Anonymous
Post 08/20/2025 11:50     Subject: What does one need to have a better than 5% chance at Yale?
I’m not sure how that mom knew so many AOs but she had posted in AN. I remember it only because I was struck by the amount of attention some kids were getting. One was probably Sara. Your guess is as good as mine for the rest.
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2025 11:48     Subject: Re:What does one need to have a better than 5% chance at Yale?
Our tour guide was going on about the difficulty of getting in and then she let it drop she was 5th generation from NYC….

Yeah, ok, honey
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2025 11:46     Subject: Re:What does one need to have a better than 5% chance at Yale?
Legacy. Recruited athlete. First Gen
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2025 11:43     Subject: What does one need to have a better than 5% chance at Yale?
For unhooked/non-diverse kids at our NY school (read: no geographic diversity), the magic formula seemed to be having a deep arts interest along with academic superstardom. Example: a kid with a 1600 SAT + serious science research experience + acted on Broadway.

Anonymous
Post 08/20/2025 10:56     Subject: What does one need to have a better than 5% chance at Yale?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I’m a Yale alum and I spend too much time on Instagram. I think about your question a lot.

And I’ve noticed a strange phenomenon of a lot of girls who are very smart but average-ish but have moms with large social media followings matriculating at Yale in the last few years. These aren’t influencer types but more like designers, artists, etc and they send their kids to top but not tippy top privates. My assumption is that social class, a certain sophistication that might come out in essays, and going to privates with historically large groups that is accepted to Yale is a big help. You need signifiers that are shortcuts for the admissions staff.

So for example, going to a school like St. Ann’s in Brooklyn means you have already gotten through a few different gauntlets of selectivity and that helps justify accepting multiple students per year when an average suburban HS would struggle to get a similar student noticed.


This really rings true for all the recent admits we personally know. A public example might be Kat Dubrow, Heather Dubrow's daughter.


this is literally the only example I can think of.

at our feeder HS, yale admits are either legacy or just really smart - like national debate winner.


Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck’s daughter goes to Yale.
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2025 10:50     Subject: Re:What does one need to have a better than 5% chance at Yale?
Be an athlete
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2025 10:34     Subject: What does one need to have a better than 5% chance at Yale?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I’m a Yale alum and I spend too much time on Instagram. I think about your question a lot.

And I’ve noticed a strange phenomenon of a lot of girls who are very smart but average-ish but have moms with large social media followings matriculating at Yale in the last few years. These aren’t influencer types but more like designers, artists, etc and they send their kids to top but not tippy top privates. My assumption is that social class, a certain sophistication that might come out in essays, and going to privates with historically large groups that is accepted to Yale is a big help. You need signifiers that are shortcuts for the admissions staff.

So for example, going to a school like St. Ann’s in Brooklyn means you have already gotten through a few different gauntlets of selectivity and that helps justify accepting multiple students per year when an average suburban HS would struggle to get a similar student noticed.


This really rings true for all the recent admits we personally know. A public example might be Kat Dubrow, Heather Dubrow's daughter.


this is literally the only example I can think of.

at our feeder HS, yale admits are either legacy or just really smart - like national debate winner.
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2025 08:18     Subject: What does one need to have a better than 5% chance at Yale?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Are you talking Sidwell or NCS? If you're truly top 5% that means that (for example) that at NCS she's in the top 3 girls. If that is the case, she likely has a pretty good shot at Yale. This year's top 3 are now at Yale, Wharton, and Princeton---all unhooked. This is the case every year and it is the same at Sidwell. If your daughter is truly at the top of a very competitive private then she will have a very good shot, regardless of extracurriculars.


OP clearly isn’t from the DMV. She’s an interloper.


OP: from another state but yes in a top private top colleges are familiar with


Anonymous
Post 08/20/2025 08:17     Subject: What does one need to have a better than 5% chance at Yale?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I know a mom whose son sounds like your DD. They have his app reviewed by 5-6 former AOs. IIRC he was waitlisted by Yale then admitted. So application review by former AOs might help.


Where do you find these former AOs? I’m OP, DD doesn’t have an essay coach or private consultant, she wants to do this without hired help. Part of me feels that’s naive and stubborn but she has top grades and 1580 without tutors. Kind of feels like she worked very hard to earn that autonomy and we should give her that trust, even if it means slightly lesser admissions results. That’s why I’m doing research on here and through other sources.


I think someone mentioned this on here a few months ago - I saved it.
https://admissionscheckup.com/our-admissions-officers/


OP: thanks!
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2025 08:16     Subject: What does one need to have a better than 5% chance at Yale?
Anonymous wrote:Listen to the podcast. They kind of tell you.

Your sciences DD better be interdisciplinary and be able to show a long history of that interest.

Understand the ethos.


OP: to answer question above why Yale, what PP describes is why Yale is her super reach (but also very excited about Rice, Swarthmore, Pomona etc.). She wants an interdisciplinary school where you don’t go there with a job path in mind. She is very intellectually curious, never studies for grades but still gets top marks, loves learning, and is top of class for sciences, writing and languages. She wants to learn from other people different than her and find ways to improve communities. This is not her sales speech, she lives for this stuff. Her teachers love her and have involved her in their projects, curriculum planning during the summer and even one in her PhD paper when DD never asked. She is a nerd, humble, quietly ambitious but not competitive.
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2025 08:14     Subject: What does one need to have a better than 5% chance at Yale?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I know a mom whose son sounds like your DD. They have his app reviewed by 5-6 former AOs. IIRC he was waitlisted by Yale then admitted. So application review by former AOs might help.


Where do you find these former AOs? I’m OP, DD doesn’t have an essay coach or private consultant, she wants to do this without hired help. Part of me feels that’s naive and stubborn but she has top grades and 1580 without tutors. Kind of feels like she worked very hard to earn that autonomy and we should give her that trust, even if it means slightly lesser admissions results. That’s why I’m doing research on here and through other sources.


I think someone mentioned this on here a few months ago - I saved it.
https://admissionscheckup.com/our-admissions-officers/
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2025 08:12     Subject: What does one need to have a better than 5% chance at Yale?
Anonymous wrote:Are you talking Sidwell or NCS? If you're truly top 5% that means that (for example) that at NCS she's in the top 3 girls. If that is the case, she likely has a pretty good shot at Yale. This year's top 3 are now at Yale, Wharton, and Princeton---all unhooked. This is the case every year and it is the same at Sidwell. If your daughter is truly at the top of a very competitive private then she will have a very good shot, regardless of extracurriculars.


OP clearly isn’t from the DMV. She’s an interloper.
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2025 08:11     Subject: What does one need to have a better than 5% chance at Yale?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I know a mom whose son sounds like your DD. They have his app reviewed by 5-6 former AOs. IIRC he was waitlisted by Yale then admitted. So application review by former AOs might help.


Where do you find these former AOs? I’m OP, DD doesn’t have an essay coach or private consultant, she wants to do this without hired help. Part of me feels that’s naive and stubborn but she has top grades and 1580 without tutors. Kind of feels like she worked very hard to earn that autonomy and we should give her that trust, even if it means slightly lesser admissions results. That’s why I’m doing research on here and through other sources.


Search on here?
There were a few firms. Google application review with former admissions officers.
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2025 08:07     Subject: What does one need to have a better than 5% chance at Yale?
Anonymous wrote:I know a mom whose son sounds like your DD. They have his app reviewed by 5-6 former AOs. IIRC he was waitlisted by Yale then admitted. So application review by former AOs might help.


Where do you find these former AOs? I’m OP, DD doesn’t have an essay coach or private consultant, she wants to do this without hired help. Part of me feels that’s naive and stubborn but she has top grades and 1580 without tutors. Kind of feels like she worked very hard to earn that autonomy and we should give her that trust, even if it means slightly lesser admissions results. That’s why I’m doing research on here and through other sources.
Anonymous
Post 08/20/2025 08:07     Subject: What does one need to have a better than 5% chance at Yale?
Are you talking Sidwell or NCS? If you're truly top 5% that means that (for example) that at NCS she's in the top 3 girls. If that is the case, she likely has a pretty good shot at Yale. This year's top 3 are now at Yale, Wharton, and Princeton---all unhooked. This is the case every year and it is the same at Sidwell. If your daughter is truly at the top of a very competitive private then she will have a very good shot, regardless of extracurriculars.