Please, PLEASE help me! I'm getting desperate/scared!

Applying to College
1

I was deferred from Yale SCEA.

GPA: 3.9 unweighted, 4.6 weighted

Rank: top 5% of class

SAT I: 1380
SAT II: 800, 780, 700, 650

Transcript: Many AP classes, rigorous curriculum

ECs:
-lots and lots of community service
-dedicated to theater and debate team
-an Editor for school newspaper
-political club
-class Rep
-other stuff, but major ones listed above ^

Awards: Awards for poetry, short stories, AP Scholar with Distinction, Award for community service, Award for GPA, National Merit Commended Scholar

Other:
-Been published in local newspapers
-Superb teacher rec. letters
-Excellent, creative, vivid essays
-Really, really, good at interviews

Special Status/Hook: Legacy (at Yale–guess it wasn’t enough for EA)

After visiting this site, I am really not sure where I stand anymore…
I know my SAT I score is low compared to others applying, but I do have a pretty good GPA and rank, right? Also, I heard that the interview and essays are/can be very important, so hopefully those will help me…
But, I really, really would love your honest evaluations.

Do I have a shot at any Ivy League At All?
What about Wesleyan/Vassar/UC Berkeley?
What colleges should I look at? Where can I get in?
Thanks so much!

2

<p>don't give up. Have ypu applied to your safety? Before any one can answer where you should apply, you need to tell about your academic interests. You can try Vaderbilt, Emory.</p>

3

<p>My academic interests are primarily the Biological Sciences, (evolution/ecology) and English Literature. I also love writing and I am interested in psychology.</p>

4

<p>My D last year was rejected Yale EA and thought that she would never get to go to college, based on it. Silly rabbit. . .She was later accepted Harvard and MIT RD, so don't give up hope for other colleges. I think Harvard looks more kindly on applicants interested in science than Yale does. No hard evidence to support the above statement besides our personal experience.</p>

<p>Yes, your SATs seem a little low for HYP. A lot of people on the Yale board were deferred and rejected with SATs in the 1500s. At least you were deferred--maybe the legacy was a help after all. </p>

<p>Class rank is important, but Yale could probably fill their freshman class with applicants who were 1 or 2 in their class, so being in the top 5% of your class wouldn't make you stand out.</p>

<p>Don't know about Wesleyan and Vassar. I do know that you are too late to apply to UC Berkeley--deadline was Nov. 30.</p>

<p>There are lots of colleges below the Ivy League stratum that would love to have someone like you. Add a little more info, like what part of the country you'd like to be in, how big of a school you'd like to attend and hope that carolyn sees your post. She has an amazing amount of knowledge of colleges that she often shares on this board.</p>

5

<p>If you are really into poetry, the 5 colleges (and espeically Smith, with the new Poetry Center) are the place to be. And with your stats, you might qualify for a STRIDE scholarship - a paid research assistantship in biology in your first two years (something that Yale couldn't even get close to offering.)</p>

6

<p>I also got deferred from Yale. 3.85 GPA in top public school in the country...and 1600 SATs. Many many years playing piano and cello, and tons of extracurriculers. Internship with a state senator in NYC. I think its just a crapshoot. Keep trying...though the SATs may definately be hurting you.</p>

7

<p>I am not really interested in the south or the midwest and I am looking more at the east coast and at CA, but preferrably the east coast. Any more suggestions, no?</p>

8

<p>You can probably get into the top LACs, if you are interested in those (Swarthmore, Williams, Amherst)... They are usually a little less numbers-driven, and more "personal" in handling applications...</p>

9

<p>Wesleyan/Vassar are good choices as well. UC Berkeley is very hard to get into if you are not from California.</p>

10

<p>Actually, I checked the UC Berkeley stats the other month--about mid to high 20s for in-state students, low 20's for out-of-staters. I was surprised to see that % so high for out of staters. Of course, out-of-stater applicants usually have higher stats.</p>

<p>But, you have already missed the UC deadline.</p>

11

<p>Might look at Bowdoin, Holy Cross or Colgate. Of the three Holy Cross has best location -1 hour from Boston.</p>

12

<p>i was deferred from yale as well.. 4.0 uw, 2/315, but i had a 1440 SAT I. i just got my last and newest score-- 1500. will that help me at all with rd?</p>

13

<p>Harpingchic,
You still may get in RD, but it probably will not be because of the extra 60 SAT points. Focus on your other apps, and hope for the best.</p>

14

<p>Have you looked at Johns Hopkins? They have excellent programs in Biological Sciences, English and Writing.</p>

15

<p>yale easc reject talking here. ugh, i don't know if i'll ever completely get over it. i guess the trick is to not think about it.
i had SATs in the 1500s, SAT IIs in the high to mid 700s.. 4 main extracurriculars that i concentrated on for all of high school.. i work 3 jobs.. siemens-westinghouse semifinalist.. national merit semifinalist.. UCI chemical engineering internship in summer..
i really think it was just a crapshoot. i didn't get lucky. i'm still holding out for johns hopkins, stanford, northwestern, usc. i don't think you should be worried. at least you have a chance.</p>

16

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<p>Trust me, you'll be WAY over it by the time you start at whatever university you decide to attend. And you may even be grateful that you were rejected from Yale--otherwise you would have missed the wonderful time you will be having in the fall.</p>

17

<p>. . .so many schools with great english, biology and psychology departments. Take your pick. </p>

<p>Your SAT score may keep you out of the most selective schools in the country but remember that selectivity is not the only important measure of a school. And given your SAT, your best bet would be to look at midwest schools, as the top schools are just as good as those on the east coast and in California but easier to get into.</p>

<p>For your interests I'd look at these: UW Madison, U of Michigan, Oberlin, Carleton, Kenyon and Grinnell. Nice east coast picks would be Bates and Bard. Good luck.</p>

18

<p>Ellemenope and whatnemisismeans say it all: by next year, all this will be behind you and you'll probably be extremely happy somewhere. Go to the Parents Forum and read the thread on "Outcomes after EA/ED Deferral/Rejection" and see what happened to a few dozen students in your position last year.</p>