Am I good enough for Yale?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Yale University
1

<p>OK, so here is my profile (I'm a HS junior right now):</p>

<p>2210 SAT: (800 CR 770 WR 640 Math, I know I'm pretty polarized.)</p>

<p>Haven't taken the SAT II yet but I'll probably take Lit and US History and get 770+ in both.</p>

<p>No ACTs, never will be.</p>

<p>School doesn't give out rank or GPA, but I am pretty sure I'm top 10%.</p>

<p>Only taken AP Art History so far, got a 4, taking Lang and US History now, 4s or 5s in all likelihood.</p>

<p>I'm in NHS, probably in some leadership position next year, President of Junior Statesmen of America (JSA), captain and most senior attorney on Mock Trial team, in Spanish National Honors Society, probably in some leadership position next year as well, Quiz Bowl captain. I think that's a fair amount of honors and leadership positions, but hey, it's Yale.</p>

<p>Not an athlete, unfortunately.</p>

<p>Done free tutoring on a weekly basis this year to academically troubled middle schoolers, volunteered at a local blood drive and plan to do so in the future.</p>

<p>I'll get great recommendations in all likelihood, as I have a couple teachers picked out.</p>

<p>My work experience is really the kicker, though, I think it helps me stand out: I'm a paid Featured Columnist for an internationally syndicated internet sports publication, I've been in regular contact with fans all over the world, from Europe to Africa and Asia, and by the time I apply, I'll have accumulated one million reads and 200 articles written. I think that's a bit unique.</p>

<p>Essays should be fine, I should be a good interviewee, I come from a good NJ public school, a family in an income bracket high enough that a FAFSA is irrelevant, and I don't have any hooks.</p>

<p>Should I apply early decision to Yale (or maybe Princeton/Havard, similar stuff I guess), or perhaps check out another school, as it's just too much of a reach for me?</p>

2

<p>If I were you, I would look to take more hard core AP classes as the ones you mention are typically the easiest (along with Psychology or Statistics). If available, I would look at Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Calculus AB and BC and aim for 4’s or better in those exams. I would also look at retaking the SAT and work on getting that math score up. For subject level exams I would take Math II and a science as that would do more for your application than the ones you mention.</p>

3

<p>With respect to the OP’s AP courses, see: [Table</a> of Acceleration Credit | Yale College](<a href=“http://yalecollege.yale.edu/content/table-acceleration-credit]Table”>http://yalecollege.yale.edu/content/table-acceleration-credit)</p>

<p>Not sure what the average incoming Yale student scores on AP tests. My son took 6 AP tests, all were 5’s.</p>

4

<p>Also, with regards to your 640 Math, see Yale Common Data Set, 2011-2012, page 9: <a href=“http://oir.yale.edu/common-data-set[/url]”>Common Data Set | Office of Institutional Research;

<p>25% Math SAT = 700
75% Math SAT = 800</p>

5

<p>Only the Yale Admissions team will be able to answer this question. Admissions can be extremely unpredictable, especially for schools like Yale.</p>

6

<p>BTW, Yale, Princeton, and Harvard do not have Early Decision. These schools have Single Choice Early Action, which is very different. It’s kind of like a combination of ED and EA.</p>

7

<p>KDOG044:</p>

<p>I fear that I’ve plateaued a bit on the math. My brain is just very polarized and, while I intuitively pick up verbal stuff (I got an 800 CR on my first SAT, as well) math is like trudging through quicksand. I remember reading on Harvard’s website that they appreciate both very well-rounded and very lopsided applicants. I think making myself more lopsided, but destroying what I take to achieve that end, might be advantageous. I will also look into AP Bio. The other APs…damn. I’m taking at least Euro, Spanish, and Lit next year.</p>

8

<p>How much do you all think my work experience will help me here, if at all?</p>

9

<p>Yale, more so than perhaps Harvard or Princeton, is looking for well-rounded individuals who express interests in a broad range of subjects, academic or otherwise. Having gone through admissions, I’d recommend you focus on the essays, interview, and recommendation (perhaps an extra from a coworker at your workplace) to ensure that your personality and breadth of interests come through clearly. As for test scores, unless you’re planning to major in a STEM subject, I wouldn’t worry too much about the low math SAT I. You can retake, but most admissions officers at schools like Yale will take a glance at your scores to make sure they’re in the 700-800 range and think about them no further. Honestly. That’s the entirety of the test score issue. Move on haha.</p>

<p>But I cannot stress enough how important your essays are. If there’s a make-or-break part of an Ivy application, it’s the essays. Looking back, I think I can better understand why Yale accepted me while some other schools of equal caliber (ahemHarvardPrinceton) didn’t. My Common App essay and Yale supplement essay were of utterly different topics but shared a common voice that cleanly carried over. The carryover was weak to nonexistent in my other supplements. And some were just weak—due, inexorably, to procrastination. (You might say to yourself now, as I did, that you’d never procrastinate on something as important as a college application essay. And I can tell you that if you don’t take the necessary steps to start on essays early, you will wait. And every day nearer to application deadlines will be like another nail in the coffin of your college dreams. I waited until THE deadline days of too many colleges for me to want to admit.) Another note: Don’t adjust your writing voice to match any preconception you have of who or what these admission officers are looking for. Really. Just be yourself. And, of course, have one or two people who know you well read over the essays for grammar issues and voice. Ask them if your writing conveys you well. And make a point with your essays. Don’t just tell a simple story; show how you changed or what you thought. In an inconspicuous way, that is. None of the banal “this event truly shaped me as a person” garbage. Instead, make your essays insightful narratives. On top of all of this, don’t try to cram every anecdote you can remember into your essays or you’ll just have a conglomeration of Tweet-sized junk. No offense to your life. It’s just that less is more with application essays.</p>

<p>Having said all of that, here’s one last thing: You are more than an application. If you truly believe that someone can make an evaluation of your fitness for Yale, or any university for that matter, based solely on a “chance me” template, you don’t belong there. There are few solid facts in this frustrating, confusing, consuming process of applying to colleges but that is one of them. Remember it. Now consider that the information you provided above constitutes a significant portion of your application. That’s right. In totality, all of those statistics, independent of the essays and other meaningful portions of the application, will get you nowhere. If that discourages you, it absolutely shouldn’t. That means you don’t need a 2300-2400 SAT, perfect GPA, or national award to get into Yale. And, indeed, plenty of people who have stats like that get rejected. (Check the 2012 RD outcome threads for HYPS to see for yourself.) Does that mean you don’t have a chance because even they didn’t get in? No. They didn’t get in because they were too confident, too dependent on stats, or too something else that led them to produce sub-par essays. Don’t be deceived. Your essays are the key to Yale.</p>

<p>And by the way, assuming you’re a good student with a good rep among your teachers, you’re looking good. Stats-wise. Try not to get bogged down by the sheer weight of the bull**** that pervades the fear-ridden and insecure process of applying to colleges. Here are a couple of links that I found extraordinarily helpful while applying—to Yale and to colleges in general. I hope all of this helps you.</p>

<p>[What</a> Yale Looks For | Yale College Admissions](<a href=“http://admissions.yale.edu/what-yale-looks-for]What”>What Yale Looks For | Yale College Undergraduate Admissions)
[Advice</a> on Putting Together Your Application | Yale College Admissions](<a href=“http://admissions.yale.edu/advice-putting-together-your-application]Advice”>Advice on Putting Together Your Application | Yale College Undergraduate Admissions)
[The</a> Art of Writing Ivy League Admission Essays - college-admissions - College Confidential](<a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_admissions/ivy_applications_4.htm]The”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_admissions/ivy_applications_4.htm)</p>