am i cooked (FA hurts a lot)

Demographics

• Nationality: Andorran (The only applicant from my country) • High School Type: Public, no APs/IB Diploma offered (explained in Additional Info section) • Financial Aid: I’m higher-middle class in my country but USA is expensive as sht, so applying for need-based aid (aware that it affects need-aware schools) • Hooks: Ultra-rare geography (Andorra), first-gen college student (neither parent has a 4-year degree)

Stats

• GPA: 9.52/10 (one of the highest in my country, nobody in my class got a 10/10) • Class Rank: Top 5% of the only high school • SAT: 1510 (720 RW, 790 M) • Course Rigor: The (arguably) 3 most difficult IB courses: Math AA HL, Chem HL, Bio SL (explained in my application) • Trend: Grades increased over time, showing strong growth

Extracurriculars & Awards (Biggest Strength)

💥 Global-Level Impact: UNESCO-Recognized Cultural Preservation Work • Led the revival of two lost Andorran national traditions at 13, securing UNESCO recognition • Worked with government agencies, historians, and cultural institutions • Helped integrate traditions into national education, impacting 5,000+ people • Secured $30,000+ in funding (which is a lot for my teeny tiny country, I mean)

🔥 Performing at the Games of the Small States of Europe • Selected as an official dance performer in one of Europe’s biggest sporting events for small countries • Showcasing Andorran folklore on an international stage

🎭 Founder & Organizer – CONTRADANS (Andorra’s Largest Cultural Festival and only international Folklore-guided nonprofit) • Helped organize festivals for 12,000+ attendees (20% of my country’s population) • Secured $51,000+ in grants and sponsorships yearly and POCTEFA participation

🧪 Founder – High School Science Workshop (STEM Leadership) • Created the first and only science club in my high school AND country • Led projects like an analemma sundial and researched memory and cognition

🏆 National & International Awards • 🏅 First Place – National Dictation Championship (1st place out of all students in the country) • 🏅 First Place (twice) – Inter-Pyrenees Mathematics Tournament (competing against a hell of a lot of students from both Spain & France) • 🏅 Special Mention – National High School Biology Research Project

🗣️ Languages & Linguistic/Cognitive Science Research Interest • Trilingual since childhood (Catalan, Spanish, French) + Fluent in English • Currently learning Russian & Chinese (8 hours/week each) as part of gap year • Deep interest in how language shapes memory & cognition

LORs & Essays

✍️ Essays: Focused on cultural memory, neuroscience, and bridging science & humanities. I’d hope my college essay is considered good—niche interest at which I became the best in the continent for my age (reviving traditions and literally preserving my whole country’s culture while being underage).

📝 LORs: • Counselor (Harvard alumnus, knows my work deeply) • Biology Teacher (STEM focus, research praise) • Math Teacher (Government official, calls me a “restless mind”) • Board member of one of the cultural associations I worked with (highlights UNESCO & real-world impact)

Schools I Applied To

✅ Need-Blind for Internationals (FA Won’t Hurt) • Harvard • Yale • Dartmouth • Brown

🟡 Need-Aware (High FA May Hurt Chances) • UPenn • Columbia • Duke • Vanderbilt-Rejected • Northwestern-Rejecetd • JHU-Rejected • Cornell • Emory-Rejected • WashU-Rejected