Yale Class of 2019 SCEA Decisions

Redheaded · December 16, 2014, 11:33pm

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision:Deferred[/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): did not send 2280 (770 M 750 CR 760 W)
ACT (breakdown): 35 (34 M 35 E 35 S 35 W)
SAT II: did not send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): school does out of 100, but equivalent to a 4.0 UW
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school does not rank, but top 5 out of 500
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History(4) English Language(5) US History(5) Biology(4) Physics B(5) Spanish Language(4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load:
AP Spanish literature
AP English literature
AP Calc BC
AP Physics C
AP Government
AP Chem
Symphonic Choir
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Girl Scout bronze and silver awards, gold award approved and in progress, explained in additional information, AP scholar with distinction, commended student, All-county chorus

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Theatre (Historian/board member of thespian troupe), Gay Straight alliance (Vice president grades 11,12), Girl Scouts, Model Congress, Swing Choir, Piano
Job/Work Experience: Intern at dna learning center, aka the place where Watson and crick discovered dna
Volunteer/Community service: free tutoring through NHS, volunteer at library during summers
Summer Activities: Internship, space camp
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Could have been better, not gonna lie. I worked hard on them but they weren;t my best work.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10. super cute personal anecdote
Teacher Rec #2: 7, all right I’m guessing
Counselor Rec: 5. she doesn’t care about me or anyone else at all
Additional Rec:
Interview: didn’t get one

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Molecular/Cellular and Developmental Biology
State (if domestic applicant): New York
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: <100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: Internship, dedication to theatre and music shown in my essays. Girl scouts probably helped too.
Weaknesses: Essays??? I thought they were good, but again I didn’t look at them and think “who could possibly reject me with these essays?”
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Because there are so many applicants who are all so great. I have so much to offer Yale, but I’m sure the accepted students have much more to offer.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: accepted to Penn State and University of Alabama (full ride)

General Comments: Crossing my fingers for RD acceptance, but I’m not anticipating it. Yale is great, but there are other schools I’ll probably be happier at. I applied to a few other ivies plus a whole bunch of great top 20 schools that I’m in love with. Good luck to you guys!

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Whattodo122 · December 17, 2014, 12:17am

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 35 (35 Science, 35 Reading, 35 Mathematics, 35 Writing, 8 Essay)
SAT II: 800 Bio (M), 790 US History, 760 Chemistry
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): School doesn’t calculate, but likely 3.85 UW
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Unavailable
AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5), Physics B (5), French Lit (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Calculus BC, English and History Electives, Advanced French (Post-AP)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Semi-Finalist in Debate, National Merit Semifinalist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Model UN (President), Student Government (President), Newspaper (News Editor), Debate, Squash
Job/Work Experience: Summer internship in Senate
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities: Service Trip, International Relations Program, Internship in Senate
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 9 - About failure and learning why I loved politics through failure, very proud of it
Why Yale: 8.5 - Lots of specifics and came from the heart, but nothing remarkable
Yale Short Answers: 7.5 - Some I loved, some I was meh about
Yale Supplement: 8.5 - I really liked it, everyone said it was amazing but i didn’t really think it was better than my common application essay
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: History Teacher, 9.5 - she loves me, had me 9th and 12th grade, and is my advisor
Teacher Rec #2: English Teacher, 8.5 - we get along really well but its difficult to gauge her, she could have made it terrible to mess with me
Counselor Rec: 9.5 We get along really well
Additional Rec: 10 I read it, it was from my senate internship supervisor, it was so so flattering, i was amazingly happy with it
Interview: 9 Got along really well, connected on interests and personality-wise

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Nope
Intended Major: Global Affairs
State (if domestic applicant): MD
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy-ish (sister and uncle)

Reflection

Strengths: my extracurriculars and passion! I love Politics and IR, and I pursued that interest relentlessly, enjoying my activities every step along the way. Also I would be deluding myself if I said my legacy didn’t play a role
Weaknesses: Grades? But I go to a really tough school…
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: See strengths! Also my recommendations were strong and my interview was amazing, so those must have counted for something
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Nowhere yet! Likely will be going to Yale

General Comments: IM INTO YALE THIS IS A DREAM COME TRUE! I read these all the time as an anxious freshman, hope this helps somebody! Do what you love, dont be artificial, and the rest will come naturally!

keytothesun · December 17, 2014, 12:41am

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2400
ACT (breakdown): n/a
SAT II: 800 Chemistry 800 Physics 800 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/396
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (5) US History (4) Physics B (5) Chemistry (4) Gov (5) English Language (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics C, AP Stats, AP Bio, AP Lit and Comp, AP Psych, Vocal Jazz
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): CAPSS Superintendent’s Award, NMSC Semifinalist, AP Scholar with Distinction, American Legion Boys’ State Award

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Violin (Concertmaster of HS orchestra), Taekwondo (2nd Dan Black Belt), United Martial Arts Club (Founder/President), School newspaper (Opinions Editor)
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service: Coaching violinists in school orchestra, playing in string quartet, Young Democrats (9-10th grade), Church altar server/volunteer
Summer Activities: Boston University Tanglewood Institute, CT Boys’ State
Essays (rating 1-10, details): CA - 9/10, talked about losing two class elections for president and moving on
Why yale - 8/10, strong sense of community
Short takes - 7/10
‘Other’ essay - 8/10, 2nd degree black belt test, finishing with a sprained ankle
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9/10, english teacher, loved me/had me for two years
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10, latin teacher, saw my personality and sense of humor
Counselor Rec: 9/10, counselor often complimented my character
Additional Rec: 8/10, violin teacher, worked closely with me through failures/successes
Interview: 8/10, nervous but mostly went smoothly

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Undecided, but looking into pre-med route
State (if domestic applicant): CT
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: n/a
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection

Strengths: Grades/scores, essays, recommendations
Weaknesses: Lack of distinctions in extracurriculars, race
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: strengths, conveyed personality, life perspective, passion for school
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: first decision and first acceptance!

General Comments: I’m stunned and in utter disbelief. Did NOT expect to get in, let alone get in EA…if you throw your all into a dream, the universe will conspire to allow you to realize it. Good luck to everyone with the rest of their schools! :)

FullofSeoul · December 17, 2014, 1:01am

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2340 (One Sitting)
ACT (breakdown): Did not Take
SAT II: Math II (800), Physics (790)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 10/470ish
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (4), US History (4), Physics B (5), Micro/Macroeconomics (4,4), Language (5), Calculus BC (5, 5AB subscore).
IB (place score in parenthesis): No IBs offered.
Senior Year Course Load: AP Biology, AP Physics C, AP Stat, AP Literature. Just finished a semester of Calc 3 at Community College too.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Scholar. AP Scholar with Distinction, NHS, Score 4 on International Korean Proficiency Test,

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): MD-TSA (Co-Founding, and later, State Vice-President. 11-12)
Math Club, Philosophy Club, Orchestra (School and County), Piano,

Job/Work Experience:

Volunteer/Community service:

Maryland WIC Intern (9 through 12)
Anne Arundel Medical Center Intern (11,12)
Assistant Teacher at Local Korean School (9,10,11)
Summer Camp Teacher and Assitant Coordinator (9,10,11)
Church Praise Team (Guitarist and Violinist).

Summer Activities:
Medical Center Internship, Oversaw and set up International Conference of Surgeons
WIC Internship
National TSA Conference

Essays (rating 1-10, details): Wrote about my bout with Shingles, connected it to my grandmother’s character and mine, and transitioned into my internship. Thought it was pretty good. Apparently not enough.

Supplement: Wrote about my struggles in Moving. Wrote in a lighter tone and made it less stereotypical.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Didn’t See. Not for me to Judge.
Teacher Rec #2:Didn’t See. Not for me to Judge.
Counselor Rec: She said she surprised herself with how it was written. Still, didn’t see. Not for me to Judge.
Additional Rec: None.
Interview: Went alright. Was like 70 years old. We aren’t best friends, but found a mutual respect.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Biology
State (if domestic applicant): MD
Country (if international applicant): US
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Korean, Asian.
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: < $40,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First Generation.

Reflection

Strengths: Academics?
Weaknesses: AP Scores. Extracurriculars. Maybe Essays.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Wasn’t unique enough? Didn’t do enough stuff. Not a Disabled Native American Female that won a Gold Medal and is curing Cancer. Am I a little bitter? Yeah.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: None yet.

General Comments: I honestly don’t know what I did that differentiated me from the deferrals. Currently going through an existential crisis. Time to find out what the issue was and move on, I suppose.
Seriously, congratulations to those who made it in. You all did something right.

NJbandkid15 · December 17, 2014, 1:12am

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2390 superscore, 800 reading, 790 math, 800 writing (2370 single-sitting, 780 reading)
ACT (breakdown): n/a
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Physics, 770 Biology M

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Not sure, my school weights GPA, but I have straight A’s
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Not published, almost certainly top 20, possibly top handful, class of 709.

AP (place score in parenthesis): Junior year: Calc BC (5), Physics B (5), Lang/Comp (5), US History (5), Music Theory (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a

Senior Year Course Load: AP Chem, AP Lit/Comp, AP Spanish, AP Micro, Multivariate Calc/Differential Equations

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): I’m an all-state bassoonist, but other than that just the standard National Merit Semifinalist, AP Scholar w/Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Marching Band 9-12 (Drum major 12), Jazz Band 9-12, Spring Track 10-12. I don’t have a ton of big activites (my 10 common app spots were a lot of minor things) but band is basically my whole life. All-state bassoonist since freshman year, first chair in pretty much everything at school. MB is ~25hrs/wk in the fall.

Job/Work Experience: Worked about 6 months as a busboy junior year. I have two saxophone students, 12 and 13, who come to me for weekly lessons, paid.

Volunteer/Community service: Lots of tutoring through NHS, and I run a youth group for grades 3-5 at my synagogue, but not a ton.

Summer Activities: Sleep-away performing arts camp as an underclassmen, just minor programs that aren’t impressive admits the last two summers.

Essays (rating 1-10, details): I’d give my common app a 9 or 10, I love it. I don’t know how to rate them exactly, but all the Yale essays feel really good, I’d say at least an 8 across the board, if not higher.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9 or 10. From my calc teacher, who loves me. I always ask questions in class that go beyond the class content, and I’m sure he talked about that.

Teacher Rec #2: 9 or 10. From my APUSH teacher/track coach, talked about how even though I’m not a great runner, I still work really hard at it and want to be great.

Counselor Rec: Awesome I think, 9 or 10, she wrote about how she usually has to inspire students, but I inspire her.

Additional Rec: none

Interview: Interview on campus with a senior, which I thought went great, but hard to tell.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Biochemistry
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large (3000), pretty good public high school.
Ethnicity: white
Gender: male
Income Bracket: 100-150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I play bassoon, which everyone always says helps, but nothing really.

Reflection: I’m not as disappointed as I thought I’d be. I’m just pressing on with my RD apps, and hoping for the best in the spring.

Strengths: My academic stats are pretty much perfect. Not to sound obnoxious, but there’s really not much that I could improve academically. SAT, SAT II, AP, and grades are all there.

Weaknesses: I don’t have that much community service.

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: It’s just a numbers game. They can’t let in everyone.

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Already into Rutgers (in-state for me) and Arizona State Honors College, my safety schools.

Applied EA to U.Va. and Michigan, already sent RD apps to Vandy, USC, and BU. I plan on applying to Penn, Duke, Cornell, Princeton, and maybe Stanford RD.

General Comments: Good luck to all! and fingers crossed for March 31st.

clarinetkid · December 17, 2014, 1:18am

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2330 (760 CR, 800 M, 770 W, 10 essay)
ACT (breakdown): 36 (all 36s, 10 essay)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 790 Chem, 780 US History, 670 Lit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): ~3.94
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s on English Lit, English Lang, Calc BC, Macro and Microeconomics, Chemistry, Physics C Mechanics, Stats; 4 on US History
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Differential Equations, Intro to Probability Theory, and Spanish at the University of Michigan; senior Humanities class and symphony band at my high school
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Feeling lazy, so here is my chance thread <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1658174-obligatory-chance-thread-for-top-schools.html”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/1658174-obligatory-chance-thread-for-top-schools.html</a>
Job/Work Experience: (see above)
Volunteer/Community service: (see above)
Summer Activities: (see above)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I put a lot of work into them, so 10/10 for effort. Everyone who read them said they were really good too.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Econ teacher - 9+
Teacher Rec #2: English teacher - 8+
Counselor Rec: she knows me really well despite the large public high school - 9+
Additional Rec: private music teacher, probably 7+
Interview: went well, but was kinda short. ~7?

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Econ, Music
State (if domestic applicant): MI
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: don’t know
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nothing

Reflection

Strengths: extracurriculars, courseload, test scores, essays, probably recs
Weaknesses: GPA? not having any “big” awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think my passion for music really showed in my extracurriculars and essays, but I was also well-rounded (took hard classes, did a sport, clubs, etc.)
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: nowhere yet!

anon029 · December 17, 2014, 1:48am

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2360 (760 CR, 800 M, 800W)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: Math II (800), US History (800), World History (780)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2/444
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History, Psychology, Macro/microeconomics, Calc AB, Lang, US History (all 5s)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP French, AP Lit, AP Calc BC, AP Bio, AP Human Geo, AP Gov, independent research block
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar w/ Distinction, National Merit Semifinalist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Debate team (captain), UNICEF club (president), member of advisory committee for county English Language Learners department, social media coordinator for a PAC, member of Secular Student Alliance, business owner of tutoring service, graphic designer and owner of an online graphic design shop, intern on Congressional and gubernatorial campaigns

Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service: work done with UNICEF
Summer Activities: campaigns, visiting family in China
Essays (rating 1-10, details): CommonApp was on failure as a figure skater (8), Yale supplement was on being an introvert and using public speaking as an outlet for expression (9). I honestly thought my essays weren’t that great because I struggle with narratives, but I guess the adcoms liked them!
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Research mentor/chemistry teacher (8?)
Teacher Rec #2: French teacher (maybe 9; was extremely enthusiastic about my rec!)
Counselor Rec: Probably a 9
Additional Rec: From a debate coach who knows me extremely well and is very creative in his writing (10)
Interview: None

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Not yet
Intended Major: Ethics, Politics, and Economics
State (if domestic applicant): VA
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: >$250,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: Extracurriculars and recommendations
Weaknesses: Essays and short answers; my logic flow is sometimes convoluted
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I proved how passionate I am about politics and civil rights, and also made good friends with some really great people who probably wrote awesome recommendations
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Rejected Yale-NUS round 1! There is hope! :)

General Comments:
If you are an underclassman reading this, I have one message for you: find something you love and stretch boundaries while pursuing it. I consider myself pretty average, and I definitely don’t think I’m smarter than those who were deferred/rejected. But I figured out what I’m passionate about, and I really think that’s what got me into Yale. Good luck to all future applicants!!

loveboston · December 17, 2014, 2:56am

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 33 (English: 33, Math: 30, Reading: 34, Science: 35)
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Weighted 4.20, Unweighted 3.82
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): None
AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (4), Chemistry (5), BC Calculus (5 + 5 AB subscore), US Gov’t (5), English Language (5), Spanish Language (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: VCU MATH 327 (Math Modeling w/ Calc), VCU Film Studies (Hey, I needed an art credit, ok?), Topics in Chemistry: Forensic Chemistry, AP English Literature and Comp, AP Comparative Gov’t & Politics, Physics Honors, Mentorship (more on that below)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Distinction, Univ. of Rochester book award (tech & innovation)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Russian Club (Treasurer), EduPAC, Young Democrats Club, Spanish Club, Spanish NHS, English NHS, National Honor Society
Job/Work Experience: UI/UX Design at a biotech startup locally, Started IT consulting business in 2009, Intern at a medical diagnostic lab (HDL) since September
Volunteer/Community service: 100+ hours at St. Mary’s Hospital, among others
Summer Activities: Mostly travel with family
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7 (I didn’t think they were great, but my Ph.D English teacher went over them and said they were very good)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9 (my AP Chem teacher who I got to know really well last year)
Teacher Rec #2: 9 (my BC Calc teacher, who apparently writes really good recommendations)
Counselor Rec: 2 (Our counselors have about 100 students each and make no effort to get to know us…probably very generic)
Additional Rec: 10 My mentor from Boston (I’ve worked with him in web design before) wrote a glowing recommendation
Interview: 7 (I think it went ok, but nothing particularly stood out)

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Chemical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): VA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public, Magnet (very competitive, ranked 14th best public HS in USA by Newsweek in 2013 & 12th in 2014)
Ethnicity: White/Middle Eastern
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 250k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): legacy from medical school

Reflection

Strengths: Recommendations, job/work experience, AP scores, Junior/Senior year rigor
Weaknesses: Essays, counselor rec, and ACT (also my sophomore year grades were almost straight B’s)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Honestly I’m not sure…If I had to guess it’s because my grades had kind of a bad year 2 years ago and I haven’t done a lot of involved stuff with clubs at school.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: N/A

General Comments: I honestly didn’t have much hope that I’d get in, so I’m just happy I’ll be considered again.

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nephew96 · December 17, 2014, 3:11am

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2390 (Single Sitting)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: Math II (800), German (780), Physics (790)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.93
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language, Statistics, Calc BC, Physics C (M,E/M), US Gov, US History, Chem (All 5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP English Lit, AP German, AP Bio, Multivariable Calculus, AP Euro, Orchestra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): USAMO Qualifer (2014), USABO Semis, USAPHO Silver, USACO Gold

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Science Club (President), Math Club (VP), Varsity Tennis, JV Basketball, MUN (2 Gavels), Phil. Youth Orchestra (Assistant Principal 2nd Violin)
Job/Work Experience: McDonalds (Junior Year Summer)
Volunteer/Community service: Relay for Life, local nature preserve, taught violin to disadvantaged youngsters in Trenton.
Summer Activities: Work
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10/10 Common App (on visiting Africa on a mission trip, English teacher LOVED IT), 9/10 Yale Supp (on my quirky personality), 5/10 Why Yale (NOT ENOUGH SPACE!!)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10 He is like a brother to me.
Teacher Rec #2: 11/10 She said she RAVED about me
Counselor Rec: 5/10 Generic
Additional Rec: Did not submit (should have)
Interview: 9/10 Went for 2 hours! Interviewer told me that she would write me an excellent report

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Astrophysics
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public Magnet
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 200000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nope!

Reflection

Strengths: Olympiad experience, Teacher recs, Extracurriculars
Weaknesses: Counselor Rec? Indian
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Indian
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to Rutgers

General Comments:
GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU! IF YOU WERE DEFERRED OR REJECTED, JUST REMEMBER THAT THIS DECISION DOES NOT REFLECT YOUR WORTH AS A HUMAN BEING! HAVE A GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE!

deweystront · December 17, 2014, 4:44am

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2160 (750 CR, 720 M, 690 E, 10 essay) Obviously, I didn’t send these scores in.
ACT (breakdown): 35 comp. (36 E, 36 M, 35 CR, 33 S, 12 essay)
SAT II: 800 Math 2 and 800 Chem (Didn’t send these in)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/52
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB (5), Chem (5), Lang (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): none
Senior Year Course Load: Lit, Physics 1, Stats
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Class President Senior Year, Karate instructor, tutor, Lead programmer FRC, debate, Science Olympiad
Job/Work Experience: Worked at a museum
Volunteer/Community service: tutoring, church related stuff
Summer Activities: Research internship at Yale School of Medicine.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Wrote about how I grew up around Yale, done a bunch of stuff at Yale, and was basically a “Yalie” before I even got in.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: generic but good. (Science)
Teacher Rec #2: generic but good. (English)
Counselor Rec: generic but good
Additional Rec: PhD PI from Yale School of Medicine (currently a prof. there)
Interview: Basically killed it. Tried to be as pedantic yet lovable as possible.

Other - none

Applied for Financial Aid?: Hell yeah.
Intended Major: Biomedical engineering
State (if domestic applicant): CT
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: rachet new public school (part of the first graduating class)
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 100k to 120k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
I did a lot of stuff at Yale all my life. I was even taking a class there (through a program at my school) while I was applying.
Reflection:
Turn up swagger. Work hard and stay down from day one.

Strengths: ACT, summer internship, growing up around Yale and stuff
Weaknesses: No Nobel prize or major awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Well, I tried to sound like a caring older brother
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: dunno yet.

General Comments: Kids, make sure your test scores are in the 75th percentile (especially if your Asian). Also, do research and every possible extracurricular at your school. Get a letter of rec from a PhD. It helps a lot.

superangie · December 17, 2014, 7:06am

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): Highest composite - 34 (Superscore was 35); English - 35; Math - 34; Reading - 36; Science - 34
SAT II: Math Level 2 - 800; Korean w/ Listening - 780; US History - 710
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/682
AP (place score in parenthesis): European History (5); Calculus BC w/ AB Subscore (5, 5); US History (5); Language and Composition (5); Psychology (4); Chemistry (3); Computer Science A (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Literature and Composition, AP Government, AP Biology, Principles of Microeconomics (Community College), Intro to Sociology (Community College)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Forensics League All American Academic Award, MTAC Level 10, Various state/regional debate awards, AP Scholar w/ Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Supergirls (Nonprofit; Founder, CEO); Amnesty International (Founder & President); Habitat for Humanity (Founder & President); Speech and Debate program at local junior high school (Head Coach); Piano; Swimming (Varsity)
Job/Work Experience: Intern at Spilt Arts, Tutor
Volunteer/Community service: Intern; Head Coach at local junior high school debate program; clubs; Supergirls
Summer Activities: Internship

Essays (rating 1-10, details):

Common App (10): Talked about how being called a “bitch” as a compliment to my achievements and leadership incited me to become a feminist and activist
Why Yale (7.5-8): It was specific, and I included that a current student at Yale who I view as a role model encouraged me to apply, but I feel like it wasn’t very personal.
Short response (9): It showed my personality, which I think was the purpose for the short responses
Supplementary Essay (10): I talked about my internship, which involved volunteering at a juvenile detention hall facility and working on a writing workshop the nonprofit I intern at holds. Although these girls lived very different lives than me, we still shared many similarities. And most importantly, the internship exposed me to real problems that real people face.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: (10) My Calc teacher said I’m his favorite student and we love to talk about politics together.
Teacher Rec #2: (10) My Lang teacher said he put that I’m the best student he’s had
Counselor Rec: (9) He wrote a letter for me for an application to a program, and it was really awesome.
Additional Rec: (10) My piano teacher loves me.
Interview: (7.5) I think it went well, but it was over the phone and it was really short, so it was hard to tell what the interviewer thought of me.

Other
Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies & Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Korean
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: <$40k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: Nonprofit, Speech & Debate, feminist/activist platform, other EC’s
Weaknesses: Grades (they weren’t straight A’s like a lot of applicants), test scores, awards weren’t particularly amazing
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I’m not sure why I was accepted. I guess was very very very very lucky.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Results aren’t out yet

General Comments: Good luck for RD, and a big congratulations to those who got in!!! Boola boola!! :D

<hr>

billymayshere · December 17, 2014, 3:50pm

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2180 (750 M, 740 R, 690 W)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 690 Math I, 670 Lit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Graduated Salutatorian
AP (place score in parenthesis): did not send
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Most rigorous
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Regional film awards, QuestBridge Finalist (last cycle)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Olympic-style weightlifting club (captain), Film Club, few club sports
Job/Work Experience: Working full-time in at a prestigious non-profit during my gap year, previous computer repair experience, non-medical visual aide (paid), worked with my father throughout high school to help support my family (he was like a handyman) but i didn’t put this in my app
Volunteer/Community service: Peer mentoring, after school tutoring sessions, non-medical visual aide for blind senior citizens
Summer Activities: filmmaking, working
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common app was about the making of my last short film, people who read it really liked it and worked with some dudes to really make it shine—I’d say 9-ish?; Supplement was about why I took a gap year and what I’m doing but why Yale would be better for me than a more arts-oriented/film-oriented school
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Science teacher 10/10 wrote very, very highly of me
Teacher Rec #2: Math teacher 9.5/10 (compared to science rec) spoke about how I got the highest score on a test (99th percentile in state) that almost every student in my school fails and how I spent time in a class I didn’t need in order to help others pass and just to take that test and get that score
Counselor Rec: did not see but I gave her ample time to write a solid one and she said she would so I would hope it was great
Additional Rec: Supplement from my boss whom I work closely with (he is the president of the non-profit) he spoke very highly of me as well. 10/10
Interview: 9/10 the guy was interested in totally different field but we got along just fine—he bought me a nice coffee too :)))))))

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Film Studies
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income Bracket: ~50k-ish
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): low income (large family too which doesn’t help that situation, first-gen, QB finalist (but I didn’t reapply for QB this year), artsy kind of background? (not sure if that’s a hook)

Reflection

Strengths: Scores are within range so I think it was really down to essays and supplements. The films I submitted were not perfect but I think they were good
Weaknesses: SAT II, lack of major awards etc., essay was either love it or hate it imo
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: there were tons of more highly-qualified applicants
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: nowhere else yet

General Comments: Hope this gives future applicants a better sense of how Yale makes decisions. Was at work when the decisions were supposed to be released and an hour before that my ex-gf shows up out of no where—was very awkward LOL but i quickly fixed that. Last time I applied to Yale she was right next to me when I was rejected, this time she was in the office when I was deferred. COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT

ViridisFloe · December 17, 2014, 10:59pm

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): did not take
ACT (breakdown): 35 Composite (36 E, 36 M, 33 R, 36 S, 8 essay)
SAT II: did not take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 1%
AP (place score in parenthesis): US Gov & Politics (5), Chemistry (5), Environmental Science (5), Microeconomics (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: IB 20th Century World Topics, Symphony Orchestra, IB/AP Physics C HL, IB/AP Psychology SL, IB World Literature 2 HL, AP Calculus BC
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Honor, lots of music awards, nothing very significant

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Double bass (I’ve studied music really intensely throughout high school and have put a ton of effort into competitions; member of at least 7 different ensembles), Gay-Straight Alliance (Vice President (11), President (12); helped operate during inaugural year in very conservative community), Philosophy Club (Founder, President), Chemistry Club, NHS
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: Land restoration crew member at local nature center (~50 hours over the summer), NHS (~54 hours so far)
Summer Activities: Music camp
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App: 10/10 – prompt 4, English teacher said it was flawless
Yale Supplement: 9-10/10 – described how I strive to assume the personality of my double bass
Short takes and Why Yale: 8-9/10 – really tried to be genuine with the short takes and talked about ability to pursue both scientific and musical excellence at Yale. 
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: From history teacher whom I’ve worked with since freshman year 10/10. He and I have an amazing relationship.
Teacher Rec #2: Chemistry teacher 9/10. She was really impressed with my work, but our relationship was not very dynamic in class.
Counselor Rec: 9-10/10. She nominated me to be our class male Presidential Scholar nominee (our school only nominates two people, which I guess is different than the way the program works for most).
Additional Rec: None
Interview: Did not have

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Geology & Geophysics, Environmental Studies
State (if domestic applicant): Michigan
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <$50,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None

Reflection

Strengths: Grades, scores, and essays. I really took a long time to diligently write my essays and convey myself as authentically as possible. In them, I focused on topics that are important to me, and I think that really showed.
Weaknesses: Lack of awards, relatively few extracurriculars
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Probably my dedication to music and other causes that I am passionate about. Throughout high school, I focused on things that I enjoyed and tried to do them to the best of my abilities. And I’m sure, a welcome bit of luck.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Yale was the first college I’ve heard back from. Will be waiting for decisions from UMich, Northwestern, and Middlebury.

General Comments:
I’m still in shock. I feel like it hasn’t hit me yet that I was accepted. But I do feel very happy and incredibly fortunate to be in this position. I wish the best to all of those who applied and I know that they will embark on a great journey next fall in the (hopefully) perfect college for them.

Gallory · December 17, 2014, 11:22pm

DECISION: ACCEPTED

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2270 (770M 740CR 760W)

ACT (breakdown): 33 (35M 32R 33W 33S)

SAT II: 730 Biology, 750 World History

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.96UW

Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 11/432

AP (place score in parenthesis): -
HumanGeo, (4)
-World History (5)
-Seminar (5)
-English Lang (4)
-Spanish 4 (5)
-Biology (5)
-Research (5)
-US History (5)
-Stats (5)
-CalcAB (5)

IB (place score in parenthesis):

Senior Year Course Load: Spanish 5, Chem, Calculus BC, English Lit, Government, Psychology, Art History, Economics, CTE Culinary (All APs except for last one b/c my school requires one specialty class, which you decide in 8th grade)

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National AP Scholar (as a junior), NMF, and a bunch of small-scale high school and district wide awards (I won a city leadership award, don’t know if that’s major, but I’m sure it helped)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

—National president of a student led organization (will not reveal for confidentiality purposes)
—Only student representative on school board
—FCCLA <a href=“President%20of%20local%20chapter”>10-12</a>
—Action Plan Team (we make future plans for the school) [10,12]
—Debate Team [11-12]
—Young Politicians of America (founder+president) [10-12]
—Science Bowl [10-12]
—Model UN [11-12]
—Student Senate (founder+president)
—SADD (vice president) [11-12]
—NHS [11-12]
—Freshman Counselor/Mentor [12]
—Mock Trial [11-12]

Job/Work Experience: None

Volunteer/Community service:
~300+ Variety of volunteer hours, but most of which was charity drives or hospital volunteering

Summer Activities: Took precal over the summer from 10-11, summer camp for my national presidency position

Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10/10 I wrote about my trip to Cuba to visit family between freshman and sophomore year, and how seeing the misery in Cuba changed my mindset forever, driving me beyond belief to reach my fullest potential (note: I didn’t care my freshman year in high school). I poured my heart and soul into this essay, spending probably every free minute and sacrificing reading for it, and made various teachers critique it several times each (they got pretty annoyed, but were cool with it nonetheless) before I was satisfied.
Why Yale? 8.5/10 Really liked it, I talked about what Yale can do for me and vice versa
Yale Supplement: 9/10 I’m really invested in helping those who need it and talked about poverty, and I think it showed here

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)

Teacher Rec #1: 9.5/10 AMAZING! I actually was in front him while he was writing it for a, ahem, CONSTANT reminder of how important his recommendation was to my future (it was actually a very enjoyable after school session and he didn’t feel pressured to write anything he didn’t believed as opposed to writing it REALLY well)

Teacher Rec #2: FCCLA sponsor 10/10 AMAZING! Said she’s never seen anyone so motivated. She also talked a lot about how I took charge in planning and carrying out many projects for charity and included others, she also mentioned the time we raised $10K for funding poor schools

Counselor Rec: 9/10 Personally knew her for 2 years, fantastic

Additional Rec: Sponsor for the club where I hold my national president status 10/10 VERY enthusiastic about my position, to say the least

Interview: 9/10 it went really well! We talked about poverty and education (some of my favorite topics). She was ecstatic that I got in

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Heck yes!
Intended Major: Undecided (Looking at political science and premed)
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public, career magnet
Ethnicity: Cuban
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $80K-100K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation, national president, student representative (?)

Reflection

Strengths: Extracurriculars, essays, and recommenations (never underestimate the recs!)
Weaknesses: Class ranking and freshman and sophomore grades, no ECs before sophomore year
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: OMG I DON’T KNOW… It was probably the essays and the recommendations (since that’s where I elaborated on) that put me over the top
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: None yet

General Comments: OH MYYYYYYYYYYYY GOOOOOSH!! I was HOPING for a deferral and fearing a rejection, with only a glimmer of hope for an acceptance. My Christmas is complete!!! To those deferred, good luck on round two!!! Try to do something or submit something that will make he AdComs reconsider their first decision! To those rejected, YOU’VE GOT THIS!! You WILL go somewhere great and you WILL make something amazing out of your life!! If I of all people could gear myself up after a very weak freshman year to get accepted to YALE, then YOU have the potential to be something great. Despite seeing the words, “I’m sorry to inform you…” you’ve got this, and good luck at other colleges!

I’ll see you guys at Bulldog Days!!!

chncsy · December 18, 2014, 1:11am

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2030 (760 CR, 660 Math, 610 Writing)
ACT (breakdown):Didn’t take.
SAT II:680 (Bio) 610 (Math) - Horrendous :((
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (4) US Government and Politics(4) Biology (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, AP Chemistry, AP Psychology, AP Language and Composition, Intro to Engineering Design, Advanced Math
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, Ventures Scholars, few local awards

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):Debate Club (captain), Model United Nations, Peer Leadership (We’re all leaders), School Christian Fellowship, Comp Sci Club (Co-Founder)
Job/Work Experience:Tutor
Volunteer/Community service:Led a summer program for underprivileged, tutor kids at school, other hours from NHS and Peer Leadership
Summer Activities:Summer research at Rutgers
Essays (rating 1-10, details): They were decent 7/10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: AP US History teacher 9/10
Teacher Rec #2: AP Biology teacher 7/10
Counselor Rec:We have a pretty close relationship and I’m in two of her clubs. 9/10
Additional Rec:None
Interview:I could have done better but I thought it went well. 6/10

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:Yes
Intended Major: Mechanical Engineering or Computer Science
State (if domestic applicant):NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:Public
Ethnicity: African American
Gender:Male
Income Bracket: > 50,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):URM, first gen

Reflection

Strengths: URM, first gen
Weaknesses: SAT 2 scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: LOW SAT 2 scores
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted: NJIT

General Comments:
I wish I got in but not everything can go my way. I’m going to just focus on schools with no SAT 2 requirement and hope I get in somewhere good. Dear future applicant, don’t get too emotionally invested into any one school it will pay off in the end.

Mortiary · December 18, 2014, 2:19am

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1980 (WR-690) (CR-680) (M-610)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: Literature 770, US History 720, World History (Scores come in next week)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 Unweighted, 4.66 Weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/126
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Euro (5), APUSH (5), AP Language and Composition (5), AP Psychology (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus, AP Government, AP Chemistry, AP Literature and Composition, AP World History, AP Studio Art, Ethics IV
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar with Honor, Department awards in AP Latin, APUSH, AP Language and Composition, Saint Michael’s Book Award

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Swim Team (Captain, all four years), Club swimmer (9 years), Pianist (Classical/Contemporary, 10+ years), Senior Core Member of religious youth group, Ancient Greek Club (Founder/President), Bible Club, Extracurricular Latin (unable to take a fourth year of AP Latin due to schedule conflict, teacher created study regimen for me), Harry Potter Club (Founder/President, largest club on campus), two seasons of volleyball at the high school level (after injury became head coach of a local middle school varsity team), National Honors Society Executive President
Job/Work Experience: Swim aide
Volunteer/Community service: Animal shelter volunteer, weekly hospital volunteer, Harry Potter Club (I created it with a community service branch as well), religious youth groups
Summer Activities: Volunteering/Community service, took additional history/math courses for fun
Essays (rating 1-10, details): One was about my passion for reading, I received good feed back from peers, faculty and parents (9), Second essay was about the uniqueness of my name and how that ties into identity, probably 8-9 range. Both essays reflected different sides of myself in terms of tone, attitude, and personality.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: (9-10) Teacher knows me extremely well, we connect through similar interests and love of Classics, history, and ancient languages.
Teacher Rec #2: (6-7) Knows me extremely well, my AP Chem/Honors Chem teacher, Varsity Swim coach, only reason it would be a lower rating is because his writing is not too stellar.
Counselor Rec: Wonderful, she knows me very well ( I go to a small school so she was also my AP Psych teacher, and she loves HP)
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Fantastic. I had my interview about a week before decisions so I was a little nervous. We talked about books, Yale, my intended major and everything in between (8.5-9).

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Classics, History, Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Small, Catholic
Ethnicity: Hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: $50,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection

Strengths: Well rounded, SAT IIs, extracurriculars, interview, essays, grades
Weaknesses: SAT I, Lack of major awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: It’s really hard for anyone in my area, or generally my background to even apply to schools at this level. I had a feeling I would not be rejected, but the difference between a deferral and an acceptance is a mystery to me. Sure, I could have had a higher SAT I but I know people who were rejected this round with perfect scores so I suppose its very arbitrary. I guess we’ll see what happens later, but I’m glad I have new information to submit.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

General Comments:

kqguo10 · December 18, 2014, 4:48am

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2340: 740 CR, 800 M, 800 W, 11 essay (superscore), 2320 one sitting
ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
SAT II: 760 Math II, 750 US History, 640 Bio E (ouch, took it freshman year)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB, Calc BC, Euro, APUSH, Music Theory (5s on all)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: very rigorous, taking 5 AP classes
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended, AP Scholar with Distinction (nothing significant)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Piano for 12 years, scholarship student at local conservatory, Speech and Debate (officer/captain 11-12), Mu Alpha Theta (treasurer), Journalism/Radio Club (Co-President), Performing Arts Society (Council Member)
Job/Work Experience: Keyboardist for a musical
Volunteer/Community service: Vice President of local community service club, volunteer at Kaiser Permanente, probably 300 hours total
Summer Activities: Chamber Music program at conservatory, lots of performances
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App (9.5/10), I really liked it because I talked about overcoming indecision through music and a difficult family situation. Yale Supp (7/10), about learning to love music. Short takes (8/10), concise but I think they showed my personality

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: (9 or 10) History teacher; had him for 3 years, and he really liked me. I didn’t read the rec but I imagine it was great.
Teacher Rec #2: (8) Math teacher; had him for 2 years and although I waived my rights I think it was decent
Counselor Rec: (8) She’s new, but very enthusiastic and involved while making an effort to know everybody.
Additional Rec: none
Interview: (7) It was alright. I was pretty nervous but I think I answered well. It was around 45 minutes and there were no particularly memorable moments. We shared the same academic interest so that was a plus.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: English and/or Music
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: F
Income Bracket: <40,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: GPA and course rigor, commitment to extracurriculars
Weaknesses: SAT subject tests, supplemental essay, too stereotypically Asian?
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Honestly I think I just didn’t stand out enough. Looking back I would have written about a different topic for my supplement. Also, Yale doesn’t take kindly to Arts Supplements from what I’ve heard.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Nowhere else yet!

General Comments: I’m so thrilled to see so many amazing people get in. Congrats to all accepted! It’s such an amazing achievement to be accepted by Yale and you all should be proud. :)

fearlessinad · December 18, 2014, 9:11pm

Decision Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT (breakdown): 29 (English 35; Maths 29; Science 28; Reading 25)
SAT II: Math II (800) and French (670)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): n/a
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10% Class size: 64
AP (place score in parenthesis): n/a
IB (place score in parenthesis): HL Arabic Lit (7), HL Economics (7), HL Psychology (6), SL English Lit (6), SL Mathematics (7), SL Physics (7), ToK (A), Extended Essay (B)
Senior Year Course Load: Very rigorous
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Distinguished Scholarship of His Highness the President

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Body president, Varsity cross-country running, Varsity swimming, diving, Chairperson of Prom Committee, Model United Nations (Marketing team)
Job/Work Experience: Worked as a reporter for the Supreme Court (Winter of 2013)
Volunteer/Community service: Building huts in Cambodia, teaching English in Thailand, conducting research on improving eldercare services in the capital, and many others.
Summer Activities: Backpacking around Western Europe in '12, Northern Italy in '13, and New England in '14 
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App Essay (9/10, picked the first prompt, and I felt content since it captured the essence of myself). Why yale and short Qs (6/10, I felt restrained by the word limit. It was not enough for me to be reflective.) Supplemental essay (7/10, I could have related it more to my major of interest)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Physics teacher. We have a close relationship, since she taught me for three years. But I didn’t read it so I have no idea
Teacher Rec #2: Psychology teacher. Did great in her course, except she only taught me in junior year.
Counselor Rec: I guess it’s alright. Didn’t see that one either.
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: It went on for more than three hours, which may be a good thing.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Economics and Mathematics
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): United Arab Emirates
School Type: One of the top private schools of the capital
Ethnicity: Middle-Eastern
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: >$250,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection

Strengths: CommonApp essay. I really worked hard on it.
Weaknesses: ACT scores probably
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Low ACT scores
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted: London School of Economics, Deferred: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

General Comments:
To all those who got deferred, look at it in the bright side: Now you get the chance to apply to other colleges. The process may be tedious, but think of it as a way to get to know yourself better. Best of luck in round two! And congrats to the ones who got accepted. Just from reading your comments, I could tell that you’re exceptional people!

cvisser96 · December 18, 2014, 11:45pm

Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 32 (E 35, M 32, R 33, S 29, W 10)
SAT II: Math I 740, US History 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.25 (unweighted unknown)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 9/295
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Calc AB Subscore (5), BC (4), Eng Lang (4), Human Geography (5), US (5), World (5), AP Physics B and Chem did not report
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Environmental Science, AP Comparative Government, AP English Lit, AP US Government, Health&PE, ITE 119 dual enrolled, AP French, and AP Euro self-study
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Eagle Scout, Congressional Award Silver Medalist, Military Child of the Year 2014 Top-5 Finalist, Rock the Statue Green American-French Embassy Semi-Finalist, Gold Level Presidential Volunteer Service Award, AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Scholarship Commended, West Point Leadership Award, VA Boys State Lt. Governor Party Nomination Runner-Up, National Honor Society (Sec.), 2015 US Senate Youth Program Virginia Delegate

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Varsity Swim Team 10-12 (Captain, VHSL 3rd Place Boys Team)
Varsity Forensics 9-12 (Captain, VHSL 3rd Place Prose Interp)
Student Council Association 9-12 (9-Class Treasurer, 10-Class Rep, 11 School VP, 12- School Pres)
Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society 11-12 (Special Events Coordinator)
Boy Scouts 1-12 (Senior Patrol Leader among other things)
Model United Nations 10-12 (Research Chair, Best Delegate at Maggie Walker and William&Mary conferences)
Student2Student (transfer student group) 9-12 (Founder at new high school and President 10-12, Frances Hesselbein Student Leadership Program Participant) 
EqualizeOurEarth Humanitarian Club 10-12
Société Honoraire de Français and French Club 9-12 (VP-12)
Freshmen Orientation Crew (freshmen mentoring) 11-12 (Captain-12)
VA Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Seminar 10-12 (Ambassador-10, Junior Staff and Leadership4Service Keynote Speaker-11, Team Alumni-12, Alumni Association Public Relations and Recruitment Team Board Member 11,12)

Job/Work Experience:
Lifeguard at an indoor retirement community’s health club and spa’s pool year-round 10-12 (15-19 hrs/wk)
AidData Research Assistant at the College of William&Mary, mapping aid to developing countries, its implantation and effectiveness
School Division Honors Project, an oral history project of my town

Volunteer/Community service:
Probably near the thousands if I add up all four years. I did 350 hours junior year.
KidZone, elementary afterschool program 9
Missouri Special Olympics 9
Eagle Scout Service Project 9/10
Chemical Corps Regimental Association 9 (Volunteer of the Year 2012)
Freshmen O-Crew 11-12 (Captain)
Therapeutic Horseback Riding Center Weekly Volunteer 10-12
French, English and History Honor Society Tutor
National History Day Projects middle school mentor 11-12
Capernaum Special Needs Club Volunteer 10-12
Summer League Swim Team Volunteer Assistant Coach 11-12
Honors Project Community Service Element, introducing technology to the lives of aging adults 11-12
VA HOBY Alumni Association, VA HOBY Seminar Junior Staff

Summer Activities:
Lifeguarding Job
Virginia Boys State
Volunteering
Nicaraguan Mission Relief Trip
Stanford Online’s International Women’s Health and Human Rights for no credit

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App- 7/10 about growing up in a military family,
Yale Sup- 8.5/10 I told a story of a WWII veteran I work with and how my job taught me to love history as the stories people tell and not just words read from a textbook.
Yale Short Takes- 9/10 very personal, probably the most revealing of the app

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: AP Human/APUSH teacher, swim coach, rho kappa and EqualizeOurEarth sponsor- didn’t read, but assume 10/10
Teacher Rec #2: Student2Student sponsor and librarian who mentors my online classes (AP Environ, Comp Gov and World last year), knows me very well and was a military brat- didn’t read but assume 10/10
Counselor Rec: Knows me very well, work with him often, told me he spent over an hour writing and editing (which at a public school like mine is incredible)- didn’t read but assume it was also 10/10.
Additional Rec: Did not submit
Interview: Was not contacted

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Ethnicity/Race/ and Migration and Women’s/Gender and Sexuality Studies and History
State (if domestic applicant): VA
Country (if international applicant): N/A
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: M
Income Bracket: ~115,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection:
I was sincerely disappointed.
Honestly, I was upset and surprised I wasn’t deferred. But I respect Yale’s decision, and I’m beginning to feel comfortable with knowing it’s for the best. I fell in love with Yale when I visited. The incredible, humble and passionate student body propelled me to apply early action.
Four girls were admitted to Princeton early from my school (two below my rank and two above), which is really unprecedented. I’m so proud to be part of such an amazing class of high school graduates!

Strengths: ECs, Service, Awards, Recs
Weaknesses: Test Scores, Test Scores, Test Scores (taking the ACT again in Feb), essays and Bs in AP Physics B/Physics Lab and AB Calculus.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: No idea
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: No where yet

General Comments:
Congratulations to all those admitted!
The outpouring of love and thoughtful notes from those who actually know me assures me that it is nothing personal. I don’t know what’s next. But honestly, it’s going to be pretty exciting undiscoverable adventure for the next few months!
I just want to help people. All I’ve ever really wanted to do is serve. And I know I don’t have to go to Yale to do that; I’ve been doing it for years without Yale even in the picture. I guess there’s just somewhere else that needs my rays of sunshine more than New Haven.

polisciguy26 · December 20, 2014, 6:04am

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 34
SAT II: 800 Chemistry, 780 US History, 760 Math II, 760 World History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 2
AP (place score in parenthesis): Psych (5), World History (5), Chemistry (5), Eng Lang (5), Comparative Gov (5), Human Geo (5), Stats (5), US History (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Government, Calculus BC, Economics, Physics, Literature (all AP/honors)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National AP Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Government, 2-sport varsity athlete, Interact (Rotary)
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities: Congressional Intern
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App (7/10), Yale Essay (7/10)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 7/10 Teacher respected me, but I didn’t see the rec
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10 Teacher really liked me, but didn’t see the rec
Counselor Rec: 7/10
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: 8/10 interview went really well!!!

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public ~3000
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: M
Income Bracket: >150K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: ECs, AP scores
Weaknesses: Possibly my essays and recs, test scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

General Comments: Congratulations to everyone who was accepted! Wasn’t too surprised by the decision, but I’m excited to hear from Yale again in the spring.

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