Straightforward: I want to go to Yale.

Colleges & Universities Yale University
1

I’ve stated before that UPenn is my dream, which is true, but when I say that it usually implies that I assume I won’t get into Yale. If my prospects look good, I would apply SCEA to Yale and see how the cards play - here’s some info, please read it over and answer some questions at the end if you can:

ME: White, privileged, HS sophomore. From northeast USA.

PARENTS: Bradeis, GW

GPA: 3.63, I had bad 8th and 9th grade year (I’m being genuine when I say I did not open a textbook and I did not do a homework, I’m impressed with myself for having a 0% - 20% homework average and still pulling off only 3 B+s a B and an A- in total), however I’m not at ALL incapable and I am now motivated. I have straight As this year and I will have straight As next year, and in some classes that I will have transferred over from summer school (Precalc 1 & 2 to take AP Calc BC next yr). I’ve calculated that I’ll end with somewhere from a 3.88 to a 3.95 at the end of junior year (it has to be 3.9+ if I get all As but I’m cutting myself some slack with one or two A-s)

SAT: I took the PSAT cold and got a 1910 without studying. I’ve taken one full SAT (practice) since and I got a 2040, still no studying. I begin studying tomorrow when my first tutor session begins. My math section is my strongest at around a 710. I tell people I’m shooting for a 2300+ which I am, but in all honesty people in my school have pulled off 2400s and I plan on it too. Knowing the way in which I grasp SAT concepts I think it’s VERY possible with the right tutoring. MY weakest parts are the essay and the vocab, both of which just need memorization.

ACT: Plan on taking this also, took a practice once no studying got a 28 (got tired towards science section and almost entirely guessed. 32 on math). Took another on a better day and got a 33, still no studying. Shooting for a 35-36.

I have taken no standardized tests in legitimacy yet.

AWARDS: Geometry academic award last year, from the looks of it I’ll be winning some awards at the end of this year (it’s very gauge-able)

EXTRA CURRICULAR:

  • President of yearbook, been in yearbook since 8th gr.
  • Will be president of mock trial 12th grade. Been in it starting 10th.
  • Robotics club 10th to present
  • Class president 10th, probably 11th and 12th due to the good job I’m doing
  • Part of a selective program of HS students who go to schools and give lectures on a specific disorder
  • Founded and run my own 501©(3) charity, for the same disorder. Yes my family is affected by this neurological disorder, no it is not common for HS students near me to be involved in it. But it is well known.
  • Skipping a year of math
  • I know I’ll be in the news for my charity a lot in the near future, fundraisers start soon

CLASSES: I’m in 1 AP this year, 6 next year. I plan on self studying and taking the AP Environmental Studies exam at the end of this year. I want to then get a 4 on all 8 of my exams and get National AP Scholar. I’ve taken 8 Honors courses (I’ve never chosen not to take honors when it is presented. I may have taken more than 8. Just going from memory.)

LEGACY: Don’t know if it counts. Aunt at Cornell, two Cousins at UPenn.

WHERE ELSE I’LL BE APPLYING: I know this matters to Yale. I’ll be applying to all the Ivies and basically all of the top 20 schools, just to throw my name in the mix.

MY SCHOOL: Generally a pampered school. No valedictorian or class ranks, although I’d absolutely be top 10% with my current GPA and top 1-2% with my predicted GPA (I don’t have a very smart grade). We send a LOT of people to top 10 schools each year. Only Yale senior I know of this year got deferred with a 3.88, don’t know the rest of the story.

What are my odds? More importantly, WHAT CAN I DO TO IMPROVE MY ODDS?
Thank you so much for your time.

2

You and 30,000 of your closest friends do too.

  1. Nothing in 8th grade counts
  2. Your non-Yale family members’ colleges don’t matter
  3. Yale doesn’t care where else you apply. You’re mistaken. You’re gonna apply to only prestige names-- this is a sign of your deficient manner of analysis. All top 20 schools. You’ll submit 20 hot piles of mess.

You’ve been listening to the wrong people. You need to get a serious sit down w/your guid counselors and come with hat in hand, ears on and notebook in hand.

Stop fixating on the names. That’s a bankrupt strategy and you’ll just submit weak apps to all of them.

3

Chance threads are silly for a lot of reasons? WHAT CAN YOU DO TO IMPROVE YOUR ODDS?

  1. Stop yelling at people.
  2. Is there something wrong with this sentence: “MY weakest parts are the essay and the vocab, both of which just need memorization?” Discuss.

Fwiw, aunts and cousins don’t count for legacy, especially not if they’re at other schools.

Your odds are, at best, the normal single digit percentages. If I’m being honest, I think they’re lower than that. You seem to have the illusion that a meh GPA and meh standardized test score are improved because you say that you never studied, took them cold, etc. That’s impressive if you’ve got a 2400/4.0, I guess, but not with middling results.

You’re a sophomore. The best thing you can do to improve your odds is to mature as a person and a student. Good luck.

4

Predicted grades, scores and leadership positions are not very useful for assessing your chances. The better question for you as a 10th grader is “what can I do this year to strengthen my application later on?”

The answer is to:

  1. actually do your homework
  2. develop relationships with your teachers
  3. develop a PSAT/SAT/ACT test prep plan for this summer.
5

I’m wondering how anyone can start prepping for the SAT exam for next year when no one knows exactly what it will look like. Perhaps you should start prepping for ACT with your tutor.

6

Hello @manipulation … this is your wakeup call! When my daughter applied to college 5 years ago, below were her courses and grades. She was Salutatorian at her high school and also submitted a 2280 SAT, a 34 ACT, 8 AP tests with all 5’s, and 6 SAT Subject Test Scores with 750+ on each. She was admitted to Harvard, waitlisted at Princeton, and REJECTED AT YALE.

Now, you do the math and calculate YOUR chances. How does your transcript stack up?

As T26E4 suggested, you need to have a conversation with your GC, as your GPA is way too low for both UPenn and Yale, and you need to be thinking of more appropriate colleges: http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-universities/a-plus.

7

I don’t want to sound as dismissive as the other posters, as from what you’ve posted it seems like you’re smart enough to figure out for yourself that your chances are not spectacular, even if you really get it together as you seem really motivated now. I think your non-profit work sounds amazing, it is the kind of thing that you should be proud of, and it is that kind of passion/motivation that helps some students stand out and get attention. Out of all the Ivies we have visited, the resounding theme that admissions folks tell everyone seem to be that they want to admit students who are passionate about _______________ fill in the blank, whatever is real to that particular student.

If you are weak in your essay, then you won’t have a great chance at any of the top 20 schools, so since you are asking what you can do to improve your chances, the first thing to do has to be to improve your writing skills.

Best of luck to you.