omg omg omg yale

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
1

<p>The more I look at Yale, the more I like it. Problem is, my stats appear to put me way out of reach for yale. So, as with most things, I'm seeking a second opinion--and that's where you guys come in. I really want to apply SCEA, but I also want to maximize my chances and apply somewhere where my early application will help me get in the door and have a "realistic" chance of success (realistic=over 25% or something). So, feel free to offer any input you may have.</p>

<p>North African male at competitive Seattle-area public school. I want to study something in the area of IR/Econ/Area Studies (ie mid-east studies) as well as maintaining at least one foreign language.</p>

<p>4.14 Weighted, ~3.6 Unweighted</p>

<p>I am currently fluent in four languages: English, Arabic, French, and Spanish (basic conversational fluency in Spanish--see my scores for a general idea).</p>

<p>SAT I:
2020
CR: 740 M: 610 W: 670 (retaking in october & actually studying this time)</p>

<p>SAT II:
740 Spanish 700 US History 690 Biology-E (will probably retake)</p>

<p>AP:
I will probably be in the top 3 or 4 or of my class in terms of number of AP classes taken, (out of a class of 350). Also, I will be the only student in recent memory at my school to have taken both AP Spanish and French Lit.</p>

<p>13 AP's by graduation, 15 tests. avg: 4.44/5
French Lang: 5
French Lit: 5
English Lang: 5
English Lit: 4
World History: 5
Spanish Lang: 5
Spanish Lit:
US History: 4
Biology: 3
Photography: 4
Calc AB
Chemistry
US Government (not sure if this is the official name)
Comparative Gov (not sure if this is the official name)
Macro-Econ (maybe)</p>

<p>Achievements, etc.</p>

<p>NEWSPAPER</p>

<p>Chief Copy Editor and Political Columnist
 A 2006 Gold Crown publication, as designated by the Colombia Scholastic Press Association.
 Chief Copy Editor (2006-07)
 News Editor and Copy Editor (2005-06)
 Political Columnist (2005-06)
 Attendee, JEA/NSPA Journalism Conference in Seattle (April 2005)
 Assistant Opinion Editor and Political Columnist (2004-05)</p>

<p>DEBATE</p>

<p>I would list my debate awards here, but they are too long and won't mean much to you unless you do debate. Needless to say, I have three tournament titles, am ranked the 3rd returning debater on the west coast (according to NDR, an unofficial but extremely comprehensive ranking. again, for you debaters out there, I too am not a big fan of NDR but hey, if my ranking sounds good whatever)</p>

<p>President
 Treasurer (2003-04)
 Vice President (2004-05)
 Co-President (2005-06)
 Revived the debate program, turning my school into a regional powerhouse—the #1 ranked team in Washington state, with two debaters in the Varsity top five.
 Increased membership from 3-5 to 15 -20 competitors.
 Taught new students how to debate, spending at least 2 hours at twice-weekly meetings teaching and drilling new students.
 My novices have consistently appeared in late elimination rounds, including finals, at various tournaments in both JV and novice divisions.
 Wrote and submitted a PTSA grant for to hire a coach, arguing the critical value of debate in intellectual development. The PTSA committee, which usually does not distribute funds for contracted services (coaching) granted us $750 (March 2006).
 Spearheaded the creation of a team web-site, involving a blog for results and designing a tournament sign-up interface.
 Attendee, Victory Briefs Debate Institute at UCLA, Summer 2004 (Intermediate Varsity), Summer 2005 (Advanced Varsity), Summer 2006 (Top Lab)
Have a pretty good shot at being one of the 5 with TeamUSA @ World Tournament in Korea (I'm one of 20 accepted to the tryouts next week)</p>

<p>DECA</p>

<p>Competing in the Financial Analysis Decision Making Event:
 Placed in the Top 10 at the International Conference (Dallas, Texas) [over 13,000 total attendees/competitors from across North America]
 Washington State Champion
 Washington National Qualifier
 Regional Champion (Area IV)
 State Qualifier (Area IV)
 Superior Test Score Award (Area IV)</p>

<p>Arabic Independent Study:</p>

<p>I have been studying arabic on the weekends since 1st grade, since 9th grade i've been spending 6 hours a week (4 with tutor, 2 homework) studying at grade level, supplemented with some advanced college-level textbooks (I think they are Georgetown U. Press, message me if you want the complete citation)</p>

<p>PHOTOGRAPHY:</p>

<p>My work has been displayed at the largest shopping mall in the region this year and two years ago.</p>

<p>INTERNSHIP (last summer)
Library of Alexandria (<a href="http://www.bibalex.org%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.bibalex.org&lt;/a&gt;) - A UNESCO cultural institution
Alexandria, Egypt
Their first-ever high school intern (they typically have college students)</p>

<p> Participant, Forum for Egyptian Democracy
 Digitized (scanned and OCRed) the official UNESCO history of the Library (English and French)
 Debuted the Library Special Collections programme, creating the first Special Collection to be placed on the Library website as an example for all those interested in creating their own special collection (mine documented the evolution of High School Lincoln-Douglas debate websites).
 International School for Information Science (ISIS) web site
- Edited the English version of the web site prior to publishing
- Translated into French
 Assisted in the curricular development of a Technical Writing course destined to become a requirement for 800 Library staff members.
 Edited, translated and wrote portions of the script for a promotional video regarding the Gamal Abdel Nasser Collection and the Description d'Egypte DVD, the first digital publication of the French body of research on Egypt dating from Napoleon’s campaign.</p>

<p>So there you have it (I am also taking up rowing, but that's another story)</p>

2

<p>go for it.</p>

3

<p>sorry, i forgot to mention two things:
1. i was one of 20 top debaters invited to try out for the 10-member team USA, and I made the team and will be attending the pan-american tournament in pasadena,CA and europeans in germany as well.</p>

<ol>
<li>a friend of mine who is currently on the team and familiar with recruiting/recruits said that I had a "likely" chance of being recruited. not because i'm an amazing rower but because i have decent times along with an interesting application for an athlete. obviously nothing guaranteed or close to, but who knows.</li>
</ol>

4

<p>what is your 2k?</p>

5

<p>7:12 is my 2k</p>

6

<p>EA at Stanford or Harvard instead ramses since they LOVE DEBATERS. The question asked among top policy debaters in the country truly is who doesn't get into Harvard???:D</p>

7

<p>i'm not a policy debater, i'm an LDer. I wish my school had a policy program, but since I started my school's debate program it's WAY harder to start a successful policy program then it is an LD one. I was thinking about Harvard as well but their rowing team is better so it's harder to get recruited, and Yale seems like a more chill place than harvard (don't get me wrong, I've spent alot of time in and around Harvard, went to middle school down the road, and even lived in the freshman dorms for a week with my friend this year and had alot of fun, but Yale just sounds more appealing). Also, Stanford is not on my list because I have an aversion to it (spent alot of time on campus too), and it's where everyone from my school applies because we're on the west coast.</p>

<p>but seriously: how much would applying to Harvard over Yale help me out, given the rowing disad (ha ha i made a debate joke) and the debate advantage? My guess is not much if at all..</p>

8

<p>Ramses,
Your ethnicity and background are interesting, and you seem to have strong leadership skills, passion, and accomplishment in your ECs. Your major "weakness" is your SAT scores which are below the mean of the very elite colleges. I would see whether you can bring them up. Is English your first language? If not, I might mention that somewhere in your application.</p>

<p>I also would recommend taking a look at some of the top LACs since you have multiple interests which you may want to purusue simultaneously. You can do rowing at a Division III level while pursing your other ECs at a high level.</p>

9

<p>Your SAT scores may be below the mean because most of these elite universities have a large number of students at the top, but they are certainly within the range of these schools, although they're in the lower quartile.
I doubt a 2020 would keep you out. If anything, your GPA is a bit suspect, but you have some interesting ECs.<br>
You're a fairly strong candidate, but admission to Yale is a bit unpredictable. I would certainly apply though; you seem to have as good a shot as anyone else...</p>

10

<p>I would definitely go for it. Yale is the best college in the United States, with incredible social life, and also has the top-ranked debate program as well as excellent undergraduate programs in the fields you want to study. You are clearly very enthusiastic and you should remember to spend a lot of time on your essay and ask for recommendations from teachers who know you very well personally, so that your personality and unique character traits come across in the application. Remember, the admissions officers at Yale are reading thousands of apps, and Yale is the only Ivy League school with a sub-20% acceptance rate in the early round. So your application needs to stand out, even after a quick reading.</p>

<p>Some more specific advice:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Complete the application early, and set it aside for a week. Then, reread it to yourself out loud and see if it makes sense -- that it is is coherent, not repetitive, does not exaggerate what you've done, uses appropriate vocabulary or could be improved in some way.</p></li>
<li><p>Give the application to someone who's not too familiar with you, and ask them to read it over for 5 minutes. Maybe someone at your school, who is smart but isn't one of your teachers. Ask them for any advice and ask them what most stands out about your application.</p></li>
<li><p>No typos. Period. Try to fill the application out neatly.</p></li>
<li><p>Consider getting a third letter of recommendation from someone who is not a teacher, but who knows you very well and can speak about you on a very personal level - e.g., telling stories about specific accomplishments and the ways in which you go about doing things or attacking problems. Don't include the third letter unless it adds a whole new perspective to your application. Perhaps someone from one of your extracurriculars, or from your internship in Egypt would be a good person to ask.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>If you retake the SAT, try to bring your math score up into the 700-730 range or higher, if possible. I think studying for that section, with a timer, can improve your accuracy or speed on that section. Most successful Yale applicants have scores in the 700s on all sections, although not having a 700 will not automatically keep you out, of course.</p>

<p>I wouldn't retake any of the SATIIs, but if there are other subjects you feel you might be able to get a very high score on, go for it.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

11

<p>Thanks for the advice, PosterX, it is much appreciated.</p>

<p>Question: Would it look bad if both of my recommendations come from a journalism teacher/debate advisor and an english teacher? they're the only two teachers that have had me for 2 years and they will eb able to write me the best recommendations, but i'm a little reticent about it since the two subjects are so similar. Any thoughts?</p>

12

<p>I would go with whoever is going to write you the best letter, unless the directions specifically say otherwise. They should be concise, interesting or even entertaining, to the point, specific, and go into as much detail about you (like the things you've done, how you work with people, your leadership abilities and charisma, how you present yourself in class, your worldliness/knowledge, vocabulary abilities, etc.) as possible. It doesn't hurt to brief the teachers beforehand on some of these kinds of things. Oh, and make sure you give them enough advance notice.</p>

<p>In other words, if the letters are written correctly, it won't matter if they're from teachers in the same subject because, by being so specific, they'll be so different from each other.</p>

13

<p>"North African": This means your white, am I correct?</p>

14

<p>North African means I'm North African. My skin color is tan/darkish. I'm more middle eastern than white, but a sizeable chunk of my ancestry is nubian as well (ie black from the south/Sudan). I'm also 1/8th polish. DO with that as you will.</p>

15

<p>cool. go for it. raise your SAT definitely. Just for a solid. But you seem like a good candidate. Nice to see another LDer around here. I still like LD more than policy, but you seem to do very well. They may convert you if you go to Harvard to policy, but that should catch on quickly. go for it!</p>

16

<p>I appreciate the feedback from everyone, but I would like to ask a more specific question: what do y'all think are my actual chances? My accurate gpa is 3.6 UW /4.17 W, I will have taken 14 AP classes by graduation (9 by the time of application) and 15 tests. This puts me in the top 5ish out of 411 kids in terms of course difficulty alone. </p>

<p>So if i could get any feedback on what i should expect in December should I apply SCEA that would be much appreciated.</p>

17

<p>bumpity scrump</p>

18

<p>Apply RD Ramses so you can show the Yale admissions committee some solid grades from the first semester of senior year.</p>

19

<p>LD debaters represent! Did you ever get picked for teamUSA? and How did you land an internship in Egypt?!</p>

20

<p>I did make teamUSA (sorry i forgot to edit that part) and am going to pan ams in 2 weeks</p>

<p>I emailed one of the directors my resume and told her my interests and they accepted me. I'm from Alexandria originally and the Bibliotheca project has sort of dominated the city for the past 10 years so it was something I was interested in contributing to.</p>