help a rising junior get into Yale?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
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<p>Everybody's heard amazing things about Yale, so i guess it goes without saying that the top students in the nation want to get in. I at least try to consider myself in that upper echelon of sudents, and I really hope Yale sees the same....but I really need helping hand to guide me towards success in getting into Yale. I'm going to be a high school junior, and i really want to know i should do next year to maximize my chances. </p>

<p>And yes, i know my SATs suck.....they're from freshman year, when i didn't know what i was taking until i looked it up on collegeboard after i took it. That's definitly going to be step one on my road to the Ivies. </p>

<p>I'm an Indian male from Illinois. I go to a completely new school that opened my freshman year. Unlike many of my peers, I try to create opportunities that aren't availible in a regular public high school experience. </p>

<p>I can speak English, Telugu, a tiny bit of Hindi, and i'm getting closer to becoming fluent in Chinese. </p>

<p>The majors that i'm most intrested in are Astrophysics, Physics, and Mathematics. Also, I would like to minor in Chinese. </p>

<p>SAT I: 2000 combined, 620 CR, 660 W, 720 M. (Note: this SAT was from freshman year; my scores have likely skyrocketed since then. Numerous practice tests have told me i'm in the 2200-2300 range now, and i have started some SAT coaching programs as well.)</p>

<p>SAT II: Haven't taken yet, but I will take Math II and either Physics or Chemistry. </p>

<p>ACT: 32 Composite, 31 English, 35 Math, 31 Reading, 32 Science, 30 English w/ Writing (got a 9 on writing). </p>

<p>GPA: 4.5 (w), 3.79 (uw). However, i've heard that Princeton does not consider freshman year GPA.....i don't know if Yale does the same, but just in case, 4.64 (w), 3.93 (uw)</p>

<p>Class Rank: My school does not provide class rank anymore, but I'm in at least the top 5% of a 650+ student body. </p>

<p>APs: Freshie year: Computer Science, 4. Human Geography, 5. </p>

<p>Sophomore year, still waiting on my AP Euro score.</p>

<p>Junior year: Physics C: Mechanics, Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, Chemistry, Language and Composition, US History, Calculus BC. </p>

<p>Senior Year: US Government and Politics, Comparitive Government and Politics, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Literature and Composition, Biology, and probably Art History (self taught)and Psych (self taught). Also, will be taking Calculus III in conjunction with the University of Illinois....although it's not an AP, it's worth mentioning :P</p>

<p>Volunteering: Volunteered with an FEA tutoring station at my school, along with feed my starving children.....probably 40 hours or less in total. I'll probably find a way to bring that up, though. </p>

<p>ECs: </p>

<p>Math Team - Leader for 2, most probably 3 years (by end of senior year). Achievements include 2nd place at regionals freshman year, making state freshman year, leading 2 teams to 3rd at confrence sophomore year, and MANY more to come junior year. </p>

<p>Science Olympiad - Leader for 1, most probably 2 years. Main event is Astronomy, I also partake in technical problem solving and protein modeling (and whatever else my coach tells me to do). Being a new program, we have yet to achieve anything except for the 2011 Spirit award.....with me at the helm next year, hopefully that will improve. </p>

<p>Scholastic/Quiz bowl - Varsity player for 2, probably 3 years. Started off as a reserve jv player, worked my way up with tremendous studying and the like. I have attended a couple of camps for the purpose of increasing my ability at quizbowl, I have definitly improved a lot. Achievements include 2011 Turnabout Tournament All-Tournament (Answered the most tossups), won 2011 Confrence Tournament, 2011 Regionals Tournament, came 3rd at 2011 Masonic Regionals (earning us $200).</p>

<p>Tennis - JV player for 1, probably 3 years. Made the team freshman year, didn't make it sophomore year. I pretty much view tennis as a fun sport, and i'm definitly not extremely serious about it. I have gone to a lot of clinics and coaches to improve my skills, though. I possess 1 JV letter. </p>

<p>Religious Group - I am Hindu, and have helped form a group from the ground up. Since then, we've had 3 public concerts, with attendance ranging from 50-400 people. We have performed at the Chicago Telugu Association, in front of famous actors from India. At that same performance, we earned a cameo on an international television channel (TV9 in India)that was broadcasting the CTA performances. </p>

<p>Chinese - By far, my biggest EC. i'm coming closer and closer to being able to speak the language fluently. My speech and tones are both superb; my writing, while sloppy, is pretty good as well. My teacher recognized my talents early and sent me to a Chinese speech competition in freshman year....which i pulled a gold medal in, without much effort. I promptly did the same in sophomore year, and my gold medal run probably won't end. Next year, if i excel with the speech competition, I will probably earn an all-expense paid scholarship to Taiwan to study. I have also done lots of translating for Chinese ambassadors from Beijing that visited our school. I helped them learn about the American education system and culture, and in the process, i got to know about theirs.</p>

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<p>Try sound less arrogant… Does not encourage people to help you, and certainly will not endear you to Yale, for example:</p>

<p>“My teacher recognized my talents early and sent me to a Chinese speech competition in freshman year…which i pulled a gold medal in, without much effort. I promptly did the same in sophomore year, and my gold medal run probably won’t end.”</p>

<p><em>Finger down throat…</em></p>

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<p>sorry if that came off as arrogant…it just hasn’t been that hard to win for the past two years. I know that may change in the future, but it probably won’t…</p>

4

<p>You do know that Y does not allow SAT score choice, and that it only requires 1 ACT score be sent? With that said, why prep for the SAT rather than retake the ACT which you already seem to do well at?</p>

5

<p>You seem to have a good shot… just remember that many of the best applicants get denied due to how they portray themselves in their essays. Be warned.</p>

6

<p>Entomom: With regards to Score Choice, Yale treats the ACT just the same as the SAT; you must report all scores from whatever test you submit. See [Standardized</a> Testing for Freshman Applicants | Yale College Admissions](<a href=“http://admissions.yale.edu/standardized-testing]Standardized”>Standardized Testing Requirements & Policies | Yale College Undergraduate Admissions) </p>

<p>“Please note: Yale does not participate in Score Choice. Therefore, you need to send Yale the results of all SAT and SAT Subject Tests or all ACT tests that you have taken.”</p>

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<p>^^^Thanks gibby! </p>

<p>You’re right, self-reporting is the same for both. I was thinking of sending official score reports, that’s where the ACT differs since they charge for sending scores for different sittings. </p>

<p>While you stated it correctly in your first sentence, Y got it wrong in the quote from the webpage you cited, it should be “report” rather than “send”. When you go to the actual FAQs, they state it correctly:</p>

<p><a href=“http://admissions.yale.edu/faq/standardized-testing[/url]”>http://admissions.yale.edu/faq/standardized-testing&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>oh, that makes sense with the score reporting…i should have been aware of that. Thank you!</p>

<p>and about the ACT/SAT thing…I honestly don’t know which one i should work on more. I’ve heard that colleges on the East Coast are a lot more geared towards the SAT, though, which is why i was looking more towards improving that score.</p>

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<p>Wow does your volunteer hours suck. Everything else is good and great except that. 40 hours is barely enough. You should work on it, try to get over 150 hours. Not trying to sound mean but your stats look good except for that. Bring it up and you’ll stand a decent chance but then again Yale is unpredictable. still good luck :)</p>

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<p>Alright, thanks! i’m styill trying to find a place where i can get decent volunteering opportunities though…as of now i’m just all over the place.</p>

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<p>WriterColumbia: I have two kids in college; one at Harvard, one at Yale; neither one had any volunteer hours – zero, zilch, none! Volunteer hours is not a make or break criteria for any college, especially as colleges realize that some students only do volunteer work to “look good” for admissions.</p>

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<p>Well gibby, maybe it was because your children were outstanding or something. I’m just saying that having allot of hours won’t hurt your application either. It’ll make it a little better even if it doesn’t substantially increase your chances. Some students do do it just to “look good” and I must admit in the beginning that was mostly my motivation too but then when you start doing it it becomes fun. Like this summer I’m volunteering at the library and I really enjoy it and when me and my friends go and feed the homeless its honestly the best time ever. But off that topic now, what were the stats of your kids? Would help me alot if I could know especially the honors and awards they’ve gotten :)</p>

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<p>Both kids were “high achieving all-arounders.” Academically, they had averages of 96 and 97, scored 2230 and 2270 respectively on their SAT’s, had 6 AP’s each (all 5’s) and 4 SAT II’s each (740 or higher). Each played sports in high school, but not at a Division I level, and each participated in many co-curricular activities for all 4 years. Why did they get in? I truly believe their essays made the difference. Each worked for about 3 to 4 months on their personal statement – about three times as long as they prepped for the SAT. And it payed off; both received acceptance letters with hand written notes from Admissions Directors saying how much they enjoyed their essay’s.</p>

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<p>wow…that just goes to show how big of a variable an essay can be in college admissions. i’ll be sure to pay close attention to that and start early.</p>

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<p>I would second what gibby is saying. My son had no volunteer hours either but was well rounded too. He had a 35 on the ACT and above 730 for his two SAT subject tests (Math II and Biology M). He only had one AP score (Biology 4) but took 4 others his senior year. He also played D2 varsity soccer for three years and was active in the schools theater program. He spent a least two months on his essays with multiple redrafts and with feedback by a writer from a top newspaper. This is where you will separate yourself from the competition as almost everyone that applies has high stats.</p>

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<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/1114274-official-yale-class-2015-rd-results-thread.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/1114274-official-yale-class-2015-rd-results-thread.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>as much as i love to volunteer and help people, i fear that i may not be able to find places to volunteer anymore. </p>

<p>how would you suggest i make my applicant profile more “well rounded”?</p>

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<p>With all due respect to Kdog, please forget about the term “well-rounded.” Colleges are looking to build a “well-rounded” class, not necessarley looking for “well-rounded” students – I’m not exactly sure what a “well rounded” student means anyway.</p>

<p>When I described my kids, I used the term “high achieving all-arounders” – which, to me, means being good at everything you do. That is different than having one strong or overall dominant passion. </p>

<p>If you love volunteering – go for it. But, have a passionate reason for volunteering, other than it will look good on my college application.</p>

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<p>Like you said, your stats aren’t too high (SAT, GPA). I would strengthen on what makes you unique, namely Chinese. Also, junior year is when your extra-curriculars should shine the most. As everyone says, junior year is the most important of the four. Make sure you work hard!</p>

<p>This being said, you need to (1) push up your stats, (2) engage in more competitions and various activities regarding the Chinese language, and (3) work hard to achieve more “major” accomplishments (state and national levels).</p>

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<p>What I meant by “well rounded” is having a passion in several areas as opposed to just perfect academics (i.e. sports, drama, music, etc) but not just to pad your stats. I think colleges can see through the applicants that are involved with something just because it might look good on their resume.</p>