I have a kind of weird case in that there are many pros and cons that could be observed in my application, but I would appreciate honest answers. Here are some general stats which I’ll dig into later:
GPA: 3.67/4.0
Rank: 89/504
SAT I: 1240 → 1340 → 1450 (760 English, 690 Math) - I’ve been studying 2 hrs/day this past week and plan on continuing to do so until the August SAT
SAT Subjects Tests: Plan to take Math II and Physics in October
APs: Physics I (4), Enviro (5), Lang and Comp (self study - 4), APUSH (4), Statistics (4)
ECs: . Cross Country for 4 years (JV all 4 years)
. Swimming for 4 years (Varsity for 3 years)
. Track (Varsity for 3 years, state qualifier, team captain)
. Bass section leader in my school’s top traditional choir
. Member of my school’s elite jazz ensemble (2 Years)
. Piano lessons for 7 years
. 296 Hr Environmental Chemistry Internship at a university
. Personal farm project (for lack of better words) - I’ve had an random fascination w/ chickens since a very young age, I take care of 15 chickens, play around with genetics via incubation, and I’m currently working on a reliable way to incubate chicks w/o a shell
. President and Founder of Earth Club
. Model UN for 3 Years (Environmental committee every year)
Awards: . AP Scholar w/ Distinction
. Runner-up at Track Conference Championship
I’ve invested my time into three main things: environmental academics, athletics, and music. I want to work on solutions to environmental issues through STEM and I would try to make that clear in my application. The main reason my GPA is low is because in Freshman year I got 2 C’s and some B’s because I had a general lack of maturity and coming to terms with my sexuality (I’m gay) was adversely affecting numerous aspects of my life - my GPA has been trending upwards since then. I’m not sure how much this matters, but I’m an African American male living in a very rural part of Oregon. My dad attended Yale for his undergraduate degree. Household income is around 300k. Finally, I could run on Yale’s track team, I would just be towards the slower end of the team.
@Picolisimo - You sound interesting and quirky in a way that makes you seem like a good “fit” at Yale. I don’t believe anyone can give you a good idea of your “chances at admission” beyond pointing out the obvious requirements, which I’m sure you already know. Without knowing if you’ve taken the most rigorous classes available in your high school since 10th grade, it is hard to say how much a problem your GPA will be, but if it is at least 3.8 unweighted since 10th grade, that will help a lot. It is clear that you aren’t low income, so that’s not a “hook,” but your legacy and minority status are. Clearly you understand how important it is to be at least in the 50th percentile for GPA and standardized testing scores, and I hope you can get your SAT math score up. Have you taken subject tests? How good a singer are you? Could you audition successfully for the Glee Club or an a cappella group? You said music is important to you. Do you play jazz piano? Are you interested in studying music at Yale? You seem to be very involved in athletics - swimming, cross country and track. Do you see yourself getting recruited in any of those sports, or are you interested in participating in athletic clubs?
Being African American and gay in rural Oregon sounds challenging, but you sound happy and authentically excited by the things you do both in and out of school. Your background, character, passion for learning and love of music come through very clearly in your post. If you can communicate those things clearly and present a coherent and engaging narrative about who you are and why you do the things you do - academically, athletically and musically - and how you will use those things to contribute to the Yale community, you will have a very appealing application. Best of luck!
As I tell everyone – be sure to create an application list that includes wide range of reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable (you will have to run a net price calculator for each school you consider) and that you would be excited to attend. There are many wonderful schools out there where you can have a great 4 year experience and get where you want to go in life.
