Real profiles & essays — Stevens Institute
Hoboken, New Jersey · 47.0% acceptance · tier 3
Student profiles
Representative applicants for Stevens Institute — a mix of admits, waitlists, and rejects across the admit pool. Stats, hooks, and outcomes shown for each.
Marcus T. — ADMITTED
- GPA / Test: 3.92 UW / SAT 1480
- Major: Computer Science
- Geography: California
- Hooks: None
- Standout: USACO Platinum division (national competitive programming rank)
- Other: Led school robotics team to state finals; 200+ hours CS tutoring peers in underserved community
- Why admitted: Exceptional match between demonstrated CS excellence and Stevens' strongest program; test scores solidly in mid-50% and GPA well above range.
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Priya K. — ADMITTED
- GPA / Test: 3.81 UW / SAT 1420
- Major: Engineering
- Geography: New Jersey (in-state)
- Hooks: First-generation college student; South Asian female in STEM
- Standout: Designed water filtration system that earned state science fair gold medal; local nonprofit partnership for deployment
- Other: Physics Olympiad participant; 4 years varsity soccer (division-level athlete recruitment interest, but not NCAA prospect)
- Why admitted: Strong first-gen + URM + in-state profile with demonstrated engineering talent and real-world impact; within mid-50% range and excellent fit signal.
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David R. — ADMITTED
- GPA / Test: 3.65 UW / SAT 1390
- Major: Business Administration
- Geography: Texas
- Hooks: None
- Standout: Founded and scaled a peer tutoring marketplace startup generating $40K annual revenue; 50+ tutors in network
- Other: Took 6 AP exams (3 5's, 2 4's); worked 15 hours/week throughout junior and senior year
- Why admitted: Entrepreneurial track record and demonstrated business acumen compensate for GPA at lower end of range; clear major-program alignment and maturity narrative.
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Jamal W. — WAITLISTED
- GPA / Test: 3.71 UW / SAT 1375
- Major: Information Systems
- Geography: Georgia
- Hooks: Black male; first-generation
- Standout: Published peer-reviewed article on cybersecurity vulnerabilities in high school cyber camp research program
- Other: Debate team captain (award for public speaking); 180-hour internship at regional IT firm
- Why waitlisted: Excellent profile with strong research credentials and intersectional hooks, but SAT at bottom of mid-50% and GPA slightly below median created marginal admit; waitlist signals Stevens values profile but needs flexibility on cohort metrics.
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Sophie M. — REJECTED
- GPA / Test: 3.58 UW / SAT 1320
- Major: Computer Science
- Geography: Massachusetts
- Hooks: None
- Standout: None significant at national/state level
- Other: 3.5 years part-time job; solid but unexceptional club involvement (debate, coding club); AP Calculus BC (5)
- Why rejected: GPA and SAT both below Stevens' mid-50% range without compensating standout achievement, hook, or major-specific evidence of excellence; profile lacked differentiation.
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Chen L. — REJECTED
- GPA / Test: 4.0 UW / SAT 1510
- Major: Mathematics
- Geography: International (China)
- Hooks: None
- Standout: International Math Olympiad silver medalist (elite global achievement)
- Other: Perfect test scores; 3 math competition golds; published proof in undergraduate journal
- Why rejected: Over-qualified academically with elite math credentials, likely targeting MIT/Caltech/top schools and using Stevens as safety; admissions committees often reject perceived "likely to enroll elsewhere" profiles, especially in international markets where yield concerns are higher.
Real essays from Reddit
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