I am still in shock. I received a call last night notifying me that they were very impressed with my application and that I would be receiving a likely letter.
That’s great to hear. Congratulations! I’m very happy for you 
Thanks also for offering to answer questions. I think the most likely question you’re going to get is your profile. So maybe, start with a little background?
Stats, demographics, region from where you’re applying, intended major, ECs and/or other relevant background, etc.
Best wishes in your college journey!
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Thank you! I am a half hispanic, half Irish male from the Midwest. Additionally, I will be the first person in my immediate family going to college. I also attend a private Catholic school. Threads like these have helped me so much in crafting my application and discovering opportunities, so I am glad to finally get the opportunity to give back to the community.
Intended major (in order): Philosophy, Economics, Humanities
My stats aren’t perfect, but they’re competitive:
Testing: 1510 SAT, Three 5’s (including AB Calc subscore), One 4, Two 3’s (didn’t submit)
GPA: 4.47 W, 3.99 UW (no rankings, but likely t10/350)
Courseload: 10 AP Classes in total (including multivariable), tried to take the most rigorous courseload, but was only to take one AP sophomore year and couldn’t take any my freshman year
My awards are nothing special, but at the same time, they aren’t nothing:
National Merit Commended, National Hispanic Recognition Program, AP Scholar with Distinction, and Winner of Fatherhood Essay Contest
I believe my extracurricular activities really helped me stand out and were a major reason for my likely letter:
Started English tutoring program at our school for Hispanic adults after teaching my mother English (this was a lot of work, but it was all worth it because of the impact I was able to make. I can go more in depth into it if you want. My admissions officer referenced this program in our conversation), Cross Country and Track (regional, sectional, and conference awards along with being co-captain, not a recruited athlete, though), executive board of three clubs, read a ton of philosophy and literature and met with my ethics teacher regularly to discuss the books (I included a list of texts I read in the additional information section; some authors include Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Nietzche, C.S. Lewis—got through War and Peace last summer), Hispanic Scholarship Fund’s Youth Leadership Institute (very competitive program)
LORs: One of the highlights of my application, had a really close bond with both teachers including my counselor. Also, I know that Yale especially places a large emphasis on rec letters as well as interviews.
Interview: Took a little while to feel comfortable, but after it got going, the conversation went really well. I can remember a few awkward moments when I forgot which state and city Yale was in, and when I made up some very odd responses to questions that caught me off guard. However, the highlights of the conversation, when my interviewer was at a loss for words at some moments after hearing my story, made a lasting impact.
Essays: I consider myself to be a strong writer. Although I did not start my Yale essays until Christmas Break, I believe that they are very strong and encapsulate me well. I can talk more about some individual essays if you want.
Results:
Acceptances: Yale (via likely letter, also nominated for Directed Studies, which I am so excited for!), UChicago (with 15k in merit scholarships plus 5k for one summer), Notre Dame (semi finalist for 25k merit scholarship plus 5k each summer)
Waiting on: University of Illinois, Harvard, Stanford, and University of Pennsylvania
Rejection: None! I’m so blessed
I can give reflections later.
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That sounds fantastic! Great set of accomplishments.
Given that you already have some excellent acceptances, which college are you leaning towards?
Congratulations on Yale, and congratulations on your HS achievements! You have some great choices so far, do keep us updated over the next few months.
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Proud of you!
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Good question. This may sound strange, but I’ve only ever been on one college visit—and that was UChicago. Part of the reason is that it was never really a priority for me, so I never really got around to it; my parents didn’t force me to go on any visits, as they were pretty much hands-off when it came to college applications (mostly because they didn’t know much if anything about college admissions). The main reason, however, was that I didn’t want to go and experience a college if I was not already accepted. Moreover, academics, not necessarily location, was the biggest factor for me in choosing schools to apply to.
Anyways, I did go on one visit, and that was to UChicago. It was an incredible experience. Its beautiful architecture, abundance of opportunities, and academic atmosphere all attracted me to the school. UChicago thereafter became my clear #1, and I was exhilarated to have gotten in. And so since I had gotten into a reach school early, I figured that I might as well go a little crazy and aim for only schools that I would consider going to over UChicago during regular decision, including Yale.
Right now, I do not think I can turn down Yale. Their Directed Studies program, in which you read the greatest works produced by Western civilization across three classes over your freshman year seems perfect for me. Also, it might be fun getting outside the Midwest. But I will not make a decision yet until I visit Yale.
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I appreciate it. I will certainly keep you updated.
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Thank you so much!
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Kid, you’ll do great things. Your family must be very proud. You deserve it.
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Good for you and good for Yale!
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Congrats to the OP! It’s a great place. I would take Yale too.
I thought CC had a consensus that Yale only did likely letters for recruited athletes. Seemingly not the case.
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Actually, I believe all the Ivies (at least most of them) send out a small number of LLs to non athletes who are first-gen, URM or low SES, etc.
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I know a kid who got a LL from Yale (a few years ago) who was not a legacy, URM, athlete. When this came up in another thread, I wasn’t part of that CC consensus 
With that said, I expect that most kids who strike the committee as so “gotta have” that they get a LL fit this category. Nathan Chen might have too!
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Yale is known to send LL’s to some STEM applicants.
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Yeh! my son got a likely letter from Yale about 10 days ago in STEM and got selected as Yale Engineering and Science Scholar. He was also offered an all-expense trip, dinner with the professor matched to his interest, and an event with a Nobel Laureate. He is also paired with a student at Yale in his field of interest. He is super excited and so are we.
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Congratulations! 
such an achievement
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Please share the stats
ISEF Grand Award, ISEF Special Award, USAMO Qualifier, Prudential Spirit of Community Award, Barron Prize, etc. He does a few machine learning research and teaches ML to HS kids.
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Congratulations!!! My son is a first year at Yale. He loves it there so much and is so happy he chose to go there. He has already won a fellowship to study in Japan this summer. Fully funded. The residential college system is amazing and he already has an amazing diverse group of friends. There are so many amazing opportunities at Yale. Congrats again!
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