What should I be doing to get into Yale?

Question

I would want to major in International Relations.

I currently have a 3.9363 weighted GPA

*Run XC and play basketball

* President of a school club

* Have a job

* I'm taking 2 AP's this year....

* Art EXCEL, Academic EXCEL, and Creative Writing EXCEL.... (offered at my school for accelerated students)

I'm doing all these things because I like to do them and they help others.... but would what I am doing now be enough?

Answer 1

A couple of things:

What year are you in high school?

Most importantly, what is your SAT score?

A 3.93 is certainly nothing to scoff at, but when you consider many of the incoming Yale freshman will have close to a 4.5, it puts you at a slight disadvantage. If your SAT score is considerably high, that will even things out. If it's low, then you'll need to compensate for your GPA by extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and leadership qualities. What you have described in your question seems fairly average for these kinds of things - you'll want to kick those up a bit if you have a low SAT (and are not planning on retaking it) and you maintain a 3.9.

Also, find out if your desired major is impacted, meaning is it a very popular major at Yale with a lot of students trying to get in it? If it is, you may want to consider entering under a different major and then switching once you are a student. Some universities have policies in place that don't allow you to do this - I'm not familiar with Yale's policies specifically, so you should check on that.

Remember, admissions into Yale is a competition. It's like running XC. Even though every runner is running the same course and has trained in similar ways, we assume those finishing up front are better runners. If you have a runner who finishes behind everyone but was fun to watch or seemed to overcome some kind of adversity, you root for them as well. Yale can be selective and they are. They look at high school students as they come across that finish line. Make sure you stand out - either by finishing first, or finishing with some kind of fanfare.  

Answer 2

The credentials you list would marginally justify Yale in admitting you, provided you have something that makes you stand out from the 20,000 other kids who have similar numbers and are applying at the same time for the 1200 available seats.

What have you done to make yourself stand out? You say you want to do International Relations? How many languages have you learned to speak fluently? The last kid I knew who went to Yale could speak four and was working on two more. What is your foreign experience? THere are probably 100s of applicants who have travelled abroad. How have you interacted with international people in your community? Worked with recent immingrants? Joined the local International House or Club? Tutored new students who are bilingual? You haven't said one word about the creative and ingenious ways that you have taken advantage of every opportunity to get a head start on your future profession...

Unless you come up with something pretty hot, I dont think your chances of getting into Yale are too good.  

In any case, you might take a look at George Washington U in D.C. They have a strong international program and they are right there in the center of world politics.... lots of opportunities for internships and experience....

Yale is not for people who are good. It is for people who are exceptional. Have a plan B.