wondering how chances will be impacted if two kids from the same high school are applying to the same rea school (yale)? we both have similar profiles - right next to each other in rank, sat, etc. we even asked the same teacher for one of our rec letters. i think my ecs and awards are stronger but both of us are in the same major too.
will we be competing directly against each other? ideally, both of us would get in since he’s my friend - but this is likely not happening, because, i mean, it’s yale.
A question that comes up every year, and the answer is always the same: there is no reason that they can’t take both of you, just as there is no reason that they can’t reject both of you.
Just to put the cat amongst the pigeons, are the two of you really so identical that the AOs will only be able to tell you apart by comparing the relative weight of your awards (hmm, this one got “Outstanding” in X and that one only got “Most Improved” in X)?
ps, Yale doesn’t admit by major, so that really is not a factor.
Is Yale need aware or need blind when admitting? I believe having financial need in these types of situations at highly competitive schools hurts the one applying for financial aid. For certain if they are need aware.
My D18 applied ED to a school that was need aware, was deferred and then denied. Was there for a summer program, applied for a special scholarship she was nominated for, applied to optional scholarships. 2 other bright kids whose families were safe to say were full pay, applied RD. They were accepted, my girl wasn’t.
Anyone reading this doesn’t know my D18, but she had the edge over at least 1 of the other applicants, imo. She was National Merit commended, 1500 on SAT, athlete, volunteer, etc. But you can’t control everything. We had high need back then ( only able to pay 1/3 of what coa was). I still feel badly about it, but my girl applied well. Everything else was out of her control.
She got an amazing offer elsewhere with money, honors college and an auto admit to grad school.
Hope for the best, apply well, be genuinely who you are, but also temper that with many possible scenarios. All the best to you.
great, ty for your response! im sure that accepting both or rejecting both is certainly a possibility, but how will the general chances be impacted?
and yes, both of our profiles are incredibly similar - it’s kinda uncanny. one of us has a 1580 and the other has a 1570, our ranks only differ by 1 (both at the tippy top), and we generally do the same clubs in schools and same ecs (research, writing etc.) of course, our essays will probably be different - but then again, we do have the same interests and are applying for the same major.
The year one of my kids was a senior, the kids were in a tizzy because 6 kids applied to Yale. Yale had not accepted anyone in many years (the rumor was “Yale hates us” which of course is ridiculous, just as crazy as “Princeton loves us” when they accepted multiple kids).
Long story short- 4 of the 6 accepted, none legacies, children of famous people, major donors. The year after- 0 out of 8 accepted to Yale.
Moral of the story- they take who they take. There is no quota, they are not obligated to accept anyone but they can accept more than 1 if they so choose.
If it were my kid- I’d be encouraging them to “fall in love” somewhere else, but that’s me. I’m a Plan B kind of parent!!!
If you’re applying from the same public school that rarely gets anyone into Yale, I do think that you’re competing for the same doubtful to get in spot. If you’re both applying from a highly-regarded “feeder” prep school, then you both could get in.
Since you cannot spin your GPA or your test scores, your best bet is to come up with a compelling application (essays, recommendations, back-story, how you describe your ECs) that will make the admissions committee want you.
An AO isn’t going to say “here’s a great candidate, would be a great fit with our campus, and I would recommend he/she be admitted. Except someone else from the same school also applied, so no”
Do you have access to Naviance or Scoir that can tell you how many students Yale has accepted at your school in the past? Especially in REA?
Maybe it is just a coincidence since people on here seem so sure that there aren’t (rough) quotas but a number of highly selective colleges seem to take about the same number of students every year from our high school.
large public school (~400). asked my counselor about naviance data, and she says that we’ve only had about 6-10 people apply every year, despite our school being pretty large. none of those were early. last acceptance was 2017 - things don’t look too good, but i’ll try my best :))
we’re higher than the bulk of the rejections, but there have also been people rejected that have stats higher than us. i don’t think stats will be the barrier to acceptance - just the fact that our profile is so similar. for reference, i’m currently ranked 1st out of about 400 students and he’s ranked 2nd. i’m the one with the 1570 and he’s the one with the 1580.
Yes I was just curious if people at your stat level were getting rejected.
Even with your similarities, you are different people with different motivations, life experiences, perspectives and dreams. Yale has a number of supplemental essays that will allow you to show who each of you are. I would suggest that you don’t read each other’s essays so you don’t second guess your own approaches. Good luck!!
Good luck to both of you! You might think you’re so similar to your high school peer but I’m pretty sure you’re not. You’re both unique individuals forced to standardize your individuality based on what you think a small private university wants. I hope you both get in and if not that you both manage to get over it and find your future educational path adequate if not wonderful.
This. I know you know it, but there is a bigger challenge than the person standing beside you
Neither the rank nor the SAT will be the deciding factor between the two of you. If you haven’t submitted your app yet, go back and look at your essays. Show them to somebody who knows you (but isn’t your parent or bff) and ask them ‘does this sound like me?’. You want your essays to sound like you, to convey something of what makes you an individual. Y
You both could get in, both could be rejected, or one will get in. Both of you have the stats to show you can do the work and if only one of you is admitted, the rank or test score won’t be the reason.
In my son’s class several years ago, there was much teeth-gnashing because several kids had Penn as their first choice but everyone believed "Penn only takes 2 kids from our school ". Six matriculated there that year.
The reality is that while Yale fills it classes with kids like you, Yale is also a long shot for kids like you. Write great essays. Good luck!
The initial comparison will be everyone in your readers’ pile (first reader and if you advance second reader) plus a comparison against a list of attributes that the AO is looking for, so the 2 of you are competing against others in your readers’ region(s) first. If either or both of you get to Committee, it will be against a national pile, although there is some consideration of geographic diversity, but at that point being from the same HS is the same as coming from the same state, county or metropolitan area.
IMO, if your app is as strong as it is going to get by the REA deadline (stats, awards, other recognition, essays), it is better to apply REA if it is your first choice school. The pool in REA is stronger, after eliminating athletes and donor kids, but there are fewer applicants. If you are strong enough to get deferred, you kind of get a second bite at the apple. If your app can be made stronger by the RD deadline, wait until RD. Larger pool, but overall not as strong as the REA pool.