<p>Alright, so it seems to me that the Yale board doesn't seem to be as informative as some of the other boards out there. So I've found a couple of profiles of some Yale admits and I'll hope that maybe they'll be helpful to any prospective students. Some of these students are pretty exceptional (not everyone gets to speak before the Greek Parliament on children's issues), but others just seem to be like your normal overachievers who are presidents of everything.</p>
<p>National Merit Scholar, AP Scholar With Honors, Voice of Democracy State Finalist, Elder and Leemur Author of Tomorrow, National Hispanic Scholar...that's about my list.</p>
<p>I wasn't president of anything, though I did have some active roles in clubs like Amnesty International. I was a columnist (not even the editor!) for my school's science journal. I did attend science fairs, though, including the national one, but I didn't win the grand award or anything. I also had some writing awards. I certainly never delivered speeches before the Senate. Good grades, good SAT scores, good teacher recommendations. That's about it.</p>
<p>I'd like to concur with the general consensus of this thread - you don't need to have saved the world to get into Yale. There seems to be plenty of bright, well-rounded, talented kids who get in who aren't the sons of loggers or speakers before national legislatures. That being said, something about your application would need to stand out, I'd think. If it's not your ECs / accomplishments, then it might need to be your essays. I guess you just need to give your admission officer something that separates you from the other ninety-odd percent of the applicants.</p>
<p>A guy I know who now goes to Yale gave a speech in the local park about philosophy or something. I'm not sure why or how or for what, but it was in the local paper.</p>
<p>Another kid I know who goes to Yale (but was initially deferred) got a ~$30,000 scholarship from Discover. It was a national award.</p>