I don’t think top schools care about Varsity sports anymore unless you are going to play in college.
I don’t think they care about music either as a stand alone activity unless they are going to be doing that on campus and/or have awards etc.
I had my kids do some things in the school community, some things at the city level, and then at the state level so they didn’t look too much like thousands of other kids. They each had several stand out things they could write about in their applications.
From what I understand, others besides auto-rejects also do not get interviews. Some applicants that are accepted also do not receive interviews, and not just the the ones who are auto-accepted. I also posted a couple of reddit posts in this thread earlier: one provides some documentation to show there were not as many interviewers available this year and another provided evidence that there are students deferred without an interview, who may then go on to be accepted. In addition, I think you can get through the initial screening and not get auto-rejected, but then essentially get rejected by your first real reader (one who reads your app in-depth) if he or she does not view you favorably. I think you still get a second reader and go to committee, so the second reader or someone on the committee could vouch for you there, but that’s probably the exception. In those cases, those students would not be a priority for interviewing. So, there are quite a number of possibilities for not getting an interview that does not involve auto-rejection. Don’t lose all hope, but be realistic. 96% rejection rate are terrible odds for just about everyone who is applying, and it’s probably more like 97% for unhooked applicants. At least you have the possibility of a legacy bump!
anyone super nervous for 5pm?
yes LOLLL im gonna need to grind supps over break if I don’t get in 
same bruhhh, i dont wanna become a rd warrior
Don’t schools usually send an email out confirming that the decisions will be out 24 hours prior and to check the portal? My DS did not get one? Anyone else?
Didn’t get anything—probably because unlike most schools, Yale announced their exact decision time months ago so there’s no need
Oh, OK. I was starting to worry that maybe his app wasn’t complete or something! All the best to you and everyone else! Thankfully, although of course he will be disappointed, my DS is expecting and OK with rejection. He has actually been working on a lot of RD essays and not really fretting too much.
DD deferred!
1510 SAT, 3.96 unweighted, 5 APs (3 5’s, 2 4’s)
Political Science and Music interest
Submitted an arts supplemental
Competitive public high school, good EC breadth with some regional but no national awards
I know that may be a bit disappointing, but I would take that as a positive! I think only about 20 percent get deferred now, so that shows she has very strong app and bodes well for ED2 and/or RD apps. My DS is busy right now and hasn’t been able to check, but I would be surprised and thrilled with a deferral. I am almost sure it is a rejection. All the best to her in the future!
Son was rejected EA. 1600 SAT. 36 ACT. 1520 PSAT. 4.0/4.89 (never made a B). Super rigorous IB curriculum in addition to 5s on 10 of 11 APs. Swimmer/quiz bowl, regular ECs, nothing amazing. Knew he had the academics so applying wasn’t crazy; took a chance on the rest of it. But alas….
Wow those stats are FIRE! He will do fantastic wherever he goes. My DS hasn’t been able to check yet, but 99 percent sure he will be right there with your son. Lots of great opportunities still out there!
OH MY GOD ACCEPTED WHAT THE HECK THANK U GUYS ALL FOR THE ADVICE I GUESS MY INTERVIEWER CLUTCHED UP 
Hooray. So glad. Now you can reassure others who think they have a bad interview. My kid got deferred. Was sad but bounced back in a 20 min cycle 
. Thankfully I talked my kid into completing lots of other apps already – you know, in case the FA wasn’t great to ask Y to match 
! Forward march. Best of luck to everyone else! Congrats to all who got in and if you were denied, you will still land in a good place!
WOW! That is incredible! Congratulations!
DS just checked. Rejected. Was still holding out hope for deferral, but onward and upward. Dream must change now. Congrats to all accepted and deferred.
Acceptances are obviously great (congrats to you!) and even deferrals are not bad since Yale defers so few (compared to Harvard, MIT, Princeton which defer big percentages of their early applicants): https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2025/12/17/yale-admits-10-9-percent-of-early-applicants-similar-to-last-year/
Congratulations to those admitted ones! My son was interviewed but then denied. Little disappointed, but we knew it is hard when he applied.
Rejected. Frankly surprised - was expecting at least a deferral. 4.03 unweigthed (A+s), 4.73 weighted - nothing below an A. 35 ACT. 3 APs (all 5s) - high school does not offer many APs, lot of national awards and great ECs, legacy. Submitted arts supplement. Though essays were good. But she is an asian female from NJ applying as a science major, so probably the most competitive pool.
Anyone here got accepted without interview? Asking as there were many posts about chances of students getting into Yale without interview.
S26 was rejected. High stats and strong ECs. He did not get an interview. His school friend who got an interview was also rejected.