<p>I am going to apply to Yale in the fall, but I'm not sure whether I'll apply EA or RD. I haven't worked much on the Common App yet so I can't tell you whether or not my essays will be any good. Based on the following stats, could I realistically expect to have any chance of getting in? (I still have one more Subject Test to take and a retake of the ACT with the essay).</p>
<p>SAT: 2190 (750 Critical Reading, 720 Math, 720 Writing)
ACT: 34 (35 English, 32 Math, 35 Reading, 34 Science)
SAT Subject Tests: 800 Math II, 750 Literature
GPA<a href="through%2011th%20grade">/B</a>: 4.596
**Rank: 7/315</p>
<p>Extracurricular Activies:
-P.R.I.D.E. (People Recognizing International Diversity and Ethnicity) - 2 years
-Key Club - 3 years
-Yearbook (Academics Editor) - 1 year
-100 volunteer hours @ various organizations, mostly during summers and with school clubs mentioned above
-Tennis - I only played JV in 9th grade, no other school sports</p>
<p>I will probably have excellent teacher recs, both teachers that I'm going to ask really liked me.</p>
<p><em>By the way, I am a white male- I know that ethnicity makes a huge difference at Yale although they say otherwise</em></p>
<p>I should have mentioned also, I got a 221 on the PSAT so, being from Ohio, I'm pretty much guaranteed to be a National Merit Semifinalist</p>
<p>your scores, although very good, are still slightly lower than the average yale applicant's. and you don't have strong EC's to back you up either and no leadership positions. i say apply RD or not at all. save the ED chance for somewhere else. ppl might say dude just go for it but honestly i don't think you have a chance. don't criticize me for being blunt, because when ppl post chances threads, they should be looking for honest answers and not some dubious answer.</p>
<p>Thanks for your honesty. I recognize and greatly regret my lack of leadership / deeper involvement in any EC, but going into my senior year, it's too late to run for any office, as they have all been filled. I guess I should just focus on advancing in the NMS competition, improving my ACT score, and getting into NHS, as well as writing great college essays. (I was rejected from NHS last year because of my lack of activities and volunteering. Since then I have become more involved and done a whole lot more volunteering. Plus I took getting accepted for granted and accordingly, wrote my essay the night before without much thought.)</p>
<p>If you are certain that Yale is your top choice and you would definitely go there, applying EA is the only way to convey that. Then, if you are deferred, your chances in the RD pool are better than if you simply apply RD. But this strategy is only worthwhile if you really want to go to Yale.</p>
<p>Although your EC's are somewhat weak, if you're able to do something strong or interesting in your first semester, preferably with an existing activity, then you might have a chance as an EA candidate in the RD pool. </p>
<p>If Yale is not tops for you, however, I wouldn't waste my early application on them. Try for another school that gives more boost to the odds on an early application, usually any school that has ED which is binding. Of course, that has its downsides too.</p>