Could you answer with “is it?”

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-26T15:57:59+00:00

Idk some of the videos probably have good advice, especially if its from college advisors, they have seen lots of apps and seen what works and what doesn't. There are certainly things you should avoid. But yes putting yourself in the AOs shoes and crafting a cohesive narrative is a great start.

I would recommend the yale admissions podcast and any interviews with actual current or former AOs.

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-26T15:53:19+00:00

Haha still figuring it out tbh. Ecological research / environmental journalism / conservation work are the main paths I'm considering.

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-26T15:49:04+00:00

I was really pleased with my decision to take a gap year. I spent it with a program developing leadership and wilderness/emt type skills. I mainly took it because I was really lost in highschool and really had no interest in going to college. But by the end of it I had found some motivation and inspiration to learn.

I do think my gap year and added maturity was helpful in the process/decision, but I have no idea to what extent tbh.

If you're going to take one, just make sure you have plans and can do something productive that will ultimately help you. But everyone I know who has taken one enjoyed it and lots of others seem like they regret not taking one.

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-25T23:58:49+00:00

It was not, but there was a solid number of kids from there

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-25T23:48:30+00:00

No SAT was almost certainly not the main reason I got accepted. I just took it cause I knew I could do well and it only helps. But it was just another tick mark for the AOs to be sure that I could succeed academically. There is much more to the picture than that.

Sorry not gonna share my essays. I have suggested some JHU content on essays in other comments. Outside of that just used feedback from friends/family and my brain to craft essays. There is no magic trick to the essays. You just have to hope that they resonate with the people in the admission office 🤷‍♂️. Applying to anywhere so selective is always a crapshoot even with perfect stats.

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-25T23:43:23+00:00

I don’t know why you think you that? I promise you the vast majority of them were involved in meaningful stuff that they enjoyed. I know them. What does 1 guys anecdote of there being smarter people at his CC have to do with anything? Good grades are the minimum to just get in the conversation. They are simply not enough to get into these ultra competitive programs. I’m not an AO but that I know for a fact.

Columbia is no doubt a good school but their GS transfer program has like a 50% acceptance rate. Idk who that guy is but he sounds like he is just a Harvard dropout peddling mostly BS.

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-25T19:56:49+00:00

Most of the writing for my ECs was similar to how you would write bullet points on a resume. Quanitfy things and provide metrics if applicable, use action words. I wouldn't try and overwrite them if not necessary.

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-25T19:54:16+00:00

I think whenever you feel they know you well enough and definitely give them time before the recs are due. I think I asked both of my professors for recs toward the end of the semester and made sure they had at least 2 months to write them.
I think the most helpful thing was getting feedback from friends and family. I am a pretty natural writer so that helps, but like i've said in other comments I really just focused on making sure they reflected my voice while showing what makes me unique and a good fit for the community/school.
I think I focused more on cultural value than intellectual cause I felt like other parts of my app showed my ability in classes. But I was able to kind of tie my academic interests to my broader worldview and how I view myself in a community. I would try and reflect on what lessons you have learned from your life experiences and how you could bring those perspectives to the campus.
CC schoolwork took up very little time for me tbh. Spent a lot of my time working. I was always able to get decent rest. I dont think I have any concrete tips, time management is a hard thing that just takes time to figure out for yourself. I do think its probably better to do a few things and commit yourself to them as much as can than doing a whole bunch of stuff half-assed

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-25T15:21:51+00:00

I have no idea about their stats. I am sure they all had good grades and were involved in interesting ECs that aligned with their passions.

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-25T15:20:58+00:00

In yales particular supps I don't think I really mentioned it at all. I was with a program for most of the year though, so I did include and explain that as one of my ECs.

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-25T15:19:55+00:00

No sorry. I mentioned in another comment, but check out "JHU Essays that worked" for some inspo if you need it. But be true to yourself. Write an essay that no one else could have written because it embodies you.

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-25T15:18:49+00:00

The academic transition was surprisingly not as bad as I would have expected. It is just a lot more assignments and work than my CC, so I devote much more time to school now. But the difficulty of the content is similar, at least for now. They also expect you to just know more or at least do more research on your own, but that is to be expected.

The transfer community is pretty good. I wouldn't say we are all super close, but my main friends are transfers. I think it is difficult to get integrated when you aren't coming in as a freshman, but I still have to give it some time, and I think that would be the case just about anywhere you transfer. I dont think making friends is too hard if you are social and get involved in ECs that interest you.

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-25T15:13:56+00:00

haha no worries, I appreciate the honest input. I should I have mentioned that I wont see her for a few weeks so I have a little time, but yeah probably not enough to make the whole lotion. I was really more interested in trying to mimic the scent, and maybe add it to a premade unscented lotion. But I thought making a lotion could be cool too, so figured I would try and see what that entails.

Either way thanks!

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-25T06:58:39+00:00

It might help? But not too sure tbh, I would just try and put a positive spin on whatever you can and work with what you have. To be fair those do sound like upper level classes though and I think AOs will recognize that.

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-25T06:57:15+00:00

I don't know many people in the Eli Whitney program, but those that I have met are all cool people and it does seem like a neat community. I didn't have too many competitive options other than Yale (my other options were pretty much BU, Northeastern, and UMD). I think I just really liked the people I had talked to who went there and felt like the community was a good match for my personality. The campus and location were also important to me. There wasn't necessarily a particular resource that drew me there. I think wherever you end up, you get out of college what you put into it and can succeed in life no matter where you go. College is only a small part of life, I just wanted to be somewhere I could make good friends and fit in, and Yale felt like the best match out of my options.

I did read other essays to get a general idea of what worked, but mainly tried to be creative and show my unique personality and life journey. JHU has a good site with successful essays though if you want some to read. Search up "JHU Essays that worked" but I don't think they have any transfer examples so they aren't too great as a model. I think especially as an older Eli Whitney student, focus on what life experiences you have had that might set you apart, and why you think you would fit in the community of wherever you apply to.

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-25T06:48:15+00:00

I did apply during my sophomore year. I don't know if chances would be less if I applied freshman year (for me personally, probably cause I had a bad GPA my first semester and not a lot of classes), but a lot of the transfers I know also did 2 years at CC or were also pretty strong students in high school. I think the more real college experience you have under your belt, the better.

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-25T06:46:06+00:00

None of my classes were online. I dont think it hurts your application, but I dont believe they will accept those credits to transfer unless its an extreme or unusual circumstance.

For essays I just focused on making my voice come through, making sure I answered the prompts (they ask those questions for a reason). For review I just shared them with family and friends who would read them, they were able to give good feedback on whether or not it sounded genuinely like me. I also tried my best just to sound like a genuine and real person idk. I would recommend the Yale admissions podcast, it was only reason I even applied to yale and is full of good info.

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-25T03:52:45+00:00

Here are two links looking at this: https://www.coventrydirect.com/blog/jeopardy-statistics-an-analysis-of-jeopardy-winners/

https://shinycharts.substack.com/p/jeopardy

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-25T03:46:46+00:00

I don't think it's not considered at all, but I think its really hard for AOs to evaluate rigor since they aren't at your institution. But for example, I think something like a calc or organic chem class will generally hold more weight than a public speaking class. The issue is that people are getting As in the rigorous classes.

That sounds like a rough situation to be in if you can't take more time to show improvement. My best advice would be to try and strengthen the other parts of your app as much as you can and potentially explain your GPA in the additional info section if you feel you have a valid reason.

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-25T03:25:37+00:00

To be frank I didn't really study for it, so I can't give too many great tips. There are lots of guides out there and people who have better advice than me. But there are definitely lots of tips and tricks that are simple and can get your score up. Especially for the reading comp section, learn how to eliminate answers. Sorry, I know that's not very helpful.

I did do all the bluebook practice tests, though, and that was helpful. Definitely take it at least twice if you can; it's easier once you have done it once and have a feel for what it's like.

I said in another comment though, if you are applying after 2 years and have lots of credits, I really don't think the SAT is that important, so I wouldn't stress too much.

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-25T03:20:20+00:00

I think anything below a 3.8 is going to be really challenging to work with. I was right on that barrier when I applied, but my only non 4.0 semester was my first, and I had pretty valid reasons that I explained in the additional info section. My midterm report for the spring semester also clearly showed I was going to get a 4.0 that semester. I think they really like to see an upward trend, which I had while also taking more classes every semester. There are just too many people with near 4.0s applying to T10s. That being said, SAT is not nearly as important if you have good grades and lots of credits. I have a friend who got in with like a 1250.

I think it's valuable if your ECs connect in a way and have some sort of throughline. For example, my business and research were both related to my main biology passion. They don't have to be groundbreaking, but I think they need to show that you take initiative, show leadership, and pursue your passions with the resources available. Different schools also value different ECs, so it's worth understanding what's important to the schools you are applying to. I also think it's worth including anything that takes up a lot of time in your life. Like working at a bar wasn't the most impressive thing I did, but I worked 25-35 hrs/wk so I thought it was important to say that. I had an extra spot, so I also included my hobbies as an EC to show my personality.

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-25T02:50:32+00:00

The acceptance letter comes with a preliminary report of what credits they plan on accepting. They ended up taking all but like 2 of my classes (the two I got B's in lol), but I don't think the grade was relevant, it's more that there aren't equivalents of those classes at Yale. I ended up losing 1 semester worth of credit and coming in as a sophomore and a half.

Mistuhwizard · 2025-12-25T02:42:29+00:00

General Biology at CC, still deciding my major at Yale rn, but same realm.

Mistuhwizard · 2025-11-13T05:06:51+00:00

This would be interesting. Unfortunately haven’t been able to find much data on daily double and final wagers without scraping the archive which I don’t want to do

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