<p>I just received my June SAT score (2210) and it was very disappointing. The breakdowns are CR:740; M: 800 and W:670 (2270 superscored I scored 730 at the previous SAT in Writing.)</p>
<p>I had been thinking of Yale for a couple of years and was to apply for SCEA this fall. My school record is ok top 10% in the class (school does not publish ranks) with Weighted GPA 4.26 and Unweighted 3.87. I was wishing that my SAT score can lift my overall score to a better place. But it was disappointing. I only have one subject SAT of US History (710 taken in 10th grade) so far and am preparing for Math II and Eng. Lit in Oct. </p>
<p>My EC should be considered at excellent as I have 160+ hours of volunteer time, conducting research at a local university, and playing on City Junior Jazz Ensemble. I also have a few current leadership positions at a couple of low key clubs. </p>
<p>With my mediocre SAT scores and GPA, I am not sure whether I should apply for SCEA as I can use the opportunity to apply for ED for schools like Brown or Duke with better chance. It is not that I do not want to go to Yale, but I just do not feel that I would be able to get accepted by SCEA.</p>
<p>Any comments or previous experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>Well, think about it as if you were choosing between all of these schools in April. Which one would you pick? If you would pick Yale above Brown and Duke, then I don’t think it would be wise for you to apply Early Decision to Brown or Duke. You don’t want to end up thinking “What if I had just tried?”. If you don’t think you stand much of a shot being admitted SCEA, you could always apply to another school EA.</p>
<p>21stCenturyFinny, you got a very good point and that is why I posted here to get some feedback from other folks. </p>
<p>entomom, money is a factor, but at the same time it is not. Based on my reading, Yale offers better financial aids than Brown or Duke, which is one of the reasons I like Yale beyond the fact that Yale gives you 1-2 years to determine your major. My parents do not care much about education cost and promised to pay. However, since I have started earn my own money, I know how hard to earn very single penny. If I can save, I will.</p>
<p>Rainbow, yes, Yale requires you to send all SAT scores and will use highest score from each subject.</p>
<p>Don’t assume that Brown is a substantially easier admit than Yale. It’s tough to get in, even ED. Although the percentages admitted ED are higher than RD (20+% vs. 11% – I could be off by a few points) many of the students admitted ED are recruited athletes. </p>
<p>I think strategy has a role to play in the ED decision, but Brown is certainly not a cakewalk compared to Yale.</p>
<p>^That is another good point. Since Brown is an equally good school, there will be a buttload of ED applicants there as well. Brown ED isn’t really a good strategy for gaining admission to an otherwise hard-to-get-into school, it’s just more of a “Brown is my #1 school and I want to know as soon as possible whether or not I will get to go there” thing.</p>
<p>^^ ED can definitely give an applicant a leg up in the admissions process, depending on the school. There are schools with admissions rates up to three times higher for ED applicants than for RD applicants. Among Ivies, for example, Penn accepts something like 30% of its ED applicants. That doesn’t mean it’s a shoe-in: At the very least, you still need to be a viable candidate for admissions, even without the ED boost (i.e., grades and scores equal or exceed the midrange of last year’s freshman class). </p>
<p>But Brown ED vs. Yale SCEA: not a clear advantage. Duke ED vs. Yale SCEA, maybe.</p>
<p>Do not apply to another school ED because you don’t think you can get into Yale SCEA.</p>
<p>I would say, apply to another EA or SCEA school, or don’t apply anywhere early and just apply regular. Personally, I think your scores are fine and you can apply SCEA. At worst, you’ll be deferred, but you never know.</p>
<p>All of these schools are very hard to get into. My suggestion would be to go ED at one of the other choices IF for sure you are convinced you would not have regrets. Given the huge number of applications and the fact that financial aid is not an issue, go for Brown if you truly like it.</p>
<p>I had a superscored 2130, which I didn’t send. My SAT II’s were all over 700 but no higher than 730. My ACT was a 34.</p>
<p>I held off on Yale SCEA, even though it was my first choice, because I was in the running for a national award and wanted to have some other validation for my application so that I wouldn’t be rejected outright. Thus, I waited until RD, and the decision paid off. I think you just have to consider whether in the context of your application, your scores are that important that they are worth forgoing the advantage you may receive from applying early.</p>
<p>Lastly, about Brown admissions being easier than their colleagues… I was accepted to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, UPenn, three other top LAC’s… and rejected by Brown. Nothing is a given.</p>