I received $10k/year merit scholarship. I also did a video for UChicago, which ended up being super quirky.

deserved this, their essays are stupid

Other than A&M and Conn (my safeties), I got an endless stream of waitlists and rejections up till Vassar on March 31st, and then Cornell on Ivy Day. Yale and UChicago were my dream schools, so UChicago's waitlist and Yale's rejection especially stung for me, but after I got into Cornell, I was super happy and spent the next month interacting with the Cornell community. However, Cornell's financial aid office was struggling, and the whole month of April came and went without my aid package showing up. By the end of the month, I was kinda freaking out because I still had yet to commit anywhere; I asked both Vassar and Cornell for commitment extensions as I waited for Cornell's aid. But on April 30th, the day before the commitment deadline for most colleges, everything changed. I got an email during my AP Research class (right before lunch) from my UChicago Admissions Officer asking to call me to give me an update regarding where they stood with the waitlist. I was totally shocked but responded immediately, and she called me during lunch and told me that while they were overenrolled for the Class of 2025, they wanted to offer me a seat in the Class of 2026. I was ecstatic!! Financial Aid info was sent the following week (ironically, Cornell's came out too, within a couple minutes of it, but UChicago's ended up being better), and I accepted the offer exactly a week after I first got it, on May 7th. Now that the process is finally over, I've had a chance to reflect, especially with regards to my UChicago Application. I came to realize that many things came together in the end to help me reach the result I did. More than just the common app and essays, I submitted a number of supplemental materials, including the constructed language extended essay, the video profile, a couple music-related supplements, and finally my LOCI. My AO told me that they usually offer a post-gap-year enrollment to about 20-40 students per year, meaning that the statistical probability of getting the result I did was likely <0.1%. This was truly a miracle to me, and while I was already blessed to have gotten into Cornell and Vassar, my acceptance to UChicago was a dream come true. Though a gap year was never a part of my plan, I've come to realize that it too was a blessing. Over the past year I've developed some significant mental and physical health complications, and a gap year provides me with enough time to heal. Furthermore, with AP-heavy courseloads the past two-years, I've had barely any free time to spend on artistic pursuits, at least outside of orchestra, and the gap year gives me a chance to do this as well! Once I heal, I'm hoping to travel, reconnect with my culture, and pursue internships. Though I never intended on taking this path, I now have a whole year to explore and to craft an experience for myself that I'd never have gotten to had I not gotten this opportunity. The future looks bright! ^^* To any rising seniors reading this, please know that even if things look bleak in the beginning, that things do get better. Trust the process, because it will take you to where you need to be, and things will work out in the end as long as you have patience and put in your best work. Best of luck to everyone!