So I recently submitted my application for early action at Yale and I’m awaiting my admissions decision. The decisions come out December 15th, but the closer and closer it gets the more anxiety I have and the more I’m starting to seriously question my chances. Could someone tell me if they think I’ll get in?
the acceptance rate for early action at Yale is 13.8%…ish
Not that it should make a difference (but knowing that in college admissions it will) I am a black, Mexican and white mixed female from a middle class family with a single mom and one sibling in college.
Here are my stats (they’re not the best):
Test Scores:
- I didn’t take nor turn in scores from the SAT or ACT because of COVID being really bad in my area (so testing hasn’t been available).
- I’ve taken 5 AP tests, and I plan to take three more this year (also my school offers a lot of AP classes):
- U.S. History: 5
- Physics I: 4
- Language and Composition: 4
- World History: 4
- Spanish Language and Composition: 3
- Calculus AB: taking this year
- Chemistry I: taking this year
- Environmental Science: taking this year
Grades:
- All As
- All honors and AP classes with the exception of volleyball and a training program that will allow me to become a certified pharmacy technician by the end of this school year
- GPA: 6.800/7
- Class rank: 14/695
Extracurriculars:
- HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America): President
- Varsity Volleyball: Co-Captain
- As I mentioned before, working at a pharmacy to become a pharm. tech.
- Key Club: Webmaster
- NHS, English NHS, Science NHS, Social Studies NHS, Spanish NHS
- Student Council
- Tutoring in Algebra, Geometry and Pre-Calculus
Volunteering (I’ve done much more but these are the main ones):
- 48 hour volunteer program working at a hospital in the emergency room
- teaching small classrooms of academically struggling students (elementary school)
Things a little bit more specific to me/passion driven:
- shadowing and interviewing health care professionals such as
- music therapist
- dance therapist
- art therapist
- animal therapist
- anesthesiologist
- RN
- radiologist
- interviewing medical professionals in transgender health care such as
- transgender surgeons (specializing in feminization surgery)
- transgender surgeons (specializing in masculinization surgery)
- psychologists specializing in transgender care
- endocrinologist specializing in hormone therapy for transgender patients
- social media presence with a small following of 5,000
- I talk about mental health and self love as well as organization/living a healthier lifestyle
Awards:
- 1st place area HOSA competition
- Top 3 Texas State HOSA competition (specific places weren’t given due to COVID problems) and advancement to international competition
- WHAP gold medal at my school (highest grade in all of the whap classes)
- many other awards similar to the one above
Essays:
I’d say that I’m a pretty good writer.
- My personal statement was about my racial struggles that stemmed from generational problems with my family’s women and I was really proud of that essay.
- My essay about a topic that interests me was about my research on transgender medicine.
- the topic itself was interesting, but the essay itself was not my best work
- I also wrote about finding and contributing to a community online
Letters of Recc.
- one was from a current events teacher that I absolutely adore. I know he wrote me a REALLY good letter
- the other was from my ap physics teacher. We’re not as close, but despite what my ap score says, I was pretty good at physics and I think he can attest to my critical thinking skills and engagement in science/my schoolwork.
I’m afraid that I just blend in too much. Everyone applying to schools like Yale will have better/the same academic stats as me (especially when it comes to those ap scores) and have done research about something they’re passionate about. I tried to make my essays as genuine and unique to me as possible but I’m afraid that they’ll just see me as another candidate. What do y’all think? HELP