Yale Hopeful - Chances

Colleges & Universities Yale University
1

<p>I’m going to be a junior this fall, and I’m wondering if I’m on track for these schools. Reading the threads with admitted students and their stats, it seems quite varied.</p>

<p>SAT: Taking in march, N/A
ACT: 35 (April 2008, sophomore) – still retaking it
GPA: 3.9
Rank: School doesn’t use it
APs: Chem AP, APUSH
Junior Courses: AP German, AP Bio, 11 English AP, Trig honors/precalc honors, AP Euro (world) History</p>

<p>Awards:
National German High School Examination Level 3, 2nd place in school, top 97th percentile, winner of study abroad trip to Germany
Academic Excellence Award
Somerset Collection for Outstanding Academic Achievement
Mathematics Excellence Award
Creative Communication’s Young Poets Contest Semifinalist</p>

<p>Music:
Distinct Violinist, Flutist, Pianist
Two-time MTNA Statewide Winner and Regional 2nd Place
MMTA First Place State Competition
IIYM International Piano Competition - two time semifinalist (top 16)
Oberlin International Piano Competition - second-round semifinalist (top 15)
National Federation of Music Clubs - First place scholarship award
Many more…not listing</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Project LEAD (Chairperson)
Red Cross (Blood Drive Organizer, scholarship winner for work)
City Youth Council (Representative)
Environmental Activists (Co-chair)
ACA Leadership Conference (Project Coordinator & scholarship winner)
EAGLE Leadership Conference (Volunteer, representative)</p>

<p>Sports
Synchronized Swimming JV
Scholar Athlete award</p>

<p>**Job/Work Experience: **Beaumont Hospitals, surgical research laboratory</p>

<p>Volunteer/Community service:
Library, Tutoring, Blood Drives, Fundraising, Fun fairs, Nursing homes, too many to list.</p>

<p>Summer Activities:
IIYM & Oberlin International Piano Competitions
Hoping to go to JSA Yale or Harvard SSP next summer</p>

<p>Thanks for your time and input…it’s a long post. =)</p>

2

<p>I think you have a pretty good shot, but with Yale and Harvard a lot of it is luck (as horrible as that sounds). You have the stats… a lot of it will come down to how well you sell yourself through your essays and recs. Also, stay away from putting too many awards and activities… I would only put down the big international, national, or state awards (and maybe some regional ones, depending on what you have in your arsenal). The one thing you want to stay away from is losing focus. Sell them on a few key points in your application, don’t provide a huge list of things… or else they won’t know what is really important to you.</p>

3

<p>Thank you for your response =)</p>

4

<p>Don’t retake the ACT if you got a 35 on it the first time. That’s just annoying.</p>

5

<p>It’s annoying to try for a better score? Alright. Thanks anyways</p>

6

<p>Well, the good thing about the ACT is that you only have to submit your best score. However, if I were an admissions officer and I saw that a person with a 2380 retook to get a 2400 I probably would think they’re weird.</p>

<p>What “embeezy” was getting at is that a 35 vs 36 will make no difference whatsoever in your admission. It is impressive that you got a 35 as a sophomore, and they will most definitely realize that you are capable of a 36 even if you don’t retake it. Moreover, in some strange way I kind of like kids who get slightly less than perfection than perfect scorers (or maybe I’m just biased b/c I got high 2300’s and didn’t retake)…</p>

<p>Keep up the work and you will have good chances at top schools.</p>

7

<p>Thanks for clarifying Yalie343. Congrats on getting such a good score as a soph, but I honestly think it would look worse to retake your ACT if you already have a 35. Being a perfectionist is fine, but there comes a time when applicants take it a bit far IMO.</p>

8

<p>Thanks for your input.</p>

9

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<p>It won’t “look” like anything. The beauty of the ACT is that you can take it as many times as you want and send only the scores you want. The ACT folks have no way of knowing if you took it once or 10 times. </p>

<p>A 35 is a terrific score, OP, no question. If you think you can get a 36, though, go for it; only 300 or so a year worldwide achieve a perfect score. A 36 doesn’t guarantee you’ll be admitted anywhere, but I believe it does get your application a very close look.</p>

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<p>^^Too late too edit. I meant to say the college admissions folks have no way of knowing if you took the ACT once or 10 times.</p>

11

<p>Thanks, wjb :slight_smile:
Our school is a bit weird. We are required to retake the ACT as part of the MME exam in junior year, which is what I meant by I’m retaking it. Also, our school sends every score, including all ACT scores, to colleges.</p>

12

<p>Well, Emiiliye, it will be fun for you to see if you can get a 36, and no sweat if you don’t! BTW, they are your scores, not your high school’s. Because they “belong” to you, you have the right to insist that the HS list on your transcript only the scores you want listed.</p>

13

<p>Yep. But our school gets the scores and puts the sticker right on your transcript automatically. You can cover it up with …white tape (how professional) if you want but then there’s a big, gaping, suspicious hole in the middle of your transcript there ACT is written. But there’s not score.</p>

14

<p>If your school requires you to retake it, then shoot for a 36. If they don’t, then a 35 is still a fantastic score that will in no way affect your application for the worse. They’ll be much more interested in what you do in terms of ECs, your recs, and your essays. People can teach themselves to make perfect test scores, it’s by no means a measure of brilliance… I feel as though a high ACT/SAT score is merely a qualifier to be looked at closely, and that once you past that threshold of having a high score it doesn’t matter whether it’s a 34 or 36.</p>