HOW I GOT INTO YALE!! GPA, SAT, extracurriculars & MORE +ADVICE! 

MOOD 🤣😭 i was prolly severely dehydrated from all the tears i shed during college app szn

Fr !😂😂😂 a video I can finally fully watch without clicking out because I can’t handle the shame

love to hear it🤣

@Yihong ashy stop the 🧢 😂

Aww, thank ya so much!! Glad it came thru :’)) 🙏

Anna Reynoso great video! So is it possible to get into Yale with a 30 act superscore composite? 35 English, 30 math, 25 reading and 31 science?

there are no cut offs for scores, so definitely possible! thankfully admissions is a wholistic process, so the most important part isn’t scores, it’s what i’ve discussed in all my college advice videos. only time it’s not possible to get in is when you don’t even apply ahah. best of luck! 🙏

Anna Reynoso well said thank you!!

i gotchu fam

ahh oh nuu, you got dis!! i'm getting flashbacks to senior year :'(( sometimes you just need a good cry (or 10 good cries) & then just keep focusing on giving it your all🙏

same

means a lot, so glad to hear it :'))

same hope to see you!!

Literally every form of punctuation, cannot stress it enough

So do I have a chance to get in wijt a 29 act? 35 English 30 math 26 science and 25 reading?

@@skippingropechangesyourlif120 it seems pretty unlikely just seeing the act score but if you did much better in the sat or gpa then yes there is a chance maybe.

rxsesforyuki my gpa is a 99.58/100

@@skippingropechangesyourlif120 yur gpa is good but yu kinda need to raise the act socre by atleast 2 more points if possible for a better chance. there is still a chance but its just quite low.

Ahhh that’s so sweet & wholesome🥺 that literally makes me so happy!!🤧💕

Yasss love it!!

eyyy, so glad to hear it! i was really hoping it could do that for people cuz i 1000% relate to other videos being intimidating. you got this!! :)

That’s awesome, I’m so glad it could help! :) never give up, you got this!! 👏🙌😤

Anna Reynoso ❤️❤️❤️❤️

@@cerensengun8237 hi, did you apply for it?

you an og fr Aili, thanks so much😭 yo broke college girl truly appreciates it🙏

I'm so glad they could help!! Best of luck as you start the college application process, and I also hope you have a great day! :)

yessiRR!! i’m so very glad that it could offer hope & motivation, that’s what we’re about here😌🙌 lemme know if there are any other typa videos that would help as you’re starting to apply!

Ahhh, thank ya so much!! :’)) that really means everything, i truly appreciate it! 🙏💕

THIS !! it made me soso happy reading that u did what u loved in high school :’)) that says so much ab you as a person & MIT would be so lucky to have u. best of luck applying , glad this could help!

soso glad it could help! :)

ahhh i’m soso glad it could help :’)) 🙏

love that aha😫 thx, glad the video could help🙏

i love this 😭 it’s never too early in life or the day to think about yo future 😤🙌

Anna Reynoso exactly!! i’ve become obsessed with college videos recently. about a week ago i was saying i never wanted to go to college but watching videos like this one is making me want to work hard to get somewhere in life..

​@@kateb6882 AHAHH i 1000% relate to falling into the college videos rabbit hole. you really did a full 180 there doe, makes me happy that this video could provide that motivation :'))

me too

yessir, hadda emphasize that stats are not everything at all, glad it could ease that worry! 🙏

Aww aha, thanks man, happy to hear it! :)

That’s good insight Justice

thanks man, always striving to b positive, glad u catch my drift 🙏

APPRECIATE IT BAHA

I’m so glad it could help! :)

baha you right man🤣 it’s so true doe, can’t emphasize it enough!! 😭 there’s always hope :’))

oufff, yeah, i 1000% feel ya. it can be easy to get wrapped up in thinking what colleges want to see in your application & then you don't even know what's what. glad you're making that effort to step back & reflect on what yOU'RE passionate about!! :'))

i gotchu aha. nah jsut hang in there u got this

ey thanks! glad it could make ya less stressed 🙏 ouu do you mean for a letter of recommendation?? cuz idk how much that'd do aha

Anna Reynoso Yeah it would be great to get a letter of recommendation from you I don’t know if it will help me or not! But it’s better to have it than not. Thanks for helping me! 🙏

aww EYYY!! I’m sososo happy that you’re interested in astro & yale!!! :’)) As for fostering that interest: the only “hands on” activity I did directly related to astro was the COSMOS program that I mention in the video. I tried incorporating astro into the STEM Club I led. That wasn’t a lot, though. Before this summer, I’d never had research / internship experience, so I’m not 1000% sure how that works for astro. If you really want to try that avenue, I’ve heard about people contacting professors at nearby colleges to ask about helping in their lab. I’m not too sure, though, since I didn’t take that route. I was told by my high school college counselor that having a STEM summer program looks very good on your application. Not sure how true that is, but I do highly encourage you to look into residential STEM summer programs that offer astro programs. COSMOS was definitely one of the best experiences of my life!

@@AnnaReynoso that was REALLY helpful, thanks so much!!!!

@@khushichauhan2297 no problemo, glad it could help!! :)

eyy happy to hear it, now u get to just relax!! 😫 🥳 best of luck!!

How did it go?

Eyy thanks so much aha. Glad it could help!

aww baha this rlly means the world, ty3000 🙏 looking forward to starting up again

My son got in! We watched all your videos. He’s class 2026💕

You have no idea how much that means to me!!🥺😭 thank ya so much!!🙏💕 ahhh, i’d love to meet ya, hopefully when we’re allowed back on campus we‘re able to!

thank yer! 🙏 yep yep, proud FGLI student :)

you are welcome. you are so very welcome for this.

i’ll take it as a compliment baha, i gotchu homie😫

yesss, that's what i'm talkin about!! so glad to hear it, God bless you too 🙏

Glad it could offer some motivation! Just wanted to let y’all know there’s always hope💕🙏

@@AnnaReynoso thank you for this amazing video your overall vibe is so beautiful! I'd like to know what did you major in and do you think if I decide to major in a really big major group like economics I won't have a good chance?

ty! Currently, I’m thinking about majoring in Astrophysics (major I applied under). However, were not obligated to declare a major until the end of sophomore year (just finished freshman year), so not 1000% sure what I’ll major in yet. As for the question about popular majors: I honestly have no idea. I asked a friend who’s premed (I know STEM medicine majors are popular), and she said she doesn’t think it affects your chances since most people change their major later anyways?? But I honestly have no idea, that’s just a perspective I can offer.

@@AnnaReynoso thanks for the insight!

@@jemimasanyu no problemo, any time!

prolly would count! i’d double check how to write it on your application, though, by asking an admissions counselor or ur college counselor

glad u could relate😩 & mm you that’s a good question. i’d definitely include it in your activity list if you have the space/it was important to you. can definitely draw on any activity in your essays as well if u want! depends on what u wanna say about yourself. but i wouldn’t use an essay to say “oh i did this and that for this activity.” the activity list gives u the flexibility to explain exactly what u did without the pressure of it being essay-worthy , ya feel?

i do baha. everything happens for a reason, glad u still decided to apply RD! dream as big as u can, best of luck w ur app & decisions🙏

Ahhh, thank you for this comment!!! I literally got chills, your story is so inspiring, and I cannot applaud you enough for taking on that responsability to help your family during difficult times. I wish you strength as you continue caring for and supporting your loved ones. It sounds like you definitely have a lot of goodness to contribute to campus as well as your unique experiences. And I’m glad this video could offer hope! I noticed the same thing when I was applying- that it seemed like everyone getting in had perfect stats. I wanted this video to offer encouragement and motivation, so I’m glad it helped! And bruhh, you just made me miss high school aha- that’s crazy how similar our high school experience was!! Will you be applying to college this year??

eyy that’s amazing!! yesss, i loved & miss COSMOS so much, i hope your experience was also good🙏 what topic was your cluster focused on?? also, thank ya, & gl w your essays!! :)

​@@AnnaReynoso Yess it was so fun! I was in cluster 9 (mathematical modeling of biological systems). We had a kind of friendly rivalry w/ the astrophysics cluster in the photo competitions/COSMOS cup haha

THE MEMORIES THIS BROUGHT BACk, i almost forgot about the COSMOS cup !! that's amazing ahahah, i love that sm. did yall win??!

Anna Reynoso ahaha nope we gave up in the end, I think astrophysics won but good memories :)

wait maybe this was great but idk if it was gr8 was it g8 great

❤️yessir, it’s important to remember everyone’s goin thru the same things tryna get into college

yessir, i gotchu baha. mmm i meannn. i can't really promise u anything either way. technically it's always possible to get in cuz you dont know what they're looking for // the essays are the most important thing (so you could still write sum compelling with a "comparatively weak EC list). so still possible! but still recommend u try to go as deep as u can w ur ECs

aww, glad it could help you feel less nervous! also: yesSSS I LOVE THE IDEA, PLEASE START THE CLUB !! In terms of specific advice, when I first started my club, it seemed daunting. I did it through my school, so I'd suggest asking when you go back to school what the process requires. For us, I had to find a teacher mentor & fill out papers. Take it one step at a time, it'll seems less scary. I made a flyer promoting an initial informational meeting for my STEM Club & asked ASB (student council) to promote the meeting in their morning announcements. At that meeting, I talked to people about my ideas for the club's future & asked for their input on what they'd like to do. I also wrote down their names & emails so I could send out email updates on club meetings. My school also had a club fair, where we also had a sign-up sheet and talked to people about the club. I can give you more specific advice on how to go about club fairs if you want aha. But that's basically how I got started & got new members! buuuTT il things are 1000% different now with COVID like u said. I'd suggest reaching out to your college counselor or whoever is in charge of clubs & just ask them how to start the process!

Anna Reynoso Thank you so much, our school has a similar process but with no club fairs.

ey ok cool! so hopefully you should be able to start one easily

I sent my application during senior year for the regular decision round! As for the senior year classes, do you mean does it matter which classes you take or the grades that you get in them?? I’m assuming grades? I definitely say to not fall for senioritis. It can be easy to feel unmotivated, but it’s important to finish off strong to show colleges that you continue to excel academically. I doubt you’d go this extreme, but I know some schools may even take back admissions offers if they accept you and your final transcripts comes back and shows that you basically gave up. Don’t get scared tho! As long as you maintain your hard work, you’ll be good! :)

ahhh thanks so much for your response, I’ve asked so many questions on these types of videos of Yale stats and get no questions answered, and I’m aiming to at least have done 8 AP classes at the end of my high school career :)) this has cleared so many questions for me ✨

Always happy to answer any questions! :) Glad it helped & best of luck w school!!💕 you gon crush those AP classes😤🙌

not a qs match but was a college prep scholar , so i put that in my application

Ahh, first of all, congrats to your daughter!! 💙🐶🎉 Trust that she'll be in good hands and has some of the most memorable 4 years ahead of her. And yep yep! I moved from the West Coast to Connecticut, and overall, my experience has been overwhelmingly positive. Which aspects of the transition are you curious about?? Weather, homesickness, support systems on campus, etc??

the fACT i jUST saw this 2 months later💀 thank yer💘

ey justin! i went to an arts high school - i think it’s possible to get into any college from any high school! i was the first at my school to get into yale, so even if no one from your high school hasn’t gotten into an ivy league, don’t lose hope! you can be the first one;)

eyy thanks, glad it could help! :) & it seems like colleges value growth above all else. so, if freshman year was tough, you can just explain in your application any circumstances that prevented you from attaining the grades you woulda liked that year. the fact that your grades show a positive trend will be noted, which is promising! :)

Tysm!💕 and yep yep! FGLI student :) although I was a QuestBridge College Prep Scholar, I sadly wasn’t a finalist for the NCM, so I just applied regular decision

I want to get into ivies but my gpa is around 3.7 (or 93/100).. I have an explanation for this low grade, but I'm scared heidgbciiwjwi

Ello! Happy to hear you wanna study astronomy aha 🥳 also, no worries, it’s never too late, it’s great that you’re focusing on it now. Also, 3.7 is not terrible by any means, & it’s especially good if you have an explanation for any grades lower than you may have wanted. Just to clarify, are you a rising senior?? When you said you’re taking a gap year, do you mean once you graduate high school or before senior year??

OHMYGWASH i LOVED THIS COMMENT. Every sentence: immaculate. As for the club: I love the idea & you, that's absolutely amazing & inspiring. In terms of specific advice, when I first started my club, it seemed daunting. I did it through my school, so I'd suggest asking when you go back to school what the process requires. For us, I had to find a teacher mentor & fill out papers. Take it one step at a time, it'll seems less scary. I made a flyer promoting an initial informational meeting for my STEM Club & asked ASB (student council) to promote the meeting in their morning announcements. At that meeting, I talked to people about my ideas for the club's future & asked for their input on what they'd like to do. I also wrote down their names & emails so I could send out email updates on club meetings. My school also had a club fair, where we also had a sign-up sheet and talked to people about the club. I can give you more specific advice on how to go about club fairs if you want aha. But that's basically how I got started & got new members! Lemme know if you have any other questions or anything, I love that you're doing this!!

p.s.: don't ever doubt if you measure up to yale!! your desire to help your community screams yale cuz it's extremely community-minded. so just be yourself and, like you said, set 1000% of your mind to it

@@AnnaReynoso Oh my gosh your comments literally just made my week. You're so sweet and kind! I feel so happy & energized because of you now, ahhh thank you!! Ah imma do the club!! I've gotta do it, I know I can! Thank you for inspiring me even more, I definitely feel more confident in myself and the club! THANK YOUUU

yESSSS YOU GOT THIS!!! 😭🤩🙌 keep me updated on the club, you clearly have a good heart & big dreams, so i’m excited to see what you accomplish!! :)

@@AnnaReynoso found it lol

all good. can’t chnage the past, so gotta j focus on the future. u got this

mm i wouldn't rlly sTRESS about awards, those are prolly secondary to admissions officers. if you're really seeking out every opportunity (applying to opportunities, getting involved in ECs) and doing your best, they'll come naturally. that doesn't mean that they'll just magically appear aha, but if you put in the work, you'll have stuff to list

Eyy, thanks so much, I really appreciate it Jason! :) And that’s amazing, i’m so happy you want to apply to QuestBridge!! It’s definitely an amazing program. I’m not sure if you’re applying for their College Prep Scholars (junior year) or National College Match (senior year) program?? When I applied junior year, I spent hours upon hours reading through the articles on their website (they have amazing advice / sample essays / tips). Also, I’d definitely suggest attending all of the QuestCasts they host (web seminars where they give you college application advice). I’m not 1000% sure when those start, though (I think it's during the school year). Also! I think there may be a Facebook group you can join to seek out advice and get a sense of the community. Honestly, I didn’t take advantage of that resource as much as others did, but that might be helpful too!

Anna Reynoso I’m applying for the National college match. I have a beautiful story and achievements. The only thing that I think holds me back is that my school only offers a limited amount of AP classes and I don’t want to get hurt by that.

No worries at all! If your high school only offers a limited amount of APs, the colleges will know. They ask you to send a school report of your high school + you can clarify this in the “additional information” section of the application. As long as you’re taking advantage of the classes that are actually offered, you should be all good!

Anna Reynoso ohh ok. I will do that to every college I apply too. Thanks for letting me know. You were super helpful!

Glad it could help! Feel free to lemme know if you have any other questions & good luck!🙏

I think colleges will understand that this was a really difficult time for students across the world (being impacted by rona & the switch to online learning). When you apply to colleges, clarify in your application (probably in the additional information section) why you got lower grades than you might have hoped this semester. They will probably be very understanding about the situation! You’re doing amazing so far, keep up the good work!!👏💕

ello, hope you're doing good as well! It's tough to definitively say anything since I'm not an admissions officer. But I really don't think it'll LOWER your chances -- when you apply to a college, you send them a school report showing them what courses your high school offered & compare that to the classes you actually took. I'm not sure if you'll have to send a separate school report for each school. But! It sounds like you've been taking all of the AP classes that have been available (even going above & beyond by asking your school to offer more APs next year). So the important thing is just taking the most challenging classes that are offered, which is sounds like you've been doing!

definitely clarify in the additional information section why you couldn’t get good grades (maybe you had a situation going on at home/personally). just keep giving school your all & get as good grades as possible. admissions officers tend to be understanding when a life situation made getting grades difficult. best of luck!

10000% apply to any college you'd love to attend, don't let stats change where you aim! You're a freshman, so it sounds like you're still in time to build up your GPA-- I've heard that admissions officers really like to see positive trends, so they'll definitely consider the work & dedication it takes you to improve your grades

ahhh no don’t let that stop u from trying tho!! just keep pushing forwards. you’re a sophomore, so you have plenty of time to get that GPA up. just make sure u keep doing all u can

YOO PLEASE APPLY!! Especially if it's your dream school--you don't want to regret not having taken your shot. Just pour your heart & soul into your essays / application. The way you phrased that comment made me feel that you're really sweet & humble. Believe in yourself cuz I believe in you!! I 1000% relate to feeling like getting into Yale was a reach. But now I realize that you can never dream too big. If I hadn't even applied, I wouldn't be where I am today. So I say go for it & give it 3000% of yourself!!

Anna Reynoso that made me feel so much better! i’m only a rising junior but it’s my mission to get in now!!

Glad it could offer some motivation! Never be afraid to go after your dreams, you got this!! 💙💙

If you don't try the answer will always be no

^loud

thx aha. nope, i applied regular

yessss plz 1000% clarify this!!! super important to give any abs all context you can into your life, especially if you can have a reason for those lower grades in 9th

Thank ya! And showing improvement in your grades throughout your high school career is definitely good! I'm not sure what your exact situation is. If there were things going on in your life that made it difficult to get the grades you wanted freshman year, then definitely clarify that in your application! I'd suggest being as open and honest as possible even if the reasons were really personal. Admissions officers are usually understanding when you explain the reasons behind any poor grades and really favor growth

@@AnnaReynoso thanks! Do you know any students with low GPA but still get into these top schools?

@@yeqinzhang7177 ahhh, i honestly don't know anyone's GPA at yale cuz we don't really talk about that kinda thing. if i find out, though, i'll let you know!

i’d say u should just take as many AP classes as are offered at ur school. if they don’t offer any, then u obviously don’t have to baha. all depends on the opportunities available to u & that ur taking advantage of what IS. 🥺&going into law is very much admirable, best of luck goin down that path🙏

Ello! AHh, no need to worry about an A- average-- that's already a really strong start to your high school career! The important thing will be keeping up that hard work to maintain your GPA throughout high school. But it sounds like you're very dedicated, so it doesn't look like that'll be an issue :) again, though, grades aren't everything, so also make sure that you're finding ways to engage with and positively impact your community during high school

Anna Reynoso Thank you ❤️🙂

Glad it could help! And hmmmm. I can see where the concern comes from just from watching others' videos when I was applying to college and hearing students saying to focus on one area above all. I also felt my application was not focused enough- but I think in the end, it seems that the important thing is doing what you truly love. Most people end up changing their major anyways. Most important thing is making an impact & taking on leadership roles in areas that you're passionate about. Of course, showing more "depth" in commitments when it comes to your potential major can only benefit you. If you’re worried about it, would you be able to get involved in some sort of astrophysics EC before applying??

Anna Reynoso thank you for replying! I hope to find some sort of physics EC in some way but it’s hard with Covid and all. I’m probably going to be an undecided major for a while anyways!

ahhh yeah, COVID has just made everything that much harder. maybe online courses?? i’ve heard of Coursera/Harvard offering online classes, but i’m not sure how that works. & eyy, we stan an undecided major👏 it’s expected that most people change their major in college anyways, so it’s good that you’re thinking about exploring your options

Which five are you taking? And how is the workload for each? I’m going to take AP Lang, AP Bio, and AP Environmental Science

@@hueyfreeman8865 I took AP Lang, AP Environmental, AP Macroecon, AP Human Geo, and AP World and next year I'm taking AP Stat and AP Comp Gov. The workload for APES was a lot because my teacher was just that kind of person, but it really helped me with being confident for the exam. My AP lang teacher high key sucked and gave a lot of work that didn't really prepare us for the exam. But overall as long as you're on top of things you can make it.

ahh i don’t think they ever ask u to provide certificates to prove any extracurriculars

@@AnnaReynoso thankuu

oh my , it sounds like you’re going above and beyond in academics! don’t worry about 8th grade, can’t change the past. just rlly grind now & keep doin amazing w your grades. those are a lot of APs 😭 sounds like you’re really taking advantage of the opportunities available to you! if now focus on those extracurriculars if you say you don’t have many activities to show that you’ve been actively pursuing your passions. believe in yourself always tho, try turning your fear of applying to yale into excitement to pursue what you’re passionate about!

Anna Reynoso thank you so much! It really helps

ello! eyy, that's awesome, congrats!! I did apply for the match-- if you're hesitant, i suggest only ranking schools that you know you'd be 1000% happy at (that's what I did) rather than ranking any & every college. There are 4 schools that aren't binding (Yale included!) so you can list any of those knowing you aren't required to attend if you're matched!

@@AnnaReynoso haha thank you! did u apply ur regulars through questbridge or common app (Yale included)?

i actually wasn’t selected as a finalist, so i couldn’t apply thru QuestBridge (but they still had every applicant rank their choices ) 💔 so i applied regular thru common app!

ey, so glad to hear the videos help!! :) that’s a good question. there’s no way for me to know 1000% since i’m not an admissions officer. i think that not having honors/awards is the end of the world at all, especially if you explain in the additional information section of your application that opportunities to enter competitions and gain honors/awards weren’t available to you. It’s always essential to explain any circumstances in that additional information section (and any opportunities that weren’t available to you). could you maybe apply to programs?? i think i might’ve heard of International students applying and being selected to study in the US or other countries (and you could probably put being selected to programs in that part of the application)

Anna Reynoso that is amazing advice thank you so so much❤️❤️

glad it could help! :)

no idea, i’d ask ur add missions counselor

Another thing is colleges want to see if you will give back to the college in the future, which is probably money/donations. Show that you’re capable of this and research about the college, their opportunities, alumni, classes, professors, and clubs.

www.nytimes.com/2020/02/11/us/olivia-jade-application.html

aka dont fake stuff , just do the extracurriculars u love

@@AnnaReynoso ty, I didn't know it. Anyways I'm going to list my hobbies at least just to fill it out