<p>My main problem is my transcript...I totally slacked off during HS and got A's and B's through junior year. I'm definitely going to get all A's senior year, though, so that should show some improvement.</p>
<p>GPA: 3.89 weighted..."A" average
PSAT: 1950/2400
SAT: 2020/2400
Prospective Major: English (emphasis on fiction writing)
Extracurricular activities: I've done extensive community service since age ten, totalling approximately a hundred hours a year. I also founded the international Week of Silence, an organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness about sexual violence. I am in the process of publishing my first novel...it is expected to be published when I am seventeen. I attended the Elizabeth Daniels Squire Writers-In-Residence Program at Peace College, took four years of voice lessons, three years of ballet and modern lessons, nine years of piano lessons, and twelve years of chorus. </p>
<p>I expect my SAT to be over 2300 next time I take it...my PSAT rose by approximately 400 points between testing periods. I am a superior essayist, so that should be pretty strong.</p>
<p>This year's schedule(junior):</p>
<p>Int-Adv Modern Dance
Hon Integrated Math III
French II
Adv Women's Choir
Hon Chemistry
AP US History
AP English III</p>
<p>Next year's schedule(senior):</p>
<p>AP Psychology
AP English IV
Hon Integrated Math IV Quantitative
Fiction Writing
Independant Study Novelism
Film and Video
Adv Women's Choir</p>
<p>The only thing holding me back is my grades. Do you think that the admissions counselors would look more highly upon my application if they see significant improvement between the grades of junior and senior year? I am considering applying Early Decision/Action--do you think this is wise?</p>
<p>Thank you for your advice. If there is anything else that you need to know, just comment and I will elaborate.</p>
<ol>
<li>Don't create two related topics</li>
<li>Weighted GPA is very low</li>
<li>It doesn't matter what grades you'll have your senior year. My UW GPA is 3.8, senior year have all As and W GPA 4.67 (vs 4.0 my junior year). UCSD and UCLA rejected me...</li>
</ol>
<p>Senior year grades and activities will have little to no impact. If you pubilshed a blockbuster novel with critical aclaim, maybe. Otherwise, very low chances. Yale doesn't want to hear about how you could have done better if you'd wanted to. 100 hours a year of community service is not extensive at all. That's 2 hours a week.</p>
<p>The kid who got in from my class did not get all A's (maybe one B), he also had a lot of leadership positions in school and out. Hope it helps...</p>
<p>Unless if your writing is REALLY REALLY REALLY good (like good enough to get you a contract with an international publishing company) your chances look slim. :</p>
<p>OK, final decision. I'm just going to apply to four instate schools (UNC Asheville, UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Greensboro, and Appalachian State) and go there for two years, before TRANSFERRING to Yale. I'm confident that if I was motivated and worked hard, I could get pretty good grades in college. </p>
<p>Does this sound more realistic? I looked back and realized just how unrealistic it would be for me to get into an Ivy as a frosh.</p>
<p>You should still have a reasonable reach school. If you do well on your SATs, even though Yale is a big reach, just apply to see what happens. A reach school isn't supposed to be realistic, it just can't be astronomical. Admissions is a funny game. Reach, match, safety . . .</p>
<p>
[quote]
I'm just going to apply to four instate schools (UNC Asheville, UNC Chapel Hill, UNC Greensboro, and Appalachian State) and go there for two years, before TRANSFERRING to Yale.
[/quote]
Don't be like that. Don't be stuck on Yale for your entire life.</p>
<p>The chances of transferring to Yale under those credentials is slim to none. They just don't take many transfers. The ones they do take are from comparable universities and LACs. Try Wellesley, Smith, and Mt Holyoke. By virtue of being all women, the competition is cut in half, and you still get a top notch education with some hope of a transfer if you still want to.</p>
<p>Apply to Mt. Holyoke. It shares classes with Amherst and IMO, Amherst is better than Yale.</p>
<p>Many of my friends who have gone to Yale have transferred out of it, stating that it turned out to be the exact opposite of what they perceived it to be.</p>
<p>first off, just as a precaution do not ever expect an SAT to rise by 400 points…its just really not that likely to happen, especially considering you have already taken PSATs (so its not like you haven’t worked with the test before). an increase of about 100 points is much more likely…and secondly, don’t rely too heavily on writing skills for essays on the SAT. they don’t take into account your talent as a writer or even your ability to effectively argue your point unless it basically fits what criteria they already have and how long the essay is–i’m very talented writing-wise as well and all my SAT essays are well-constructed, etc, but they don’t usually get the marks i expect</p>
<p>that being said, there is no downside to applying to Yale. yes, you don’t have the highest grades or hardest classes, but being published (particularily if the publisher is well known) could be a huge draw-Yale, and schools like it, always want to take people who they think are going to end up well-known, and being published before college could be a huge hook!</p>
<p>just don’t let yourself end up heartbroken if you don’t get in.</p>
<p>p.s.-if you do apply, and are offered an interview: DO NOT tell the interviewer that you ‘slacked off’ in high school. if you were focusing on writing, tell them that. obviously, don’t lie, but there is nothing that discourages interviewers more than kids who slack off for no reason!</p>