Chances #147934 for a hopeful YALIE (or is it Yaly)!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
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<p>Hey Yalies, Yalie hopefuls, and extraneous (jk) other entities haunting this forum, lend me your ears (for a moment):</p>

<p>I visited Yale over spring break and thought it was the most ridiculously amazing campus on the face of the east coast. There's something ...different... about Yale I can't quite put my finger on, but I suppose it could generally be described as an emphasis on creativity and individualism that I thought was unique among the Ivy League schools. </p>

<p>I am really interested in majoring in applied sciences, as well as being involved with theatre and speech at the collegiate level. I know I have as good a chance as any, and if you don't feel like chancing me, could you at least suggest how I might improve in the coming months? THANKS! </p>

<p>Asian Male...ha</p>

<p>High School Public
High School Type: rarely sends grads to top schools
Academics:
GPA - Unweighted 4.00
Class Rank: Tied for 1st (but the school's no Andover or Choate; try more rural-suburban backwater-unknown to HYPS-no Yalie since '02-kinda school)
Class Size: ~550</p>

<p>Scores:
SAT I Math 800
SAT I Critical Reading 800
SAT I Writing 800
ACT 34
SAT II Math Level 2 (IIC) 800; will take Chem, Physics, and World history in June and October (tests will be split up between the two testing dates)
APs: Calc BC, Physics B - 5s; Projected 2007: Chem - 5, Stats - 5, Euro - 4 or 5, Physics C - probably 5</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Class Council (1,2,3), National Honor Society (4), Science Olympiad (1,2,3,4), Quiz Bowl (1,2,3,4), Youth Symphony orchestra (1,3,4), Theatre (1,2,3,4), Forensics (1,2,3,4</p>

<p>Leadership positions:
Class Council President
Captain, Forensics
Quiz Bowl Co-Captain
Principal clarinetist, youth orchestra
Student Director, leads of school plays/musicals </p>

<p>Honors and Awards: NMS (for sure; PSAT score is 30 points higher than last year's state cutoff), will probably be AP Scholar of some sort; 3rd/4th in State Duo/Dramatic interp; state medalist in Scrambler, Fermi Questions, science olympiad; USNCO semifinalist; Hon. mention in state math competition; principal clarinetist in youth area orchestra, International Thespian Society (participation in every school dramatic performance since fall of freshman yr., including several leads) </p>

<p>Summer activities:
Took linear algebra, number theory at state college; volunteering in the local township center; taught PSAT course for rising juniors; Boys' State </p>

<p>I know I'm kind of an oddball, participating -- on the one hand -- in SO, Quiz Bowl, and USNCO, while on the other hand also being heavily involved in theatre and forensics. I hope I can convey to the adcoms that I don't just do all these things for the resume; I should like to think I really do enjoy 1) estimating exponents and answering questions about the Council of Trent but also 2) fake crying and doing really cool blocking that arises from my convoluted imagination. So...chance me, please?</p>

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<p>You have a great chance at getting in, if you play your cards right. You are obviously intelligent and quirky, but remember that the adcom has about four minutes when they first read your application. You need to get past that first round, and it's very tough. Because of that, you need to think carefully about your essay and who you ask for recs, to make sure the stuff written about you communicates that you are unique, motivated, academically spectacular (not just grades-wise, but also in terms of original thought, helping your peers, being creative, intellectual/interested in learning more) and have a lot of sincere pursuits. If you aren't sure, you might want to ask your letter-writers about those kinds of things to see if they'll cover them. Not say them outright, but tell anecdotes or stories about your school career that will illustrate such points. You also probably have to kind of prove you'll be a leader no matter what environment you were put into. It sounds like you have taken advantage of your high school environment, but they may wonder if you've tried to branch out from that at all. If you can, get a third letter of recommendation from someone who is not strictly a teacher but who can testify to your exploits outside the classroom/formal activity setting. Back to that essay... if you want to improve your chances at getting in, you should think about it a lot. Maybe even write a few drafts of it now, and sit on it and see. As you get closer to the deadline, write the essay, have a bunch of people read it for suggestions, and then sit on it for 3-4 weeks without looking at it. Then dig it out, read it again and try to decide if it would stand out to someone reading a few hundred essays that are kind of similar. It's tough but if you really think about it I know you can produce a piece that will be truly exemplary.</p>

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<p>It is Yalie.</p>

<p>Yalie generally denotes undergraduate graduation from Yale, but some Yale professional school grads, for instance, Bill Clinton, are commonly identified as "Yalies"</p>

<p>Yalies, among Yale folk, usually refer to themselves as products of their residential colleges.</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>A Yalie (1984)</p>

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<p>I think you'll get in. My stats were much lower than your's and still I got in. Good luck.</p>

<p>Are you first-generation or low-income?</p>

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<p>I'm first-generation, but not low-income. Unfortunately, I don't think my status will be helping me any. Thanks for the encouragement, though.</p>

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<p>2400 Sat Score.</p>

<p>MUCH better chance then the average 10%. I'd triple-quadruple that. I'd say 35% chance.</p>

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<p>How much do AP scores come into play? The "projected" scores turned out to be fives, so my final scores are 5s on C: Mechanics, Chem, Euro, Stats, Calc BC, and Physics B.</p>

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<p>They are important, so congrats on the very impressive scores, but not as important as the stuff I mentioned above</p>

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<p>Yale will accept you. congratulations! unless you make yourself sound like an idiot in your Essays, but i doubt you'll do that, so congrats.</p>