<p>A girl at my school was recently accepted to Yale. Here are some descriptions of her:
-Valedictorian/200
-Probable 4.0 GPA
-1 extracurricular that met once a week or less
-Several national academic awards
-Female, hispanic/caucasian</p>
<p>It seems to me like all she had were grades, awards, and her essay. Yet she is a very shy and introverted person, and she does not do much at all outside academics. What’s going on? Aren’t Ivy students generally very well-rounded? Does this show that Ivies also accept just for scores and essays?</p>
<p>This answers your question and why she got in.</p>
<p>But seriously, there may be more behind the ‘national academic awards’ she won. Do you know specifically what awards? Some such as the Intel STS and Siemens competition are INCREDIBLY time consuming and require an extensive research project. Therefore, some awards can fall under extracurricular. And some awards, mainly national, are so prestigious, that the top colleges like Yale actually strive to RECRUIT such students. Particularly a hispanic one.</p>
<p>The key here is Hispanic. That is part of that holistic approach and the fact that she has such great credentials helped as well. An Asian with same credentials would not have made it as this falls far short of an Asian stereotype.</p>
<p>Plus you can’t say you know her out of school ECs. Her “national academic awards” weren’t probably handed out like dinner mints either.</p>
<p>And you didn’t read her personal statement. A panel of Yale admissions officers did – who read tens of thousands. They thought she had enough performance and potential. I wish the best for her. I hope you do as well.</p>
<p>The ‘well-rounded’ thing was more of a focus when ‘old-school’ admissions criteria held sway; i.e. until the mid-1960s. Not that there aren’t many ‘well-rounded’ admits, mind you. Impossible to second-guess admissions decisions though. You’ll never know what factors came into play–you can only guess.</p>
<p>You also don’t say what state she’s from, what her SAT scores were, whether her parents went to college, what her economic status is, etc. All these things matter too.</p>
<p>T26E4 and others are exactly right. Only the members of the admissions committee that accepted her know how this happened. There could be a great many things about this young woman that you don’t know or appreciate. I’d venture to say, there must be.</p>
<p>As for well-roundedness: sometimes. A lot of selective colleges talk about wanting a mix of students who are well-rounded and students who are, let us say, well-lopsided.</p>
<p>This is really parallel to a life-lesson I have learned as an adult: every time I try to count other people’s money, I end up unhappier for the effort. Same thing applies here. Trying to figure out why she got into Yale and somebody else (you, perhaps?) didn’t is just going to nourish feelings of bitterness, resentment and envy. Honestly, who needs that?</p>
<p>Also, keep in mind that ALL selective colleges want students who have (in this order):</p>
<ol>
<li>Taken the most rigorous course load available at their high school.</li>
<li>A high GPA</li>
<li>SAT scores above 2100 or the ACT equivalent</li>
<li>SAT Subject Tests scores of 700 or above.</li>
<li>AP tests (if AP’s are offered at your school) no lower than 4.</li>
<li>Stellar teacher recommendations proclaiming you as one of the best students they have had in their teaching career.</li>
<li>Well written essays that demonstrate intellectual curiosity and a love of learning.</li>
<li>Extracurricular activities that show passion and dedication.</li>
</ol>
<p>Colleges are first-and-foremost academic institutions and are looking for scholars! And scholars come in all shapes and sizes – some are extraverted, others are shy. Some do many extracurricular activities, some do just a few.</p>
<p>“For us at Yale, for instance, standardized test scores generally do little to differentiate applicants, because virtually all our applicants score very well. Most important to us are the transcript and the school and teacher recommendations, which students can do little to influence once it comes time for an application. We also look closely to see where and how a student has developed talents or engaged the school or community outside the classroom. Essays and interviews round out an application, and we look here mostly to see whether they convey information that enlarges or enhances, while remaining consistent with what we hear from counselors and teachers.”</p>