Hi! I am wondering what you all think my chances of getting into Yale and Duke Universities are.
For Yale, I applied early action, had an interview, and was deferred. I am planning on sending a deferral letter.
I am applying regular decision for Duke. My granddad went there and my pastor/close family friend who went there wrote me a recommendation letter.
I have a 4.7 GPA, and a 1430 on my SAT, 680 on math and 750 on the critical reading and writing. I am ranked eighth in my class. I am involved heavily in classical ballet, and am president and founder of my school’s Operation Smile Club. I am a team leader in National Honor Society and secretary of French Honor Society. I am also involved in an after-school orchestra group.
I am also in the international baccalaureate program at my school. Last summer I attended a summer humanities program which was a four-week residential program I applied to. Could that boost my chances?
I am also an AP Scholar with honor.
Thank you for any thoughts you have!
Hey izzybug. Glad to see you’re using these forums, I’m relatively new here myself but I’ve been keeping track for years. When looking at schools, I’ve found it most helpful to break down the process and simplify it as much as possible. Even to be deferred from Yale is amazing, so congratulate yourself on that. I would assume your 4.7 GPA is weighted yes? In that case, what would unweighted be? I’ve found in my experiences with the college admissions process that weighted GPAs typically have little meaning, as schools use many different scales. What really counts in terms of GPA are the letter grades.
Also, you mention class rank, but how many students are there at your school? Eighth sounds pretty good, but are there only eight kids in your class? (I know there aren’t but for clarity’s sake bear with me lol). Like I said, if you’re 8/8 then that’s horrible for schools like Duke and Yale, but if you’re 8 say out of 500, then that’s way more impressive. Honestly, your SAT scores are good, but quite low for schools like Yale and Duke. I was rejected from an Ivy with over a 1500. I’d say you need to get your SAT up to at least 1500 if not higher to be competitive, especially if you’re applying Regular Decision, which is far more competitive.
With regards to extracurriculars, they also seem a bit light. Honestly, that’s no fault of your own, anyone who isn’t the class president and NHS president and founder and president of three different clubs isn’t going to stick out at schools like Yale and Duke. That being said, your extracurriculars are decent for these schools.
So to sum up, your biggest limiting factor now will be your standardized test scores, I don’t think there’s anyone who would disagree with me on that. To be competitive, consider sitting for the January SAT and make sure you study to earn over a 1500. Right now, your chances are incredibly dim, not going to lie, but if you get that score up, I do believe there’s a great chance you just might make it in. Hope this helped, and best of luck.
Fortunately Duke does consider grandparents as legacy and takes this into account.
We need more details on the following:
State of residence
Intended major
people in your class
Your race/ethnicity
Is legacy considered in the RD round? I thought some schools did not do this…
Hi! @sasukeuchiha33 , 4.7 GPA is weighted, unweighted it is either a 3.9 or 4.0- I can’t remember since my school only really advertises the weighted GPA. As for rank, I am 8 out of 413. As for extracurricular, I forgot to mention I volunteer twice a month for three hours at my local children’s hospital and acolyte at my church every three weeks.Thank you for your input!
And @sgopal2 , I live in Virginia and I am white from a European background.My intended major at Duke is global health, at Yale it is global affairs. I intend to study public health as a graduate student, so I am interested in majors relating to it, such as these and political science, public policy, and psychology.
Hey @izzybug thank you so much for that clarification, that information will be vital in helping other members of this forum evaluating your criteria and properly chancing you. Well then, I’d say your GPA and ran are fantastic! You ought to congratulate yourself on a high school well spent, and I do believe both these facts (your rank and unweighted GPA) will greatly aid you in the admissions process. I know because it seems like your school only advertises weighted GPA (mine does as well), that you have a great shot in terms of numbers, but as I said before, admissions committees know this and will pay much more specific attention as to the actual letter grades earned as opposed to the weighed GPA. Anyway, a 3.9 or 4.0 unweighted is amazing, so I’d say you’re great on that end!
While the volunteering information you provided is useful, I’m sorry, but it’s nothing spectacular. Twice a month for three hours really is nothing at these schools. I have a friend who volunteers for SIX hours three times a WEEK, and service like that is what gets colleges to notice you, not really three hours twice a month. However, if you have been doing it over a long period of time, and it reflects what you are passionate about, then perhaps it may make more of an impact. Same thing with your church, volunteering every three weeks is certainly commendable yes, but nothing really spectacular on the college volunteering spectrum. In essence, your synoptic profile for me boils down to this.
GPA/Class rank- Superb. Just make sure to maintain them and don’t let them drop
Test Scores- Really study hard for January and knock it out of the park with over 1500+
Extracurriculas- Sub-par for these schools. Right now, your extracurriculars and test scores are going to be greatly limiting to you in terms of admission. Therefore…
I know you probably are busy, and your extracurriculars probably are not going to be drastically changing with regards to how much time you are able to put in them anytime soon, so STUDY STUDY STUDY for that SAT, and make sure the power rests in your own hands. Good luck.
Your chances are fair. Definitely need to get the SAT scores up. Legacy benefit does extend to RD but it’s not as good as during ED.
Ask your grandpa if he has a development contact?
Hey @izzybug and @sasukeuchiha33
I’m in a similar position with my SATs, which I last took in November (for the third time), and am looking at schools at par with Yale. The other parts of my app are definitely strong, except well SATs which I got 1460, almost near to the OP.
Based on your discussion, should I take the SAT again considering its the fourth time and I havent read since November? And @izzybug have you made your mind about doing it again?
Like I said before, my friend, @commonapplicant . I don’t want to identify the school for personal security’s sake, but I was rejected ED from an Ivy with a 1570 SAT. Honestly with schools at Yale’s level, there really is no surefire way to guarantee your way in, but to answer your question, yes! Study, you have about a month left, and knock your SATs out of the park, honestly I think that’s the best way to improve your application odds. Good luck.