Thank you so much!

For sure! Thanks so much!

I'm working on that video right now! :) Thank you so much!!

As promised! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qNidm7WB2piyoGw.html

Aww no way! I loved Knox, everyone I interacted with there was so nice and the vibe was really cool. Thank you very much!!

Aww, thank you so much! That's awesome, I have a friend who's at Colby and loves it-wishing you the very best of luck!

Ahh yay good luck!! Try not to think about it every waking moment (easier said than done rn haha) and remember that this does not determine your self worth!!!

Since y'all are so curious.... docs.google.com/document/d/1SxyA7JAsavDBBbPVuSPMx7GZzkzPiMhvnXvFGiMQGqQ/edit?usp=sharing (no plagiarizing!!!)

I can’t imagine, that must be so hard! You’ve got this though, good luck!! Cut yourself some slack!

NVM -- just saw there was a dedicated video :)

Thank you!!

lol i got rejected from Bowdoin last week too

Thank you very much!! The only schools I interviewed at were Wooster, Stanford, and Harvard. Many of the other colleges don't offer interviews (small, selective colleges sometimes just don't have the staff for it) or only offered interviews in person and don't hold it against you if you aren't able to make that work. I think there were one or two schools that just didn't offer me an interview? if there's a particular college you're curious about, lmk :)

Yeah for sure! I actually didn't end up choosing Amherst (I reveal it at the end :) ) but I'd love to give my thoughts on all that in another video, thanks for the feedback!

As promised! kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qNidm7WB2piyoGw.html

For sure! The first thing I'll say is that I really wish I had taken the time to step back and consider seriously if I wanted to do music professionally and to what extent I needed to be involved in music to be happy in college. Unfortunately, tuba playing puts you in a tougher position because at least for my interests, i need a full symphony/orchestra/marching band to really get the experience I'm going for and it's hard to find that in a small school. I could have saved a lot of time on applications if I had chosen not to apply to any schools where I knew realistically the music program wasn't robust enough to fulfill me since I know music is super important to me. Music added to my applications to differently schools in different ways, but at most schools it was how I showed excellence in extracurriculars. At least from my perspective, the results of my applications showed me that colleges don't just care about academic extracurriculars, since music was definitely my main extracurricular in high school and I showed depth over breadth in that regard. Submitting a music supplement generally means that the music faculty at the school you're looking at will review your supplement may be able to put in a good word for you with the admissions office, and because they know about you, they should hopefully reach out if you get in/choose to attend (though it's definitely a good idea to reach out to them first for schools you're serious about!). The music supplement can be the same at a lot of schools, but when requirements start changing it can add a lot of work, so thinking ahead and mapping out what different colleges require and which colleges you're really interested in is worth it if you have the time. And at some schools, you can get merit scholarships for your auditions! Overall, I'd say it can absolutely strengthen your application, but it also requires some serious effort and planning to put together high-quality tapes. I'm also always a strong proponent of reaching out to faculty at the school you're interested in and again, really considering what's worth your time. Hope this helps, best of luck!

Abe I’m planning on it, thanks for the feedback!!

Thank you! From talking to my peers, it sounds like to folks who get into so-called elite schools apply to a pretty similar number of schools as me, though a lot of us regret it. The college admissions process is just so random that it's better to be safe than sorry, especially when applying to highly selective colleges. That being said, I approached the process pretty blindly and I definitely wouldn't have applied to as many safeties if I did it again. It can definitely be a bit of a game determining which schools you can reuse essays for, etc. I'm thinking about putting together a video with tips on approaching the admissions process to help others be a bit more methodical than me :)

Hmm, that's a good question but hard to answer. I started by writing down a lot of ideas for essays I could write (basically, quirky but meaningful things about me) and developed them into full essays as needed. It helped a lot that I got most of the work done over the summer, but I kept changing my school list, which created more work for myself. You only have to fill in biographical information and the Common App essay once, which is really nice. Grinnell, Colby, and Bates were probably the least amount of work (literally just had to hit submit), whereas Stanford was probably the most (like 11 supplemental essays, though some were very short, plus an audition). I'm sorry that's not a super straight answer, but it's a process that took several months. I was thinking about making another video that talked about how I tackled the college application process & tips, lmk if you think that would be helpful :)

So what? Are YOU that great? That is what is important. Never underestimate your worth by the college you attend. You seem down. Don't be. Study smart. See 'ya in grad. school.

It is compared to where I ended up going haha!!

As of now, I'm not planning to share stats because the holistic admissions process means that admitted students' application portfolios look drastically different--and comparing myself to people who posted their stats only served to stress me out unnecessarily and unhelpfully. That being said, I appreciate the feedback because I might eventually reconsider--you're not the first person to ask, and if that information would be helpful, I want to help! What I can say is that everyone here is super high-achieving but no one is perfect. I had some Bs! I dropped some extracurriculars! I didn't graduate high school with honors! There are students from all sorts of backgrounds, from super prestigious prep schools to community college, big underfunded public schools to military service. Schools like these are fiercely competitive, so from a student's perspective it seems that being an interesting applicant outweighs being "perfect." Do your best to enjoy the process, and best of luck to you!! (and I'm planning on releasing a video where I share my application essay soon!!)