Are My Chances For Getting Into Yale Looking Grim?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Okay, I am a high school sophomore and have never been a straight A student, mostly A’s and B’s. I have been looking into colleges since the 7th but always thought that I would never be able to attend all these low acceptance rate colleges because I never thought I was that good of a student. Until a few months ago, I had never looked into Yale because it had seemed so out-of-reach. The more I get to know about Yale, the more my heart starts the yearn to attend in the Fall of 2017 but when I look at all my grades and GPA and PSAT scores, I get this terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach telling me that it is too late and that I will never be accepted.

An overview of my high school academics:
Freshman Year
Subject: 1st Semester Grade/2nd Semester Grade
English 1: 93/85
IPC: 80/80
World Geography: 87/81
Geometry: 78/75
AVID 1: 90/90
Spanish 1: 96/95
COSC 1401: 81/76
Algebra (taken in 8th grade): 72/70

Sophomore Year
Subject: 1st Semester Grade/Current Grade
English 2: 91/99
Biology DC: 80/88 (currently correcting test to change my grade to an A)
Kinesiology DC (only 1st semester): 91
Algebra 2: 86/97
AVID 2: 90/88
Spanish 3/4 DC (1 semester each): 81/86 (not all my grades are in but it should be an A)
U.S. History DC: 81/93
Theatre 1 DC (only current semester): 90 (being corrected for a higher A)

Outside-of-School Activities:
Guitar Lessons for 1 Year
BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) - doing it currently for at least a year (by contract) but will most likely do it longer
Barbizon - Modeling and Acting school (my mom had me take it to learn proper etiquette)
Crisis Hotline Volunteering - doing it currently (by contract for 8 months) but will most likely do longer
A.A.B.Y. Thrift Shop Volunteering - I have been doing since summer of 2013 and still do so today

In-School Activities:
Service Learning - We do no have class on Fridays, rather we volunteer for 2 hours somewhere in the community. I volunteer at Silverado Living Home, I help with the residents and play games and such.
President of A.A.R.F.: I have been the President of AARF (Animals Are Real Friends) since my freshman year of high school. My first year was also the first year of the club so we were not as productive with anything. This year, I have planned volunteering opportunities every month since the start of the year.

About My School:
It is an early college high school.
My school is located on a college campus.
We do not offer UIL activities.
When I graduate with my high school diploma, I should also graduate with my Associates of Science Degree.
Most of the classes that I take are dual credit.
My junior and senior year, I will take the college course at a different college location with their professors and college students. This is different from freshman and sophomore year because we do not comment between campuses and the college courses that we take are taught by our facilitators and with other high school students.

Although I know the answer to my own question, do any of you believe that I have any fair chance of being accepted into Yale?

2

What’s your PSAT score?

3

1350 but I am looking into taking courses to help improve my score. I had never tried preparing for the test before until now (now referring to after the PSAT).

4

No.

However, there are dozens if not hundreds of other colleges that would be a good fit and you need to do some work to find one with a program you like.

5

Are you talking about getting a 1350/2400 on the PSAT? (Sorry, I am not clear on what you say.) A 1350 would indicate that you are not a good match for Yale, as students that get admitted have an average of 2250 or above.

6

@collegeguy97 I think he is referring to the new sat, so a 1350/1600

7

I do not see anything on your brag-sheet that suggests you would be a competitive applicant for Yale, unfortunately. You should think about what attracts you to Yale specifically, apart from the obvious “name-brand” status, and look for other realistic targets that offer some or all of those features. If that 1350 is out of 1600, your chances are exceedingly slim; if that score is out of 2400, your chances are nonexistent. I advise you to enjoy the next two years, do your best, participate in activities you love, and don’t focus on a particular college that typically rejects thousands of students with near-perfect grades and test scores. There are thousands of colleges that will accept you.