STATS + EXTRACURRICULARS that got me into Duke, Brown, UPenn, and more (SAT, GPA, awards, etc)

Main ideas / concepts (what the video is about)

• The speaker walks through their high school stats and extracurriculars and how that connects to the college application process.
• They share concrete application outcomes, including:
  • number of schools applied to
  • acceptances
  • waitlists
  • rejections
• They explain how they ended up committing to Duke after being originally waitlisted.
• They detail their Common App profile, including:
  • School context (private school, no IB, minimal AP, unweighted GPA, no class rank)
  • Course grades by year
  • Which standardized test scores they submitted
  • Awards timeline
  • Extracurricular activities (how they were described and sequenced)
  • Use of the “Additional Information” section to explain gaps/placements and add context

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Application results / outcomes

• Applied to 28 colleges total.
• Results:
  • 14 accepted
  • 7 waitlisted
  • 7 rejected
• Committed to Duke University
  • The speaker was originally waitlisted at Duke
  • They sent a letter of continued interest and an additional recommendation letter
  • They were removed from the waitlist
• They mention they originally committed to Johns Hopkins, then re-committed to Duke after being accepted

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Common App demographic / school profile (as submitted)

• Language:
  • Fluent in English and Spanish, both as a first language
• High school:
  • K–12 private school in Worcester, Massachusetts
  • Approx. 50 students per grade; ~200 students total
  • Not boarding, not religious
  • No IB curriculum
  • Minimal AP offerings
  • No class rank
  • No weighted GPA (unweighted only)
• GPA:
  • Unweighted GPA: 3.851

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Classes and grades (coursework highlights)

Freshman year (selected courses)

• AP Spanish — A
• Chemistry — A
• History — A
• Freshman seminar (past/fail type class) — passed
• Honors Geometry — A-
• English — A-
• PE — A

Sophomore year (selected courses)

• Advanced Spanish — A
• AP Chemistry — B
• Biology — A
• History — A
• Honors Algebra 2 — B+
• English — A-

Junior year (selected courses; “more locked in”)

• Advanced US History — A
• AP Bio — A
• AP Computer Science — A
• AP English Language — A
• Honors Pre-Calculus — A
• Mandarin 1 — A
• Science and Engineering Inquiry (science fair / experiment design) — A

Senior year (first semester = what colleges received)

• AP English Literature — A
• AP Physics C — A-
• AP Calculus BC — A
• Advanced Global Seminar (history) — A
• Science and Engineering Inquiry — A
• Psychology 1 — A
• World Religions and Cultures (history elective) — A
• They state they took most/all APs offered by their school

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Standardized tests submitted

• Took the SAT 3 times
• Submitted 2 tests for a super score of 1530:
  • 750 English
  • 780 Math
• Submitted three AP test scores (plus noted planned APs):
  • AP Spanish — 4
  • AP English Language — 4
  • AP Bio — 4
• Also took planned APs that year (not necessarily submitted):
  • AP Lit, AP Physics, AP Calc BC

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Awards (grouped as they described them)

• All awards were from 11th grade or early 12th grade (before applications). 1. Coca-Cola Scholar Semifinalist (12th grade)
  • Women in STEM Scholarship from RIT (11th grade) 2. Junior Scholar Award (top three students of junior year)
  • KUM LAUD Society induction (both junior year) 3. Junior History Award (top junior history student) 4. ALA Massachusetts Girls State — Town Moderator (one-week summer program) 5. AP Scholar with Distinction
  • National Top School Recognition (both 11th grade, College Board)

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Extracurricular activities (Common App list + descriptions)

The speaker lists activities, emphasizing time span, leadership, and impact, and includes sequencing (which grades they did each).

Activity 1 (most time/most meaningful)

• Business Operations Fellow — Seaside Sustainability (10th–12th grade)
  • Joined as an intern, promoted to fellow
  • Managed business team and interns
  • Focus: business operations, securing sponsors, outreach
  • Listed as #1 because it took the most time and mattered most

Activity 2

• Student Government / Activities Board Representative & Head
  • 10th–11th grade: Activities Board representative (through elections)
  • 12th grade: head of the club/board via schoolwide election
  • Activities Board responsibilities: planning school events (e.g., homecoming, class competitions, carnival)
  • Also hosted assemblies with the Student Council president

Activity 3

• Environmental — Marketing National Coordinator, “Fridays for Future” (11th–12th grade)
  • International climate/environment advocacy group
  • Managed national social media
  • Helped smaller chapters with social media toolkits to set up accounts

Activity 4

• Environmental — Head of Environmental Club at school (11th–12th grade)
  • Led schoolwide sustainability efforts
  • Implemented recycling, ran earth events
  • Created educational materials for the upper school

Activity 5

• Internship — Summer internship in Senator Robin Kennedy’s office (summer before senior year)
  • Attended state governmental events
  • Did research on bills
  • Handled administrative tasks

Activity 6

• Club leadership — Head of Big Buddies Club (10th–12th grade)
  • Matched freshman/new students with “big buddies” based on interests
  • Organized community activities throughout the year

Activity 7

• Paid work — multiple part-time jobs (9th–12th grade)
  • Grouped all jobs into one entry; listed each workplace with the year(s)

Activity 8

• Board member — teen advisory board, local public library (10th–12th grade)
  • Met bi-weekly to plan library/town events (e.g., fall fest)

Activity 9

• Sports — varsity swim/soccer/track & field (sporadically; 9th, 11th, 12th)
  • Listed collectively
  • Varsity participation because school lacked JV due to smaller size

Activity 10

• Admissions ambassador (school outreach) — 9th–12th grade
  • Hosted tours for prospective families
  • Helped at open houses

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Common App “Additional Information” (what they used it for)

They argue people debate whether it’s good to use, but they used it when it added relevant context. They included:

• Language course scheduling change
  • Could not take Mandarin 2 due to scheduling conflict
  • Took World Religions instead
• Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) courses
  • 3 ungraded courses, over junior year and the following summer
  • Topics:
    • Unqu (neurological disorders)
    • Law and Justice; Race Rights and Reform
    • Economics of Everyday Decisions
• Volunteer experience (with organization details and start times)
  • Refugee tutor — “Forging Opportunities for Refugees in America” (since 11th grade)
  • American Red Cross blood drive ambassador (since 10th grade)
  • Volunteer with URB in Puerto Rico (since 9th grade)
    • Designed URB’s new website
    • Did in-person projects during time there
• Detailed explanation of science fair / research project
  • From their Science and Engineering Inquiry class
  • Planning to present at Wister regional science fair in March
  • Project summary:
    • Genetically modify Arabidopsis thaliana to reduce susceptibility to drought
    • Test EPF2 and TMM T-DNA mutant insertion line seeds
    • Compare growth vs. control across three drought-replicating environments
    • Junior year: wrote the proposal in second semester
    • Began experimentation summer before senior year
    • Continue experimenting and collecting results across the next two semesters

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Methodology / advice & tips (explicit “how to think about it” guidance)

1) Don’t over-apply

• They applied to:
  • 20 colleges on Common App
  • 3 on UC application
  • 5 on Coalition application
• Their regret:
  • They felt the Coalition application was unnecessary
  • Applying to too many platforms caused last-minute panic
• Recommendation:
  • Generally, you don’t need more than 20 if you have strong reaches/targets/safeties
  • Prefer 10 strong applications over 30 mediocre/low-effort ones
  • Choose a number of schools you can give enough time and energy to; otherwise burnout is likely

2) Start early (especially essays and supplementals)

• Colleges release essay prompts in August (before senior year)
• Recommendation:
  • Work through the summer before senior year
  • Aim to have:
    • Common App essay “pretty much done”
    • Early supplemental materials mostly completed
• Rationale:
  • Senior year can be more stressful than expected
  • Finishing early reduces pressure when first-semester senior grades become final
  • Writing earlier enables revision (draft → revisit with “fresh eyes”)
  • Helps prevent losing track of what the prompt is asking

3) It’s okay to “start later” in high school

• Pushback on the idea you must be “locked in” from day one
• Recommendation:
  • Don’t stress if most meaningful activities/awards happen in junior and senior year
  • Growth over time isn’t automatically penalized; colleges evaluate the overall story and trajectory

4) Understand each application platform’s workload

• Check what each school uses (Common App vs UC vs school-specific portals)
• Example concern:
  • UC application can be a lot of work if you’re only applying to one UC school—worth it only if it’s a top priority

5) Self-compassion and realism

• Recommendation:
  • Don’t be too hard on yourself; you don’t need your entire life figured out by age 17–18
  • Avoid over-romanticizing a single school
• They describe:
  • Rejection from a “number one” felt devastating
  • Later realizing luck and factors beyond effort play a major role

6) Don’t let applications consume your last year completely

• Recommendation:
  • Stay present with friends and enjoy your senior year
  • College applications are consuming—try not to let them take over all time

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Speaker / sources featured

Speaker

• Unidentified single speaker (main person narrating their stats and experience; not named in the subtitles)

Organizations / programs mentioned

• Common App
• UC application
• Coalition application
• Duke University
• Johns Hopkins University
• Georgetown University
• MIT
• Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY)
• College Board (AP Scholar / AP scores; “National Top School Recognition”)
• Coca-Cola Scholar program
• Women in STEM Scholarship (RIT)
• KUM LAUD Society
• ALA Massachusetts Girls State
• Seaside Sustainability (nonprofit)
• Fridays for Future (international climate/environment advocacy group)
• Big Buddies club (school program)
• Local public library teen advisory board
• Senator Robin Kennedy’s office
• American Red Cross
• URB (Puerto Rico nonprofit)
• Forging Opportunities for Refugees in America
• Wister regional science fair