Yale University Class of 2022 SCEA Decision Results

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
21

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t send
ACT (breakdown): 34 (35 English, 34 Reading, 34 Math, 33 Science)
SAT II: Physics=750, Math II=760
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank, but top 2% out of ~500
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Physics I (5), AP Physics II (Pending), AP Calculus AB (Pending), AP World History (5), AP US Government and Politics (4), AP Comparative Government (didn’t take exam), AP US History (Pending), AP Psychology (5), AP Economics Macroeconomics (5), AP Microeconomics (4), AP English Literature (5), AP English Language (Pending), AP Spanish (Pending)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: TA for math class, PLTW computer-integrated manufacturing, AP Lang, AP Physics 2, AP Calc AB, APUSH, AP Spanish, Guitar (for art credit)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
● Top 10/Academic Leader, Top 10 GPA of class (2014-2016)
● President’s Volunteer Service Award, Bronze 2017
● 3rd Place, National Chinese Dance Competition (Solo) 2017
● 3rd Place, National Chinese Dance Competition (Lead Dancer in a Group Dance) 2017
● Winner, Piano Sonatina Competition (for age group) 2017
● Superior (1), Piano National Federation Junior Festival (Solo, Concerto)
● Advanced Rudiments, Royal Conservatory of Music (Music Theory) 2016
● Level 8, Royal Conservatory of Music 2016
● Honorable Mention, Missouri State Competition for Piano (Duet) 2015

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
● Class Advisory
o Served as treasurer during sophomore year.
o Spearheaded and created a fundraiser to raise money for St. Jude’s cancer research.
● Women in STEM, Treasurer 2015 – Present o Bring girls interested in STEM together and inform them more about the field.
o Arranged field trips to various locations to be exposed to the engineering career.
● Renaissance Student Steering Committee 2014 – Present o Our mission was to promote good grades around the school by using motivational factors as well
as putting together an assembly recognizing academic excellence. ● Robotics
o Started on the marketing branch.
o Documenting the team and organized the team notebook. ● Mu Alpha Theta
o Math tutoring program.
● National Honor’s Society
● Mizzou Engineering Camp, Columbia, MO
o Won first place for team bridge design competition.
● Hugh O’Brian Youth (HOBY) Leadership Seminar, Cape Girardeau, MO
○ Selected as an outstanding sophomore to represent my school.

Job/Work Experience: Internship at a biomechanical lab at WASHU around 130 hours, teach piano to kids around neighborhood

Volunteer/Community service:
● Philanthropy Club
○ Founded Philanthropy club my senior year to gather students who wanted to contribute to the
community without being incentivized. Hosted multiple fundraisers and donations year round.
Moved the responsibility of the Valentine’s Day carnation sale from Class Advisory to this club.
● Lancers Helping Lancers 2015 – Present ○ In partnership with CHAD’s Coalition to raise awareness and eliminate the stigma against mental
illness and prevent teen suicide.
● Chinese Cultural and Classical Dance 2014 – Present
○ Performed at St. Louis’ Chinese Culture Days and the International Festival to promote Chinese culture. Committed over 100 hours each year in preparation and performance for the community.
● Volunteered at the Sach’s Butterfly House (MANTIS) Work Experience

Summer Activities: Internship, HOBY, Mizzou Engineering camp
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8?

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1:Physics teacher had for 2 years: 8-9 she likes me a lot and was really eager to write my letter but I had beef with her daughter so idk
Teacher Rec #2:AP lit teacher: 8-9 had her for 2 years and she sponsors my philanthropy club
Counselor Rec: 7-8 she has a lot of students but we fill out a form to help her copy/paste, she personally emailed me saying it was one of the best forms she’s received in her 20 years there as a counselor
Additional Rec:Professor of the WASHU lab: 9-10 for the program he had to write a review about me and it was really great so I just imagine that but better
Interview: ok… we went off on a lot of tangents and the only part I got to fit in about why I like yale is because of the residential college system… I had a lot of other things I liked about the school but there wasn’t a time where it felt right to add it to the conversation

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Engineering (mechanical ?)
State (if domestic applicant): MO
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: F
Income Bracket: 150k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): immigrant parents

Reflection

Strengths: passionate about learning, put a lot of that passion into my essays
Weaknesses: too well-rounded
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: lots of other stellar applicants
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments:

22

DEFERRED

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): did not take
ACT (breakdown): 36 Composite (36M,35E,35R,36S)
SAT II: 800 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0 (converted - I live in France and go to a French school; my average is a 17,80/20 at an extremely competitive school)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A (but 1/124, which my counselor told me she put in her rec)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nope (does not exist in France)

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Strong interest in fashion (social media account), student gov, Model UN, used to be a competitive skier (won national competitions - then broke my leg, which ruined skiing for me because I have long-term damage to cartilage, wrote my common app about my ski accident), have a facebook page raising awareness about the injustice Tibetan refugees are facing

Summer: spent a summer taking classes at Phillips Academy in Andover (2015), two weeks in Northern India for community service (2016), International Relations college credit course at Georgetown (2016), six weeks in a chemistry lab (2017)

Job/Work Experience: English tutor for other students

Volunteer/Community service: Young Ambassador for UNICEF, soup kitchen every week, community service in India

Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7,5/10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 10/10

Interview: Very interesting, I did not speak a lot about myself though (I asked a lot of questions!!)

Applied for Financial Aid?: Nope
Intended Major: Applied Math (Math and Philosophy, Physics and Philosophy)
State (if domestic applicant): N/A
Country: South of France
School Type: Catholic Jesuit private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female

Reflection

Strengths: scores (especially considering I’m foreign), dual citizen, not at an international school
Weaknesses: essays maybe, no international awards, kind of weird vibe since I’m applying out of the French system from an obscure area in the South of France the admissions office probably doesn’t know, only one subject test
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: so ist das Leben…

23

Just to add to my last post (ACCEPTED), here are my short answers if helpful:

  1. What inspires you? Whenever I’m blocked, I sit at the piano and play Bach’s Italian Concerto. I pretend I’m an 18th-century harpsichordist in a royal court; so transported, I come away energized, creative, and happy.
  2. Yale’s residential colleges regularly host intimate conversations with guests representing a wide range of experiences and accomplishments. What person, past or present, would you invite to speak? What question would you ask? Miguel de Unamuno, philosopher and author. In his Novelas, his characters struggle to reach what he calls their aspiration. I’d ask: “Do you suffer more or less the closer you get to your aspiration?”
  3. You are teaching a Yale course. What is it called? “Systems of Navigation: the physics and mechanics of inventions such as the compass, GPS, and autonomous systems.”
  4. Most first year Yale students live in suites of four to six students. What would you contribute to the dynamic of your suite? I’d be the suitemate who’d be game for anything—putting on a mini-concert for our college, organizing a casual soccer game, a bike ride—that would bring us closer together.
24

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
ACT (breakdown): 35 (35 E, 35 M, 35 R, 36 S, 7 essay)
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Chem
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.85
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 20%
AP (place score in parenthesis): Chem (5), Bio (5), Psych (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calc BC, Computer Science Principles, French Cinema & Conversation, College Prep English IV, AP World History, AP Physics 1&2
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Lots in various different areas: Swimming, Band, Math, Science, History. Received scholarships from Army ROTC, Navy ROTC, and Air Force ROTC

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): lots… Swimming, Young Republicans’ Club (VP), Science Bowl, TEAMS, WYSE, Band (Drum Major for a year), Math Club, Brass Band, Jazz Band,
Job/Work Experience: Lifeguard during the summer at my local community pool
Volunteer/Community service: Dad is member of VP (Men’s Club in St. Louis) and every year they put on St. Louis’ main 4th of July parade. I’ve helped with it for the past 3 summers with building, maintaining, and cleaning the floats. I also have been on one of floats for the past 3 years. I also go around St. Louis and do events with the VP and help out our city’s community.
Summer Activities: Duke TIP for 4 years, Lifeguard, Summer Seminars at USNA, West Point, and USAFA
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7. Writing has never been my strong suit, it is harder for me than my other subjects. I am very brief and to the point. I get all of my points across, but I really didn’t put anything that wasn’t needed. I hope I will be able to work on my writing at Yale. I was very honest. At least my tendency to be brief meant I never went over the word limit :smiley:
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 9 I know my teachers very well. My counselor is good at writing recs. NROTC and AFROTC also wrote letters for me since I was assigned to Yale during the application process for NROTC. AFROTC did not list a specific college, but I contacted the unit at Yale.

Teacher Rec #1: Unable to read it, but I assume it was very good
Teacher Rec #2: Also couldn’t read it, but I assume it was a very good letter
Counselor Rec: Excellent. She’s very good at writing them I have heard.
Additional Rec: NROTC, AFROTC, also my swim coach, and I have known her for a long time
Interview: Great! The alum really liked me!

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No (have ROTC scholarships)
Intended Major: Engineering (probably Electrical)
State (if domestic applicant): Missouri
School Type: Public School
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: 100k-120k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I received ROTC scholarships from Navy, Air Force, and Army!

Reflection

Strengths: Female in engineering, ROTC, Good Test Scores, Good Alum interview,
Weaknesses: B- in non-honours English junior year, my essays could have been better probably, 7 in ACT essay
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I have good academics, but also am involved in extracurriculars. I felt like I tried my best to really be honest about myself on the application, and I think I had some unique qualities that set me apart from other applicants. Also NROTC and AFROTC write rec letters to students who have been assigned to the Yale detachment (NROTC assigned me to Yale, AFROTC was general, no assignment anywhere, but I contacted Yale Squadron), and I think that just really pushed it over the edge.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted at University of Alabama, Accepted at Missouri Institute of Science & Technology (formerly known as University of Missouri-Rolla)

General Comments : Very excited! I really couldn’t believe it when I found out! I really wasn’t looking at Yale until I visited it, and then I loved it so much, I asked my dad to cancel our visit to Harvard University (we were doing the traditional Ivy League college visit trip)

25

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1500 (1st try 750M/740CR, 2nd try 720M/750CR)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 730 (Bio-E), 710 (US History)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank but def in the top 5 out of ~460
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
IB (place score in parenthesis): Math SL (6), Geography SL (6)
Senior Year Course Load: IB English HL II, IB Topics HL, IB Biology HL, IB Spanish SL II, IB Anthropology SL, AP Statistics, Theory of Knowledge, Journalism 4
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): lol nah

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): (just writing the things I listed in the activities section)

  • Activism (this probably resonated well with Yale but can’t be specific for privacy reasons, sorry)
  • Newspaper (Editor-in-Chief)
  • Social justice club (founder/president)
  • Clinton campaign—I supported Bernie but am a staunch liberal lol (intern/fall fellow)
  • Psychology club
  • Run crew for theatre productions
    Job/Work Experience: N/A
    Volunteer/Community service:
  • Tutoring organization for underprivileged youth (4 years, too many hours) (manager of my tutoring center)
  • Hospital volunteer (3 years, 300 hours)
    Summer Activities:
  • VA Humanities Gov School
  • Camp counselor (2 years)
  • Tutoring organization (2 years) (part of group that oversees all ~20 centers and makes preparations for the academic year)

Essays (rating 1-10, details): I am terrible at rating my own writing because I tend to be hard on myself, so instead I’ll describe each essay so you can gauge for yourself. Even so, I am incredibly proud of my essays and am convinced they’re some of the best writing I have ever produced (despite having written them all within a month).

  • My personal statement was about my relationship with my mom and my culture set against my activism activity.
  • For “Why these areas?” I listed Global Affairs and English and mostly talked about my love for journalism.
  • For “Why Yale?” I talked about the renaming of Calhoun College (related this to activism).
  • The short takes were all about my personality and I didn’t really take these too seriously, but gave a lot of attention to making them flow and be as impactful as possible (11/10).
  • For “What do you most enjoy learning?” I talked about my heritage language. Everyone I showed this essay to ADORED it (11/10).
  • For “Describe a community you belong to” I talked about my involvement with newspaper and future journalistic aspirations.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
I can’t necessarily put a rating to the recommendations since I didn’t read them, but they must’ve been good.

  • Teacher Rec #1: 9th grade history teacher. I took a big risk with this one because Yale has made it clear that they prefer recent teachers, but this particular teacher knows me and my activities so well and has said that I’m the best student he’s had in ~20 years of teaching, so I figured it was worth a shot. He was more excited to hear that I got in than I was lol.
  • Teacher Rec #2: Geography teacher. He’s super kind and wants all of his students to succeed, so I know he put effort into the recommendation. I was one of the top students in his class (only junior in a class of seniors), and he knew that I always tried to apply what we learned in class to my life.
  • Counselor Rec: We don’t talk more than we have to, but she’s known my name since sophomore year (which isn’t true for many of my peers and their counselors). I submitted an extensive “brag sheet” to her so she may have drawn from that to write the recommendation. Also, one other student has gotten into Yale in my school’s recent history, and that student had the same counselor as me (not sure if that actually means anything but figured it was worth mentioning).
  • Additional Rec: N/A
  • Interview: I assume my interviewer liked me: our conversation lasted nearly two hours, she repeatedly said how she could see me at Yale, and she hugged me at the end. It was fairly informal and she didn’t ask any typical interview questions. Rather, my interviewer was really interested in my involvement with journalism and my aspirations, and we talked a lot about fake news and media ethicality. I was also super genuine the entire time—I didn’t bother to use elevated language or sound smarter than I actually was (I even mentioned my love for Gilmore Girls twice, though wouldn’t necessarily recommend doing this lol).

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yup
Intended Major: Global Affairs and English
State (if domestic applicant): VA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public (~2000 students, majority-minority)
Ethnicity: White (Middle Eastern)
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: ~80k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First gen

Reflection:

Strengths: ESSAYS (my super close friends said they reflected me so well and cried when reading my Personal Statement), GPA, interview (despite the Gilmore Girls fiasco), recommendations
Weaknesses: TEST SCORES (in hindsight these aren’t that significant—if you’re in the range, you’re fine), no major awards/honors
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I gave a genuine portrayal of myself (an open-minded journalist who wants to change the world), and definitely think I ~vibed~ with Yale. My activism was also really unique and definitely was what made me stand out in regards to ECs. Still, I’m basically an average person who wrote great essays, had good recs, and was lucky.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to VCU, applied to UVA (decisions come out in January). I’m going to visit Yale soon and if I love it as much as I think I will I’m not going to apply anywhere else (except maybe Columbia).

General Comments:

  • Use the em dash in your essays!
  • I didn’t tell anyone (other than close family and super close friends) that I was applying, and I would highly recommend future applicants do the same.
  • Don’t participate in the culture of comparing stats and college lists!!
  • Be sure to do what you love. Probably my most impressive activities were ones I just started doing for fun, and didn’t realize they would be “impressive” to colleges until much later.
  • Get off this site. I used to be really dependent on CC—always lurking but very rarely posting—but a few months ago, a few people implied that I had basically no shot of acceptance. That stressed me out, causing me to swear off the site until now, and I’m really happy I did.
  • Please realize that gaining acceptance to a top-tier college is not everything. I thought getting into Yale would be my greatest accomplishment to date, but I feel the same (if not even slightly underwhelmed). Sure, it’s amazing, but any decision (rejection, deferral, acceptance) does not change who you are, what you’ve accomplished, or who you aspire to be. It’s just a college. You can get similar opportunities elsewhere.
  • I’m so incredibly appreciative to have been accepted. It still doesn’t feel real.

YALE 2022!!!

26

I just wanted to say that if I was the Yale admissions committee you would have been my first choice! Writing is also my thing, and I am so inspired by your whole application. I am only a freshman, and I really want to see where you get in! Please keep me posted on your progress. I can’t understand why they didn’t take you, this whole admissions process is screwed up!

27

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

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 800 Math, 760 Verbal
ACT (breakdown): n/a
SAT II: 770 Latin, 770 Spanish
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.87
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis): Spanish, English Language, Latin, Psychology, APUSH (5), Statistics, Human Geography (4)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): TASP

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Language Club (Founder), Another Language Club (Founder), etc.
Job/Work Experience: Cashier
Volunteer/Community service: mentored and taught students foreign languages
Summer Activities: TASP, foreign language university classes
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Not sure how to rate my essays, but my common app essay was interesting. It discussed why I love learning the things I love.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Got an A- in the class, but my English teacher liked me.
Teacher Rec #2: Math teacher, A- in his class, this rec. was more about how I improved in a class I was struggling with.
Counselor Rec: Should have been good? My counselor knows me well.
Additional Rec: From language tutor.
Interview: Student interview on-campus.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Classics
State (if domestic applicant): MA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 50k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: interesting essays, deep knowledge of Yale (spent significant time on campus), lots of demonstrated interest in my proposed major
Weaknesses: had a terrible grade on my transcript because of extenuating circumstances (like below a B)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: interesting application. not cookie-cutter.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: N/A

I’m so grateful for this, and hope that my information can help future applicants. :slight_smile:

28

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1500 (math 800, reading 700) 5/4/5, 1550 (math 790, reading 760) 7/5/7
ACT (breakdown): /
SAT II: Math 2 800, Chem 800, Lit 720, Korean w/ Listening 700 (didn’t send)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 98/100
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1% (out of 595)
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language and Composition (5), Calculus BC (5), Human Geography (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):confused:
Senior Year Course Load: Standard Chinese high school course combination plus two electives
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):confused:

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Online writing platform (co-founder, editor), Model UN (club president, secretary-general), A Cappella (Co-leader), Research on social media, Korean language learning, Self-recorded song covers, made video subtitles, summer school in Korea and two international exchange experiences
Job/Work Experience: /
Volunteer/Community service:/
Summer Activities: KUISC 2017
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8 or 9. Personal essay’s pretty sincere and interesting; I talked about my personal experience getting to know about Korean language and culture because of a family background, and my attitude for cultural differences. I’d rate 10 for my short answers because I loved them so much. They were honest, humorous and showed my true self accurately. The supplemental essays were above average. My why major and why school essays were both pretty standard why essays, and in the two supplements I talked about how engaging in a virtual community online had shaped my views toward equal rights and learning to rap lol.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
(sorry I can’t really rate my recs)
Teacher Rec #1: I’m not especially good at math but I’m very close with my math teacher, and she likes me very much. I guess that helps
Teacher Rec #2: My English teacher likes me even though he likes everyone else equally BUT he really sees the best qualities in people
Counselor Rec: It was pretty holistic about my academics and personal strengths
Additional Rec: didn’t submit
Interview: I actually had a couple (both Yale alum) interview me. They seemed nice and the conversation flowed pretty well; we talked about my love for media studies and my research involving social media and political events, and I got to know more about Yale from their experiences. The interview went for a bit over an hour and I felt really comfortable. I wouldn’t say there was anything special about my interview but it was definitely not bad.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: Film & Media Studies/Global Affairs
State (if domestic applicant):confused:
Country (if international applicant): China
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian (Chinese)
Gender: F
Income Bracket:/
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):confused:

Reflection

Strengths: Essays, consistency of ECs, GPA
Weaknesses: I had no work experience, no community service and no major awards. Also because of our Chinese curriculum I didn’t get to take many APs.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I’d say I was accepted because I was really honest in my essays and I tried to make them fun and unique, and everything fit into my persona well. But maybe it was because I also liked Taylor Swift
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: /

General Comments : I was sooo sure of a deferral or rejection that I slept through 7 calls and a million messages from my mom and teacher telling me to check my decision (decisions came out in the morning here in China and I was in my dorm at school) and I got back to them two hours later saying I was accepted and they all went crazy. I’m still in too much of a daze to make quality comments on my application so sorry about that

29

**Decision: Rejected **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1300 MATHS:680 CR&W: 620
ACT (breakdown): 27 E:29/M:31/R:24/S:25
SAT II: M2:710 / PHYSICS: 640 (DIDNT SEND)
Unweighted GPA (out of 100): 96.5% (12th mid)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1
AP (place score in parenthesis): -
IB (place score in parenthesis): -
Senior Year Course Load: JEE level science courses
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 4 major national level awards and HMUN CHINA AD.(international?)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): A LOT OF LEADERSHIP POSITIONS in MUNs, A PILOT PROGRAM, MORE MORE MORE
Job/Work Experience: STARTED A COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROGRAM IN 9TH AND 10TH. AND A NATIONAL SOCIAL ENTERPRISE IN 11TH.
Volunteer/Community service: PET SHELTER, INTERN AT A CONFERENCE
Summer Activities: mentioned above
Essays (rating 1-10, details): idk lol
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): COULDN’T HAVE ASKED FOR BETTER

Teacher Rec #1: MATHS 10
Teacher Rec #2: FRENCH 10
Counselor Rec: BEST BEST BEST
Additional Rec: -
Interview: - DIDNT GET

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: YES
Intended Major: ECON
State (if domestic applicant): -
Country (if international applicant): India
School Type: private
Ethnicity: asian
Gender: male
Income Bracket: poor
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: everything except weakness
Weaknesses: test scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: see strengths, and cuz i applied for an underenrolled major?
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: no where.
General Comments :

30

**Decision: Deferred **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):1480 (760 Math, 720 Reading)
ACT (breakdown): Didn’t send
SAT II: Didn’t send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 3
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Euro (3), AP Gov (3), AP Calculus AB (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): Didn’t send
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB, IB Math HL, IB English HL, IB Spanish IV, IB Biology HL, IB History of the Americas HL, Peer Counseling I
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Scholar, Youth Appreciation Award, nothing major lol

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

  • Published a novel
  • Writing Club, President and Co-Founder
  • Science Club Captain (we did various quiz bowl competitions & stuff)
  • Book Club Member
  • National Honors Society Secretary
  • City Youth Committee member
  • High School Journal of Science Peer Reviewer

Job/Work Experience: High school research intern at the University of Michigan
Volunteer/Community service: Peer tutoring, some stuff I didn’t put on my college app
Summer Activities: See internship, a couple random medical camps in 9th and 10th grade
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App Essay: 9/10, pretty sure this is the reason I didn’t get rejected.
Yale Specific: My “why yale” essay was pretty good/creative, but the other two were trash. I think if I wrote better supplements I could’ve gotten in, but I thought I had no hope because of my scores so I didn’t really try.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: I didn’t see it, but he wrote me a recommendation letter for the research program, which I got into. So I’d just say a 7/10
Teacher Rec #2: It was my English teacher. I didn’t see it, but I’d trust her with my life so 9/10
Counselor Rec: She always tells my parents good things about me, but once again I didn’t see it and I’m not sure how compelling it would be. 9/10
Additional Rec: I’m not sure if he ever faxed it, but it was from the professor for my internship. I have no idea what he would say. 7/10
Interview: It wasn’t a negative experience. It flowed fairly well, but it was my first interview. 7/10

Other

  • Applied for Financial Aid?: Who doesn't?
  • Intended Major: Molecular Biology
  • State (if domestic applicant): MI
  • Country (if international applicant):
  • School Type: Public
  • Ethnicity: African-American
  • Gender: Female
  • Income Bracket: 100k+
  • Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection

Strengths: I think my extracurriculars, and my common app essay
Weaknesses: My supplemental essays, and scores. Also, I didn’t send in SAT II scores, which may have been a problem. (They were really bad, and I didn’t want to make my score situation worse.)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I’m surprised I even got deferred with those scores. I was really expecting a rejection. I should’ve written better essays.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Got accepted to some smaller state schools. Haven’t heard from U of M yet

General Comments :
Congratulations to everyone who got in! Take those essays seriously. Never think that you won’t get in because of scores. I genuinely thought I didn’t have a chance, and I got deferred! Good luck to everyone. And as to everyone who got rejected–a lot of you have amazing scores or seem like amazing people. I know you will succeed.

31

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown):
-32 second sitting: 34E, 30M, 35R, 27S
-30 first sitting with 7 writing
SAT II:
-730 World History
-720 Math 1
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.86, Yale would recalculate it to 3.7ish. My weighted GPA is 4.24
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 9/261, top 3% (rank is weighted though)
AP (place score in parenthesis): Language and Composition- 3, World History- 4
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stats, AP Bio, Psychology (couldn’t get into AP), DE Political Science, DE Microecon, DE English, Yearbook
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
-Carnegie Mellon’s Summer Academy for Math and Science as a rising senior. 7% admit rate. According to program director, 25% of admitted students enroll in a top 5 university the following year.
-Placed in the top 5 in state for Future Problem Solvers sophomore year

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): I have leadership positions in all of these but skiing
-City Human Rights Commission
-School Board Representative
-Student Body President
-Future Problem Solvers
-Black Belt in Takewondo
-Yearbook Editor
-Varsity Ski Racing
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: Vacation Bible School, taking care of disabled kids (some of my most valuable life lessons were learned here (: )
Summer Activities: Boys State (I was a State Senator), Carnegie Mellon SAMS. See above major awards
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
-Personal Essay: 8/10
-I talked about my experience washing dishes while reflecting on life. Memorable essay.
-Supplements: 10/10
-They were well researched and gave AOs an understanding of how I would fit in on campus.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 5/10
-Generic teacher rec. Very templatey.
Teacher Rec #2: 11/10
-It was based on my USSYP rec, which said I was the best student in a decade. Talked about my passion and critical consciousness. If character is taken into account in admissions, this alone would have gotten me in.
Counselor Rec: 11/10
-This rec letter demonstrated many of the same qualities of the teacher rec #2, talked about me taking advantage of resources in a community that doesn’t have many opportunities.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Interviewer was very impressed, thought I was exceptional in my extracurricular pursuits.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes, but it is still pending
Intended Major: Sociology; Ethnicity, Race, and Migration; and Econ were the three I listed
State (if domestic applicant): MN
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Underserved public
Ethnicity: African American
Gender: M
Income Bracket: 90K during year I applied, but usually around 60K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM and first gen

Reflection

Strengths: My extracurricular involvement
Weaknesses: Test scores and GPA
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected:
-I come from a school most here would consider atrocious, which I am told helps me stand out. Working to address issues in my community and having tangible results demonstrated to admissions officers that I would be a good fit at Yale. All in all, my story was pretty interesting and unconventional.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
-Accepted to the University of Minnesota (Liberal Arts Honors)

General Comments: When I first found CC as a sophomore in high school, I often felt discouraged by the sheer lack of opportunity in my community. However, I think it is important for students like me to realize that they have to be extremely exceptional to get into these schools, It doesn’t suffice to be the highest ranking student, you need to be “one of the best in a decade.” If any students in the situation I was in sophomore year want to ask me for more personal advice, I’d gladly try to help. Feel free to message me.

32

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1580
ACT (breakdown): Didn’t take
SAT II: 750 and 790…can’t remember what I took haha
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 13/857
AP (place score in parenthesis): Eight total all 4s and 5s
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: 6 APs
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit semifinalist, AP Scholar w/ Distinction, Ton of public speaking/debate stuff

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Debate (captain) - lots of awards
Another debate related thing - lots of awards
MUN (captain) - awards
A bunch of school publications, leadership there as well
A couple political/journalistic internships
Job/Work Experience: Nothing paid lmao
Volunteer/Community service: minimal, a bit of work with my church but should have done more :frowning:
Summer Activities: Aforementioned internships, debate work
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: solid, nothing miraculous - 8/10
Why Yale: rushed, kinda weird, not great tbh 7/10
Why Intended Major: pretty good 9/10
Short answers: Excellent, lot of personality 10/10
Excited about learning: decent, maybe a bit too broad 8/10
Something else about yourself: very good 9.5/10
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Excellent, said I was one of their best students ever 10/10
Teacher Rec #2: Didn’t read it, but really likes me 9/10
Counselor Rec: Didn’t read, likes but doesn’t love me, I’d guess 7/10
Additional Rec: From a long-time mentor, really really good 9.5/10
Interview: I was SUPER nervous, but it went alright. Lasted about an hour and a half and she wrote me a very complimentary email after I got in

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Not yet
Intended Major: Something in the social sciences
State (if domestic applicant): New York
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Large private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Upper middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Fat nope

Reflection

Strengths: Didn’t go into a ton of detail for privacy reasons, but ECs and awards were very very strong (nation/worldwide recognition), good numbers, and demonstrated clear passion
Weaknesses: community service experience, I don’t think essays hurt me but idk if they helped me either (same deal with letters)
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: See strengths lol
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: First I’ve heard from!

General Comments : Still in disbelief! Can’t wait to be a bulldog <3

33

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): N/A
ACT (breakdown): 34 composite; 36 Reading, 36 English, 32 Math, 32 Science, 10 Writing
SAT II: 800 US History; 720 Math II
Unweighted GPA: 4.0/4.3
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): English Language and Composition(4), Physics 1 (4), US History (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: 5 APs (Psych, English Lit, Calc BC, Gov, Bio) I also go to a dual curriculum school so I took 4 Judaic courses on top of these
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP scholar, PSAT Commended Student

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Youth Group (President of hundreds of teens) Mock Trial (captain) Student Government (Vice President), Hockey (captain), Quiz bowl (captain), Lobbyist,
Job/Work Experience: Lifeguard for one summer
Volunteer/Community service: lots of community service through youth group
Summer Activities: Israel trip, Lifeguard at Day camp
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App-9- I think my essay was actually really good. I wrote about personal growth in a letter to my Dad and in the lens of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. It had a lot of voice.
Why Yale -8, wrote about my fear of missing out on opportunities and how I would be able to overcome that at Yale
Areas of Interest- 7, wrote about how Psych, English, and Poli Sci are all connected in that they all influence change in society. Wrote about social nature of humans
Community-7 wrote about my work with my Youth Group
Thing I most enjoy learning- 6, wrote about how undiscovered the mind is and how I love learning peoples stories
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details)

Teacher Rec #1: 10th/11th Grade English teacher- 10- this is the teacher that I am probably closest with, she sparked a love of English and Literature for me
Teacher Rec #2: 9th/10th/11th History teacher/ Mock Trial Coach-10- she was able to talk about my leadership and commitment to Mock trial and my interest and dedication to history.
Counselor Rec: honestly not sure how this one went, knew this counselor for about a year, but I guess it went well
Additional Rec:N/A
Interview: Went really well I think. Talked a lot about Youth group and using education as a tool for activism

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Psych or English or Poli Sci
State (if domestic applicant): NY
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private Jewish Day School
Ethnicity:White
Gender:Male
Income Bracket: 250k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none tbh

Reflection

Strengths: Essays, ECs, Recs
Weaknesses: lower end GPA I think, not a URM
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I honestly think it was the essays and the ECs that set me apart
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: accepted to Binghamton

General Comments :
Im actually in shock that I got in. Guess it showed that not everybody has to be a URM.

34

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1480, 790 Math || 690 Critical Reading || 7/5/7 Writing (2 tries on SAT but all better scores on first)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 Math 2 || 770 Physics || 790 Math 1
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Basically a 4.0 (1 B freshman year)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP physics 1 (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: All Duel Enrollment at a local college. I took college classes alongside college students.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 1st place Destination Imagination Global Finals, Top 20 in State Math competition, School given Book Award.

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Ultimate Frisbee(Captain), Destination Imagination, Film Making, Math team, Engineering, Jewish leadership group, Guitar
Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: Hosted 2 film festivals. Hosting third one this year. Taught young children how to be good team members and how to do improv.
Summer Activities: Boys State
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10, Film making. I think this essay is the best piece of literature I have ever written. It really shows who I am as a person and the strong connection I have with my family.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10 Humanities: I am a great writer and always participate. I am the one who volunteers to act out the character in front of the class.

Teacher Rec #2: 10/10 Scientific Writing. I always participate and I am great at writing. I am very outgoing to other students in the class.

Counselor Rec:10/10 Never got in trouble.
Additional Rec: ∞/10 Destination Imagination Team Manager: We worked together since 3rd grade. After working with her for so long, we have a strong connection. Makes you cry.

Interview:10/10 He really liked getting to know me, and I liked his explanations of the Yale community.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Mechanical Engineer
Country: USA
School Type: Magnet
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 100,000-120,000, upper middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection

Strengths: All my essays and recommendations.
Weaknesses: Not an athlete of a popular sport and not legacy.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Holistic, overall great stats, essays, and extracurriculars.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Only applied to Yale

General Comments :I’m so excited to be part of the class of 2022!

35

**Decision: Accepted **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1480 (720 RW, 760 Math) 6,6,6 essay
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: 750 US History, 720 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t rank, but pretty sure top of class.
AP (place score in parenthesis): School only allows 1 ap junior year: APUSH (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP Lang, AP Calc, AP CS Principles, English 12, World History
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Nothing major. Some regional and school awards, but nothing worth naming. Won Yale Book Award, though!

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-Student Council, 11-12th grade (Elected class rep in 11th and elected school vice president 12th).
-NHS, 11-12th grade (Vice President)
-Newspaper, 12th grade (Co-founder)
-Track, 9-12th grade (Captain)
-Model G20, 11-12th grade ( leader and representative of Germany both years)

Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer at local hospital twice a week. Hundreds of hours of service through NHS.
Summer Activities: 3 summers taking classes at Harvard Summer School in which I earned college credits.
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
-Main essay- 9/10. Super personal essay about my experience with biculturalism and learning what it means.
-Why Yale- 8.5/10- Pretty genuine and easy b/c I really want to go.
-Short Answers- 7/10- Nothing special. They got the job done, but hey, I only had 35 words to work with.
-Academic interests essay- 8/10- Pretty good imo. About how bio, psychology, and history will be useful in my career.
-What do you like learning essay: 8.5/10- Talked about my first summer class in psychology and how I fell in love with the field.
-What Community essay: 9/10- I really liked this one. Talked about my experiences as a volunteer at my local hospital.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: English Teacher (waived)- not sure, I’ll go with a solid 9/10.
Teacher Rec #2: Bio Teacher (waived)- not sure either. Maybe a 8-8.5/10
Counselor Rec: 8/10. We got along really well, and I think she got to know me really well even in the short time we have known each other.
Additional Rec: 10/10 Recommendation from the director of the summer program that allowed me to spend 3 summers at Harvard and take classes there for free. Also sent in my grades from the summer classes.
Interview: 7/10. Went on for an hour. The interviewer didn’t ask the expected “Why Yale?” or other generic questions. Mainly interested in my academic and passions which were easy to answer. Pretty average interview, but then again I have only had this one interview for a school, so I can’t really gauge.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Bio: Molecular, Cellular, Developmental
State (if domestic applicant): MA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: African-American
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: ~ 30-40k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, first gen

Reflection

Strengths: Definitely essays and my summer program director recommendation. Having a hook couldn’t have hurt either.
Weaknesses: Probably test scores, but they weren’t too bad. No major achievements.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I honestly don’t really know. I guess no one really knows why one gets into an Ivy; one just gets in.The more I think about it, the more improbable it seems. But if I had to say why, probably a combination of my essays, unique personal background, recommendations, and extracurriculars. No one thing carried me.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Applied nowhere else :slight_smile:

IT REALLY IS POSSIBLE!! The limit is as high as you set it. Say you can get in, put your mind and heart into it, work as hard as you can, and the rest is up to fate. To my fellow admitted, congratulations, and I hope to see you at Bull Dog Days and in the fall. To the deferred/rejected, keep your heads high and know there are still other great colleges for you. As cliche as it sounds, things truly do work out in the end. To future applicants, pls don’t see the stats and credentials of those on CC and be intimidated from applying to schools like Yale. I dwarf most the other admitted on CC in test scores, but I applied, and I got in. Use the resources available to you to the best of your abilities and work as hard as you can so you have no regrets in the end. Try not to compare yourself to others; instead, worry about how you can strengthen yourself as an applicant. Good Luck.

36

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected [/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1430 (only took it once)
ACT (breakdown): didn’t take it
SAT II:only sent U.S. History – 710
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.4 (weighted)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): n/a
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: 4 APs (Psych, Studio Art, Literature, Latin)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
First Prize in Unedited Photography and Grand Prize Nominee in the Youthful Expressions Art Competition (national), 2 golds on the National Latin Exam, NHS,
Bronze Medal for Horror Short in the Spotlight Horror Film Awards as Director of Cinematography (international)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): “Rock” band – performed multiple times per year, in charity events at the school, I really focused on my community service
Job/Work Experience: was a private piano teacher for a year
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteer piano teacher for at-risk kids for the past four years. Taught an hour and a half every week.
Summer Activities: CTY Johns Hopkins course at Princeton in Race and Politics (2017), Online CTY course in forensics
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Wrote my commonapp essay on photography as a mode of social change (I did some portraits of a homeless community in Downtown Los Angeles that were really moving to me) – when i wrote it I though it was a nice solid 8/10 or something 9/10, but I’ve since edited it heavily and I realize that it wasn’t perfect.
I really liked all my other essays as I was writing them, but in reflection they were stale and flat – they truly didn’t reflect me. I have deep roots in New Haven and I wrote about that, but I don’t think it did me well.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: APUSH Teacher Junior Year – Didn’t get to read it but she told me it was amazing
Teacher Rec #2: Latin teacher junior (and now senior) year – really worried about this rec so I actually removed it for the rest of my applications – she’s weird and I don’t think she understands me or represented me correctly and it was a dumb decision to pick her
Counselor Rec: oooooh boy, I think it was good because he and I have had quite the time together this past year-- most kids from my school don’t apply to, let alone get in, to ivies so it was a battle with him trying to get him to understand — but we ended up getting along
Additional Rec: From my photography teacher, who has worked closely with me on my art these past four years
Interview: Signed up for one in July. It was okay. I had just come out of a summer course on Race and Politics so I was super amped up about that so we talked a little bit about that – but I was definitely nervous and he definitely could tell.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: Religion; Race, Ethnicity, and Migration
State (if domestic applicant): TN
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Private
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): I guess I didn’t really have any? I had some secondary legacy ?

Reflection:
lol it felt like the absolute end of the world. i was crying before I even opened it. and all I had been seeing in my head for months was opening it and hearing the bulldogs song. But I ended up being okay, I’m finishing up all my other applications now, and I truly now understand that you can be a pretty good candidate and not get in, and that to some degree admissions is all about luck. Most applicants are qualified, so honestly sometimes it’s just a matter of numbers. For those of you reading this who didn’t get in or got deferred or are anticipating decisions soon or applying next year or whatever, people will tell you over and over that the admissions decision is not a reflection of your worth and I know that every time someone told me this I understood, but was so caught up in it all that when it came down to it, my rejection felt personal and it felt like I wasn’t good enough. But that’s definitely not true. I think everything happens for a reason and if Yale said no that’s because that’s not where I’m meant to be. There is no perfect way to fill out an application, and so the most important thing is representing who you are and what you love the best you can. Good luck to all future applicants and those who were deferred! and my deepest congratulations to those who were accepted!

Strengths: Community Service? Academic record?
Weaknesses: Teacher Rec #2, lack of extracurriculars? probably should’ve sent in an arts supplement
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Not enough room. Maybe I wasn’t a right fit. could’ve had better essay.s
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Applying to a bunch of other places right now

37

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 800 Math 770 R+W
SAT II: 800 Bio E, 790 Math II, 800 Math I
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 45/400
Major Awards: National Merit, Competition Music Awards, State Basketball, State Soccer
AP Scores: Chemistry 5, US History 4, Music Theory 5, Calculus 5,
Senior Course Load: AP Statistics, AP Biology, AP Seminar, AP Com Sci, AP Macroeconomics
Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): (Basketball Captain Varsity) 3 years, JV Basketball 1 year, Varsity Soccer for 2 years, Volunteer work with ~150 hours in hospital, (Engineering Club), AAU Basketball, Football 1 year, (Math Team)
Job/Work Experience: Coached athletic camp for 3 summers, worked as referee for a league basketball club
Volunteer/Community service: At hospital volunteering and shadowing a relative doctor
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Probably a 3 or 4, not that impressive Imo
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Strong, half the recommendation letters were from coaches and half from teachers and counselors

Interview: n/a

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Mechanical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): NY
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male

Reflection

Strengths: Passion for sports and math
Weaknesses: essays, academics
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Athletics?
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: UPenn (accepted), Syracuse (accepted),

General Comments : I think I got lucky with athletics

38

[asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred [/color][/size]
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 700 English 720 Math
ACT (breakdown): meh not gonna write this one
SAT II: 780 Spanish, 720 (? I guess) Math I because I realized that I took the wrong test too late, 610 Chem (I ran out of time because I did not know we could rip off the periodic table to use lol).
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0/3.7(12th grade 1st sem??)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 51/659ish
AP (place score in parenthesis): Spanish Lang (5), Chinese (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Chem, AP Lit, AP Spanish Lit, Tutor class (basically being a student TA), Acc Math 3 Honors, Economics, Debate, World history, Dual Enrollment in Psychology, Public Speaking, and Health.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Latin American Piano Competition 2nd place, Science Olympiad Regionals (I forgot which place we got, but honestly I and some friends basically “re-founded” the club in our school that same year, so it’s a pretty big achievement).

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Science Olympiad (Secretary), Tutors’ club (VP of Teacher-student relations & appreciation), Speech & Debate, Kpop dance club (later quitted), dance & voice student (out-of-school).
Job/Work Experience: Private tutor for elementary and middle school kids, worked as cashier in a business when I was in a foreign country.
Volunteer/Community service: LA2028, Intel ISEF Interpreter for 3 languages, community translator, FeedLA County, and minor ones not really worth mentioning.
Summer Activities: Summer school, a university’s invited international student through a test, traveling back to my home country to be tour guide.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I would give a 9/10 to my common app essay, I talked about what inspired me to seek a better education and not conform to whatever I had in my country of origin. It was about an experience that “changed my plans for the future and helped me discover my true passions.” The other two essays were about my background and contributing to my family as I am the only one (usually) at home that speaks English. I would give those essays a 8/10.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1:My AP Chem teacher really likes me, so I think it is a 10/10.
Teacher Rec #2:I asked my junior year English teacher for the 2nd letter, I would give it a 9/10 because I honestly think the time we knew each other is not very long.
Counselor Rec: I would give my counselor rec a 7/10 because I am really not sure about hers, she possibly wrote it in a hurry since she had some (family/personal) issues around the deadline.
Additional Rec: I asked my neighbor for it since we are really close and I usually help her out in her house (as she is a grandma).
Interview: I think it went really well, 10/10. Me and the interviewer had similar interests and points of view. He was really chill, we went over the designated time lol (over 80 minutes? It took almost 2 hours lol we did not even notice the time passing as we were chatting).

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Psychology/ International relations
State (if domestic applicant): California
Country (if international applicant): I’m really not sure, I got my US citizenship but just came to the US around October 2016.
School Type: Public school.
Ethnicity: mixed?
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: (High-end?) middle class.
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):First generation college student, my mother barely graduated high school and my father did not even finish middle school.

Reflection

Strengths: Multicultural background, experience in different countries, fluency in multiple languages, “hit the ground running” in the US high school despite the disadvantages (always mainstream student), pretty significant extracurriculars, fast acquisition of leadership positions in my school extracurriculars.
Weaknesses: Was disadvantaged because I came to the US halfway into my junior year (actually, 2 weeks before sem 1 finals but still ended up with straight A’s). Did not get the chance to take many AP/Honors classes. Few years of extracurriculars. Few recognized awards in the US (?) but a couple of school-wide (or tournaments) recognitions only. My GPA suffered with the school’s conversion system for international classes and the “extra” classes I had to take besides the required ones to have a transcript as competitive as the other students.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Maybe they are waiting to see my mid-year report results?
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: I have not received the decisions yet.

General Comments : I honestly think my situation puts me in a advantage and disadvantage at the same time. My uniqueness makes me stand out, but at the same time it is hard to measure how competitive I am compared to other traditional American students.

39

**Decision: Deferred **

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1460 (not sent) 750 Math 710 Reading
ACT (breakdown): Composite: 35 Writing 36 Reading 34 Math 34 Science 36 Writing 7/12<-I only took the ACT once and I was extremely sick by the end of the Science section.
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.99 unweighted 4.53 weighted
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 12/264 4.5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Chemistry 4 AP US History 4 AP Statistics 5
IB (place score in parenthesis): We don’t get scores until post year two so idk.
Senior Year Course Load: AP BC Calculus/IB SL Math, HL Spanish, HL Biology, HL Literature, HL History, SL Music, Chorus
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar, NHS, State Media Festival Superiors, All State Band Bass Trombone

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Five different types of band: Everything from Marching Band to a band for community service
Job/Work Experience: Lifeguard (summers) 2 years Swim Coach (summers) 1 year
Volunteer/Community service: Band, NHS, Environmental Club, Political Party Activism.
Summer Activities: Working and Band Camp

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 6.5/10- It was an early draft and it was much weaker, but it was me.
Why Yale: 7.5/10- I talked about New Haven and how I was actually excited to live there and go exploring which I know is a turn off from Yale for a lot of people, but it was a little forced and hard to read in retrospect.
Community to which…: 7/10 Talked about the pool, but I had some awko taco wording and poor editing because I was hospitalized the weeks before the deadline.
Yale other question: 7.5/10 Poorly written, but I talked about how I grew in a pro labor family.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Didn’t read.
Teacher Rec #1: 9/10 Favorite Teacher Ever from Biology
Teacher Rec #2: 8.5/10 AP Stats teacher, well respected and wants kids do well, probably wrote a good essay.
Counselor Rec: 9/10 My counselor actually liked me, which I know I can’t say about everyone in my class.
Additional Rec:
Interview: 7.5/10 My interviewer was charmed by me, but it didn’t feel nitty gritty enough and I wasn’t really sure of who I was.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yea
Intended Major: Economics and Maths
State (if domestic applicant): GA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Small Public Inner City
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: Lower Middle Class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Legacy

Reflection

Strengths: I’m a pretty smart kid and I’m unique, but I didn’t channel my love of music into the application which was probably a pretty big weakness.
Weaknesses: White, didn’t proofread well enough, spent my summers working instead of doing something fabulous because it was kinda the easy way out.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: Procrastination of essays mainly.
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to UGA, Deferred Tech, waiting on other schools later.

General Comments: Would not be surprised if I do not get into Yale, even though that disappoints me deep down. Don’t put all of your hopes and dreams behind one school! I could go to a different school and be happier than I may ever be at Yale.

40

I remember before I applied I looked through previous classes results just to get an idea, so I wanted to “give back”

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

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1450 (740 Reading, 710 Math)
ACT (breakdown): n/a
SAT II: n/a
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.958
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): school doesn’t offer
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Statistics (3), AP Biology (4), AP Lang (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): school doesn’t offer
Senior Year Course Load: AP Art History, AP Calculus BC, AP Lit, (the rest of the classes are honors level) Photography, Physics, US Gov/Macro, Spanish V
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): nothing on the national/international level

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Black Student Alliance (pres 2 yrs, active all 4); Literary Magazine (vice pres 1 yr, active for 2 yrs); National Spanish Honor Society (2 yrs); Youth Volunteer Corps (3 yrs); a committee with the mayor (don’t want to give specific name, 1yr)

Job/Work Experience: retail (3yrs); I also completed independent research with a mentor (part of this satisfied a high school requirement, but we are continuing our research to publish it)
Volunteer/Community service: primarily through the youth volunteer corps

Summer Activities: didn’t mention any in application

Essays (rating 1-10, details): I worked on all of my essays over the summer, which I highly recommend; it gives you ample time to start brainstorming/crafting without the pressure of approaching deadlines and school work.
Common App: I discussed why I originally got my job (to buy a tv) and how the experiences I gained from it (people I met, skills I gained, invaluable experiences over all) unconsiously shifted my reason for wanting the job
Why this major?: I explained how the research I completed on sustainable development ignited my interest in sustainable development’s role in politics and policy
Why Yale?: For the first part I focused on academics (major, classes, professors) and for the second part I focused on social experiences (fellowships, clubs). For both sections, I gave A LOT of specific examples (my major, professors, research, and extracurriculars). I also explained how I would utilize Yale’s resources and how I would give back to Yale.
Contributing to communities: I discussed why I joined Black Student Alliance and the accomplishments I made through my leadership

ALSO, I felt that on paper my extracurriculars seemed all over the place, so I used my essays as a way to tie them together. BSA + NSHS were cultural extracurriculars; the Literary Magazine, my job, and my research connected with sustainability/fashion industry; YVC and the committee with the mayor were my forms of activism.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I signed the waiver so that I could not read the recommendations

Teacher Rec #1: english teacher
Teacher Rec #2: math teacher
Counselor Rec: My school is fairly small; if the students reach out to the counselors, luckily they have time to get to know students
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: I don’t think interviews have a huge influence, but it went well. Keep in mind that college interviews are essentially conversations about you and your achievements. Don’t sound arrogant, but definitely know your achievements and when to highlight them.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Ethics, Politics and Economics
State (if domestic applicant): SC
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: small magnet school; nationally ranked
Ethnicity: black
Gender: F
Income Bracket: lower end
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, but keep in mind that just having a hook will not ensure that you have an easier chance of getting into a college. Ensure that your application is still strong.
Reflection

Strengths: everything that was subjective (esp. essays and prob recommendations)
Weaknesses: SAT, not a lot of APs
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think that I was able to show a lot of facets of myself in the application; I was able to share my academic interests, career goals, extracurricular interests, leadership as well as my family, the cultural groups I identify with, and personal experiences. There are a lot of essays in the application, but this is such a great way to showcase who you are.

Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected:
Accepted: U of SC (in state), Howard, Hampton, NCCU, Vanderbilt (I applied RD but they notified me early + chancellor’s scholarship), Northeastern (+ honors college) (again, I applied RD but they notified me early)

I am still waiting to hear from Duke, Amherst, Swarthmore, and Brown

General Comments :I remember when I started writing my college essays I kept wondering, “what in the world can I talk about? My life isn’t that interesting!” I had to remind myself that college admission officers realize I am only 17; they don’t expect me to have cured a disease or to have helped a small country out of poverty. Writing about my job may seem boring, but I was wrote it in a way that revealed some aspect of my character, how I responded to an issue/challenge, and what I learned from the issue/challenge.

I went to a Duke information session and the admissions rep said (I’m paraphrasing) that standardized testing and transcripts make your application competitive. Therefore, a lot of applications are competitive. It’s the subjective parts (essays, recommendations, interview) that make your application compelling and help you get in.