<p>Can’t even begin to predict without knowing more about your grades. How solid were your sophomore and junior years? High test scores with low GPA is a lot harder to overcome than high GPA and low test scores. </p>
<p>How competitive is your high school with college admissions? Where your 3.4 is from is going to matter.</p>
<p>I’m inclined to say that your GPA kills your chances, but you are the one minority group that I think gets a serious boost.</p>
<p>Did you write about the Sopranos, too, or just the song?</p>
<p>The above poster is correct, GPA/class standing is very important in admissions, though not everything. You also need to think a lot about the essays, and try to make sure the essays are “excellent”, not just good or very good. EFC $0 is not at all a factor in admissions.</p>
<p>Socioeconomics are a factor, but a very small one. Yale is trying to attract top low income students, but they don’t get a huge boost. My sense is that standardized test scores don’t count as much for this group and that’s the biggest thing they get. Unfortunately for you, your test scores are fine and it’s your GPA that’s wanting.</p>
<p>Socioeconomics are a small factor, because of Yale’s goal of increasing diversity but also because socioeconomic background influences what resources are available. Yale wants students who have demonstrated their ability to take advantage of all available resources, and generally speaking, applicants from wealthier/more educated/more urban areas of the country just have more to take advantage of, while those from poorer or more rural areas have less. </p>
<p>If you grew up in a very poor area with crumbling, mediocre schools and still managed to start a successful company or win a competition, it generally shows that you have more initiative than someone who did the same thing (or more) but did it while working out of his penthouse on 5th Avenue and attending a school where every teacher is either a Ph.D., a retired investment banker millionaire, or a famous concert pianist. </p>
<p>Similarly, extremely high success in school is more impressive if neither of your parents graduated from high school than it is if both of your parents had joint MBA-JD-MD-Ph.D.s (unless they were clinical psychologists, but that’s another story). Situations like this usually mean that the applicant has a great deal of initiative and leadership ability.</p>
<p>Of course, the above are slightly exaggerated, and unfortunately, the number of applicants from crumbling, underfunded school districts to top universities (and even to colleges in general!) is often quite small. Which is a shame, because those schools have a lot of very bright students who aren’t realizing their potential.</p>
<p>However EFC in and of itself is not a factor. Yale has need blind admissions.</p>
<p>URM, first gen college, and financial situation are all part of your picture, and will help you - some factors more than others. However, as everyone here is saying, don’t rely on that, make the most compelling case you can for yourself in your app by showing how you’ve taken advantage of the opportunities you did have (don’t just emphasize the obstacles you have faced), and then the only thing to be done is wait. Also be sure, like everyone else, that you apply to a mix of schools, not just the most selective ones.</p>