Mediocre freshman year grades...okay SAT score...SCEA?

entomom
Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:23:55 +0000

About submitting additional/supplementary recs and materials, keep in mind:

[Applying to Yale College | Frequently Asked Questions | Office of Undergraduate Admissions](http://www.yale.edu/admit/faq/applying.html#9)

"Is it OK if I submit supplementary letters of recommendation?
We strongly discourage students from submitting more than the two required letters from teachers and the letter from a guidance counselor or college advisor that accompanies the School Report Form. Additional letters can have the effect of cluttering an application file, often repeating what has been said elsewhere, and can leave a reader wondering which letters are the most important recommendations. Three, four, or even five letters from teachers rarely do more work for a candidate than two.

That said, we try to be flexible about the need, in isolated cases, for students to submit an additional letter. If you feel there really is a need to send an extra recommendation, one that will add substantially to your application, be sure it is labeled “supplementary” to avoid confusion.

I am not an artist or musician, and I have not engaged in any original research. Am I at a disadvantage for not submitting supplementary material? Should I submit something else?
Please do not feel any pressure to submit supplementary material. For the vast majority of our applicants, we evaluate the quality of extracurricular activities and talents through self-reported activity descriptions, essays, and comments made by recommenders. For a very small number of exceptionally talented artists, musicians, and researchers, we may find it useful to refer tapes/CDs, slides, and/or abstracts to the appropriate Yale academic department for evaluation. Unfortunately, we are unable to evaluate DVDs or video tapes, so please do not send them."

So, give due consideration to additional materials, be certain that they enhance your application and that they are of excellent quality; any less could do you more harm than good.

Are you a native Spanish speaker? If so, taking Spanish courswork and Subject tests may not be as impressive as other subjects.

Y may or may not be URM friendly during SCEA. Last season there was a highly qualified Hispanic applicant who was rejected (not deferred) EA and who was later admitted to H in the RD round. And remember, the very selective colleges are not likely to give leeway for test scores unless you are a URM who is lower income or attend an underserved HS; middle class URMs will be expected to have stats similar to their non-URM cohorts. While applying to Y SCEA is unlikely to hurt you, it may not be a considerable help unless you’re a top candidate (URM or otherwise) who would be accepted in any pool of applicants.