What are my chances at getting into Yale?

Question

I'm a junior. I have a 4.0 Unweighted and 4.525 weighted (will be higher at the end of this semester) Current class rank is 3 out of 158 (Will be 1st at the end of this semester). I take all the honors classes my school offers. I'm female and caucasion. My ACT w/out writing score was 29, retaking it with writing this June. My job has been a tutoring this year and also a Substitute Governess for children with special emotional needs. I'm VERY involved in my church programs 15 hours or more each week. I have been a 2nd counselor and president in the churchs young womens presidency. Was selected as a youth church council rep. chairman serving over 500 youth. Attending a 4 year seminary program, achieved a 4.0 and maintained Honorary citizenship. Was my seminary class pres. freshman year and got Scripture mastery recognition award twice. Active member of NHS and Broadcast Journalism. What are my chances of getting into Yale, BYU, U of British Columbia, Scripps college, or any Ivy league?

My family is extremely low income and I'm as white as it gets, not a minorty. I'm a Canadian/American dual citizen if that counts for ethicity but i'm pretty sure it doesn't.

What can I do to improve my chances?

Thanks everyone so far for your input. I'm just a little bit confused as to some of the responses dissing certain colleges. Do you really think i'm going to take the advice of someone who can't even answer the question properly and consequently is obviously bitter? Once again thanks for those of you who answered the actual question.

Answer 1

let's put it this way: you have a better chance than most, in that you spell correctly and you appear to be genuinely interested in your education.
first of all, your chances at BYU, UBC, Scripps, and basically anywhere else are better than your chances at yale. HOWEVER, you should still apply, if you really think yale would be the best place for you.
your ACT score is kind of low, but that might not mean much- did your parents go to college? you mentioned you were low income, and if you're the first one in your family to go to college, then your test scores will almost invariably be lower, no matter how smart you are.
and you do seem smart. keep up the good grades, because your transcript is by far the most important part of any admissions decision.
despite what some people are saying, white people do still get into top colleges. i'm white, and i'll be attending yale next year myself, so feel free to disregard anyone who seems bitter or prejudiced.
it's good to see that you're involved with things outside of school, too, and that you seem to be really interested in them, as opposed to doing them merely to say you have done them.
my number one piece of advice from here on in is to be interesting. read interesting books, be curious, explore new material and always push yourself to learn more. there are plenty of people ranked number 1 in their class, but a surprisingly small number of them have any original ideas. if you take time to really think about things and grapple with real issues, you become infinitely more interesting to talk to (and to go to college with).
i wish you the best of luck, and i hope to see you at yale in 2008. feel free to contact me if you have any more questions.

Answer 2

Yes, but there are no guarantees. Do good in school-take as many advance classes as you can. Get good grades. Score high on your SAT and do many extracurricular activities. Try to graduate at the top your class. Towards graduation, you need to find scholarships, and have some financial plans for school. Maybe you could get a job during your off-times, and save up for a college. There are other options-like transferring from another University or college after a year or two to try to get into an Ivy League school. If you don't suceed, there a lot of other great schools. You live in Utah, and Brigham Young University is a prestigious private University.

Answer 3

I am confused why anyone who would consider Yale would also consider BYU? These schools are at opposite ends of the world as far as the college experience they offer is concerned. BYU is big, in a rural location, has about 30,000 undergrads who averaged about 26 on the ACT. Yale is small, in a gritty city, has about 6000 undergrads who averaged about 31.

What kind of college life do you want to live? - one in which you will be exposed to a widely divergent group of brilliant students who will challenge your beliefs in every way, and where religion is generally regarded as irrelevant? or a highly homogeneous group where a single life style and belief system is allowed and where religion is central at every level from the administration down to the Freshman dorm supervisors.

There may be some schools where there is more of a middle ground. Where the school fits more comfortably with your life plans.

Answer 4

I'm impressed. Everything looks great on paper. But remember, probably every other candidate will also have what you have. Apply to all the Ivy leagues and some back up schools. You'll definitely get into a good school! Keep doing what you're doing! No matter what school you get into, you are going to succeed in life. You haven't even graduated high school yet and look your list of accomphlishments! You are awesome!

Argh, it sucks how schools care too much about "minority" and not so much about "low-come". It's not fair! It's all about being "politically correct".

Answer 5

My mother went to UBC for Civil Engineering, and it seems to me that particular university isnt all too particular compared to Yale.... I personally recommend UBC. However, I think you have the qualifications to make it into Yale. Maybe try and do a bit more volunteering, and try to get into some more sports...Great assets

Answer 6

You have great qualifications. But so do many other people. Maybe you will get into Yale, and maybe you won't. If you don't, there are many other great universities, and I'm sure you will do well wherever you go.

Yale is great, but it is not the only place to get a great education.

Answer 7

You got a great shot at all the top schools in the country. Best of luck :)

Answer 8

You didn't really mention your extracurricular acitivity at school. However, with what you've stated, I think you have a pretty good chance.

Answer 9

Who cares about all that?

If you're a minority with a ton of money you'll get in. Nothing else matters.

This isn't meant as a joke. It's quite true. The best advice is to get the name of the admission director and write them a letter as to why it is important for you to go to Yale and ask for an interview.

Try to get as many scholarships as possible. Meet with the Financial Aid department as well. If you're going to put yourself in a ton of debt to pay tuition, it really isn't worth it. So many things in life change. Think about this, really.

I was at Yale just last month. I went with my best friend and her son as he is looking at schools. It's not all that.

Answer 10

Slim to none. And not because your qualifications suck. Instead, it's more to do with the fact that the Ivies are admitting in record low numbers. And frankly, you can do just as well at a state school. What matters is what you make of your education, not what's on your diploma.