Hi! I’m new on this forum but I’m deciding between stanford and yale for ea. I’m a writer/activist student and I was wondering whether those of you who share my interests would please tell me why you’re choosing to apply to yale early?
@1001stdaffodil - Everyone who applies successfully to Yale should have their own unique reasons to choose Yale SCEA. If you do your research, you will discover these are two very different schools. And you will also figure out from your research why you are a better “fit” for one school rather than the other. Best of luck!
Hey everyone! I hope y’all are doing well on your Yale and other college applications! I’m just here to update you guys about my decision regarding Yale. I’ve changed my mind. I’ve now decided to apply RD to Yale over SCEA. Believe me, Yale is also my top choice school and I’d rather apply SCEA to show my commitment to the university, but after pondering over the circumstances I felt like RD is more realistic for me. I have to take one more subject test in October and I’ll be retaking my ACT next month too. My ACT score is near the benchmark so other than college apps, I spent this summer studying for those two exams. As @zoebrittany briliantly said, I believe that submitting my application SCEA when I don’t yet feel ready won’t serve me well since SCEA is a competitive pool full of donors, legacies, athletes, exceptional applicants, big names, etc. Hence, I decided it would be better for me to submit RD because by then all my testing would be done and my application will be more polished than if I submitted SCEA.
To those of you still applying SCEA, I wish y’all the best of luck and if any of you get deferred or if anyone else on here is applying RD, I wish good luck for all of us when Ivy Day hits. At that point, we’re completely in this together and I hope for the best
@1001stdaffodil Hey! It’s so awesome to meet another writer. Good luck applying to Stanford or Yale REA!
I’m not applying SCEA to Yale, but I will be applying RD and really like the school, so I’m on here to just hang out. However, I think you should apply SCEA to whichever school is your first choice. I know that’s probably a cliched answer that you hear all the time, so I’m sorry I can’t really go into details more than that, but I wish you the best of luck. I know that it can be hard to visit as I can’t really visit many schools either, but if you can, maybe you could visit both institutions? It may give you a good feel of both schools?
@Lunarlitgend Good luck to you as well on Ivy Day! I probably won’t get into my ED school, so I will be waiting with you that day.
Have a nice day.
Hey guys, I’m also going to apply to yale! I’m international though… (from a small country in Western Europe). Hope that we all get in haha.
A question though, do I have to put school debate awards in the academic honors section in the common app or in the activities section?
@Naxiss I would put that in your honors because it’s an award, but honestly, it’s up to you, and I don’t think they have a preference.
Have a nice day.
Hi everybody! I am also applying to Yale for 2024 and I was excited to find this forum! If anybody doesn’t mind sharing, what are some of your extracurriculars that you will be submitting to Yale?
Hi @Naxiss and @LittleDreamer03! Welcome to the Yalie support group chat 
@Naxiss to answer your question (sorry I’m so late) I would definitely put your Debate award in the activities section, especially since it’s related to Debate. If you don’t have enough room to put Debate in your activities section, though, then that’s when I’d recommend putting it in the honors section.
@LittleDreamer03 I’m so glad to hear you’re applying to Yale with us
Personally, for me, I’m not a huge fan of the idea of sharing extracurriculars and even test scores because applying to a school like Yale is already pressuring enough as is. I feel like sharing activities, though it could be helpful, would make other people feel insecure or unworthy because they’d subconsciously start comparing themselves to other students who they’d think are more impressive than them as an applicant. Of course, anyone on here is free to share their extracurriculars and if you’re comfortable doing that too then go ahead. We’re a support group after all. We’re all here to advise and encourage each other during such a grueling process.
But, for me, I won’t share my extracurriculars not because I think they’re super impressive (they’re honestly not 
) or because I don’t trust you. It’s simply because I don’t want to unknowingly make someone beat themselves up and undermine their own accomplishments. I’m sure your E.C’s are really good and really impressive @LittleDreamer03. You’re applying to Yale after all and that, in and of itself, already shows how competitive of an applicant you must be. So if someone does decide to share their stats and or E.C’s just always remember that no matter what because we’re all honestly so unique in so many ways.
@Lunarlitgend Thanks for the response! I’m international and I don’t know anyone
who undergoes this process (although I think that there are about 100 from my country who will apply ), so any help is amazing! I have 3 rankings (one top 20, two top 10 rankings in our country’s national school debating competition and it doesn’t fit in the activity section, so I’ll probably put it in the honors section.
@LittleDreamer03 I don’t have many extracurriculars, only three. I spend 22 hours a week on them in total (really low compared to people on this forum, I know, but our school system is very different from the US).
I have basketball, debate club and a job. (I also have a family commitment in the vacations, but that’s private 
) What do you have as extracurriculars
Hey everyone great news!!! The Yale supplements are now out on the common app!
Nice! I’m going to work on my essays next week. @Lunarlitgend Are you going to apply SCEA? And which schools are you going to apply RD if you don’t get in (you will get in of course 
)?
@Naxiss That’s great!
I wish I could apply SCEA but, unfortunately I won’t. I explained it earlier in the chat but it’s because I still need to get my testing done. I’m taking my Math II subject test in October and I’m retaking my ACT in September. By the time those scores come in I’m pretty sure the early deadline will have passed. Either way, it’s probably the best decision to go with. So I’ll be getting my decision on Ivy Day with the rest of y’all if you RD or get deferred!
How about you? Are you applying SCEA?
(Awww thanks dude ^_^)
@Lunarlitgend I won’t either, sadly. I didn’t know about applying to American universities until a couple of months ago. I have to get all my testing + essays + Letters of recommendations done, which I could do before the SCEA deadline, but I have a very important test week on 15 November till 25 November and if I ace that test week, I can go from the top 25% to the top 10 of the class in one of the most competitive schools in the country. So it’s also RD for me
Which schools are you going to apply apart from Yale?
@Naxiss Oh okay that makes sense. I’m so sorry you found out so late but I’m glad you learned just in time to prepare! And I hope you ace that exam!! You deserve it!
Oh! Other than Yale, I’m applying to Brown (reach), UPenn (reach), Swarthmore (reach), Bowdoin (reach), Macalester (match/reach), UMich (match/reach), U of M twin cities (safety) and some other Safety school. So 10 schools. But Yale is the only school forum I’ll be on for College Confidential. I won’t be going to the Brown, UPenn, Swarthmore, etc forums. I’d rather not do that to myself. Yale is my top choice anyways so it makes sense to just focus on this one forum.
How about You?
I’m also applying to WashU. I forgot to mention that
@lunarlitgend you can definitely still apply to Yale SCEA. the results of the september act and october sat will definitely come before the nov 1 deadline
@Lunarlitgend Thanks Hope we both get in!! I’m also applying to UChicago, Harvard, Columbia and Dartmouth apart from Yale (I have a guaranteed safety in my country). I’ll only be on the Yale forum too, don’t want to be all over the place here and I’m here to hang out and share experience and just talk :). This site was so helpful for me, but it also got me anxious when I saw all those extracurriculars of accepted and rejected (international) students (international competitions, research, real internships etc.)… I didn’t even know that it was possible to do all those things :o
This is going to be a very busy four months for me since I have to arrange everything for my application while I also have a busy basketball season (qualifying for the nationals playoffs, defending our title) and that test week…
What’s your intended major?
@Naxiss Ohhh that’s awesome dude!! Keep working hard at it and write out those stellar essays! I really hope you get in!
LOL same! I loved going on here but mainly for writing competitions like Scholastic and YoungArts. But eventually I started reading the Yale forums and rooting for people. But now that I’m on the receiving end it’s so weird for me but I love being able to come on here and talk to you guys and what not!
I’m hoping to double major in English and EPE (Ethics, Politics, and Economics).
You?
@Lunarlitgend Ahh thank you!! Hope that we all get in
I’d study Political Science at Yale if I got in! My second choice is EPE :). Yeah, it’s really cool that you can share experiences here, I literally know nobody here in my country (although there are probably 100+ who are going to apply to Yale) who did/are doing this, so this forum is very helpful!!
Bowdoin is a very nice college, I also thought about applying there (I would’ve, but we could only afford five schools).
Did you already start with your essays (and your common app essay)? I made rough drafts and already answered some questions and I could finish my essays in a couple of weeks if I’m focussed
@Naxiss That’s so cool! Political Science is awesome!!
LOL same. I’m sure some people are trying for the Ivy League at my school but overall not many people apply to schools like Yale. We’re not that competitive. The only people who get into schools like that at my school are usually athletic recruits. I’m afraid if I talked about applying here I’d get scorned for it. I mentioned applying to Macalester which isn’t as competitive and my friends were already judging me for it. So it’s nice to be in a supportive forum like this one where I can talk about my college and career goals without getting judged.
Yeah! I looked into Bowdoin and it seems really nice! I’d love to do the fly in program but I’m not sure my parents will let me. 
Yes actually! I finished all my Yale supplements already. I’m trying to work on my other college supplements but it’s hard because I’m trying to cram in test prep all at once so I’m taking a break from them and resuming them probably around August 28th. I finished writing my common app essay (this is literally my 20th rewrite and counting). So I’m going to be working on revisions (unless I need to rewrite again! )
Nice job on working in your essays too! I’m sure they’ll turn out stellar after some serious revisions!