<p>I've recently discovered in this past junior year that I am good at as well as excited about doing physics at school. I am the only junior taking AP physics at my school and I'm the top student in the class. I am thinking about pursuing applied physics in college, but I have literally no math or physics extracurriculars- my involvement is all in political and debate activities! I think that this would make me a good match for Yale, as I like doing physics in the classroom but would take full advantage of opportunities such as the YPU outside of class. Would it adversely affect me in admissions if I have no STEM extracurriculars yet indicate that I want to study applied physics? Nobody from my school has ever gotten a five on the AP exam (although I would like to change this trend) for AP Physics B... if I get, say, a four, am I screwed? My school also doesn't offer AP Physics C nor Calc BC (taking AB next year)... will this hurt me? I should do well on the SAT II for both subjects (Math II and Physics). BTW if it makes any difference I'm a girl.</p>
<p>A single lowish score on any particular test is not going to doom your chances, nor will a single high score get you in. As with many top schools “fit” is important for both the school and the student and your broad interests certainly seem to match well with Yale. Many posters here believe that Yale does not consider the intended area of study for admission but being female with an interest in applied physics won’t hurt. An interesting angle for essays might be to focus on the idea that you are open to new things - even those you thought were not really your thing. The diversity of opportunities at Yale - academic and otherwise - requires a steady influx of students who relish exploring new pursuits.</p>
<p>My son also discovered his Physics chops during Junior year. He self-studied for Physics C while taking Physics B. He took initiative in finding a Physics-related internship for the summer before senior year.</p>
<p>My impression of the Yale admissions process is that demonstrated initiative goes a long way to making them think of you as the real deal. Good luck.</p>
<p>Thanks, Keesh! Should I do more to my application to show a demonstrated interest in STEM? Technically I could drop one of my clubs (no leadership but I like it) and join engineering club instead (they meet on the same day). Is there some kind of program that would show interest better? Or should I keep doing what I’m doing (lots of leadership in debate, politics, newspaper, etc) and just do well in physics classes?</p>
<p>Join the engineering club if you really like doing what that club does and you like the people involved with it. Since the meeting time conflicts choose what you like doing best. To me it sounds like you would prefer continuing with your older passions. When it comes time for the letter of recommendation from a teacher at school make sure he/she is willing to focus on you as a potential STEM person AND as a well rounded liberal arts person. Doing well in all classes is a given for Yale admittance.</p>
<p>Consider asking your physics teacher for a recommendation and asking him to explain basically what you just told us.</p>
<p>IxnayBob: I don’t think that I have the proper background of Physics C at this point, due to my lack of calculus knowledge (it’s January now… I think that it would be near-impossible to learn Physics C and calculus as well as the rest of Physics B on my own). However, that Physics-related internship sounds intriguing. Could you provide more details about that?</p>
<p>Keesh and Jazzed: Thanks! I was planning on asking my history (will have had her for three years, she’s the moderator of the political science club that I founded) and physics teachers for recommendations to show my love of both subjects. My physics teacher knows my level of dedication… my friends make fun of me for going to see her during my free periods more than hanging out with them! Perhaps I could try to fit in both the engineering as well as the other club on the day that it meets. The engineering club sounds interesting- it’s working on a Rube Goldberg contraption, which to my understanding is completely applied physics. I’ll see how I like that! Any other advice?</p>
<p>Univdreams, fwiw my son was taking Calculus AB/BC at the same time as Physics since he had been on a humanities track until junior year, so he was a bit behind the STEM kids’ schedule. Don’t over-burden yourself, but also don’t be afraid to stretch.</p>
<p>Regarding the internship, what my son did was find some labs within commuting distance from home (luckily, we live in northern NJ), and find out what they were doing. He read abstracts related to the research being done there, and could sincerely say that he was interested in their work, with specific examples. It’s a long shot, as are RSI, MITES, etc. As the lottery says, “you gotta be in it to win it.” Just try, and don’t let rejection get you down.</p>
<p>Thanks, IxnayBob! I just looked up some of the research being conducted in the physics arena by professors at Yale and honestly, it’s pretty intimidating! I’m really good at physics in school and on tests from the practice AP/SAT books but this is on a whole new level. How do I possibly get an internship with professors of similar caliber at any laboratory when I’m proud of understanding the work-energy theorem?</p>
<p>No pun intended, but by applying your energy and working and learning. Nobody expects you to lead the lab on your first day. Find out what languages they program in (there’s usually coding to be done and they can use a hand) and become proficient in those languages. Even if you don’t quite understand their research, find out what real-world problems it might lead to a solution for, and pick one that resonates with you and that you think is important to solve. </p>
<p>Or, if that’s intimidating, look into some of the summer programs around. RSI and MITES are as, or more, competitive than admission to MIT, but there are surely others that are more attainable.</p>
<p>Thanks, IxnayBob! I’ll start researching the goals of different labs and email professors once school’s back in session for internship roles. I’ll find out from them what I’ll need to know come summer and learn that between now and then!</p>
<p>If it is any reassurance, I was recently accepted to Yale with an indicated major in physics and without any physics-related or even science-related extracurriculars. The internship thing isn’t that big a deal and is not expected–I actually considered doing something of the sort my junior year but ended up deciding it wasn’t worth it, partly because colleges know things started junior year are typically just admissions hype. You can convey passion though something other than your intended academic discipline.</p>