He should absolutely apply SCEA to Yale. Why not? I would not recommend that he apply ED I anywhere unless there were a school that he likes as much as Yale and, if he were to be accepted ED I to whichever school that were, he would not be left wondering “what if?” or filled with "coulda, shoulda, woulda"s with respect to applying to Yale.
Has he visited and spent any time at Yale? What does he want to study?
Also, good advice to look into Rice. Their residential college system and “student happiness” rankings are second only to Yale. I’d also recommend looking at Wash U. and U.Chicago. (He can apply EDII to U.ChIcago if he doesn’t get into Yale SCEA where he to like it there.)
At the end of the day, what will really make or break his application are his essays and his teacher recommendations. Being able to show passion, wit, intelligence, and honesty are way more important than “padding” his resume with clubs. If he can tie in his passions – has he tried turning some of his “peer tutees” onto Shakespeare or done anything special with his tutoring that he can talk about? – so much the better! The fact that your son has done fewer activities but has done them consistently shows dedication and passion, traits that are way more important to Adcoms than membership in a gazillion school clubs.
What your son needs more than anything is to write some memorable essays (my D’s CA essay, among other things, was all about how Shakespeare had had a profound influence in her life [she, too, performed in a whole bunch of Shakespeare plays from 4th grade on, did summer Shakespeare Intensive conservatory programs for several years, etc.]; her longer essays and her 35 word short answers were witty and thoughtful; they supported interests that she discussed elsewhere without repeating information, and they showed a quirky, bright, interesting kid that can think outside the box.
Thanks for new replies. I thought this thread had reached end of life and was pleasantly surprised by new contributions.
@YoHoYoHo Yup, he will discuss things you mentioned. Thanks for encouragement!
@lookingforward Thanks. To be fair, the line about scoffing at resume padding activities was a bit of editorializing on my part and not direct quote from my son…though he wouldn’t necessarily disagree. My point was he just preferred to go all-in on a few activities and not add other ECs just for the sake of appearances. I don’t mean to imply that any kid who does those activities in engaging in fluff. For some, those activities are no doubt very meaningful and worthwhile. But others do build their resumes with an eye toward future marketability and tactically pursue ECs for personal branding for admissions–and we just didn’t do that. Like Willy said, “To thine own self be true.” But that debate could fill multiple threads and is not worth rehashing here. Anyway, much obliged for encouraging words about the AND.
@LoveTheBard Yes, he has visited Yale and liked it. We took admissions tour and afterwards a friend on the faculty gave us personalized tour and took us to eat in one of college dining halls. My son could imagine himself there and liked the positive student vibe. Major remains undecided but I would guess something along lines of government, history, psychology, or econ. Your advice about essays, deep interests and wit all seems right on point. Well said!
Since brevity is the soul of wit, I will stop here.
@oldschooldad - Love that you’re going full-on Polonuis on us…
Best of luck to your son, and I hope he and Handsome Dan will ride into the sunset together.
I’m glad I found your thread! My son’s (Yale 2019) story has some similarities to yours. His story is here:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/admissions-hindsight-lessons-learned/1790192-elite-school-admissions-a-first-time-parents-stumble-through-the-game-with-no-playbook.html#latest
I think Yale would be lucky to have your boy. Of course, there’s no way to predict. His story has got to catch the eye of the admissions counselor who reads his file. Good luck. I’d love to hear how your son’s story ends up.