A couple questions:
You should take the questions seriously and not answer flippantly, but you can certainly use humor. Here are several examples from my son’s application five years ago.
In both cases, my son could have just answered the question tersely, but using humor allowed his personality to come through. IMHO, your goal should be to use the character limit to the max and not just list two words such as “Honesty and determination.”
If my early morning counting of small letters isn’t in error, I think the new limits would cut your son’s responses before “Manhattan” on the first response and the full date on the second, Gibby. OP, I don’t think you have much choice but to allow yourself to not use full complete sentences.
@IxnayBob: Not sure why Yale Admissions gave so little space this year, but you are correct. My son’s responses would be cut-off halfway through. On the other hand listing words such as “Honesty and determination” takes up 25 characters, so what’s left to say? I guess Yale this year wants terse replies, as 50 characters leaves little room for complete sentences or humor.
@gibby, I wonder what the purpose was in making it so incredibly short. Perhaps they figure that the applicants have had years of experience writing essays, let’s see what they can do in this short form. I pretended to answer the prompts myself, and it is a different kind of exercise when you are reduced to almost grunting the responses. Strangely, I found that I had to be more committed to the answer without the ability to explain, couch carefully, etc.
Otoh, the AOs might have simply appealed to the powers that be that, with application numbers going up, let’s reduce the amount of reading we have to do 
Personally, I think Yale should eliminate this trifling exercise. What’s its purpose? To give something for the readers to snicker or to give them a giggle during an otherwise boring day? I’m at a loss to see what can be truly gained by a reader.
The opinion will be formed one way or another and the little 50 character line will simply be confirmation bias. I think they’re trash and should be eliminated
@gibby @T26E4 @IxnayBob Thank you all for the advice and insight. Indeed, I’m having a lot of difficulty trying to sound like a coherent human being at all when crafting these responses. I managed to allow some of my personality to shine through in the “What can’t you live without” question. I suppose this means I’ll really have to nail the supplementary essay.
One more question: any advice for the why Yale response of 100 words? I understand I should avoid the obvious and the cliché (residential system, prestige, faculty, etc etc etc), but how specific is too specific? I once read a very interesting piece in the Yale Daily News (or was it the Yale Herald?) discussing the changing literary theories in the English department over the years, and how Yale has always been a hotbed and innovator for that kind of conversation. I’m very interested in different theories, and am prospective English major. I’d like to discuss how Yale’s willingness to adapt and its constant search for new and better theories matches my own personal drive and enthusiasm in literature. It essentially all boils down to how Yale’s mindset on education mirrors my own. However, something about that just feels off to me and I can’t quite pinpoint what. Perhaps it’s too vague?
I suppose what I am trying to say is should I opt for a more standard approach (talk about the different clubs, a specific program, etc) or would it be all right to take my current route? Or am I missing the point completely? Somehow I don’t feel like I’m answering the prompt with that response.
I sympathize with you. I think the “Why Yale” question is equally useless and should be done away with. I don’t know what advice I can give you
Kasami, while I don’t know what admissions looks for in the why Yale responses, your idea sounds like a good one to me as it relates both to Yale and to something you care about.
For what it’s worth, in my view even some of the more obvious topics can still be good too, like the residential college system, which I think is pretty unusual and for some students a good reason to be interested in Yale specifically. There are of course a few schools comparable to Yale in resources, prestige etc.but as far as I know none of them have a four year residential college system comparable to Yale’s.
Here’s a tip for the “Why this college” question. Every college has unique traditions, events, and programs that you won’t find at another school. You can find out about those things by reading the student newspaper or doing a google search. Yale actually makes this quite easy by supplying a webpage dedicated to only-at-Yale specifics: http://admissions.yale.edu/only-at-yale. Look through the webpage and see what interests you. That’s a good place to start.
It might sound like a cliche, but I would suggest you write as honestly as possible. Why do you want to go to Yale? My son wrote about the great combinations it offers - academic resources of a major research university combined with the personal attention and connections of the residential colleges; a global center for knowledge combined with being a vital part of the fabric of a small(ish) city; faculty and peers who combine brilliant intellects with appreciation for a wide range of extra-curricular interests. Nothing earth-shattering but a clear summation of what it is about Yale that inspired him to apply there early over every other school.
He also found the short takes a refreshing opportunity for self-reflection that didn’t have to be protracted into over-analysis as he feels is the case with a lot of college application essays. I enjoyed the small glimpses into his own self-assessment these answers provided and was glad that they tended to complement the attributes he wrote about in the longer pieces.
I think the "Why this college " questions are weeders. They tell admissions whether you actually bothered to research the school – and many people don’t. It probably matters that your answer shows some thoughtfulness, but otherwise the question is pretty meaningless.
My son is struggling with the Yale essay. I’ve suggested he speak to his experience growing up with an older brother who has Autism but I’m not sure if that would be viewed as too sensitive a subject?..
It certainly has informed his relationships and his world view but he’s not sure…
Any thoughts?
^^ While that may be a good topic for a supplemental essay, it’s not appropriate for a “Why Yale” essay. Admissions is looking to see if student’s have done their due diligence and want to know what attracts them to the school. Specifically, what makes Yale different than Harvard, Princeton, Brown, Williams, Pomona, etc – that kind of thing. Here, I’ll give you an example. This was the start of my son’s response five years ago
He then went on to describe what Yale would offer him that he couldn’t find at another college – specifically Harvard. I’d rather not reveal the rest of his essay, as I don’t want to encourage student’s to copy his answer, but to come up reason’s of their own.
I think she is talking about the Yale supplemental essay and not the why Yale one.
^^ As I said, it might be a good topic for a supplemental essay. It all depends on the content of the essay, what is said, how it’s said, and the overall “tone” of the the piece. My suggestion would be to write a first draft and see where it takes him.
Thank you for the feedback. Yes it’s the supplemental not the “Why Yale”.
Currently stuck as ACT composite score is ready to go but waiting on writing and score can’t be sent until that’s in.
ACT rep suggested my son send in PDF of composite score until complete score is available.
Has anyone had this issue? Luckily Yale does electronic so once score is complete it can be submitted quickly.
Sorry to reopen this thread. Technically my question should be submitted under a new discussion, but I didn’t want the offer to be completely open ended.
Basically, I’m a little curious. I know UChicago loves the creative and the descriptive and philosophical when it comes to essays, but what about Yale? I always see the classic format of “describe an event with an anecdote and then explicitly state the impact” but that’s not even close to how I write and every time I try it ends up sounding insincere and generally meh. I personally really like my common app, but I’m a little concerned I lack focus as to who I really am. Is there anyone out there willing to take a look at it? Perhaps one of the parents/experts? @gibby @T26E4 @IxnayBob
I understand if busy schedules don’t allow, or you simply don’t read essays from CC’ers. Perfectly understandable. It’s just that I’ve already asked my English teachers for critique but they haven’t really given any suggestions for improvement. They just say they like it.
My schedule doesn’t permit me to read student essays and make comments. However, here’s a tip:
UChicago isn’t necessarily looking for creative and philosophical responses. What I think they are looking for is authenticity. They are looking for students who are real, students who are willing to reach out to others, student’s who would be good roommates. In fact all colleges are looking for the same thing. Watch this video from a Stanford Admissions officer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UYhTylqC9o. Yale (and U Chicago) are looking for the same things as Stanford, and after all the academics have been gone over, the decision often comes down to the really subjective questions, such as “Are you a nice person?” So, ask your English teachers these questions:
I hope that helps.
@gibby Thank you for the helpful tips. I think I’ve just gotten caught up in reading other examples like ones from JHU which don’t necessarily reflect my own personal style. I’ve tried to be authentic as I can and I suppose in the long run, that’s the most anyone can really do.