Another Yale SCEA Chances Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
1

<p>Thanks for taking the time to check my chances thread. I'll keep the commentary limited and will try to include just the pertinent info so that you can make a succinct, insightful prediction for my chances for admission via the Single-Choice Early Action program at Yale.</p>

<p>Demographics: White, male applicant from Texas (born in Kansas). No legacy.</p>

<p>Numbers:
SAT: 740CR, 800M, 740W
SAT II: 750Chem, 740MathII, 790USHistory.
ACT: 35E, 35M, 35R, 31S
Class Rank: 31/506
GPA: ~3.8UW/~5.1W</p>

<p>Courseload:
I have taken the most challenging courses available at my high school. At graduation, I will have taken a total of 12 AP classes; the grades I have made so far are: Human Geography (4), World History (5), English Lang & Comp (5), Chemistry (4), U.S. History (5). BTW, this makes me an AP Scholar with Distinction.</p>

<p>My rank is sagging a bit because I have taken 2 unweighted extracurricular classes since freshman year, debate and choir. This is explained in my app. Also, I am National Merit Commended.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Entering 7th year of Boy Scouts. Have accumulated numerous service hours and leadership experience, recently attained the rank of Eagle Scout. (about 150 service hours so far).
Entering 4th year of Debate Team. Have won multiple awards, qualified twice for the state tournament, and am serving as president of a team of about 60 students next year.
Entering 4th year of Choir. Have also won multiple awards in singing. Have sung in the Texas All-State Mixed Choir (state's top choir, very competitive).
Entering 4th year of Young Republicans. I have served as president since 10th grade. I'm not a fanatic so stop the Bob Jones jokes, please ;p
Entering 3rd year of Spanish Club. Currently serving as president of around 150 members (biggest club in the school, I believe).
Entering 2nd year of National Honor Society, member.
Entering 2nd year of Spanish National Honor Society, member.</p>

<p>Other:
I worked with another debater to try to change state academic policy with regard to participation rules for debate. The result was that the situation would be "monitored," basically a failure but still shows initiative.
I haven't held any summer jobs but I have gone to several debate and choir summer camps over my high school years.
I just recently started volunteering at Teen Court and so far have about 25 hours invested...will continue over the summer.
Recs will likely be very good, I have a great relationship with my U.S. History teacher and she likes me because I did so well in the class.
My goal is to pursue some social science like PolSci or Economics with a pre-law intent but nothing set in stone.</p>

2

<p>100 views and no responses? C'mon Yalies, help me out! ;)
bump!</p>

3

<p>I think your stats and ECs will be competitive but not unusual. I would say you have a shot, but it's tough. I would say that you have a very good chance at getting into a highly selective school, but that it's much harder to evaluate your chances at any particular one. Apply to several.</p>

4

<p>Your GPA is a bit low. For someone with your profile, your GPA will need to be near the very top of your class. Unless you're at a school that is known to send lots of kids to top schools and where colleges therefore digs deeper into the classes, I think GPA could be a sticking point. For high schools that send a few people to the very top schools every year, HYP seem to pick from the top 5 students, if not the top 2-3, when athletic ability (and to a lesser extent URM status) aren't in play.</p>

5

<p>Advice you will never hear from an admissions officer but which I have seen from several college consultants is that if you have republican/conservative leanings, don't advertise that fact when applying to the top schools - the reason they give is that the admissions offices, like the rest of the school, leans pretty far left and there is a lot of unstated and perhaps unconscious bias against conservatives. </p>

<p>No idea if this is true at Yale specifically, but is advice many private counselors give in their books and articles.</p>

6

<p>No need to hide conservative politics from the Yale admissions committee. They want spirited political debate on campus and to have that you need all political flavors represented. Yale certainly leans left, so being a conservative helps with diversity.</p>