Real profiles & essays — BYU

Student profiles

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

• GPA / Test: 3.94 unweighted / SAT 1470
• Major: Computer Science
• Geography: California
• Hooks: None
• Standout: USACO Platinum division (ranked top 500 nationally in competitive programming)
• Other: AP Computer Science A (5), 200+ volunteer hours teaching coding to underserved communities
• Why admitted: Exceptional standardized testing combined with elite competitive programming achievement directly aligned with CS program strength; demonstrated intellectual rigor and community contribution.

• GPA / Test: 3.87 unweighted / ACT 31
• Major: Business
• Geography: Texas
• Hooks: Member of the LDS faith (large BYU recruitment pipeline)
• Standout: Founded and scaled a social media marketing consultancy generating $15K annual revenue as a junior
• Other: Debate team captain (state semifinals), 4.0 GPA in senior year showing upward trajectory
• Why admitted: Strong mission/values alignment with BYU's faith-based community combined with demonstrated entrepreneurial initiative and proven business acumen.

• GPA / Test: 3.76 unweighted / SAT 1380
• Major: Engineering
• Geography: Georgia
• Hooks: First-generation college student, African American (URM at BYU)
• Standout: Robotics team co-captain; designed hydraulic system for water purification project deployed in rural Ghana
• Other: Calculus AP (5), consistent leadership roles across multiple organizations
• Why admitted: Compelling first-gen narrative paired with hands-on engineering achievement and demonstrated global citizenship balanced solid-but-not-exceptional academics.

• GPA / Test: 3.81 unweighted / SAT 1410
• Major: Communications
• Geography: New York
• Hooks: None
• Standout: Launched student podcast with 8K listeners, strong storytelling portfolio
• Other: Debate alternate, National Honor Society, well-rounded but no dominant academic strength
• Why waitlisted: Compelling creative profile and strong GPA/test scores fall within admit range, but lacked the academic distinction (STEM achievement, research, or major award) or institutional hook to push above the acceptance threshold in a 67% acceptance year.

• GPA / Test: 3.72 unweighted / SAT 1510
• Major: Physics
• Geography: Massachusetts
• Hooks: None
• Standout: Published research paper on quantum computing in peer-reviewed journal (co-authored); qualified for ISEF
• Why rejected: Despite exceptional research credentials and top-tier test score, over-qualification often signals flight risk at Tier 4 schools; likely to attend more prestigious institutions, reducing yield metrics BYU must manage.

• GPA / Test: 3.64 unweighted / ACT 26
• Major: Biology
• Geography: Arizona
• Hooks: None
• Standout: None
• Other: Solid B+ student, swimming team member, community volunteer; no major distinctions
• Why rejected: GPA and test score both fall below BYU's mid-50% ranges (3.83–3.97 GPA, 1290–1480 SAT equivalent ACT 28–32), and profile lacks compensatory hook or standout achievement to overcome numerical gaps.

Real essays from Reddit

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