<p>I'm a 10th grade homeschooler (although I also take ROTC at my local school). I skipped 8th grade, and had a GPA of 3.992 for my freshman year. I also took the SAT I last year and got 1570 (540 math, 520 reading and 510 writing), and although I read that my score is the average for graduating seniors, I plan on taking the SAT again to improve my scores.</p>
<p>My current plan is to double-major in Biology and Anthropology and enter a premed program.</p>
<p>Now for the questions. Is Yale a realistic choice for me at this point? I read that they have a 94-96% admissions rate for medical schools. Is this true? And do I have a greater chance of getting admitted to their med school if I attend their college?</p>
<p>Thanks in advance for responses!
Petagirl014</p>
<p>To be honest, your SAT scores are too low for serious consideration at Yale. In order to be a viable candidate, you should hope to raise all three of those scores by about 180-200 points. You’re only in 10th grade, so you have plenty of time to pull them up.</p>
<p>Yeah, I kinda planned on having to raise them, but by the time I take it again, I’m sure I’ll do much better =) </p>
<p>I am also an officer at my library’s teen council, had the Honor Cadet distinction at bootcamp last summer, and recieved the Honor Cadet ribbon (given to one cadet in each year group for highest over-all GPA). In addition, I was on a basketball team for 4 years, and am volunteering at my hospital this summer, as well as various ROTC community service activities.</p>
<p>Whoa, yeah, those SAT’s scores need some raising. The med school thing might be true, but the thing is, a lot of med schools care mainly about what GPA you have, along with your people-related community service, not necessarily what school you went to. It might be harder to maintain a top GPA at Yale, but if you think you can do it, it is a good school for you.</p>
<p>Petagirl - Heck of a question for your second post. (Sorry - I’ve been reading a bunch of ■■■■■ posts tonight and I guess I’ve just gotten jaded.)</p>
<p>Yale is not a good first choice for anyone. Their admissions rate is so low, even if you have all A’s and a perfect SAT score it’s unlikely you’ll get in. It’s a great dream school to have on a well thought out college list but not a college to count on.</p>
<p>If you are homeschooled your GPA is probably irrelevant. What does a grade awarded by your parent when you are the only student in the class mean? Not much, I’m afraid. In addition, admissions officers at Yale have expressed a lack of enthusiasm for homeschooled students. You might want to do some googling on the subject. There are probably other top schools out there that are better targets for homeschoolers. </p>
<p>Your SATs are way, way below the range for Yale. As others have said, you need to raise every section by 200 points or more. Frankly, your scores are probably lower than those required of 7th graders to attend CTY or similar talent search camps. I’m sure you can do better, but whether you can do well enough to have a realistic shot at Yale or any other Ivy League school is the question.</p>
<p>It is usually recommended that homeschoolers plan on taking a larger number of SAT IIs than other students in order to validate their work and place it in context with conventionally-schooled students. I would figure that you should probably plan on taking 3-5 SAT IIs and some AP exams, preferably early enough to present the results during admissions, if you seriously want a shot at top schools.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t put too many eggs in the Yale basket.</p>
<p>Since Yale is one of the most selective colleges in the nation, it is very important to remember that there are hundreds of other colleges which will serve as an excellent path to med school. These schools can also boast of excellent placement rates. </p>
<p>If you are truly serious in setting a goal to attend med school, focus now on honing your skills to survive the freshman college courses that are notorious for weeding out prospective med school applicants— courses which may include General Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physics and Calculus. </p>
<p>So take challenging Math and Science classes (with laboratory work) to ensure your best success in a college pre-med program. It’s great that you are thinking about your path in life and planning strategies to achieve your goal.</p>
<p>as previous posters have said, take as many SAT IIs +AP tests as you can to prove your homeschool courses’ rigor. Also people recommend a 2250+ SAT score to be in the range for yale</p>
<p>I’m going to guess that your homeschool curriculum is pretty easy. </p>
<p>If so, focus all your time on the SAT, AP, and SATII tests. Take a bunch of those, get your SAT up to 2200+, and you may possibly have a chance.</p>
<p>As someone who scored over a 2350 on the SAT and attends Stanford, I have to say I probably wouldn’t have fared much better if I took the SAT as a freshman, who skipped 8th grade no less, without prepping at all for the test. I’d say keep on to your dreams. Aim as high as it goes. There’s no harm in that, and if you don’t aim high you may only be average. I’d just focus now on keeping up the good grades, being involved in your community, developing a passion, etc. Also think hard about what your favorite subjects are so you know where to take the AP exams and SAT II’s in. You have an opportunity to take the PSATs as a sophomore so you should probably prepare for it so you have a more reasonable appraisal of your abilities. You’re on the right path by caring about college admissions early. That’s part of what generates the <10% acceptance rates at top schools. People don’t get their stuff in order until junior year, and by then it is too late and correctly appears to be jumbled scrambling to admissions officers. Lastly, stay off this forum lol. It’s full of uber-geniuses who think that getting into top schools require some superhuman feat for the unhooked. Your mental health will thank you in the future ;)</p>
<p>damn, you’re in 10th grade, why are you taking the SAT? you should just be taking practice tests since colleges (that don’t follow score choice) will still be able to see your 10th grade scores. Of course, if you pull them up over 2000 and continue with straight As and extracurriculars, I think you’ll have as good of a shot as anyone for Yale. Maybe you could plan a visit up there sometime too.</p>
<p>It’s always great to have a dream school, but as others have said, you need to come up with a balanced list at some point. The chances of raising your SATs by 700 points are . . . questionable.</p>
<p>To Consolation: Homeschooling does not mean that I get my grades without working for them. I have to go to a certified evaluator every year to get ‘proof’ of my grade levels and performance. I didn’t get a 4.0 in NJROTC from my mom after all haha</p>
<p>To pandem: No, I actually am taking advanced courses. Honors English, science, social studies and Spanish. I am taking a total of 12 courses (not counting the civics and safety subjects that are required from homeschoolers): English, math, science, social studies, Phys. Ed., music, art, health, Spanish, NJROTC, Latin and French. From next year on, I will also be taking about 2 courses a year at my community college. </p>
<p>Thanks to nooob, Morsmordre, pandem, onthefly and Westchestermom for the helpful comments!
~Petagirl014</p>