<p>I thought it might be interesting to post once again the actual outcomes of two SCEA international applicants to Yale: the one an international applicant from a prestigious NE prepschool, the other applying directly from a distinguished "gymnasium" in northwestern Europe.</p>
<p>Both girls have an identical(European) ethnic background, have similar classical/modern languages training, virtually identical Finaid need and both are first in their class at their academically very distinguished schools. The SAT score of girl A is 800 CR, 720 M, 680 WR. SAT score of girl B is 800 CR, 800 M, 740 WR. </p>
<p>Girl A expresses interest in doing neuroscience and theatre and has the course profile to back this up, Girl B expresses interest in mathematics, and music and has the course profile to back this up. </p>
<p>Both girls are deferred SCEA at Yale and then apply regular admission to Harvard, Princeton and to 3 First Tier LACs In the regular admission round both girls get into all the LACs they applied. Girl A gets into Yale and Princeton but not into Harvard; girl B gets into Harvard, waitlisted at Princeton and rejected at Yale. </p>
<p>Neither of the two girls noted above had any special hook, although in retrospect Girl A did rather a better job of marketing her first generation status and family dysfunction than girl B -- who took the position that all happy families are alike and that a product of a happy family was thus not ipso facto a victim. The only difference really was the essay the interview and perhaps the prepschool handicap of girl B in the eyes of Yale/Princeton admissions. So go figure</p>