Seeking more information about Yale.

pj07
Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:27:15 +0000

I am a rising junior at a top American preparatory boarding school (consistently ranked in the top five prep schools for the last hundred years or so). I’ve started to think about colleges, and one school that comes to mind is Yale. Frankly, I don’t know much about it. However, I’ve been told by several people (one of which, my advisor at school, is a Yale alum) that I would be a “perfect fit” for Yale. Before I heard this, Yale was hardly a blip on my college radar. I’m not searching for a status in my college (in other words, the name and accompanied bragging rights mean very little to me).
Based on my statistics as a student, I want to know two things. Firstly, how are my chances? Secondly, and far more importantly, would I be a good fit for Yale?
My GPA thus far is inconsistent. Freshman year I attended a private day school where I scraped a 4.0 unweighted in all honors classes. Upon coming to boarding school, my GPA slipped a bit (3.35), taking into consideration my school’s academic rigor and my gradual acclimation to it. I’m confident that I’ll do loads better this year (aiming for a 3.75, a very very high GPA for my school). Unfortunately, my school doesn’t rank, so I’m not sure how I’ll stand among my peers.
As far as testing goes, I’m confident I’ll do well (and hopefully this will redeem my low sophomore GPA, at least to a certain extent). I traditionally test well… on the SAT, I’m aiming for a 780 Verbal, 790 Writing, and a 730 Math, based on previous practice tests.
I am on the staff of my school’s newspaper (which has won countless national awards for high school journalism) and hope to be on the editorial board senior year. I consider my passion to be journalism (particularly political journalism), and hope to pursue it in college. What sort of opportunities in the field are offered by Yale?
I’m active in Model United Nations as well. I started the program at my old school, and have a lot of allegiance to the program- could Yale cater to this?
As far as community service is concerned, it’s safe to say I’m very active. I am both a Special Olympics coach and a tutor at a local after school program for underprivileged youth. I’ve been involved in these programs for a few years, and they’ve truly changed my life. As an Eagle Scout, I’ve come to understand the true value of giving back to my community. Considering the socioeconomic demographics of New Haven, I’m hoping there’ll be opportunities to further serve in college.
I’ve spent my last two summers doing carpentry and construction work to make a few extra bucks. It’s been a great experience, and will possibly serve as a basis for a good college essay… hehe.

So, what do you think? Do I have a shot?