****YALE UNIVERSITY CLASS OF 2021 SCEA RESULTS****

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
21

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 36 (36E, 35M, 36R, 35S)
SAT II: 800 (Biology - Ecology), 780 (US History)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): Bio (4), World History (5), Chemistry (5), US History (5), Physics C (tbd), Macroeconomics (tbd), Microeconomics (tbd), Calculus BC (tbd), French (tbd)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP French Language, AP Physics C, AP Calculus BC, AP Economics, NL English, Honors Chorus
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Presidential Volunteer Service Award (gold), National Merit Semi-Finalist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Social Justice Club (founder, President), Habitat for Humanity Club (founder, President), Student-Led A Cappella group (Music Director, Leader), Varsity Volleyball (Co-Captain), Student-Faculty Senator
Job/Work Experience: Teaching Assistant at Elementary Math Classes, Teaching Assistant at science exploration classes for kids, Camp Counselor at Chinese Culture camp
Volunteer/Community service: 250+ hours completed in the summer before Junior year through volunteer work at three hospitals
Summer Activities: Interned at immigrant advocacy nonprofit (junior), volunteered at three hospitals (sophomore)
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Why EPE Major: 8
Why Yale: 8, talked about specific classes & teachers and general sense of possibility at Yale
Community: 7, talked about being a varsity volleyball captain and the difficulties that came with the role
Something you love to do: 10, wrote about interacting with strangers and their differing perspectives at coffee shops

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 10, advisor to my Social Justice Club, known me for all 4 years of high school, teacher and a friend
Teacher Rec #2: 7, AP Bio teacher from sophomore year. We get along super well personality-wise even though I didn’t do great in his class…
Counselor Rec: 7, my counselor handles 100+ recs each year
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: interviewer was really nice, graduated from Yale in the 80s. Mostly talked about her interests, which included things like urban gardening and mental health initiatives. Conversation flowed well!

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: Ethics, Politics, and Economics
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Large Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: test scores, # of APs and Honors classes taken, clear commitment to activism
Weaknesses: GPA, some essays were kinda last minute and not very unique
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: definitely my overall dedication to social justice activism. my application was really centered on that and my essays, recs, extracurriculars all show my passion for it.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Haven’t heard back from any other schools yet!

General Comments :
Honestly still at a loss of words. I completely prepared myself for a rejection and cried for almost 2 hours after reading the acceptance letter. Can’t wait to be a bulldog next year! :slight_smile:

22

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2370 (800M,780CR,790W)
ACT (breakdown):N/A
SAT II:800 Math, 800 US History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 8/712
AP (place score in parenthesis):Stats (5), Calc AB (5), Lang (5), Psych (5), European History(5), World History (4), US History (4), Physics I (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Micro/Macro, AP US Government, AP Latin, AP Lit, AP Comp Sci, AP Bio
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
Statewide winner of a few small math competitions, Finalist in some writing competitions, National AP Scholar, National Merit Semi-finalist, Placed in an Investing Competition (Nothing really major which kinda worried me)
Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Founder and president of a school wide investment club. We participate in several investment competitions and have had US congressman and local business-people give speeches.
Class President
Vice President of NHS
Volunteered at senate campaign for a summer
Varsity Track and field (Letterman)
Literary Magazine editor-in-chief
Volunteered at local elementary school three hours a week for all 3 years including 2 summers

Job/Work Experience:Worked for a political candidate extensively. Worked at Ingles for a short period
Volunteer/Community service: LOTS of volunteering with various organizations. Primarily through my school or through political venues.

Summer Activities: Volunteering and Working. I attended some educational seminars but no real summer programs
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10 I feel like all of my essays were genuine which is the important thing that they can be.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1:10/10 From Latin teacher that I had for several years. Kindest woman that I ever met and she really vouched for me through this whole process.
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10 From a Language Arts teacher. She witnessed a lot of growth in me both in character and in writing. She is the second kindest woman that I ever met:D

Counselor Rec:10/10 She took the time to get to know me and said that her recommendation for me was her best one in years.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: 9/10 Started off awkwardly but I ended up really connecting with her. She only made me love the school even more.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:Yes
Intended Major: EEP
State (if domestic applicant):Georgia
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Very large public (3000+)
Ethnicity:Other (Kazakh)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Middle
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Maybe unique background?

Reflection

Strengths:Essays, Recommendations, Academics
Weaknesses :Extracurriculars, Awards
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:I think that my genuine enthusiasm for learning showed in my application.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Haven’t applied anywhere else yet.

General Comments :I am so blessed to have the opportunity to continue my education at Yale. I know that I thought that Yale wouldn’t take me because I was all over the place and had no real plan for my future but thankfully they proved me wrong. My advice would be to just work hard at doing what you love and you will have no regrets in this college application process.

23

[asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted [/color][/size]

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1580, 8/8/8 (this was my fourth time, but the others were comparable - long story…)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: Math II - 800, Spanish - 770
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 101.03 weighted, not sure what that might be on 4.0 scale
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/87
AP (place score in parenthesis): U.S. History (5), English Lang. & Comp. (5), Physics C: Mechanics (5), Macroeconomics (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP U.S. Gov. & Politics, AP English Lit. & Comp., AP Spanish 4, AP Calculus, Cell Biology, Debate, German, Thinking Through Film, Christian Worldview (yes, that is a class, and it is required)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, a bunch of state academic and speech awards in a private school association competition (probs doesn’t mean much)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Design & Engineering Club (Co-founder and President), Drum Line (Section Captain), Student Gov. Rep. (just 12th), Academic Team, Life Group Leader, NHS, Cross-country
Job/Work Experience: Summer research intern (just 4 weeks)
Volunteer/Community service: About 150 hours total w/ several local organizations
Summer Activities: 11th - 4 weeks in a lab, then 3-week course at Columbia (Economics of Financial Crises); 12th - 2 months at a language school and missions base in Oaxaca, Mexico
Essays (rating 1-10, details): CA Personal Essay: 9.5/10 - wrote a kinda intense essay about my Christian heritage, experiences at Columbia, and how they influenced/developed my view of my Sikh aunt’s newborn baby. It was a tad bit risky, but they apparently didn’t have a problem with it (and maybe even liked it ha).
Academic Interests essay: 9/10 - I have a very clear vision for my future, combining medicine and economics, so I just wrote about that.
Why Yale?: 6/10 - I thought it was crap, just talked about how I seem to fit the Yale culture based on my experiences with students in my visits.
Short Takes: 10/10 - I was super impressed with my responses to these. I think I came off as a really chill dude, also managed to talk about my time in Mexico and my love for William James :slight_smile:
Community essay: 9/10 - I risked it and talked about how I pushed back (politely lol) against my school’s not-so-mainstream science curriculum.
Loving learning essay: 8/10 - Hayek’s Road to Serfdom as a catalyst for the progression of my passion for economics.
Wow, you probs didn’t want to hear all that, sorry.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10 History teacher I had for 3 years - I actually read this one.
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10 Drumline director for 7 years, math teacher for 2 - he knows me super well and likes me, but I didn’t read it.
Counselor Rec: 9/10 He loves me, and we talk a lot.
Additional Rec: 10/10 My Columbia professor I got along really well with, didn’t read though.
Interview: I couldn’t have scripted a better one.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Ethics, Politics, and Economics
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: high enough not to get any aid
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): My mom worked at Yale one summer, but idk if they even consider that.

Reflection

Strengths: I think all the parts of my application just fit together really well, I think I really sold them on my passions - Spanish and economics, also great rec letters, great survey, decent metrics
Weaknesses: Probably my Why Yale?, also I’m white
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: See strengths.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Nowhere.

General Comments: Still trying to calm down - I was positive I would get deferred. I get into my dream school, and now I’m having second thoughts! I guess the reality of 1500 miles finally hit, and I also don’t like the price tag… but I’ll probs end up going anyway. Best of luck in your applications!!

24

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): NA
ACT (breakdown): 34 + 36 Writing
SAT II: German (800), US History (770)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): NA
AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5), World History (5), Biology (5), English Lang (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics, AP Calc AB, AP Lit, AP European History, and college-level psychology
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): founded two clubs and spread one to two other schools; worked with teachers at my school to rewrite curriculum to make it more community service focused; extensive volunteering (500+ hours, plus internship this summer); on advisory board of local organization; school production producer
Job/Work Experience: appx. 10 hours per week
Volunteer/Community service: see above
Summer Activities: summer internship before senior year
Essays (rating 1-10, details): i feel uncomfortable rating my essays but, while not written beautifully, they were honest and introspectiev
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): i think this was the strongest part of my application! i was really close with everyone who wrote my letters and got one from my principal too. again, i feel strange rating these because I didn’t read them?

Teacher Rec #1: ap and honors biology teacher
Teacher Rec #2: ap us history
Counselor Rec: im pretty sure this was 10/10! theyre my best friend
Additional Rec: principal and founder of the organization i volunteered at
Interview: never got one

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: anthropology, molecular biology, evolutionary biology
State (if domestic applicant): a big one in the northeast lol
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: don’t want to share
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

I’m so shocked! im very normal and don’t know how this happened… i was regretting “wasting” my early application on a school i thought i had no chance to get into. my advice is to just apply… you never know!!!

Strengths: unique childhood, strong extra curriculars, good letters of rec (my relationships with the people who wrote my letters are more like close friendships)
Weaknesses: test scores, hooks, awards (tbh so many things… I dont know how i got in)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: i used my application to make myself as mutli-dimensional as possible. i just tried to be genuine in my essays and supplements. also, i only did activities i was truly passionate about and i think they recognized that.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: SUNY binghamton. waiting to hear back from UVA! i will still apply to some other schools (i already finished my supplements) and hopefully bargain for better financial aid
General Comments: i dont know why i was accepted. i doubt i was any more qualified than other applicants. dont forget how much luck and subjectivity is involved in this whole thing!

25

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2400 one sitting, 10/12 on the writing (this is the old one I took it in Jan)
ACT (breakdown): didn’t take
SAT II: 800 US history, 800 bio, 770 in math II and a 760 in chem (lol)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 7% (school doesn’t rank) out of 130ish
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5’s in WHAP, APUSH, bio, Eng lit. 4 on Chinese Language and Culture oops
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP chem, orchestra, AP government, psychology, AP physics C and M, AP modern euro, AP crit lit, BC Calc
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
idk my school’s physics award that’s about it

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): lots of orchestra, spend about 6-8 hrs a week in rehearsals all 4 years. Concert master in a few orchestras, played in carnegie hall as part of an orchestra, participated in a few competitions, etc. Cross country 11-12 varsity, crossfit for fun 10-12
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: volunteered at a hospital sophomore year
Summer Activities: Most recent summer I did a summer session and took two courses at Yale, orchestra festival in Germany, did a Medical camp. sophomore year spent volunteering, freshman year there was some family stuff going on in China so I spent most of my time there
Essays (rating 1-10, details): common app was 8/10 about the stuff I went through that summer beteen freshmen and sophomore year. my english teacher told me to publish it bc it was impactful lmao. but the supplements may have been a little thin maybe 6/10?? idk I can’t tell
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 8/10 honors anad AP chem teacher, I spent lots of time in his room doing work
Teacher Rec #2: 5/10 english teacher, never really talked to her but did well enough in her class and she’s so sweet
Counselor Rec: 7/10 didn’t really talk to her much before this year but she’s super nice!
Additional Rec:
Interview: n/a

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: biophysics or bme
State (if domestic applicant): Tx
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: private
Ethnicity: chinese
Gender: female
Income Bracket: middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none?

Reflection

Strengths: not really anything, I guess my SAT score is ok but I feel like SAT doesn’t matter that much
Weaknesses: cookie cutter asian, thin extracurriculars. I’m also really not competitive so I never pursued violin competitions/orchestra placements enough
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: see weaknesses^
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: auto-admit to UT haven’t heard back from anywhere else

General Comments : I thought I would be really sad since I spent 5 weeks and Yale and fell in love with it but I’m actually in a pretty good mood and didn’t cry so I’m proud. I just made this account to post the stats bc I think these are helpful for future applicants!! Congrats to everyone who was accepted!

26

**Decision: Deferred **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): didn’t send
ACT (breakdown): 36C (36E 34M 36R 36S) & 36W
SAT II: didn’t send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/60
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chemistry (5), English Language (5), Euro (5), US Gov (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish, AP Calc, AP Bio, AP Lit
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NHS, National Merit semifinalist, Presidential Scholars semifinalist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity tennis, president of a recycling club & spanish club
Job/Work Experience: Independent tutoring for four years, worked at Kumon one year and now teach gymnastics at a local gym
Volunteer/Community service: Church youth group, girl scouts, and volunteering at an equestrian camp
Summer Activities: Gov school for computational physics, intern at a summer camp
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Commonapp: 6/10, well written but not thrilled with the content. Yale essays: 7/10, could have been great but i completed them extremely last minute
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9/10, loves me and is well known for writing excellent recs
Teacher Rec #2: 5/10, loves me but didn’t write much
Counselor Rec: 3/10, definitely a form letter
Additional Rec: didn’t submit
Interview: 5/10, quite uncomfortable and very short, with a very elderly man

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Chemistry
State (if domestic applicant): TN
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Magnet
Ethnicity: White
Gender: F
Income Bracket: 70k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection

Strengths: Tests and GPA. Definitely the only things keeping me from a straight up rejection.
Weaknesses: One of my recommendations wasn’t great and my extracurriculars are extremely scattered.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I seriously was expecting a rejection - even though I put a lot of time and effort into what I do, it definitely didn’t show up on my application, and my lack of focused extracurriculars definitely hurt this app. Additionally, I had to replace the rec from my favorite teacher with a much less effective one and that really hurt me. Plus, my interview was the worst I’ve ever had.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

General Comments : If anyone reads this before applying themselves - seriously, focus on what you do outside of academics, and make sure your personality shines through on your app. Looking back at what I submitted, it feels nearly eclectic, and even perfect test scores won’t be enough to tie that together.

27

[asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted [/color][/size]

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t send
ACT (breakdown): Highest sitting - 33 C (36E, 34R, 34S, 27M); Superscore - 34 C (36E, 36 R, 34 S, 29M)
SAT II: None
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5s - European Hist, Psych, Human Geo; 4s - English Lang, Stats
IB (place score in parenthesis): None
Senior Year Course Load: Poli Sci 101, AP Lit, AP Environmental, Poli Sci 102, AP Calc, Sociology 101, Theatre 7-8
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Commended Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Eagle Scout w/ Gold Palm (was Jr. Asst. Scoutmaster, headed up various service and leadership projects, 100s of service hours, led crew of 11 on 12 day trek, built and installed owl boxes in local canyon)
Actor in Advanced Company (won Best Male Vocals in 2015, nominated for Best Actor twice; Danny in Grease, Fred in Scrooge, Rooster in Annie, Frederick in Young Frankenstein)
Opinion Writer for Pensive Politics (wrote articles on variety of political issues for blog; blog has over 5k followers on Twitter)
Academic League Captain and 3-time MVP (3 consecutive winning seasons, set 2 school records, went to City Semifinals in 2015)
Track (went to City Finals for hurdles, 3rd for 110, 2nd for 300)
Swim (went to CIF and City Finals for 4x100 relay)
Actor in short films with friends
Job/Work Experience: Intern for Mayor of San Diego (policy and public opinion research)
Volunteer/Community service: See Eagle Scout
Summer Activities: Devil Pups (selective 10 day leadership program run by the Marines of Camp Pendleton)
Boys State Delegate (campaign manager for gubernatorial candidate, passed Bar and successfully defending my city in several cases, founded research institute and sold data from polls)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App Essay - discussed leading 11 people on trek through wilderness, growing as a leader, realizing my own capabilities; 9/10
Short takes - I took some time to think about each; 8/10
Why Yale? - wrote about Political Union and the opportunities in theatre; 8/10
Supplement 1 - described how we would have “salons” in AP Euro where we would debate various issues as figures from European history; 9/10
Supplement 2 - detailed my love of argument and debate, SUPER proud of this one; 10/10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: APUSH teacher; a bit short, but very witty and praising, described me as one of his top five students in his many decades of teaching, said I could’ve taught the class, mainly about my knowledge of history and ability to synthesize; 8.5/10
Teacher Rec #2: AP Lang teacher; very long and detailed, spoke about my passion for politics and argument, my great analytical skills, how intellectual I am, one of the best she has taught; 10/10
Counselor Rec: love my counselor but hers was a bit simplistic, very positive though; 7/10
Additional Rec:
Interview: Great conversation with the senior I spoke with, managed to be witty and made her laugh, discussed my passions along with the relationships I have with my family and friends; 9/10

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Poli Sci
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Underfunded public school with low test scores
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 125k - 200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First Generation

Reflection

Strengths: Essays (so proud of mine), Eagle Scout, Intern for Mayor
Weaknesses: Test scores could have been a bit higher, but I can’t complain
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I distinguished myself in 2 areas: politics (intern for Mayor, Boys State, opinion writer) and leadership (Eagle Scout w/ lots of community service and extra leadership, Devil Pups); Academic League stuff is also pretty solid
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to SDSU, possible full ride

General Comments : Sorry that mine is so long, I prefer being detailed. Hopefully another Yale hopeful will be able to use this info to their advantage. And if you’re feeling as if you have no chance, just know that I thought I didn’t have one either. Best of luck!

28

**Decision: Deferred **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1540 (770 both M and R, 8/7/8 essay)
ACT (breakdown): 36 (36s except 35 reading, 27 essay ;//)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 790 Physics
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/~350 (but my school’s pretty competitive, so there’s about 10 other students tied with me)
AP (place score in parenthesis): Euro (4), Chem (4), Lang (5), APUSH (4), Physics I (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Lit, AP Bio, AP Gov, Orchestra, Debate, AP Psych, Astronomy
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Semifinalist, Harvard Book Award (?? prolly not that major lol)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National English Honors Society (Public Relations officer) gr 12 (just got founded this year), NHS (book drive founder) gr 11-12, orchestra (concert master) gr 9-12, all-district orchestra gr 10-12, all-state orch gr 10, policy debate gr 10-12, piano gr 6-11
Job/Work Experience: Kumon tutor gr 10, ACT tutor gr 11,
Volunteer/Community service: violin tutor gr 11, NHS projects, local petting zoo, ~150 hours
Summer Activities: 5 week precollege program at SCAD (art school) for fashion

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common app=8/10, it was very out there and basically was a huge metaphor for discovering my passions, might’ve been too corny
Why Yale=7/10, maybe too common; Other Yale supplements=8/10, I thought they were pretty genuine and compelling

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: 8/10; my math teacher, didn’t know her very well outside of the classroom but she liked me in her class, wrote me a good but not super passionate rec
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10; history teacher, same thing, I suck at making connections with adults
Counselor Rec: 9/10; I see her a lot because I tend to always have scheduling conflicts because I try to fit too many classes into my schedule, so she knows me well and knows how ambitious I am
Additional Rec: 9/10; my gifted teacher, has known me since freshman year, gave a pretty good idea of who I am beyond academics
Interview: 7/10; it wasn’t bad, but I felt like I didn’t get a chance to talk about a lot of what I wanted to since my guy was a history major turned stock broker and I’m going into physics and wanted to talk about research.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: ya
Intended Major: astrophysics
State (if domestic applicant): midwest
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: 4yr public
Ethnicity: asian
Gender: female
Income Bracket: 150K+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): i’m a woman i guess?

Reflection

Strengths: scores, academics, essays
Weaknesses: rec letters, not enough leadership in EC’s
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: ^^
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: accepted- UMinn, Twin Cities CLA Honors; rejected- Cambridge

General Comments :
not surprised, there are a lot of really talented people out there. still disappointed but hopefully i’ll get better news in march! best of luck to everyone!

29

ACCEPTED

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): n/a
ACT (breakdown): 32C- 36R, 33E, 28S, 29M
SAT II: 790 (US History), 720 (Lit)- did not report
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): approx. 3.8
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): Euro (5), English Language (5), US (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Pre-Calc, AP US Gov, college senior-level English class at a SUNY, Honors Bible, Honors Hebrew, Jewish History, Honors Talmud, AP Physics
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): I won an award at the Envision Shakespeare competition, National Honors, AP Scholar, nothing that exciting

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Volleyball (Captain for 4 years), Quiz Bowl (member for three years, starting player), Student Government (rep in 11th grade, president of whole school in 12th), Newspaper (editor, junior editor last year), Envision Shakespeare

Job/Work Experience: Youth director at a synagogue
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered at an animal conservation center; literacy tutor; helped mount shakespeare plays for children

Summer Activities: Before 9th grade- Assistant directed “Romeo and Juliet” with the children’s Shakespeare troupe Before 10th grade- attended Shakespeare conservatory at NYU, assistant directed “A Winter’s Tale” for the kids with a Columbia professor Before 11th grade- Literacy tutor, attended 2 week shakespeare conservatory at well-known theater Before 12th grade- Edited an anthology of plays with a Columbia professor, head director of “Much Ado About Nothing” for the kid’s shakespeare troupe

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App- 9.577/10, I wrote it about my love for trivia and how I love collecting random facts. Sweet without being saccharine. Intelligent without sounding like I swallowed a book.
Why Yale-8/10, I hated this one. It seemed kind of cliche to me. I wrote about how I wanted to be challenged by my peers and get access to top quality resources.
Short Answers-9/10, There’s not much you can say in so few characters. I don’t know if I effectively conveyed my personality, but they got the point across.
Excitement from learning- 10/10 I wrote all about Jewish ideals of questioning and how I love asking tough questions. I wrote about one teacher in my school who would consistently challenge me. Displayed intellectual curiosity without coming across as cloying.
Something you love to do- 10/10 I totally geeked out about Shakespeare and did some interesting critiques of his work.
Why you picked what you wanted to study- 9/10, I explained what I perceived the connection was between literature and history (Literature is another way to look at history, I used an example of Dostoevsky and how his works taught us about how Russians viewed morality, thereby creating an immersion into a time period). It wasn’t my favorite thing that I’ve written, though

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: AP English teacher. 10/10. She actually loves me. She says I’m her star.
Teacher Rec #2: APUSH teacher. 9/10. She likes me a lot, and thinks I’m a good student, but I don’t feel like she knew me particularly well. She was also my academic team coach.
Counselor Rec: 9/10. Our counselor is getting ready to retire, so he sort of half-assed everything. However, he put in quotes from my professor at SUNY, who said I’m equally as capable as the college seniors in my class and that I have a ridiculously strong understanding of Shakespeare. He also put in quotes from the professor I worked on the anthology with.
Additional Rec: 10/10 I got an additional letter from the professor I do the plays with. She’s known me since I was very young, went to Yale, and thinks I’m a standout.
Interview: 8/10. We had pleasant conversation, but it wasn’t particularly stimulating. It was better than average, but certainly not the best interview I could have done.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: English
State (if domestic applicant): CT
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Parochial/Yeshiva high school, school is totally broke (we can’t afford hot water) and has less than 100 kids
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 200K+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): My father and uncle both attended Yale

Reflection

Strengths: the legacy definitely didn’t hurt. Also, I was super pointy instead of being well-rounded, which I think impacted the decision. Moreover, I go to a dual-curriculum school, and students from schools like mine are in high demand for some reason. I also wrote really nice essays.
Weaknesses: I can’t add two numbers together and that was evident in my math and science grades, on the ACT and on my transcript.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think it was partially because of the legacy and partially because of my particular strength in a random subsection of English
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Nothing yet… I only submitted one other application and I’m going to rescind
General Comments :
Congratulations to my fellow class members of 2021! If you didn’t get in, that blows. More constructively, you are most likely an intelligent and driven person. You applied to Yale even though it wasn’t a certainty you’d get in. You took that risk and put yourself out there. That shows moxie. It shows you have tremendous faith in yourself and your abilities. Take your skills and knowledge and crush life!

30

hey guys! I made an account just to leave this for the RD applicants!

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2320- 800M 800W 720CR
ACT (breakdown): 34- 33 R & E, 35 M, 36 S, 36 W
SAT II: Math Level II (790), Physics (690) [did not send]
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (3) [did not send], Calculus AB (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Latin IV, Calculus II (AP BC), AP Computer Science, Speech, Gov/Econ, DE English
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): founded math club, NHS Historian, NHS President, club swimming until Sophomore year, HS Varsity swimming and track (3 and 1 years), HS JV Volleyball (1 year)
Job/Work Experience: teach for an “Engineering For Kids” company since Junior year, approx. 3 hrs/week
Volunteer/Community service: Houston Food Bank Student Hero (50 hours over the summer leading projects), church cleaning ministry (for 6+ years), less significant things like running the diaper and teddy bear drive for NHS
Summer Activities: Club swimming Freshman year (25 hrs/week), Lifeguard / Swim instructor Soph summer (40 hrs/week), summer camp teacher Junior summer (40 hrs/week)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8/10 Common App: wrote about how much I love cartooning, others were 8/10 in general (but 7/10 for the two 200 word essays), I revised like crazy but they were far from perfect
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 6/10, only one teacher knows me well, counselor I barely know, other teacher I only knew one year

Teacher Rec #1: Precal, Calc AB, and Calc BC teacher: 9/10 (she loves me, but thinks I’m not confident)
Teacher Rec #2: DE History teacher: 8/10 (he really likes all of his students and really thinks highly of us)
Counselor Rec: 5/10 (barely know her)
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Amazing sweet lawyer lady: 9/10 (she said I was the change the world needed! I almost cried, but I was tough!)

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Biomedical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: Korexican
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Don’t know, upper middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Woman in STEM, sibling legacy (doesn’t mean much but helps them think I will attend if accepted!), URM, UR school (3rd Ivy kid, 1st was my brother), unique school setting (my interviewer emphasized this, didn’t realize it was important)

Reflection

I really feel… very… inadequate! Totally think it was a mistake because I don’t stand a chance against most of the CC applicants! I honestly cannot believe it still!!! :smiley: I am blessed!

Strengths: Test scores aren’t awful, showed immense interest through my essays, good interview and teacher recommendations, I have school records in 2 sports and am taking two independent studies so that might have made me look devoted / like someone who takes initiative?
Weaknesses: No awards, community service wasn’t anything special
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Literally no idea. I’m so thankful, though! My essays were really detailed and specific: I incorporated quotes from the Dean of Engineering and mentioned DEMOS and the CEID? Also I’m quirky, and I think Yale likes that.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to UT Austin and Texas A&M
General Comments: Honestly, if I can do it anyone can. I don’t feel I was a standout at all! Just do your research and show interest, rock your interview, and cross your fingers. I believe everyone who was accepted is outstanding in some regard, but remember that a lot of this is luck! Make sure you show you, accomplishments aren’t as big of a deal as your essays / recs!

One more thing: I submitted an art portfolio! I’m aight, it was some digital pieces (just Sai), some traditional (one pencil, one watercolor), and a 16 sec (3-10 fps range) animation reel… If you write about art or something of the sort PROVE it to the admissions office by sending in a portfolio! :smiley: It might have made all the difference, honestly!

31

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown): 35 Comp 36M 36W 35R 34S (33/36 essay)
SAT II: Math II:800, Physics: 800
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/105
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc BC (5), WHAP (5), Stats (5) Chemistry (5), US Hist(5), Lang (4), Physics 1 (4), Spanish (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: Multi variable, Engineering Seminar, Eco/Govt, AP Comp Sci, AP Lit, AP Physics C, Theology
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMSF, National AP Scholar,

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Founded computer Science Club with several state wins, Math/Sci Academic Team numerous state wins, 4xTennis, Teach Sunday School, Mu Alpha Theta President, NHS, NCWIT winner, Literary Criticism/Ready Writing team with some regional wins. Student Ambassador. Spring musicals.

Job/Work Experience: None
Volunteer/Community service:Eucharistic Minister at Church, Service award for 250 hours of service at camps, shelters, church
Summer Activities: Digital Media Academy (UT), Yale Summer Program in Astrophysics (YSPA)
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I talked about my life in STEM. I think it was good but it is hard to know
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

I think all are solid, but didn’t read them
Teacher Rec #1: Math - we get along well and I was her Mu Alpha Theta President for two years
Teacher Rec #2:: Comp Sci : I started the club for the school and helped train up Java before we offered AP CSA. We get along very well
Counselor Rec: I think she wrote a good essay. She had gone to Yale. However, nobody from our school has ever gone (or been admitted) to Yale previously.
Additional Rec: YSPA leader. Great guy, fantastic summer
Interview: I was a little worried about this. I didn’t feel like he was overly impressed or optimistic about my chances. Could just be me, but I have had good interviews in my past as well.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Computer Science with Cognitive Science
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Catholic High School
Ethnicity: white
Gender: girl
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: Solid scores, grades, rank. Computer Science initiative with some big wins.
Weaknesses: No great National Award
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I covered all my bases so I had a shot, but certainly no guarantee. I bet big on my STEM background pulling me through and I think it worked!

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:

32

[asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted [/color][/size]

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 32 C (34 E, 30 M, 30 R, 33S, 29 W)
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.95
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3/200
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (4), Government (4), Language (3), Calculus AB (None Yet), Chemistry (None Yet)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Chamber Choir, Symphonic Band, Marching Band, Dual Credit Introduction to Sociology, Dual Credit Psychological Perspectives, Dual Credit English Composition, Dual Credit Critical and Rhetorical Thinking, AP Calculus AB, Spanish 2, AP Chemistry, Computer Applications 2, Dual Credit Medical Terminology

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): (not all of them are necessarily “major”)
All District Choir Medals (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior)
All State Choir Recognition (junior, senior)
Award of Excellence
Sikeston’s October Student of the Month
The Instrumentalist Magazine Musicianship Award
Men’s Chorus Most Improved Singer Award
Neal E. Boyd Award
2nd Place Medal at FBLA District Competition in Business Math (sophomore year)
6th Place at FBLA State Competition in Business Math (sophomore year)
1st Place Medal at FBLA District Competition in Personal Finance (junior year)
3rd Place Medal at FBLA District Competition in Business Calculations (junior year)
2nd Place Medal at FBLA State Competition in Personal Finance (Nationals qualifier, summer 2016)
Missouri Scholars Academy Recognition (MO Scholars Academy is an academy for the top one-half percent of MO rising junior students)
Mayor for Youth in Government Day
Lobbyist, Ward Committeeman, and Nationalist Party Chairman at MO Boys State (summer 2016)
All District Band Medals, 1st Chair Baritonist (junior, senior)
All State Band Baritonist (senior)
MSHSAA State Large Group Contest Band Superior Medals (freshman, sophomore, and junior year for a total of three medals)
MSHSAA State Large Group Contest Choir Exemplary Medals (two sophomore year, two junior year)
SEMO District Solo & Ensemble Contest Superior Medals (two freshman year, two sophomore year, four junior year)
MSHSAA State Solo & Ensemble Contest Exemplary Medals (two freshman year, one sophomore year, three junior year)
MSHSAA State Solo & Ensemble Contest Superior Medal (one junior year)
National Arion Award (choir, junior year)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Marching and Symphonic Band (Section Leader, Band Councilmen)
-Play Trumpet, French Horn, and Euphonium
Chamber Choir (Section Leader)
FBLA (Voting Chairman, Parliamentarian)
Student Council (Vice President)
National Honors Society (President)
College Ambassadors
Foreign Language Club (Treasurer)
Voice andPiano Lessons
Junior Optimist Club
A+ Scholars Program
Link Crew Leader
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

Job/Work Experience: I have not had any internships or anything of that sort. I have worked at my local pizza parlor for a couple years no, though.
Volunteer/Community service: I tutor peers every week, participate in community clean-up events, and have volunteered at nursing homes. Also, as President of National Honor Society, I lead various other service projects in the community.
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): (11/10), They were very personal and showed forth how I have overcome adversity. Also, one of my Common App essays displayed my intellectual curiosity and reluctance to accept the “status quo.” I also submitted additional essays that told of why I wished to attend Yale and how my involvement in music has greatly impacted my life and endeavors.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Calculus teacher (7/10), she is very fond of me; however, I personally feel that her recommendation was a tad generic considering she has a template that she uses.
Teacher Rec #2: Government teacher (9/10), I always set the curve in AP Government on all but one test and was a very vocal individual. He always sings my high praises.
Counselor Rec: (10/10), I am very close with the administration and counselors at my school. I am in their offices almost every day.
Additional Rec: Choir teacher (12/10), I honestly think that his recommendation might be what pushed me over the edge. It was one of the most well-written letters of recommendation I have ever read. Since I have been in the program for six years, he and I have a close relationship.
Interview: (11/10), My interviewer expressed how impressed he was with me and all I have accomplished despite major obstacles in life. He was a really nice guy. The interview was very relaxed and we both received a lot out of it.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Psychology or Neuroscience
State (if domestic applicant): MO
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~100 K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, First Generation

Reflection

Strengths: Interview, Letters of Rec, Background, Essays, Passion for my extracurriculars
Weaknesses: test scores, GPA
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I feel like I was accepted because of my unique background. I live in an average area that is only somewhat competitive. I was born to a single, thirteen-year-old orphan and was poor for a majority of my life. I believe that my essays were very personal and clearly showed my personality.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Nowhere notable yet
General Comments: I was surprised by my acceptance. Although my stats may seem low to many of you, I am considered the “cream of the crop” in my area. It was very nerve racking to have peers and family members constantly tell me that I would be admitted for sure. They did not understand the level of competition that exists.

33

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): (720 English) (730 Math)
ACT (breakdown): (33 Cumulative) (32 eng, 34 read, 33 math, 33 scienc)
SAT II: (780 Math Lvl 2) (730 chem)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.8
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 36/650
AP (place score in parenthesis): All fours
Senior Year Course Load: 5 AP’s and engineering classes
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Varsity All Star for Hockey in State

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

-Computer Science Club- (Co founder and VP), organize 20-25 people around projects and give guidance to them about how to fix errors and progress
-Robotics Club - (Treasurer and Team leader): Led team of 5 people the entire year over the VEX challenge and went to states
-Engineering Club- (President), discuss and arrange projects for 30+ kids to work on, ie building a 3D printer out of an old projector and disk drive. (My design)
-Varsity hockey team: (Assistant Captain) We won regional out of 16 teams, and I was selected to participate by other coaches in our region in the State of _____ All Star game
-Varsity Debate: (Policy Debate Board member) and 2016 debater of the year. Oh plus District and state champion. But eh I wouldn’t stay my state is the most difficult
-NHS obvi
-JV Lacrosse Team (Captain): Eh idrc about this one, was a very young captain but still its JV

Job/Work Experience:
Job- Head Instructor (Only other ones are college grads) at a tutoring place. Teach kids STEM fields such as coding, 3d Design, mathematics, etc. Worked extensive hours taking apart and reassembling the 3D printer after errors.

Volunteer/Community service:
Natural Helper- Picked 1 of 12 biannually to participate in training to aide pears in case of extreme depression, anxiety, etc.

Summer Activities: I interned at NASA, built a 3D printer out of junk parts, and went to Air Force academy for summer
seminar
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Personal essay: I think 9.5-10/10
Additional Info: What i put really helped me IMO (8/10)
Field appeals to you: I really like my field so (9/10)
Why yale: Demonstrated interest since 13 (10/10)
Source of inspiration: I have to give elon musk a 10
Another day: 8/10
Yale course: 7-8/10
Dorms: 8/10
Community: I attribute my getting into this essay 10
Second choice: 7/10

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: I wasnt the best in her class at all, but i constantly tried as hard as i cld 7/10
Teacher Rec #2: He really like me and it we have talked ever since the class: 9/10
Counselor Rec: She’s amazing! 10/10
Additional Rec: Didn’t see a point of adding one
Interview: It went well, and we mostly just talked about history and had a thirty minute convo on Murphy’s law

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: I will be applying
Intended Major: Comp Sci and electrical engineering
State (if domestic applicant): TX
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: 6A
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: White
Income Bracket: Rather not say
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):
Have ROTC scholarship I guess?

Reflection

Strengths: Essays, Recs, and ECs
Weaknesses: Grades and test scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I can’t really narrow it down tbh, I knew I was competitive but
only the admissions counselor knows
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Read up

General Comments : Good luck to everyone that was differed, hope to see you on campus next year

34

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2400
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 Biology:M, 800 Math 2, 760 World History
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/700
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calculus BC (5), Biology (5), Psychology (5), World History (5), Human Geography (5), English Language (5), Statistics (4), Spanish Language and Culture (4), Studio Art: Drawing Portfolio (4), Studio Art: 2D Portfolio (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calculus, AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Spanish Literature, AP Government, AP Macroeconomics, AP English Literature, AP Computer Science

*Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): USABO Semifinalist; for privacy purposes - two international awards in bioengineering (bronze and silver), one international award in biomedicine (6th), grand prize in national piano competition (performed at Carnegie Hall), three national awards in math & logic competition (two team, one individual 2nd place), national award for art (published in a book), 2nd in state for debate, 1st in All-State Piano for three years, state biotechnology design 4th place

Subjective:

*Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): USABO (President and founder of chapter at school), Debate Team (VP), aforementioned math & logic competition (President of state chapter), Biotechnology Club (VP and founding member), aforementioned bioengineering team (Secretary), HOSA, Science Olympiad, Math Team, Student Council, Compass Ambassador, Key Club, LiNK, piano, art, all the National Honor Society stuff

Job/Work Experience: pet-sitting since 5th grade, tutoring since junior year

Volunteer/Community service: tutoring (for NHS and Key Club lol), senior homes, Next Generation Focus (teach and expose underprivileged kids to science, particularly biotechnology), community marathons

*Summer Activities: state university internship in genetics/developmental biology, Simons Summer Research Program

Essays (rating 1-10, details): avg 8 - personally I would give my common app essay a 6 or a 7, because I really couldn’t think of anything and even the topic I wrote about was okay, it just could always be /better/. Some of my other short essays (like my Yale Engineering Essay or Why Yale) were much better, where I would actually give them like a 9.5. My teachers read my common app essay and said he loved it, so idk maybe I’m just being too harsh on myself

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 9.8 - wasn’t intentional, but my favorite teachers and the teachers that liked me the most happened to be the department chairs of each subject (and head of the counseling department lmao)

Teacher Rec #1: 10 - bio teacher, known me since freshman year and is also one of the advisors for my bioengineering team, and she’s basically my mom
Teacher Rec #2: 11 - lit teacher, known since sophomore year and is basically my dad. Actually, he knows more about me than my actual dad LOL. I can tell him literally anything, and he also shares his innermost thoughts with me too; also it’s an 11 because he showed me a part of it and one part was that in all his 20 years of teaching, I was his best student!!!
Counselor Rec: 9 - my counselor is the most supportive person ever - my application to a summer program was actually late, but without even me asking he took my application and made an extra phone call to ask admissions to accept it - LOVE HIM
Additional Rec: 8 - Simons mentor, can’t really tell how good of a rec she wrote me, but she was SUPER supportive as well and super hard working. She was also my confidante at camp LMAO
Interview: 10 - guy was super friendly and attentive, we talked for 2 hours and covered basically everything I wanted to talk about. He also raised my love for Yale from maybe an 8 to an 11 hahaha

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: BME
*State (if domestic applicant): from the southeast, for privacy teehee
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 100k-200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): nope

Reflection

Strengths: scores, awards (maybe idk, I showed my friend and he said ideally I needed more international awards, rip), Recs
Weaknesses: ESSAYS! ugh I wish I could write, I’m better at yapping LMAO
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Being an Asian with a focus in STEM definitely didn’t help (let’s be honest), but being a female from the southeastern region probably counteracted that some - that and my standardized scores. I was worried about my AP scores, but I realized that colleges honestly only look at them last. So scores alone I think would throw me into the “stereotypical Asian” pile. I think location played a pretty big role, as well as the fact that Yale is pretty STEM-hungry right now, so my focus was ideal for their current applicant pool situation.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: haven’t heard from anywhere else yet, this was my first college notification!

General Comments: Good luck everyone! Also, please remember that college is not the be all end all for your future career goals - it’s only one step in life :slight_smile:

*I didn’t write out the names of many of the organizations and competitions I was in for privacy purposes, so if you would like to know more about them feel free to contact me!

35

[aB]Decision: Deferred **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):2330
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:800M2 790Chem 770USH 760WH
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10/150, probably ~5 though
AP (place score in parenthesis):5 (English Comp and WH) 4(Chem and USH)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: 4 APs
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Some minor scholarship, ap scholar, all league honorable mention

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): violin stuff, soccer stuff, nothing insane
Job/Work Experience: Referee youth soccer, tutoring
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Can’t accurately rate myself, thought most were pretty good
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: not sure, probably good but not stellar
Teacher Rec #2: same
Counselor Rec: probably bad, shes not a very involved counselor
Additional Rec:
Interview: pretty bad, was nervous and could’ve asked more questions

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major: none
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:public
Ethnicity:white
Gender:male
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): lots of legacy

Reflection

Strengths:grades were on par, legacy
Weaknesses:Bad interview, boring EC’s,
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Bad interview, boring EC’s, didn’t submit recording of violin
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: first result

General Comments : dissapointed although it was expected

36

Decision: ACCEPTED

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): didnt submit
ACT (breakdown): Composite: one time: 33 (M 35, E 35, R 30, S 33, Essay: 32)
SAT II: World History: 750, US History: 740
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 or 97.8/100
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): Human Geography (5), Physics 1 (5), World History (4), US History (4), Language & Comp (4), Physics 2 (3) lol
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish, AP Macro & Micro Economics, AP Literature & Comp, AP Calculus AB, AP Chemistry, Symphony Orchestra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): All-State Orchestra (2x), All-County principal bassist, NYSSMA 100s, bunch of other music awards, math fair silver medal, 2 Nat Spanish Exam silver medals, Clarkson Award, nutin 2 big uk

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Double Bassist since 3rd grade :smiley: - I take lessons @ Juilliard w/ a NY Phil guy; chamber orchestra (principal bass), jazz band, other music ensembles/festivals (prinicpal bass); Tri-M music Honor Society (President)(Chapter of the Year Runner-Up), 4 year varisty Field Hockey Starter (2 year Captain)(All-County Award/MVP Award 3x/All Star), Winter & Spring Track (Coaches Award), Sunday School Assistant Teacher, Ichthus (Christian) Club, Armenian Church Youth Organization, I do the morning annoucements
Job/Work Experience: I tutor but I didnt put it on the app
Volunteer/Community service: 350 Hours over three summers at the adult daycare of a nursing home <3
Summer Activities:nursing home, summit music festival
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I wrote my common app in 3 days hahaha I dont think it was that good but it was a about a lady from the nursing home who I still keep in contact w/- it was about how she wanted to write a rec for me for Yale and I realized how ppl should appreciate the elderly’s prespective and not blow them off uk; my supplements were all written in 1 day heheheh both about music-about a discussion on vibrato for like 3 hrs w/ a juilliard student and the other one ab my footprint on my school’s music department
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: AP Human Geography from 10th grade (?/10-don’t get to see them)
Teacher Rec #2: AP Lang teacher
Counselor Rec: she’s new to my school this year so idk
Additional Rec: Jazz Band Director/Music Theory Teacher (probably an 11/10- I saw one he wrote for me for a scholarship and it was amazing lol he’s awesome)
Interview: I had my interview less than a week before decisions so idk how much it mattered but I think it went really well- I showed an enthusiatic & kind personality and I talked about music pretty intellectually and pasisonately, although I really sounded uncertain ab what to do w/ my future i think, but overall I got a chance to just speak from the heart uk… also dont b afraid to bring up religion in your interview/app- I told him I read (& annotate of course) the Bible every night heheh

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes but I got $0 of aid woooo i cri
Intended Major: 3 interests- music, pyschology, philosophy although I probably wont end up majoring in any of those- I literally wrote my essay for this 45 minutes before deadline and it was not very good since I was so unsure- I put something like "For centuries, the philosophy of music has been best understood by psychologically blah blah blah… so idk lol but hey maybe it sounded intellectual
State (if domestic applicant): NY BABY
Country (if international applicant): USA USA USA
School Type: public but competitive id say
Ethnicity: white
Gender: female
Income Bracket: upper mid class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): double bassist mayb? I submitted a supplement recording

Reflection

Strengths: extracurriculars
Weaknesses: test scores prolly
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: my commitment to activities & I think they saw my personality in my app
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: I didnt apply anywhere else and I aint gonna wooo whoooooo

General Comments : I filled out my app in about 2 days and submitted it 2 minutes before the deadline so I wasny rlly expectin anything I was just like lemme just throw it out there!!! Dont freak out if you have typos in your app b/c I did lol… If I’d have to give any advice Id just say find a passion and go all out w/ it… also be a nice & chill person!!! itll show through your app

also pray!! <3 and dont forget to thank God whether u get in or not!!

Im so happy I dont have to write any more apps :smiley: and that im going to such an awsome school <3
One of my best friends got in too and when we found out we were freaking out lol
WOO YALIE 2021

37

**Decision: Deferred **

Objective:
ACT (breakdown): C: 35, E: 36, M: 36, R: 34, S: 34, W: 30
SAT II: Math II (800), Chem (760), Latin (750).
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.94
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 10% (estimate)
AP (place score in parenthesis): World History (4), English Language (5), Chemistry (5).
Senior Year Course Load: History Senior Seminars: History of the Modern Middle East (fall), Issues in Islam (winter), Intro to Ethics (spring), English Senior Seminars: Honors World Literature (fall), Honors American Literature (winter), Honors 20th Century Literature (spring), Honors Acting Performance, AP Calculus BC, AP Physics C, AP Art History.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Best of Symposium in School’s Science Fair (6 week research project, judged by professionals in the field), AP Scholar, National Merit Commended Scholar, National Latin Exam Summa Cum Laude-Gold Medal (3 years in a row).

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Boy’s A Cappella Group at School (Leader of Group), Students for Students Peer Tutoring (Leader and Tutor in Biology/Precalculus), TONS of Musical Theater at School (lead roles in famous shows like Into the Woods), Spring Play (lead roles in shows like Twelfth Night), Student Senate (Student Body Vice President), Varsity Track and Field (shotput and sprints).
Job/Work Experience: Worked at local ice cream store (made ice cream using liquid nitrogen, 24 hours a week during summer).
Volunteer/Community service: Peer tutoring at school (see above), some oddball volunteer jobs like helping out at a nearby farm called Slide Ranch, handing out meals at church in the city, etc.
Summer Activities: Internship at Pediatric-Neonatology lab (7 week research internship where I grew my own cells), Internship at Neonatal Stroke Lab (7 weeks, learned how to handle and perform surgery on rats), Stanford Summer Pre-Collegiate Institutes (studied mathematical puzzles and combinatorial game theory).

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App (8.5/10), basically just addressed how I learned to be inquisitive and more outgoing in high school through my school’s theater program and through my job at the ice cream store. I drew some pretty interesting parallels between the two. My funny side came through for sure.
Why Major? (8/10), nothing special - talked about the connections between the Classics and Biology and how I love to break things down, and those disciplines allow me to do so.
Why Yale? (9.5/10), think I did a great job about summing up everything I love in 100 words – talked about the community aspect and the Residential College system and what I loved most about the classes I attended when I visited.
Community Essay (10/10), talked about how I love to play track even though I’m not good at it, and so that’s led me to be the spokesperson for non-athletes on the team.
Something I love to do Essay (7/10), pretty odd essay about why I love to cook. I don’t know if it really worked, but I liked it enough to submit.
Short takes (9.5/10) I really liked my short takes, they were funny/witty/too damn real at times.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: Precalculus Honors teacher (9/10): This teacher loved me. I was definitely a super invested student in her class. She would always talk with me after class about the course material and we just had a friendly/good relationship outside of class in general. I was really happy in her class, and I think this resonated with her.
Teacher Rec #2: Latin teacher for three years (10/10): I think I was one of this guy’s best students, and we just had a great connection both inside and outside of the classroom. He was a real funny guy, and I think I am somewhat also funny so we connected off of that. Definitely one of my favorite teachers in high school.
Counselor Rec: (8.5/10) Didn’t really know him, but my class does only have 77 people so he did know me pretty well and he liked me. I just didn’t really love him at the end of the process because I found him annoying, but I don’t think I ever let him know this.
Interview: (8/10) I connected with her pretty well and just gave genuine, authentic answers to everything she asked. Wasn’t remarkable, but was by no means bad either. Lasted about an hour.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Classics and Molec., Cell, and Developmental Bio
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Small Private
Ethnicity: Indian

Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Upper Bracket
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None really.

Reflection

Strengths: Test scores, GPA, extracurriculars, essays, rigorous curriculum, an authentic love of Yale.
Weaknesses: Nervousness, anxiety, lack of awards, up against one of the most competitive applicant pools in America, Asian, privileged.

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think that I was up against one of the most qualified applicant pools that Yale has ever witnessed.

General Comments: I’ve worked super hard in high school, so it was a tad deflating to see the deferral, but so has everyone else who applied. I think it’s important to be super supportive of others in this time which can be exciting for some and terrifying for others –– whatever the result, chin up and know that you’ll go somewhere great eventually :slight_smile:

38

DEFERRED

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): NO NO NO as if Santa was a pessimist
ACT (breakdown): 33
SAT II: 720 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/500+
AP (place score in parenthesis): Like 12-13 AP classes, mostly 4’s, some 5’s
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Physics C, AP Biology, AP Literature, AICE General Paper, AP Art History, AP Macroeconomics, AP Government
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Finalist for a University investment competition (can’t say exactly), Harvard Book

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): 4-H,Coding Club, STEM Team
Job/Work Experience: Tutor
Volunteer/Community service: Yes, enough
Summer Activities: Drawing, and conducting independent research on virtual reality
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 0 to 100, real quick… maybe a 9.9 since I didn’t follow all grammar conventions
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Didn’t Read 10
Teacher Rec #2: Didn’t Read 8
Counselor Rec: Didn’t Read 7
Additional Rec:
Interview: NO NO NO, it isn’t Christmas today

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: CS
State (if domestic applicant): FL
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian Persuasian (not the person singing, the subject)
Gender: M
Income Bracket: circa 100k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Artist, very artist, artsy, artistic

Reflection

Strengths: Art, writing
Weaknesses: Test scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Because I am not a fit for Yale. Bye Felicia.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Soon-to-be UF acceptance

General Comments :
Keep grinding. Yale might be for you, like it was for my classmate who got in this year. Don’t stop believing, don’t let your dreams be dreams. I had the guts to write this a month a part from my deference, you have the guts to apply. There is no shame in this game. In this game it will rain, but you will feel no pain.

39

**Decision: Accepted w/ likely letter **

p.s. (actually a RD acceptance but I couldn’t find that thread. Accepted in early Feb)

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1440 (760 CR, 680 M)
ACT (breakdown): 29 Comp (35 E, 26 M, 28 S, 32 R)
SAT II: 750 USH, 690 Lit
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98? My schools only calculates weighted, so I sent 4.348
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/362
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 - apush , 4- whap, 3- bio, 3- lang
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, AP Lit, AP Gov, Leadership, Guitar
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none besides AP Scholar w/ Honors, honor roll every semester, community service award

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • Mock Trial (Captain, Prosecuting lawyers, 3 years)
  • Student leadership/gov (Frosh Prez, Soph Prez, Junior Board Rep, senior vp)
  • Feminist club (founder, president)
  • GSA club (officer) -Robotics club (CEO/president)
  • surf Club
  • self taught guitar
  • self taught photography (been in 2 art shows, photo instagram with 1k+ followers)

Job/Work Experience:

  • intern at local newspaper (published 4 times)
  • math tutor

Volunteer/Community service:

  • intern hours
  • volunteer guitar teacher for elementary school kids
  • about 100 hours

Summer Activities:

  • volunteer
  • took multiple classes at local colleges

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
I don’t think I can honestly rate them in any way that would be helpful, but I think they were pretty much the reason I got admission so early in the RD round.

  • Common App: my passion for mock trial & law
  • Yale supplements: personal, light hearted, funny when they needed to be but serious at times too

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: teacher for 3 years, great relationship
Teacher Rec #2: professor at local college, I think she really liked me
Counselor Rec: good relationship, always made an effort to reach out to me
Additional Rec:

Interview:
Funny story, actually got the call that I was receiving a likely letter just a few hours after my interview. Maybe my interviewer was wowed and submitted right away? Either way, I thought it went well. He was really nice. I’m not sure it was anything special, though.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yep
Intended Major: Ethics, politics, economics
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: public, 2k+
Ethnicity: Chicana :stuck_out_tongue: (mexican-american)
Gender: F
Income Bracket: 100-150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): minority, first generation, and from small, very underrepresented town in terms of colleges like Yale

Reflection

I was absolutely shocked and without words when I received the call from my adcom. My stats are extremely average for a Yale applicant. Possibly even below average. Likely letters are only received by about 100 non-athletic applicants!!! less than 1%!!! It doesn’t feel real. My adcom said she loved my application on the phone and I knew she meant my essays. Essays are so so so so important…please do not think a 2400 SAT or 36 ACT will guarantee you acceptance into any school. I came nowhere near those scores.
lol
I don’t want to jinx my acceptance because I guess there is still a chance it might not work out. Likely letters are kind of confusing tbh.

Strengths: Essays, passion about ECs

Weaknesses: test scores, volunteer hours?

Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:

I think my passions and personality shined through my essays. I tried my best to show the adcom that I was way much more than simply numbers on a page or a few hours spent in a testing room. I think it worked.

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: so far just accepted to USC (finalist for presidential scholarship)

General Comments :
ecstatic! lol!

I cannot stress how much you do not need perfect scores to get in anywhere. I took the SAT almost 4 times trying to do so and never did much better.

Pour your heart into your essays!

40

**Decision: Accepted **

ACT: 34 (33 English, 34 Math, 33 Reading, 34 Science, 36 Writing)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Weighted GPA: 4.3
Rank: Top 5%, 17/300
AP: Psychology (4) World History (3) English Lang (4) US History (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish 4, AP Calculus AB, AP Lit, Leadership, AP Government Politics, AP Environmental Studies
Awards: AP Scholar with Honor, Political Opinion essay published in Washington Times, Department awards in every subject, recognized by national NHS chapter for accrediting a local chapter, National Merit Scholar

Extracurriculars:

  • Eagle Scout
  • Student Body (ASB) President
  • Student Body (ASB) Vice President
  • Class President
  • School School Site Council (SSC) President
  • President of 3 clubs and Founder of 2 (National Honor Society & Youth Democrats)
  • American Legion “Boy’s State” Congressional Delegate
  • YMCA Youth in Government
  • All-county & all-state debate team champions; speech & debate team captain
  • Rotary Leadership Council Alumni with honors in Community Outreach
  • HOBY World Leadership Alumni & Counselor
  • Varsity golf, varsity basketball

Job/Work Experience:

  • Intern at Congresswoman’s office
  • Manage Intern Department at my City Hall
  • Work at San Francisco HQ of the FBI in community development department

Volunteer/Community Service:

  • 700+ Hours of community service through working with Sheriff’s department on community development

Summer Activities:

  • Summer 2015 - Classes at local community college (PoliSci 210), work at Capital Building with Congress
  • Summer 2016 - Classes at local community college (PoliSci 310), Boys State, 2 week Harvard Pre-College Program (Intro to American Law)

Essays:

  • About impact made at Congresswoman’s office through a reflective story of working with her at The Capital in DC.

Teacher Recommendations:

  • Used my History & Math teachers. Have had both for 2 years, and both let me participate in the writing process for the letter.

Counselor Rec:

  • God mother, counselor since 6th grade, peer, it was a hands down 10/10 and nearly brought me to tears

Additional Rec:

  • An evaluation by the Harvard Professor who taught me over the summer (very well-written evaluation letter) and my Congresswoman that I work closely with.

Other:

My application definitely stresses my passion for government, what i have learned through it, and what I plan to do with it.

Financial Aid: Yes
Projected Concentration: Political Science
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White (Middle Eastern)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 250k+