HarvardCowboy
HarvardCowboy,
Harvard
B.A., Physics
Advice more down-to-earth than my profile pic.
Features Included
10
Essays
14
Schools
11
Scores
8
Advice
9
ECs
1
Sports

Background

Hometown Roanoke, Virginia
GenderMale
EthnicityAsian
Class of2022
First Gen College StudentNo

Results, Essays, and Advice

Accepted
Waitlisted or Withdrew
Denied
  • Harvard University (Cambridge, MA)
  • California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, CA)
  • Duke University (Durham, NC)
  • Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)
  • University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA)
  • Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Blacksburg, VA)
  • University of Toronto (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
  • University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL)
  • Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
  • University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)
  • Stanford University (Stanford, CA)
  • Princeton University (Princeton, NJ)
  • Northwestern University (Evanston, IL)
Tap/click a school logo above to view essays and advice specific to that school.

Harvard University (Cambridge, MA)

Applied for a B.A. in Physics

Accepted and Enrolled Legacy: No

School Specific Essays

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?
Every day, I’m captivated by some new question or query – anything from theories of aging to the fourth dimension. I’m fortunate enough to be able to turn to scientific research, where I can shed light on some of my most burning questions (and hopefully improving lives one day too). However, I wasn’t always this way. I found my endless curiosity in a rather unorthodox manner. When I was young, I was one of those children who never...
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Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
102 Words
Although you may not yet know what you want to major in, which department or program at MIT appeals to you and why?
When I first heard about MIT Media Lab’s Open Agriculture Initiative, OpenAg, I was floored. Open-source programs were all fine and good, but the concept of open-source food was mesmerizing. I was so inspired as to help start an OpenAg initiative at my school. I worked for a year with several other students to improve a food computer’s robotic control system. Intent on making a permanent contribution, we eventually pushed our findings to the OpenAg forum. The next...
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Supplemental Essay: Other
255 Words
At MIT, we bring people together to better the lives of others. MIT students work to improve their communities in different ways, from tackling the world's biggest challenges to being a good friend. Describe one way in which you have contributed to your community, whether in your family, the classroom, your neighborhood, etc.
The summer before senior year, I took multivariable calculus through MIT’s OpenCourseWare so that I could further my research efforts. Now, I’m formally enrolled in multivariable calculus at my school. Wait. What? Why not just take another math course, perhaps at the local community college? Or why not just another class in a different subject altogether? Well, I’m not enrolled in the traditional multivariable calculus course. My teacher, and I, with the consent of the administration, have...
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Supplemental Essay: Other
264 Words
Describe the world you come from; for example, your family, clubs, school, community, city, or town. How has that world shaped your dreams and aspirations?
A subtle, but unavoidable, piece of life in southwest Virginia is the driving. It’s such an integral part of life partly because of the sheer amount of time it takes to go anywhere. Teens around the country rejoice on their sweet-sixteenths as they’re finally handed the coveted keys to freedom, but here, your sixteenth birthday is bittersweet. The freedom of driving comes with the heavy burden of having to drive everywhere. For me, a typical day includes about...
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Supplemental Essay: Extracurricular activity
150 Words
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences
When I first heard about OpenAg I was floored. Open-source programs were all fine and good, but the concept of open-source food was mesmerizing. I jumped at the opportunity to help start an OpenAg initiative at my school. Computer science, controls engineering, plant science, and a reduced human footprint—what better outlet could a young boy with a budding interest in science ask for? OpenAg was my first real foray into science. From abusing duct tape (is that even possible?)...
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Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
506 Words
Scientific exploration clearly excites you. Beyond our 3:1 student-to-faculty ratio and our intense focus on research opportunities, how do you believe Caltech will best fuel your intellectual curiosity and help you meet your goals?
This summer, as part of a project at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Center (VTCRI), I designed a computer simulation of oxygen diffusion through the brain. The approach was to model each cell as a tiny leaky “bucket” and determine the movement of oxygen from bucket to bucket using the laws of physics. Later that summer, I took a leave from VTCRI to work at NASA Langley Research Center. While I was there, I was ecstatic to learn that our...
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Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
312 Words
Other parts of your application give us a sense for how you might contribute to Northwestern. But we also want to consider how Northwestern will contribute to your interests and goals. In 300 words or less, help us understand what aspects of Northwestern appeal most to you, and how you'll make use of specific resources and opportunities here.
My intrepid intrigue in science has always been complimented by a sympathy for the human condition. Simply put, engineering is just that: where science creates solutions. This, coupled with a broad interests across the sciences, led me to try to explore everything under the sun which lends itself to creating potential solutions—from building better ways to grow food to synthesizing an improved way to manage trauma wounds. As a result, I’ve already experienced firsthand how unexpected breakthroughs can...
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Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
677 Words
Cornell Engineering celebrates innovative problem solving that helps people, communities…the world. Consider your ideas and aspirations and describe how a Cornell Engineering education would allow you to leverage technological problem-solving to improve the world we live in.
My intrepid intrigue in science has always been complimented by a sympathy for the human condition. Simply put, engineering is just that: where science creates solutions. This, coupled with my broad interests across the sciences, led me to try to explore everything under the sun which lends itself to creating potential solutions—from building better ways to grow food to synthesizing a better way to manage trauma wounds. As a result, I’ve already experienced firsthand how unexpected breakthroughs can...
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Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay
157 Words
If you are applying to the Pratt School of Engineering as a first year applicant, please discuss why you want to study engineering and why you would like to study at Duke.
My intrepid intrigue in science has always been complimented by a sympathy for the human condition. Simply put, engineering represents just that: where science creates solutions. The choice of pursuing engineering to me was a no-brainer. As a result, I’ve done my best to explore everything under the sun which lends itself to creating potential solutions—from building better ways to grow food to teaching algorithms to locate microfractures in metals. I’ve experienced firsthand how unexpected breakthroughs are...
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Supplemental Essay: Diversity statement
120 Words
General diversity essay submitted all over.
When I was in the third grade, I moved from the Great White North, America’s little brother, Canada. Like all good Canadian children, I was taught French from a young age and of such marvels as the metric system. (To this day, I boast of the superiority of the degree centigrade and adamantly refuse all things Fahrenheit, which besides being difficult to interpret, is impossible to spell.) While my absolute indifference towards the cold comes in handy, what I...
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School Specific Advice

What are opportunities unique to my school
2 Words
ECHOLS....
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Why I ultimately chose my school
14 Words
Blarg. I'd be lying...
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More Essays

These essays haven't been tagged by school. Click school logos above to see tagged essays.

General Admissions Advice

What I’d change about my application process
755 Words
My biggest regret when I applied to schools was definitely my tendency to procrastinate. *START EARLY*. For me, I had finished my early apps (MIT, UChicago, UVA, Virginia Tech) a fair bit before the deadline, but after November 1st, I definitely put my regular apps on the back burner. BIG MISTAKE. Partially, I was already burned out from filling out my early apps, but more damning was that I kind of assumed I would get into one of my reaches (MIT, UChicago), and that I could just coast. Suuuuure they had like 10% acceptance rates, but *no way* I would be...
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My advice about getting recommenders
1 Words
...
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Recommended summer activities during high school and college
1 Words
...
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How I narrowed down my essay topics
42 Words
Use early apps as motivation to do essays. Then realize they're shit. Which...
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What I’d change about my application process
2 Words
MORE...
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What set me apart from other applicants
35 Words
honestly, I don't really know. I'm going to use this...
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High School Performance

Weighted GPA
4.82
(equivalent to 4.00 unweighted)
Rank
Top 1%
 
College Classes In High School
Academic Performance in High School Steady

Test Scores

Highest ACT
36
 
ACT Score Details
 
Other ACT Scores
ACT Prep
Highest SAT
1560
 
SAT Score Details
 
Other SAT Scores
SAT Prep
PSAT Scores

AP / IB Classes and Scores

Details13 classes and scores

Sports

SportsSwimming/Diving

Extracurriculars

ActivitiesResearch, Research, Research, Research, Quiz Bowl/Academic Bowl, Music: Instrumental, Science/Math, Science/Math, Tutoring/Mentoring
Elaborate on Extracurriculars or Work

Experience & Awards

Volunteer Experiences
Awards Received
Application Additional Materials

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