<p>Hi!</p>
<p>I'm generally pretty apprehensive to think a college compares you to the other applicants from your school. Obviously they'll consider your grades/activities in the context of what's available to you, but it seems more logical to me that each applicant would be compared to the entire pool rather than being compared to the two or three people applying from their high school. This view has served me well, bc somehow i seem to have gotten this far in the college process w/o getty petty or jealous with people in my school. Actually, I've found it quite refreshing that the people i know applying to yale are actually helping each other to improve our applications. </p>
<p>With that said, there are three of us applying early, and one has recieved a likely letter. He's a recruited athlete, and barring any unforseeable calamities, he's in. Good for him! I am curious, do you think that having one person with definite early admission negatively impacts other candidates, or are athletes so completely separate in the admissions process that they can't even be compared? Not that i really expect to get in early anyway... it was just a passing thought.</p>
<p>An interesting question that I would like answered, too. Unfortunately, none of us have any grounds to even attempt to answer it. In my town, for example, there is a high concentration of legacies, recruited athletes, and applicants from 'feeder' private schools, whereas I attend a small public school of little renown. Naturally I am concerned that these people will get some sort of preference over me (whether they are more qualified or not), but I have found that the best thing to do is just not think about it.</p>
<p>My honest opinion is that their comparisons of geographic diversity DO NOT take into account WHO has been accepted from a particular region. Admissions folk don't care about this. As long as there is a certain fraction of each class from X area, what's the difference? In this regard, yes, I do believe that many recruited athletes/legacies from your area could hurt your chances. However, one recruited athlete from your school is unlikely (I think) to affect your admissions decision.</p>
<p>Quick question: Your friend ALREADY received a likely letter? Is that even possible?? Is he a ridiculously good athlete from a big money sport? I know several people who are "going" to Yale for sports (mainly rowing) but they have gotten nothing so definitive. It seems to be more of a 'tacit' assurance from a coach. Although it is easier said then done, the mere fact that 11/~700 of EA admits at Yale a year or two ago were WOMEN'S ROWERS should remind us that the admissions process (at Yale, at least) is about as far from a meritocracy as possible, so we can't worry too much about it.</p>
<p>Crap 11/700 were just one team? Then it's safe to assume that less than 500 early admits really got in normally (subtracting legacies, the super-privileged, and athletes)</p>
<p>The only other person applying to Yale at my school this year (and Yale has only taken two people in the past four years) happens to be our salutorian, who has URM and partial legacy advantages =( If it weren't for these, I wouldn't be nervous at all, because purely-merit-wise, I'd be more confident on where I would stand, but now I'm not so sure.</p>
<p>Stop trying to figure out admissions, you guys. As stated above, it's far from a pure meritocracy - it's mostly political. I doubt Yale cares whether they take one more person from school X rather than school Y. So there has to be some element of randomness.</p>
<p>generally, you will be judged in the context of your geographical area, but even those numbers will be determined by the quality of the entire pool. It's all about how hard your admissions officer fights for you in Committee, or so it seems. I wouldn't worry about anyone else from wherever affecting your chances; you are the only one who affects your chances.</p>
<p>How do you get your admission officer to fight for you? Is it that the admission officer on their own fights for those who he ore she believes in, and believes would be a great fit, ect, or are there some applicants who are developing a repour with their admission officer so they will rally for them. I was under the impression that one should only contact their regional admission rep to ask legitimate questions that they could not find answers to</p>
<p>hahaha. Your admissions officer is assigned to hundreds, if not thousands during RD, of cases, on which he/she has to be an expert. Before the Committee with the Dean and all of the big honchos at Yale Admissions meet, your admissions officer must read your file and your essays and discuss it with a few other admissions officer. Assuming that your case does not fall flat because of something uncharacteristically under qualifications for Yale like straight D's junior year or an extensive criminal record, your case will then be brought to Committee, where your admissions officer is your advocate and presents your case (he/she has to prove to the Committee why you are worth admitting). Usually though, if your admissions officer is not trying to fight for you, no one else will say anything because they have their own 25-50 best students that they have ever seen and people that deserve a spot in Yale's Class as soon as possible. That's why Yale and all of the similar schools are so selective. There has to be such a movement for you to be admitted that the Committee is willing to vote you a spot over 5-10 other amazing candidates that they have to defer or reject.</p>
<p>Thanks thefishofsports for that analysis</p>
<p>Ops I mean the fishofsorts Thanks</p>