Chances Please! - Page 3

ivyleague_fan · 06-22-2008, 05:05 PM

thanks, man!
that was something i had been wondering a lot, because i don't think the common application provides space enough for you to mention all your accomplishments and awards...

choc_latte · 07-19-2008, 03:07 AM

Hey rd31. Congrats on your success! I'm also doing IB so im wondering if you could share with us your IB subjects and their respective predicted grades? Thanks!

rd31 · 07-19-2008, 11:20 AM

I didn't go for the IB diploma because I went to a magnet school for math and science, where the classes were AP. However, I received a 6 on IB Spanish HL, a 6 on IB English HL, and a 7 on IB History HL.

choc_latte · 07-19-2008, 12:23 PM

thanks for the reply. So am I correct to say you completed four APs and three IB HL subjects? How were your APs? Btw, your ECs are absolutely stunning!

Emiiliye · 08-06-2008, 07:27 PM

You have lots of EC, which is good. Shows your interest for many things and dedication to stick with it all. Your piano achievements aren't extremely amazing for the level of competition for piano in Michigan, so I'm assuming many of your other awards/distinctions may be the same. Good luck though, I think you have a chance.

kyledavid80 · 08-06-2008, 07:47 PM

^^ the OP is already going to Yale...

Quote:

See...you proved to the world that scores ARE NOT everything! Way to go!

Of course! 2200 is a horrible score, nowhere near Yale's average...

embeezy · 08-06-2008, 07:47 PM

Haha, um, Emiiliye, the OP got into Yale two years ago. This thread was revived to show that "Chance" threads aren't necessarily an accurate representation of the person behind the stats. (And usually the people that comment them don't really know what they're talking about, including me.) But it's ok, at first I thought it was a future SCEA's chance thread too. C:

embeezy · 08-06-2008, 07:50 PM

Kyledavid, we're twins!

I saw a report on the stats of the class of '12 and someone got in with a 540ish on the math section. Which gives hope to those of us who hate math with a passion!

AmbitiousMind07 · 08-06-2008, 08:04 PM

Kyledavid, he got that 2200 by combining the highest averages from two tests...he didn't score that high in a single sitting. Furthermore, I was referring to the fact that he didn't have a plethora of AP scores to report on his application. (Two 4s...compared to 8+APs and 2200+ on a single sitting that many other applicants receive, I say that scores most certainly are not everything...did you see all of those ECs?)

kyledavid80 · 08-07-2008, 05:11 PM

Quote:

I saw a report on the stats of the class of '12 and someone got in with a 540ish on the math section.

I know someone with a 480 who got into Stanford this year. D:

Quote:

he got that 2200 by combining the highest averages from two tests...he didn't score that high in a single sitting.

Your point? That's what Yale does--it takes the highest single-sitting scores. The AP scores are fine as well--they aren't really used as a factor for admission. So the OP's scores, all in all, were great.

wjb · 08-07-2008, 05:21 PM

Quote:

I saw a report on the stats of the class of '12 and someone got in with a 540ish on the math section.

Please don't take too much comfort in stats like this one. A 540 in math is an anomaly for Yale. According to the US News website, the percentage of first-year students enrolled at Yale in 2006 who had SAT Math subscores between 500 and 599 was only 2.0%. That's fewer than 30 students. Chances are the student in question had a hook; he/she was a recruited athlete, a development case, or the child of a celebrity.

AmbitiousMind07 · 08-07-2008, 05:24 PM

What's a development case?

wjb · 08-07-2008, 05:31 PM

A development case is a student whose parents are expected to give money -- big money -- to the college in the event their child is admitted. Development cases are not admitted on the merits, but for their potential to bring money into the school.

embeezy · 08-07-2008, 07:44 PM

Sorry, wjb, I didn't mean that I thought anyone can get into Yale with a 540 math. I just meant that test scores, while important, are not the be all end all of one's application. People with 540s on math get accepted over people with 2400s at many top schools. Sure, it's definitely not encouraged to get that kind of score, but hooks can usually outweigh poor test scores if impressive enough.

That's a negative about CC: it's hard to tell what others mean sometimes when all we have is text without inflection and body language. Or maybe I'm just really bad at explaining myself. :-P

wjb · 08-07-2008, 08:09 PM

^^Yep, embeezy, you are right that hooks can override poor test scores, but to do that they have to be uber impressive. I think they really have to be one of the recognized biggies -- talented URM, development case, child of a celebrity, or a recruited athlete. I get worried when posters (not you) say "I know a kid who got in to HYP with a really low SAT score, so that gives me hope, since that's my score and I know I'm going to have great recs and essays, and I have great ECs." It's virtually a sure thing that the kid who got into HYP with that super low SAT had one of the big hooks, because without it, his/her application wouldn't have gotten past the first hurdle. The common wisdom is that, for the vast majority of applicants at the most selective schools, if you don't make the cut on grades, rigor of curriculum, and test scores, you're toast, and the admissions committee will never take the opportunity to review your great recs, essays, and ECs.