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

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[quote=Anonymous]Things that make applicants stand out: direction, focus, humor, follow-through, unpackaged experiences, initiative, thoughtfulness.  I thought X, so I did Y.  Intellectual drive/energy.  Well-reasoned but unconventional choices.

Basically, you've got a whole bunch of kids doing the needful.  And defining the needful in similar ways (e.g. a sport, an art, challenging coursework, volunteering, summer enrichment, an internship, experience abroad).  As you can deduce from this list, most of the kids I've interviewed are upper middle class.  Some are more articulate, some have done these things better than others. A few (surprisingly few, actually) can give you specific reasons re why they are a good match for this school/program/fellowship. But on some level, they all look alike.

The compelling applications are ones where the kid has a project/mission/purpose/sensibility that's powerful and different.  They aren't just going to college because it's the next step toward adulthood and you need to do well to get into grad school to get a good job.  There's something they really want to learn or do or experience and they know what it is and why they think this is where they'll find it.[/quote]

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