effort

I am a white male from CT.

School: Public
-Sent val. and sal. to Princeton and Dartmouth respectively
-top 20 school in state (atleast)

GPA: 3.89/4.00 unweighted
Rank: 1/400
Hardest Course Load Possible

SAT I Math: 770
SAT I Critical Reading: 710
SAT I Writing: 720
SAT I Total: 2200

SAT II Math Level 2 (IIC): 730
SAT II Biology - M: 740

AP Biology: 5
AP US Gov and Politics: 5

Extracurriculars:

Play racquetball to the equivalent of a year round varsity sport (it's not a school sport), i've won many tournaments and have won new england regionals, ranked very highly in CT

NHS President, led many new initiatives and programs

Tutor Center, (creator and organizer) made student led student tutoring service during every period for the school day, superintendent is writing a letter about it's profound effects on the school

Student Council (executive board member)

HOBY Delegate

CRILA participant (selected for a highly competitive scholarship where we went to Colorado for an Outward Bound experience)

Work:
Full Time lifeguard for one summer
part time deck constructionist the next summer

Essays: I spent a lot of time on these, so they are the best I have to offer. Everyone that has read them says that they are interesting and well written. They are very reflective and personal, so hopefully something will catch an adcom's eye.

Recs: Absolutely amazing, teachers talk about more than "how i'm a good student" and the counselor rec delves into my role in the school and what my extracurriculars mean



Thanks for anyone that takes the time to give me an answer!


(I can't wait for you all to tell me I have too low test scores =])

effort

oh and i've had two interviews (one on-campus with a Yale senior and another with an alumni) and they both went very well, for whatever that's worth

evilspartan92

I have heard that Yale's SCEA applicant pool is actually superior in terms of credentials than its RD pool because SCEA is NOT binding. You have a lot of positive (dec test scores, dec ECs, awesome rank, etc) however your test scores are not outstanding compared to Yale applicants. Therefore, I would say your chances slim.

I would say 20% accept, 60% defer, 20% reject.

Return the favor?
The board is set, the pieces are moving, we come to it at last: Early Decision

effort

I think CCers put too much emphasis on test scores. Thanks for the chance though.

IceFire

Your test scores are a bit low, and I don't think there's an over emphasis on scores here...they are important haha, especially for a schoo like Yale. Your ECs are good, just make sure that your essay is strong so you stand out.

Please Chance me for Columbia ED =)

RAlec114

30% accept
40% reject
30% deferred

my prediction.

tossedinabasket

i'm new here but...

i think you have a good chance because of the racquetball thing - that's really unique! maybe you could take the SATs one last time to pull them up? i agree that sometimes people put way too much emphasis on scores, but maybe that's what colleges are looking for.

do you mind chance-ing me? Chances at Yale SCEA

Wartsandall

Well, scores are important. It enables colleges to determine how hard your high school is and puts your GPA in perspective. Having said that though, they definitely aren't everything. I'd say that you have a decent chance. No one here can completely determine your chances...at least not down to the percentage haha, but you are definitely competitive. Do you have any other schools in mind as back ups though?

spiritualwitch

It surprises me that your GPA is not perfect and yet you are #1. Explain? Does your school have a really hard curriculum? My GPA is perfect (4.32w/4.0uw) and yet I am #4 in my class. Anyway, you have really good extracurriculars, especially that tutoring program. Your SATs are quite good too. You're so lucky to have a counselor that might actually know you. My counselor hardly knows my name and I'm in her office at least once a week.

effort

@spiritualwitch, how our ranking system works is that basically every level of class (honors, AP, college prep, etc.) all have a certain multiplier. You multiply that times your grade in there (4 for A, 3.7 for A-... etc.) and then average all your credits and whoever has the highest average would be ranked number 1. Basically it's weighted. So someone taking all college prep course may have a 4.0, but they won't be ranked number 1 because they don't have the multiplier of an honors level course or an AP.

And yeah i'm really glad that i have such a good relationship with my counselor, got to know her since 10th grade. That must be tough if yours doesn't even know your name.

@Wartsandall, haha yeah i know that no one here can actually give me an accurate description of what my chances are, especially since i can't post my reccomendations and essays, which is a crucial role in the decision process. I just did it for fun and on a hunch that CCers would say my chances were not very good due to my "low" SAT scores. I agree that SAT scores are important, but not to the degree that many people on here believe it to be. And yes i have other schools lined up, just Yale is my number one! haha =]

@IceFire,
Standardized testing scores are important, but only up to a point. If they were the end all, everyone in HYP would have 2400s and i understand that's not what you were saying, but it's true. There is a range at Yale, and other top universities because there are many other major factors, very much important than SAT scores. Such as class rank, recommendations and the personal essays.

effort

Thanks everyone chancing me btw! And does anyone think that living in CT has any influence on my decision? I remember reading some Yale statistics where they took a heavy percentage (relatively) from CT. Thanks again.

EnAll

I'd put you in the reach area, if only for SATs. Percentage-wise, I'd say a 20-30% chance of admission.

Chances?

spiritualwitch

That's an interesting grading scale. How exactly can we compare GPA's at colleges if we don't all use the same grading scale?

effort

@spiritualwitch, how can you compare GPAs in general if school A gives out more As than school B? Or if you got stuck with Mrs. Smith for geometry who only gives out an A to one student each year?

My GPA is out of a 4.0, but not in order to determine my class rank because each class is weighted differently depending on the difficulty. but again, as i just pointed out even this isn't truly accurate because students may get harder or easier teachers for the same subject and level of difficulty.

So Yale will never see my weighted average (it's called my quality point average), only the my rank, which was determined by it. I'm not sure how they compare GPAs, but i would assume they can know how difficult the rigor of the school is and also use your SAT scores to put you in perspective.

thekid23

It seems possible, but the SAT II scores seem like they should be higher. More so, have you taken more AP classes? You have a hard schedule but I only see two AP exam scores written. Other than that confusion, nice job. I think youve got a decent chance. WORK ON THAT ESSAY! Make sure Yale sees you for who you want to be seen as.

Chance me back?

Chance me for UCs please