Chances at Yale SCEA

<p>I'm applying to Yale early fellas, wish me luck. I'm gonna need it. </p>

<p>Race: Indian
Gender: Male
Attend a semi-competitive school (send 3-4 people to Ivy League-level colleges per year)</p>

<p>Academic Profile:
GPA UW: 3.9
GPA W: 4.75
SAT: 2340 (M 800 CR 770 W 770)
SAT II: Math IIC- 800
Bio- 750
Chem- 750
(I may need to make this a little more diverse. Maybe take another one? Spanish?)
PSAT: 240 (damn proud of this)
ACT: Did not take.
Class Rank: Top 10% (highest my school goes)
Class Size: ~450</p>

<p>Senior Year Schedule:
AP Chemistry
AP Music Theory
AP Statistics
AP Spanish IV
AP English Literature
Science Research Honors
String Ensemble Honors</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities (posted these a while back, but forgot the account password, lol):</p>

<p>Music (my biggest EC):
- Playing guitar for 6 years
- Classically trained guitarist. Part of two regional orchestras (first guitarist to ever be in them)
- Play guitar in the highest orchestra available in school
- Attended summer camps at UC Berkeley and SUNY for studies in classical music
- Played at statewide Jazz festivals such as CT Music Educators and CT Jazz Festival (not a fan of Jazz, but my teacher forced me to do this stuff)
- In a Progressive Rock/Metal band with a couple of my friends. Band has opened up for some big acts in our genre (Dream Theater, Symphony X, Into Eternity, Sonata Arctica). We have a full length CD with a record deal (2Blossoms), and we are currently working on a new album that has a couple of guest appearances by people well known in the prog. world (Arjen Anthony Lucassen of Ayreon, Jon Crosby of VAST, and we're trying to get Jim Matheos of Fates Warning [my dad knows him]). We're well known the New Haven area. We have a couple of songs that are HEAVILY inspired by classical music and are instrumental, so I'm thinking I might send those on a CD to Yale with my application.
- My guitar teacher got me a job at his guitar store- I usually work 6 hours on Saturday and make 10 bucks an hour.
- I took a sound engineering class at Berkeley one summer and I've turned my basement into a mini-recording studio. I've made quite a bit of money off of it, but nothing significant. I record all of my bands stuff here, and we got signed, so it must be pretty good quality.
- For the past 3 years, my friends and I organized this music festival in one of our backyards. We got a lot of local bands to play, and we made about 1000 dollars to donate to charity, probably Asha for education.
- In addition to guitar, I play the sitar. I've been studying Indian music for a while now (3 years), and I've even included this instrument in some of my songs.</p>

<p>School Clubs:</p>

<p>School Newspaper- Co-Editor
Cricket Club- Founder/President
- Started a cricket team
- Organized a league (nothing official) to play against other schools in the state
Varsity Math Team- Captain
- Won various competitions
Varsity Debate Team
Science Club- Secretary
Guitar Players Club- Co-president</p>

<p>Clubs at my school are basically a joke. The only reason I'm on Varsity Math and Debate are because everyone else sucks so much. I'm not even that dedicated to either of them. The only reason I'm president of Math is because I'm the only senior. Plus, science club does nothing. Guitar Players and Cricket are actually fun and I feel like I've accomplished stuff with those.</p>

<p>Sports:</p>

<p>Varsity Tennis (3 years)
Cricket Captain</p>

<p>Volunteer Work:
- Yale Hospital- Leader (~300 hours)
- Asha For Education- We basically try to break the poverty cycle in India by building schools and endorsing education by gathering money through fundraisers. One of our members is a great filmmaker and decided to make a documentary on poverty in India and I scored all of the music for it. The movie is still being edited, but it will be shown in theaters around the state. It'll also be entered in some national film festivals and (I think) even a film festival in India.</p>

<p>Science:</p>

<p>Besides music, science is probably the best thing I have going for me. I've conducted 2 research so far, one of which has been published. I've won plenty of awards from the both of them, and I even did some of my research at Yale. I know some of the professors/scientists there, but not well enough to have them as a hook. My mentor is a well known scientist named Daniel J. Levitin. I studied music and its relation to psychology and neurology. I could include an abstract in my application too.</p>

<p>Legacy:</p>

<p>My mom went to Yale and worked there for a little while too.</p>

<p>Yeah...its a long read. But anyway, thanks for your input. Oh and if any of you are wondering, no, lol, I dont have a social life. Basically band practice and those clubs are the time I use to hang with friends. Besides that its work. >_< Hopefully college will be less stressful (yeah right).</p>

<p>0_0 wow..........</p>

<p>To make it short and sweet, after reading your whole post. </p>

<p>Yale (SCEA)-Match</p>

<p>Everything works in your favor. Legacy, the fact that your a guitar player (Dream Theater kicks ass, Prog metal kicks ass, and the fact your in a band and indian kicks ass. I am half indian/half mexican and I thought I was the only one who would touch a guitar. haha)</p>

<p>I think you've got as good of a chance as you can get - obviously Yale is a crapshot for everyone, but you're definitely on the right track.</p>

<p>Well, you are right about Yale being tough for alot of people. But, he really has a lot going for him which puts him on a pedestal (sp?) almost. His chances are much better than the average Yale applicant.</p>

<p>Yeah I'd put his chances at 80-90%</p>

<p>Agreed, just sit back and relax.</p>

<p>most likely in at Yale....congrats</p>

<p>Agreed with ^. In. Just hope you find a way to pay for it. Haha. :)</p>

<p>I think you've got a great shot. 9% Admissions rate though. No one can be certain.</p>

<p>Some things are certain =)</p>

<p>legacy + 2340 = acceptance</p>

<p>you have to be an idiot to get rejected as a legacy
(however, there are TONS of idiots in the US.... decide)</p>

<p>I knew a kid who's father, grandfather and great grandfather all attended Upenn</p>

<p>they were all large donors, and the kid also went to one the top schools in the nation</p>

<p>he was rejected. LOL. sad</p>

<p>he must have sucked.
PERIOD</p>

<p>so did you get in?</p>