I told my story of acceptance, but didn’t explain how it happened. I shared my story and my feelings about it, but never my statistics or extracurriculars. I received many comments about how I got accepted and juniors were asking for my advice. So I decided to create another video instead of commenting 20 times on the same topic.
I suppose I should start off by stating my stats. This is what everyone wants. I was in 8th percentile when I applied for Wash U. My unweighted grade point average was a 3.9%. It was not my GPA that worried me, it was rather my ACT when I was applying to prestigious universities like WashU or the University of Southern California. The average ACT in Wash U was about a 33. Mine was a 28. It didn'’t look like my score would be enough to get into a university like Wash U. That scared me, so I never applied. You can watch my video to see why.
The stats I have are pretty good, but not good enough. I’ll explain how I believe I got in to Wash U. I wrote my essays. I believe and truly believe that the essays I wrote, their style, and the topic they covered, was what got me into this university. Extracurricular activities are important too. They want you to be seen as an individual and not just another number.
It’s okay, because there are a lot people who apply to this school with grades such as a 35.6 on the ACT, a 5.0 GPA and an almost perfect SAT. The students have the scores. But how do they decide which ones to accept? The essays are the deciding factor. My application was successful because I focused on the essays I wrote. The workshop told me that I should write my essays like I do. So I did. The Common App one at least is personal. I am willing to share my Wash U essay. My Common App essay is the one I will start with because I believe it is much better than my Wash U specific essay. It is also the essay that I wrote for Vanderbilt, where I was wait-listed.
The essay I wrote helped me a lot. For example, the topic is my brother.
“Ma'am, Ma'am? “You cannot be here!” shouted the unfamiliar voice. A stranger in monochrome scrubs and gloves suddenly woke me up. I immediately jumped from my chair and hurried out. I heard the curtain slide across the bar in the ceiling and watched the society’s door close. The constant movement in the room was very annoying. I was glad that my brother took so much drugs.
I’m so grateful that my brother had a lot of drugs. My mom received the call on Sunday, May 6, 2008. I saw her face turn completely black. She rambled on about what my brother Manny did, but she left the room before I understood.
Manny tried suicide. She only told the story at the hospital. Manny was staying with my grandparents for a few weeks because he was stressed out from college. Then one morning as he ate breakfast, my grandmother told him she was going to church. She invited him but he refused. So my grandmother left and said goodbye.
She decided to go home straight after church because she felt uneasy.
She drove to her garage, entered the code and then opened it. My brother was hanging on the ceiling. It is impossible to describe how I felt after hearing the news.
I felt numb. Time froze. The paramedics were able to revive the man moments later. In the intensive care unit, I was left alone with my thoughts for the next few months. Life continued as usual. Despite this, life continued. I had daily obligations to fulfill, including schoolwork, so I miraculously continued to study during the last few weeks of my junior years. While studying for an exam or balancing chemistry equations, I spent every day at the bedside of one of his doctors. I also became friends with some nurses and discovered that a certified nurse assistant was just accepted to medical school.
Every time I visited my father, I saw how he was able to complete his career and help others. I turned my anger towards work into something positive, even in the midst of this awful situation. My work was my focus, not my grief. Watching medicine take place in front of my eyes showed me that my schooling had truly prepared me for greatness. The daily lives of real healthcare professionals convinced me to pursue a medical career. I pictured my brother’s long recovery and imagined that one-day I could take care of patients in the same way as my brother.
It was an essay for the Common App. This was my Common App essay. So they are looking for a drive in you. The prompt for the essay that I wrote for WashU will be inserted here. Let’s now read the next essay:
“Every song I listen, my feelings are synced. The lyrics and rhythm control my heartbeat. And the bass pumps energy into my entire body. I turn up the music as loud as possible and sing along to every note, until my sibling tells me that it’s time for them to go sleep. The songs I listened to at that time trigger many of my fondest memories. I’m always finding new songs, and claiming them as my favorite. Later I realize that I was wrong when I found one which made me experience unexplainable emotions.
It is usually the voice of the singer that makes me fall in love with a certain song. Each song is unique because it has different vocals. To me, it is incredible how distinct voices can be produced that flow seamlessly together. It is almost daily that I watch videos on YouTube where vocal coaches analyze the tone of a voice and all other small aspects. It’s funny to compare my career goal, which is to become a doctor, with my primary hobby, singing. My goal is to study medicine in college, but most of the time I find myself trying to hit a note while in showers or in libraries. The two passions I have for music and studying in the library somehow merge when I start questioning why it makes me feel that way.
I wonder for instance why sad or rap songs make me sadder. Why pop music brings a smile to my face? These are just some of the many questions I have every time I hear a new song. I can’t believe how many nuances I learn about a particular song after listening to it 100 times. Since it is so easy to sing songs without really understanding the lyrics, I analyze each word and figure out why the singer chose to use that particular phrase. Although I cannot fully understand what the artist intended to say, I can still interpret them however I please. This allows me to relate any song I hear to my life. Music is beautiful to me because it can express feelings more effectively than words when there are no other people around.
This was pretty cheesy. Hopefully you got a good idea of what it should sound like. I watched some videos before and there was always a strong message at its end. You want your essay sounding like you, so you should write it with your heart and mind. The main message I want to convey to you is that you should be unique and not try too hard to be yourself. That’s my biggest piece of advice. Just be yourself in your essays. When you apply to WashU or me, your essays are the most important.
This is more or less like me reading one of my essays. But it shows that statistics are important, but not the most important factor to determine if you’ll get into a university. That’s all I have to say. Hello guys, if I can answer any of your questions, leave a comment below.
