Chance my hopes and dreams: Purdue EA, Stony Brook EA, UT Austin EA, and many more!

Be honest!

Demographics: 

• Male
• African-American/Nigerian
• Mid-tier average sized public high school in Midwest
• No hooks

Intended Major/Minor:

• Chemical Engineering Major
• Materials/Environmental Engineering (alternate major)
• Music/Jazz Studies (if offered) Minor

Academics

SAT:

• 1410 single-test (710RW, 700M)
• 1420 superscore (710RW, 710M)

GPA + Rank:

• 3.5UW/3.9W GPA
• 142/509 (ranked by WGPA)

Coursework: 9 honors, 4 APs

• Chemistry (3)
• English Language and Composition (3)
• College Physics I (taking)
• Calculus BC (taking)

Awards:

1. Eagle Scout (11, National)
2. Presidential Volunteer Service Award Gold (9/10/11, National)
3. Thespian Scholar (9/10/11/12, State/Regional)
4. NSDA Award of Distinction (10, National)
5. Outstanding Soloist: MidAmerica Nazarene University Jazz Clinic (9/10/11, School)

Extracurriculars (redacted to not give away location):

1. Research (Head designer for Mars Rover wheel) - Missouri ASM Exploring Materials in Your World (5-day camp): Conducted alloy & ceramic research under Dr. Uwanyuze; designed rover wheel fit for Mars' conditions, earned 1st in Design under Missouri S&T faculty.
2. Community Service, Volunteer (Adoptee of 2 streets) - [SCHOOL]'s Adopt-A-Street Initiative: Managed weekly 5-mile trash pickup; presented keynotes for advocacy of local household recycling in [MY COUNTY], 2 streets dedicated under me.
3. Other Club/Activity (Patrol Leader and Den Chief) - Boy Scouts of America: Taught 80 Scouts outdoor/leadership skills; coordinated school supply drive for needy students, coached Scouts toward achieving Eagle Scout rank.
4. Paid Work (Daycare Assistant) - [COMPANY] (part-time): Babysat 40+ children (PreK-5); planned various seasonal activities, organized aesthetic projects to beautify campus, earned Rising Employee (Summer).
5. Music: Instrumental (Saxophone Section Leader) - [MY SCHOOL] Bands: Held biweekly meetings for section of 10+, mentored middle and high schoolers on improvisation, earned multiple concert and jazz soloist awards.
6. Theatre/Drama (Revue Emcee and Host of Sunday Night Live: An Improv Comedy Show!) - [MY SCHOOL] Theatre: Participated in 15 shows in varied ensemble roles; performed in musical duets/group, hosted seasonal revues and improv nights; awarded Honor Thespian.
7. Other Club/Activity (Non-Commissioned Officer and Safety Coordinator) - Civil Air Patrol's [REGION] Composite Squadron: Led 10+ members through basic commands and courtesies; presented seasonal safety briefs for squadron of 20+, advocate of aerospace education to kids.
8. Family Responsibilities (Caretaker of mother and nephews): Ran errands and assisted in treatment for family while mother was bedridden; managed schedules, fixed meals, helped nephews w/ cocurricular learning.

Essays:

Not going to talk about the nitty-gritty of my essays, since they're really personal to me but I will highlight some topics of contention.

• Working in a daycare with problem child (personal statement)
• Cultivating a cultural music listening club in my school
• Coping with my dad's struggles as a Type I diabetic
• Discussing my wild process of Materials Engineering camp project

LORs:

Counselor (9/10) - We've had an outstanding connection over the past 4 years. I use this counselor's recommendation letter for everything. And she's advised me on anything academic and personal, she always does her research before tailoring her recommendation letters to match my ideals

AP Physics I (7/10) - Probably the most basic recommendation letters of the three. Simple, but gets the job done. This teacher is also the sportscaster and the father of two alumni actors from our school, so I got to work with him through our band and theatre program.

Public Speaking (8/10) - Used this letter for most of my honors colleges (usually required an additional recommendation letter). We both really liked college sports, as well as participated in National Speech & Debate Association, so we kind of clicked from there.

Schools (all EA, applied to some honors programs as well):

• Purdue
• UIUC
• Stony Brook w/ honors
• CUNY City College w/ honors
• Texas A&M
• UT Austin w/ honors
• Rutgers w/ honors