So... When Does This Get Old?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
1

<p>I realize that there are probably five chance threads on here per day. And yes, I've posted on the "What are my chances?" board for more general chances. However, as I prepare for the July 1st release of the Common Application (I'll be applying SCEA so I'll need the head start), I have got to absolutely nail down the list of colleges I'm going to apply to for a number of reasons (mostly because I have a rigorous schedule for my senior year + working 30 hours a week + tons of scholarship applications, so I'm going to be really pressed for time - I have to solidify as much of my applications as possible prior to the fall).</p>

<p>That said, I'm asking for my chances for two reasons. One, I want to know what chances of getting in I have. If SCEA has an acceptance rate of about 13% (I believe), what are my chances? I'm hoping for a range of percentages (obviously this is FAR from an exact science!) so that I can judge what to "expect" and so I can start thinking about improvements. And two, what can I do to improve my application over all? Currently, my weakest points are awards and honors (I can only think of a couple of academic awards from ninth and tenth grade) and my SAT Subject Test scores. What awards (not school related, see below) might I be able to garner/put on my application between now and then?</p>

<p>Here's a little bit of background information for you. I switched from a public school where I attended ninth and tenth grade to a private, online high school in my junior year because of the crappiness of that public school. I pay for it out of my own pocket in addition to supporting my family, so working is my primary EC. I'm applying to Yale because of the potential full ride my income grants me (<$25,000). It's the only Ivy I really like. I'm also getting continually more interested in it.</p>

<p>The Basics
Sex: female
State: MD
Ethnicity: African American
Income: <$25,000 yearly
Student Income: ~ $6000 yearly
School: crappy public --> private distance learning
Rigor: I would say very rigorous. 10 Honors + 7 or 8 APs</p>

<p>Statistics
GPA: 3.84 UW, school does not weight
Rank: school does not rank
SAT: 2250 (720M, 750CR, 780W, 10 essay... 11 essay on the first of two sittings, if it matters)
ACT: 31 (33M, 33R, 32E, 26S)
SAT Subject Tests: 670 Lit, 700 Math Level 2, 730 US History (2100 total)</p>

<p>^^My Subject Test scores kind of stink (relatively speaking!). Should I retake? With prep, I could probably improve my Lit score to 700+. I might be able to get my Math 2 score up to 720 if I work hard enough. But is it worth it for a couple more points?</p>

<p>ECs
Work - 25 hours/week (paying for school + supporting family) [9, 10, 11, 12]
Community Association Junior Member - 5 hours/week [9, 10]
Community Association Junior President - 10 hours/week [11, 12]
Student Government Association - 1 hour/week [9, 10]
Freshman Speaker on the Council (highest position, appointed) [9]
Sophomore Executive Board President ( = class president, elected) [10]</p>

<p>Awards/Honors
Basically nothing! I have a couple of merit awards from ninth and tenth grade, but that's only three or four and nothing really recent. And they're nothing prestigious - just school-wide awards, but nothing fancy. Basically a sheet of paper and sometimes a little pin at an end of the year "ceremony" in the cafeteria. What should I do to improve this part of my application? If working is my major EC, do I put down "employee of the quarter"?</p>

<p>If it matters, I'll most likely also be applying to these schools, but I am pretty confident that I know my chances for them. I'm really just trying to get advice on my application to Yale SCEA.</p>

<p>WUSTL
American
George Washington
Boston University
UMD College Park</p>

2

<p>You are definitely academically qualified. The rest is in how you sell yourself. Make your application into an autobiography–the kind that they make Oscar-winning movies out of–and I’d say 75-80% chance. If it’s just an average (and by that I mean “average for Yale”) application… 40-50%.</p>

3

<p>I’d say you have an excellent shot, upwards of 75% if you work hard to make your application stand out. You should put a lot of time into your essay, revising it many times to make sure that it says exactly what you want it to say. Yale loves people like you who manage to stand out in high school despite having to work a lot to help support their family. Make sure that they know this about you. If you have a captivating essay and pick teachers who can write you good recs then you have a very good shot. Best of luck!</p>

4

<p>It looks like you have a great shot! You should be proud of all your accomplishments.
I wouldn’t retake Math II if you don’t think you can improve it by at least 50 pts. If you want, you could always take a different subject test if you’re not satisfied with your current scores. Don’t stress about not having major awards, it’s more of an embellishment to the application rather than a requirement.<br>
Good Luck :)</p>

5

<p>You seem very qualified, and your ethnicity + low income makes you have a pretty good “overcome tough odds” story. </p>

<p>That being said, have you thought of applying through Questbridge?</p>

<p>This is an amazing program for people like you, who are academically qualified while coming from a low income background and having to help support their families. People who are accepted to one of the partner colleges (of which Yale is one) and are accepted get a complete full ride. </p>

<p><a href=“http://questbridge.org/[/url]”>http://questbridge.org/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>If I were you, I would DEFINITELY check into it. If you are made a Questbridge finalist to the school, that’s a pretty significant tip factor.</p>

6

<p>Oh btw, I didn’t have any significant honors/awards, either! :frowning: And I got in, lol. The important thing is to make the other parts of your application shine! The awards aren’t a huge deal… essays/teacher recs/your overall story and impression matters WAYY more.</p>

7

<p>What are you guys talking about? If she weren’t african american, she would have no chance of getting in. Her 3.84 UW and 7-8 APs are nothing special. And she has no ECs in particular that stand out. However, because she is african american, she has a small chance of getting in, but I still would consider it a reach.</p>

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<p>But pink001… what were your scores and GPA? And what’s your race/gender?</p>

9

<p>And I kinda agree with 2013yale815. Being black is the key here</p>

10

<p>Yale’s average SAT is in the mid 2200’s. People here are delusional.</p>

11

<p>Lockn please elaborate on what you mean. If you’re trying to say that she’s perfectly qualified academically compared with the rest of Yale’s population, you have to remember that what brings down this average SAT score are the recruited athletes, legacies, famous people, etc. that get in mainly due to their big hook. If you looked at the rest of Yale’s incoming class, I would expect the SAT range to be around 2300. For someone with very little EC’s and virtually no awards, Yale is a long shot, no matter the ethnicity.</p>

12

<p>

These people make up less than half of the class (and many of them also have top SAT scores). The median SAT reflects the bottom end of normal admits. The probability goes down as your SAT decreases, but the fact is, this person’s scores are above those of the average applicant and Yale has said that the majority of applicants are qualified.</p>

13

<p>Yes, her scores are above those of the average applicant. But is the average applicant admitted??? Last time I checked, less than 1 in 13 applicants are accepted, meaning you need to be significantly above the average applicant. What I’m trying to say is that if you don’t have some special EC or huge hook(bigger than being a URM), you need to have exceptional grades and SAT scores (well above the average, I’m talking 2330+ and 3.9+) in order to even have a shot. So what I’m saying is that without being african american, she would have no chance, but her ethnicity gives her a small chance at being accepted, though I certainly wouldn’t count on it.</p>

14

<p>

If this were true, Yale wouldn’t have very many URMs. You’re saying that a student has to have a score significantly above the median admitted score “to even have a shot”, which is completely illogical. AT WORST, someone with scores this high is already doing better than the raw admit rate. Combined with a huge hook, her odds are very good.</p>

15

<p>How can you say these are such high scores? 3.84 gpa at a crappy public high school is nothing special whatsoever for someone wanting to get into yale. 2250 is below average for “normal” admittants. 2100 total SAT2 is WAY below the average for acceptants. Combine this with no EC’s of note and virtually no awards, and the chances are very slim. Like I said earlier, the only reason she has a shot is because she is african american. Otherwise, she would have no chance.</p>

<p>My friend (ethnicity - white)got rejected (not even waitlisted) from Penn with 2230 SAT, 3.97 UW, 6.40 W, but only varsity tennis (4 yrs) as EC’s and virtually no awards. </p>

<p>So to say this person would even have a chance if she weren’t black is an outlandish statement. I would give her about a 10% chance, almost entirely due to her ethnicity.</p>

16

<p>The average SAT for Yale admits is definitely lower than 2300. And 50% of people that score below the median have to come from somewhere. 2250 is an excellent score, let alone for a URM. I was a URM of sorts with a 2110 SAT score, and I was accepted. Once you pass the 2200 mark, then your SAT score shouldn’t pose a big problem. You SAT IIs could definitely do with some improvement. Retake lit and math, and try to score at least 730 on each one.</p>

<p>Your GPA is a little low for coming from a bad public school (I also went a crappy public school), though you took some AP courses. You didn’t list the scores you received from them though.</p>

<p>Your ECs and lack of honors and awards are definitely going to be the most glaring part of your application. There may be other people with similar background and stats like yours, who have some merit awards and recognition. I really think it could depend on the admissions pool for that year. If you are the only black, low-income with good grades and good SAT scores, then you can be pretty sure to get in. But I highly doubt that would be the case. </p>

<p>In the end, your SAT scores and grades are decent, but your lack of ECs will hurt you.</p>

17

<p>Yeah, I get annoyed when people think it’s JUST the GPA and SAT that matter. Above a certain point, if you have just those, but not EC’s, a good essay and recs, and a great interview, you’re not likely to get in. Yale is not just accepting a student… they’re accepting a person – a leader, an innovator, or someone else who will capitalize on the Yale experience. Show passion. That’s the key.</p>

18

<p>I’m curious- is it just the URM, low income bit that’s making everyone say she has a great shot? Because my stats are higher and I have more ECs, awards, etc. But when I post, people generally say I have a very slim chance. Is this just because I’m white? I think CC places too much emphasis on URMs.</p>

<p>This is no criticism to the OP; I’m sure you stand a good chance and I wish you the best of luck.</p>

19

<p>This thread has definitely been informative.</p>

<p>I usually take whatever “chances” people give me and knock off about 15%, and I also don’t count URM status as much as other CCers - chancing is important for me, though, because it gives me advice (boost my Subject Test scores and write my application like an Oscar-winning bibliography) and it gives me a chance of what to expect.</p>

<p>I’m not sure it matters, but I had a 4.0 at my crappy school and it dropped when I switched to the significantly better school. I don’t think it makes a difference, though.</p>

<p>As for ECs and lack of honors/awards, does anyone have any suggestions? I’m looking up contests as we speak, but I’m having trouble coming up with ECs. I live in the middle of nowhere and I go to a distance learning school (my old high school only had a band and Student Government, anyway - yes, that’s IT), so there’s not much to do but volunteer (and I have a full schedule anyway!). There’s not a whole lot of interest from the teens around here, either. I’d love to hear what other students have done in this situation, while I do a couple of CC searches.</p>

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<p>applicannot: If Yale is the only Ivy that interests you, you are probably making a mistake. Of course, it’s the greatest university in the world, but the next 20 or so are awfully close to it in quality. None of them is on your list yet. That’s silly. You have a realistic chance of getting into any of them, and many of them would give you a financial aid deal equivalent to Yale’s. Meanwhile, everything else on your list is probably a stone safety for you admissions-wise (except perhaps WUSTL). You really don’t have to apply to all of them. </p>

<p>It looks like you like urban universities, and you may care about proximity/access to Washington DC. You should definitely look at: Johns Hopkins, Penn, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Harvard, Duke, Georgetown (!). Maybe UNC and UVA, if you would be eligible to compete for significant merit aid there. If you are willing to go as far as St. Louis, you should also think about University of Chicago, Northwestern, Emory, and maybe even Rice.</p>