I am really, really interested in Yale... chance me please? thank you!

Colleges & Universities Yale University
1

<p>First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to chance me! Do you mind indicating either ‘match’, ‘reach’, ‘slight reach’, ‘safety’? (I don’t think I have any safeties here… my safeties are located in Canada)</p>

<p>Female
Born and currently living in: Vancouver, BC, Canada (international status)
Family background: East African</p>

<p>Applying to: Yale SCEA or Yale Regular Decision, Brown, Berkeley, Harvard, Princeton, Duke, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Stanford</p>

<p>First Choice is Yale, please give advice on whether to apply SCEA or Regular Decision! I appreciate it!</p>

<p>High School type: public, highly competitive
Rank: doesn’t rank
GPA: not sure exactly, but I’m pretty sure if an A is 4.0, I have a 3.95? (Can someone please explain the GPA system in the US? Also, what is the difference between weighted, and unweighted?)</p>

<p>Grade 9 courses:</p>

<p>A Math 10 Honours
A Social Studies 9/10 Honours (meaning we get credit for both 9 and 10 in one year)
A Science 9/10 Honours
A English 9 Honours
A French 9 Honours
A P.E. 9
B Intermediate Band (clarinet)
A Leadership 9</p>

<p>Summer School: Social Studies 11: B</p>

<p>Grade 10 Courses:</p>

<p>A Math 11 Honours
A French 10 Honours
A Chemistry 11
A Physics 11
A English 10
A Peer Tutoring 11
A P.E. 10
A Planning 10 (mandatory course)</p>

<p>Grade 11 Courses:</p>

<p>A Math 12 Honours
B French 11 Honours
A Chemistry 12
A Biology 11 Pre AP
B Physics 12
A English 11
A IT 12
A P.E Weight Training 11</p>

<p>Grade 12 Courses: (for this coming sept)</p>

<p>AP Computer Science 12
AP Calculus AB
AP French Lang 12
AP Biology 12
Psychology 12
English 12
PE Weight Training 12
(Study Block)</p>

<p>SAT SCORES</p>

<p>SAT I : 2060 (retaking, expecting a 2250 at least)
Math: 750
CR: 630
Writing: 650</p>

<p>SAT II: Math IIC: 750
Math IC: 790
Chem: 710
Taking French and Biology M expecting 750+ on Bio and 780-800 on French</p>

<p>Extra Curriculars:</p>

<p>Grade 9:</p>

<p>In School:
Junior Debate Team
Student Council
Karing for Kids
Juvenille Girls Basketball Team
Girls Weight Training Club
Junior Netball Team (won bronze medal in provincial championships)
Volunteer at school library</p>

<p>Outside of School:
Volunteer for the Ismaili Muslim Volunteer Corps
Volunteer for the summer at a local kids summer camp for the month of July
Classical Guitar Lessons
Ismaili Walk for Kids Volunteer
Vancouver Marathon Volunteer
World Partnership Walk Volunteer </p>

<p>Grade 10:</p>

<p>In School:
Junior Debate Team
Student Council
Model UN
Junior Netball Team (won gold medal in provincial championships)
Girls Weight Training Club
Girls Kickboxing Club
Administrative Helper with the Mentor/Tutor program at our school
Volunteer at school library</p>

<p>Outside of School:
Appointed Junior Leader for Girl Guides of Canada (weekly meetings 2 + hours… additional events and camps)
Volunteer for the Ismaili Muslim Volunteer Corps
Vancouver Ismaili Muslim Youth Choir (alto, co-student representative)
Classical Guitar Lessons
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Program: BRONZE LEVEL
Ismaili Walk for Kids Volunteer
Vancouver Marathon Volunteer
World Partnership Walk Volunteer </p>

<p>Summer after Grade 10:
Employment at a month-long day camp
Employment as a tutor for 4 hours/week</p>

<p>Grade 11:</p>

<p>In School:
Student Council
Amnesty International
Senior Netball Team
Girls Weight Training Club (President)
Girls Kickboxing Club
Freshman Mentor
Volunteer at school library</p>

<p>Outside School:
Appointed Junior Leader for Girl Guides of Canada (weekly meetings 2 + hours… additional events and camps)
Literacy Program Volunteer at the Down Syndrome Research Foundation
Vancouver Ismaili Muslim Youth Choir (soprano 1, student representative)
Vancouver Ismaili Muslim Youth Chamber Choir (soprano 1)
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Program: SILVER LEVEL
Level 1 American Sign Language Course
Executive Member of the Ismaili Youth Clubs Committee
Volunteer for the Ismaili Muslim Volunteer Corps (appointed Team Leader for Young Volunteers Program)
Employed as a tutor for Math 10
Ismaili Walk for Kids Volunteer
Vancouver Marathon Volunteer
World Partnership Walk Volunteer </p>

<p>Summer after Grade 11:</p>

<p>-Accepted into prestigious Canadian summer program for science and technology called Shad Valley. Includes a month of staying at a university campus (McMaster University) in residence and participating in various lectures and activities with university professors.
Won ‘Best Business Plan’ for product ‘EcoDry’ entered into the McMaster division of the Royal Bank of Canada Cup.
-Continued work with the Ismaili Muslim Volunteer Corps as a Team Leader for Young Volunteers
Employed as a tutor for Math 10</p>

<p>Grade 12 (this coming sept)</p>

<p>In School:
Get Down With Down’s (Founder) (club dealing with raising awareness of downs syndrome, all money goes to DSRF)
Student Council
Amnesty International
Model UN
Senior Netball Team
Girls Weight Training Club (President)</p>

<p>Outside School:
Appointed Junior Leader for Girl Guides of Canada (weekly meetings 2 + hours… additional events and camps)
Literacy Program Volunteer at the Down Syndrome Research Foundation
Vancouver Ismaili Muslim Youth Choir (soprano 1)
Vancouver Ismaili Muslim Youth Chamber Choir (soprano 1)
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Program: GOLD LEVEL
Level 2 American Sign Language Course
Executive Member of the Ismaili Youth Clubs Committee
Volunteer for the Ismaili Muslim Volunteer Corps (appointed Team Leader for Young Volunteers Program)
Employed as a tutor for Math 10
Ismaili Walk for Kids Volunteer
Vancouver Marathon Volunteer
World Partnership Walk Volunteer </p>

<p>Awards:</p>

<p>Academic Honour Roll 2004-present
Work Ethic Honour Roll 2004- present
All Around Student Award 2004
Principals List Award 2006/2007
I-STAR Academic Honours Award 2007
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award: Bronze
Duke of Edinburghs’s Award: Silver
Red Cross Emergency First Aid Level B</p>

<p>Thank you so much for taking the time to do this! I really appreciate all sorts of feedback! I am really really keen on going to Yale, but honestly I know it’s a reach, and I want to know if I have any chance… please give your input on applying early action. It has been my dream since I was 10 years old, much like everyone else who is applying there! Thank you!!!
PS I know the SAT scores are a little low, but I am positive that I will do better in October! Thanks again!</p>

<p>Almost forgot, my intentions are to eventually go to Med school… and my major will be in biology, perhaps biochemistry.</p>

<p>Thanks!! :)</p>

2

<p>As for GPA: an A is worth 4 points, a B is worth 3, a C is with 2, D is worth 1 and an F is a 0. Some schools include + and - grades, so an A- would be a 3.7, but my school just does the straight letter. So a 4.0 would be all A’s, and a 3.95 would be mostly A’s with one or two B’s. Weighting works like this: if you take an honors or AP or IB course, schools will give you more points. So at my school, an A in an IB course is worth 5 points on a 4.0 scale, and that’s how people get over 4.0 gpas. Some schools give 5 points for honors, and 6 for APs.</p>

<p>In reality, every school has a different way of calculating GPAs. I think there are some schools that do it percentage wise, so it’s not even on a 4.0 scale, it’s a 95 or 96. Some schools have insane grade inflation, others rarely give out As. Colleges know this, so I think they look more at your class rank and how you did compared to the rest of your class to get a gauge of your academic ability. That said, good grades are never going to hurt!</p>

3

<p>thank you very much! If you get a chance, do you mine chancing me? Thanks :D</p>

4

<p>First, your grades are fine for the most part. I think the GPA you predicted is about right. Your SAT score is a little low, but I’m sure if you practice, you can increase that score.</p>

<p>Now on to the hard part: (Please do not take offense to this, I’m just trying to help.) Your list of ECs left my head spinning in circles because I had such a hard time grasping who you are behind that laundry-list. I call it a “laundry list” because I see no passion – for some of your ECs, it seems like you started one year, stopped the next, and then started up again the following year. Some of your ECs, however, are pretty impressive in my opinion. I’m sure if you shaped your application around a few specific and meaningful ECs that you enjoy, everything will seem more clear in the long-run.</p>

<p>As for applying early, I say go for it! Only you will be able to really feel whether or not you think you are competitive enough for admission. What ever you decide to do, however, I wish you the best of luck! :)</p>

5

<p>Thank you so much for all your feedback!
Yes I realized later that I shouldn’t have listed everything.</p>

<p>Hopefully this will help…</p>

<p>I have been fully committed to being a Junior Leader for Girl Guides for 2.5 years now, and I intend to continue. I’ve earned well over 1000 hours doing this…
I have also been very committed towards the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award program, seeing as I have achieved the Bronze and Silver awards, and I am almost completed my gold. This award, if you aren’t familiar with it, is comprised of intense hiking expeditions, rigorous physical activity, plenty of community service, and a skill aspect as well.</p>

<p>You may have noticed that much of my volunteer time is devoted towards children. I am very passionate about working with kids (summer camps, girl guides, down syndrome foundation, young volunteers), and this has contributed to my career choice in turn. I would like to be a pediatrician in the future.</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

6

<p>OH I forgot to say that before being a Junior Leader for Girl Guides, I was a Girl Guide for 8 years!</p>

7

<p>That’s great! I would go that route when filling in your application. (1000+ hours…wow!)</p>

8

<p>If you can get your SAT scores up to 2200+, then you probably have an above average chance. It seems to me, based on your activities, that your passion is community service. Highlight this in the application to show that this is who you are. You have diverse interests, but make sure that there is something unifying it all.</p>

<p>I would not be surprised at all if you get in, but still, nobody knows how admissions works at these types of schools. Good luck!</p>

9

<p>You need to post this in a format that fits on the common app. You can write down seven ECs with very brief descriptions. Post them like that, otherwise, it’s very hard to get to the core of your activities and know how they’ll be judged by Yale.</p>

<p>I don’t think a URM from Canada will get URM status. I don’t know. They’ll put you in the ‘international’ column rather than the ‘black’ one, so you’re probably not a hook as you’re from Canada, a strong country. This matters for applying EA or not, as apparently schools use it to pull in particularly strong minority candidates.</p>

<p>I wouldn’t trip over myself to take the French SAT II btw if you’re from Canada… adcoms tend to disregard native language SATs, and while I know French isn’t spoken everywhere in Canada, but I’d concentrate more on Bio. SATs are very low for Yale, especially as an international. Even 2250 is a score that still calls out for a hook, especially EA.</p>

<p>GPA is good, but no APs through junior year is going to give adcoms pause. What’s offered at your school? Do you have class rank? How else can you flaunt your academic prowess?</p>

<p>Right now, SCEA is a high reach, RD is a mid reach.</p>

10

<p>Thank you for your input, I was thinking of the same problems as I was researching…
I know my SATs are low, and I am definitely going to take them again, and devote all of my month of august to study.
About the APs I was thinking of that too… hopefully I will be excused because I took advanced grade level courses and honours courses. Math was both a year ahead and advanced, however no AP because that would be just calculus.</p>

<p>Thank you so much!</p>

<p>and thanks to everyone before
any tips on further SAT prep? I’m confident I can get my 750 in math to 800 because math is my strongest subject, and I got only 2 questions wrong. I’m pretty sure I can get my 650 to 750 in writing, but CR is my weakest point. any suggstions?</p>

11

<p>Are APs offered at your school?</p>

<p>also: I’m being quite harsh, you’re obviously very accomplished… I just want you to see what I perceive as the harsh reality of all this.</p>

12

<p>If the schools you’ve listed are the only ones you’re applying to, you definitely need some safeties.</p>

13

<p>oh i think i mentioned that my safeties are all at home in canada… thanks everyone!</p>

<p>yes APs are offered at our school, but it was hard for me to take the APs I wanted in junior year, thats why im taking 4 in my senior year.
however i was definitely challenged in junior year with 3 courses at an advanced grade level, and two pre-AP, and an honours course</p>

14

<p>If you can get a 2150+ I think you’re get in.</p>

15

<p>As for CR prep, one easy tip I have is to go to FreeRice.com. It’s a game that quizzes your vocabulary skills (there are different levels, and some words are very challenging) and rewards correct answers by donating 20 grains of rice to the UN World Food Programme. I just got hooked on it this summer, and after playing it on a regular basis (i.e. at work when I have nothing to do, haha) my CR score jumped 30 points.</p>

<p>It really helped me with recognizing word roots and overall I’ve learned a lot! (Plus it’s charitable and really quite fun.) </p>

<p>Hope my humble advice is a bit useful :)</p>

16

<p>oh guys this is great! anyone have any other tips to get my SATs up?
mostly my CR? i think it was reading comp that I got 7 wrong in…</p>

<p>Thank you all, and yeah freerice is awesome! I remember I used it closer to my May test date, but I will try it out again!</p>

17

<p>bump my ass up</p>

18

<p>I think you are in at all schools :)</p>