Here are a few answers for those that wanted to know. I just called because I had questions of my own and it is my daughter that applied.
Yale and Yale-NUS are two entirely different schools with different processes in their decisions.
Although you can apply to Yale-NUS through Yale, it is not the same school ultimately.
You need to send in your SAT/Subject tests to Yale-NUS as if it were an entirely different college. Yale does not send them for you. VERY IMPORTANT! WE DID NOT KNOW THIS!!
The percentage of those interviewed is a myth. They try to interview all applicants same as Yale- there is no presort or “15%” as implied in other posts. I flat out asked this question. Those that do not get an interview, the lack of one means nothing- it just means they were unable to get to you and it will have no negative bearing on the decision process. I hope this helps.
@memmsmom are you sure…? from reading the website It seems that you must get an interview to have your application still be considered… they say that they DO shortlist applicants, it’s not just as many as they can
I straight up asked that question. I asked if there was any significance that my daughter had an interview. I was straight up told that they try to interview all candidates but that it is not always possible. I even then changed the way I asked to make sure they didn’t think I was implying that she had not had one. I said,“I had heard that only a percentage of students get interviews and does that increase her chances of acceptance?” and she assured me that they like Yale try to give everyone a chance to interview. On another note- we did not know that we had to send scores from SAT/Subject tests because Yale did not . Apparently she was interviewed based on the raw common app and no consideration of SAT or subject tests. That would also lead me to think it was not as rare to get an interview.
@memmsmom Sorry, but you are perpetuating false information. The admissions officer I had an interview with straight out told me that they interview only the most viable applicants-- that is, after all, what shortlisting is all about. If you don’t believe me, don’t look further than Yale’s FAQ for Yale-NUS where shortlisting is explicitly mentioned. You might have spoken with a student who works part time in admissions and by some chance missed this part about the Yale-NUS admission process…
Just to add onto what @cantab1 wrote: when I logged onto my application status page a few weeks ago, I recall seeing “Congratulations” written at the top for being shortlisted, implying that only a select number of applicants receive the interview invite. Furthermore, the email with the interview invite directly stated, “An interview is vital to the admissions process and required if you wish to be considered for admission.”
@Memmsmom Thank you though for taking the time to call them and posting the information that you received to answer some questions, even if no one is really certain of its legitimacy
Truly I have nothing to gain but offering what I was told because we are past that part ourselves. My reason for calling in the first place had nothing to do with this as my daughter already had both her Yale and Yale-NUS interview. I know you all talk about it and wonder and post about this so I flat out asked. I was not on the phone with Yale. I called Yale-NUS directly because we were told that they are two entirely different colleges for their admissions process. I called because she had simply clicked a box on common app and I wanted to know more about what she was potentially getting herself into.
Just to add to previous posters, an interview is essential to be considered for admission. It bears a much stronger weighting than those for most US colleges. It’s pretty obvious from the fact that only those who get an interview can access financial aid forms, no? However if you don’t get one, it’s still possible to be wait-listed.
@Regenerated At the end of my interview the interviewer told me that he would be in touch with me ‘soon’. Were you contacted by the interviewer/someone else from the college after your interview and before your admissions decision?
I think by soon, they mean on March 20, the day when they release admission decisions. My interviewer made it very clear that we would find out on March 20.
@advk18 Yeah by that they meant they’ll be in contact with your decision on D-Day
But I did get an email a couple of days after my interview from Financial Aid asking me to clarify certain points as they were working on my aid package which pretty much gave it away.
@regenerated Don’t get my hopes up haha- FA contacted me three days after the interview asking me to submit additional documentation. I guess we’ll see whether there’s some correlation in a months time…
@steinway Oooooh Haha was that your parent’s tax returns though? By additional info, I mean they asked me about extra spending habits which they didn’t require originally.
@advk18 It hasn’t happened yet! It’s in April, so I think if you guys get in we’ll be going to the same one! Also, it took like 3 weeks for my SAT scores to show.
It’s been way more than three weeks for me… Almost 1.5 months! I had contacted them about it before they said they had received the scores and that my Application Management page will be updated shortly. Worried that maybe I am rejected so they dont care anough to update my page lol
I had my Yale-NUS interview over Skype last week and it was the shortest (40 minutes) and worst interview out of all my interviews lol. It was at 11 PM California time and I had just returned from my church’s snow retreat, so maybe that’s why. I’m not expecting to get in but I’m not too worried because I’ve already received likely letters from Wellesley and UPenn! Singapore would have been awesome, but I think my undergraduate years would be best spent in the US.
