sosostris,
MIT
B.S., Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy major minoring in linguistics with a love for literature. I'll gladly edit essays, give advice on whole process and answer questions about college life here!
Features Included
11
Essays
5
Schools
13
Scores
5
Advice
3
ECs
0
Sports
Results, Essays, and Advice
Accepted
Waitlisted or Withdrew
Denied
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
Applied for a B.S. in Astronomy and Astrophysics
Accepted and Enrolled Legacy: NoSchool Specific Essays
Like any other individual, I am content among my peers. However, “peers” does not simply refer to those in my grade or of my age; instead, they are the people who “never yawn or say a commonplace thing but burn, burn, burn” with an insatiable desire for passion, compassion, and… (Kerouac) I used to believe peers were merely those who shared my thirst for understanding. Academic Competition, a class devoted to learning for the sake of knowledge, seemed nothing short...Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay545 WordsScientific exploration clearly excites you (otherwise you wouldn’t be applying to Caltech). What is it about Caltech’s opportunities and resources that will best fuel your intellectual curiosity and develop your passion for science, technology, math or engineering? (500) Via science, the world transforms into a place full of wonder and reason; things either make sense in fantastic ways or beg further research. I long for the best opportunity to cultivate my interest in STEM, especially across the physical sciences. ...Supplemental Essay: “Why us” school essay397 WordsHow does the University of Chicago, as you know it now, satisfy your desire for a particular kind of learning, community, and future? Please address with some specificity your own wishes and how they relate to UChicago. (500) At Disneyland, I struck up conversation with a UChicago alum; he said, “You’re reading Ibsen at the Tower of Terror—you’d fit right in.” While other places could conceivably facilitate my academic and social development, the opportunities at UChicago would optimize...Supplemental Essay: Unique question posed by school377 WordsShare with us a few of your favorite books, poems, authors, films, plays, pieces of music, musicians, performers, paintings, artists, blogs, magazines, or newspapers. Feel free to touch on one, some, or all of the categories listed, or add a category of your own. (500) In my younger and more vulnerable years, I read the obligatory sci-fi and fantasy repertoire, from Dune to The Silmarillion. These amazingly complete universes each provided insight into humankind's potential ability, putting our existence into perspective....Supplemental Essay: Strong beliefs/principles101 WordsA close friend asked to “see” my homework; I said no. The true dilemma followed: how should my opinion of him change? Initially, I was shocked by his request, disillusioned by his dismissal of my subsequent reproach, and repulsed that even the people who earned my respect would sacrifice integrity for a mere ten points. Yet as time passed, I decided not to hold it against him. All people make mistakes. Perfection is an unreasonable standard; the world is not...Supplemental Essay: Diversity statement224 WordsSaying "I'm weird" is not a unique statement, but no two people have the same idiosyncrasies. The application thus far has been relatively serious. While I am passionate about learning, teaching and science, focus should balance with fun. The following is a rehashing of anecdotes about me: I absorb trivia and memorize (understandably pointless) information for fun; for instance, I can write the periodic table (without masses) in 75 seconds, and know too much taxonomy. I'm the person who walks into...Supplemental Essay: Unique question posed by school835 WordsIn a famous quote by José Ortega y Gasset, the Spanish philosopher proclaims, "Yo soy yo y mi circunstancia" (1914). José Quintans, master of the Biological Sciences Collegiate Division at the University of Chicago, sees it another way: "Yo soy yo y mi microbioma" (2012). You are you and your...? -Maria Viteri, Class of 2016 (500 recc) De niña, yo no era yo. Being myself was once difficult. I still constantly find myself mirroring others and adapting to the situation at hand. With...Supplemental Essay: Issue of personal significance284 WordsTell us about the most significant challenge you've faced or something important that didn't go according to plan. How did you manage the situation? (200-250) For a while, National Science Bowl epitomized failure. Firstly, I never answered questions despite knowing the answer, due to an irrational fear of being wrong. I convinced myself that someone else on the team knew better, unwilling to take the responsibility for success or failure. Secondly, losing was painful. As altruistic as others may consider...Supplemental Essay: Issue of personal significance276 Words____ students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development. (250 word limit.) Many people deplore the idea of reading. However, whether for school or a hobby, it has had the greatest influence on my intellectual development. For a time, endless cycles of suffering and other weighty topics were an enigma; books brought up ideas that I was too immature to fully comprehend. For instance, Waiting for Godot featured characters whose problems...Supplemental Essay: Issue of personal significance606 Words“How do I get the answer to this?” is possibly the most frequently asked question of me. Frankly, I used to be annoyed that so many classmates—many whom I didn’t even know that well—would demand that I teach them how to solve a problem. Not until when I stood in front of my Calculus AB class earnestly explaining the relationship between Riemann sums and integrals, the chalk flying across the board and my verbal and visual skills...Supplemental Essay: Other249 WordsI read a lot of college essays, and most of them have the same problem. I get a lot of set-up. They describe the scene really well, e.g. if talking about climbing Mount Everest [an exaggerated example], they would write, 'the wind swirled around me. Snow was everywhere; the cold stung me to my core as I reached out towards my goal. My fingers stretched towards the summit, over the gaping chasm below' et cetera, and they build all...School Specific Advice
What I like about my school’s location and culture224 WordsI like the fact that I moved from the west to east cost. The culture in the community is fairly different, from crossing the streets when the sign says otherwise to a generally more hurried atmosphere. Here, the trees actually change color in the fall! The weather is surely something you’ll be cautioned against, but I don’t mind it. The change of pace is definitely...The stress level and competitiveness of a typical student at my school99 WordsMIT & Caltech sound like a hard places. And they are. But at the end of the day, it's as stressful as you make it for yourself. It's up to you...
More Essays
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General Admissions Advice
How to increase chances at my school563 WordsI read a lot of college essays, and most of them have the same problem. I get a lot of set-up. They describe the scene really well, e.g. if talking about climbing Mount Everest [an exaggerated example], they would write, 'the wind swirled around me. Snow was everywhere; the cold stung me to my core as I reached out towards my goal. My fingers stretched towards the summit, over the gaping chasm below' et cetera, and they build all this up, and then...they close with a sentence or paragraph of how life changing it was 'and I learned...List of schools I interviewed with and my interview experience113 WordsAn interview is not a scary thing. The interviews I had were fairly different. At MIT, I felt a little bit like I was regurgitating my application. At UChicago, I had an actual conversation,...My advice about getting recommenders538 WordsI had a lot of potential recommenders – like most everyone. There was my Chinese school teacher, my school teachers, my coach, etc. Ultimately, I had three – one from an 11th grade AP English teacher, one from my science bowl coach, and one from my math teacher of two years. My science bowl coach knew about how industrious I was; the English teacher provided a non-STEM picture of me, and my math teacher honestly didn’t know me very well outside of the classroom. All three wrote exaggeratedly wonderful letters, praising me far more than I deserve. (This is also part...
High School Performance
High School TypePublicWeighted GPA4.50RankTop 1%
College Classes In High School
Academic Performance in High School Steady
Explanation of Low Grades
Test Scores
Original SAT Score2370Highest SAT1590on 1600 scaleHighest SAT2370SAT Score Details
Other SAT ScoresSAT Prep
PSAT Scores
AP / IB Classes and Scores
Details11 classes and scores
Sports
Extracurriculars
ActivitiesQuiz Bowl/Academic Bowl, Science Club/Team, Tutoring/Mentoring
Experience & Awards
How Spent Summers
Volunteer Experiences
Awards Received
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