Midwestern white girl...chance me?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
1

<p>I live in Minnesota and I go to a pretty crappy public school in the inner-city, we sent 1 girl to Harvard this year and one to Columbia, but that's pretty much it, everybody else usually goes to one of the campuses of the state U. We only offer 8 APs: Calc I and II, Chem, Bio, Enviro, Lit, Spanish and AP US. My parents are both Princeton grads but we make less than $60,000 a year, don't ask me how. They're both artists.</p>

<p>Applying EA</p>

<p>GPA: 3.991 UW (school doesn't weight, I've only ever gotten 2 A minuses)
Class rank: 5/460
SATs: 730CR, 600M, 750W, 2080 total; retook and am expecting 750/650/780. Clearly math is not my strong point.
SAT IIs: Lit 780, Spanish 750 </p>

<p>Soph. Schedule:</p>

<p>Gym/Ind. project on young women in Spanish literature (1 sem. each): A
AP US History: A
Honors American Literature (AP not offered til junior year): A
Spanish IV: A
Honors Chem: A
Algebra II (No honors offered): A</p>

<p>AP Scores: US History 5, Spanish self-study 4 (nonnative speaker)</p>

<p>Junior Schedule: </p>

<p>Ind. Project developing a fiction portfolio: A
Newspaper production: A- one quarter, As the rest
Pre-Calc (no honors offered): A- one quarter, As the rest
Honors Physics: A
College-in-the-Schools Composition/CIS Literature (1 sem. each): A
Spanish Class (305 level) at Macalester College (26th best lib. arts school in country): Unknown, but most likely A-/B+, grade prob. not factored into my GPA but counts for HS credit. Out of 50 applied for post-secondary program, only 4 were admitted from around the state.</p>

<p>Planned senior schedule:</p>

<p>American Lit 101 at Macalester College
Spanish 315 at Macalester College
Newspaper Production
AP Calculus I
May take AP Bio, but I'm not sure because I hate science--is it necessary?</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:</p>

<p>Newspaper: Editor-in-Chief (12), News/Features Editor (11), Staff Writer (10). Newspaper won All-State silver award last year.</p>

<p>Varsity Soccer: 3 years, 3 years conf. champs; JV soccer frosh year</p>

<p>Club Soccer: 9 years, Captain 3 years, Classic I (top level out of 3 classics)</p>

<p>Loft Literary Center TeenInk Member, 1 year: One of my most significant ECs, the Loft is a revolutionary literary center in the city and I was selected to be on their first ever teen council. Only 8 were selected out of 100 or so applied. It's pretty prestigious.</p>

<p>Volunteer/Translator for Head Start BOOST Literacy program: 2 years, will have 250+ hours. Also one of my major ECs.</p>

<p>Awards</p>

<p>Scholastic Art and Writing Award - Regional Gold Key, National Silver in Personal Essay/Memoir</p>

<p>National High School Press Association Award for Excellence in Column Writing</p>

<p>National History Day National Champion (1st place) in performance category, 2006
4th place in state last year for another performance</p>

<p>Applied for Davidson Fellowship in Literature; I think I have a slim chance at an honorable mention or something. </p>

<p>Some extras: I'm white but fluent in Spanish after just 4 years of HS study, I skipped 3 years of HS Spanish (level 2, 5, and 6) to self study AP. Recs will be really good, one amazing, essays will focus somehow on my passion for writing. </p>

<p>Things I think are most impressive on my app: Def. Davidson Fellowship if I win it, Literary Teen Council, taking classes at a top-tier lib. arts college, captain of soccer, very focused volunteer hours and lots of 'em. By the end of HS I'll have taken 5 college classes already (3 at Mac, 2 from the University of Minnesota).</p>

<p>I know you guys can't say if I'm def. in or not, but assuming I raise my SATs to a 2150 or above (I admit I am terrible at math and that will bring me down) am I in the pool of applicants that has a good chance?</p>

2

<p>Crank on your personal essay: IMHO you're otherwise viable. Congrats on your achievements to date. Best of luck to you wherever you eventually matriculate!</p>

3

<p>Thanks, T26E4...but what do you mean, "Crank on your personal essay?"</p>

4

<p>Your EC's are impressive, and your stats shouldn't keep you out. Do yourself a favor and apply to Princeton as well. The legacy acceptance rate is usually between 30% and 40%.</p>

5

<p>^ I agree with Weasel - and Princeton's financial aid is easily on par with Yale's.</p>

<p>That being said, you have as good a chance as any!</p>

6

<p>"Thanks, T26E4...but what do you mean, 'Crank on your personal essay?'"</p>

<p>I can see where this is confusing! LOL sorry about that. I just noted that you said you love writing. Make sure your essay is flawless then...</p>

<p>As if you were just gonna turn in something shabby...LOL What was I thinking?</p>

7

<p>you have solid chances, but with the ivies, it's always a reach for most. Take advantage of your legacy situation and apply to Princeton. The SAT math score is tricky, hopefully you can bump that up. Did you take the ACT? Maybe you can pull a higher score from that exam. Good luck seTitan.</p>

8

<p>Have you heard anything back from the Davidson Fellows people yet?</p>

9

<p>I'd just like to add that you might want to be careful with calling yourself 'fluent' in Spanish.</p>

<p>A 4, even a 5, in AP Spanish is VERY FAR from being fluent.</p>

10

<p>I work full time this summer at Head Start as a Spanish Translator. I can read and say almost anything, though I do have a significant accent. Several people, including native speakers, have called me fluent.</p>

<p>Keep in mind the 4 came after self-studying sophomore year; I've since had two summers of Spanish-immersion work experience and a high-level Spanish class at one of the best colleges in the country.</p>

<p>And about applying to Princeton...it means I would have to take another SATII and possibly mess it up pretty bad (it would be US History and I haven't taken the class since sophomore year). Would it be worth it if I got a 650 or so but they were able to see I got a 5 on the AP test?</p>

<p>ETA: No, GeoKid, I haven't heard anything. But that doesn't mean they haven't said anything to the winners. I heard July 14th, tho, so hang in there!</p>

11

<p>Well you definitely won't get into Princeton if you don't apply, and you have a much better chance than most people if you do apply. So I don't see why the possibility of not doing well on an SAT II should deter you. Just study hard for US History. If you get in the low 700's, the score won't affect your chances one way or the other.</p>

12

<p>
[quote]
I work full time this summer at Head Start as a Spanish Translator. I can read and say almost anything, though I do have a significant accent. Several people, including native speakers, have called me fluent.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>You have to understand though that being able to read and say almost anything (which I'm sure you can say and read most conversational things; but there is much more than just conversational words). </p>

<p>Most translators aren't 'fluent' (per the real definition; I know America has a different idea of fluency) in their language, just proficient enough to do the job. </p>

<p>And fluency also involves being able to understand basically everything that's said to you. I'm sure you're at least proficient, but I'm pretty sure you won't understand (for example) me and my friends going having a fast paced convo (which is actually average speed for Spanish, just fast compared to English) on the streets of Miami. </p>

<p>I'm not trying to knock you down or anything, I'm sure your Spanish skills are great; but calling yourself fluent basically means you can understand rapid conversation completely (not just bits and parts) as if you were a native. I don't know much of anything about Yale admissions, but I'd just advise you to take care if they take you up on your claim.</p>

13

<p>I also work for a legal hotline and can understand 95% of everything everybody says to me on the hotline; I can also understand everything parents and children say to me at my job. I can have conversations about legal matters, educational matters, politics, etc., and understand most of the conversations I hear on the bus or on the street--with regionalized slang being the only exception. I have also read Gabriel Garcia-Marquez and Isabel Allende in Spanish, and though I did need to pull out a dictionary once in a while, I read 90% of it or so with ease.</p>

<p>But clearly you don't know what fluent means. </p>

<p>From the free dictionary: </p>

<p>a. Able to express oneself readily and effortlessly: a fluent speaker; fluent in three languages.</p>

<p>From the Google dictionary:</p>

<p>eloquent: expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively.</p>

<p>I'm guessing Yale will go by the definition in dictionaries rather than your own skewed ideas about what "fluent" is.</p>

14

<p>ETA: I got a 2180 on the latest SAT: 620M, 780CR, 780W. I honestly don't think I can get any better on math, I just suck at it...but does the 100 pt increase help me?</p>

15

<p>Yeah it definitely helps and puts you in the range of the average accepted applicant. I wouldn't worry too much about the math, especially with all of the awards you have gotten in the humanities. Nice job!</p>

16

<p>wow.
i think that's a bit over confident and obnoxious, no offense, they were just presenting their opinion on fluency, no need to spell out an annoying I RULE personal add, no one really cares how fluent you are, the native speaker was just making a point on his/her opinion of fluency. chill for a millisecond.</p>

17

<p>southeasttitan: How are you planning to pay for these colleges? You might be mistaken about college financial aid. It might be a time to get the facts. Colleges do see the potential of the parent to make money and not what they make while deciding the need based merit.
Don't think two laid back Princeton graduates making less than $60000 is same as two hard working college drop outs that make $60000 a year. College admission officers are not fool and won't get this slip by, So make sure you are ready for the big shock in terms of EFC required from you.
I'm not sure what Princeton admission officer will make out of this information too. Two of their graduates are incapable of making more than $60000 a year collectively.</p>

18

<p>ParentOfIvyHope is incorrect on all counts. Colleges do not consider so called potential. I challenge him to present evidence to the contrary. If FA offices engaged in this practice, it would amount to University approval of the idea that one should always pursue the most lucrative career. In fact, elite universities are taking the opposite stance, as they encourage grads to pursue careers in fields other than finance and consulting, often funding paid post-graduate internships as an incentive. Even if financial aid offices did engage in this practice, which they don't, it would not make a difference for the OP except on her Princeton application, as no other school would know where her parents went to school.</p>

19

<p>^^^: First all college do see your parent education and if you lie on the application then it is another thing.
Second there has been a case from Texas last year where the student didn't get admission into any of the top school HYPMS and it seems that the parent left the job and helping the student do activities and reducing their net income to less than $60000 their by making the student eligible for 100% of the need money.</p>

<p>What do you think of that? At least college admission officer were able to see thru in that case. I'm not sure how will some miss something like this.</p>

<p>Even a non profit organisation job will net more than $60000 for two Princeton graduates.
Yes, not doing anything suffix.</p>

20

<p>I can see where ParentofIvyHope is coming from. Having a Princeton degree ("the #1 school in the US," according to US News...although not sure how accurate that is) should land a person a job with a big paycheck. But life happens (and artists really don't make a lot of money). So, regardless, I think that you have a good chance and you should definitely apply!</p>