Official Yale Class of 2016 SCEA Results Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
61

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2280: 730 Math 760 CR 790 Writing
ACT: 30 (Didn’t submit)
SAT II: Literature: 690 US History 760
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): don’t have it (top 5%)
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Calculus AB (5); AP Lang (4) AP US History (5) AP World (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Literature, AP Statistics, AP Government, AP Macroeconomics, Chemistry II Honors: Organic, AP Environmental, Journalism IV
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Member of Model United Nations, won first place at state competition
National Honor Society (VP)
Member of Mu Alpha Theta
Member of Rho Kappa
Member of Spanish Honor Society
Layout Editor and Section Editor on student newspaper
Job/Work Experience: I’m a student tutor at my school.
Volunteer/Community service: Redesigned pamphlet for Autism Hope Alliance, Key Club, volunteer at hospital; about 120 hours total
Summer Activities: Summer program at Duke, 5-week program at Washington University in St. Louis for college credit (A in both courses), international traveling, volunteer at hospital
Essays: CommonApp: I wrote about how I was an adopted girl from China (one of the lost girls) and how my mother was a single parent taking care of me (V. good)
Yale supplement: I wrote a slightly humorous essay about my work on the student newspaper and my obsession with layout (Pretty good)
Why Yale: Good, very specific (Okay)
Short Essay: Quite original, I guess
Teacher Recommendation: Enthusiastic, Journalism teacher gave a v. good one about my work ethic
Counselor Rec: Probably v. generic
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Seemed to go very well; he was very nice and seemed very interested in my story and classes
Other
State (if domestic applicant): Fl
School Type: Public, 2400 students (does grades 2-12)
Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: <60,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Being adopted
Reflection
Strengths: Perfect grades (4.0), dedication to school newspaper, teacher recommendations, pretty good SAT scores
Weaknesses: no sports, my short response essay, needed more extra curricular activities/ community service
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: extra curricular activities, not enough awards
General Comments: Congratulations to all who got accepted - you definitely deserved it! So great job! To those who got rejected or deferred (like me), then don’t worry. I allowed myself to cry once, but it’s okay and it’s not the end of the world. Let it out and let it go - don’t worry about it. There’s some place out there for everyone :)</p>

62

<p>deferred… I promised I would post but I don’t like giving stats; they’re misleading and tend to stress future applicants out.</p>

63

<p>deferred</p>

<p>10char</p>

64

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2150 (Reading 680, Math 720, Writing 750)
[</em>] ACT: 35
[<em>] SAT II: Chemistry 760, Math II 680, US History 680
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/506
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geography (3), World History (4), US History (4), Chemistry (5), English Lang (5)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Computer Science, AP English IV, AP Calculus BC, AP Macroeconomics/Government, Speech (required)
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Scholar, National Latin Exam Silver Medal (3 yrs), AP Scholar w/ Distinction
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Colorguard/Marching Band 4 yrs (Drum major 2 yrs), 1st chair oboe 4 yrs, Winterguard 3 yrs, NHS 2 yrs (Treasurer), Academic team 4 yrs, Class officer 2 yrs (Secretary), Latin Club 3 yrs (President)
[<em>] Job/Work Experience:
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Nothing steady, didn’t list anything on application
[<em>] Summer Activities: Band things, didn’t list
[</em>] Essays: Loved Common App (about appreciating things in America after visiting family in Philippines); Short answer was about drum majoring; Supplement was kinda disjointed; short takes were super quirky; “Why Yale” was meh.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: Didn’t read, but both from math/science teachers who wrote my NHS recs
[</em>] Counselor Rec: A cornucopia of praise: said I’m a role model to him :smiley:
[<em>] Additional Rec:
[</em>] Interview: I choked when my interviewer didn’t know about band… It’s so much a part of my life that I can’t even begin to explain what it means. Rest of the interview was me dumfounded and flustered. 2/10
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[</em>] Intended Major: Mathematics & Philosophy
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): Texas
[</em>] School Type: Public (~2200 kids)
[<em>] Ethnicity: Filipino/white
[</em>] Gender: Female
[<em>] Income Bracket: < 65k
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM-Asian? Overcome financial difficulty?
[/ul]Reflection[list]
[<em>] Strengths: Leadership, academics, Common App essay
[</em>] What you tried to focus on in your application - any hooks you tried to make for yourself: Being a successful Filipino woman
[<em>] Weaknesses: SAT scores, volunteer hours, interview, supplemental essay
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Average/below average scores and grades for Yale. No hooks. Didn’t play up the role of drum major enough.</p>

65

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2330 → (800 CR, 740 M, 790 R)
[</em>] SAT II: 770 Biology E, 770 Literature, 720 US History
[<em>] GPA: Unweighted 3.83 (out of 4.0) Weighted 4.0 (out of ~4.2)
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Biology (5), Language and Composition (5), World History (4), US History (4)
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Government, AP Calculus, AP Physics, AP Macroeconomics, AP Literature, AP French
[</em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Scholar, AP Scholar with Honor, National Council Teachers of English Achievement in Writing Award 2011, National French Exam</p>

<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): High School Student Newspaper (Co-Editor in Chief 2010-2011, Executive Editor 2011-2012), French Club (President), Model UN (Agenda Chair), Dance Theatre Club, JV A Basketball
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Staff Assistant at Testtakers
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: 150+ hours at local hospital, volunteer coach for elementary school athletes at summer basketball camp, afterschool program volunteer at elementary school
[</em>] Summer Activities: Science Research Independent Research Projects
[<em>] Essays: Creative and Risky
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: Stellar
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Impersonal
[</em>] Additional Rec: From Science Research Mentor
[li] Interview: Went pretty well</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[</em>] Intended Major: Undecided
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): New York
[</em>] School Type: Mid-sized public high school
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian (Indian)
[</em>] Gender: Female
[<em>] Income Bracket: 120,000
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None whatsoever </p>

<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Test scores, essays, recommendations, leadership, extracurriculars
[</em>] Weaknesses: GPA, ethnicity, location, lack of hooks</p>

<p>[/ul]General Comments:</p>

<p>Applying to Yale was in and of itself a wonderful learning experience. Through this process, I learned more about myself and about the way life works than I ever have before. I know that younger students who are considering applying to Yale may be intimidated by this thread. But I would encourage them to apply regardless. You are never fully aware of how capable you are of something until you try. </p>

<p>Congratulations to everyone who was accepted SCEA. </p>

<p>For those who were rejected, don’t be too upset. You will end up someplace great.</p>

<p>To everyone who got deferred, let’s keep our fingers crossed for April. In the meantime: supplements, supplements, supplements! :)</p>

66

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): best sitting 2370: CR 780, M 800, W 790
[</em>] SAT II: Math IIC 800; US History 780; Biology-M 780
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/450-ish
[<em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (5), AB subscore (5), APUSH (5), Bio (5), Statistics (5), Human Geographpy (4), US Gov’t & Politics (4)
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP Comp Lit, APES, AP Psych, Honors Expository Writing, Honors Literature of the Millenium
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMSF, AIME
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Debate Team (captain, several awards winner), Youth Orchestra (concertmaster), Math Team (captain), Quartet, NHS, Research at Yale School of Medicine: co-authored manuscript on aberrant methylation of shift worker
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: tutor for students with mental disabilities
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Yale New-Haven Hospital volunteer, founder and head teacher of free SAT Math Prep program, YMCA Child Watch (~300 hr)
[<em>] Summer Activities: CTY, Summer Music camp, Yale New Haven Hospital volunteer, Research Intern at Yale School of Medicine
[</em>] Essays: A senior at Yale who had worked in the admissions office read over my common app and said it was very very good and my Yale supplement was “quirky, funny, and witty”. I personally loved my essays.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: One was from my AP Calc BC teacher of sophomore year and was the best I expected from a math teacher. The other was from my debate coach/English teacher from last year so I expect it to be good.
[</em>] Counselor Rec: My counselor loves me, though at times she says I can be a “bit demanding” in my schedule.
[<em>] Additional Rec: Violin teacher is professor at Yale, so I asked for an additional recommendation to send in to supplement my recording.
[</em>] Interview: My interviewer grew up down the street from me and went to the same high school so we talked about that a lot. He later emailed me to tell me he gave me one of the best scores he had ever given.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
[</em>] Intended Major: Biology, Mathematics
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): CT
[</em>] School Type: Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[</em>] Gender: Female
[<em>] Income Bracket: $50,000-70,000
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation college
[/ul][ b]Reflection**[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: connections to Yale (music, science), first generation college
[</em>] Weaknesses: race
[li] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: To be quite honest I have no idea how I got accepted. I look at some of these posters and almost feel sick thinking that I was accepted over them. :frowning: I think a lot of my subjective materials, between my music recordings and essays, helped me. My school historically also always has at least one person accepted to Yale a year, so maybe that was me this year. Being as close as I was to Yale also helped me to shape myself as an applicant over the last few years to be what I thought would be a good candidate to Yale. I know that sounds obsessive, but I think I did it in a subconscious way and I am not upset with who that has helped me become. [/li][/ul]General Comments: College applications is really such a crap-shoot. I’m surprised I was able to receive admission before many of these other CC’ers. Hugs, kisses, and good luck to all!!! You all have amazing futures ahead of you!!!</p>

67

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown):2330 (740 CR, 790 Math, 800 Writing)
[</em>] ACT: N/A
[<em>] SAT II: 790 Math II, 770 Chemistry, 740 US History
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 97.something/100 UW (102.23 weighted)
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/234 (school does not officially rank though, so only GPA was listed…)
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): 6 APs, all 5s.
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Lit, AP Calc BC, AP Gov, AP Econ, Honors Spanish V
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):None really… just a few speech contests, medals in regional Science Olympiads and State Choir awards (9th/10th grade) [/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):YMCA Leader’s Club (president), Student Council (co-president), Synagogue Youth Group (Social Action VP), Science Olympiad (Captain), Model UN (treasurer), Junior State of America (Director of Debate and State cabinet member), School Newspaper (Senior Editor of News and Features)
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: I worked for a NYC law firm last summer (just an intern); as a freshmen, I was a bagger-boy at Kroger.
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Lots of stuff… most important, a 300+ hour student teacher/mentor at my local synagogue
[<em>] Summer Activities: JSA Georgetown (Session II), worked at a law firm, volunteering at the local Arts Center… nothing incredible
[</em>] Essays: I really liked them. My first was about my family and my role in it (I have a HUGE family and it has made me who I am), and the second was about my optimistic personality and how I believe in Congress (somewhat)
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: I haven’t read but I hope they were good. Not sure
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Decent. She knows I’m smart and really involved
[<em>] Additional Rec: one from a Yale graduate and AP Psych teacher. She loves me :stuck_out_tongue: I haven’t read it though.
[</em>] Interview: went REALLY well… I think he gave me a good recommendation [/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): NY (ugh)
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>]Income Bracket: w00k+
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy (kinda… both of my parents went to Yale Law School)[/ul]Reflection[ list]
[</em>] Strengths: Great grades, legacy, great essays (reflected my personality),
[<em>] Weaknesses: Nothing amazing EC wise (pretty bland), decent but not spectacular testing, limited ability to “stand out”
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I didn’t really stand out, and you must to be accepted
General Comments: Better luck during the regular round, I guess. Congrats for everyone who was accepted!</p>

68

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2400 (Single Sitting)
[</em>] ACT: N/A
[<em>] SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 US History, 800 Chemistry
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 1%
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): 5’s on Chemistry, Calc BC, Statistics, Comp Sci A, English Lang, English Lit, European History, US History
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Economics (Micro/Macro), Senior English Seminar, Data Structures Advanced, Linear Algebra (Stanford OHS), AP Spanish Language, AP US GovPol, Orchestra, Jazz Band
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AIME Qualifier, National Chemistry Olympiad Qualifier
[/ul][ b]Subjective:**[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Violin (Assistant Concertmaster of school), Golf, Violin, Math Club (Co-President), Science Club
[<em>] Job/Work Experience:
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Schoolwide Fundraiser, Florida Youth Orchesetra
[<em>] Summer Activities: Harvard Summer School Program (2011)
[</em>] Essays: Very Good if not Great
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: Very Good and Very Descriptive
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Fine
[<em>] Additional Rec: None
[</em>] Interview: Went very well
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: No
[</em>] Intended Major: Mathematics and Computer Science
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): FL
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): USA
[<em>] School Type: Private
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket: 200,000+
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: Grades, Test Scores, Course Load
[<em>] Weaknesses:
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied:
[/ul]General Comments: Happy to be a Bulldog! For all the deferees, don’t lose hope. You may not end up at your first choice, but you will certainly end up at a college thats right for you.</p>

69

<p>DEFERRED. </p>

<p>I’m not too thrilled right now, so I don’t want to post stats. Maybe when I’m in a better mood…</p>

70

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2390
[</em>] ACT: didn’t submit, but 34
[<em>] SAT II: 800 Math 2, 780 US, 760 Bio
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.995
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/70
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): AB (4), Euro (5), then Studio Art 2D (4), US (5), Lang (5), Bio (5), BC (5) with AB Subscore (5)
[<em>] Senior Year Course Load: 8 AP Classes, Honors Rhetoric (required). Hardest that our school has ever seen, by far.
[</em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMSF, AP something, Rensselaer Medalist, nothing special
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Piano, piano, piano. Church pianist and organist (in charge :D), Interlochen Arts Camp, accompanist, beginning piano teacher, play with my school orchestra on piano/violin, local county music club (president). Varsity Soccer: 9-10, Club/Varsity Swimming: 9-10 (placed at county, made it to states and such), and Varsity XC 11-12 (county and regionals and stuff). Then the standard Student Council, NHS, Beta Club, tutoring, Mu Alpha Theta, TA, youth group member, academic team. I was really weak on leadership not related to music.
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: just tutoring and teaching piano a bit. not sure if that counts.
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: Many, many hours at my church each week.
[</em>] Summer Activities: Interlochen Center for the Arts!- Classical Piano before 10th and 12th grade. God I love Interlochen :slight_smile: and my club swimming and running during the other summers, besides mission trips to Mobile and Charleston.
[<em>] Essays: Common App was okay, an overly-sentimental description of my childhood best friend and how he influenced me. Yale Supplement was meh, about how I define myself first as a scholar and how I’m interested in so many subjects. While I cannot think of anything that defines me better as a person, I’m not sure if they would’ve bought it or not. I was pretty satisfied with them when I submitted them, but after a re-reading they sickened me.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: Never read them, but I’m sure the one from my Latin teacher of 2 years was great, while my math teacher for 3 years was probably okay.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: She’s not the brightest bulb nor does she know me very well. This could’ve hurt me.
[</em>] Additional Rec: Didn’t submit, but I did have a music supplement for piano. I’ve been playing for 10 years and did a Chopin etude, Bach prelude, and Gershwin prelude. Pretty short and unimpressive because I had to record quickly.
[<em>] Interview: I thought it was great! It was my first, but I walked out of there grinning and feeling like I had nailed it and had so much in common with the alumnus, but I guess I could’ve been wrong about how it actually went. [/ul]
Other[ul]
[</em>]Intended Major: Classics :confused:
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): North Carolina (poor, rural area)
[</em>] School Type: very small charter school. we’ve had one kid get in to an Ivy, and that was last year to Princeton.
[<em>] Ethnicity: whitest kid you know.
[</em>] Gender: Female
[<em>] Income Bracket: upper middle class
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): a farm girl from a poor, rural location without many opportunities?</p>

<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Transcript, test Scores, interview, music?
[</em>] Weaknesses: Essays, dearth of leadership, no major awards, not spectacular
[<em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I was deferred because I’m not spectacular.
[</em>] Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at Auburn, Wingate, Kentucky, blagh </p>

<p>[/ul]General Comments: I honestly never considered myself as eligible enough to one day apply to an ivy league school, and thus it wasn’t until junior year that I wondered how colleges might view me or my activities. Because I went to middle and high school at such a small school with no real standouts (only one guy, in the year before me, has ever gone to an ivy), I never knew how amazing some people could be. I’m not a published author, I never participated in any piano competitions (there aren’t any locally, but if I had known that people did that I could’ve sought some regional ones out), and I haven’t done any research. Darn living in the rural NC, where there aren’t models of amazing people walking through your high school, so you think that you’re doing just fine. To everyone else: make yourself super special at something unique. Don’t fall in love with a school that has a super-low acceptance rate. And look at great people so you can imagine yourself doing great things.</p>

71

<p>Decision: Deferred
Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2240 (math - 790, english 780, reading 670)
[</em>] ACT: 33
[<em>] SAT II: math II 800, physics 790, bio 780
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 2%
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): stats, bio, physics b — 5; US gov 4, Comp gov 3,
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Chemistry, AP Calc BC, AP Lit, AP Psychology, Orchestra
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Rensselaer Medalist, Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award and Scholarship</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Cross Country (captain x3 yrs) Robotics (secretary x3 yrs) Science olympiad (captain) NHS (President) MUN, Academic Challenge, Ecology club, Link Leader
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Cleveland Clinic competitive internship program
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered at UH summer after freshmen and sophomore year. volunteered at summer camps. Created trash collecting program for elderly.
[</em>] Summer Activities: See above
[<em>] Essays: Can’t judge own essays.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: didn’t see
[<em>] Counselor Rec: good.
[</em>] Additional Rec: didn’t see. research mentor
[<em>] Interview: Amazing. “you’ll love Yale and Yale will love you” is what he said. (Apparently they didn’t)
[/ul]Other[ul]
[</em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
[<em>] Intended Major: biology/spanish/chinese
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): OH
[<em>] Country (if international applicant):
[</em>] School Type: small public
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian.
[</em>] Gender:Female
[<em>] Income Bracket:120,000
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): n/a.
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Can’t judge… EC’s, interview, summer work, published paper, course load
[</em>] Weaknesses: Scores. very competitive class. Ethnicity
[li] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: Asian, Scores[/li][/ul]General Comments: Congratulations to everyone!</p>

72

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2380 (800 CR, 780 Math, 800 W)
[</em>] ACT: N/A
[<em>] SAT II: 700 Literature, 790 Math II, 800 US History
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): around 3.96
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 2%
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (4), Chemistry (5), Language and Composition (5), US History (5)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: maximum APs (Calculus AB, Biology, Modern European History, and English Literature and Composition) and some required courses
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity swimming (Captain 12), some math-related stuff
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: worked in retail for a summer
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: volunteering at a middle school, various other school-related things
[<em>] Summer Activities: mostly swimming/job
[</em>] Essays: I think they were fairly good. People told me my supplement was very good but it had a typo. I think my EC paragraph was good, although Why Yale was a little dry.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: Probably good - all teachers liked me and I gave them extensive information before they wrote the rec.
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Probably generic but also good, since I know my counselor fairly well.
[<em>] Additional Rec: I had 3 teacher recs.
[</em>] Interview: Went all right but was the worst of the 3 interviews I’ve done. Definitely not stand-out.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[</em>] Intended Major: English
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): CT
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): N/A
[<em>] School Type: small-ish parochial
[</em>] Ethnicity: Caucasian
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket: ~$160K
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: scores, grades, course rigor, maybe essays, maybe teacher recs
[<em>] Weaknesses: ECs, plainness
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: unhooked and plain
[/ul]General Comments: Congratulations to those who were accepted and good luck to those who were deferred. Not too distraught over the deferral (it was expected), and there are plenty of other places to look to.</p>

73

<p>[ size=+2][ color=orange][ b]Decision: Deferred**[/color][/size]</p>

<p>[ b]Objective:[list]
[ *] SAT I (breakdown): 2230 (CR: 800, M: 750, W: 680)
[ *] ACT:
[ *] SAT II: 770 math II, 730 lit, 690 US History, 640 chem
[ *] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[ *] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
[ *] AP (place score in parenthesis): euro (3), US (4), chem (3), music theory (5)
[ *] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[ *] Senior Year Course Load: ap calc ab, religion class, ap gov, ap french, orchestra, Teacher assistant, physics, ap lit
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
[ /list][ b]Subjective:[list]
[ *] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): orchestra, youth group, lacrosse, archery
[ *] Job/Work Experience: summer camp, private teacher
[ *] Volunteer/Community service: work with children of disabilities
[ *] Summer Activities: mission trip, summer camp
[ *] Essays: pretty good
[ *] Teacher Recommendation: probably fantastic- small school makes it easier to get to know teachers really well.
[ *] Counselor Rec: also fantastic- again the small school. my counselor was also my teacher for two years and we talk a lot
[ ] Additional Rec:
[ ] Interview: i think it went pretty well, but i don’t think it particularly stood out. i was probably just another average applicant
[ /list][ b]Other[list]
[ *] Applied for Financial Aid?: yes, but didn’t send in anything so idt i got considered for it
[ *] Intended Major: cognitive science
[ *] State (if domestic applicant):
[ *] Country (if international applicant):
[ *] School Type: small, private
[ *] Ethnicity: asian
[ *] Gender: female
[ ] Income Bracket:
[ ] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
[ /list][ b]Reflection[list]
[ *] Strengths: how i did in context of my school, teacher recs
[ ] Weaknesses: nothing particularly unique
[ ] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: i got deferred because the majority of applicants got deferred. on paper, i’m just an average applicant, there’s nothing really that stands out about me.
[ /list][ b]General Comments: i don’t feel upset or ecstatic or anything, i feel like i’m still in the same situation. pretty anticlimactic, i think, but congrats really to everyone who got in- you guys must have totally deserved it! yale is still my number one so fingers crossed until april:)</p>

74

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2370 (only sitting)
[</em>] SAT II: sorry, don’t recall
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98 (one A-)
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): DNR
[<em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s (USHistory, Spanish, HumanGeo, Calc BC, Chem)
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: Bio AP, AP Lit, AP Stats, AP Comp Science, Con Law, Physics C (through Stanford online course)
[ *] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMSF, Hispanic National Merit Finalist, Princeton Book</p>

<p>[/ul][ b]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity tennis, school Honor Committe
[</em>] Job/Work Experience:
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service: candy striping at local hospital; tutoring of underprivileged
[</em>] Summer Activities: China exchange trip, Union College engineering, M.I.T. engineering
[<em>] Essays: OK
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: not sure
[<em>] Counselor Rec: not sure
[</em>] Additional Rec:
[<em>] Interview: went well
[/ul][ b]Other[ul]
[</em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[<em>] Intended Major: engineering
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): CA
[<em>] School Type: small private
[</em>] Ethnicity: hispanic
[<em>] Gender: F
[</em>] Income Bracket: $100k-200k
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, female engineer
[/ul][ b]Reflection**[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: test scores, grades, two languages (eg, Spanish and Chinese)
[<em>] Weaknesses: no research or major awards
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: writing this because I found prior posts useful and I wanted to share D’s experience to give back to CC community. Hispanic background does not hurt D of course, but I think her biggest hook is women in engineering. She is good at math but was not sure what to do with that. Spent soph summer at women engineering program and junior summer at similar program at MIT. Girls from her M.I.T. program have virtually all gotten into prestigious programs already (CalTech, MIT, Stanford, Ivies). Lots of girls apply to engineering college programs but there are fewer with summer experiences which provide real evidence of this interest. If you are female soph/junior with strong math, look into these summer programs.<br>
[/ul]General Comments: Financial constraints may keep us from sending D to Yale, so hang in there deferreds!</p>

75

<p>**Decision: Accepted! **</p>

<p>Sorry this took so long, but I couldn’t get on the site last night!</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 800 CR, 720 M, 800 W
[</em>] ACT: N/A
[<em>] SAT II: 800 Literature, 800 United States History
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9565
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/376
[</em>] AP (place score in parentheses):
World History (5)
Environmental Science (5)
English Language (5)
Macroeconomics (5)
Microeconomics (5)
US History (5)
Chemistry (4)
Latin (5)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: All APs: Psychology, GOPO, English Lit, Biology, Calculus AB, Computer Science A
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): N/A[/li][/ul]Subjective:[ul]</p>

<p>[li] Honors/Awards: </p>[/li]
<p>NCYAG: Best Bill Presentation (2009), Model Youth Legislator (2010), Best Senate Debater (2011)</p>

<p>NC Junior Classical League Convention: First Place (Best Test Score), Latin Derivatives V, First Place (Best Test Score), Mythology V, First Place (Best Test Score), Pentathlon V</p>

<p>State Championship Team, NCJCL Advanced Certamen</p>

<p>Attended North Carolina Governor’s School East for Social Science</p>

<p>National Junior Classical League Creative Writing Contest: 1st place </p>

<p>National Classical Etymology Exam: Gold Medal, 2011</p>

<p>National Latin Exam: I, Summa (2009); II, Maxima (2010); VI, Magna (2011) (increases in difficulty)</p>

<p>Latin Honor Society (2008-2012, i.e. through this school year)</p>

<p>National Junior Honor Society</p>

<p>French Honor Society (2008-2012)</p>

<p>National AP Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction</p>

<p>National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist </p>

<p>Junior Marshal</p>

<p>North Carolina High School Athletic Association: Scholar-Athlete (2009,2010)</p>

<p>National Youth Leadership Conference, 2010: Minority Leader</p>

<p>[<em>] Job/Work Experience: N/A
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service:</p>

<p>“Volunteen” Program at local hospital (logged 146 hours of service including administrative/palliative work with intensive care, physical therapy, geriatrics, and oncology departments)</p>

<p>Unpaid internship with WFU Department of Biology studying the pandemic amphibian fungal disease chytridiomycosis</p>

<p>Student producer of local arts gala: coordinated food for 500 people </p>

<p>[<em>] Summer Activities: Volunteering, Internship, NYLC, Governor’s School
[</em>] Essays: I slaved for a month and a half…XD I think they were pretty great
[<em>] Short Takes: Great
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: Really, really nice. Well done.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Probably good - didn’t read
[</em>] Additional Rec: Probably very good - didn’t read
[<em>] Interview: None
[/ul]Other[ul]
[</em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: No
[<em>] Intended Major: Classics
[</em>] State (if domestic applicant): NC
[<em>] Country (if international applicant): USA
[</em>] School Type: public
[<em>] Ethnicity: White
[</em>] Gender: Female
[<em>] Income Bracket: prefer not to say
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: My essays were many times rewritten and above all, honest. I had an unusual major and an actual track record in the subject. And I think my short takes were probably what tipped me over.
[</em>] Weaknesses: Math scores
[li] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: Essays, intended major[/li][/ul]General Comments: Congratulations to everyone accepted! I hope to see you at Bulldog Days in April. To everyone deferred or rejected, I know you will all find the perfect college, whether it be Yale or elsewhere. To all those reading this profile in the future, best of luck! Believe in yourself, because I definitely never anticipated this happy result!</p>

76

<p>Deferred…don’t feel up for posting stats</p>

<p>can’t say I’m not disappointed, I really hoped this might be a good year to apply early, but more frustrating is that now there’s just this sense of limbo, with no college certainty and much less confidence in my application to other colleges. I probably should have applied to some matches EA instead just to have that security…hindsight is 20/20.</p>

77

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2380
[</em>] ACT: Never took the ACT’s
[<em>] SAT II: 790 Math II, 790 Chemistry, 740 US History, 730 Physics
[</em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not rank, but probably top 10%.
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 - European History, Physics B, Chemistry, US History 4 - English Language
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis): None
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: Hardest possible course load.
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Questbridge Finalist
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Cultural dance (F&P), SciOly (C), Badminton (P)
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: Worked all three summers at a Chinese fast food restaurant
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Local elementary school volunteer, Asian LGBT Outreach
[<em>] Summer Activities: Work, volunteer at local elementary school
[</em>] Essays: I tried to pour my heart out.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: One was probably amazing, the other one good
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Probably genuine and a bit generic. She had to write nearly 200 other recommendations.
[<em>] Additional Rec: None
[</em>] Interview: Was not offered one.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[</em>] Intended Major: Chemistry (Undecided)
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): NY
[</em>] Country (if international applicant): -
[<em>] School Type: Large, Extremely Competitive Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket: The one that gets you full financial aid :wink:
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: Well rounded
[<em>] Weaknesses: I don’t want to say my race and gender because honestly, it doesn’t matter in the slightest.
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: Although I may not have the most impressive resume, I put my heart into everything I’ve done. I pursued my passions and I think Yale saw that.
[/ul]General Comments: Still in complete shock! To all my fellow peers who have gone through struggle in their lives: apply through QuestBridge and tell your story.</p>

78

<p>Decision: Deferred</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]</p>

<p>[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2360 (770 CR, 800 M, 790 W)
[</em>] SAT II: 800 Math II, 790 Literature, 770 Spanish
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.7 (W), 3.95 (UW)
[</em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/325
[<em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Computer Science (5), AP World History (5), AP Calculus AB (5), AP Chemistry (4), AP Spanish Language (3), AP English Lang (5), AP US History (5), AP Environmental Science (5), AP Psychology (5), AP Calculus BC (5), AP Spanish Literature (4)
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics, AP Government, AP English Lit, AP Statistics, AP Physics B, AP Art History, AP European History, AP Comparative Government
[li] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National AP Scholar, National Merit Semi-Finalist, 4 MUN Gavels, and etc.</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul] </p>

<p>[<em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Political Campaign Director (1 year), Model United Nations (4 years) – President, Interact Club (2 years) – President, Church Ministry (4 years) – Youth Leader, Varsity Tennis (4 years), Varsity Lacrosse (4 years), Student Council (3 years) – Treasurer, Student Tutoring Program (3 years) – Founded
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Sales associate at J. Crew for 7 months.
[<em>] Volunteer/Community Service: About 400 hours.
[</em>] Summer Activities: Various summer programs. Will not into detail.
[<em>] Essays: One average. One bad.
[</em>] Teacher Recommendations: Both average.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: Questionably average.
[</em>] Additional Rec: Nope.
[li] Interview: Good.</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Other[ul]</p>

<p>[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): Texas
[</em>] School Type: Public
[<em>] Ethnicity: Asian
[</em>] Gender: Male
[<em>] Income Bracket: ~$150,000
[</em>] Hooks (URM, First Generation College, etc.): Nope </p>

<p>[/ul]Reflection[ul]</p>

<p>[<em>] Strengths: Well-rounded, leadership, scores, focus.
[</em>] Weaknesses: Not well-lopsided, lack of major awards, essays, recommendations.
[li] Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: No hooks. </p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]**General Comments: ** It’s a crapshoot. Some of the earlier posters have been close to a carbon copy of me so it’s not like Yale has a short supply to draw from. There’s no reason for them to draw me in EA and I’m unhooked so they’re not that invested in getting me anyway.</p>

79

<p>Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:[ul]
[<em>] ACT: 35, 34, 28
[</em>] SAT II: 800 Math II, 740 Bio-E, 730 US History
[<em>] Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9something (one B)
[</em>] Rank: I think 5/650, definitely top 1%
[<em>] AP: US History (5), Spanish (5), English Lang (4), Chem (4)
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: APCS, BC Calc, AP Eng Lit, AP Physics B, AP Psych, Chinese 3H, oil painting
[li] Major Awards: AP Scholar w/ Distinction and NMSC (only mentioned AP Scholar)</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[<em>] Extracurriculars: Scholastic Bowl (Captain for two years), Math Team (no leadership available), Science Olympiad (Co-Captain for two years), anti-drug club (board member for 3 years), Snowball (leader/Fundraising chair, now President), Relay for Life (Co-Captain, now Captain), dance (3 nights a week), Historical Museum volunteer (4 hrs/month)
[</em>] Job/Work Experience: Fashion Rep at dELiA’s since Feb. 2010
[<em>] Volunteer/Community service:aforementioned museum volunteer
[</em>] Summer Activities: 2011- spent a week at Brown and two weeks at SAIC, 2010- spent a month in Argentina doing community service and a homestay, 2009- spent a month in Spain doing language immersion and a homestay
[<em>] Essays: My mom gave me advice, which I took to heart, to let the essays be the opportunity for the admission officers to see the world how I do. My CA activity essay was about Scholastic Bowl and how it changed the way I look at the world and how now, I thrive on learning new, obscure facts. My CA main essay was a comparison between math and photography (two of my passions) and how they’re both similar in that I visually problem-solve (I used two anecdotes and connected them in the last paragraph). My Yale additional essay was about my brother who overcame an autism spectrum disorder and how that sparked my interest in the brain (I want to study Cognitive Science at Yale).
[</em>] Teacher Recommendation: One was from my APUSH teacher. I worked extremely had din his class and he wrote a very detailed letter with myriad examples of what I did (partially because I sent him a two-page letter about why I’m asking him; i.e. strengths I had in the class). My second was from my current math teacher who was the math team coach (which I had been a part of since freshman year). I chose him because I wanted him to comment on my participation in clubs.
[<em>] Counselor Rec: I always talked to my consoler but I didn’t see it.
[</em>] Additional Rec: Nope.
[<em>] Interview: I went really well! I love conversations so interviews are my strong suit. It went for over an hour, even though it was supposed to be 30 minutes.
[/ul]Other[ul]
[</em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: No.
[<em>] Intended Major: Cognitive Science
[</em>] State: IL
[<em>] School Type: large, public, suburban college prep
[</em>] Ethnicity: white
[<em>] Gender: female
[</em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): No.
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[<em>] Strengths: Leadership and continued participation in many clubs, summer activities, rank/grades/test scores, interview, essay topic
[</em>] Weaknesses: I have an informal writing tone, no hook, too well-rounded (i.e. not nationally recognized for something; not GREAT at something, just good in many things)
[li] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: I know many people look on here to compare their number of activities or test scores to other applicants, but I think admission officers see so many of those that they look for a focus and personality. I had the topic of ‘the brain’ throughout my application and included humor. I mean, I don’t stay up till 2 every morning studying and I didn’t write a patent for a new element. I Facebook stalk and watch moves every week and love SNL. I’m a person, and I think a huge part of why I got in was because I showed that to the admission officers. But I’m still in shock; I was expecting to be deferred. [/li][/ul]**General Comments:**Congrats to all other acceptees! To those deferred, don’t lose hope but also, make sure you look up what you should do to show to admission office you’re still interested. To those denied, you’ll probably end up at a place that you’ll love, so don’t feel down on yourself.</p>

80

<p>Decision: Accepted
Objective:[ul]
[<em>] SAT I (breakdown): 2230 (670 CR 600 M 760 W)
[</em>] ACT: -
[<em>] SAT II: 790 Math II, 790 Physics 580 Literature (took it without being in a literature class)
[</em>] Weighted GPA (out of 4.0): 100.81, so I guess 4.0?
[<em>] Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4/257
[</em>] AP (place score in parenthesis): Physics B (5) Calc AB (5) Computer Science A (5) English Language and Composition (4)
[<em>] IB (place score in parenthesis):
[</em>] Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C- Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism, AP Calc BC, AP English Lit/Comp, IB Environmental SS, IB Spanish HL, IB Computer Science, Digital Electronics, stupid NJ mandatory Gym
[<em>] Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 1st place nationally for a cyber security competition, 7th place nationally FBLA Networking Concepts, 1st Place in TSA Tech Bowl, and 2nd/3rd in other ones, a lot of state cyber security competitions, NJ Boy’s State rep, NYU cyber forensics national top 12
[/ul]Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Class President
Technology Student Association (reporter, treasurer, vice president)
Math League (officer, treasurer, president)
Science Olympiads and Princeton Science Bowl
National Spanish, Math, English, Technical, and regular honor society (VP of SNHS and President for NTHS)
Student to student peer leadership and mediation
Environmental Club
Future Business Leaders of America (Secretary)
School Improvement Team
Varsity Swimming (Captain)
Vocal Lessons
[<em>] Job/Work Experience: …I pumped gas the summer going into my sophomore year
[</em>] Volunteer/Community service: Relay for Life (team captain), American Littoral Society, and Clean Ocean Action
[<em>] Summer Activities: FBLA Nationals (2 years), Boy’s State, Stanford high school engineering program
[</em>] Essays: My common app was about an acupuncture treatment where I felt one with the table and I connected that the universal connection between everything (Ohmm and all that good stuff) and how it helps me as a scientist.
Extra Curricular and Yale Supplement - both about the national cyber security competition we won.
Why Yale - the research opportunities
Why Engineering - The reason I chose my intended major was because of Yale’s website. Rarely any other schools beside Yale have chemical and environmental engineering in the same department, so that would be amazing so I can double major/ or whatever. And my experiences over the summer.
[<em>] Teacher Recommendation: Junior AP English teacher (went to Harvard) loved me, and I didn’t get to see it but I can imagine her saying she thought I was going to win the nobel prize. My computer teacher from freshman - junior year who coached and won all the cyber competitions (I have been on like 5 field trips and she knows me so well)
[</em>] Counselor Rec: Probably average, knew him but not that well.
[<em>] Additional Rec: Sent in my recommendation from the stanford summer camp, teacher said I was one of the best students he has seen, even through his graduate school
[</em>] Interview: Average, she talked a lot. We found out I actually did plays with her daughter and we bonded over like the arts. But it went over very well, and nothing negative about it
[/ul]Other[ul]
[<em>] Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
[</em>] Intended Major: Chemical Engineering
[<em>] State (if domestic applicant): NJ
[</em>] Country (if international applicant):
[<em>] School Type: Public
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: Male
[</em>] Income Bracket: ~150-200k
[<em>] Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nerp
[/ul]Reflection[ul]
[</em>] Strengths: Defiantly all the competitions I won, ecs , and being well rounded with math, science, athletics, and art.
[<em>] Weaknesses: SAT score, I was worried that literature SATII would kill me, and community service
[</em>] Why you think you were accepted/deferred/denied: Defiantly the competitions, I thought my essays were really good too.
[/ul]General Comments: I still don’t believe I got in, and keep thinking it is some big lie. But, the past threads like these helped me a lot, so I want to help the next year (and this year’s) applicants. Also congratulations to everyone, and I can not wait till the bulldog days.</p>