want to get into yale-- what should i do?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
1

Hi,
I hope everyone is doing well. Yale is my dream university and I want to start preparing before its too late. What should I do to increase my chance of getting in? I am currently a freshman taking the following courses:

  1. English
  2. Arabic I
  3. AP Human Geography
  4. Computer Science
  5. Honors Biology
  6. Gym
  7. Honors Geometry
  8. Religious Studies

I am in all of the honors/AP courses they offer in my grade. I plan to self study more AP courses over the summer and take 6 APs in 11th grade. I plan to take all of the AP/Honors courses my school offers. It is a very competitive school and has been ranked the most challenging non public high school in Illinois but not many graduates go into Ivy League universities.

I skipped seventh grade and my GPA currently is 4.15
I have an A in all my courses except geometry…I have a B/C
I am in speech and debate along with extracurriculars such as Red Cross

Im scared for the ACT and SAT and was wondering how I can start studying. What should I do to get in?

I appreciate any help.

Thank you so much

2

You seem like a wonderful applicant, as are most students who will ultimately be rejected. As Yale receives more qualified applications than they have seats in their freshman class, Admissions uses a student’s teacher recommendations, guidance counselor’s Secondary School Report (SSR), Essays and Interview Report to choose one high performing student over another. They look for wonderful scholars of “good character” – that’s an old fashioned word meaning the way you develop your inner qualities, intellectual passion, maturity, social conscience, concern for community, tolerance, inclusiveness and love of learning. And none of those qualities can be gleaned from a post like yours.

Please don’t! Yale judges each student in the context of what their high school offers. If your high school does not offer AP classes, or has limited AP classes, Admissions DOES NOT expect a student to have self-studied for AP tests. If your high school offers many AP classes, Admissions expects to see many AP classes on your transcript. But again, Admissions does not expect you to self-study for any AP classes and doing so won’t increase your chances. In fact, self-studying for AP classes can actually work against a student, as it demonstrates the student doesn’t understand what Yale values in the Admissions process. You would be much better served by getting a job during the summer, any job – camp counselor, waiter, busboy, whatever – and demonstrate you have the maturity, drive and stamina to hold your own in the adult world.

If you attend a very competitive high school, ranked as one of the most challenging private high school’s in Illinois then you should be absolutely fine if you excel in the school’s curriculum and are ranked in the top 1% to 3% of your graduating class.

Google “Free SAT ACT Prep” and numerous sites will come that offer advice and practice tests. For the ACT, these specific tips worked for my son:

  1. The ACT is all about time. Take your practice tests with an egg timer set to five minutes LESS than the required amount of time for each section. With practice, this will train your mind to process the information faster. When you take the actual ACT test, it will feel as though you have extra time (and you will) to double-check your answers.
  2. You don't have to do the problems in the order given. For example, on the math section, if you don't immediately know how to get the correct answer within 30 seconds, you should circle the problem and come back to it after finishing all the other problems.
  3. The same thing should be done with the reading passages. The test will always have a passage about Social Studies, Natural Science, Prose Fiction and Humanities -- in that order. But, you don't have to do them in the order they are given. You should do them in the order you find easiest.

Best of luck to you!

3

I agree that you should use the summer to get some other experiences, such as work, or pursue a special interest of yours. I’m a little concerned about your math. The one academic thing you might do over the summer is learn some of the Geometry you didn’t understand in class, and think carefully about the next math class to get back on track. Since math might be a weak area, you could start working some math problems on the ACT or SAT, and find out what types of problems give you trouble. It might help motivate you in math - that you need to learn it to be fast enough and confident enough on the standardized tests.