Can I get into Yale?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I am a junior in a large public school. I am applying to schools next fall- my top choices are Yale, Brown, Tufts, Stanford, University of Southern California, BU, and UMD College Park (in-state tuition).</p>

<p>SAT scores (I will take it my second and final time in June):
Math- 750
Reading- 710
Writing- 560 (uncharacteristically low)
Total- 2020</p>

<p>I am in the IB program, taking English, History, and Math HL and Chemistry, Art, and French SL. Ive taken AP World History, Statistics, Human Geography, and I intend to take AP Psychology senior year.</p>

<p>I have gotten straight A's except for: a B in Algebra 2, a B in IB History and a C in IB Chemistry and IB Math last semester. My GPA is 3.9 unweighted, 4.13 weighted. I am ranked 12 out of 536.
I know there's no excuses, but the reason for the Cs is that last semester I was coping with (and still am coping with) the recent divorce of my parents and the death of a dear friend.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Founder and President of Model UN club (3 years)
Vice President of IB Advisory Board (2 years)
NHS member
AFS volunteer (20+ hours)
Elementary school volunteer (150+ hours)
Destination Imagination (DI) member
Recreational horseback rider
I play viola</p>

<p>Awards:
HOBY alumni
YES Abroad semi-finalist
NSLI-Y finalist</p>

<p>Summer Programs:
CTY Crafting The Essay course (3 weeks)
MMLA French Immersion program (4 weeks)
Phillips Exeter Academy Summer School (5 weeks- 3 classes)
NSLI-Y (7 weeks studying intensive Arabic in Morocco)</p>

<p>I intend to major in international relations in college, and aspire to work in the UN one day. I want to study abroad extensively and eventually attain fluency in both French and Arabic.</p>

<p>SO the big question is: am I good enough for my top choices like Yale, Brown, and Tufts?</p>

2

<p>Honestly, Yale is a reach school for anyone as it is one of the most prestigious institutions in the world. I would say that it is likely that you will get into Tufts, and Brown is a reach school (just because of the low writing score). Yale might be a high reach, but your GPA is great which definitely counts for something! I wouldn’t take any of them off your list.</p>

<p>Please chance me?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1488286-chance-me-vanderbilt-wake-forest-harvard-chapel-hill-emory-cornell-umiami.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1488286-chance-me-vanderbilt-wake-forest-harvard-chapel-hill-emory-cornell-umiami.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

3

<p>A 3.9 GPA is solid and you’re good on that front. Your EC’s are fairly impressive, though not exceptional. And you SAT score is very mediocre for Yale, Brown and a lot of top schools.</p>

<p>Yale and Brown are high reaches, as is Stanford. Tufts is a low reach and USC is a high match. BU and College Park are matches, and I’d be very surprised if you didn’t get into one of the other.</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the responses! Any other colleges that you guys, or anyone else, would recommend based on my grades/ interests?</p>

5

<p>Other opinions please? Anything I can do to improve?</p>

6

<p>Getting your SAT up will help. Also, sorry to hear about your parents and friend. Maybe have your counselor include a note in your application. </p>

<p>Find a way to expand on your love for French and Arabic other than having gone to paid programs. Perhaps show some leadership or initiative in any of these two or both areas. </p>

<p>What about Georgetown? Their school of foreign service sounds like a good fit for your career aspirations.</p>

7

<p>It’ll be a reach… take some subject tests and get your SAT up.</p>

8

<p>Make sure that you explain your Bs and Cs in your application.</p>