Update as of 1/1/2026: I applied single-choice early action to Princeton and was rejected. That’s arguably a bad sign relative to a deferral, however I think the rejection rate was pretty high (higher than past years). I am not applying EDII anywhere, so everything else is regular decision.

I am selecting electrical engineering as my major of interest everywhere, or physics at schools with no engineering.

Essays: I think my essays are pretty good, I’ve put a lot of time in them. However, I’m not an exceptional writer so they’re probably not perfect.

Letters of recommendation: I think these should be quite strong, my teachers really like me.

Arts portfolio: at most schools with offer it, I’m submitting a classical voice arts portfolio.

I am a senior living in Illinois, and will be applying to colleges this fall.

A school will resolve yes if I am accepted. This includes if I am accepted conditionally, or off of the waitlist, or only in a “second-choice” major. No matter how I am accepted, it will resolve yes.

It will resolve no if I am rejected.

It will resolve N/A if I choose not to apply.

Here is some information about me. I will add anything else that may be relevant if people ask in the comments:

1590 SAT (800 reading, 790 math).

36 ACT.

4.0 unweighted GPA, 4.767 weighted.

I’m probably ranked around 4 in a class of ~350.

I have taken the following AP classes, and received 5s on all of them: calculus BC, physics 1 and 2, chemistry, language and composition, US history, world history, macroeconomics, human geography.

extracurriculars:

science Olympiad all years of high school, last year our team got second place in state. I received gold medals in materials science and robotics event. However our school is in the A division, which is less competitive than the AA division.

I sing in multiple choirs, and the school a cappella group. I have qualified for the statewide high school honors choirs multiple years. I also perform in musicals at school, and have gotten a couple of lead roles.

I have done some volunteering through habitat for humanity and other organizations. A bit more than 100 total hours last year.

I do some other stuff, but those are the most noteworthy things.

Context:

I am half white, half Asian. Male. Both my parents went to college and my dad is a professor. We are pretty well-off, but not super rich (~90th percentile income).

On the other hand, I go to a very diverse Title I public school, which means that we have many low-income students. So there isn’t a lot of funding, less attention is payed to higher achieving students, fewer opportunities available, etc.

Overall: basically the vibe is I’m smart and test very well, but haven’t done anything super super impressive.