Yale or Amherst; passion or passion?

Hi, I’m so lost I could use some advice. With a 1530 in the SAT, 7 As 2As in my O-levels and all As in my A1 Transcript, I’m really finding it hard to choose between applying ED to Yale or Amherst. My counselor’s suggested I should go for the safer option, Amherst ED, while my family wants me to go for Yale ED, considering I could always apply to Amherst RD. I am caught up in a dilemma and could use some input.

Academic interests?

Astrophysics, nuclear physics

Have you considered MIT or CalTech ?

I want to apply to a school that is need blind because I’ll be requiring financial aid. Amherst’s and Yale’s provide substantial financial aid that I’ll be requiring.

Apply ED to the school–Amherst or Yale–that you prefer as your numbers are quite strong.

Why do you think Amherst is a safer option than Yale? They both are incredibly difficult to get into. I would suggest applying ED to the one that you would really prefer to attend.

In case that you might want suggestions for RD (dare I say, in planning for deferrals at Yale and Amherst), Princeton is need-blind, gives substantial FA and very strong in physics and astronomy (for example, last year James Peebles won a Nobel in "for theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology.”). There is no SCEA at Princeton this cycle, only one application deadline for RD.

…but for physics/astro, why Yale > Harvard?

After the ED round, look at need-award schools like Duke, Colgate, Vassar, Davidson, Swarthmore- all have strong programs and are generous to international students.

Isn’t acceptance rate a good indicator of whether it is easier or harder to get into a college?

I think Harvard is more tough to get into.

When looking at elites, the odds are against the best of kids.

I believe you are looking at 1,000 more students in an incoming class at Yale. That alone could make for a much different experience. Try to figure out which one offers what you feel will allow you to best thrive.

I agree with OP that Amherst is a safer bet. For one, SCEA at Yale does not provide as much of a boost as ED at Amherst (or elsewhere). Amherst tends to admit noticeably more students, and last year Yale’s SCEA admit rate was ~13% compared to Amherst’s ~35% ED admit rate. Additionally, Amherst’s average test scores are a bit lower than Yale’s .

Of course, that’s not to say that it’s a walk in the park to get into Amherst, especially for international students. It’s quite possible for a student to be admitted at Yale but rejected at Amherst.

“Isn’t acceptance rate a good indicator of whether it is easier or harder to get into a college?”

Well, yes and no. You’re talking shades of grey when it comes to the tippy top colleges. They’re all phenomenally hard to get into.

But it’s much more than telling us your stats. Do you understand what the “holistic” process is? Your stats alone are not what determines any chance of an admit. Have you done the research to figure where you will best fit and thrive, while matching what they look for?

You have A level and O level exams. Are you an international student? Or are you a US citizen educated in an international system?

If you are an international applicant, and you need aid, then neither of those places are remotely safe. How is it that you and your parents have decided that either of them are good places for you? What kind of advising, exactly, have you been getting?

If you need aid, there is no guarantee that either of these will prove affordable for your family. The financial aid offer will be based on what the institution thinks your family needs, not on what you and your family think you need. Are you applying anywhere that you know is affordable so that you have options in case you have to turn down an ED admission because the aid package isn’t good enought?

@happymomof1 Yes, I’ll be an international applicant. I’d been saving the safer US chools for RD, and worse comes to worst I don’t get in any of them either, I’ll just attend any of the good universities in my country, I’m not too worried about that. I just want to make sure I give the good ones in USA a shot, and even if I don’t get in for any ED or RD, I’ll still have other places here.

Yale does not have ED, only EA, so between the two, Amherst could potentially give you a bump b/c ED is binding. However, they’re two very different schools, so choose the environment you’d be more comfortable in.

If you want to “give the good ones in USA a shot,” it pays to be informed enough, to know as much as you can about them, what they value and look for in candidates. Otherwise, you’re flying blind. These top colleges expect you to do the work to get an accurate picture of them, make an informed decision about applying, at all.

You’d have to understand the differences between the two, their environments, and what it really takes to capture a reviewer’s attention.

The Amherst option is not “safer.” Early admits, (as at Yale,) will be those who fully match what the college wants. Do you have an understanding of what that is? Again, it’s not just stats, which is all you’ve shared here.

It will be important for you to apply to colleges that meet demonstrated financial need for all accepted students, irrespective of national origin. These colleges represent a different, but overlapping, group from those that are need-blind with respect to admissions.