So, How Do I Stand?

Colleges & Universities Yale University
1

<p>This is basically going to be your standard chances thread, but please bear with me. This is probably going to be a relatively lengthy post…</p>

<p>I’m a Canadian male high school student, and I live in Toronto. My parents are both from Europe, and I was born there, but my family moved here when I was around two years old.</p>

<p>I attend a fully French-language high school, and I’m enrolled in the IB program. My IB courses are French A1 HL, English A2 HL, Philosophy SL, Biology HL, Math SL, and Chemistry SL. I may also be taking Spanish B HL on the side, but my choice to do so will be contingent upon whether or not I can fit the class into my schedule.</p>

<p>Majors I’m considering at Yale: chemistry (pure or applied), international relations, economics, or political science.</p>

<p>My SAT scores:
French w/ Listening (took as a freshman): 760
Chemistry: 790
SAT I:

  • 750 M, 750 CR, and 730 W (11 essay)
  • 760 M, 770 CR, and 710 W (10 essay)
    I’m going to take Math II in the fall.</p>

<p>I’ve taken two AP exams by self-study:
Psychology (freshman): 5
Comparative Gov’t (sophomore): 5</p>

<p>All of my extracurriculars are significant, to a certain degree. First, I have done advanced scientific research in molecular biology and cancer treatment at my local university, and we are going to publish a paper on our findings in the next few months. The project investigated a relatively “hot” topic in current research, and we’re confident that our article will be published in a top journal, such as Science or Nature.</p>

<p>Second, I’m the president of the volunteer program at a local hospital, and my job includes interviewing new applicants, organizing and holding events for volunteers, as well as ensuring that the general volunteer program runs smoothly. In addition to this, I am a regular volunteer at the hospital. Currently, I have well over 300 volunteer hours.</p>

<p>Third, I am the president and founder of my school’s Model UN club and the founder and editor in chief of my school’s newspaper. In addition to this, I tutor ESL students at my school (since my school is French, there are quite a few) and assist the guidance counselor in running the tutoring program. I have also been an actor in my school play for a number of years, and will be acting in and directing the school play next year. (Four of my friends and I will be the directors, actually.)</p>

<p>This isn’t exactly an EC, but I have a deep interest in languages. I am fluent (or near fluent) in English (obviously), French (once again, French school), Croatian (my family is Croatian), and Spanish (I’ve been taking the class over the past three years. I won second place in a beginner’s Spanish competition for my province, and 6th place at the intermediate level this year). I also have a working knowledge of American Sign Language, which I took classes for outside of school after reading an article in the Scientific American about it, and subsequently becoming fascinated by the language.</p>

<p>I realize that my stats lack any type of athletic involvement, but that’s simply because my schedule is very irregular with all of my activities and I couldn’t squeeze in a sport. Up to the middle of my freshman year, however, I was on my schools JV soccer team. Currently, I work out around 5-8 hours a week. I don’t think I can fit this anywhere into my application, but I’m just throwing it out there.</p>

<p>When it comes to recs: I’m confident that my counselor rec will be great, as will one of my teacher recs. The other will be good, but probably not to the same level as the rest. In terns of application essays, I’m hoping I’ll do a good job. I’m generally good at “packaging” myself in writing, haha.</p>

<p>This summer, I will continue volunteering at the hospital and working with the research project I mentioned, and I will hopefully also find myself a job. I’ve also been interested in volunteering with Habitat for Humanity for a long time, so I’ll probably look into that, in addition to finding myself a job.</p>

<p>One other thing I should probably mention is that my parents are divorced and that I live with and was raised by my single mother. Also, I will definitely be requiring financial aid, to say the least.</p>

<p>I’m sorry for writing such an essay for this post, but I feel like a lot of what I had to say couldn’t really be explained in point form. Thank you SO MUCH for reading all of this (assuming you did) and please tell me how I stand in the college admissions process. Also, I would greatly appreciate any advice you could give me on how I could improve my application in the coming months.</p>

<p>Thanks once again, and good luck with the college admissions process!</p>

2

<p>You have a good shot, but be sure to include your work experience; 5-8 hours a week is a significant use of your time. They want to know about it. </p>

<p>That said, there is no particular reason to deny or accept you. You have as good a shot as any other phenomenal applicant. It will probably be your essays that put you in if anything is going to.</p>

3

<p>if your research paper is finished before the application deadline, definitely attach a copy and send it as supplementary material.</p>

4

<p>I’m hoping it will be finished on time. We’re going to try to submit a final draft of the paper to a couple of journals for review by the end of the summer. As many of the journals will have relatively high reputations, the turn around time is typically 1-2 weeks, after which we will likely be given details about additional experiments to conduct before finally having our paper published. The earliest all of this could finish is mid October, but it will probably be later. I’ll make some mention of it in my app if it isn’t done on time, however. It’s most probable that the paper will be done after I’ve already submitted my application. What’s the latest I could send it to Yale and still have it considered in the admissions process, assuming I’ll be applying EA?</p>

<p>Also, guynameded, I said that I work out 5-8 hours a week, not that I work 5-8 hours a week, haha…</p>

<p>Thanks for the replies, though! Anyone else?</p>

5

<p>what’s your GPA? If it’s high (3.8-4.0 UW), then I’d say you’re a competitive applicant. Make sure your essays stand out- I had similar stats, albeit slightly higher SAT scores, etc, and my EC’s were comparable to yours (not URM, no hooks)</p>

6

<p>As I am in Canada, the GPA system isn’t really used here. However, if converted, my grades would place somewhere close to a 4.0.</p>

<p>I think that my major hooks are my languages and my lab research. Publishing a scientific paper, especially in a prestigious journal, has to stand for something…</p>

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<p>I think you have a decent shot. Actually starting a club and being the president shows great leadership skills.</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

8

<p>Thanks, irishtraveler!</p>

<p>I’m hoping the admissions officers feel the same way.</p>

<p>Anyone else? Come on, there have been over 250 views of my thread and not nearly as many replies, haha. I knew I should’ve written everything in point form…</p>

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<p>Okay, this is the last time I’m bumping this thread…</p>