Applying to Yale

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hey CC. I'm approaching the end of my junior year and I'm starting to get ready for college admissions.</p>

<p>So I'm not too worried about getting into a college I'm interested, for there are a lot of tech schools in Massachusetts I could easily be accepted to. I also have UCONN as a safe, etc. </p>

<p>Currently, my SAT I scores are as follows:</p>

<p>Math: 720
Reading: 750
Writing: 690
Cumulative: 2160</p>

<p>I plan on taking two subject tests. One in Math 2 and one in Chemistry and I know I'm going to score over 750 with ease.</p>

<p>I live extremely close to Yale. As a result, throughout my childhood I've been involved in several Yale Outreach Programs at my school, and this summer I'm going to be doing an internship working under a PhD in the Gynecology Department (<a href="http://medicine.yale.edu/obgyn/discovery/education/highschool.aspx"&gt;http://medicine.yale.edu/obgyn/discovery/education/highschool.aspx&lt;/a&gt;). Basically, it's research involving ovarian cancer tumors. I've already secured one letter of recommendation from a Community Outreach Provider, and hopefully I can get one for my research over the summer.</p>

<p>I'm really aiming for Yale, and I'm hoping that the fact that I grew up around Yale and have been so involved in various activities at Yale, even as a highschooler, will increase my chances.</p>

<p>Lastly, I have a few strong extracurriculars under my belt. I've been involved at my local karate school for 6 years, and now I'm a head instructor there, so I'm hoping that displays some amount of "leadership". I work at this museum (<a href="http://www.eliwhitney.org/"&gt;http://www.eliwhitney.org/&lt;/a&gt;), and my job mainly involves mentoring children, and being a counselor at summer camps.</p>

<p>I'm a state finalist on my school's debate team, lead programmer on my school's FRC robotics team, and currently I'm either standing as the valedictorian or salutatorian in my class. I've also been elected as the senior class president for next year.</p>

<p>I've taken several college courses at a nearby private university through a program in my highschool, and my GPA on my transcript from that University is also a 4.0.</p>

<p>I'm taking some courses at Yale my senior year, through a program in my high school.</p>

<p>My grades have been perfect all throughout highschool, and I've taken 3 AP courses this year. (Chemistry, Calc AB, English Lang and Comp). I plan on taking 4 more my senior year.</p>

<p>And finally, here's the catch.</p>

<p>I'm part of the first graduating class in my high school. So yes, there are no seniors in my highschool right now. We'll be the first. My school is essentially in "beta", and I've taking the maximum amount of AP courses they've offered. </p>

<p>I've also been inducted into our newly formed chapter of the National Honor Society. My PSAT score was a 2180, so I think I got into some round of the National Merit Scholarship Competition. </p>

<p>WIll colleges take all this into consideration? What are my bets for Yale? Will my internship increase my chances significantly? Is there anything I can do to boost my application and resume? </p>

2

<p>Yes, colleges like Yale will take into account that your high school only has 3 AP classes. They will carefully scrutinize your application and if your school only has three, you maxed out the rigor and did all you could, which is fine.</p>

<p>Also, that gynecology thing sounds like it could be very beneficial, particularly if it has a connection to Yale. Would you be able to get the doctor to write a recommendation?</p>

<p>Finally, your SAT is a little low for Yale, but it’s honestly not that big of a deal. I would suggest taking it again or taking the ACT in your senior year. I did that and went from a 29 to a 34, a seemingly miraculous improvement.</p>

<p>So, in a nutshell, you are competitive and you should definitely apply. Just make sure to tell your story really well and make yourself an applicant they can’t refuse. It really does come down to the essays a lot of times.</p>

3

<p>I definitely agree with SneakyWalrus. Increase your test scores and you should have an excellent chance at getting in! Everything else seems great. Good luck!</p>

4

<p>Your situation is interesting and your research and involvement with Yale is a plus. However, don’t get comfortable. Your SAT score is definitely on the low end. Even though it wasn’t your choice that your school did not offer that many AP classes, it will still make your academics less competitive to other applicants, many of which will be coming with nearly perfect, if not totally perfect GPA’s in full AP or IB programs. Again, your involvement with Yale is a plus, but it by no means in anyway makes you a shoe-in. </p>

<p>Yale will be a far-reach school for you and for everyone else. Aim to increase your SAT score and see if you can build positive relations with the Yale faculty member you will be working with. Their recommendation will be a SUPPLEMENT to your application. You will still need to maintain excellent relationships with your current instructors and secure top-notch recommendations. Start your essay early and take it through many revision processes. Have trusted family and friends look over it.Having a perfect score, GPA and compelling extra curricular activities should be considered a bare minimum for applying to a school like Yale (for the most part). You will differentiate yourself with your story.</p>