<p>I noticed that too Dave, I gave myself a 2 on the essay, and like a 4 or 5 on the interview. I’m pretty sure everyone is just doing this for fun to pass the time, and taking everything in with a grain of salt, because nobody really knows exactly where he/she stands.</p>
<p>unfortunately, i’ve noticed this trend too. it doesn’t look good for me since all of my ratings are in the 6.5-8.5 scale. i wish april would NEVER come…</p>
<p>To pass the time… I wonder if this rating thing applies for deferred…</p>
<p>Standardized Testing: 8…3860 out of 4000</p>
<p>Grades: 8…mostly A+, some A, but my school is a “good” school, but not one of the nation’s best, which I think you need to get a 9, pretty much</p>
<p>Extracurriculars: 5… few leadership positions, but they’re all very local, no national, not even states! </p>
<p>Essay: 7… guidance counselor said it was the best she ever read, but I frankly don’t see it, it was a topic that I’m fairly sure no one else wrote about, and I revised it for the other schools, so Yale got the crappy version of the essay… didn’t send in a revision</p>
<p>Recommendation: 5… I never read them. One teacher (my science teacher) is known to give great recs and refuse to recommend students if he can’t write a good one and he knows I have outside involvement in science, another thinks I have a “gift for the languages” BUT (and this is a huge BUT): there is another person from my school applying (he’s sal, i’m val) and he asked the exactly same teachers for recommendations! and although I get better grades than him in these subjects, he actually talks w/ the teachers a lot more than I do, i.e. shows off the knowledge that he gained b/c he is one year one more advanced in both subjects… i don’t know if this makes him seem interested in the subject or just a show-off, and he’s been doing private study w/ the the other, non-science teacher b/c he is advanced so I think overall, the teachers know the other applicant better. Sorry, this was a huge rant. On a positive note, my guidance counselor thinks I have the best application the school has ever had, so her recommendation should be fairly good. </p>
<p>Interview: 5… I’m not sure how I felt about the interview. I really have no idea. </p>
<p>Total: 37 out of 54</p>
<p>Now, I can just rest in peace, knowing that I have no chance at all :/</p>
<p>Standardised testing 8 -3890/4000</p>
<p>Grades 7.5</p>
<p>ECs 8</p>
<p>Essay 6</p>
<p>Recommendations -6</p>
<p>Interview -6-though I dont have any idea-varying from slightly negative to very good</p>
<p>Total-41/54</p>
<p>However,there are tons of people in my school with above a 47,so I am not too hopeful of my chances</p>
<p>Decision: Pending</p>
<p>Stats:[ul]
[<em>] SAT: 1520 (780 V / 740 M)
[</em>] SAT IIs: 790 Wri. / 760 MII / 750 Bio M
[<em>] GPA: 3.97 (uw) / 4.4 (w)
[</em>] Rank: 10% (unranking school)
[<em>] Other stats: No Particularly Stellar Academic Distinctions
[li] ** Overall Scores - Testing: 7 - Grades: 7 **[/li][/ul]
Subjective:[ul]
[</em>] Essays: Overly Narrative, Overwrought, Uninspired, and Hackneyed. They give very poor idea of who I am as a person, but convery intense feeling and good grasp of Writing.
[<em>] Teacher Recs: Terse, very terse. I wasn’t supposed to read, but did, so far the Guidance Counselor who doesn’t know me at all wrote best one. Both recommending teachers gave extremely perfunctory remarks touching only on experiences with me in the limited classroom setting.
[</em>] Counselor Rec: She spends her entire life writing rec’s, and she made us turn in massive information book of ‘who we are.’ She made me sound better than I make me sound most of the time.
[<em>] Interview: Yale’s Interview was horrific, and he told me I wasn’t applying for any of the right reasons.
[</em>] Hook (if any): (only) White member of Black Student Union -> Shouldn’t be a hook, but seems to catch people’s eye more than any achievement I hold
[<em>] ** Overall Scores - Essays: 5 - Recommendations: 6 - Interview: 4 - EC’s: 9 **
[/ul]
Location/Person: [ul]
[</em>] State or Country: CA
[<em>] School Type: Suburban, Public, Senior Class is '585
[</em>] Ethnicity: White
[<em>] Gender: Male
[/ul]
General Comments:
[ul]
[</em>]At some schools my application has impressed readers very much… (USC) … but no Ivy has dared touch me with a ten foot pole.
[/ul]
Overall Score: 38/54</p>
<p>What reasons did you give your interviewer for applying Yale?..if you dont mind me asking :</p>
<p>First, I told him those most glaring reasons why anyone applies to Yale, the massive, lumbering powerhouse school of America. I told him that I wasn’t immune to prestige, to tradition, to name. I told him, “Well, I’ve read the views guide and we could talk about the house system, or the city, or the academics, but I can’t honestly tell you I find those to be the most compelling reason for me to attend Yale. I’ve never been there, and so I can’t give you some personal story or remark that would particularly endear the institution to me. I can only give you those 4 letters, Y-A-L-E”</p>
<p>He said that’s how he would have answered the question - then went on to tell me how he went to Yale as ignorant of the world as I am, and how it basically ruined his life…</p>
<p>ugh!..it sounds like your interviewer had other issues he needed to take care of…sorry your interview wasn’t all that fun. :(</p>
<p>Standardized Testing
7.5 - Strong scores (770/780/760/800/800) and a bunch of 5s and 1 4 on APs, nothing all that unusual for Yale</p>
<p>Grades in School
8.5 - potential val, hardest classes offered at a very competitive prep school that sends about 5% of students each year to Yale </p>
<p>Essays
6 - I think these will help, but maybe not that much… they were reasonably well written and convey something about my personality (very “me”) </p>
<p>Recommendations
9 - I won’t ever get a chance to actually read what was written, but I suspect that there are a couple of “one of the top in my career” type letters </p>
<p>ECs
6.5 - I have done research for the past couple of years and was active in a bunch of other activities with some leadership roles, nothing on a state/national level, if they don’t really care about the research than more like a 4</p>
<p>Interview
5 - My interview went fine, won’t help me much at all though as I don’t think it would make me stand out at all</p>
<p>42.5/54</p>
<p>wow…why is that man an interviewer if YALE RUINED HIM?..strange…</p>
<p>He dropped out, then went back for a degree in applied ecology (like directed studies style?) then went to UC Davis got a masters in it, then decided… he didn’t like science. He programs email software now he told me.</p>
<p>wow, there must have been a huge dearth of yale alumni in your area or something.</p>
<p>Standardized Testing
5 - Mediocre scores (1370/740/680/650) and 4s and 3s on AP tests</p>
<p>Grades in School
7- Rank suffered a bit because of two Bs in AP Chem</p>
<p>Essays
8- I like(d) my essays, and if anything helps me out- it will be my essays</p>
<p>Recommendations
9 - LOVED them</p>
<p>ECs
6 - Nothing WAYYY spectacular, no national awards or anything… a few weird activities, but I don’t know how special they might think they may be :-</p>
<p>Interview
8 - Went GREAT :)</p>
<p>43/54</p>
<p>Standardized Testing 6
Grades 6
Essays 6
Recommendations 7
EC’s 6
Interview 6</p>
<p>Ha is it very obvious I’m trying desperately to stay above average :p</p>
<p>Test Scores: 8. I have a 3940/4000.
Grades: 9
Essays: 9
Recs: 6…I didn’t read them
ECs: 4
Interview: 8</p>
<p>44/54</p>
<p>** I’m upping my essays score, since I got an acceptance today from Bowdoin and they couldn’t stop talking about my essay in the letter. Lol. **</p>
<p>Standardized Testing: 5 (fair)
Grades in School: 7 (95avg?)
Essays: 6
Recommendations: 7
ECs: 7 (intel semif + music + president +various societies)
Interview: 6</p>
<p>Wait a minute, why would someone send an essay they didn’t think was great??? Are we talking about a senders’-remorse phenomenon here where you have second thoughts after it goes in the mail???</p>
<p>Test Scores: 8. I have a 3880/4000.
Grades: 8. Valedictorian at one of best IB schools in the country.
Essays: 7-8.
Recs: 7-8…didn’t read them but they got me into a pretty good school.
ECs: 8. Captain of Varsity Track and XC past 2 years, hold 6 school records. EIC of school newspaper.
Interview: 6-7.</p>
<p>44-47/54</p>
<p>Test Scores: 5? 6 maybe. A 3640.<br>
Grades: 6. 4.0 unweighted GPA, but only ranked 5th (weighted rank).
Essays: 4. I had one that was really bad and didn’t really say anything about me, and then one that said something or other, but I’m not really sure what. They sounded nice, but didn’t really say anything.
Recs: 6, I guess. I read one of them, and it was the standard best in career bit, but it was written poorly. My other rec most likely said nice things as well, but was probably written just as poorly.
ECs: 5. Lots of devotion to unspectacular things.
Interview: I didn’t have an alumni interview (they couldn’t fit me in or something like that) but I had one on campus – if that has any effect. I would rate it a 5. Nice and relaxed, but I didn’t exactly blow her away or anything.</p>
<p>Total : 31-32 / 54.</p>
<p>Standardized Testing: 7 (1440/730/710/670)</p>
<p>Grades: 8 (4.0 UW, 4.3 W, 1/237)</p>
<p>Essays: 6 (shows i’m well-rounded and real)</p>
<p>Recs: 7 (my english teacher wrote a very good one)</p>
<p>ECs: 8 (very involved with community service, music, tennis, etc.)</p>
<p>Interview: 7 (we got along, and talked about politics and sushi)</p>
<p>Total: 43/54 (blah)</p>