Chance Me Please

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
1

<p>I have a 4.34 W GPA, 4.0 UW</p>

<p>My parents emigrated from Uganda (I'm a first generation American)</p>

<p>National Merit Commended Scholar (I'm pretty sure, my PSAT score was 206 and I'm in Louisiana)</p>

<p>~top 10% of my class (my school doesn't rank)
AP's: AP Euro (4), AP Bio (4), AP English Lang (4), APUSH (5), and am currently taking AP Micro, AP Physics C, AP Calculus AB, AP French Language, AP English Lit, AP U.S. Gov, and Chem 2 Honors (I am self-studying for AP Chem)
I have been a piano player for eleven years, sax player for eight, clarinet for five
I played club soccer for six years, and school soccer for all four high school years
Clubs: French Club (10th-12th, current president), Speech and Debate (12th, president), Young Republicans (12th, president), Model UN (11th-12th), Mu Alpha Theta (11th-12th), and some useless clubs like Ping-Pong and Doctor Who
I organized a book drive in my school for a library my family is building in my father's village in Uganda
I have done extensive genealogy research for several people, including my own family in an effort to trace our origins
Have played quizbowl since sixth grade, am current captain. We won state overall last year, and we have qualified for nationals every year I have played.
My hobbies are reading, playing music, soccer, doing genealogies, playing ping pong... (I can't remember all of them )
I have received several national awards from the National French Contest
1st Place in Algebra I State Literary Rally
Superior Rating in French Open Rally two years in a row
SAT: 2210 (730 CR, 690 M, 790 W)- I took it again on Saturday
ACT: 32
SAT II: Biology M (710), US History (730), Math II (680)- might retake Math II
National Achievement Semifinalist
2014 Junior Scholar Athlete (athlete with highest GPA in class)
have done a presentation to my school concerning eczema in order to raise awareness
participated in a summer medical program (AHEC of a Summer) that allowed me to see surgeries up close and actually help perform potentially dangerous tasks
Will take AMC 12 this year
Got awesome reviews for my performance as Teen Angel in my school's production of Grease last year
was in District Honor Choir and All-State, where I was awarded the Louisiana Music Educators Association Scholar Award
I am part of NHS and I tutor people in school and out of school
plan to start tutoring at a math help center once I get a car
I skipped 8th grade, if that means anything
1st Choice: Yale!!!
Reaches: Princeton, Harvard, Columbia, maybe Brown and Dartmouth, UNC (out of state), Cornell
Matches: Notre Dame, Duke, Johns Hopkins, Stonybrook, LeHigh
Safeties: Boston College, U of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, LSU (applied and accepted), Northwestern University, maybe Purdue and maybe University of Alabama
I think that's it. If you guys need to know more, tell me. I'm writing this at midnight, so my memory really isn't that good now.</p>

<p>Thanks in advance!</p>

2

<p>Standardized scores slightly low, but good luck with your retake one!
Others are great.</p>

<p>I’m slightly concerned with you putting Notre Dame into Matches, because according to their online statistics, they have a similar SAT/GPA median as HYPs</p>

3

<p>If you’re a citizen and black, I would go so far as to guarantee that you will get into Yale if you apply SCEA.</p>

4

<p>Duke is more selective than Dartmouth, Cornell and UNC (out of state). Not even close to being a match for you. As an applicant, you should really be better informed!</p>

5

<p>You have a better chance than most at Yale, and I think you’ll do well at most of your other schools.</p>

<p>However BC and Northwestern are not true safeties for you. Both are great schools that you have an excellent chance at, but they are not safety schools. This is fine because you have some legit safeties, but I wanted to know.</p>

<p>I also agree that Duke is a (low) reach.</p>

<p>Focus on service in your ECs if you can. If you want to talk about geneology as a hobby in a supplement, this will speak to your interests, but it’s not really that impressive as an EC. The eczema presentation is interesting but does not need to make the cut. Schools want to see passion in a few areas rather than superficial involvement in a million unrelated activities.</p>

6

<p>Thanks everybody!
ormdad: Thanks for the info. My counselor told me the same thing, but I just keep forgetting to change my list. :smiley: </p>

7

<p>Actually as far as GPA’s and standardized tests go, Duke is a match for me. But you’re right; just like the ivy leagues, it will always be a reach. I was writing this at midnight, and was just listing the colleges of the top of my head. Sorry!</p>

8

<p>This from @IxnayBob on another Yale Chance Me thread, which is worth repeating. Best of luck to you!</p>

<p>

</p>

9

<p>@mwesigwa‌ Actually, Duke’s average test scores (M+V) are higher than those of Penn, Cornell and Brown (according to collegeboard.com) so you are mistaken. We won’t hold that against you. I just wanted to clear the air for future reference. </p>

10

<p>Thanks for all the help. Now, should I apply to Yale EA/ED or RD?</p>

11

<p>^^ You’re the only one who can answer that question. </p>

<p>Each applicant has to weigh “putting all their eggs in one basket” by applying SCEA to HYPS or ED somewhere else, as apposed to applying to a broad range of non-binding colleges in the EA round. </p>

<p>Yale and other selective colleges are on record as saying “We don’t take anyone in the EA round that we wouldn’t take RD” which is Admissions-speak for “We take the best of the best in the early round.” In general, if an applicant is ranked in the top 1% to 2% of their graduating class with a high ACT/SAT score, I encourage them to apply SCEA somewhere, as your chances are better in the early round. (Even if your school doesn’t rank, you should have a sense if you are one of the top students in your grade. And, if you don’t know, I’m sure your GC knows as. many schools that do not provide ranking keep an internal ranking, if only to calculate which students are the val and sal.)</p>

<p>If you’re ranked somewhere in the top 3% to 10% of your class, a college may defer you to compare you with a broader range of applicants in the RD round, so you’re better off not putting all your eggs in one basket and applying to a broad range of non-binding schools. But, it’s getting kind of late in the process for you to make an EA/ED decision, so talk to your GC today!</p>

12

<p>BUMP!!! I now have a 770 Math II SAT 2, and a 2230 superscore on SAT!!</p>

13

<p>I posted the below on another Yale thread, maybe you missed it</p>

<p>

</p>