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Yale/ Princeton application help.

Pretty much what it says on the tin, folks.

I would love to be able to go to Yale or Princeton university (undergrad), but being a UK student who is used to our system, the whole process seems sort of daunting. I'm seeing words like 'SATs' and 'ACTs' and different types of essays and not really understanding what's what, and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed!

I'm in year 12 at the minute, so I've got a decent amount of time before the uni application process here begins. GCSEs aren't astounding (I had numerous personal problems) and my A levels started a bit wobbily related to that, but my grades so far are solid and I'm planning to get all As/ A*s, since I know I'm capable.

Can anyone recommend anything else I can work on? I'm not sure what the SATS entail, so if I have to do any extra studying for them, I'd prefer to start now - I heard Maths is a part of them?!

I'm picking up some extra curriculars along side the few I have, although I'm not quite sure what to do yet; I'm only going to do ones I enjoy, ofc. (I know some people do a tonnes to make their UCAS look good...) Is there anything I can pick up related to my subjects at all?

If it helps, my A levels are Eng Lit, French, German and Psychology, so I'm trying to find things related to those.

If there's anything else anyone can recommend I can start improving or any additional tips, that'd be great. Thanks! :smile:

Reply 1

BorisMalden

Hey, I'm pretty much in the same boat as you and though I'm no expert, I'll try and chip in with what I do know.

To get into most American colleges you can't use your A levels, so you'll need to book into a test centre and get yourself some SATs (which nearly all colleges seem to accept, so I wouldn't bother with ACT). This involves one test that measures your writing, reading and maths skills, and there are also tests for seperate subjects (you can practice any of them here http://sat.collegeboard.com/practice). A list of the subject tests can be found here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAT_Subject_Tests . Also on collegeboard you can find the sorts of scores you'd be expected to achieve in the SATs to get to such colleges.

I don't know about Yale, but I'm pretty sure Princeton wants the main test, as well as two subject tests. Keep in mind that chances to take these tests are limited, so you might want to book yourself in pretty soon (in case you get unsatisfactory results this time round and want to retake) Finally, you can get SAT practice books online, and as long as you revise them, you should be fine.

Extracurriculars are just as important as results in the US, so you'll want to make sure you've got a fair few. My advice is, find three or four clubs/teams/activities that you're genuinely interested in, and devote time to them. Also, things like a bit of voluntary charity work or Duke of Edingburgh stuff can't hurt either.

Good luck

PS To anyone who knows more about this than me feel free to correct the mistakes I've most likely made

Reply 2

k1tsun3

You've covered the basics. The best places to really get some info:
collegeboards.com
princetonreview.com

If you really want t study in the US, I would advise looking at other unis as well. One thing to remember is that it's very expensive to apply to unis, so be wise with your choices. If you're only interested in the 2 you mentioned and would happy remain in the UK if you didn't get in, then just apply to those 2 and then home unis. If you really want to study in the US, then I would suggest looking at other unis for a safety net.

Reply 3

Muffinz

Hi again.

Did you decide on your degree yet? I suppose the american program would be better if you still haven't decided what you want... Be careful though, looking through their websites when I was considering an American application, I was put under the impression that the needs-blind system wasn't so blind when it came to International students... if that's a big deal, you might want to make an enquiry. I heard that Harvard wasn't too hot for undergraduates, so you might want to check out this thread for equally as presitigious alternative unis.

The American unis tend to put a lot of emphasis on extra stuff. For extra-curriculars you could do debate club, creative writing, maybe arrange some exchanges over the holidays in Germany or Francophone countries. (Charity work in Haiti maybe? They'll probably still be in ruins by the summer and UK charities like Shelterbox go out there and help.) Americans LOVE sports, so maybe you could do netball or badminton or swimming or something like that. Maybe you should get a start of the Duke of Edinburgh awards and try applying with those.

Reply 4

Tetra3

Buy the official SAT study guide. Register at collegeboard.com and book your SATs and 2-3 SAT Subjects tests for June or sometime in year 12 so that you still have the chance to retake them in October/November in year 13. The American uni admissions system is very number based. Unfortunately SATs and SAT IIs weigh a lot, and are probably looked at more then A-levels as they believe it's a more fair comparison for applicants. Yale and Princeton only take a small number of international students, so you'll need very strong SATs to stand a chance. For the regular SAT there are sections in critical reading, writing and, yes, math. Writing is pretty easy with practice but the critical reading is pretty difficult if you don't have a good vocabulary. :p:

Maths is about GCSE standard, so nothing too hard.

I wouldn't worry too much about your GCSEs, as in the States there is no equivalent for them to compare it with. As long as you don't have too many grades below an A. (They wouldn't see much difference between A and A*. B grade or below doesn't appear as good though).

Good luck with the application - don't get too hung about it now though. It's still early. I would definitely research about the different SAT Subject tests that are offered and start deciding which ones you want to sit.

Reply 5

la_chérie

IlexBlue

Hey, I applied to Harvard, Princeton, Yale and Columbia for 2010, so I am already half way through the whole thing! Make sure you prepare for your subject tests well in advance and DO practice tests, I for one was not used to the whole multiple choice ordeal, it is not quite as straightforward as it sometimes seems. Start early enough, since you CAN retake all the tests, and the ivy league pick out your best scores. I got 690 on critical reading and maths first time for instance, then I did it again, focusing on revising vocab and deciding that 690 was as good as I was going to get in maths and low and behold, I got 670 in maths and 800 in CR :smile:

you CAN break the SATs, I am living proof! and don't be afraid of the maths, it's really basic. And Princeton is really a uni to eat up SAT scores. you are aiming for scores around 2200+ (roughly 3x730 or more), and you are aiming for AT LEAST 750 in your subject tests, they expect the best in your "area of expertise" That will be french and german in your case, unless you feel up to one of the sciences or "world history".
Make sure you send in your common app before the 15th of decembre ( I didn't and got a regular tap on the fingers for it and it was MAJORLY hectic, took years of my life hahah), give your teachers plenty of time to fill out their recommendations, and plan out your essays with a lot of care, and remember you are applying for liberal arts, not a subject! you have to be VERY well rounded, or at least seem to be so! hmmm what else...I had my Harvard interview yesterday, it is a doddle, don't worry about it AT ALL, your interviewer is on your side 100%, just give him/her enough material to convince the uni you are perfect for them bla bla. be VERY carefull not to mention any uni in the common app part, friends of mine accidentally did and sent of Dear Harvard.... to all the ivy leagues :s-smilie:

And take plenty of time to think about how to answer the supplement questions, and try bouncing of anwers at people whose opinion you respect (for me it was my dad) saying some things out loud makes you realise how cheesy you sound :smile:

you want every answer to be a message about you between the lines. And it is advantageous is you can offer them something like playing a team sport or being a member of the orchestra/debating team, they want to really feel they are gaining something by accepting you... eeeerm that is all i can think of right now, but feel free to quote me on this if you have any more questions :yes:

I would love it if someone could learn from my mistakes, then at least i wouldn't have made them for nothing hahah

Reply 6

IlexBlue

Thank you so much, everyone. :smile:

All your advice has helped me a LOT, and I've already sent off for some SAT books (I need to get cracking on that maths, it looks impossible at the moment.) Midpiky, thanks for giving me the links to those - they're just what I need, and now I'm practising pretty much everyday, haha. Are you applying to those unis too?
Hey Muffinz - yeah, that's partly why the USA is somewher I'm interested in applying to (along side Oxbridge) but I think the degree I'm learning towards is English. I can see myself in more careers relating to that subject, so that's probably going to be it. Now to immerse myself in grand literature!
k1tsun3 - I think I might apply to one or two safety unis (unsure where, though) in the US, since the appeal just gets stronger everyday. Thanks for the links!
Tetra - Thank you. :smile:

I'm going to try and not get worked up over it - que sera sera,after all. I've ordered the guides, since they look like a good investment. I'm not sure about Maths being GCSE standard though, my friend does it fr A Level and said they hadn't even started some of the problems on there yet! (Congrats on all your offers, by the way!)
la_cherie - First, I hope you get offers from your preferred unis, and thanks for the advice! SATs were something I was really unsure of score wise, but I know what I'm aiming for now - the challenge is passing them! Looks like I'm okay in writing, but like I said - Maths. Hopefully starting this early will give me a good advantage with planning and such, although I'm usually in the same situation as you were, haha! (Note to self: work on organisation.)

So yeah, thanks so much again everyone. I would have done it properly with quotes (replying, I mean) but there was quite a bit. :P I'm so glad I found this site, I can't express the help it's given me or the helpfulness/ niceness of the people on it. :biggrin:

I've heard about something called 'giving rep'? I need to figure this out...

Reply 7

la_chérie

IlexBlue

Thank you so much, everyone. :smile:

la_cherie - First, I hope you get offers from your preferred unis, and thanks for the advice! SATs were something I was really unsure of score wise, but I know what I'm aiming for now - the challenge is passing them! Looks like I'm okay in writing, but like I said - Maths. Hopefully starting this early will give me a good advantage with planning and such, although I'm usually in the same situation as you were, haha! (Note to self: work on organisation.)

I've heard about something called 'giving rep'? I need to figure this out...

You'r very welcome :smile:

And I repeat, do NOT worry about the maths, its bark is far worse than its bite :yep:

Oh ans you give Rep by pressing the thumbs up in the top right corner of our posts :wink:

GOOD LUCK!!! :woo:

Reply 8

k1tsun3

Good luck with it all!

Reply 9

BorisMalden

IlexBlue

Thank you so much, everyone. :smile:

Glad they were helpful, and yep I'm hopefully going to apply for these + Stanford and maybe another. All goes to plan, I'll see you there
:wink:

Reply 10

la_chérie

Hey, just wanted to tell you that I actually got into harvard, so if you have anymore questions I now feel fully qualified to give you confident tipps on your application hahaha :biggrin:

Have you already registered for the may SATs? That's when I took my first ones...you should get cracking if you are still interested :biggrin:

Reply 11

TroTro

Hi La_Cherie

I am looking to apply to some American Unis.

Besides good grades, can you tell me what you think they like about your application?

Was it some course you did? Some musical achievement?

Thanks :biggrin:

Reply 12

ragnar_jonsson

TroTro

(not aimed at me, but hopefully I can help)

Here are some things I did...

VP of national MUN association. I organized two national MUN conferences, participated in several conferences and chaired twice. P of the nation's only MUN youth group with weekly sessions.

Co-editor of English-based paper + contributor twice.

I gathered youth to draft and present a resolution on combatting climate change to the Minister of the Environment & was selected to represent Iceland at this Climate Change activist forum for youth in Denmark.

IB Student Body representative and organizer of several IB student events/trips.

Tutored for three years :smile:

Strong theatre roles + visual arts & distinctions for a gallery and live works.

...
I got accepted to Brown University & University of Chicago, and got rejected from Harvard, Princeton & Columbia. But I didn't have any standardized tests and I didn't include a proper explanation in my application... so v. understandable. Just pursue things you like and make sure you do A LOT of it, e.g. theatre, art, etc, etc.

They'll want incredible depth in your ECs rather than breadth, leadership and organizational skills (perhaps a weakness in mine, but I'm interested in several things :s-smilie:

).

Just show them your passion! And show them the non-generic passions you have (and explore them further!)

Reply 13

ma1878123

Original post by la_chérie

Hey, just wanted to tell you that I actually got into harvard, so if you have anymore questions I now feel fully qualified to give you confident tipps on your application hahaha :biggrin: