How Do You Think I'll Do With Stanford and Yale?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Demographics:
*17 year old, white male from Nebraska
*~$140k income
*brother currently in college
*dad (bachelors), mom (associates)

Intended Major/Academic Path:
*economics/math major at Yale, looking to likely be an actuary, and hopefully start a school down the road

Academics:
*ACT: 35 (35, 35, 35, 36, 23 Writing on 36 scale)
*SAT: none
*SAT II: 800 M2, 770 Physics
*GPA: 4.00 UW, 4.20 W (will go up after this semester is implemented)
*Class Rank: 23/595 (will likely also go up as well)
*Rigor: 8 APs throughout high school, with a multitude of honors classes (honors classes aren’t weighted fyi), hardest available
*APs: 10- Statistics (5), Human Geography (5), 11- Psychology (5), Biology (4), 12- Calc BC, Lang, Physics 1, Macro

Extracurriculars:
*Various music ensembles (concert band, marching band, jazz band, show choir band, pit orchestra), also section leader
*Peer Tutor (tutor math through school)
*Study Center Helper (also help out with math in school’s after-school center)
*Diversity Club
*Take music lessons at private studio (multiple local/state awards, multiple state/regional level audition ensembles made as well)
*Summer jobs
*Community Service (250+ hours total)
*NHS

Awards:
*besides the multitude of music awards I mentioned earlier not much, maybe just like academic letter winner and AP Scholar with Honor, no National Merit Status (rip)

Essays and stuff:
*for supplementals for both I made sure to laser-focus in on my love for math and education and hit that home, as well as conveying traits and aspects of my personality
*Common App Essay: I’d say maybe a 8?
*Teacher Recs: Probably 8/10 and 9/10
*Counselor Rec: 7/10

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS AND FEEDBACK IS GREATLY APPRECIATED, I know they’re reaches for sure but I’m curious of the general opinion

2

If Yale had to describe you in a word it would be?

3

Honestly, geographic diversity is the only thing that sets you apart from thousands of applicants. Not imposdible, but the odds are very low.

4

As you know the admissions % for Yale and Stanford are very low in the mid single digits. However, with your stats and being Nebraska you have a great chance at schools still in the top 20 but lower than Y and S. Check out Northwestern, Notre Dame, Cornell, Vanderbilt, Emory, etc.

5

Why isn’t your class rank very good? Do you go to a really competitive high school or something?

6

^ ??? The OP is in the top 4% of his class plus he thinks that will improve. That is fine.

7

@londondad Not really… 24th in some high school in Nebraska. The top 20 kids in every high school around the country don’t all go to Stanford and Yale. You have to think of how low the competition is your average public high school… most of them are smoking weed and barely able to graduate. I got 2nd out of 400 and didn’t work that hard… and I certainly don’t go to Yale

8

^ I disagree with @carolinahbrahh This kid obviously goes to competitive high school is he has an unweighted 4.0 and he is only 24th in his class. I would assume that he probably goes to a strong public school in either Omaha (HQ of Berkshire Hathaway) or Lincoln (Nebraska State Capital and main campus of UN so filled with politicians’ and professors’ kids). Therefore there is a good chance that he is surrounded by smart classmates, so he is not at just “some high school in Nebraska” which you imply with a negative connotation. His class rank is fine.

Plus, relatively few kids from Nebraska go out of state (or out of the region) so his rank is less of an issue than some kid from Connecticut whose friends are all applying to the same schools.

My original point is not that he is a slam dunk for Yale or Stanford. He is not because no one is. My point is that his class ranking and GPA will not hurt him for any school, plus he has a 35 ACT. His acceptance or lack thereof will hinge on other factors such as essays and ECs. I think he has a very strong chance of getting into non-Ivy, non-Stanford top 30 schools. I read a thread a few weeks ago from a Nebraska girl with I think similar stats who was accepted ED by Northwestern. For her that was a good strategy.

9

@londondad Maybe he does go to one of the best schools in NE, maybe he doesn’t. My point is just that being in the top 4% of an average public school doesn’t cut it. That still leaves 360,000 students ahead of him across the country. It just seems like a tough case to make that you should go to Yale/Stanford when 22 kids are ahead of you in your public high school. Even for Brown Class of 2016, 47% of the accepted students were valedictorians/salutatorians. I wonder who the rest were? Probably minorities and athletes and people that have done truly amazing things.

Getting all A’s unweighted is okay, but high school is just so easy that you need to do more than that.