<p>Hi! I'm going into senior year and Yale is my top choice. I know admissions at the Ivies can be unpredictable, but can someone please give me an idea if I have a good shot?
I'm a white male, middle class.
Intended Major: Biology (Pre-Med)
High School: Small, very average, few AP's
Class Rank: 1 of 100 or so
SAT I: 2320 (790 math, 780 writing, 750 reading)
SAT II: 800 US History, 800 Biology E
GPA: 4.33 unweighted
Senior Year Courseload: AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Calculus AB, Dual Credit Humanities, Dual Credit Government, Economics
AP's: US History (5 hopefully), World History (5), European History Self-Study (4), 3 more senior year
Extra Curriculars: Cross Country (9-12, League All-Star 10 and 11, Sectional Champion Team 11), Track (9-11, League All Star 11), Volleyball (11 and 12), Student Council President, National Honor Society President, Community Interact Club VP, Yearbook Committee, etc.
Work Experience/ Volunteering: Assisting at various Church fundraisers 9-11, Assisting at local soup kitchen 9-11, Organizing and working at school fundraisers, Working at local farm, Cardiology Internship at local hospital
Awards/ Recognition: Highest Academic Award (9-11), Coach's Award for Cross Country, RIT Award for Computing, National Merit Achievement, Nominee to Boy's State</p>
<p>I'm working hard on my essays and I'm getting two really good teacher recommendations. I have taken the most difficult classes I could all three years. I'm just afraid I'll look less impressive next to students from way better schools because my school offers so few AP's and even academic clubs. Any input would be appreciated!</p>
<p>I’m not sure what you mean by “good shot”? If we doubled the typical 7.5% admit rate and said you had a 15% admissions chance based on your high SATs and exhausting the resources of your school with few APs, would that be a “good shot”? Clearly you are competitive and should apply if Yale is your first choice. It has been cliche but true to say that Yale is a “reach” school for nearly everyone so make sure you apply to schools with a range of selectivities. Good luck.</p>
<p>Well, you make a good point about how Yale is a reach school and it’s hard to say what a “good shot” is. I guess what I’m wondering is whether or not the fact that my school had so much less to offer me in comparison to other students’ schools. Will this give me a much lower shot than other students, or will they focus more on my high grades and test scores and the fact that I did as much as I really could?</p>
<p>My son’s school only offered 6 AP classes. He took 5 of them and was accepted off the waitlist so the number of AP classes is only relative to how many were offered. I wouldn’t worry about it.</p>
<p>P.S. How do you get an UW GPA of 4.33 or do you mean weighted?</p>
<p>Well, my school just uses numerical grades out of 100, and I’ve gotten A+ in every class I’ve taken. My counselor translated it to a 4.0 scale, and he said that 4.0 is equal to A and 4.33 is equal to A+. But he could easily be wrong since he’s brand new and doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing.</p>
<p>You will not have a lower shot. Your transcript is the single most important part of the application and it is judged in the context of your own school and opportunities.</p>
<p>Colleges will look at you in terms of your school, not in terms of an ideal high school. If you make the most of what your school offers (and you obviously have) then you should have no worse a chance than someone from a terrific high school with many more opportunities.</p>