<p>So it might be a little early for this message, but I'm going to write it anyway. I remember this time last year suffering greatly from the essay-recommendation-will-i-get-in syndrome. It was horrible. My resume was mixed. I even had a 1250 on my (old) SAT's and not much better on my SAT II's. Lets just say I was freaking out from Oct. 15 (when I finished my apps) until March 31st when I found out that I got into Yale. That being said, I find it now all for naught. I really wish someone had given me this information, that I hope to inpart to you:
Chill out. All the worry in "is the admissions officer going to care if I forgot to put the comma in, should I get another recommendation, I haven't won any awards, blah blah blah" is really unneccesary. The fact of the matter is that you have done what you can up until now, and that will come across in your application. Yale, in my opinion is the best university in the world. I have been here a month and a half and I am blown away daily. I really can't think of any aspect of the school that I would want to change. Residential life is amazing, of course the classes are great, the food is good, the party scene is surprisingly healthy, people have a good time, and I have meet no one who is stuck up or competitive in the least. But, however great Yale is, however great your application is, and however deeply want to come here, the reality is that you probably wont get in. The numbers are just way too crazy. So what can you do? Relax. For me at the time, it was a longshot, and it happened to work out. Don't base who you are on whether or not you get into an ivy league college (which I saw a lot of my peers do come april). I would have been happy at all the colleges that I applied to (yes, even those which had a 76% acceptance rate). Don't apply to schools you don't want to go to. College really is what you make of it, and any college can be as good or as bad as you make it to be. But too, learn from my story that college admissions take into account all aspects of your application. If you have passion, and you have followed that passion as far as it can go, then you've got a fighting chance. There is no hurt in applying. Apply! Just don't make this place your life before you get here. You will end up at the place that is right for you. I wouldn't want to be at a place that didn't want me. That's what I have to say.</p>
<p>Thank you for posting this. Everything you said is so true.</p>
<p>And parents should "chill" also. Things generally do work out in the end.</p>
<p>with your 1250, i'm wondering what you attribute your regular-decision yale acceptance to. i'd actually be interested in knowing all your admission results at other schools, if you don't mind sharing them. thanks.</p>
<p>f.scottie, i think that was a very condenscending comment.</p>
<p>iloveseattle, i appreciate you posting this and i realize much of it already.</p>
<p>any "condenscension" was unintended. the OP freely volunteered his stats, and characterized them himself as "mixed." i am sincerely interested in knowing why he thinks he was admitted in spite of them. it would probably be helpful to more people than just me - including the many yale hopefuls here with sub-median numbers.</p>
<p>I think it is silly to try to compare apples to oranges. You are all very different people then myself. What admissions officers are looking for are people who are passionate about what they do and that they do it well. They are looking for people who are going to make the most out of the resources of the college and who are potentially going to make an impact on the world.
So long as you've dont that, you'll do great in the admissions process.
If any of you would like my specific stats, resume, etc. I am happy to send it along. However, I don't think mimicking what I've done will get you anywhere. There is no formula to get into Yale, and I think thats the beauty of their admissions, and consequently the student body. Simply try to put together the best summary of who you are and why you are different from the 20,000 other applicants in the most eloquent way possible. Really, it is not the application itself that admissions officers are looking at. Who are you? What have you done with the past 4/17 years of of your life? How have you impacted yourself/family/school/community/state/nation? How have you taken what you know and shared that? How have you challenged yourself both inside and outside of the classroom? Why do you do what you do? I must say, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE here has a passion. They are all driven and want to do as much as they possibly can. They love what they do, and they do it with or without college admissions peering over their shoulders. This is what should come across in your application. Everyone will have brilliant essays, good recommendations and a good gpa in challenging classes. What makes you stand out?</p>
<p>....What if you just found your passion?</p>
<p>I just found mine (dancing), so I haven't been able to win zillions of awards, but I'm really serious about it. I go to lessons or practice almost every night and my instructor says I could be ready for my first competition sometime in the next few months.</p>
<p>Do Yale admissions officers realize that not everyone finds their passion freshman year?</p>
<p>(This isn't to say I haven't done other stuff....I have loads of other EC's that I've been committed to since fresh or soph year. But dance is just so freaking amazing! I've never done anything that I love more!)</p>
<p>gorbachev.. what kind of dance do u do? it DOES have mesmerizing powers doesn't it??</p>
<p>one more q to the op: how do you propose we go about showing all of the things that u mentioned in our apps? "Who are you? What have you done with the past 4/17 years of of your life? How have you impacted yourself/family/school/community/state/nation? How have you taken what you know and shared that? How have you challenged yourself both inside and outside of the classroom? Why do you do what you do??" There is too many thing and only 2 measly essays... Would it be ok if we focused on a few of the things that are REALLY important to us and maybe through doing that everything else would hopefully just shine through..?</p>
<p>Gorbachev- Great! That would make a wonderful essay. Why do you love it? How did you find it? What do you want to do with it in the future? Obviously high school is a time to explore, and so is college. What was your journey to get there?
IB- The way I showed what I do is in four parts: I focused my essays on my two major accomplishments/passions. I then focused my "Additional Information (the part that is like 4 lines)" on something still very important, but not as big as the two essays. I also included a 2 page (it really should be no longer then that) resume with all of my activities, etc. including a short (i mean SHORT) blurb about each. I additionally included my community service record. I also had "supplemental material" which described the project I've been working on. Supplemental material is really only advisable if it is art, music, or, in my case, a (short) book and description of what it is and why it is important. Generally supplemental material is really a touchy subject, only included it if it is absolutely neccessary, compact and easy to handle. The interview for me was really the biggest part to make it all flesh out. All of my interviews went wonderfully and I really was able to give the alumni a sense of who I am. Admissions officers want to see all aspects of who you are, but don't make them search for it. Bring your most shining things to the forefront. Also, talk to your school counciler that is writing your recommendation. That is a great place too to show some of the places that your essays cannot go to.</p>
<p>Thanks for the tips, iloveseattle.</p>
<p>f.scottie, i've been doing too much lit work and it seemed that i picked up on some tone. i'm sure you didn't mean it.</p>
<p>good luck everyone!</p>
<p>thnx !</p>