Pretty Unique Situation SCEA or no?

Applying to College
1

<p>I want to apply to Yale early, but I have a slight problem. I am currently ranked 53/524 which is technically I guess outside of the top 10%. Basically, this is due to a mediocre freshman year 3.7 at an average public high school, since then I've had about a 3.95 and my current GPA is 3.86. Do I hold off until RD or should I go for it SCEA? For reference here is the rest of my application:</p>

<p>Asian Male :-(</p>

<p>Scores:
SAT: 800/800/780 (C/M/W) 2380 1 sitting
SAT II: 800/800/800 (Math II/Physics/US History)
AP Tests: 5/5/5/5/4 (World History/Calc BC/English/Physics B/US History)</p>

<p>Academic Honors:
National Merit Scholarship Semifinalist
2nd Place 2006-2007 Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Essay Contest USAMO(U.S.A Mathematics Olympiad)Qualifier 2006 (Score 11)
AIME(American Invitational Mathematics Examination)Qualifier 2005,2006,2007 (Score 4/9/6)
ARML(American Regions Mathematics League) Individual High Scorer 2006 (Score 7)
1st Place Missouri State Math Contest(MCTM/GPML) 2005,2006,2007
AP Scholar with Distinction Award
Received Top Talent Recognition By Piano Guild 5 Times</p>

<p>EC's:
Varsity Tennis (3 years) 15Hrs/52 Wks
Math Team (4 years) Captain 5 Hrs/52 Wks
Quiz Bowl/Knowledge Master (4 Years) 2 Hrs/52 Wks Individual High Scorer at various events
Fed Challenge (9th and 12th grade) 3 Hrs/26 Wks Captain in 9th Grade
Piano/Violin (4 years) 5 Hrs/52 Wks
Volunteer at Historical Society (3 years summer) 6 Hrs/10 Wks
Recreational Soccer Club (2 years) 5 hrs/26 Wks</p>

<p>I think my essays and recs are going to be pretty good. Do you guys think I should apply SCEA or hold off till RD and get into the Top 10%? (I will for sure be in the top 10% after 1st Semester Senior Year). Thanks for your help!</p>

2

<p>I’d go ahead and apply SCEA, if I were you. Yale rejected only 18.8% of SCEA applicants last December, so I don’t think you’d be rejected (although you may be deferred).</p>

3

<p>Thanks for your advice. Do you think 53/524 vs. 52/524 is a big deal?</p>

4

<p>Actually, alex, it would be better if you could make it into the 10 percent.</p>

5

<p>So you think I should hold off on applying until RD?</p>

6

<p>i think you should apply because the scea deferred pool immediately goes into the rd pool</p>

<p>plus you have really good ec’s</p>

7

<p>Scores:
SAT: 800/800/780 (C/M/W) 2380 1 sitting
SAT II: 800/800/800 (Math II/Physics/US History)
AP Tests: 5/5/5/5/4 (World History/Calc BC/English/Physics B/US History)</p>

<p>Your academic capabilities are not going to be in question, even at Yale. Thus apply SCEA.</p>

8

<p>Thanks alot. It seems like such a trivial difference between 53 and 52 (especially because I just have like 1 less class because I took a pass/fail in 9th grade). But everyone always talks about the top 10% thing. My guidance counselor said that she would address it in her recommendation. Last year, a guy with a lower GPA than me got into Yale (he actually got a likely letter too, he applied RD). Anybody else have an opinion? Thanks for everyone that’s helped me so far.</p>

9

<p>Fred, that’s what my counselor said, I’m hoping that she’s right. Do they really use that whole Academic Index thing? Cuz I’m a 7/9 according to the CC calculator, but I don’t know what that means…</p>

10

<p>

</p>

<p>His academic abilities are not in question. GPA is a better determinant of hard-work and determination. I think tenacity and hard-work are in question here.</p>

11

<p>They used to use it to make sure that recruited athletes could do the job, and then eventually spread it to regulars. But now, who knows. It seems to be much more arbitrary nowadays.</p>

12

<p>I’m hoping she’s right too. We have like basically the same profile with my GPA/rank being slightly better than yours while my SAT is 10 points lower. What even scares me is that we took the same SAT II’s and got the same scores (pending my result in physics, but I think I got 800). I don’t think the colleges use AI per se, however the factors that go into are extremely important-SAT, GPA, rank, and SAT IIs. Congrats on making USAMO-that’s excellent.</p>

13

<p>It was really the product of a lackluster freshman year. Since then I’ve never been lower than a 3.92 in any semester. Will that help? And you’re right MJ, I really didn’t work very hard in 9th grade, my counselor said that I matured since 9th grade, which in retrospect is probably true. Do you think that 9th grade will count against me alot?</p>

14

<p>Basically I’d say we both need good recs that say we aren’t lazy SOBs! :)</p>

15

<p>i dont think so.
many people have had amazing freshmen grades but went downhill from there.
im in the same situation as you, with my freshmen gpa being low and the rest of my years being 3.96-4.0</p>

16

<p>Lol Fred, that’s kind of scary, and also we both seem to post at the exact same time on this thread. I became a CC member a month before you did. With this being my 52nd post, I have the same number of posts as you do threads. I guess I have no point with this post, I guess I’ll count it as a shameless bump? ;-)</p>

17

<p>Lol yeah, I’m getting a rec from my prof cuz I’m taking a math class at the local university, and I hear she writes really good ones. Hopefully we have enough teachers that like us ;-). Lol it looks like this thread is filled with slackers from 9th grade. Go us :-).</p>

18

<p>one place is NADA in the ranking, considering that it will shift by the time grades are in etc</p>

<p>for heavens sake people 53 vs 52 is not going to be an issue, oh he is in the 11% percent, egad, no way…that is NOT what happens</p>

<p>Yale is smart enough to know that the 52 vs 53 are probablly almost equal in their GPA, so it is irrelevant to them-</p>

19

<p>Thanks CGM, though it’s kind of disturbing that it took me a moment to figure out NADA was capitalized for emphasis, not because it was some sort of acronym…</p>