Confused youth advocate: REA Yale or ED elsewhere

Chance Me / Match Me
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Demographics

  • US Citizen
  • New England
  • Public High School, Top 20 in state, sends about a dozen to ivies per year
  • Both parents went to grad at Ivy

Cost Constraints / Budget
No Cost Constraints

Intended Major(s)

Public Health/Public Policy - considering pre-law and would like to focus on public health sector or law

GPA, Rank, and Test Scores

3.98 GPA UW (one A-, rest A)

1580 Superscore (790/790)

1520 PSAT (anticipate national merit semi)

Rank: school does not rank

Coursework: school mainly limits AP to junior and most to senior as stated on school profile

9 AP including: AP BC Calc (5), AP Stats (5), AP Lang (5), AP French (4)

Senior year: DE French, Multivariable, AP Lit, AP Gov, AP Physics C (double block), AP CS, Art (required)

Awards:

  1. NMSF
  2. USSYP finalist
  3. Regional Gold National History Day
  4. State Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction
  5. youth advocacy award

Extracurriculars:

Youth Advocate for statewide grassroots policy effort for a specific public health policy for 2 years. Work with small group of professionals and advocates that have gained global attention. Youth advocacy award given by large city for youth mobilization.

Podcast Co-founder and Co-producer topics within specific advocacy field. Some nationally and internationally recognized guests.

Statewide Leadership Team for three consecutive years focused reducing youth substance use - well known program/small leadership team/many former go to ivies

Intern in town health and human services department (3 years)

President of Middle School Wellness Club (2 years) - lots of upstream substance prevention efforts and focus on mental health

Youth substance prevention club at high school - leadership, 450+ hours, largest club at high school

Selective and well known hospital intern program in major city - worked in oncology unit

Research summer intern - ivy med/local hospital

State Senator Summer Intern

Rotary Int’l Foreign Exchange

Other: Co-Editor of women’s newspaper, student gov (several leadership roles), president of French club, two additional appointed youth advocacy positions, chemistry teacher’s aide, writing center tutor (appointed), Johns Hopkins Global Health Summer conference

Recs: excellent

Schools: ivies plus Georgetown, GW, Emory, Mich, UVA, BU, BC, UMD, maybe Fordham, Alabama, W&M

Edited: removed some personal identifying info

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Congrats on an incredible record.

You say no cost constraints but then you have the king of all national merit finalist schools,
It’s interesting - given the majors, you’ll likely be low paid or need grad school. And if it’s law school you want, I’m convinced where you go undergrad matters little since the top schools are represented by students from hundreds of schools.

I think you know this - you can get in anywhere.

UMD, Fordham, Bama are near assured. I’d be surprised if you didn’t get W&M too.

You might consider adding W&L as they have the Johnson Scholarship, SMU for the Presidential, and College of Charleston. You’d get into Honors but the target would be the interview only Charleston Fellows, a small group within Honors. My daughter had various get together with diplomats, ambassadors and government personnel plus a DC mentor. Additionally she studied in DC and worked at a top think tank.

Tulsa, given your nm status, may be another to look at.

I think some reaches will happen (I’m not an adcom) but of course all are reaches for a reason.

Congrats on a bonkers record (very strong) and best of luck.

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REA did not provide much of an advantage last year at Yale - 9% acceptance vs 5%. And the difference is probably explained by the number of athletes and other hooked applicants in REA.

So, is Yale your far and away #1? If so, go for it so you can find out early where you stand.

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Thank you so much for this thoughtful response. My husband went to Alabama for undergrad and then made his way to an Ivy mba. We are a scrappy bunch. So I think we want it on the list as a rolling safety with a heck of a merit package because why not? And Alabama football may have a very large presence in our house.

Thank you for these suggestions. I grew up in SC and CofC is a beautiful school and I love hearing about programs like that. My oldest is in something similar at a different school for business. There are some gem opportunities out there and sometimes those are even better for job opportunities and grad schools. We also agree about the major/career choice and potential for low paying jobs. She talks to us and some of her advisors about that. She has considered double majoring in math once she gets in bc she also loves math too. My husband works for an MBB and she’s considered consulting. She has lots of time. She’s genuinely a powerhouse across subjects and is really open to different types of classes etc.

Thank you again.

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I agree. I’ve actually wondered about Georgetown for EA. A bit more achievable and would be nice to know. I think she really has to decide if she wants ED or keep options open and in that case REA isn’t really much of an advantage anywhere.

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Note that Georgetown’s EA has a restriction: you cannot simultaneously apply to another school’s ED program.

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Yes! It would be choosing one or the other. We just toured the school recently.

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. . . REA isn’t really much of an advantage anywhere.

Here’s an article on that subject:

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I think in cases like Yale, meaning colleges that have reasonably high RD yields even among top numbers kids, there is no reason to expect a meaningful “boost” from applying REA/ED.

But you could still find out early. Which is actually the official point. So, like, I know of two kids from my S24’s graduating class who got into Yale REA, and then they were done with college applications and could just enjoy their senior years. So that was in fact nice for them.

So if Yale is her favorite, I see nothing wrong with applying REA.

Now, I do think there are some colleges which do not have such good yield luck with RD admits with very high numbers. Some of those then offer merit to try to woo them. But some don’t offer merit, and it appears some of those may waitlist or reject some of those applicants rather than accept them RD. And at those specific colleges, a high numbers kid might avoid that happening by applying ED.

But you better actually want that! Like basically, this college is implicitly thinking you are very likely to get one or more offers you will strongly prefer to theirs. So you have to think they are wrong. Because if they are right, you might be making quite the mistake to apply there ED.

OK, so personally, I would only ED somewhere if in fact you know if you got an offer from them, you would not want to consider any other offers. But if you are applying to a college like Yale, which doesn’t have ED, and you would prefer a Yale offer to offers from all the colleges on your list that do have ED–fine REA Yale, and no ED.

Unless perhaps you do ED2. But then only if the same conditions apply–your top remaining college needs to have ED2.

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I missed the REA to Yale.

I see you are the parent.

I think REA or ED is used for favorite - but if you might want the largesse of Alabama, then no - because you have a $400k swing financially. If a school is the top choice no matter, then you can ED. But you need to ensure it’s the top choice.

For many kids, the top choice today isn’t the top tomorrow.

It sounds like there will be more visits.

I personally would say not to any school ED unless the student was 100% totally on it - and even that changes.

There will be some schools like Holy Cross or Wash U where it might be a HUGE advantage. But then others where it’s little - like many of the Ivies.

Brown, for example, says - “Please do not assume that your admission chances are improved by applying under the Early Decision plan. The Board of Admission makes the same decisions under Early Decision that it would under the Regular Decision plan.”

In the end, you will be somewhere four years - day after day.

This student is not marginal - so you’ve got that going. But more importantly - if they (not you) isn’t 100% sold, then I’m not Ed-ing. You will have no release given your financial status.

Also, you mentioned suburban or urban - so I assume Dartmouth is out. But then there’s urban- and then there’s GW - which is the uber urban - not really a traditional campus on your list.

Charleston (not on your list) is very urban but has remnants of a campus. The others are more suburban or like a Gtown urban - but a defined campus. Bama, of course, a big town, and W&M, great school, but suburban would be a stretch. But it does have things around. Even UVA, to me, felt…I’d say suburban is a stretch even though Charlottesville itself is a larger town/smaller city…airport and all. Would there be enough action for her?/

Hopefully she’ll get to all those on your list - to see. And I wouldn’t ED for increased chances…I would ED because one place stands tall against the rest.

Good luck.

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Thank you. I don’t think ED is going to feel 100%. And I don’t think any of this is going to feel good until it’s over. And that’s just how it is. Thank you so much for your insights. It helps.

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Thank you. This is so helpful. We have landed on this needs to be her decision and intuition and not a strategy if you will. She really likes Dartmouth actually. Did not like size of Hamilton. She is mildly concerned about size of Dartmouth but really liked the feel, access to healthcare and policy work. Likes the quarter system and access to profs and internships. Feels it’s about 2 hours from home and Boston so not the end of the world. We lived in Columbia U housing for years in nyc so she understands urban. She also lived in France on an exchange. I have to agree that this kid feels a little bit conflicted and needs to wait and see bc she might need to visit more etc. Thank you. It’s seems like this should all be common sense but this has really helped. We have seen all the schools on her list so far except Emory and Vanderbilt (which is a maybe). She has a sister one year ahead of her so she started touring in 10th grade. Maybe she’s seen too many schools..

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I’d be less concerned with this.

You have access to profs most everywhere - should you make the effort. No school has a monoploy.

And most don’t “give” internships - they might have listings, some profs might be connected, but it’s mainly on the student.

I hear about DC being so hard - and I’m sure today it’s worse - but my daughter had 7 internship opportunities, 5 paid, when she studied for the semester. So it didn’t seem near as hard as everyone made it out to be.

That was Fall of 23.

Obviously the world has changed since.

If a student is a go getter, I think they’ll be fine - no matter where they go.

When you read the Cornell Career Dashboard which I like because they show the how they are getting - it’s mainly on line - company websites and job boards (I assume indeed, linkedin).

Far less on campus or on campus related than the high profile schools would like you to believe…because of course they are selling a premium product and collecting premium money.

Their outcomes are typically better - but then again, they have better students to begin with. I personally think that’s a part of it.

I look at Michigan vs. other public schools - I’m not necessarily seeing that difference - in some fields perhaps, but not, for example, my son was an engineering major and even their published stats don’t stand out. So would I pay $80-85K a year to go there, no.

But people do because its reputation belies it.

When I look at the kids in my daughters Fellows co-hort, they’re pretty amazing - but these kids also got into Ivies, Rice, W&L, Emory and others - so they were top notch to begin with.

It’s a debate people will always have :slight_smile: But I think that’s why a school like Harvard Law has 146 schools represented in its not huge class or Penn shows over 200 throughout, or a UVA has more - in a given year - Arkansas or Alabama alumns in its law school than the Dukes of the world.

Are the top schools over producing for fields like your daughter is interested in - or will stud students find success regardless :slight_smile:

Given you have ample means, hopefully she’ll find the best school for her.

I was just noting - access to profs and access to internships - I think that’s a big load of doo doo vs. other schools - but they can say it and people believe it because of the profile. While it might be true, if it is, then they aren’t the only is my point.

Your husband is a prime example of this, btw.

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I agree. She generally liked Dartmouth but not enough to ED. They mention bc of the quarter system, students often intern in the spring or fall when it can be less competitive. Not a deciding factor. She has some offers to intern with some of her connections already. But who knows? This thread and conversation has definitely reinforced that she’s likely not a good candidate for ED bc she has not identified a clear #1.

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I completely agree with all of this. And really appreciate your insights.

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In terms of your daughter’s intetest in public policy, this site may help her shape her greater college list:

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For public policy, you also need to look at Poli Sci - as many have sub majors that include policy.

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