Chances for First Choice - Yale?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
1

<p>So, Yale wasn't even on my radar. I wanted to go to UPenn or Columbia. Then, I spent the weekend in New Haven with my mom and a friend of hers. I'm absolutely in love.</p>

<p>Anyway, since I haven't paid all that much attention to Yale until now, I'd love your take on my chance of getting in and how best to present myself:</p>

<p>GPA: 4.2 (w)*</p>

<p>Honors/AP courses are weighted 4.5, not 5.0
My course load is the most demanding offered.
My school does not rank.</p>

<p>*We are limited in the number of honors/AP courses we can take prior to Junior year. My junior year GPA was a 4.4 (while still limited to 4 honors/AP courses). </p>

<p>Scores:</p>

<p>ACT:</p>

<p>35 Composite (35E, 36M, 34R, 35S, 10E)
35 Composite (35E, 34M, 36R, 33S, 12E)
35 Composite (35E, 35M, 36R, 32S, 11E)</p>

<p>SAT:</p>

<p>2230 Composite (710 M, 760 R, 760 W) *</p>

<p>*I will be retaking this, though not in time for early applications</p>

<p>SAT Subject Tests/AP Tests:</p>

<p>U.S. History (5 AP/800 SAT II)</p>

<p>I will be taking Physics and Math II in October, I anticipate an 800 on Math II and a 750 - 800 on Physics (according to practice tests)</p>

<p>Extra-Curriculars:</p>

<p>**Political Experience[\b]
-Congressional Campaign
Field Coordinator, August 2011 - Present
*This is currently a part time position -- congressional campaigns don't really kick off until
next year</p>

<p>-Presidential Campaign
Deputy Field Coordinator, June 2011 - Present
*Over the summer, this was an out of state (I spent the summer in Illinois, but I live in
Arkansas), paid position, and I still remain in a part time capacity and have the
opportunity to resume a full time position come next summer through the November
elections</p>

<p>-State Assembly Campaign
Campaign Manager, May 2010 - August 2010
*I managed the campaign through the primary election (we won!)</p>

<p>-U.S. Senate Campaign
Intern (June 2010 - November 2010)</p>

<p>-Mayoral Campaign
Intern (February 2010 - June 2010)</p>

<p>-State Senate Office
Data Coordinator (March 2009 - March 2010)</p>

<p>-State Senate Campaign
Volunteer (June 2008 - November 2008)</p>

<p>-State Senate Campaign (there were two)
Volunteer (June 2008 - November 2008)</p>

<p>**Community Service[\b]
-Committee on Faith and Service Formation
Founding Member (January 2011 - Present)</p>

<p>-Community Service Club for Freshman & Sophomores
Executive Board (August 2009 - Present)</p>

<p>-Community Service Club for Juniors and Seniors
President (August 2011 - Present)</p>

<p>-National Honor Society
Chair (May 2011 - Present)
Co-Chair (May 2010 - May 2011)</p>

<p>-Rehabilitation Hospital
Volunteer (December 2009 - Present)
*Over 200 Hours of Service Completed</p>

<p>-Hospital
Volunteer (2007 - Present)
*Over 500 Hours of Service Completed</p>

<p>-Organization Working with Disabled Children
Volunteer (December 2009 - Present)
*Over 100 Hours of Service</p>

<p>**School Activities[\b]</p>

<p>-Student Ambassador/Principal's Advisory Committee
(May 2010 - Present)</p>

<p>-Mock Trial
Team Captain (August 2011 - Present)
Member (August 2008 - Present)</p>

<p>-Quiz Bowl
Varsity Squad (August 2010 - Present)
Junior Varsity Squad (August 2008 - May 2010)</p>

<p>-Anti-Drug Club
Board Representative (August 2010 - Present)</p>

<p>**Awards[\b]</p>

<p>National Merit Semi-Finalist</p>

<p>Harvard Book Award</p>

<p><em>Mock Trial</em></p>

<p>2009:
-9th Place (Regionals)</p>

<p>2010:
-4th Place (Regionals)
-5th Place (State)
-1st Place (National Tournament - Summer)</p>

<p>2011:
-2nd Place (Regionals)
-3rd Place (State)</p>

<p>Hospital Volunteer Award - Given to Dedicated, long serving volunteers</p>

<p><em>Quiz Bowl</em>
3rd Place (District Tournament)
3rd Place (Individual)</p>

<p>Academic Honors
(2008 - Present)</p>

2

<p>Odds of getting in at Yale are long for everyone, but you have a reasonable shot. Your academic record puts you in range (submit the ACT score, which is stronger), and your passion for politics should make you an interesting candidate.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

3

<p>You scored a 35 on the ACT and decided to take it twice more? You should be getting better advice from your counselors and advisors. Don’t take the SAT again–you would be spending your Saturday morning more wisely by doing anything else.</p>

4

<p>^Agree. Remember, Y does not accept score choice.</p>

5

<p>I did. I regret it. But my school wanted to up the number of perfect scores they had, and I caved. It happens. You learn…</p>

<p>I can’t NOT submit the SAT, my school submits it automatically.</p>

6

<p>Is it really going to hurt me?</p>

<p>Also, I love the comment about advice from counselors and advisers… They were the ones who pushed me to take it again. I didn’t want to…</p>

7

<p>The SAT score belongs to you, not the high school. It is your right to request that it not be included on your transcript. It does not help your application, and it adds fuel to the “obsessive test taker” fire.</p>

8

<p>I’ve tried. Not coming off the transcript… It’s school policy. It makes me look bad, but my school isn’t all that experienced in the competitive college admissions game, and they don’t think it matters…</p>

<p>Plus, I’m going to have to send a legitimate ACT score report to each school (3/school), and it’s going to cost a fortune…</p>

<p>I’ve tried every argument in the book. They’re not going to budge.</p>

9

<p>^Have your parents tried talking to the school?</p>

10

<p>Not yet - I think I’m going to pursue that next. I’m going to speak with the president of the school on Monday and give her the calculations of how much extra my parents are going to have to spend because they won’t take the scores off of my transcript.</p>

<p>The school says it would be withholding information from the college to NOT report them. I don’t think it’s their information in the first place, but that argument didn’t work. Not only does it make me look test obsessed and will cost me money, but they were the ones who basically railroaded me into taking it again in the first place.</p>

11

<p>

</p>

<p>Not for Y, go back and read their website about test scores. Because the ACT charges for each sitting, you are required to self-report ALL ACT scores but are only required to send an official score report for 1 sitting. </p>

<p>You need to check other schools for their policies.</p>

<p>I agree that you should have your parents talk to your HS about getting scores taken off your transcript.</p>

12

<p>You and your parents should print this out and show Section III. B.6.a. to your counselor:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.nacacnet.org/AboutNACAC/Policies/Documents/SPGP.pdf[/url]”>http://www.nacacnet.org/AboutNACAC/Policies/Documents/SPGP.pdf&lt;/a&gt; </p>

<p>NACAC’s rules govern admissions counseling professionals, including those in your high school.</p>

13

<p>You guys are amazing! I’ve been trying to figure this out for a long long time and I had basically given up. </p>

<p>Thanks, I’ll let you know how it goes…</p>

14

<p>I’m also a little nervous about kicking up too much of a fuss. I still need my guidance counselor to write a decent recommendation, after all…</p>

15

<p>^Yes. You have to straddle the line between being polite and being firm. Give information. Show them the NACAC rules, and also show them Yale’s rules: No college, not Yale or any other that I’m aware of, requires you to submit BOTH ACT AND SAT results (except the schools that call for SAT Subject Tests in addition to either the ACT or SAT I). Yale does require you, if you elect to submit ACT results, to disclose the results of all sittings from 9th grade forward (and if you elect to submit SATS, to disclose all SAT results). But the election between ACT and SAT I is yours. Show your high school a printout of Yale’s rules (find them on the Yale Admissions website). Your high school administrators may be unaware of them – and you want to emphasize that adhering to these rules will also help your application.</p>

16

<p>I have attempted to take the “this will help my application” tactic, but they have little experience with hyper-competitive college admissions, so they assume that my SAT score is ridiculously high. It’s not bad, but it’s definitely not doing me any favors. They just trivialize my worries, tell me to calm down, and in the end it just makes me look bad. At least that’s how it’s gone so far.</p>

17

<p>eb: I just re-read your OP, and I see you’re planning to take some SAT Subject tests. Assuming you intend to report those results to Yale, that means you’re going to have to report the results of your SAT I as well. In that case, this may be a battle not worth waging (although your high school is still doing the wrong thing by reporting students’ scores on transcripts). </p>

<p>[Standardized</a> Testing for Freshman Applicants | Yale College Admissions](<a href=“http://admissions.yale.edu/standardized-testing]Standardized”>Standardized Testing Requirements & Policies | Yale College Undergraduate Admissions)</p>

18

<p>P.S. No matter how much your high school may urge you to do so, do NOT retake the SAT I! You have absolutely no reason to, with a 35 ACT.</p>

19

<p>Good to know - thanks guys. </p>

<p>Seriously, I have no idea what I’d do if people like you weren’t out there. It’s hard going through this process when you don’t have a whole lot of knowledgeable support from your school…</p>

20

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<p>I don’t know if it will help, but here’s what the Y Dean of Admissions says:</p>

<p>[No</a> choice on scores | Yale Daily News](<a href=“http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2009/jan/16/no-choice-on-scores/]No”>http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2009/jan/16/no-choice-on-scores/)</p>

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