Please, chance me. Yale. SCEA

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

Hi. I am very interested in applying for Yale SCEA and want to know my chances.

Here’s more about myself:

I am currently a hs junior.

Gpa: 3.83 unweighted, 4.35 weighted

Class rank: do not know, but think I am in the top 10-15%

SAT: (my goal is to get into the 2200s)
SAT Subject tests: (want to take bio and a history)

Rigorous Classes:
Freshman: AP human geography, French 1, some honors classes, etc.
Sophmore: AP World History, AP Art History, French 2 honors, some honors classes, etc.

Went to another school that is a dual enrollment program

Junior: English 3 honors, Chem honors, 7 dual enrollment (semester long classes)- Ethics, US history 2, Psychology, Humanities, Biological issues, US history 1, and English composition.

I’m planning on taking 3 dual enrollment classes over the summer.

I am going to take 5 dual enrollment classes a semester. (10 credits for year)

The dual enrollment classes will include very rigorous classes such as chemistry 1 and 2, calc, anatomy and phisiology, etc.

I will have my Asociates degree before I graduate high school.
(will apply as a freshman because I will have the degree BEFORE I graduate hs)

Dean’s list: Junior year 1st semester
President’s list: Junior year 2nd semester (expected)
Hope to be on president’s list for rest of HS

Hope to graduate with the Summa Cum Laude honor

Extracurriculars:
Swim team (all 4 years)
(My school doesn’t offer many clubs)
Honors Program for the college
Phi Theta Kapa (honors society with the college)
Handbag independent sales consulant (9-10)

Volunteer:
(My goal is to get 250 or more hours)
Animal shelter, swim team timing and help, hospital

Work experience:
Job as lifeguard

Other things:
Apple Final Cut Pro Certification
CPR certified
Lifeguard certified

White, female
public high school

I intend to major in Neuroscience.

Chance me for Yale SCEA.

2

Are you applying as a transfer or a first year?

3

I am applying as a freshman. I can apply as a freshman because I will get my degree before I graduate high school.

4

If you get 2350+ or 35+, then
Yale SCEA: High Reach

5

The fact is that ALL the Ivy Leagues are a reach for everyone, and Yale, Harvard, and Princeton are the hardest of the bunch. So, even if you had a 4.0 unweighted and a 2400 SAT, Yale would STILL be a reach for you…though you would be a crazy strong candidate, but ALL of those schools deny students with a perfect SAT every year. 2200 is nice, but certainly no guarantee, and you haven’t gotten that yet.

You certainly SHOULD apply there if that is your dream school, and it is not silly for you to do so, but in looking at your stats, there isn’t anything there that would distinguish you from the thousands of applicants with similar stats who will be denied.

Also, and I could be wrong on this point, but my sense of dual enrollment is that it really only helps you take fewer classes mainly at non-elite colleges. I don’t know that at Yale those classes would help you in any way, and I’m pretty sure Yale won’t be impressed that you took some dual enrollment classes or impressed with the Associates Degree. I throw that out there so that someone who knows for sure might comment, as I admit this is more of a feeling than something I know to be true.

My general sense is that unless you’ve left something out here…like you are a recruited athlete or you have some amazing EC that you didn’t list…that you will be denied.

6

Although the ivies are high reaches for all, some student’s should NOT apply in the SCEA round because their application is going get buried by other more accomplished student’s who have near perfect GPA’s and test scores along with an extraordinary EC, such as a recruited athlete, Intel Science Finalist, concert musician, Broadway playwright or actor, National Debate Championship winner etc. I wrote the below on the OP’s Yale chance thread, but felt it needed to repeated here for student’s in the same situation.

Full Disclosure: Both my kids applied to Yale SCEA. My daughter applied as the salutatorian of her large specialized math and science high school (academically ranked #2 in her class of 860), with a 97.8 unweighted GPA, 2280 SAT, 34 ACT, 6 AP’s tests all 5’s, 6 SAT Subject Tests all 750+. She was deferred and then rejected in the RD round. She also applied to Princeton (waitlisted) and Harvard (graduated Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa). Did Yale regret rejecting her? I don’t think they gave it a second thought. If kids like her are getting rejected, what realistic chance does someone else have ranked in the top 10% to 15% of their high school class? My son applied to Yale SCEA with similar stats to his sister (he was ranked about 16th in his class out of 900 students) and was accepted and will be graduating this May. IMHO, if you are not ranked in the top 5% of your high school’s graduating class, you shouldn’t be applying anywhere SCEA. It’s that competitive!

7

I agree with stepay and gibby. Your dual enrollment classes and associates degree are frankly not going to count for much. For Yale, you are going to need blowout scores and extracurriculars. I would suggest looking at schools that are ranked #30-60 nationally.

8

^^ For the record: If the OP’s “dream school” is Yale, they should apply in the RD cycle. What I’m counseling against is applying in the SCEA pool, where the OP stands a good chance of deferral, which IMHO is wasting the opportunity to have at least one acceptance in their back pocket come mid-December. There are lots of other colleges which have non-binding early admissions for the OP to apply to: https://www.commonapp.org/PublicPages/SystemRequirements#!PublicPages/ApplicationRequirements

9

@gibby may very well be right about waiting until RD to apply to Yale. I say if it’s your dream school, go ahead and apply, but I think it won’t matter when you apply to Yale. It’s too competitive for what you are bringing to the table, and I think a denial is in order. You should find some suitable other choices.

10

Sorry but nothing really stood out on your application. Come to think of it, I don’t remember anything on your app now that im at the bottom of the page except for the associates degree. Btw, I heard that colleges dislike when students already have associates degrees because it will exempt them from to many classes when they are actually enrolled but im assuming this is a MYTH so don’t worry!

11

I concur with @0br0123 , everything you have is great but what Yale wants is everything to be great AND something special - you lack that.