Need advice regarding my chances at Yale, Harvard.

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hello. I find myself facing a tough quandary right now. I want to apply to Yale and Harvard but I am not sure about my chances. I want to apply EA to Harvard or Yale but I can't finalize which one.</p>

<p>I reckon that I have remote chances of being accepted to either of the two Ivies but you can't blame a man for trying, can you?!? ;) I feel that Yale is a better fit for me because of its relatively friendlier atmosphere and a livelier party scene. For my part, the quality of life is more important than academic strength and research work. Even though I know that Yale is a better fit for me, the prestige of a crimson pedigree and a greater acceptance rate for Early Action at Harvard is very tempting( Although, is that bit true?).</p>

<p>I am undecided on my major as of now. Is it true that Harvard accepts a greater number of students who apply EA than does Yale. Indeed, Harvard accepts EA applicants at six times the RD applicants(Again, is it true?). Where is applying EA the most advantageous? Harvard or Yale?</p>

<p>Test Scores:</p>

<p>2170 SAT( Superscore 2210: 800, 750, 660 )
TOEFL 111
Taking the ACT on 25th October.
Taking SAT Subjects
4.0 GPA (unweighed)
No ranking at school.</p>

<p>Extra information:
I live in Rajkot in India in a Tier-II city( no test prep, bare minimum EC opportunities) and attend a private school. I am a male Indian with a B-2 Visitor Visa.</p>

<p>I have played various volleyball tournaments and am the team captain. </p>

<p>I have also played some squash. I have won a city-level Quiz competition and am a part of my school quiz team. </p>

<p>I scored 99.9 percentile on the English Section and 99.8 percentile on the Science section of the ASSET exam( A national level exam taken by the students of India's top schools).</p>

<p>I was placed 3rd in my state in the National English Olympiad. I have won a state-level spelling bee championship. I am the editor of the school newspaper. I have also been on the Honor Roll throughout my high school years. I have done plenty of community service with Red Cross and other organizations. </p>

<p>I taught English and Math to children at a large orphanage in my city for a month. I have also participated in several social efforts by Red Cross which include environmental awareness drives, reforestation initiatives, vaccination and polio awareness camps et al. </p>

<p>I have also done internships at two major hospitals in my city during my 10th Grade and 11th Grade summers respectively. I observed medical procedures, helped in filing minor paperwork, assisted in organizing and taking stock of medical supplies and helped to deliver patients' files from one medical department to another, </p>

<p>I have taken part in several trekking and mountaineering expeditions led by a travel agency in my city. </p>

<p>I have participated in a MUN organised by a school in a neighboring state.</p>

<p>So where should I apply? Which school is more likely to accept me? Which is a better fit?</p>

<p>Thank you so much for your time and effort and sorry that this was so lengthy!!!</p>

2

<p>How about you don’t apply to either? An international student with a 2170 will have an impossible time getting in to Harvard or Yale without substantial extracurriculars and excellent essays. You seem to be applying just for the prestige rather than the fit.</p>

3

<p>I’d say that you may have pretty decent chances for other Ivy leagues, but Harvard and Yale is a high reach, especially with your SAT score. I’d say that your ECs are not bad, but not too far apart from generic.</p>

<p>If you have choose, I’d say go for Yale due to the (reputed) ease to get in for most international applicants. But if I were you, I’d start looking for lower schools: Harvard and Yale are reaches for everyone, especially for international applicants. </p>

4

<p>I agree with the post above me. You have a strong chance at the other Ivies. Try UPenn, Cornell.
Your stats and ECs are great but Harvard and Yale are still reaches.</p>

<p>Best of Luck! Chance me back please
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1691716-chance-and-will-chance-back.html#latest”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1691716-chance-and-will-chance-back.html#latest&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>Thanks a lot Oberyn, Chrislee1111 and bboy219. </p>

<p>UPDATE: I forgot to post my ACT score. I scored 35 on the ACT (36,36,34,34) so how is this going to affect my chances?</p>

6

<p>If you already have a 35 on the ACT, why are you taking it again? The only reason to do that would be if took it without writing the first time. If it’s a 35 with writing, submit that instead of the SAT, and do something else on Saturday. </p>

7

<p>BldrDad I felt that I could ace the test with a 36 if I retook it.</p>

8

<p>Next question: would you require financial aid if you were to attend a college in the USA? This may be a compelling reason to apply to Harvard or Yale instead of other schools, but you should recognize the odds are going to be long. I wouldn’t say it’s impossible if you are submitting the 35 ACT instead of the 2170 SAT, you ace the SAT subject tests, and all other aspects of your applications are stellar.</p>

9

<p>First of all, thank you BldrDad and 1939er for your prompt response.</p>

<p>BldrDad: Yes, I require at least 65% financial aid for me to attend a college in the States. I would like to think my essays are good and my recommendations too but I can’t be my own judge without losing objectivity.</p>

<p>1939er: Do you know which colleges in the US provide need-blind aid to international students?</p>

10

<p>1939er: Got it. But can you reckon my chances at Yale and Harvard(EA) based on my credentials and considering the ACT 35?</p>

11

<p>1939er: Can you tell me what my obstacle is? And why would there be some risk of me not attending? </p>

12

<p>1939er: You can rest easy and put that thought out of your mind! I will have to switch my Visitor Visa to a Student Visa when I attend college in US. And there is absolutely no chance of me not attending H or Y if I am accepted.
Keeping these thoughts in mind, can you now assess my chances of getting accepted?</p>

13

<p>1939er: I get it!!! And thanks for your time.</p>

14

<p>@ANSapovadia‌ - You didn’t answer my question. Was the 35 with writing?</p>

<p>@‌1939er - if the OP is accepted to Harvard, I’m pretty sure getting an F-1 student visa will not be a problem. FYI, 82% of accepted students decided to attend Harvard last year, and I doubt they are too worried about their international yield - most of those who turn Harvard down will be US applicants who ended up at Stanford, Yale, Princeton, MIT, and a few other elite schools. Relatively few internationals will be HYPSM cross-admits- I’m sure they lose a few students to the top UK schools each year but that chance is probably not grounds for rejecting someone.</p>

<p>@ANSapovadia‌ - Because these schools accept so few students from India, although there are certainly many qualified candidates, I still think the odds are very long but I don’t see anything in your profile that would indicate you would turn Harvard or Yale down if you were accepted :)</p>

15

<p>@BldrDad The ACT 35 was with writing. Also, I am more interested in attending Yale than Harvard. Can you BldrDad and 1939er give me a ballpark % of me getting accepted to Yale SCEA with my stats and the ACT 35. I can cut down my aid requirement to 50%. So what are my chances?</p>

16

<p>@ANSapovadia‌ - If you are accepted to either school, they will calculate how much they expect you and your family to pay based on income, assets, and expenses. How much you are willing to pay does not come into play. Both schools are need-blind and meet full need for all accepted students.</p>

<p>There is no way to know what your odds are at either school. As an Indian who is not resident in the US, it’s going to be tough. If you prefer Yale, apply there. Remember that it’s something like buying a lottery ticket - you can dream, but ultimately the odds are long that you’re going to pull the winning ticket. Go on with your life, prepare to apply to other selective colleges RD, and plan for the likelihood that none of them will accept you, even though you will be a qualified candidate at all of them.</p>

<p>If you are applying to Yale (either SCEA or RD), remember they don’t participate in score choice. If you have a bad day and get less than the 35 you got last time, you are going to have to send both scores to them. I think it’s a no-win situation situation for you to take it again. 35 is an amazing score, especially for an international student. If you get a 36, that’s great, but it probably won’t make that much of a difference to your chances.</p>

17

<p>@BldrDad Thank you sir, that is great advice. I know that H and Y are High Reach and that nobody can predict whether I am accepted or not. I will carry on with my life as you said. Thank you once again.</p>