Do I have a shot at EA?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
1

<p>Hey guys! I'm a junior right now and it has always been my DREAM to go to Yale. If you guys could check out my stats and see if I'm on track that'd be amazing! If not, what should I do? Thanks!</p>

<p>Gender: Female
Ethnicity: Half black/Half white
School: One of the best public ones in Massachusetts
SAT: 2260 (720 CR 800 W 740 M) First time taking it, will take again
GPA: 3.93 out of 4.00 (unweighted) 8.78/9 weighted
Current classes and grades: APUSH (A-), AP Bio (A), AP French (A-), Honors Math (A), Honors English (A) Regular Spanish (A)
PSAT: 218 (99th percentile), Outstanding National Achievement Finalist
ECs: Varsity swimming 3 years (1 out of maybe 5 blacks in league), Environmental Club, Water-Polo Club, Peer Mentoring Program, Guidance Aide for Freshmen, Special Needs Aquatics, French exchange next year
Work: Lifeguard and head swim lesson instructor all year
Awards: Outstanding National Achievement for PSAT, 4th Place in National French Contest, Honorary Mention in City-wide MLK Essay
Others: Speak Russian fluently, Family income ~60,000, Neither of my parents went to college in the USA, going to Africa this summer to my dad's home country to do charity work</p>

2

<p>Bump bump bump bumppppp</p>

3

<p>Based on your status as an African American (And actually, I think your background is really cool! Who wouldn’t want to be AA and Russian at the same time? :D), I would say you have a fair shot @ Yale! Your GPA and SAT are in their middle ranges, and it seems like you have good ECs as well. Your national award in French will help you stand out!</p>

<p>Yale is extremely selective, and I can’t say anything definitively, but you have a good shot! Enjoy being a junior ;).</p>

<p>Oh, by the way, you live in MA? What a coincidence. Same here! :)</p>

4

<p>Okay thanks, is there anything I should try to improve on? I know my ECs aren’t that great…</p>

5

<p>What many “chance threads” don’t understand is that all selective colleges (Yale included) are looking for “character” – and that cannot be gleaned from a laundry list of accomplishments and stats, such as yours.</p>

<p>“Character” is an old fashioned word that means the way you develop your inner qualities: intellectual passion, maturity, social conscience, concern for community, tolerance and inclusiveness. </p>

<p>Admissions Directors access character through what your teachers write about you in their recommendation letters, as well as your guidance counselor’s SSR report and your essays. </p>

<p>So, what are your chances for EA? As good as anyone’s I guess, but SO MUCH depends on what others write about you, as well as how your essays come across.</p>

6

<p>Really? Wow I didn’t know that…What if my counselor sucks? :frowning: Because she does, she is barely at my school.</p>

7

<p>Get to know your counselor better! Teacher and counselor recommendations are SO IMPORTANT that some schools, such as MIT, give advice to recommenders and to students seeking recommendations. See:
[Writing</a> Recommendations | MIT Admissions](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/apply/prepare/writingrecs]Writing”>How to write good letters of recommendation | MIT Admissions)
[About</a> MIT Recommendation Letters | MIT Admissions](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/about_mit_recommendation_lette]About”>About MIT Recommendation Letters | MIT Admissions)</p>

8

<p>Now let me see. You are half black/half Russian, fluent in Russian and go to a top Massachusetts public school as a swimmer? Don’t you think those are very specific demographics to be saying on College Confidential that your guidance counselor, who has to write a very important letter for your applications, “sucks”. Please be more careful what you post on a public website unless you want him/her to say you also suck.</p>

9

<p>Post #8 Thank you for providing me with a big chuckle. Your advice was awesome and amusing! Please keep up the good work. This is the type of advice that kids need.</p>