How I got into Harvard + more (Brown, UPenn, Cornell, Vanderbilt, etc.)
Summary
TLDRIn this video, Kayen shares their high school academic journey, detailing their rigorous course load including multiple AP classes, their GPA progression, and top 10 ranking. They discuss SAT and ACT scores, emphasizing the improvement to a 1510 SAT and a 34 ACT. Kayen also highlights various honors and awards, their extracurricular activities showcasing leadership in the Black Student Union and Math Honor Society, and their character-building experiences in sports and part-time jobs. The summary of their Common App extracurriculars and the significance of their work at McDonald's and Buffalo Wild Wings rounds out the overview.
Takeaways
- 🎓 Kayen, the channel host, applied to five IVs and got into four, emphasizing the importance of a strong academic and extracurricular profile.
- 🏫 Kayen attended a public school in North Georgia, debunking rumors about attending a private school, which is a common misconception among viewers.
- 📚 Throughout high school, Kayen took a rigorous course load, including one AP as a freshman, two APs as a sophomore, and seven APs as a junior, showcasing a commitment to academic excellence.
- 🔢 Kayen had a high GPA of 4.45 at the time of application and improved to a 4.6 by the end of senior year, ranking 8th out of 620 students initially and moving up to 4th by graduation.
- 📝 Kayen took both the SAT and ACT, achieving a 1510 on the SAT and a 34 on the ACT, with the latter being the score sent to colleges due to its higher range.
- 🏅 The host received various honors, including a Certificate of Honor in mathematics and social studies, and was a National Merit Commended Student, highlighting academic achievements.
- 🏆 Kayen and a friend won third place at the HOSA State Leadership Conference for mental health promotion, demonstrating involvement in extracurricular activities.
- 💼 Kayen held leadership positions in the Black Student Union and Math Honor Society, and was a varsity athlete and cheerleader, showing a well-rounded profile with diverse interests.
- 📊 Kayen volunteered in data research and analysis for a local business initiative, indicating community involvement and a proactive approach to learning outside of school.
- 🍟 The host's experience working at McDonald's and Buffalo Wild Wings was noted by admissions officers, suggesting that resilience and work ethic are valued in college applications.
- 📝 Kayen's application included a detailed resume and thoughtful descriptions of activities, emphasizing the importance of storytelling and context in presenting one's experiences.
Q & A
What is the name of the channel host?
-The channel host's name is Kayen.
Why did the video take a month to make according to Kayen?
-Kayen apologizes for the delay, attributing it to the hardships of life, without specifying the exact reasons.
Where does Kayen go to school?
-Kayen attends a public school in North Georgia.
How many AP classes did Kayen take in their freshman year?
-Kayen took only one AP class, AP Human, during their freshman year.
What is the significance of the 'ab+bc' course in Kayen's school?
-The 'ab+bc' course is AP Calculus AB and BC offered within semester portions, and it can be counted as either six or seven AP classes.
Did Kayen take any classes at a community college?
-Yes, Kayen enrolled in Psychology, Government, and Economics at a local community college.
What was Kayen's GPA when applying to schools?
-Kayen's GPA when applying to schools was 4.45.
What standardized tests did Kayen take?
-Kayen took both the SAT and ACT, twice each.
Which test scores did Kayen submit to schools?
-Kayen submitted their ACT score of 34 to schools, but listed both SAT and ACT scores on the Common App.
What is the significance of the 'Certificate of Honor' in Kayen's application?
-The 'Certificate of Honor' signifies academic excellence in specific subjects and was one of the first honors listed by Kayen.
What extracurricular activity was most important to Kayen?
-The most important extracurricular activity to Kayen was their involvement with the Black Student Union, where they served as President.
What job did Kayen have during high school?
-Kayen worked at Buffalo Wild Wings and previously at McDonald's during high school.
What was the role of the 'data research and analysis volunteer' position?
-As a data research and analysis volunteer, Kayen helped local businesses by providing advice on reaching out to students based on data analysis.
What did Kayen win at the HOSA State Leadership Conference?
-Kayen and a friend won third place at the HOSA State Leadership Conference for mental health promotion.
Why did Kayen list 'historian of Rho Pi Rho' last in their extracurricular activities?
-Kayen listed it last because they didn't do much in that role, but it still showed leadership and involvement.
How did Kayen's work experience at McDonald's impact their college application?
-The work experience at McDonald's was seen as character-building by admissions officers and was highlighted in their application.
What was the name of the social media campaign Kayen co-founded?
-The social media campaign Kayen co-founded was called 'Breaking the Silence'.
Outlines
📚 Academic Journey and Test Scores
The speaker, Kayen, introduces themselves and provides an overview of their academic background, including the classes taken throughout high school, with a focus on Advanced Placement (AP) courses. They mention attending a public school in North Georgia and clarify misconceptions about their educational background. The summary includes their GPA progression from 4.45 to 4.6 and their ranking among peers. Additionally, Kayen discusses their SAT and ACT scores, highlighting their initial disappointment and subsequent improvement, ultimately submitting a 34 on the ACT to universities.
🏆 Honors and Awards
This paragraph details Kayen's academic honors and extracurricular achievements. They list various certificates of honor received in mathematics, social studies, and AP Calculus, emphasizing their commitment to academic excellence. Kayen also mentions winning third place at the HOSA State leadership conference, a mental health promotion campaign, and receiving the Compassion, Ownership, and Noble Character Award twice. They highlight their National Merit Commended Student status and the significance of these honors in showcasing their character and well-roundedness.
🏃♂️ Extracurricular Activities and Leadership Roles
Kayen outlines their extracurricular activities, starting with their role as President of the Black Student Union and Treasurer for two years, highlighting their passion and leadership in promoting inclusivity and change within the school community. They also served as President of the Math Honor Society, showcasing their dedication to their intended major. Athletic involvement in track and field and varsity cheerleading is mentioned, along with a job at Buffalo Wild Wings and Vice President of Social Media for FCCA, demonstrating a balance of work, sports, and leadership. Kayen's volunteer work in data research and analysis for local businesses and their two-year tenure at McDonald's are also included, emphasizing the development of character and resilience.
🌐 Social Impact and Honor Societies
The final paragraph discusses Kayen's involvement in social initiatives and honor societies. They co-founded a social media campaign called 'Breaking the Silence' for a HOSA competition, aiming to raise awareness on mental health. Additionally, Kayen served as Historian for Rho Pi Rho, a social studies Honor Society, indicating a continued commitment to academic and social leadership roles throughout high school.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡AP Classes
💡GPA
💡SAT and ACT
💡Honors
💡Extracurriculars
💡Black Student Union
💡Math Honor Society
💡Track and Field
💡Cheerleading
💡Volunteer Work
💡McDonald's
Highlights
Kayen introduces their channel and apologizes for the delayed video release due to life's challenges.
Clarification of attending a public school in North Georgia, dispelling rumors of a private school education.
Detailed account of the rigorous AP courses taken throughout high school, including seven APs in junior year.
Mention of enrolling in college-level courses through a local community college and a special program at Georgia Tech.
High school GPA of 4.45 at application time, ranking eighth out of 620 students, which improved to fourth by graduation.
Experience with SAT and ACT exams, including initial and improved scores, with a final ACT score of 34 being submitted to colleges.
Description of various honors received, such as Certificate of Honor in Mathematics and being a National Merit Commended Student.
Extracurricular activities listed on the Common App, emphasizing leadership roles and community involvement.
Leadership roles in the Black Student Union and Math Honor Society, showcasing commitment and passion.
Involvement in athletics as a four-year Varsity track and field athlete and a three-year varsity cheerleader.
Work experience at Buffalo Wild Wings and McDonald's, highlighting the development of character and work ethic.
Volunteer work in data research and analysis for local businesses, demonstrating community engagement.
Co-authorship of a student poetry book, a creative accomplishment resulting from participation in a club competition.
Vice presidency of social media for FCCA, indicating a role in leading and organizing within the school community.
Co-founding a social media campaign for a HOSA competition, showing initiative and public health awareness.
Historian role in Rho Psi Rho, a social studies Honor Society, indicating minimal involvement but leadership recognition.
Admissions officers' interest in work experience and extracurricular activities, as evidenced by emails and scholarship inquiries.
Offer to answer questions and provide advice via social media, showing Kayen's commitment to helping others with their college applications.
Transcripts
hi everyone welcome back to my Channel
or welcome to my channel if you're new
my name is kayen and this is the stats
EC's and awards that got me into four
out of the five IVs that I appli
to I'm just going to be honest this
video was not supposed to take me a
month to make so I apologize to all of
you that have like had to reach out to
me and ask me about it I'm life is hard
sometimes okay just some context I go to
school I live in Georgia I go to school
in North Georgia I go to a public school
in North Georgia a lot of people were
just like claiming I went to private
school I go to public school so
hopefully that helps with all this
information I'm about to drop on y'all
okay let's start with all the classes
that I took so starting my freshman year
high school these are all the classes I
took I only took one AP I took AP human
that's all that we were allowed to take
freshman year some schools are like that
some schools are different but I was
only allowed to take one AP in my
freshman year moving on to my sophomore
year schedule I took two APS AP Bio and
AP world
and it is what it
is and junior year this is where it gets
crazy I took seven sl6 APS at my school
we had a course called abbc which is AP
Calculus ABN BC offered within like
semester portions
so some people count that as 6 AP some
people count that as seven technically
it's seven
but there's kind of all you need to know
about that editing Kaden here I
literally completely forgot to talk
about my senior year classes as a whole
so I'm going to put them right
here I do want to touch on I do enrolled
through my local Community College I do
enrolled psych I do enrolled gov and I
do unroll econ gov and econ were two
things I need to graduate and I was not
taking them I was not taking two AP
classes like I was not adding that to my
senior year schedule hello no so I do
enrolled them and then py I just do roll
cuz they were like you can't do G and
Eon in the same semester I like okay
whatever so that's that and then my math
class I did a do enrollment program
which is basically if you're on like
this accelerated math program in Georgia
you can like you have the opportunity to
apply to Georgia Tech to do enroll
multivariable calculus and linear
algebra and I was accepted thankfully
but it's not like as prestigious as you
may think there's like 700 maybe 600 700
kids in it in Georgia but it's pretty
cool I put that on my applications I
think it's pretty impressive to take in
such a high Lev math class at my age so
put that on there too so if that's what
you're wondering that's what that is so
taking all those
courses before I applied my GPA was a
4.45 and then at the end of my senior
year my GPA was a
4.6 so really 4.45 is probably what you
need to know cuz that's when I was
applying to schools and stuff I used
that GPA and then with that GPA I was
ranked number eight out of like 620 kids
which it is what it is but I was not vow
I wasn't S I wasn't close but I did I
did end up moving up to number four at
the end of the year but I was number
eight when I applied okay so test scores
I took both the SAT and ACT twice the
first time I took the SAT I took at the
beginning of my junior year and I got
a
1350 um I'm not going to say much about
that 1350 is not a bad score at all but
a lot of the people around me did a lot
better and I was was pretty discouraged
I won't lie to you but I did end up
taking it again and then like a week
after I took the SAT the first time I
took the act for the first time and then
I got boom I got a 30 and this was like
again I wasn't unhappy with my score but
a lot of people were doing better than
me and competition is a thing so I was
like let's let's get on that grind so I
come back at the end of my junior year
and I took the again and I felt really
bad about it honestly but I went on like
a cruise the week before too and I
didn't have much time to study so
I I was on C Academy but I wasn't doing
much but I will say what I think helped
me the most is I went through all the
Concepts on cond Academy I don't even
know if they have these anymore cuz like
digital SAT but I went through all the
individual Concepts because everything
you look in the concepts are going to be
on the paper so I feel like that helped
me more than just running through
practice problems like crazy so anyways
take the again I felt bad about it but I
got
a I got a 1510 and I never thought I
would ever touch the 15s so that was
like crazy to see then a week after I go
in I take the ACT again and
I got a
34 and like the score range for the 34
was pretty much like 10 points higher
than my SAT score so I ended up
submitting that to all the schools
rather than my SAT like I put both of
them on my common app because you can
list both your scores in common app but
I only officially sent from act.org my
ACT score I didn't send my score from
college board so if you're wondering
that that's that helps but I will say I
did send like my AP scores my SAT score
and my AC score to Georgetown because
they use a different platform and they
were asking for a lot so in case you're
applying to Georgetown there's an FYI
all right I'm going to move on to my
honors now I'm going to read these
straight off Common App if you guys want
some tips on how to like organize your
common app I will definitely make
another video on that I just don't want
this one to be too long so starting with
my honors in order my first one that I
listed was a certificate of Honor in
mathematics social studies and AP
Calculus abbc this is a whole jumble of
things you only get what five spaces for
honors so make what you can bear with me
I like jumbled some stuff up but
basically I got a certificate of honors
in math in social studies my freshman
year and then in AP Calculus abbc my
junior year and that's pretty much just
for being a good student like I don't I
couldn't even tell you like having good
grades being a good student my second
honor that I listed well let me just go
back I really put this as my first one
because I wanted to be a math major
that's why I put that as my first honor
moving on something I thought was really
impressive was that me and a friend got
third place at the HOSA State leadership
conference if you guys don't know what
HOSA is it's like the medical version of
like Deca so it's like medical
competitions and stuff really why was I
doing that couldn't tell you but we got
third place for mental health promotion
which was a new event and we made a
mental health campaign so if you have
questions about that you know you can
ask me and then my third honor I put was
involved compassion ownership and Noble
character award this is literally just a
random award my school makes it's called
the icon award um am I an icon
absolutely but this award I got it twice
which is why I thought it was so
important that I put on here because
it's like things don't you know twice as
maybe once was by chance twice mean
something so I put it on here really
because I think it showed a lot about
who I was and about my character
so you know I'm well-rounded what can I
say then my fourth honor was the
African-American recognition award let
me just tell you I got this my sophomore
year I feel like a lot of people get
this award at I got it for my PSAT score
cuz I took the PSAT like off the first
three years of high school for really no
reason but I got um this award because
I'm black too so is that random kind of
but I put it on here because I thought
it was in a
honor and then lastly I was a National
Merit commended student was I a
[Music]
semi-finalist but I was commended and I
thought this sounded pretty cool and
it's from college board so I thought let
me put it on there and I thought in my
opinion it's better than me just putting
like National Honor Society or like some
other random Honor Society I was in so I
put this on here okay now I'm going to
talk about my extracurriculars just for
reference Common App gives you 10 spaces
so I'm just going to read straight from
there I will say though I did also
submit my resume to the schools that
allowed it my resume pretty much just
reiterates what I'm about to tell you
but I will say the one thing my resume
had that doesn't isn't on here is is
that I was like co-author of this like
student poetry book which literally came
from me entering my poetry into a
competition for hours for this club so
that's really not that big of a deal so
the first activity that I listed on
Common App was the one that I felt I was
most involved in and what was most
important to me and I was most
passionate about which was my
involvement with the black student union
at my school I was President for my
senior year and then I was treasurer for
2 years before that um if you want to
read the description that I wrote I'll
conclude it right there so you can pause
and read but pretty much I
was in charge of the whole name change
and I struggled with the cloud a lot it
felt like it was kind of dying in front
of me so a lot of what I talked about in
my personal essay too was me rebuilding
that club and how I wanted to see it
grow and what I've done to shift it from
you know the path that it was going on
and how I changed the name and I felt I
needed to go a down a different path to
like Rec recuit new members and to make
it more important than it had seemed to
be before my second activity that I
listed was that I was president of me
Alpha Theta which is math Honor Society
I was only President my senior year but
I will include the description here I
felt that it showed that I was competent
and I was capable of being a leader but
also it showed that my major my love for
math I wanted to be a math major I
applied as a math major pretty much
everywhere so I felt like that went hand
inand like oh why does she want to be a
math major is she doing stuff related to
her major so I felt like that was
important that I included that so early
on and then my third activity that I put
was track and field I was a four-year
Varsity athlete for track and field I
wasn't crazy I won't lie to you I was
maybe like top 60 in one event triple
jump what can I say I was a big triple
jumper but also track and field is hard
like running is hard especially the 400
meter dash don't even don't even clock
me on that wrote my essay on the 400 how
much I hate that thing so there's the
description that I included if you want
to pause and read that but yeah I was
four-year athlete was vary and I felt
like it was something that shows a lot
of character so I put it as my third
activity and then jumping into my fourth
activity I then put that I was a
three-year varsity cheerleader I did
basketball cheerleading whether or not
you consider it a sport some people do
some people don't I don't really care I
did it for 3 years was I just cheering
on the sidelines yes did we stunt barely
but I put it on here and I'll include
the description because a lot of the
things I think that made my application
so strong were how I described the
things that I did rather than just me
being like OB was a cheerleader like I
described it as me building a community
okay activity number five was my job
this was the job that I was currently
working I put two jobs in here but the
job that I was currently working at that
time was working at Buffalo Wild Wings
go which is a to-go version of Buffalo
Wild
Wings um let me show you what I wrote as
my description I was working late nights
you know it wasn't easy I was working a
lot so I put that on
there there's not much else I can say
about that I was just working a job I
just put that in there to show that I
was well-rounded so number six I put was
that I was vice president of social
media for fcca at my school I wouldn't
even lie to you guys I was really just
taking pictures and I'd offered my put
here and there but it shows leadership
and it shows that I was competent of
leading a group so I'll include that
description but you
know I had it on
there hey okay number seven this is
possibly the most complex activity that
I have on here just because it's hard to
explain um I was a data research and
Analysis volunteer for North Georgia
Business Spotlight which is initiative
that
actually really doesn't exist anymore
but this girl from one of the schools in
my community had contacted me on
LinkedIn we're now friends obviously but
she contacted me on LinkedIn and I was
kind of taking a back and she was like
Hey like I have this initiative where we
help out businesses local businesses and
give them advice on how to reach out to
students kind of our age and within our
age group and give them advice on how
they can you know seek to broaden Their
audience so I was like oh yeah like
that's cool fine I'll be a part of this
and I was part of the data analysis part
so really I would just take data and I'd
give a little bit of advice but I don't
know I feel like it sounds a lot cooler
than maybe what I actually was doing but
I put it on here because I was doing
volunteer work and I was helping and it
shows that I was involved in my
community so and then also if you wanted
to see the description for that I'll put
it right there okay guys number eight
and perhaps what a lot of the admissions
officers seem to have found the most
interesting like even for my scholarship
ship for Vanderbilt they asked me about
my job and my time working here so guys
I worked at
[Music]
McDonald's for two whole years and I
don't have many good things to say about
it honestly it was really really bad um
I do definitely think it developed a lot
of character for me that was my first
job I work started working there at 15
um include this description in my time
working there they introduced the
rewards program so I was heavily
involved in
that
but yeah I don't know a lot of the
admissions officers I got an
from I think my Harvard admissions
officer saying she really thought it was
really cool how I told my story about
work at McDonald's and how like I would
pretty much smile through the pain
so yeah not much else I can say about
that but okay number
nine this goes back to the honors and
awards section where I talked about
winning third place at the HOSA State
leadership
conference so this activity I you can
it's kind of not an activity but I just
said I was co-founder of a social media
campaign called breaking the silence go
look it up if you want to and in this
I'll show you the description I do
address that this was something I made
for a HOSA
competition but it was a social media
campaign I worked on it with a friend I
didn't hide I didn't sugarcoat anything
so I put it on here I thought it was
cool I thought it was unique and last
but not
least is I was historian of roppa roppa
is social studies Honor
Society I put this last because I
genuinely did not do a thing like you
can probably even tell in my
description
that I didn't do anything but I put it
last again shows
leadership and it was pretty random so I
put it last
so okay guys so that's pretty much it
for the whole stats EC's the honors if
you have questions I know I've been
saying this throughout the whole video
but you know don't be afraid to DM me on
Instagram I will answer the
quickest um my Tik Tok I usually link
too but ask in the comments
too um
I don't know what else to say you know
where to find me I plan on making some
advice videos some tips videos probably
YouTube shorts because I'm really lazy
but I'm sorry this took so
long all right goodbye y'all
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