Chance me please!!! (YALE SCEA)

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>International student from Guatemala
Male, Ethnically Asian but have grown up in Guatemala since 7 years old, and have Guatemalan Citizenship
GPA: 4.00 Weighted Rank: 1/90
Junior AP: Microecon, Spanish Language, English Language
Senior AP: Calculus, Spanish lit, English lit, Biology, Macroecon,
SAT: 760 CR 750 M 660W (Retake in December:will hopefully boost writing above 700 and score a 800 in math. Too bad I wont be able to send my December scores for Yale SCEA)
700 chem 740 Math IIC 780 Spanish (My school’s chemistry is not that strong i guess…blah)</p>

<p>Rotary Club Leadership Award
Outstanding Student Award (one student chosen for each class, based on academics and EC)
Distinguished Honor Roll (96 av. and above) for 4 years in Highschool
Academic Excellence Awards in all subjects (93 av) except Spanish and P.E
Church Worship and Band leader
Model UN secretary attending BosMUN
Varsity Basketball Most improved player of 2006 (Freshman and Junior)
Varsity Knowledgebowl 3rd place in Central American International Tournament
Piano: Have played for 7 years, Pianist for School Musical “Little Shop of Horrors” after auditioning, Music Festival Award
Guitar: Have Played for 5 years, Lead guitar, Band Leader
Drums: Beginner
Community Service Trip to Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico
Different types of community service in Guatemala (Dont know how many hrs exactly, but it should be around 150 to 170hrs)
Worked as Translator for community service team in Mexico
Worked as math tutor for middle schoolers 7 hours/month
Member of The National Honor Society
Class President for 3 years
School Newspaper “The Sting”: one of main editors
CTY Princeton 2006 Global Politics and Justice
AP Scholar (If it matters)</p>

<p>Essay: 1. Defeat after running as the presidential candidate for the student government elections. (My personal purpose and what I learned from the experience)</p>

<li>How I felt when I first came to Guatemala</li>
</ol>

<p>(They should be alright…)</p>

<p>Rec Letters: Brilliant. (My AP bio teacher knows me very well, so he wrote 3 pages. I actually read it and it was fantastic)</p>

<p>Well, what are my chances…? I talked to an admission officer when she visited Guatemala, and I believe I gave her a good impression. Unfortunately, I cannot get an interview here in Guate. My SATs are dreadful, but I really hope I get into Yale. Im planning to major Economics and Mathematics if I get into Yale. It has always been my dream school.</p>

<p>THNX alot for your help guys… CC is marvelous…</p>

<p>P.S: Good luck to all SCEA Yalies!!:slight_smile: and Questbridge applicants!</p>

2

<p>helP!~~~someone..</p>

3

<p>Bump...!!!</p>

4

<p>Solid ECs, but nothing seems to stand out. Given your current SAT score, your chances at Yale are not good.</p>

<p>But since you've already submitted your application, I suppose there's nothing you can do right now but hope and pray. Good luck</p>

5

<p>nothing seems to stand out? LOL the kid is from guatemala, thats awesome, I would say you have a decent shot, definetly a reach as it is for anyone, it really will come down to the essay imo, if you really gave them something they are looking for in that essay you will be accepted imo. Good luck, hopefully it will be a merrry christmas for you if you know what I mean.</p>

6

<p>josue, There's nothing in your profile that would keep you out of Yale and a lot that would make you a person of interest. Having said that Yale is insanely competitive and the competition for SCEA increased significantly this year. </p>

<p>So...I'd just put Yale out of mind for now and concentrate on your RD applications. Where else are you applying?</p>

<p>PS, Your SATs are not dreadful. Retaking them would be, in my opinion, a waste of time. Put the effort into your other applications, especially the essays and resume.</p>

<p>Try organizing your ECs so that they are more focused on the two or three that are the most important to you. Your list is all good but it's hard to get a handle on which are the most meaningful.</p>

<p>If you're seriously involved in music, you might consider submitting a performance tape, even if you don't intend to major in music. You can see instructions for doing so on the colleges' websites under "supplemental materials."</p>

7

<p>Thank alot guys. I appreciate your help.
I understood you dirthog lol.</p>

<p>Momrath: Thanks for your advice. Im hoping to get into an ivy.</p>

8

<p>momrath, do you seriously think that he doesn't need to retake? He wants to get into an Ivy. My advice is definitely retake. Don't let the SAT score be a liability. You want to get past that stage so they'll take a good look at your great ECs.</p>

9

<p>
[quote]
do you seriously think that he doesn't need to retake?

[/quote]

I serviously thing that he doesn't need to retake. He has 750 + 760, hardly a liability. That's good enough for any college on the planet. If he does or doesn't get in it won't be because of his scores.</p>

<p>However, if retaking will boost his self confidence then what the heck -- go ahead and fund the the College Board, but be aware that they could actually go down.</p>

10

<p>a 1510 is quite distinguishable from a 1600; I don't know how many people could think otherwise. it's different from, say, 1580 vs 1600. Of course, retaking won't necessarily mean he'll achieve a perfect score or even go up, but that's not my point. On scores per se, there IS a difference between the two scores.</p>

<p>And remember he wants to get into an Ivy - some Ivies do consider the Writing score, and he'll have to retake the whole thing just for that anyway. Good luck.</p>

11

<p>screwitlah, well, we'll just have to agree to disagree. I think that many posters on CC are way too focused on SATs. Even for ivies or any super-selectives the difference between a balanced 1510 and 1600 is minimal, especially for international from non-English speaking countries. In other words, 1510 won't keep you out. 1600 won't get you in.</p>

12

<p>
[quote]
1510 won't keep you out. 1600 won't get you in.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>well, I think everybody here on CC knows enough about that already. I never said 1600s are auto admits. It's frustrating when people break it down and oversimplify the issue. the issue isn't about whether any SAT score on its own could guarantee admission. It's about how much more a higher score could help an applicant, and that's why I'm asking the OP to retake it, cos I think it would improve his chances for Ivies.</p>

<p>Even for applicants from non-English speaking countries, there is obviously a limit to which colleges would bend over backwards to accept low CR/W scores. And who is to say the OP's scores are good enough for his country's pool? We can only guess, and the OP would have less to worry about with a higher score.</p>

13

<p>
[quote]
I'm asking the OP to retake it, cos I think it would improve his chances for Ivies.

[/quote]
That's the part that I think is misleading. The OP has an unsual background, excellent grades and rank and (it seems) strong ECs. If Yale or any other super selective accepts him, it will be because of what he has to offer to the school, not because of his SATs -- even if he improves them. On the other hand if he is rejected with a 1510 he would most likely be rejected with a 1600. </p>

<p>How do I know this? Not surprisingly I don't! :) I was mostly just reacting to the OP's comment that his SATs are "dreadful." They absolutely are not. He has a lot of very positive points and if he were to present himself effectively he has as good a shot to get into any college in America as he would with perfect scores. </p>

<p>Perfect or close to perfect scores *can*compensate for weakness in other areas -- e.g., inconsistent grades or middling rank. But since the OP is covered by excellent grades and #1 rank, he doesn't need the extra score boost.</p>

<p>I do agree, however, that every applicant should give the process your best shot and if retaking will make him feel more confident, then he should do so. I'm all for less to worry about.</p>

14

<p>
[quote]
Of course, retaking won't necessarily mean he'll achieve a perfect score or even go up, but that's not my point.

[/quote]
But it is a very important point. It is exceedingly unlikely that this student's retaking would increase his score enough to make any difference in his being considered on the the basis of SAT scores. As momrath said, he is sufficiently outstanding in other ways that will gain him acceptance at many selective U.S. schools.</p>

15

<p>
[quote]
nothing seems to stand out? LOL the kid is from guatemala, thats awesome,

[/quote]
</p>

<p>How does being from a different country help him stand out? He's an international applicant and by definition....</p>

16

<p>So guys... should I retake?;;; Im pretty sure I could get above 2200 this time...lol</p>

17

<p>If its not worth it, I dont wanna waste my time...lol</p>

18

<p>josue, why don't you ask the question on the parents board to get a wider range of imput? The main reason for retaking, as I see it, would for your peace of mind. Just be sure to concentrate on the other aspects of your application as well.</p>

19

<p>
[quote]
But it is a very important point. It is exceedingly unlikely that this student's retaking would increase his score enough to make any difference in his being considered on the the basis of SAT scores. As momrath said, he is sufficiently outstanding in other ways that will gain him acceptance at many selective U.S. schools.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>it is an important point, but that wasn't my point. I was really talking about scores in general, not just for him.</p>

<p>in any case, does anyone have any clear idea at all about the quality of applicants from Guatemala in the first place?</p>

20

<p>oh well.. i dont wanna sound pretentious but my score is considered to be pretty high in Guatemala.</p>