Alrighty, final post on this sub, but imo we kind of got shot for this application cycle. Pro tip: please for the love of god apply to a mix of reaches, targets, and safeties. I somewhat got lucky for this cycle but holy hell was it scary once RD apps came around.
Demographics
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: East Asian
Residence: Not Bay Area, average place.
Hooks: None (not first-gen, legacy, or recruited)
Intended Major(s): Astronomy, Physics, Aerospace Engineering
Academics
GPA: 4.0 unweighted
Class Rank: Not reported (I do know top 5% though)
AP Courses: 14 total (8 scored 5, 1 scored 4, 5 pending senior year)
Honors Courses: 8
Dual Enrollment: 3 College-Level Courses
Course Rigor: Most rigorous available at school
Standardized Testing
ACT: 36 composite (36/36/36/34)
PSAT: 1490 (National Merit Semifinalist)
AP Scores: 5 in CSP, CSA, AP Chem, AP Physics 1, APUSH, AP Calc AB, AP Calc BC, AP Precalc, and a 4 in AP World.
Other Testing: None
Extracurricular Activities
Undergraduate-Level Research Intern (Published)
Conducted transit timing variation (TTV) analysis on an exoplanetary system and contributed as 5th author to a peer-reviewed publication in a research journal. Also analyzing multiple exoplanets.
Research Fellow:
Selected as one of two statewide recipients for a undergraduate physics research fellowship; performed mass constraint modeling on planetary systems using MCMC fitting and TTVFast. Writing a research note, and currently a co-author on a research paper.
NASA SEES Group Leader and First Author:
Extracted parameters for 11 exoplanets using two transit-fitting techniques. SEES Science Symposium lead and Fall Conference poster first author.
Harvard Lab Intern:
Conducted geospatial analysis on U.S.-based telescope data using ArcGIS Pro and Random Forest algorithms to assess the impact of light pollution. Presented at two conferences and earned my certificate.
AGU Bright STaRs Research Intern:
Investigated surface temperature modeling using general circulation models (GCMs). Presented on climate estimation methods at the American Geophysical Union Conference.
NASA Student Launch – Data Scientist & Hardware Engineer:
Utilized Python and Excel to analyze the effectiveness of baffles at mitigating slosh, collaborated to develop SLOSH payload, and team earned NASA Award.
Rocketry Club President & Fundraising Chair:
Connected with multiple outreach organizations to help students learn Rocketry. Raised $9,900 dollars through community fundraising and raking.
Youth Astronomy Instructor – Community Education Program:
Taught 152 Elementary and Middle School Students the solar system, constellations, and exoplanets. Collaborated with community leaders to develop an astronomy curriculum
Student Senate Committee Chair:
Developed newsletters for students to have equitable access to opportunities in the metropolitan area. Created weekly agendas to facilitate communication.
Academic & Career Planning President:
Worked within the school to review and deliver college preparation materials for over 2200 students, maintained a job board for students looking to excel. Furthermore worked with the same organization to organize a symposium for equality.
Awards & Honors
- NASA Student Launch Award
- Selected Fellow (state/national-level research honor)
- Publication in a Reputable Research Journal
- AGU Bright STaRs and NASA SEES Presenter
- Harvard Conference Presenter
Results:
Acceptances:
>!UW-Madison!<
>!Columbia Likely!<
>!Yale w/ YES Scholar!<
Waitlists:
>!Cornell!<
>!Dartmouth!<
>!JHU!<
>!Northwestern!<
>!Caltech!<
>!UChicago!<
>!Princeton!<
Rejections:
>!Harvard!<
>!MIT!<
>!Brown!<
>!Stanford!<