<p>Hey everyone!! So I'm a junior right now, and it has always been my dream to go to Yale. I am planning to apply EA next year. Can some of you guys maybe look at my stats and tell me if I have a chance? Thank you so much!</p>
<p>Gender: Female
Ethnicity: Half black/Half Russian (LOL yeah what...? I know)
School: One of the best public ones in MA
SAT: 2180 (690 CR 740 W 750 M) First time taking it, will take again
GPA: 3.93 out of 4.00 (unweighted)
Current classes and grades: APUSH (A-), AP Bio (A), AP French (A), Honors Math (A), Honors English (A) Regular Spanish (A)
PSAT: 99th percentile, the National Achievement thing (for African Americans or whatever)
ECs: Varsity swimming 3 years (1 out of maybe 5 blacks in league), Environmental Club, Water-Polo Club, Peer Mentoring Program, Guidance Aide for Freshmen, Special Needs Aquatics, French exchange next year
Work: Lifeguard and head swim lesson instructor all year
Awards: National Achievement for PSAT, 4th Place in National French Contest, Honorary Mention in City-wide MLK Essay
Others: Speak Russian fluently, Family income ~60,000, Neither of my parents went to college in the USA</p>
<p>In general you look fine and applying EA seems reasonable. It’s hard to tell how rigorous your classes are. Will you take AP Calc next year? </p>
<p>Work on your CR and try to get it over 700. Do you qualify for Questbridge? For educational background of parents, anywhere they went to college counts.</p>
<p>What are you planning to do this summer? Have you considered any programs like MIT Mites, CMU SAMs, etc.?</p>
<p>Yes, I’m taking 3 more APs next year (including Calc). And this summer, I’m going to Africa for a month (for the first time!!) to the country where my dad is from and get to know my distant relatives and stuff and maybe do some charity work.</p>
<p>Work harder on the SAT 1 (aim to push the score higher to like 2300+) and then plan on taking SAT Subject tests and aim for highest scores. Yale requires 2 of the latter but if you take 3 or 4 and do very well, the better.
OR, you may just take ACT with Writing (Yale accepts this in place of or as alternative to SAT 1 and Subject tests). Then take AP exams in June (and aim for 5s) in the three AP subjects you’re taking now. Take more AP subjects next year including - AP Lang & Comp. 3 APs in senior year may be too few for Yale. See the thread on Yale “SCEA 2016” and see the strength of candidates waitlisted or rejected outright. You are rightly excited about the planned trip to Africa but try to make something interesting or educational about it to Yale - beyond personal emotional connection (if you plan to write or show something about the trip to Yale or similar schools). It’s great you are following CC threads this early and you do have the time and the potential to make yourself really more competitive and a more realistic Yale applicant between now and Nov 1st. Work on writing winning essays for your application - starting this Summer.
In summary, don’t lean on or think too much about the potential “hooks” now but continue working hard on making your application stand out regardless of the hooks.</p>
<p>Being a URM definitely is a hook for you as is being a first generation college (you can’t write down most schools outside of the US as acceptable colleges on Common App).
I would shoot to get over a 2200 to be safe for the cutline. Definitely look to get 5’s on those exams, especially Biology since it is a much more basic, or general core class exam.
In general, I’m not sure exactly what your focus is? Top schools don’t want well rounded students so much as (arguably, I guess) a well rounded student body with passionate members making the entire community well rounded. While it might be a little late, I would consider finding something to focus that you are passionate about. If you are passionate about everything, show it, but remember to focus on something as well.
I regret most finishing my essays October 31st (in the midst of the freak snow storm…) and being exceedingly anxious about sending in my app. But, they really do read your essays. I received a handwritten note from an admissions officer commenting on my common app essay, so I would definitely encourage working WAY early on that (topic of choice is always an option on CommonApp), and maybe even use your experience in Africa this summer as potential topic.
You seem like you’re on the right path for SCEA.
Good luck!!</p>
<p>“you can’t write down most schools outside of the US as acceptable colleges on Common App”</p>
<p>My suggestion is - be very careful with this assumption or advice. If parent(s) went to college, they went to college - doesn’t say “college in the US”. If a parent went to college in Russia or Zimbawe or Cameroon, the child is NOT “first generation” college applicant or student. Such a claim would be a misrepresentation and may be deemed deceptive (if and when found out) - enough to lead to recision of admission after it may have been granted or perhaps similar action(s) after enrollment. To make this easier, consider calling the admissions office at Yale (or any school of your dream) and ask for clarification.
Good luck</p>
<p>On the Commonap, foreign colleges may not have CCEB codes to report them but the CCEB code would be 0000 for foreign college, the applicant would then free hand enter the name of the college.
No CCEB code not mean the college “is not acceptable”.
Cheers!</p>
<p>Okay thanks about the parents’ college things. As for my focus, I think I kind of ended up focusing all my athletics, work, and community service things around swimming. I’m not sure yet if I can get recruited to a D1 like Yale my coach tells me I might be able to walk on the team. But yeah, I spend a lot of time swimming and working with various people on their swimming and I plan to maybe mention something somewhere in my app about the difficulties of competing in a sport hugely dominated by whites and people of Asian descent. But yeah, just clarifying, swimming’s what all my ECs are centered around. Thanks btw everyone!</p>
<p>IMO, your ECs are great and the focus around swimming is excellent. Even without mentioning it (not suggesting you shouldn’t), it may add to your uniqueness as an applicant if you are one of the few (let’s say AAs) excelling in an area which is, otherwise, usually “dominated” by others.
I remember my first D was in a similar situation. The college interviewer remarked that her ECs (mostly around swimming) stood out especially because very few AA / blacks do swimming - compared to (let’s say) track.
On the other hand, second D did mostly track and swimming. Both got into their dream colleges - including the latter to Y.
Summary is: your ECs are on track for Y.</p>
<p>Alright thanks. I’ve been told that it’s bad to be centered around a sport if you’re not sure you’ll be recruited. Do your daughters swim in college?</p>
Thanks btw everyone!</p>