@Class2023GetsLit I am a firm believer that SCEA gives a small boost to unhooked applicants, regardless of what the admissions office says. Sure, it is admittedly better to build up your test scores and such rather than submitting a sloppy application early on, but if you have all the necessary credentials (it looks like you do), I do think that SCEA provides a decent advantage (not nearly as large as most peer institutions, however). While this is likely sample bias (it definitely is), all of my (8) unhooked friends at Yale were admitted SCEA (not a single was admitted RD). Assuming that half of unhooked applicants are admitted SCEA versus RD and that my selection of friends was random, the odds of all being admitted SCEA is roughly .39% ( I know my math is really bad and this statistical model is really flawed, etcāI donāt need to be corrected). To summarizeāSCEA provides a small advantage to unhooked applicants who already have the necessary credentials and accomplishments. 
We went to a Yale/Princeton/UVA/Wellesley/Harvard presentation last night. They had the Yale presenter speak last, but that was OK because he was very dynamic and he woke up the room. They took audience questions after the 10 minute info presentations.
Someone asked about EA advantage. Most of the presenters said that they made an effort to be fair to all applicants, and tried very hard to consider SCEA on the same level as someone applying RD.
And here are some free tips for your essays. The Yale rep said that his pet peeve was people who obviously exaggerated their time commitments for ECs. They have a good idea how much time most ECs should take, so padding your hours without being able to back it up with accomplishments does not make you look better.
The Wellesley rep said that she didnāt like reading the incredibly depressing essays that lingered on the adversity you suffered but donāt show how you have risen above it. She said āshow me the phoenix, not the ashesā and all the AOs nodded their heads and the Yale rep said, āthatās a good way of putting itā.
I asked the kid what he remembered best from all of the presentations, and his favorite part was the review of all the pizza places in New Haven. He really wants to try the bacon-and-potatoes pizza. Heh.
@ninakatarina thank you so much for sharing! that is really helpful advice
Thanks your tips and all the details! @ninakatarina
Thatās really interesting, and is concurrent with my impression of SCEA, thanks! The uncertainty surrounding it all so frustrating! @Benji3025
Iāll definitely check out that thread @DeepBlue86 thanks sm
Bacon and clam at Pepes.
That was the first he mentioned, @BKSquared - clam pizza at one, bacon and potato at another, another had the best pepperoni and a fourth had the best plain. He commented on the effect his extensive research was having on his waistline.
Hey guys, SCEA here.
I actually just went through the 2022 thread, itās so likeā¦ I donāt know the word, but itās sooo nice to see that after you went through all of the stress, the good news arrived, and now you want to help out other people who are going through the same things. Thank you so much for being here hope I can hear the good news like you did at the end of December! @Benji3025
Hi everyone! Iām applying SCEA and I had a question about the āWhy Majorā essay. Instead of writing about my two majors of interest separately, Iām trying to combine them and talk about why I think itās important to study them together (like kind of an interdisciplinary thing). However, I know that Yale discourages double majoring, so I was wondering if adcoms would see this as me not being a good fit for Yale? Thanks so much!!
@lemonlime13 Iām doing the same thing. imo, Yale says even in the prompt that they know people change their course of study throughout college and that this is only an idea. I think theyāre just trying to see what you are interested in.
@lemonlime13 and @dreamthief001 - Iām a double major and many of my classmates are as well. What majors are you considering? Best of luck!
@zoebrittany I feel like since Yale has an open curriculum, you have the freedom to explore whatever you want, writing about two majors doesnt necessarily mean you are gonna double major as Yale discourages, think about it in another way, you are a good fit for having a variety of interests, as Yale encourages with the open curriculum.
Does Yale really discourage double majors? I didnāt know that. My son did a combined MS/BS, and while Yale didnāt encourage it, they didnāt discourage it either.
Both approaches do limit electives. Good luck everyone.
I would not say that Yale has an open curriculum. Itās not as structured as Columbia, but itās not Brown either.
News to me. Whether itās worth the time and effort is another story entirely.
Ok thanks for the advice everyone!
@zoebrittany Iām thinking about doing econ and history! What are you majoring in?
I met with their college Rep, and she did kind of hold back when it comes to double majoring. Iād say at least she isnt super excited about it like some other schools i met with. and Yes they dont have an open curriculum, but they do encourage students shopping for classes outside their majors, and thank you for the clarifications!! @skieurope
A recent thread on the Yale Alumni FB page had to do with course selection regrets. The overwhelming regret was not using the opportunity we had to study things that we were curious about that had nothing to do with our majors/anticipated careers, or to not take a course from a well known professor noted for the quality of his/her lectures. If you get into Yale (or are in Yale) donāt be a ādouble majorā because you think you will be more marketable. If you have a true passion for 2 subjects, go for it, but you may well limit the quality of your overall experience. The advantage of graduating from Yale in terms of the job market, employers will assume you are smart and can quickly learn and adapt to the job. Your specific book learned knowledge and skills are less important. This may be less true for less prestigious schools where the employer is looking for the āplumbersā vs the future āarchitectā.
@SkiwiSpooby - Since Yale doesnāt have āminors,ā students sometimes choose to take on two majors. But I donāt think thatās because they are trying to maximize their future career options, but because they enter Yale with, as @BKSquared says above, more than one deep interest in academic subjects that often complement each other. However, as @BKSquared and @IxnayBob state above, the decision to double major does limit access to electives. But what Iāve noticed about Yale students is that they somehow manage, like @IxnayBobās son, to not only get a BA/MS in CS in 4 years, but also get paid internships, TA positions, and have a good time while they are at it. These students are more motivated, work harder and accomplish more in four years than seems humanly possible. And for those getting ready to apply, you should keep this profile of a Yale undergrad in mind, and figure out if that is the kind of college student you want to be.
@lemon lime - Those are two of my favorite subjects. The History dept. is amazing. The Econ classes are very, very rigorous and mathematical, even 'though there is a separate āMath and Econā major! I double major in East Asian Studies and Economics.
Please let me know if you have any questions. I will try to be helpful.
@worriestoomuch - I actually want to be a Bio/Chem double major myself lol, but it did not affect me since i wasnt doing the major essay. I did the other 2. Thank you so much for the advice and heads up!