<p>Rising senior, actually. And I’m not applying to any other Ivies. There’s a chance I might take a year and do Americorps- if I do, I likely will apply during the span of the Americorps program because I’ll risk losing scholarships if I defer, and I’d like more time to think about what I really want out of a college. On the bright side, this means I’ll have an extra semester to show to colleges.</p>
<p>Does anyone know if colleges look down on applying a year after graduation if you were doing something worthwhile with your time?</p>
<p>My advice, apply to more Ivies than just Yale and don’t fall in love with Yale just yet, because even though your stats are great, you are more likely to be rejected than accepted.</p>
<p>*She fell in love with Yale after our visit - had a GREAT interview w/alum (still not sure how much this means but he intimated that altho they say they interview everyone, they don’t – only about 50% of the kids get called). *</p>
<p>My understanding is that an alumni interview is neither required nor offered to a selected group of candidates. The admissions statistics for accepted students shows many admits not interviewed. The odds of getting called are determined by the relative number of alumni interviewers in your area and their ability to just get them all in. In at least one case (perhaps all) of a likely letter determination I saw, the admissions office said don’t even schedule an interview if not done already since this person was a “likely” admit. I’ve had many great interviews with kids who were not admitted and I must admit that I sometimes wonder how much my time consuming and thoughtful reports influence the adcoms but it is a pleasure to represent an institution I know and love and meet applicants that, on the whole, are extraordinary.</p>
<p>Buddy- I don’t really want to go to AN IVY, just Yale. And there are plenty of other schools I love- I’m really excited about one of my safeties, Kenyon College, and I have yet to visit a few more that I’m sure I’d be happy at.</p>
<p>If you like Yale, then you’ll definitely like Brown and Harvard and probably like Princeton too. Apply to a bunch and then decide if you want to go if you have the fortune of getting in.</p>
<p>Buddy- I’ve visited Harvard and Brown and don’t like them, and Princeton’s theater program isn’t as good as other, slightly “lesser” schools. Please trust my judgment.</p>
<p>I second YaleGradandDad…there is NO sorting of interviewees into will and won’t interview groups. None. Everyone gets interviewed IF alumni interviewers are available in that area and have time to get everyone in. And all an alumni interviewer knows about an applicant is name, address, school, email address (clean up that racy email address, folks!), and intended major. An interviewer doesn’t know if they’re speaking to the valedictorian or someone with a 3.0 GPA, unless the interviewee tells them. And hopefully the interviewee has something a little more interesting and revealing to talk about than their transcript and scores. :-)</p>
<p>i say go ahead fall in love with yale. go head over heels in adoration and have starry eyed reveries and get caught drooling in math class. i’m fully aware that everyone disagrees with me, but if you love yale that much, it simply has to show. if you’re going to put your heart into your application, then don’t stifle it. only then, after you’ve pressed submit, is time to start backing off.</p>
<p>peggysue, i promise you’ll get an interview IF there’s a local alumni schools committee in your area and enough volunteers…and since it looks like you’re from louisville, chances are good that there’s an active group in that city.</p>
<p>and please don’t just gush about yale…have some really strong, compelling reasons why you’re interested in yale to go along with your excitement. </p>
<p>kentucky, eh? guess who else is a kentucky native? the yale dean of admission. small world!</p>
<p>peggysue: My D got in this year with very similar stats and interests. It is impossible to ‘chance’ you because of the highly subjective nature of the evaluation process- we don’t know how impressive your music supplement will be, what your essays are going to be like, and how strong your recommendations will be. There is no harm in being ‘in love’ with Yale but you should look at other schools across the spectrum. </p>
<p>One particularly good fit for this combination of interests would be Northwestern. My D also ‘loved’ Northwestern, though in the end she ‘loved’ Yale more. </p>
<p>BTW- she also didn’t care for Brown or Amherst and didn’t apply to them. She did apply to Princeton and got in, but she never warmed up to it. These colleges really do have different characteristics.</p>
<p>GPA looks a bit weak, especially compared to the deluge of very high (weighted) GPAs that the adcoms will be seeing. Remember, high school record is one of the most important factors in admissions.</p>
<p>What is your class rank? (that would help put your GPA in some context). </p>
<p>I think, with average ECs and grades for Yale, it will be tough. (BTW, for most other schools your ECs and grades would be excellent – but unfortunately they are not for Yale).</p>
<p>Basically, if you had outstanding ECs it would probably compensate for the average GPA and if you’re grades were a 4.0 the ECs would probably be fine.</p>
<p>Your extracurriculars are not exceedingly impressive; therefore, I would recommend that you find some more volunteer opportunities to take advantage of in the coming year. The admissions officers at Yale are looking for students who are well-rounded and would prove to be an asset to the institution.</p>
<p>Also, I would try and improve your GPA a little bit - while it is not bad at this time, an improved GPA never hurts. As for your SAT score, it is phenomenal and I would not even say to take it again (unless you wanted to strive for a better score, of course).</p>
</p>