I understand that both Harvard and Yale utilize a holistic admissions process, but from what I understand, grades and test scores are what “get you to the committee room” where they actually look at the whole applicant 9i.e. someone with a 1.0 GPA and a 12 on the ACT probably won’t make it to committee). To keep this short, could someone tell me if my grades/ACT are “in the range” to possible get accepted to Harvard and Yale.
GPA: 3.67
Class rank: 56/387
ACT: 33
SAT II: Chemistry 720
AP courses taken/currently taking: AP Chemistry, AP Biology, AP Human Geography, AP Macroeconomics, AP Literature, AP Calculus BC, AP Language, AP Psychology, AP US Government, AP Physics 1, AP Physics 2, AP Statistics
The reason why my GPA is lower than expected is because I didn’t take my academics very seriously in freshmen and sophomore years. In junior year, I got nearly a 4.0 (one B one semester in precalculus), and as of right now in senior year, I have a 4.0. Will my application be tossed just because of the quantitative parts of my application?
You realize that HYS have the lowest admit rates of 4 yr colleges in the country, right? Why don’t you look at these schools’ common data set, section C and look at the averages of students accepted. Have there been alumni at your HS who were accepted at very selective schools? What did they look like?
When I give presentations for Yale, I thank the audience sincerely for considering us. But I also feel it’s important for me to be truthful about the rotten chances for even the most qualified of them. I ask students: “right now, are you among the handful of top scholars in your HS today? Known by all the staff and the principal? Are you one of the strongest students your HS has produced in the last few years? If yes, then you MIGHT be a viable applicant for my school” I don’t say this to puff up my school – I wish to goodness that it could accept many many more. But it’s simply disingenuous for me to say: “It’s wonderful! You should all apply!”
I think HYS are not realistic choices for you, not withstanding their place as your dream destination. Often, what we desire may not match reality. Even within your own school there are +50 kids with demonstrably better academic performance than you. It’s great you’ve turned things around but you simply aren’t aware of the level of competition in these schools’ pools.
My advice for you would be to think of the characteristics you like about HYS and run the SuperMatch function on the left panel. It’ll give you schools that align to your preferences and are both realistic matches and affordable. You’ve done extremely well and will have great options come April 2017. Good luck to you!
Just apply. You won’t die. So long as you don’t bet all your money on it and have other more realistic schools on your list. I say go for it
GOOD LUCK!! Yeah your ACT score and GPA is within range. Your SAT score is alright. But I guess your rank is what’s bringing you down. But then again, H doesn’t consider rank. Though they’ll get an idea of how promising you are through the recs (which would probably be affected by your rank).
OTHERWISE,ONCE AGAIN,… I SAY APPLY IF YOU WANT TO. YOU WONT DIE
@ILoveStanford: that statement implies you DON’T understand how Admissions at selective college’s work.
Most applicants at Yale and Harvard – probably 90% of them – DO NOT make it to the full committee. So, when Yale or Harvard receive about 30,000 applications, that means only about 3,000 students make it to the full committee. Out of those 3,000 applicants, Harvard admits about 2100 students. (With an 80% yield that nets Harvard about 1660 students which is all they have room for – the rest of the applicants who were seen by the full committee (900 students) make up the waitlist. Yale having fewer beds in their freshman class, sends fewer acceptance letters.)
So – in Amherst’s case – only about 12% to 13% of applicants are brought before the whole committee. The rest of the applicant pool have been weeded out by some unknown metric. Now, that metric could be GPA, or test scores, but it could also be teacher recommendations, guidance counselor’s report, essays, interview report, EC’s, or a special talent etc.
**Yale and Harvard could fill their entire freshman class with students who have a 4.0 GPA and a perfect SAT or ACT – but they don’t! ** So, what the heck are they looking for? Character! That’s an old fashioned word; it means the way you develop your inner qualities: intellectual passion, maturity, social conscience, concern for community, tolerance, inclusiveness and love of learning. Colleges learn of those things by comments made from your teachers and guidance counselor, as well as what your choose to write about in your essays and the “tone” and content of what you say. And none of that can be gleaned from a post like yours.
Bottom line: there isn’t one formula or recipe that will get you admitted; each student must find their own way. Best of luck to you in finding your way!
Can I just ask, are you an admissions officer/counselor? When you said you give “presentations for Yale”, that made me think that you might be affiliated with the admissions office.
Okay. With my case, I feel that my extracurriculars and recommendations are so strong, but my academics (primarily in freshman and sophomore years) is what is preventing me from having a good chance.
I’ve heard students asking guidance counselors to ask AOs if the student made it to full committee. Would you recommend doing that? Felt like this question could apply to OP (and me!)
AO = admissions officer, OP = original poster @hhjjlala Some guidance counselors have relationships w/area reps. . However, don’t think that that communication would occur to necessarily assist any single student – it would be a two way communication for either the college to get more info from the school – or for the school to provide insight on what/who are better sorts of applicants.
These relationships are not common. Unless you go to a school that regularly sends students to a particular college, asking your GC to give a call likely will be met with a polite but non-committal response. I would advise you to remain patient.
Like i stated above, your turnaround is something to be proud of. But that significant hit to your GPA from your 1st two years, regardless of ECs or recs – in my opinion, make you a longshot among longshots already. Yale, Harvard and Stanford will be turning down tens of thousands of kids with 4.0 or near 4.0 GPAs, similar test scores and ECs and recs. That’s simply the reality of how competitive these schools really are these days.
Also, it makes me feel really bad to be called “a longshot among longshots”. Do you know how many countless hours I’ve stayed up crying due to my early grades which are impossible to change? Almost anything in this world can be fixed-but not a transcript-it’s irreversible. I’ve called myself these names and things before, but to hear it from an actual alumni really stings.
Look. I’m not an AO. All I can do is share with you my experience. I’ve interviewed ~250 applicants. I know the caliber of admitted students. I know something of the odds of even the best, best best applicants. They are poor. I’m sorry but I’m not here to simply puff any single person up. I gave a detailed explanation of my thoughts to you multiple times now and how GPA plays a central role.
I’ve also stated you have a great future ahead of you. But you’re speaking of Yale Harvard and Stanford. That elevates things dramatically and I won’t insult your intelligence by telling you that your desire somehow trumps the reality of the situation. I sincerely wish you the best of luck.
I understand, but the whole situation has me really depressed…especially when my twin sister has a 4.0 and a 36 on the ACT.
I mean this with all due respect, but how can you tell that “I have a great future ahead of me” without knowing my ECS and personal qualities? Do you just say this to all “longshot students” to comfort them against the reality of their odds? Again, I really am trying to be nice-you seem like a kind and truthful person. I’m just asking this so I know what I can take to heart and what I can’t.
I say this because despite your less than stellar start, you’ve really proved yourself last year and this. You clearly are academically qualified for practically any college in the country. Do you realize that with a ACT 33, you qualify for full tuition/room & board at some colleges already? But chasing schools as elusive as HYS is simply a crazy situation. Good luck
You really should not let this process depress you. Getting into an HYPSM level college is not the end all be all of human existence. I know people who went to Harvard and wished they had gone elsewhere. I know one who transferred away from Harvard to attend UCLA - and he is forever thankful that he did so. Back in my day, I got into two of them myself but chose JHU. In retrospect, I wish I had chosen Brown. But oh well…
My older daughter thought that Yale was the place for her 3 yrs ago, but she loves it at USC. My point is that the right fit will find you if you are open to options and apply to a good mix of reach, match and safety schools. From your posts, I concur with others in that Harvard, Yale and Stanford are all likely high reaches for you. My daughter’s stats seemed appropriate for admission to Yale, but she was rejected nonetheless. So what? She got over it quickly.
My younger daughter is applying right now, and Yale and Stanford are two of the 13 schools that she has applied to… but she is also 100% confident that she will be rejected by both of them. It is simply a #s game… and when elite colleges routinely reject 93-94% of all applicants, it is not worth stressing out about being among the vast majority of other applicants facing such steep odds.
Yes… by all means roll the dice and try… but have many options to choose among come April.
