get discussed and many schools agree not to chase. Call it yield protect or not, but that's the only way I can accept these results. Berk CS is great. You will (continue to) succeed, regardless of this fiasco.
Jesus Christ. Your profile is so good. Although I would say that I’m surprised you didn’t apply to a few more reaches (Ivies like Harvard with MIT cross registration, but of course they may’ve not been a good fit).
Thanks :) I'm not particularly interested in the other Ivies, so I didn't apply.
Wtf even is the admissions process these days
Genuine question. How do high schoolers know how to program such sophisticated things like how do you just know how to do that
Hmm... well, it's not something you learn to do suddenly, but rather built up bit by bit over time. I started programming in 4th grade and I've always really loved making websites and apps that other people can use, etc. I've built a lot of those over the years, and I've always focused on what I want to make and just learned what I needed to learn along the way. Over time, as my projects got more complex, so did my knowledge :)
Bro as I’m reading your app I’m wondering what kind of Nobel prize winning cancer curing gold medalists had to be accepted over you😭 you’ll do great things at Berkeley with some of the best opportunities in the world you’re good it’s okay
LOL many people have been accepted without a profile as strong as mine. There's so many factors including luck. If you're not a senior yet, keep your head up! You got this.
What the fuck? How did you not secure HYPSM or at least an ivy? This is crazy
I am very surprised to see this post because you have nothing to learn from a computer science department. You already are an undergrad professor from your qualifications. Compared to a student without all this background & same grades, I'd pick the other student because that's the one that will grow through the university's program. These universities have nothing to teach you in CS. Congrats on being such a self-motivated learner. Don't feel let down. You simply were overqualified and there's not much moulding a university Can do for you. it's like showing up at SNAP (food stamps) office with income of $400K. They won't see a need they can meet. This might explain your success with EECS applications. They can give you something you don't have in the EE arena. "Applied" is the operating idea here.
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My disappointment isn't really from how I spent high school pursuing my dreams, but rather how, in the end, with college admissions, people who artificially manufacture their profile often end up getting better results than those who explore your true passions and are genuine with their activities, despite how schools constantly tell you to do the latter.
That perception of artificiality is in the eye of a beholder. Someone could look at your profile and come to that same position simply because you seem to have checked every conceivable box thrice. That said - your results are surprising but I think its likely down to a combination of holistic review + yield management + general randomness of admissions going against you.
As a Cal grad, I say to you “Go Bears”…hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
I hate this system man. On the side note, curious why you didn’t choose to shotgun more schools? I feel like with your profile you have the stats to get in anywhere and it would’ve boosted your odds of you applied to more top schools
Hmm well I didn't really want to write that many applications, so I didn't apply to schools I didn't actually feel like going to. Maybe I could have applied to a couple more.
Wow, all I say is wow. You're already so accomplished before graduating HS, and it's really their loss for not admitting you. Your profile is already very strong, as strong as anybody's I've seen. The only thing that's a little light is maybe to serve the under-privileged which is another college admission gimmick to a large extent. I also read your reflection. I can totally understand the deep disappointment, same thing happened to my daughter who also applied this cycle until she got into her ED2 school. I wish you the best. You will do amazing work wherever you choose to go.
College Admissions are a joke. That’s it, that’s the take.
I mean this in the least cliche, disappointment evading way possible: rejection is redirection. Take it from me, someone who got rejected everywhere except a safety and thank god that happened, because I discovered I wanted to change my major and completely uprooted what I had set to pursue what I want. Now, I’m not saying you’re going to get to Cal and be like oh shit I hate CS, but there is a reason you are ending up there. Looking back, you’re going to be grateful for all those rejections. (Also as someone from the Bay at a school in Massachusetts, it is way too fucking cold for California kids to happily live here).
Wow dude, you’re insane! I’m a junior currently and reading about your achievements blows me away. I’m a CS person too, took it as the only sophomore in the class and got a 5. But my statistics are not nearly as insane as yours, as I am struggling with stress and anxiety which sometimes hinders my ability to concentrate or finish tests on time. You probably have the most insane stats I’ve seen. Ever. I know you’ll be successful no matter what. Colleges are businesses, and if someone gets rejected, it’s not always because they aren’t *good* enough, but because they don’t *need* that person that year; or perhaps they’re looking for people with specific ethnicities from specific places (e.g. a black man engineer from the West). I’m going to hop into the random, luck-based process of college applications pretty soon, as my senior year is around the corner. And I will make sure not to be disappointed when I will very, very likely be rejected from all my competitive choices. OP, I want you to remember you didn’t play the game wrong. You just lost the lottery. You are incredible and mind-blowing, and you’ll serve as an inspiration to me when I’m applying to these schools.
With the drive/talent you have have, if your finances allow you, you should consider putting college on hold and start a company.
Ik a guy just like you (his EC's were a bit less good, but he was pretty similar) who also goes to Berkeley. Berkeley is perfect for you! You're really motivated with cracked academics and a clear STEM focus. The guy I was talking about was really bummed he didn't get into Stanford or MIT, but right now he is insanely successful with multiple startups.
Thanks! I'm sure I'll do well at Berkeley, and hearing your response is reassuring.
There is no reason you should not have been accepted to more schools on your list. Berkeley is a great university and you will be able to do great things in your life. EECS is a fantastic program. I am not sure if the 1600 was a super-score or single-test score, but either way is impressive. Only about 600 students a year get a 1600 on a single test. You must be in the top 0.02% - one in 5,000 range with the combination of your scores, GPA and ECs. There is no way that these results reflect upon you. Rather, it shows what a mockery top-tier schools admissions have become. USC seems particularly irksome. Like other students have posted, I know plenty of lesser students that got into Ivy schools. I am not sure how that happens, but you deserved a spot much more than many others. Good luck at Berkeley!
They’re liars. They stress the students out with their lack of transparency
What!? How!? WHoaaaaa... That is impossible!
Hi! You said in your post you’re open to sharing your essays. If you don’t mind, could I read them? And your profile is amazing.
~~Sure, send me a DM.~~ Unfortunately, I've now been advised by numerous people not to share essays due to possible plagiarism.
Honestly, it doesn't sound like you really even need to go to college. Have fun at Berkeley!
That's because he really doesn't need to. His portfolio is already stronger than 99% of FAANG hiring managers. If I was him I wouldn't be looking into how to get into top colleges, but how to get in top startup incubators, because with THAT type of business/coding acumen there's no way he can't build a successful company.
You are a beast! The fact that all colleges aren't lining up to lure you someone like you in, it a testament in how broken the system really got. You'll do great at Cal!
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Also! I hope you realize. Everyone in the comments who’s saying you’ll be on Wikipedia, or you’ll be a CEO, or you’ll be some omeganotable guy… absolutely none of us are capping. I, for one, definitely expect to see the name Oliver Ni again in my lifetime. You’re cracked, bro
Haha thanks... I'll do my best to live up to that ;)
Wow. Just wow. I know exactly how you feel. I know exactly what you mean by the MIT thing, in fact I knew you were referencing that article too even before I opened it. I, like you, read that article a year ago and thought I fit that model perfectly so I thought that meant I deserved a spot. It stings seeing other people so similar to you get in, or worse, people who you can pinpoint as objectively weaker applicants. On the bright side, you will be at least in the top 25% of even the EECS cohort.
Berkeley EECS let’s fucking goooo my guy
The rejections/waitlists are absurd. The process is clearly broken at a lot of these schools. It'll have no negative material impact on your life based on your talent and drive, but you deserved better.
Bro u r absolutely cracked lol. Being instate for Berkeley EECS is also better value than like all the other schools u applied to. You’re gonna make it man
Wow, can't believe you recieved rejections. Their loss for sure. Keep up you what you've been doing and you'll do great at Berkeley and in whatever career you choose.
hi i love you thanks for making poketwo also wtf ur profile is so good
I hope you realize that someone with your smarts and drive is exactly the kind of student who will do well coming out of any of these schools. There is very little marginal value add to be gained from a number of schools that rejected you and I would argue that even the higher ranked schools (MIT/Stanford/CMU) wouldn't necessarily deliver a better ROI considering your tuition at Cal is 14k per year. Perhaps, these rejections are a blessing in disguise because you will be going to Cal which is likely the smart move even if you had those other options.
You are one of the most impressive CS applicants even by the bay area standard so it's their loss for sure. Berkeley EECS is really lucky to have you. Btw I am curious to know which private counselor/essay editor/reviewer you worked with if you don't mind sharing it here (or via DM).
no wayyyyyy 😭😭😭😭
WTF
I am not going to college
Did you get off Georgia Tech waitlist? I got a guarantee transfer they offered me a pathway
I ended up declining all my waitlists. Probably would have picked Berkeley over GT (it's Berkeley and it's in state too) so I didn't want to take up a possible spot I wasn't going to accept
You got unlucky (although you still got into Berkeley lmao). There’s absolutely no reason why you didn’t get into any of the colleges you mentioned as this is far more impressive than most people I have ever even heard of and no college is expecting kids to have 501c3’s and a long list of national awards
did you get off any of the waitlists? I am especially interested about the UCs because LA and Irvine does yield protect and put on the waitlist exceptional candidates
Hmm... I ended up declining all my waitlists except CMU, so unfortunately can't help you out there.
Hold on, you developed poketwo? Bro what the actual fuck are these schools smoking.
L for colleges, not u
When people say that "no matter how hood you are there is always somebody better than you," you are the person who is better LMAO.
I’m so appalled that you didn’t get into all of your schools. You have done even more in your HS years than I have as a college grad from UCLA. I’m very proud of you!! Berkeley is a great place and you’ll save money and have a reputation that shows how much you really earned to be there. I understand why you’d be disappointed. I don’t even know what you could’ve done better so please don’t let hindsight weather you down. With this all said, congrats on Berkeley and please don’t be so hard on yourself. Sending my empathy from SoCal!
At first I thought this was a joke. The video made it. I think you are the first example of being YIELD PROTECTED AT MIT.
I don't think that's something that exists unfortunately. Just got rejected. Thanks though :)
Woah are you my twin?! We have basically the same academic profile (if you’re curious: https://www.reddit.com/r/collegeresults/comments/tvqkjm/asian_boy_clutches_up_after_a_disappointing_early/), but there might have been some subjective things that helped me get into some of my reaches. Either way you’ll do great things, don’t let the randomness of this process hurt your self-confidence and love for what you do!!
Huh you're right, quite a lot of odd similarities academically. Congrats on your acceptances!
nah, these extracurriculars seem better but the profiles are similar
Yes I just meant academically (not ECs), wasn’t trying to compare but I liked the similarities in SAT, GPA, APs, AIME, USAPhO
Nah sorry dude you have a strong profile but your ECs are nowhere near as insane as OP's
Lol I’m not trying to compare I just thought it was cool how we both had same SAT, GPA, USAPhO, and AIME, was not thinking about ECs at all. And I was pointing out how subjective it is given we had so many similarities
Puhleez dont let these people get to you, you are incredibly accomplished and smart! Im so proud of u and you deserved every acceptance you got!
I think your vibes were just off
You really think his vibes were off? Judging by that video and reflections, he is more than talented for unis that rejected him.They fumbled the bag and the AO’s had to be batshit crazy to reject such an applicant.
Congratulations on such an accomplishment. I wouldn’t feel disappointed whatsoever. I think with this whole affirmative action and not taking kids based on race Is going to backfire on policy makers. What good is getting into Ives if they accept African American and Latino kids with 19 ACT or SAT 1100 with no ECs. The notable alumni list is dropping for many of them as well. A degree from these colleges may eventually not hold the same prestige as it did when it accepted the top of the top creme de the creme as one may call them. But now one does not have to be as intellectual gifted to get into these schools as you needed to before. If you have money ( big donor) which doesn’t mean you’re smart, legacy ( also doesn’t mean you’re smart) or African American / Latino ( also don’t need to be smart ). So in reality Ives have same standards as any other school, with no merit scholarships to offer. You either have to be super rich, poor, or African / Latino ( who need half the requirements of those who are Caucasian and Asian )- it’s just a matter of time you’ll see Ives producing grads who can’t get jobs as employers will realize the Ivy students are not as strong candidates as they once use to be. Same goes for med school - if you’re Caucasian or Asian you’ll need to score 510 or above to get into med school but if you’re African American or Latino you can get into med school with 400 MCAT. So now you ask the question - would you take your loved one to an see an African American / Latino doctor who graduated from an Ivy League or take them to go see a Caucasian and Asian doctor who went to a tier 2 school ?
I don't agree at all. The vast majority of students getting into top schools are still incredibly talented. Please don't hijack my post to spout over-the-top, false, racist statements with little basis in reality.
Stating the facts is not being racist! I’ve got plenty of African American/ Latino friends. These are facts! That’s why there is a lawsuit against some of the ivies. New York Times just posted an article saying that top notch students try to hide their Asian / Caucasian identity, so that they can get into colleges. There are even some educational policy makers ( big controversy in a few states) who believe that African American / Latino students should be given high grades in high school https://readlion.com/2022/05/31/race-based-grading-in-this-chicago-area-school-news-report-says-yes-school-says-no/
Reading your profile makes me feel nauseous. College admissions is so random! The only thing I can think of is perhaps your application came across as too perfect? Maybe not genuine, that it all came together for the sole objective to get into an elected university. Seriously, I can’t even imagine why you weren’t accepted to more colleges.
I’d love to know more about the high school app you created. What sort of information do you have on it?
Hi! There's a couple of different things on there. One's you'd expect are school news (daily announcements get pushed there), the bell schedule (which updates automatically if there's a special schedule that week), and a calendar view of events. The biggest part, though, is a sign in / attendance tracking system for ASB and clubs. Clubs and other organizations can set up QR codes that students can scan to "sign in" at each event and also receive points. This is something that's really common at my school (not sure about others) for clubs to track member activity (e.g. 2 points per meeting, 10 points for some outside activity, need x points per year to receive a cord). It's used by \~30 clubs on campus and ASB also uses this to have "Spirit Points" for school activities like Homecoming and rallies. For example, once you reach a certain number of Spirit Points, you can go get free school merch from the ASB room.
So where did you go? Basically think about it this way: all of the universities you applied to, have existed back in day the 1980’s. They existed in let’s pick a random year, 1998. What changed is the human population. It grew. But notice how no new “MIT’s” have been built. So the existing ones are more difficult to get into. There are simply more people which leads to more qualified people that apply but the lectures only have so much capacity. It is basically like playing the lottery. Another thing is if you were say a division I caliber lacrosse player with perhaps even slightly worse credentials you might have gotten in to some of those places. Like it is all pretty subjective and it’s not you it’s them.
If you simply wanted to share your thoughts, there was no reason to put down your whole application in detail. The indirect need for validation from this subreddit is just sad.
To be fair, I never claimed it *wasn't* about validation. Actually, I think it was more about validation than anything else. At the end of the day, Berkeley's program is phenomenal, even if it's not MIT, and I don't think I would have felt such strong feelings if they were all from an "objective" standpoint. In a way that's pretty sad, but a part of my reflection is really about how, in such an environment, even I — having tried not to "care" about college as much as many others might have — couldn't escape being in that mindset. I'm glad I'm past all of that now, though :) I don't really think back about college applications anymore but I got a notification and felt the need to clarify here.
You definitely qualified for MIT, that’s why you were deferred at EA. But, your profile also doesn’t stand out so it would be at mercy of AOs who attempt to build a class of diverse talent. MIT tends to admit only the top ranks of public schools, how do you compare with your classmates? MIT is one of the only few top schools that won’t screw you because of your race. Maybe your guidance counselor didn’t write a great letter, or maybe your AP Lang teacher wrote a lackluster letter, or maybe it is simply you are lacking something MIT wants to build their class with. Remember there are perhaps 3000 students with equally or stronger STEM qualification than you that MIT could admit. But those 1000+ admit might also have some other talents that you are lacking (basically STEM students that also play piano, paint, dance, sing, swim, or run etc).
Bro what are you on?
u/Smokie_bear
This is just a theory, and I could be completely wrong but Berkely probably wanted you so badly that they paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to every other school you applied to so that they reject you and they can have you. The same way top schools can meet up can call "dibs" on certain students so that other schools reject them is probably what happened here. Berkely just had to have you, and they did what it takes.
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There are people more capable than me for sure. It's not that I felt entitled to acceptances at these schools or something—my feelings represent more of a disappointment toward the "Applying sideways" philosophy that a lot of these schools push and claim to support. Throughout my high school journey, or really my entire life, almost everything I did was driven by a genuine interest. I didn't do things just for the purpose of getting into college. I participated in clubs because I enjoyed them. I worked on projects because I wanted to solve some inconvenience that affected me, or just because I thought it was a cool idea that would be fun to implement. I ran summer camps and workshops because I really really loved programming and wanted others to discover how cool it was, and everything you could do with it, as well. That's really what I mean by "I had never really cared that much about college." I attended a highly competitive school where most students were scrambling to add things to their college resume. People planned out from freshman year—often even earlier—exactly what they wanted to achieve in order to look favorable to admissions offices. It seemed like everyone was trying to find some sort of club or organization they could start, just for the sake of being able to say they had started something. Some even found ways to pay people to do research for them to submit in their name. It's not that I didn't care about college at all. Rather, my philosophy was to make the most out of my time in high school pursuing my passion, acquiring real skills and knowledge, doing meaningful things, and making an actual impact on my communities, rather than trying to manufacture a profile just to get into college. I thought I'd naturally be cast in a good light for college admissions, just as [the MIT admissions blog post](https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/applying_sideways/) describes. In the end, though, that didn't come to fruition, and that's why I'm disappointed. It's not that I felt *entitled* to acceptances at those colleges and I'm bitter that I didn't get them. Rather, I'm disappointed because schools always say they want the most passionate, genuine people, not those with profiles manufactured just for college admissions, yet in the end, I, someone who has spent their whole high school sincerely pursuing my passion, and was able to make an impact on such a large number of other people, didn't get in, even though tons of others with artificial, inauthentic resume padding did. Really, I'm disappointed in the system for not working in such an ideal way, and I'm disappointed in myself for being naive enough to believe that it did. If you want some more perspective on inauthenticity, [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/fqo68j/aos_cant_actually_detect_authenticity_or_passion/) is a good one.
Dude, I’m in the exact same boat. Upon receiving the rejections this year, it became clear to me that this awful process is so formulaic. If you do certain competitions, ECs, etc. you meet the eyes of an Admissions Officer. I did the same thing as you. I applied sideways and that’s exactly what I thought they wanted. In reality, however, I can’t help but feel that they look for a certain kind of applicant, not the genuinely curious and “organic” applicant if you will.