<p>My mom got excited about me receiving letters and a book, but I don't think they mean anything. The latest one began "Congratulations on your hard work and scholastic success! This is an exciting time for you to be thinking about the future, and I hop it is also a good time to share some thoughts about Yale College. Using information obtained from college testing services, we have identified you as a student who may be a good candidate for Yale." My mom thinks that these letters mean I have a good shot of getting in, but I think it's a ploy for them to get more applicants to decrease their admission rate. Anyone else receive a letter like this and knows if it is any indication of my chances?</p>
<p>Generally, receiving a book from a college IS an indication of your chances. Where, amongst their pool of applicants, your chances land you may vary. Compare your standardized test scores, GPA, etc. (cut-and-dry quantitative attributes) to Yale’s normal, and see how they match up. Even if your scores, etc. seem a bit lower than Yale’s average, that doesn’t mean they sent you a book just to drop admissions rate. They of course accept SOME applicants that are on the lower end of the spectrum in certain areas (which may be, say, SATs) because they’re great in other areas (say, community service). Just see how you compare and enjoy the eye that top institutions are keeping on you :)</p>
<p>(you are wise, though, not to read TOO much into the letters. You and your mom should be excited, because they wouldn’t waste their time on someone, but the letters and booklets are usually still pretty broad nets that colleges throw out.)</p>
<p>IR,</p>
<p>You’re right, it’s a marketing tool that all colleges use to increase applications, which with a relatively static number of admitted students every year, results in lower acceptance rates. Admission rate is one of the factors used for USN&WR rankings.</p>
<p>It is not an indication of your chance of admission.</p>
<p>My stats match up. So, I am an honors student who is in the top 10% of my class, student council president, head of the school newspaper, co-head of the community service club, captain of the quiz bowl team, have done a lot of community service, and have played piano for 12 years. I have also gotten an ACT score in the 30’s, a 5 on the only AP exam my school offers to juniors (APUSH), and have placed 1st and 2nd in my state on tests that determine a student’s ability in different subjects. I am also a member of the national honors society. Do you think I have a shot? Should I bother applying?</p>
<p>I’m wondering this exact same thing. My stats are more or less similar and I’m a Hispanic student. Does the book I receive from Yale mean much?</p>
<p>Although this is marketing to encourage applications and admission rate does play a role in USNWR rankings, it plays a very small role (?1.5%) and Yale’s ranking has hardly changed since the whole USNWR rankings began.</p>
<p>Applying to an Ivy league school is really not on the minds of many top notch students across the country. This may surprise some of the CC crowd which is particularly self-selected. Yale and other schools send out marketing information to top students so that they can expand the applicant pool. Some would say that too many qualified NY/NJ/MA/CT/CA applicants are rejected each year to bother looking for more applicants but I am not so cynical as to believe that the school cares nothing about putting together the best class it can attract and just wants to bolster the numbers.</p>
<p>Getting marketing information is a good thing as long as you realize that the vast majority of similarly wooed students are turned down.</p>
<p>I am a minority student too, so I am wondering if it could have any meaning.</p>
<p>What state are you from?</p>
<p>Louisiana…you?</p>
<p>Texas. It makes sense they want more applicants from our region. But at the same time I think they mail these based on PSAT scores and if it’s just a certain cutoff score we have to make to be on the mailing list I doubt that says much about chances for admission.</p>
<p>True. I’m a good student, but I just didn’t think I was Yale material (why I didn’t want to read into getting letters and such from the university).</p>
<p>Ditto. But you never know it could be worth it. And if you want to major in IR , there campus in Singapore where they have a huge focus on IR and related majors could be a hidden gem. Might be worth the reach because I definitely don’t think you’re out of bounds for them.</p>
<p>A friend of mine mentioned that to me. Who knows. I may apply. Will you?</p>
<p>I think so. I know I would like going there if accepted and they have a lot of wonderful extra curricular opportunities (the book they sent out kinda sold me). And if I don’t get in then I would also understand why. </p>
<p>Did Harvard and Princeton send you stuff as well? If so what are your thoughts on those?</p>
<p>Yes. I think the same of them as the letters and book from Yale. I don’t really think that getting books from them guarantees that you are a perfect candidate to apply. I may apply to Harvard and and Princeton as well (they do have amazing IR programs) since I’m not applying to many schools, but I’m not going to get my hopes up.</p>
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<p>This is exactly what Yale wants people like you to do. They want you to believe in yourself and apply.</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity, has anyone else received a view-book within the last month or so? If so, had you signed up for Yale’s mailing list or demonstrated interest in another way?</p>
<p>Nope, I never signed up for the mailing list. The last letter I got said that Yale got my information from testing services.</p>
<p>I would not overestimate the importance of the letter and viewbook mail you have been receiving but if you stats line up with the schools and you are interested in those schools you should apply. I do not think the mailing you have received is meant to show that Yale is personally recruiting you. I rememeber during junior and senior year getting tons of college mail and I got things from every IVY, Cornell congratulated me on my SAT score lol, and swarthmore giving me an application extension and waiver. Keep in mind I know for a fact I did not have the stats for any of those schools.</p>