How it worked last year...

Colleges & Universities A-Z Yale University
1

<p>I'm a mom who went through both EA (deferred) and RD (accepted!) with my daughter last year; I know how nerve-wracking this time can be, and I send you all my very best wishes for success.</p>

<p>For the record, here's how it worked last year--though, as they say in investment ads, past results are no guarantee of future performance. For EA, Yale announced that the letters would be mailed on December 15 and decisions would be available online on the 16th. In fact, however, the decisions were posted (through a link that suddenly appeared at <a href="http://www.yale.edu/admit"&gt;www.yale.edu/admit&lt;/a> ) late in the afternoon on the 15th--I believe between 5 and 6 pm EST. I think we knew to check the site then because they had done the same thing the previous year--posted the results a day earlier than promised. Anyway, if you want to check your decision online, make sure you use your PIN number (which was sent to you in the mail) to activate your account and set up a password in advance, and that you have your username and password handy.</p>

<p>When my daughter was deferred on December 15, the link took her directly to a pretty blunt letter (similar to the one on this year's Columbia site). On April 1, when she was accepted RD, I believe the link was * supposed * to take her to a page with the Yale bulldog and the fight song and the words "Welcome to Yale College Class of 2008," which would then take her to the acceptance letter, with "Congratulations!" right at the top. </p>

<p>For some reason, that's not what actually came up first in my daughter's case: The link opened to a supplemental page with contact names for people in her areas of interest, and it was only because she saw the words "Class of 2008" somewhere in a corner that she started to wonder if maybe she'd been accepted after all. (Unfortunately, the sound was muted on our computer, so I don't know if the fight song was playing.) Eventually she followed links that took her to the bulldog and the letter. Yale's computer people have probably fixed all the glitches by now--but just in case, if the answer isn't totally obvious right away, keep clicking through any links you find.</p>

<p>Again, the very best of luck to all of you; and please try to remember that things do have a way of working out. As I posted in the thread on "Outcomes after EA/ED Rejection Last Year" in the Parents Forum, everyone we know who lived through the EA massacre at Yale last year is now at a college they truly love.</p>

2

<p>thank you.</p>

3

<p>Yes, thank you.</p>

4

<p>Do you mind my asking if your daughter did anything special to get admitted RD? Just trying to prepare a plan of attack...</p>

5

<p>Do you mind my asking if your daughter did anything special to get admitted RD? Just trying to prepare a plan of attack...</p>

<p>After deferral, my daughter followed what's become pretty standard procedure: She asked her guidance counselor to call the regional adcom to emphasize that Yale was still her absolute first choice, then followed that up with a letter of her own that basically said the same thing and provided some (minor) updates about her activities; she also made sure that her grades stayed high. </p>

<p>But it's hard to know if it really mattered; when we met the regional rep at an reception for admitted students--when of course the tables are turned and they want to be as welcoming as possible--the rep said my daughter had always been a strong candidate but they just couldn't take everyone they liked in the EA round. (Alas, I think that's true in the RD round too: I believe that everyone deferred is more than qualified, and there's a strong element of chance in determining who's finally admitted.)</p>

<p>The best of luck to all.</p>

6

<p>I remember that day very well:</p>

<p>I was waiting with my mum in front of the computer screen, and typed in the password on the decisions website.</p>

<p>A blue screen came out with the words: "Welcome to Yale College Class of 2008"
I was like ... hmmm... maybe I got in, or why else would they show me this screen. But I didn't dare say anything cos my mum was there, and it would be like an anticlimax if I didn't get in. After all, I got two rejections already.</p>

<p>So, five seconds later... the acceptance letter pops up on the screen. I screamed. My mum was sobbing with joy... ah the memories...</p>

7

<p>Wow, now we know what to look fore. The blaring blankness of a white background now spells death for me... I think I've gotten to a point of insanity.</p>

<p>I can't believe we had to wait thislong. (nearly) EVERYONE else's decisions are out... good luck y'all.</p>