Do I Have a Chance?

Colleges & Universities A-Z Yale University
1

I'm currently a junior in high school from Northwest Ohio. Everyone asks me, "Why Yale?" and the truth is, from the moment I stepped foot on campus, I loved it there. I visited with my father, who is actually from the New Haven area (Hamden, CT) and has always told me stories about going to Yale's sports events. Before I went there, I was in love with it. My grandfather was a professor there for a few years as well, and he has told me what it was like there. Visiting, I knew I had to go there. Other than test scores, what might I need to improve within my application?

SAT: 640 CR 580 M 680 W (haven’t taken subject tests yet, but considering)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank: 1/63
AP and IB are unavailable at my high school, but I will have 32 credits from Owens Community College by the end of this semester (about 70 by the end of high school - will have AS Associate of Science degree)

Extracurriculars:
-Ballet classes (13 years)
-Piano lessons (11 years)
-Quiz Bowl (2 years)
-SADD (2 years)
-Yearbook (2 years)
-Student Council (2 years, 1 serving as Vice-President)
-Art Club (1 year; disbanded)
-FCCLA (2 years)
-Prom Committee (available only for junior year, which I am taking part in)
-NHS? (just completed application)
-Show Choir (3 years)
-Marching, Concert, and Pep Band (3 years)

Volunteer/Community service:
-I was a part of a mission trip to the Navajo reservation in Rock Point, AZ for two weeks where we fed, babysat, and ran a VBS for Navajo children as well as had church services and bible study for adults.
-I volunteer for the local VFD in their fundraising events.
-I help with children at a church youth group every Sunday night.
-Volunteer in school organizations’ fundraisers
-Sing in my church’s Lent-time musical choir as a soloist; donations accepted at these performances are donated to charities

Summer Activities:
-Ohio Northern University Summer Academic and Honors Institute - Biochemistry (1 week)

Teacher Rec:
I already have a teacher recommendation from my English Composition professor (COMP I); intend to get more from other college professors

Other:
College credits earned so far:
-General Psychology (3 credits)
-General Sociology (3 credits)
-IST HTML/coding (2 credits)
-Beginning Spanish I and II, Intermediate Spanish I (12 credits)
-College Precalculus (5 credits)
-Microeconomics (3 credits)
-English Composition (3 credits)
-ONU SAHI Biochemistry (1 credit)

Intended Major: Biomedical Engineering and Pre-Med (already spoke with an admissions counselor there; she said that the two overlap well)

Intended Goals: Surgery - surgical oncology

State: OH

High School type: rural public

Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Religion: Roman Catholic

Not first generation to attend college. Both parents graduated from Heidelberg University in Ohio.

I am also looking at Columbia University, Dartmouth College, Brown University, Case Western Reserve University, Trine University, Miami University, Vanderbilt University, Johns Hopkins University, Wright State University, University of Toledo, University of Notre Dame, and Ohio State University (not in that order).

Thanks for any input.

2

@K2e1l7 , regarding test scores, have you taken the ACT? Some kids do somewhat better on the ACT than the SAT, (and v.v.), and you might be one of those kids.

3

I took the ACT a few years back and only got a 24 composite. I haven’t taken it since. Reading 27 Math 25 Writing 25 Science 19. I’m thinking about taking it again, but the SAT is having its huge changes coming up, so I’ll take that again, too, probably. I heard from someone who got into Yale that the unspoken rule of East Coast schools is that they’ll take the ACT but want the SAT.

4

You SAT is 1900? That is far too low for those schools without some kind of hook in my opinion. You will compete with kids from neighboring schools with 2300+ scores. I would say schedule it again, and study consistently.

The schools don’t care about ACT or SAT. But they do want to see either score be high. Right now, your chances are remote.

5

I agree that 1900 is rather low. My daughter took her test 3 times. She is a little OCD and the first time she took it she used as a baseline in her Junior year scored 1980. Then she took it at the end of Junior year- but her issue was she spent more time making sure all answers were correct and not focusing on finishing the actual test scored 2010. The last time was the beginning of her senior year and she went in with just finishing it in mind- and scored 2220. She is now a freshman. Perhaps you need to change your strategy about taking the test? It worked for us.

6

I don’t think it matters whether you take the ACT or SAT given the recent changes to the SAT which make it more like the ACT. But as others have mentioned, you should take the ACT again and again and again… You will improve each time you take it and you will also improve as you cover more subject matter in school so definitely sign up for the next one. And the one after that…

7

@albo1212, I wish there were an “unhelpful” button, as your post calls for it. Note that Memmsmom reported on 3 takes of the SAT, which I personally think is overdoing it (her D could have skipped the first test and established a baseline with sample tests), but still within the realm of reasonable. You seem to be calling for more than 3 takes of the ACT, which I believe charges for each test date sent to a school, which can add up, and I think that more than 3 takes is coming close to silly.

As for improving each time you take the ACT, I’m not sure that’s universally true, if the first time was after preparation.

8

Sorry to be unhelpful Bob. I agree the money adds up. In my experience, the ACT is very different from the SAT and there seems to be a definite improvement with multiple test takers in each successive test. Also, in my experience, sample test don’t provide nearly as good of a baseline as the test itself. If money is not an issue, take the ACT as many times as you can even if you have taken the SAT on multiple occasions IMHO.

9

@albo1212, what do you think the AO would make of an applicant who took the test, oh, say 6 times and worked up to a composite 30? That is a 95th percentile score, but I don’t think it would go unnoticed that it came on the sixth try. Just my opinion. Take the test a few times if it helps, but I’d limit it to 3 times, and I would study in between tests.

10

I think it shows a lot of resilience which is something I’d want on my college campus if I was an AO.

11

@albo1212, and that’s what makes horse races :). Happy Thanksgiving.

12

Same to you.

13

@albo1212 While you’d deem it shows resilience, Yale would see you wasting 3 Saturdays while your peers are doing more meaningful things.

The top schools aren’t impressed by test-taking robots – which is what your hypothetical six-times tester would be.

14

@albo1212, wrote

Maybe that philosophy works for Harvard, which allows students to present just their best score, however Yale requires ALL test scores for ALL test dates for whichever test student’s submit (ACT or SAT). The reason being is that a student who takes the SAT once and scores a 2300 is very different than a student who takes the SAT four times or six times and scores the same.

As T26E4 said, Yale Admissions would view the student who took the ACT again and again as test-obsessessed and immediately know that student doesn’t understand what is really important in the admissions process. This from the College Board and Jeffrey Brenzel, Yale’s recently retired Dean of Admissions: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-started/video-transcription/whats-the-most-important-part-of-the-application

15

Thanks for all of the responses. I took the ACT again, and much to my surprise, I actually got a 30, my highest being English (33) and Reading (32) and the others not so hot Science (29) and Math (26). I’m taking the new SAT once before calling it quits, I think.