<p>I'm very curious..Has anyone with a 3.7ish UW GPA from a not-so-competitive public school who is not a URM or legacy, been accepted to Yale?</p>
<p>Not in recent memory and without a substantial hook, no. While a 3.7GPA is commendable, the fact is that the Yale applicant pool is commonly outstanding. The “very good” kids are swamped out by the “astounding” applicants. Just reality nowadays.</p>
<p>What if the applicant is in the top 5%, SAT scores are excellent, and EC’s are focused and have awards at international and national levels?</p>
<p>The 3.7 is still a weak point IMHO. But it’s only my guess.</p>
<p>But regardless of the odds against a 3.7 GPA, this thing I can say for sure… while the overall admit rate is about seven percent, the admit rate for those who don’t apply is zero.</p>
<p>True. I had a 4.0 this year, if that counts for something, and I improved a lot every year :/</p>
<p>That certainly counts for something, Mariella. Admissions officers like to see a positive slope in grades.</p>
<p>Yikes! If you had a 4.0 junior year, and your total GPA is a 3.7, your frosh/soph GPA was around a 3.5/3.6?</p>
<p>Yep. My freshman GPA was 3.4 and my sophomore GPA was around a 3.7.</p>
<p>If it matters, I’ve suffered from depression throughout high school.</p>
<p>A few years back, a Yale admissions officer raised quite an uproar at my school, telling everyone with a GPA BELOW 3.7 not to bother applying. Needless to say, he was not invited back. Still, his point stands. Without a huge hook (on the order of Grand Prize at INTEL/ISEF or Gold medalist at ICO), the odds are stacked against you.</p>
<p>My GPA is not below a 3.7, though. It’s actually 3.72.</p>
<p>I have national and international awards in the 2 EC areas which I focus on. I completely understand that my chances are significantly lower because of my A- average instead of an A.</p>
<p>I had a 3.77 and I was accepted to Yale! See just about all of my posts to understand my gushing excitement and surrealist mindset towards it!</p>
<p>Ah, the chances are LOWER for people like you and me- but the point is that the chance still exists!</p>
<p>Thanks, rosylips 
Congratulations - you deserved it just as much as the A+ average admits!</p>
<p>apply, get solid A’s from now on (esp senior year) and knock the essays out of the park. give it a try. you’ll always wonder if you don’t take the chance.</p>
<p>Mariella – these are all opinions. You still have a very decent chance of getting in. It all comes down on how you present yourself to the admissions office. Write good essays, get good recommendations and you should be fine. Your GPA doesn’t disqualify you from admissions - it just means you need to compensate in another area. Personally, good essays which presents you as a unique person is good enough “compensation” for a 3.7, not that a 3.7 is anything to be ashamed of. Good luck, and I wish you all the best.</p>
<p>In the end, Yale wants human beings who will take advantage of what Yale has to offer. And even if you’ve got even less a shot than the kids who have that 7% chance, may as well apply.</p>
<p>i actually have a 3.75 gpa (down to 3.6 something after i flopped second semester senior year, ha!) if you don’t include one-third art and band classes and managed to squeeze into yale and harvard. i’ve listed it as 3.83 on these boards but only because i was including those joke-of-an-A classes. i’m unhooked as well, and asian (which i never really perceived to be that so called ‘anti-hook’). 3.7’s won’t kick you out of the pool as long as you’ve got something to make up for it.</p>
<p>I would not, by any means, discourage you from applying to the institution of your dreams, even if it may seem out of your reach or “impossible.” Keep in mind that Yale and other Ivy League Universities strive to build a diverse, well-rounded class with many talents. Just because you do not have a 5.0 weighted does not mean that you have no chance of admission.</p>
<p>With that said, make an effort to build your resume and make yourself unique to put yourself in the best possible situation when you apply to Yale.</p>
<p>Good luck with your endeavor.</p>
<p>Slightly unrelated, but I don’t feel that the creation of another thread is necessary:
Does a 3.7 UW GPA at a highly competitive private school (ranked at the very top in the nation) need extraordinary accomplishments or a hook to have a good chance to be accepted?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Your rank is of more importance. Seeing as how you’re in the top 5% of your graduating class, you shouldn’t worry about this particular part of your application.</p>
<p>TheQueen- it’s not so much extraordinary accomplishments as showing Yale that you have something to offer and will take advantage of their incredible resources.</p>