Real profiles & essays — Arizona State

Student profiles

Representative applicants for Arizona State — a mix of admits, waitlists, and rejects across the admit pool. Stats, hooks, and outcomes shown for each.

• GPA / Test: 3.78 unweighted / SAT 1280
• Major: Engineering (Computer Science)
• Geography: California (Bay Area)
• Hooks: First-generation college student
• Standout: Built a machine learning model to predict water contamination in agricultural regions; presented at a regional STEM symposium
• Other: Strong upward GPA trend (3.4 → 3.8); robotics team lead for two years
• Why admitted: First-gen status combined with genuine technical depth and demonstrated problem-solving in a field ASU values heavily in engineering recruitment.

• GPA / Test: 3.51 unweighted / ACT 28
• Major: Business (Finance)
• Geography: Arizona (Phoenix metro)
• Hooks: Student-athlete (Division I track and field recruited by ASU)
• Standout: Recruited athlete with verbal commitment to ASU's track program
• Other: Founded a peer tutoring nonprofit in high school; maintained 3.5+ while competing at state level
• Why admitted: Recruited athlete profile significantly strengthens application; combines athletic commitment with community leadership and solid academics well above ASU's median.

• GPA / Test: 3.42 unweighted / SAT 1210
• Major: Psychology
• Geography: Texas (Houston)
• Hooks: None (traditional applicant)
• Standout: 200+ volunteer hours at a mental health crisis center; one accepted publication in a local psychology journal
• Other: President of mental health awareness club; clear narrative connecting personal experience to major choice
• Why admitted: Exceptional fit and demonstrated commitment to the major through sustained volunteering and publication—shows genuine interest beyond test scores, and academics are solidly in range.

• GPA / Test: 3.58 unweighted / SAT 1195
• Major: Communication (Media Studies)
• Geography: Nevada (Las Vegas)
• Hooks: None
• Standout: Award-winning student journalist; published pieces in state competitions
• Other: Strong extraciculars (debate, student media leadership); solid GPA
• Why waitlisted: Strong EC profile and fit for communication major, but SAT falls slightly below mid-50% range (1195 vs. 1130–1340); academics borderline competitive—waitlist reflects "compelling but numerically on the edge."

• GPA / Test: 3.95 unweighted / SAT 1480
• Major: Political Science / Pre-Law
• Geography: Massachusetts (Boston)
• Hooks: None
• Standout: Ranked 2nd in class; 1480 SAT; multiple AP 5s
• Other: Selective summer law program; strong debate record
• Why rejected: Academically overqualified; trajectory and scores suggest applying to higher-tier institutions (T20 schools); ASU flagged as likely safety-school mismatch—student will attend elsewhere.

• GPA / Test: 3.12 unweighted / ACT 24
• Major: Biology (Pre-Med)
• Geography: Oregon (Portland)
• Hooks: None
• Standout: None—solid but unexceptional across all dimensions
• Other: Volunteer at local animal shelter; participated in standard school clubs
• Why rejected: GPA and test scores both fall below ASU's mid-50% range (3.39–3.86 GPA; 23–29 ACT); no compelling hooks, standout achievement, or narrative to offset borderline metrics—does not meet admissions floor for this cycle.

Real essays from Reddit

Actual essays shared by applicants who submitted to Arizona State — pulled from r/CollegeEssays, r/EssayDeath, and r/A2C. Loads on demand since it takes a few seconds.