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** These are actually my friend's stats. She wanted me to post them.

I really want to go to Yale and I'm applying there EA, but I was wondering what you guys thought of my chances with these stats. Also, would it be better to go with a theme, like my political activism, or to appear more well-rounded?

SAT Verbal:800
SAT Math: 750
SATII US History: 800
SATII Literature: 780
SATII Writing: 760

GPA: 4.0 unweighted
Class Rank: 3/331

AP European History: 5
AP US History: 5
I am currently taking AP Calculus, AP American Government, AP English, and AP Psychology

Summer Programs: Duke TIP International Relations course, Junior Statesman Program at Georgetown

Activities
City Council candidate's campaign coordinator grade 11
Kids Voting precinct coordinator grades 9-11
Volunteer for local Democratic party grades 11-12
Member of local Young Democrats chapter grade 12
Haw Creek Community Association volunteer 9-12
Library volunteer 9-11
President of school debate club (participant all 4 years)
Founder of school NFL chapter
Founder of online student newspaper/political forum
Intern at local newspaper grade 12
Student Council representative in grades 9,11,&12
Yearbook editor grades 11 and 12
National History Day: State documentary winner past 3 years
Science Olympiad member or winning regional team, won several individual events, 9-12
WNC Math League grades 9-11
ACRHS Math Team grades 9-11
ACRHS Swim team grade 9
East Asheville softball team grades 9 and 10

Awards not already listed: Quill and Scroll
National Honor Society
National Merit Semi-Finalist
VFW Post Winner and district runner-up in the Voice of Democracy speech competition
Journalism Awards for feature copy from the NC Scholastic Media Association

By Efs424 (Efs424) on Friday, September 10, 2004 - 06:50 pm: Edit

ouch, only a 1550 and a #3 rank

that's going to hurt

By 80drofnats (80drofnats) on Saturday, September 11, 2004 - 12:18 pm: Edit

eh, i had better stats etc and i didn't get in last year, so whatever that means

By Irock1ce (Irock1ce) on Saturday, September 11, 2004 - 03:25 pm: Edit

80drofmnats- Personal circumstances matter a lot. If you came off as arrogant or conceited, that might have hurt you a lot. Dont forget that personal factors are VERY important in their decisions as well. Not only your stats and crap. If someone comes off as just another suburban high school kid with a nice little rich family and who had everything fed to them on a silver spoon, i wouldnt be surprised if they got rejected with 1600,800,800,800 4.0UW 4.5+ Weighted and won a shitload of awards. Better make yourself stand out one way or another, cant just be a list of numbers.

Jellybean - your friend has a great chance. Definitely go well-rounded. Well-roundedness is very very important to colleges unless you are like the goddess of politics or something.

By Jellybean24 (Jellybean24) on Saturday, September 11, 2004 - 03:42 pm: Edit

Ouch. The first two people are going to have my friend stressing out. Although I sensed some sarcasm in the first one... Even on my stats people weren't harsh and hers are better. Her user name is pirategal, just for the record.

By 80drofnats (80drofnats) on Saturday, September 11, 2004 - 04:23 pm: Edit

well is she first generation like you, how "privileged" is she? It matters a lot.

Well rounded is not good to top colleges, not at all. If you're in the hardest competition pool, as this girl is, it is a huge advantage to have an angular, focused application and further distinction in a certain area than more shallow involvement in many areas, how can you say "make your self stand out one way or another" and then say "definitely go well-rounded". I heard about 5 different top schools say that they "try to enroll a well rounded freshman class" and like angular kids.
As to the first part of the post, your economic status is viewed by colleges in three ways, usually: If you're dirt poor, they'll assume you have to overcome hell to get to where you are.
If you're a private school kid that's pretty well off, they'll assume you've had all the guidance and help you could ever want and never had to work for anything.
If you're somewhere in the middle, then no opinion is made.
I fell into the bad category, so it wasn't about appearing conceited because I know i didn't, it was about them expecting more from me from the start.

By Jellybean24 (Jellybean24) on Saturday, September 11, 2004 - 08:11 pm: Edit

Er, hopefully my friend wouldn't mind me answering this question for her, but we're both pretty normal, financially. We don't exactly go to New England private schools here - but we don't live in the ghetto. She's not first generation (although somehow everyone's blown that into a bigger deal than I expected), but we're not the "automatically priviliged" type. I don't think you can classify people into three categories. Families don't have salaries a 40k, 100k, 500k bracket. I'd be somewhere between one and two and I don't think they have a little system that classifies "dirt poor" from "Bill Gates." It's a gray area. And here's my two cents: Everyone seems to have a different opinion on being well-rounded. I have known some pretty creative, well-rounded people who've gone to Yale and some pretty well-defined people with similar statistics who have gone to good public schools. I think my friend is angular and that is probably what she needs. But if she wasn't, what could she do about it? Nothing. I'm not as angular as my friend, for example. But I don't care. If I don't get into Harvard because they didn't like that I was a budding lobbyist, screw it. I can't be something I'm not.