Eli Whitney 2010 Applicants

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
21

<p>Hey guys,</p>

<p>The easy stuff first, I remember them mentioning that they gave out perhaps 20-30 interviews? I think it actually might have been closer to 20.</p>

<p>There are really two types of EW students, the mid-to-late-twenty-somethings (the category I fall under) and then those who are older than that. I would say there is about an even split in the numbers in each. Again, this is probably not planned, just sort of how it works out. For all of the twenty-somethings, having a solid academic record at a previous institution is important. Now if you have been out of school for twenty years, I don’t really think your college GPA is going to matter much.</p>

<p>As for these REALLY impressive people - guaranteed admits perhaps - there are very few. I think there were some stresses about that last year, actually expressed by somebody who was eventually admitted.</p>

<p>Also, quick correction. The individual you mentioned who wrote the column - he isn’t the CEO of Penguin - though he still is an impressive guy (In representing the program to the few who don’t know about it at Yale, we try to put our best foot forward). </p>

<p>As for a fuller picture of the other students - I hope you can forgive my vagueness. I haven’t asked any of their permission to talk about them (though I have invited them all to post). A few have a community college background (I think 1-2 came straight from there). I am the youngest - only had 3.5 years out of school but went to a good LAC. One has a military background. And then a hodgepodge of other interesting (more circuitous) stories. I still can’t discern a real pattern - except that they are all cool, interesting, and smart people (like I assume most of you are). </p>

<p>I would just add one word of caution to Andea’s points. This program, like any competitive undergraduate program, is more than just SAT and essay. Especially with the quantitative measurements, for regular undergrads and EW students, they are just litmus tests. Along with being smart, I think you need to have something unique, something that stands out. And this is not just about what you have accomplished - or how cool your story is. It can, and frequently is, something a bit more subtle. This is where the interview is a really nice feature of the EW process. You get a chance to explore (/show off) these areas in more detail with the actual admissions officer.</p>

<p>Btw, a lot of this is speculation. Just cause we’re here, doesn’t mean we necessarily know how or why.</p>

22

<p>Awesome, definitely helps calm some nerves. Since there’s nothing else I can do and interview requests probably won’t happen for another 6-8 weeks, I’m going to try to lay low for a while until I have something new to report. Godspeed, fellow hopefuls.</p>

23

<p>Hey guys has anybody gotten the “interim call” you know the"Hi, we have received your application… here’s what we are still waiting on?" </p>

<p>I mailed my app out and they should have received it 2 weeks ago (I used USPS Priority Shipping) and have yet to get a call… kinda nervous…</p>

24

<p>VPappas–</p>

<p>I sent my app w/ delivery confirmation, so I know they have it, but I have not gotten a phone call from them.</p>

<p>I did, however, get a reassuring email from Marianne after I sent an anxious email to check if my transcripts ever showed up. She indicated that it was a bit early to check applications for missing paperwork but that she’d be in touch if anything was missing. </p>

<p>Hope this helps–</p>

<p>Best,</p>

<p>B2</p>

25

<p>thansk B!!! Yeah Marianne is great!!! she’s responded to phone calls immediately I’ve probably driven them nuts since last year LOL</p>

26

<p>hello to all the potential future elis.</p>

<p>i will not confirm my affiliation to yale, but please consider me a familiar to the eli whitney program. </p>

<p>if you have any questions about the program, please let me know.</p>

27

<p>hey chemi </p>

<p>welcome to the mix… speaking on behalf of the hodgepodge of nerves and pipe dreamers here… let me say how great it is to have sooo many EWSP’s (and “familiar’s”) here to help guide us along the long and windy path up to the unreachable star…</p>

28

<p>I walked around the campus today. It is absolutely amazing. Had an early dinner at Kitchen Zinc, then wandered around some more. It’s breathtaking; surreal. I’m definitely even more anxious now than I was. I’m here for a couple more days and then I’ll be back home, sweating bullets over my application and neurotically checking my email. </p>

<p>ChemistEli, thanks for dropping in! Will definitely let you know if I have any queries.</p>

<p>B2</p>

29

<p>I’m not an EW applicant but I am a slightly-older-than-normal applicant so I kind of feel an affiliation to you guys so I thought I’d drop by, I hope that’s OK.</p>

<p>I wish you all the best of luck though!</p>

<p>And to Andea - I admire your tenacity, but don’t be “sure” that you’ll get a perfect score. I feel that being too assured of one’s ability can lead to complacency. There’s nothing that you can do to guarantee admission, so just do your very very best, and then do a little bit more on top of that. You also might want to check out Columbia’s School of General Studies, which is also aimed at non-traditional students. Good luck in your applications.</p>

30

<p>the eli whitney student has no mold (deusex cannot possibly be the youngest person, from what i know about currently admitted students, unless he is really, really young). people were admitted in their teens, twenties, thirties, fifties, etc. </p>

<p>the program is not just about uniqueness or cool stories, because if it were, then you’d see way more admitted people than 8 out of 120. everyone has a story to tell, and many people can do great on standardized exams. that suggests that there must be some other criteria. otherwise, those students could get admitted to yale college through the traditional route, or not. </p>

<p>i think the eli whitney video is pretty cool, too. those people are willing to share their names and parts of their story. </p>

<p>in fact, now that i think about some of the current students, some of the people admitted to the eli whitney program don’t have sat scores. so caution to those who overly focus on the numbers. </p>

<p>here’s my advice: focus on the genuine parts of your application to yale. don’t get caught up in the hoopla of the times, just focus on who you really are. i assure you the admissions office sees tons of people who just want yale because it’s yale.</p>

31

<p>I am not the youngest person in the program (second youngest) but I was the youngest in my class. That is what I meant - I apologize if that was unclear. One person has been admitted who was in their teens.</p>

32

<p>just a quick note on this board. </p>

<p>i’ve been reading many of the posts here to see what people have said here over the course of time. </p>

<p>there are many rumors and myths that need to be put to sleep, but here is my most general advice. do not put identifying information about yourself on this board or other eli whitney students. </p>

<p>from what i’ve read, anyone could potentially identify our eli whitney students on this board. it’s definitely true a familiar or anyone else for that matter could possibly identify admitted eli whitney students on this board, like deusex and willard.</p>

<p>now, on to more important stuff. you probably won’t get a call from the admissions office unless your application is missing something or you are getting called for an interview. that’s the norm, it seems to me. they might call to confirm that they actually got the application, but i am not sure they call all applicants. that’s pretty time consuming, and the office is very busy. </p>

<p>some notes about the program, generally. again, i am speaking only as a familiar. i will not confirm any affiliation to yale.</p>

<p>there is no quota on admissions. but i’d have to guess the administration is keenly aware of how many eli whitney students are enrolled, in any given year. i think the general consensus is the smaller the program, the better. </p>

<p>about eli whitney students in general: they are basically, um, amazing. all of them. there are no exceptions. recently, the admitted eli whitney students are just incredible. they add ‘depth’ to the yale student body. now, you might ask what i mean by amazing. and, well, it’s a little vague, but there has to be something above academic excellence–which is basically going to be assumed or can be assumed if the candidate has little academic experience.</p>

<p>for example, if you walked into a dining hall at yale, and you saw all the eli whitney students sitting together, you would be in shock at the collective experiences they have; both in real life, and in academic experience. i assure you, there is nothing like the eli whitney students they admit each year. </p>

<p>with all of these things being said, i can assure you that there is no way to categorize an eli whitney student. no way at all. it’s such a mixed bag. i suggest watching the eli whitney students video. </p>

<p>[YouTube</a> - The Eli Whitney Students Program at Yale University](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSTPUgkU4to]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSTPUgkU4to)</p>

<p>good luck! for god, for country and for yale!</p>

33

<p>Hello everyone. I’m new to these boards and only found them because I googled chances of Eli Whitney Acceptance. I applied this year as well. Good luck everyone!</p>

34

<p>Greetings to all the 2010 EWSP applicants. </p>

<p>I’d say that the two most important factors are previous college record and “compelling reasons” for wanting to attend Yale through the EWSP. Though what constitutes “compelling” can be nebulous and varies tremendously from case to case, it must be unambiguously clear to the committee that your backstory is consistent with the program’s mission, which is to attract students of nontraditional backgrounds whose academic careers were postponed because of family or career responsibilities. </p>

<p>Represent yourselves honestly in your essays but understand that your “compelling reason” is your meal ticket. I’ve written in greater detail about the EWSP application process; for those interested, please check out the 2009 threads. </p>

<p>Good Luck!</p>

35

<p>One quick caveat on this. I was concerned about this part of my application - I had postponed college by my own volition - I wasn’t as forced to do it by circumstance. I don’t feel it harmed my application. I also had the option to go back to my previous institution (top 5 LAC) - so my compelling reason was similar to that of a transfer. I think it has to be compelling enough, but by no means is is the “meal ticket” otherwise, I doubt I’d be here. Just my two cents.</p>

36

<p>I understand where you’re coming from but I’d say that your situation was based more on your individual circumstances. The compelling reason as I said encompasses a wide range of possibilities. Your reason for volitionally postponing your schooling may have been a compelling reason in itself, despite the fact that it was not actually “forced”. The fact that you came from a top 5 LAC might have also added some weight to your application; academic record is right up there along side compelling reason in weight. </p>

<p>But that is all speculative of course. As you stated before, there is no way to know for sure without being on the adcom. Regardless and in general, I would not understate the importance of having a very compelling reason that is well explained in the essays.</p>

37

<p>Greetings prospective and current Eli Whitney students. </p>

<p>Per the recommendation of deusex, according to his perennial and insatiable desire to help others, I, a current EW student, would like to make myself available for questions concerning the program, application process, or Yale experience. I’ll gladly share with college confidential my (limited) knowledge and experience. So for those applicants with questions, post them up! </p>

<p>Best of luck,</p>

<p>Old Man</p>

38

<p>i wanted to add some things about the application </p>

<p>many people have been accepted to yale through the eli whitney students program who’ve hailed from community college, so having a top tier school on your academic record is not a necessity - but it probably won’t hurt too much either - and neither are the sat or act scores</p>

<p>for instance, we have plenty of students from community college or with no college or for whatever reason could not complete college</p>

<p>there are students from so many different backgrounds</p>

<p>i believe (but i could be wrong) that there are at least two eli witney students who did not even go to high school, for whatever reason</p>

<p>so don’t be discouraged if you don’t hail from a top school, because that is not a defining feature of the program</p>

<p>it really does depend on a very simple question, do you and yale fit each other?</p>

<p>in the end, it seems like, the committee is either convinced that yale is right for you or they are not, right?</p>

<p>you could think of it as a match-making, dating website, like eHarmony</p>

<p>you either score high on the compatibility chart or you don’t </p>

<p>i know that is over simplifying it a tad, but the moral is this - don’t feel discouraged because there is no way to classify and eli whitney student</p>

<p>so apply, regardless of what your academic background is. </p>

<p>just think of this question: how can yale apply the same standards of admission to eli whitney students, if eli whitney students have already been to college and lived a full life? it’s hard to do. so over-focusing on the “numbers” could be a little dangerous.</p>

39

<p>Questions for the current and former EWSP students:</p>

<p>1) When (approximate date is fine if you don’t remember) did you receive the call requesting an interview?</p>

<p>2) When did you get your call/email/letter of acceptance?</p>

<p>Thanks a lot: I’m glad you’re all here as a resource.</p>

<p>For God, For Country, and (hopefully) For Yale–</p>

<p>B2</p>

40

<p>1) Contacted in late April for a May interview.</p>

<p>2) Early June.</p>