GPA on 100 scale 105 weighted
Class Rank 1 of 250
Class President
AP Scholar
President Mu Alpha Theta
4 year Track, Team MVP, State Champion, 3 time region champion
4 year Volleyball, 2 time captain, Team MVP, 1st team all region
2nd in Region Skills USA Extemporaneous Speaking
Prom/Homecoming court
D was recruited as an athlete, got green light on pre-read, and made a late official visit but was not offered one of coach’s limited slots. Would still like to compete at next level. Anyone know if athletic profile and desire to join team will still help her with admissions despite not having coach assistance or will the schools prior recruiting interest play no role in admissions decision.
I had posted this in past years. I have not reviewed this year’s instructions yet, but they have not changed for many years. The latest changes related to Covid protocols (remote interviews only, but this year it is at the option of the interviewer/interviewee):
Each interviewer will have their own style and questions they like to ask, but I think most experienced interviewers will try to make the interview more of a conversation than a series of Q’s and A’s and let the interviewees take the conversation to areas they are most interested in. While I interview for Yale, my kids’ experience suggest the interview experience is pretty similar among the highly selective colleges that do alumni interviews. For Yale, suggested areas they want interviewers to look out for:
• Intellectual strengths and energy
• Academic interests
• Flexibility in thinking, openness
• Expressive abilities
• Nonacademic interests or talents
• Personal qualities
• Distinctive or unusual talents
and/or circumstances
We do not receive grades, test scores, resume or lists of EC’s. There may be a note relating to a particular area of interest. Personally, I do not ask about grades or test scores or ask for a resume because I don’t want to have any preconceptions about the candidate, and I want to base my report entirely on the interaction with the candidate. My kids have walked into interviews where the interviewer has asked for a resume or it is evident that they have some form of resume in front of them.
While I do not have a preset list of questions, the vast majority of interviews sequence out as follows:
Introduction/small talk to put the candidate at ease.
Ask how the school year is going – from here, I can get an idea of what the candidate is interested in academically and in terms of EC’s.
The conversation can naturally flow from the above to a discussion about favorite subjects/classes/class projects and if that is what they want to pursue in college and as a career, or I may need to prod the candidate to talk about this. From time to time, I may ask for some details about a class or project, and at times I may challenge them about a particular viewpoint or conclusion just to see how they react. Often during the course of discussion in 3, I will ask why they are attracted to Yale given their interests.
Similar to 3, the conversation can either naturally flow to an EC or I may ask a question to get the conversation to this topic. Here I am trying to get a sense of how deeply involved the candidate is in the activities that the candidate wants to highlight.
If all the EC’s that the candidate chooses to talk about are school sponsored/based, I may ask a question along the lines what do you like to do outside of school, do you have a favorite hobby, what do you do to relax?
3, 4 and 5 will take up 80%± of the time. Within 3, 4 and 5, the candidate may ask me questions about Yale, e.g., why did you choose Yale, what did you like or dislike about Yale. There may be very specific questions about Yale, but I’d say the better interviewee questions involve a back and forth about something we are talking about, and it may not necessarily involve Yale. Candidates who show they are paying attention and are engaged in a conversation gets higher marks in my book than someone with a canned list of questions. If I feel that the conversation is stagnating or the candidate is getting tired of talking, I will ask, “Do you have any questions about Yale?” as a break. Usually though, the questions about Yale come at the end.
The very last question I will ask is, “Is there anything you would like to talk about that we have not covered?” Most of the time they will say everything has been covered, but at times they may bring up a particular interest or challenge that may be a new topic or it could be an emphasis on something we had previously just touched upon.
After the interview, I try to write my report that evening tying the specific interaction I had with the candidate to the guidelines that the AO has laid out.
Having said all of this, and as posted throughout CC by other seasoned interviewers, these interviews are not going to lift an otherwise “no” candidate into the “yes” pile or sink a candidate that the AO already loves into the “no” pile (absent something totally extreme). I think the AO uses the interviews to confirm if their read on the candidate is consistent with the interview. Also, the AO makes it very clear to interviewers that we are ambassadors representing Yale, and that we should be selling Yale as much as the candidates are trying to sell themselves. So don’t stress, be prepared (but not robotic) to have a conversation about what makes you you and to get as much information about the college as possible.
You’re amazing - thank you! My son is an excellent communicator - in writing - but talking about himself is not his favorite thing in the world, to be sure. This information is going to help him in regards to ‘preparing’ and hopefully set his mind at ease.
Wow… this is what I’ve been thinking all along . In a pool of super competitive high achievers what is really setting you apart are your essays … been trying to tell DD that . Let’s see how she fares . Btw she did submit an art supplement . Nationally ranked vocalist (YA)
Question: if a large number of IVYs are test optional, do they still care much about test scores? Have they become less important? Some IVYs and other good schools are even thinking of going test blind after 2023. And what was Yale’s mid range for class of 2026? I can’t find that info for any IVYs except for UPENN. Thanks.
Does anyone know of any twins applying/have previously applied to Yale EA or regular? Just wondering if the AO reviews these applications separately or together. My brother and I both submitted EA and are wondering how different the review process would be for us at Yale. Similar stats, from Boston area, different academic interests/sports but with some overlap.
@smilodon617 I would recommend listening to the recent “Mailbag 2” episode of the “Inside the Yale Admissions Office” podcast. Around 4:40 they answer your question. Hope it helps!
I know of one twin from our local public school system that got into Yale several years ago, and their other twin sibling chose to go to Princeton, not sure if they were accepted to Yale too. Their younger sibling, two years behind them, chose to go to Princeton too.
IMO, a good score (over recent historical medians) helps, especially post Covid. It is a data point that helps to confirm GPA.
Assuming SCOTUS rules against affirmative action, I would not be surprised that many elites go test blind. It eliminates a data point where more Whites and Asians, especially affluent applicants, tend to outperform URMs. It will allow the AO’s to give more weight to allowed criteria such as SES, geography, family circumstances and subjective measures, such as essays and LoRs.
Thank you! Indian(Asian Indian) American here. My daughter has great ECs and LORs and a GPA UW 4.0 with a total of 13 APs. Solid essays. She founded and runs a couple of organizations that has National/international impact… She’s won several national and state awards and honors, she’s also the editor in chief for her school news paper, President of model UN , NHS etc…, volunteers actively at multiple organizations, paid political intern, She was an international fellow sponsored by US dept of state. All activities in a similar field, related to the major(s) she’s interested in… but an ACT of 33 (34 super score). I am wondering if it was a good idea to submit that ACT. Do you recommend not submitting it for other regular RDs? Thanks for your advice and input.
PS: she loves her friends and family and spends as much time as possible with them in the middle of all these activities
Consider this as a “chance me” post. What are her chances at Yale and other IVY’s… and should she not include her “not the best” ACT when she applies to other schools RD? Thanks in advance. This whole process is overwhelming.
The 33 ACT score, while a great score, I’d say would be neutral to slightly negative. The 2021-2022 CDS for Yale has 33 at the 25th percentile. What are her component scores? Based on your short description, she seem humanities focused vs STEM. If she was scoring 35/36 on English and Writing, and scored low on Science, I might submit. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://oir.yale.edu/sites/default/files/yale_cds_2021-2022_vf_06062022_0.pdf
You just need to go through this exercise with the other schools you are considering RD.
Depending on the actual nation/international honors and “impact”, she is competitive or maybe “extra” competitive.
My advice is to chill out. She has done the best that she could. It is out of her (and your) hands right now. Obsessing helps no one. Encourage her to enjoy her time with her friends, she only has 1 HS senior year.
Yes, definitely humanities focused. And she does have a 36 in English and 35 in reading. But you’re absolutely correct. She’s done what she can. And right now she’s chilling out waiting for whatever the outcome is - of course working on all the other RD applications as well
Thank you again @BKSquared . You’ve been very helpful and thanks so much for taking the time to answer all our “anxious parents” questions. Have a great evening.
Not all legacies get in early and most of the ones I know who are there were regular admission. So the legacies spots won’t take up a full 250 for early.
Hello, you mentioned you submitted a supplement. Does the supplement show up in the admissions portal? It doesn’t show up for us, so just checking. Thanks in advance.
@Parent-in-Georgia, D23 submitted her music portfolio and art Supplement questionnaire, she is saying that you should see “received” status on both your student’s Yale application status portal and on their SlideRoom page. Hope it helps!
as a “chance me” post. What are her chances at Yale and other IVY’s… and should she not include her “not the best” ACT when she applies to other schools RD? Thanks in advance. This whole process is overwhelming.