<p>Straight to the point,
3.556 UW (48/314)
4.499 W (35/314)
IB Program
2280 SAT
34 ACT
Math SAT:790
Bio SAT: 750</p>
<p>I know that there are essays, recs, EC's, but just based on this, do I have the slightest chance? I know my GPA is horrendous..but i have a reason for it. If i only took my freshman and junior GPA, I would have a 3.8. Something big happened sophomore year (mom hospital, dad had to work way overtime, brother diagnosed with depression, etc.). Family makes about $35,000 a year if that helps. Should I even think about applying?</p>
<p>I think you have a minimal chance, because of your GPA. Numbers aren’t everything, but when you are trying for schools like Yale, have a 4.0 GPA isn’t phenomenal, and every bit lower you get can affect your chances. I’m not saying it’s all numbers, so try hard on everything else, but it certainly puts you out of range with a lot of other competitors.</p>
<p>Your GPA, which translates to an average of 88.9, is just not competitive for Yale (sorry). Even if your teachers and guidance counselor write against your academic performance your sophomore year, your chances are slim-to-none. The competition for a slot at Yale is that intense.</p>
<p>“Yale is above all an academic institution. This means academic strength is our first consideration in evaluating any candidate. The single most important document in your application is your high school transcript, which tells us a great deal about your academic drive and performance over time. We look for students who have consistently taken a broad range of challenging courses in high school and done well.”</p>
<p>“While there is no hard and fast rule, it is safe to say that performance in school is more important than testing. A very strong performance in a demanding college preparatory program may compensate for modest standardized test scores, but it is unlikely that high standardized test scores will persuade the admissions committee to disregard an undistinguished secondary-school record.”</p>
<p>This is what I see: we don’t know exactly what courses you have taken, but judging from your WGPA and the improvement it lends to your class rank, the courses you have taken have been quite challenging. Moreover, it would seem that your high school is more competitive than most because even your UWGPA still puts you nearly in the top 15% and at many high schools the same number might not put you in the top 25%. It also seems you have extenuating circumstances to which to attribute your sophomore performance (these should be addressed in any application). Your test scores are relatively strong for all but the most competitive schools. </p>
<p>However, you say nothing about your extracurricular life and that makes an approximate, let alone full, assessment of your admissability to competitive schools very difficult. Perhaps you feel this is nothing to advertise, but if you have a job you are holding down while you are going to school that will be impressive, too.</p>
<p>I agree with the assessment that your odds of a Yale admission are low…but if (1) you really would like to attend and (2) you have the time and energy to submit a best-effort application and (3) you can do so without affecting the quality of your other applications I would encourage you not to miss your chance to apply.</p>
<p>I also think that most of the schools on the US News list that Gibby links would qualify as “sure-bet” schools for you. In other words you have good odds of admission at many more competitive schools those, even if not at Ivy League-levels of competitiveness.</p>
<p>Since your family only makes $35,000 per year, are you a QuestBridge finalist? Yale is a QB partner school and you get to submit your QuestBridge app as another supplement to Yale when applying for admission.</p>
<p>Make sure to include the family problems in your admission… just try and make it sound like a fact admission officers can sympathize with… not an excuse.</p>
<p>^^ Actually the OP SHOULD NOT write about his or her family problems, as it can come across as whiney and excuse laden. Instead, the OP’s guidance counselor and/or teachers need to write about the family’s problems and how it effected the student during their sophomore year. That’s true for Yale and all colleges that Happy2102 applies to.</p>
