Chances at Yale, Princeton, Brown, Cornell- engineering

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi there,</p>

<p>I'm a senior at an international school, and am thinking of applying to Yale (EA) and Princeton, Brown and Cornell RD for mechanical engineering (these are my 'reach' schools but I want to know how much of a reach they are, if that makes sense).</p>

<p>I'm Asian & female.</p>

<p>Academics-
- IGCSEs - All A<em>s (assessments in grades 9 and 10- either all A</em>s or mostly A*s and a few As)
- IB - predicted 45, assessment grades - 40/42, 41/42 and most recently 42/42
- SAT 1 - 2150 (all sections above 700) - I don't have time to retake this before the application deadline.
- SAT 2 Math - 800
- SAT 2 Physics - score not released yet, but I've been getting 780-800 on diagnostic tests. will probably retake if below 770, but that score will not be sent to Yale as it will be past the EA deadline.
-I have academic awards in English, French & Econ.</p>

<p>School statistics- Yale 2160 and 44 (average), Princeton 2200 and 43, Brown 2100 and 41, Cornell 2130 and 41. </p>

<p>ECAs-
-Piano: passed Grade 7 exam with merit
-Drums: passed Grade 5 exam
-Percussion: Play for school's band, orchestra and percussion group - won an award in school. Time commitment of 4 hrs/week (mentioned in common app). Grades 9-12
-Chairperson of a student initiative that raises funds for an NGO in my home country. Also volunteered at this NGO over the summer. Won an award in school for this. Grades 10-12
-Local service at a home for the disabled; won an award in school for this. Grade 11</p>

<p>Essays - About music & community service. Engineering supplement- mentioned all my experiences in the field of engineering. Counsellor & teachers happy with my essays, so I think they're acceptable (but nothing spectacular).</p>

<p>Thanks ! :)</p>

2

<p>Just curious… why Yale and Brown as your reach schools for MechE rather than, say, MIT and Stanford? There are some top-notch, higher ranked, non-ivy league schools than the ones on your list. Being a female engineering major gives you a bump, but your SAT I score is still a little low for the most highly selective schools. Assuming financial situation is good, what about UCBerkeley and Michigan? Hopefully these are on your list as well. Good luck!</p>

3

<p>Hi ! Thanks for replying :)</p>

<p>I decided to put Yale on my list because I love its approach to studying engineering while placing an emphasis on social sciences, languages etc. Same for Brown. I tried to bring this out in my “Why Yale” and “Why Brown” essays as I feel that this sets me apart from other engineering applicants who are often only interested in math and science.</p>

<p>I decided not to apply to MIT and Stanford because while Yale, Brown, Princeton etc take 2-3 people from my school each year (out of around 330 students), MIT and Stanford take either none or sometimes one per year. Also, (I’m not sure how true this is), but it seems that MIT likes to take Americans from my school, so since I’m Indian I thought I wouldn’t have a chance.</p>

<p>Yes, UMichigan and UCBerkeley are on my list. My counsellor said that UMich is a match for me, not a reach. According to my school stats, I most probably won’t get into UCBerkeley as its SAT average is a lot higher than mine. I’m also applying to Rice, UIUC, CMU and several other UCs. </p>

<p>Thank you !</p>

4

<p>Any other inputs would be appreciated :)</p>

5

<p>please post ! i need to decide whether i can apply to these places or not</p>

6

<p>pls pls pls</p>

7

<p>Any ED? Just wondering.</p>

8

<p>nope no ED :slight_smile: EAs are UMich, Yale and UIUC</p>