<p>I received a letter today from Yale. I have never received a letter like this, and certainly not from an Ivy. The letter congratulates me on my "hard work and scholastic success" and goes on to tell me to closely consider Yale as an option.
My question: Is this a common thing to happen? What does this letter mean; is it merely a little reminder, or something more?
As I said, I have never received a letter quite like this, and I'm curious to see how many people have gotten letters like this before. Additionally, I would like to know what my chances are of getting admitted. I'm a Junior, and I know I have to work extremely hard these next two years if I truly want to be accepted. My unweighted GPA is 3.5882, weighted, 4.3529; my class rank is 167 of 650.</p>
<p>Thank you all very much for your help! It is greatly appreciated.
(This is my first post, so if this is in the wrong section, I apologize.)</p>
<p>It’s a marketing ploy; basically most students who score over a certain number on the PSAT get one; I got mine the other day. Don’t read anything into it.</p>
<p>With your rank and GPA, Yale would be a very high reach for you to get in, but you never know.</p>
<p>@ifssfs, I don’t disagree with skieurope, but Yale is a reach for every HS student. My son had slightly better UW, lower W, and don’t know his class rank. He was accepted. Hope for the best and accept whatever happens. </p>
<p>Absolutely. I was not being disparaging to the OP. Yale or any top schools is a reach for everyone. If the OP thinks Yale is a match, by all means apply. Other than the application fee, there is nothing to lose.</p>
<p>I disagree. One should dream but have a modicum of reality in applying to schools with tiny admit rates. OP, if you are not one of your school’s top scholars, then a school like Yale is a practical impossibility. Given your class rank, I think you should consult your GC for a good list of target schools. Good luck.</p>
<p>Regardless of ECs, GPA, or scores, the 167 rank pretty much gets you thrown out immediately. Depending on your school, the ivies (and HYP in particular) are probably only realistic for the top 10.</p>
<p>@MikeNY5 and @T26E4: There are 1000s of valedictorians each year that are rejected. There are quite a few students not in the top 10% of their classes that are accepted. It is not just about numbers. It is a holistic process, and quite honestly, a lot of it is about fit. @lfssfs, you shouldn’t let anyone’s negative talk stop you from applying ANYWHERE. The worst any school can say is no, and they might say yes. But they surely will not say yes if you don’t apply.</p>
<p>@PurpleScholar: My advice to the OP was “One should dream but have a modicum of reality in applying to schools with tiny admit rates. OP, if you are not one of your school’s top scholars, then a school like Yale is a practical impossibility. Given your class rank, I think you should consult your GC for a good list of target schools. Good luck.”</p>
<p>This is negative? Dude is ranked 167th in his own school and all I’m asking him to do is to be moderate in his expectations. What you’re hawking are fantasies.</p>
<p>@PurpleScholar I know this, but the OP is out of the top quartile of his class. I can see yale, or any comparable institution, making an exception for a candidate with incredible (really, really incredible) ECs or characteristics if he or she were top 10% or even top 20%, but out of the top 25% is really pushing it. AND, I never said not to apply. By all means, throw an app in there if you have $90 to spare (which I certainly did not). But Yale is a reach for the world’s top scholars, and the OP really needs to ask himself whether or not he can compare on some level.</p>
<p>I should also add this: people often mischaracterize the randomness of the admissions process. No, we’re never able to predict who Yale will admit. BUT, that only stands true for the cream of the crop, or the top 1% of the top 1%. We can essentially ensure that anyone outside of that group will receive a letter entitled “We Regret to Inform you…” Seemingly random results for extremely qualified students =/= random results for moderately qualified students. The OP is clearly a good student and will have many college choices, but Yale is unrealistic.</p>