Summer Camp Financial Aid Application: Fill & Download for Free

Hi Quora! Here are the results of my college applications. Hopefully this helps someone!About MeDemographics - Female Asian American attending a public high school in CaliforniaStats - 1540 SAT, 800 math II subject test, 780 literature subject test, 4.3 GPAClasses - 11 AP classes (all 5s on the 6 exams I’ve taken so far), dual-enrollment multivariable calculus and linear algebra starting junior yearIntended major - EconomicsFinancial aid - Applied for but didn’t receive anyExtracurriculars - Volunteered as a peer tutor, worked as a math tutor, editor in chief of my school paper, president of a fairly active school club, president of a library volunteer group, 3 months of high school teaching experience (long story), attended a few summer workshops, taught at a national convention, volunteered at a summer camp, served on a school district committeeAwards - Published in a few reputable newspapers, National Merit Finalist, honors roll, writing awards on the national level, National AP ScholarSafety SchoolsUC Irvine - AcceptedUC Santa Cruz - AcceptedUC San Diego - AcceptedUC Santa Barbara - AcceptedCal Poly SLO - AcceptedMatch SchoolsBarnard College - AcceptedUC Berkeley - AcceptedUC Los Angeles - AcceptedReach SchoolsColumbia - Rejected (applied early decision)UChicago - Rejected (applied early action)Stanford - WaitlistedNorthwestern - AcceptedFinal ThoughtsMy college list was pretty heavy on the safety schools (I really didn’t need 5 of them). If I applied again, I would probably apply to just 2 or 3 safeties and a few more reach schools. After being rejected early from my top two choices, I thought I didn’t have much of a chance, so I only applied to two more reaches. I was surprised to be accepted by Northwestern and waitlisted by Stanford! I accepted Stanford’s waitlist offer and am hoping for good news in May, but I know their waitlist acceptance rate isn’t high. I’m definitely excited about my Northwestern acceptance and will likely be a Wildcat in the fall! Congrats to the class of 2020, and good luck to the class of 2021!

I am not sure that these are little know facts for most people, but I certainly see questions on Quora on a regular basis from enough people that I will address an answer to it…Your SAT or ACT matter relatively little compared to MOST other parts of your application.The difference between one student’s application and another’s is often very small, especially at very competitive colleges and because of that who reads your application will matter. Luck plays a big part in this process.Being a legacy student matters a whole bunch at some colleges and not the least bit at others.Identical applications submitted one year apart may yield an acceptance one year and a rejection the next (or vice versa). You are truly competing with a different pool of applicants each and every year.There really is no such thing as a dream school! You really don’t ever know enough about a college until you actually attend there. Visiting once, twice or even three times really doesn’t let you know what it is like to LIVE there.Because of #5, it is important to understand that there is not just one school that is perfect for you. You are going to find the right place most of the time because you will find what you need there. So don’t focus on the cool sweatshirt…focus on where you are going to LIVE for the next four years.Graduating in more than 8 semesters is a really bad idea since most schools don’t provide financial aid after that…and then what? You have 3/4 or 7/8ths of a degree, but no money? Go to classes…work hard…get help…graduate on time!!! (OK, not strictly an admissions answer ;-)Make your essay compelling. Not just well written, but interesting. You have fewer than 5 minutes to make an impression on someone. Do you really think they will be interested in what you did at summer camp with your friends last year?And finally, there is no real rhyme nor reason to this whole thing. Admissions counselors do the best they can with what is an imperfect system. You don’t have special measuring tools to decide who is most worthy nor who will be a rockstar vs. a dropout. They do not have crystal balls to see the future. They do what they can to create a diverse community of learners who will work hard, challenge each other to be better and live with an open mind. Deciding who will be accepted and rejected is much more art than science…

Many programs at universities offer financial aid. Some of them have application deadlines, and some dole out scholarships on a rolling basis. It’s best to apply early! I have compiled a list of camps in NC & SC, and you can simply check the “scholarship” box in the search filters. You can search by activity type, so choose “Academic.” Application details will be on the individual program websites. Sometimes they hide the financial aid info in FAQ’s or similar, so be sure to hunt around.Find a camp here: https://www.summercampguru.com/campguru/find_overnight_camp