Reply to Yale breaks own record with # of applications for 2016

Forum Index » College and University Discussion

Reply to "Yale breaks own record with # of applications for 2016"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Me too -- interviewing for a different HYPS.  Nice kids, reasonably intelligent, but many don't seem to stand out in any way.  Could they do the work at an HYPS?  Probably -- it's just not that hard to get a B at these schools.  Would you find any reason to pull them out of a pile in which they look like 5K other applicants?  No.

So maybe it's not zip codes but different definitions of what constitutes a "no hope" application.[/quote]

Just out of curiosity, what is the difference for you between a standard candidate who could do the work but is otherwise "meh" and one that stands out as some who would be admitted? [/quote]

Before I answer, let me rephrase your question slightly -- I think it makes more sense to talk about candidates who "could" or "might" be admitted rather than "would" be admitted.  I'm not sure that what separates the serious contenders from the admittees relates to differences in the applicants' credentials rather than the demographics of particular applicant pools (or institutional priorities) in particular years.

The short answer is that the kids who stand out are ones who do something interesting and obviously meaningful to them.  They've charted their own course to some extent, and are able to articulate how and why.  Basically, they come across as thoughtful kids who know what they want, who want something distinctive, and who think creatively/intelligently/strategically about how to get from here to there.  At the HYPS level, doing everything you're supposed to do and doing it very, very well generally won't be enough to get you in.  You need something else going for you that sets you apart (which won't always be the attributes I've described above -- could be full-pay legacy from a trusted school with the best teacher recs that year).

[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics