Hey guys I’m worried about whether or not a low GPA/Ranking will be the death of my application.
For other info: SAT: Reading: 680, Math: 770. I am around top 20% of my class, unweighted: 3.73. My high school doesn’t have a 6.0 scale, AP/Honors/Pre-AP all count as 5.0 on a 5.0 scale.
EC: President of Debate and NHS, executive editor of the newspaper
In my opinion, good essays, solid recs
What are my chances at Yale?
There are likely very few schools in the world that someone in the top 20% that isn’t heavily hooked has a reasonable chance at Yale. The issue is the are either looking for outstanding on everything or world class on one thing and very good on others.
The high school transcript is the most important part of your application. From the Yale website, “The single most important document in your application is your high school transcript, which tells us a great deal about your academic drive and performance over time. We look for students who have consistently taken a broad range of challenging courses in high school and have done well.”
A 3.73/5.0 is not looking good (not top 5%-10%). Even a 3.73/4.0 is not great by Yale standards. Your 680 is below the 25th percentile for EBRW. Absent a major hook or something truly extraordinary, I wouldn’t put too much hope in this.
92% of Yale accepted students are in the top 10% of their high school. I suspect the remainder are very close or athletes/legacy/application with very specific characteristics. Same with 680 EBRW where the 25th percentile score is 720.
The reality is that the profile you’ve provided makes Yale an extreme reach.
Yale has an admissions rate well below 10%. The school routinely has to turn down applicants with perfect GPA, standardized test scores etc. as there is simply not enough room for all of the well qualified applicants.
It is highly likely that your GPA/class rank will likely put Yale out of reach unless you have some kind of hook that you did not mention. Most admission officers I’ve heard talk say that the transcript (including GPA and course rigor) is the most important factor in admissions. In addition, your SAT Reading score is below the 25th percentile for Yale.
That said, it is fine to apply to a reach school and give it your all. But be sure to also apply to match and safety schools that appear affordable and that you would be excited to attend.
Wonder if a high SAT score (1580) compensate for the low GPA (3.7)? My kid applies as an international student and is in the same situation, unlike the situation in the US, her school (for the gifted, where best students of the country attend) generally gives a very low GPA. Other parts of the application are strong with a lot of national and international awards and prizes, including both STEM and writing prizes. I believe that if the admission officer let her pass the GPA round, they will like her.
‘does a high SAT (1580) compensate for the low GPA (3.7)?’
Probably No. Not at Yale. 1580 is a great SAT score. A GPA of 3.7 on a scale of 4.0 is very good for most universities. Yale is a tough university to get accepted to.
You can apply if you want to. Then focus on schools that are more likely. There are a lot of very good ones that you will get into with a 1580 / 3.7uw.
@DadTwoGirls Thank you so much for your answer. I understand that Yale is a reach to anyone but my kid loves this school, so hope that she has a chance, even tiny.
That is really an outstanding SAT score and many international schools do not escalate grades so everyone gets an A in every class. In addition, you mention that many awards are national or international ( that is excellent). I would imagine your daughter is a good candidate. If she’s in the top 15%, I’d say she should apply. Ask the school guidance counselor also to get a sense of what top students have as their GPA. Not every school has kids with 4.5 GPA’s.
Also, if she’s taken the top level courses that can help too.
@Happytimes2001 Thank you so much, that’s very encouraging!
One of the admission officers in Yale podcast said that he will look at the student transcripts first before going further, so I’m worried that if GPA is not good enough (obviously, many students apply to Yale have perfect GPA), they will stop there and won’t even look at the other parts of the application. Do you have any ideas of how this will go?
Well, I think a lot of it depends on your actual grades. If you input your stats into some of these sites you will be able to see how others with your SAT scores and GPA on your basis did.
While many students have a top GPA many schools have many students with very high GPAs. Schools with more GPA variance might be assessed differently. Not every school has grade inflation and colleges know this.
Also, your SAT put you in the top 1% and may even put you into a higher category. That will help you. So will female in STEM with internatl/natl awards.
So kids are more lopsided than others. They have near perfect grades in STEM, for example and lower grades in everything else. If they are pursuing STEM it might reflect a bit differently. But you do need to have the baseline grades to pass thru.
Get data from your CG and ask questions.
@Happytimes2001 thanks so much for your time and explanation!
I am confused by posts 5,6,7,8,9 and 10; how can OP StudyWa313’s 1450 SAT turned into 1580. It is not fair to OP, that the topic has switched to Anna Green’s daughter in OP’s own post, without his or her knowledge.
@tgl2023 You’re right. I should have asked. @StudyWa313, Please accept my apology. I’m new, I just found this thread which I thought for everyone who had the same question and I had exactly the same, so I just posted.
Anna Green, thank you.