Early? I’m curious. It seems you need to have done something absolutely extraordinary or fit into a special category to get in these days.
<p>I got into Stanford EA and I don't think I have a major hook. I'm not a legacy, athlete, or URM. My greatest accomplishment was a State (Florida) Mock Trial Championship. I had upper 1400 SATs, and upper 700 SAT2s. I've also heard of people with 1600s getting deferred so test scores aren't everything! </p>
<p>I think that two of my essays were really strong, so in a sense, my essays were my "hook." Just be yourself, be interesting, and be natural. Don't use big words in your essays if you had to look them up. </p>
<p>Plus, admissions = crapshoot. A little luck will go a long way. :) Good luck, guys!</p>
<p>8 students got into yale at my school in a grade of 130, and most of them were just your average good grade getting student. (the cc type). last year about 12 applied, 4 got in early, the rest were deferred, and all got in in april. theres always hope!</p>
<p>This is from another thread. </p>
<p>"I got rejected from Stanford. I didn't even get deferred!</p>
<p>My Stats:</p>
<p>1600 SAT I
800 MathIIC/780Chem/800 Writing
4.54 GPA/ 4.0 UW
Rank 1/433
ECs: Captain of varsity soccer team, Newspaper editor, President and founder of philosophy club, Vice president of science club, intern for state senator, volunteer work for local wildlife habitat"</p>
<p>9 deferred kids from one high school ended up accepted? The statistical chance of that happening is less than one in a million.</p>
<p>well it happened so you can take your skepticism and shove it. ;)</p>
<p>wow...that gives me hope :0</p>
<p>yale reject. perhaps they're biased against west coast applicants. specifically those who live in orange county. ugh.. the consequences of that annoying show are bigger than i thought.. jk.. i was expecting it though..</p>
<p>What Nemesis Means,
Nope. Got into Yale. West Coast. No hook (except maybe poverty). But consistently high achievement academically & in several performing arts e.c's throughout my life. Many awards in all those areas over many years. Reputation at school & among teachers may have been a factor. Teacher recs I was told were fabulous. But I think some of it was luck, too. I could have been one of a minority number in my particular e.c. categories. (Seems to be true, looking at the results summaries posted.)</p>
<p>Looking at Yale results, they seemed to have placed high emphasis on teacher recs and quality of e.c.'s. Maybe it was certain types of e.c.'s they were looking for, & I got lucky.</p>
<p>people who don't finish what they are saying.</p>
<p>No hook except poverty......hahahahhahaaah</p>
<p>Muhali3,
sorry, don't see the humor. Didn't think poverty in itself was a hook; could apply to lots of people. (I don't mean homelessness.) I go to a private school, but on scholarship.
Actually I think it was my teacher recs. That's what one faculty member told me. So still no hook.</p>
<p>i think it's pure luck.
i had 4 seriously strong extracurriculars, activities that i had participated in and had moved up in rank for all four years (and for some, even further back) of high school. so no, i don't think they really give that much of a crap about e.c.'s, although it's pretty important that you do have them..
what do you mean "they placed high emphasis on teacher recs"? did you talk to an admissions officer? is that what they said? because if you just talked to one of your teachers, they probably won't know for sure, because they obviously weren't the ones reviewing applications for decisions.
i dunno, ivies just seem like a big crapshoot. if i had submitted my application in RD, i might have gotten in. who knows.
and poverty gets you a lot further than you think.</p>
<p>Dear wnm,
some of us were curious enough to investigate any consistencies in the Yale EA accepts (vs. d's & r's), so we looked at all that were posted on CC. Ppl with strong scores, grades, &seemingly strong (enough) e.c.'s but questioned their teacher recs, or said one or more rec was so-so, were at least deferred. Ditto for ppl who claimed strong recs but did not seem to have a range of ec's or great advancement in several e.c.'s. (We also noticed that advancement in just sports, even a variety of sports, was not seen as imp. as other areas -- unless with recruitment for Y. athletics)
LOL--no tete-a-tete with adcom. But my parents were informed by teachers after the fact as to the level of the recs; that's all I can say.
My classmates saw the same patterns that I did in the Accepts; we could be wrong. It is jmo that it was definitely not "random" or "a crapshoot." That is no comment on your qualifications, which I obviously have zero ability to judge. Possibly you & I are equally qualified, & it was a (negative) $ factor, as you say. I wish the best for you come April. :~}</p>
<p>I got into Yale without a hook. However, my essays were pretty good and I think they got me in.</p>
<p>Filmxoxo, 9 defer all got in, 12 out of 12 from 1 high school got into Yale. I think you are making this up as you go. I am calling your bluff - name the high school.</p>
<p>I got into Penn without a hook.</p>
<p>Pandy, I thought your hook was your flawless personality. :)</p>
<p>Well, I don't think that counts as an official hook.</p>
<p>However, I e-mailed my interviewer lady to tell her I got into Penn (because she told me to do so) and she then e-mailed be back congratulationg me etc. and she also attached the letter she sent to Penn. Let me just say, catchy, that the letter totally pumped me full of more ego juice to fuel my flawless personality!</p>
<p>Watch out! Pandy's ego is pumped, it's gonna burst!!!!! </p>
<p><strong>Catch runs for cover</strong></p>