<p>"Er, but how much does the quality of EA compare with RD anyway? I feel like this is overemphasized. Is EA quality really > RD?</p>
<p>How do they choose which deferred files to re-read? Do they make notes distinguishing the differences between deferred applications? (alliteration omg)"</p>
<p>Usually people that apply EA think they ahve a better chance of getting in, while RD tends to be more long-shots. The main thing though is that there are so many qualified people applying period. The EA applicants alone could fill the freshman class 3 times over, which is why they need to allow spaces for the RD people (who could also fill the freshman class with qualified people probably 5 times over).</p>
<p>I don't know what they do with the deferred pile.</p>
<p>The application pool for EA is usually stronger and historically more self selecting.</p>
<p>During the EA process as they evaluate the applications, all applicants are numerically ranked on a big board by state, city and school-yes, despite what they tell you, they DO rank you against your classmates. They read every application a minimum of two times and rate them on a 1-10 scale. 9s and 10s are admits without question...they don't require committee review, 7s and 8s will sometimes go to another reading before the committee and and 6s are automatically going to another reading before the committee. Anything below a 6 must have a compelling reason to go before the committee for review or else they are rejected. or sometimes deferred. </p>
<p>In EA they are looking for people who truly stand out, not just in raw numbers because virtually every application they look at has numbers worthy of admission. Essays are very important because they are the ONLY way that an ADCOM has to humanize the person behind the numbers.</p>
<p>Those who are not accepted in EA and move on to RD by being deferred are put back into the mix (again with their numerical ranking) and are evaluated once again in the RD pool. Those who ultimately rank higher than others in the RD pool are admitted, others may be wait listed and the balance rejected.</p>
<p>They won't re-read a file in RD unless they are looking at two or more candidates who are numerically even and they need to make a decision between them. Each regional rep gets to know their applicant pool pretty well and will argue for those they strongly believe in when it comes down to final cut downs.</p>
<p>shalashaksa -- You must know some huge egos. Every stellar candidate I have known has applied to a balanced list of reaches, matches, and safeties. None would have dreamed of applying only to 3 or 4 reaches RD. </p>
<p>The term "superstar" is a subjective one. Any applicant who uses the strategy you suggest runs the risk that none of his choices will share his self-assessment.</p>
<p>Wow eadad! thanks so much for your response!! Just the response I was looking for!
It really cleared things up.
I guess I'll think about this more carefully
Really nice post though...described the admissions process very well. And really emphasized the importance of the essays! So i should DEF spend some time thinking about those. Seems like one of the only ways to stand out among so many amazing applicants. (I do fit some of the stereotypical Asian ECs..uh-oh)</p>
<p>aberdeen and eadad: Great posts. You are doing a great service to readers of this forum.</p>
<p>Very true: Yale is simply trying to assemble an interesting class of interesting people, so that these people can remain interested while they are at Yale, and make Yale an interesting place in the process! </p>
<p>And there are plenty of other interesting colleges that are doing the same thing.</p>
<p>aberdeen--How could you be so self-deprecating as to say you weren't "interesting" enough? Your life story sounds amazing and you sound even more amazing having gone through it all.</p>
<p>What exactly is interesting? Are they looking for Einstein with a Chris Rock personality? </p>
<p>and</p>
<p>"Those who are not accepted in EA and move on to RD by being deferred are put back into the mix (again with their numerical ranking) and are evaluated once again in the RD pool. Those who ultimately rank higher than others in the RD pool are admitted, others may be wait listed and the balance rejected.</p>
<p>They won't re-read a file in RD unless they are looking at two or more candidates who are numerically even and they need to make a decision between them. Each regional rep gets to know their applicant pool pretty well and will argue for those they strongly believe in when it comes down to final cut downs."</p>
<p>^^This numerically even, meaning that they are equal in terms of the "rankings" assigned them? Is it a bad idea to contact and get to know your rep then?</p>
<p>^ Yeah. Is it a big no no to contact your rep by e-mail and politely ask about why you were deferred/how to improve our application/etc.? I briefly met my rep at a Yale session this past fall and he wasn't intimidating at all (yay) so I'm not terrified of e-mailing him or anything. I'm just wondering if it could at all help, and if so should I e-mail him now or wait until January?</p>
<p>Also, if we're submitting a letter with extra information updating Yale about our most recent accomplishments, should we mail it to the admissions office directly or run it through our regional rep instead?</p>
<p>In the days that have followed decisions, I purposely avoided CC because I had a feeling there would be a lot of "IMA MAD" posts from deferjected applicants, but reading this thread and some of the others have actually made me feel even calmer about being deferred. </p>
<p>You can understand a lot about a person not only from his/her/hir actions for the positive, but also his/her/hir reactions to the negative.</p>
<p>Some of you are truly Yale caliber not only in stats, but in perspective and personality. I wish you all good luck in the RD round and can only hope to be accepted so I can be surrounded by people like you.</p>
<p>The "numerically even" comment means that after initial reading, evaluation and review of your application, it was scored as say a "6-to-7" and had been re-read to the committee and it was then decided to place the app into the deferred to RD pool.</p>
<p>It goes into the RD pool scored a "6-to-7" with all the comments of the committee attached to the front of the application jacket. Let's suppose that RD is NOT as competitive as EA had been and now a strong "6-to-7" is VERY competitive with the RD pool and your "6 or 7" is looking pretty good in a pool full of 5s and 6s. At that time they may re-read it if necessary to make a determination and sometimes they might remember how close a call it had been in EA so they don't need to read it. There is no magic formula and even though their process is fairly well refined sometimes it really does come down to a "gut' decision if someone feels really strongly one way or another.</p>
<p>The regional admissions reps are literally overwhelmed by the process. I heard several stories about people who sent way too many letters of recommendation which only did two things; one it made the ADCOMS wonder what the candidate was trying to hide and two, it made the file so thick that it automatically went to the bottom of the pile. </p>
<p>Rule one in admissions is follow directions. If they say submit two letters, submit two letters. The ONLY exception to this is if a third person/party/non-teacher knows you in a way that could shed a totally different light on you that your teachers and counselors could not.</p>
<p>I would not contact your rep to ask what went wrong. I would contact them if you had something new, some new award or honor, new test scores, something significant that would truly add value to your application. Mail it to admissions with the same identifying notations you did on the original application but denoting it as "supplementary information" and while you are at it, email the regional rep to let them know to be expecting it. </p>
<p>On the other hand, what I would do is ask your college counselor to talk to the regional rep and ask where your app stands from a competitiveness point of view. Your college counselor can have a far more candid conversation with the rep and can gain some sense of where you stand. They aren't going to come out and say it's a a guaranteed admission but they can say for example that you were really close in a VERY competitive pool and that depending on the strength of the RD pool you have a better than even chance of admission.</p>
<p>I don't necessarily think that dropping the regional rep a note is a bad idea only if you have something significant to tell them, perhaps something you chose not to put into your app that you wish you had, but notice I said "a note"...meaning one.....do NOT overload them or else you will become a distraction to their already far too busy lives and it could work against you.</p>
<p>Eadad -- Thanks for posting the insights you’ve gotten from your conversations with the Yale admissions officer. It’s interesting that he confirmed Yale does compare applicants from the same high school. No big surprise. It seems almost irresistible for admissions officers to avoid drawing comparisons between applicants who have been hatched in exactly the same incubator. That's one of the reasons I hate trophy hunting. Kids who collect scalps to feed their egos may harm their peers. </p>
<p>But I want to add a happy note. Although the applications of students from the same high school may be evaluated side by side, in our experience, Yale does not impose quotas on the number of students they'll accept from a given high school. Last year, two kids were accepted from my son's miniscule graduating class (under 30) at a non-feeder high school.</p>
<p>blueducky you flatter me! My comment about being not "interesting" enough for Yale was written tongue-in-cheek. Of course, I believe I was "interesting" to Yale--I just knew that they were probably interested in someone else--and while I was disappointed in being wait listed--I knew there were other schools who would find my story and achievements while fighting cancer compelling. But, being a realist I knew that my recruitment to play football at Yale was going to be hampered by my diagnosis. That was the hardest--calling the coach who recruited me and reveal to him that my athletic career-to-be was not going to happen the way I had planned it. However, there is always a rainbow that occurs some place on the planet--and I knew that despite my diagnosis--I could be a productive student at a great college or university. And that is what has happened. As a (so far) successful biology major pre-med student--my lifelong goal to help others might some day be realized--and who knows---maybe the Yale Med School will find me "interesting" enough to select me as a member of their school. So again--all of you who are dejected by your rejections or deferments--do not despair! There is a place for you--and they are waiting to embrace all of the good things you will bring to their student body. I am still pulling for all of you to succeed--but, remember someone might call you to a place where you will be just as happy. Stay happy-life is too short to be bummed out for too long!</p>
<p>Your post and other posts definitely have kept things in perspective. Sometimes I just want to blame the whole American culture for making us seem like getting into a school like Yale is the only worthwhile goal in life. Oh, how incredibly selfish and self-entitled we are.</p>
<p>eadad---what if your school doesn't have a "college counselor" but only a couple of regular guidance counselors?</p>
<p>Blueducky,
I have a different perspective on the American culture issue....and how important these decisions seem to be, but really aren't......we see the same end result but get there in a different way.... my view is that the world is getting so much more competitive, that we celebrate these accomplishments, not out of selfishness or entitlement, but rather as a small positive step in a lifelong competition to survive....where the competition is now truly global...
my son was looking at several wonderful schools.....I think Yale's presence on the world stage is a significant advantage to "why Yale" if you will..... it is not easy for all 17 yr olds to understand that reasoning.... as an adult, I see the resources that Yale has and I believe they are unique and world class.... I did not go to Yale..... but I do believe that it is truly worth fighting for if deferred.... try to determine how you can enhance their class of 2013 and how best to communicate "why You" to Yale... </p>
<p>and your question to eadad, have anyone from the guidance office who knows you well make the call..... he was using college counselor generically, I bet....
good luck.....</p>
<p>Some college counselors, esp those on the east coast, are VERY well-connected with ivy adcoms. Our school doesn't have that. </p>
<p>"Positive step in a lifelong competition to survive" -- woah there, sounds like if you don't get into Yale, you have a lower chance of making it in this world? I think not. I dont feel as entitled as I previously mentioned, all I'm saying is that some people are like that.</p>
<p>My why Yale sucked. And my short answers were generic and boring. I think that was one of the big reasons why I got deferred. Is there anything I can do, since I know I can't possbily re-do my application.</p>
<p>Hmm, so do these anecdotes/facts apply to other schools too? (specifically, ED Penn) I heard Penn has specific strategies with its ED and tends to admit a greater proportion of its class early.</p>
<p>Also, is it a better idea to contact a reg. officer yourself first or get a college counselor to do it? The student doing it would obviously show some more initiative, but the letter/phone call would be considered with the app and I'm kinda nervous to just contact w/o knowing exactly what the adcom wants. And I don't have any major awards/ECs to add now, but may have more to add later on. Getting the CC to call first might seem awkward/lazy on my part but he'd be able to ask what went wrong and put in a good word for me.</p>
<p>If those guidance counselors oversee the college admissions process ask them to make the call; if not find out who does oversee the process at your school and ask them.</p>
<p>MisterA</p>
<p>Penn has historically admitted about 50% of their class ED. It will not be perceived as you being lazy. Always have the college counselor contact them first, that way you will have a better idea of where your application stands in the deferral pool. They can also address the whole group of applicants from your school with one call and cut down the number of calls to the regional rep....keeping the reps from getting even more overwhelmed than they already are.</p>
<p>I guess all I mean Blueducky, is that it can be tough enough to compete with one's neighbors.......or everyone in your state.....or everyone in your region.....or your country... every time you widen the scope, your opportunity to be "the best" is going to be challenged.... we are dealing with a global economy and while there are events that help to throw up some roadblocks and slow the global importance, it is a factor for current prospective students....they have to be able to compete with the best and brightest from China and India and Brazil etc...... diversity rules... which makes entitlement almost obsolete..... competence and character matter....</p>