<p>Does going to a Yale information sessions benefit you at all in the admissions process?</p>
<p>I attended an information session just last night. I thought it addressed general questions of residential life from the perspective of the student, and insights into the ways in which Yale differs from the other Ivies. The woman speaking was the No.Cal.Admissions Director.She had attended Yale, and graduated 2 years ago with a degree in biology.</p>
<p>No, it does not.</p>
<p>Not to my knowledge, but it can help clarify anything you may confused about.</p>
<p>If you get face time with your regional admissions officer, then it could be beneficial.</p>
<p>I went to one last month, and I think it serves mostly as a way to clarify all the stuff you hear, and learn first-hand about the admissions process. My regional admissions officer had graduated a few years ago with with a double major in English and Music. She shared a lot about admissions, student life, and academics. She mixed it in with a few of her own anecdotes from being a student to make it interesting. But no, I don't think that going increases your chances.</p>
<p>So then, How DO you demonstrate interest?</p>
<p>Visit the campus</p>
<p>Apply SCEA.</p>
<p>Interest is overrated anyway. If you weren't interested, you wouldn't be applying.</p>
<p>Hecatonchires-that really isn't true. How many people have you seen with threads like "HYPMS-I WANT TO GET IN, DON'T CARE WHICH ONE." These people want the name, that aren't really interested in the school that comes with it. These threads overpopulate CC and its a shame that college admissions has secumbed to that. Just applying does not necessarily show interest. It's not like it takes a whole lot of time to apply. If you fill out the app and recycle essays it only takes a couple of hours tops to apply to anywhere.</p>
<p>If you apply to a college, you must be interested in it for some reason. For some people, it is prestige, which is a valid, although superficial, reason. For others, it is scholarships and awards, which also often overshadow the college. People can be interested in a college without being interested in everything it offers.</p>
<p>I'm on the fence here between Hecatonchires and halopeno2... I agree that you must have SOME interest in the college to apply to it at all, but (like halopeno2) I really don't think that's quite what the college is looking for... A top-level school like Yale wants people who REALLY want to be there, I think. And really showing how much you want to be there helps a lot, especially if your stats are not so amazing.</p>
<p>And yeah, I think halopeno2 is right, about people just applying to HYPMS because it sounds good. They don't really care about the individual schools, and I'm sure by now that admissions officers have learned to recognize that. Actually wanting to go to each specific school you apply to will probably help a lot in making a sincere, interesting application.</p>
<p>well if you visit the campus.. it's not like they write down every visitor's name down, so how are they supposed to know the difference between those that genuinely want to go to Yale, and others who just apply for the heck of it?</p>
<p>When I toured colleges this spring and summer, I gave them three things</p>
<ol>
<li><p>A full page cover letter stating my specific interests about the school (programs, organizations, etc.) and my intended major</p></li>
<li><p>An updated 1 page "brag sheet"-basically a resume listing my awards, skills, hobbies, special interests, EC's, work experience, and volunteer hours</p></li>
<li><p>An up to date transcript.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I went to each admissions office and personally handed the package to a representitive. Then when I got home, I called my regional reps to make sure they recieved the package. That is how you show interest. And By the way, many schools keep a record of how many times you visit and contact them. Maybe not Yale, but there are many top schools that do this.</p>
<p>Wow.. you just did that? Is that not too.. pretentious? I'm not saying you are... but simply asking becuase I don't know if I could do that myself.</p>
<p>Alumni interviewer here. From what I've seen, Yale does NOT track individuals showing interest the same way some other colleges do. They understand that most applicants cannot afford to visit the campus so do not worry that a failure to visit will be held against you.</p>
<p>The best way to show interest is to clearly articulate "why Yale" during your interview, if you have one. A surprising number of interviewees tell me they are interested in Yale because it's prestigious or give vague reason like superior academics. I note on my interview report when an interviewee has obviously done his or her research on Yale. I also note when a candidate has not done his or her research. While I don't expect a high schooler to have the Yale website memorized, applicants who have never heard of the residential college system, for instance, don't impart a well-reasoned desire to attend Yale.</p>
<p>The Yale supplement typically asks why you are interested in Yale. I'm not an admissions officer, but I'd think showing off how much you've researched Yale's academic and social scene by giving a specific answer would help demonstrate your interest.</p>
<p>It's not pretentious to do what I previously posted as long as you attack the situation with some humility. I approached the officers and said "I am very interested in applying to XXXXX Univeristy, here is some information about me." The stuff I wrote and gave to them, I had showed to my English teacher and he assured me that what I had written wasn't "pretentious." I felt after I had given them my papers that I had given them good reason to consider me as a potentially interested candidate. Since then I have gotten very personalized mailings from the regional reps.</p>
<p>too bad i didn't know about doing this so that i could have prepared before visiting brown, penn, and yale last weekend... there's no way i'll be going back (too long a trip) before applying so i guess i put myself at a disadvantage</p>
<p>would it be admissable to send the cover letter, brag sheet, and transcript before your application, like say send it in the next few weeks so they have that info. about you, then apply later on?</p>