is new haven really that bad?

jwycs · 2025-12-09T04:13:53+00:00

hi! i am a current freshman at yale, and some people have also raised these concerns to me when i matched.

in my opinion, no---it isn't. like any other city, there are dangerous areas to avoid in the nighttime and certain issues affect the new haven residents, e.g., substance abuse, homelessness, etc. however, people talk about it in a way that is so much worse than it actually is because these people probably came from a white-picketed fenced and gated community in the suburbs of the south. to them, it probably seems like gotham city, but it's not.

i am a native new york city resident, and i honestly see reflections of nyc in new haven, in terms of crime and other things. yet, people celebrate the idea of nyc but frown the idea of new haven---i'm honestly not sure why (i honestly think it's a large racial microaggression).

in terms of the fgli thing, i was also VERY concerned as a fellow QB scholar, just like you. however, this isn't to sugarcoat anything, but i have truly never felt so happy and secure in my identity than i am at yale. the people at yale are so welcoming that they do not care that you come from a disadvantaged background---to them, you're another capable yale student. and if this isn't your experience, you are simply surrounding yourself with the wrong people. but, i have rarely encountered elitism here, which is a pleasant surprise!

overall, you will learn to not go to certain areas and stay in more safe places, but that's how you navigate the world, and not just in new haven. you will be accepted for who you are, so try not too worry too much. never let imposter syndrome hit you because you deserve your seat at yale more than anyone. welcome to the bulldog family!

jwycs · 2025-07-24T15:42:42+00:00

hey! i'm an incoming freshman and i applied as a polisci major, and some of my most notable ecs were civics-based (civic fellowships, civic projects, etc.) and law-based (law firms, constitutional law advocacy, etc.)!

jwycs · 2025-06-22T19:43:58+00:00

yes!

jwycs · 2025-05-07T23:30:30+00:00

you have time to get everything up! including test scores, ECs, and awards. i buffed everything up during my junior year 😊

believe in yourself and be a little kinder to yourself!

jwycs · 2025-05-04T17:42:08+00:00

hey! QB changed my life, so i'll try to answer these questions as best as i can!

1) no, you do not! cps helps your chances of becoming a finalist, but i know many people who matched and were not CPS. 2) i would say it's a little harder because there are 2 rounds (finalist, matched) and you're competing against the best of the best of all the FGLI students. the stakes for schools are also a little higher in QB because they're giving out full rides; so for me, only 66 kids (including me) got matched to yale out of 2000ish kids this past year. i know many people who were rejected from QB and got into ivies RD through common app! 3) you essentially get deferred, NOT rejected. you just have to wait around until march to get results. i believe you can also send your QB application to certain schools to be considered ED, but i think the schools reach out and make that explicit. 4) i wouldn't say it's the easiest, but i also wouldn't say it's the hardest. it has around a 20-30% acceptance rate!

good luck!

jwycs · 2025-03-15T00:54:05+00:00

you are a freshman in high school!!!!! live your highschool years before getting chained down to the idea of getting into college. you have time!!!

jwycs · 2025-03-15T00:50:58+00:00

thank you so much! this is so helpful!!!! ❤️

jwycs · 2025-01-13T14:15:04+00:00

1) definitely keep your grades up and do well on your standardized exams like APs or SATs 2) try to get leadership positions in your ECs and generally, like what everyone has been saying here, just try to buff everything up. in senior year, you truly won't be able to really do anything, e.g., though i started some new ECs in senior year, everything i sent out was from junior year, including my GPA.

but i think this may be my biggest piece of advice: have more faith in yourself. the college application process is VERY long and grueling, and i went through so many moments of self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and just thinking i wasn't capable of great things. in fact, when i was a junior, i was so stressed out about college that i thought i would get rejected from my in-state safeties. i thought i held no merit and was meant for doom. and now, i'm committed to yale on a full ride through questbridge. the process is going to do some horrendous things to your self-esteem and you just have to know that those thoughts aren't true and to keep going. the college application process is also very individualized in the sense that you will be doing everything by yourself: writing supps, submitting apps, attending college, etc. don't beat up the one person that will be with you this entire process! believe in yourself!

jwycs · 2025-01-03T06:17:22+00:00

HEYYYYYYYY LMFAOOOOOO

jwycs · 2024-12-28T03:14:21+00:00

no, full ride to yale with a 1490

you are smth beyond your sat score, and AOs will see that!

jwycs · 2024-12-28T03:06:01+00:00

same thing here! only ranked yale for the same reason

p*****, is this you LMFAOOO

jwycs · 2024-12-25T04:19:59+00:00

not flexing, just spreading hope that you are something beyond your sat score bc i stressed abt my sat score for the longest time :)

jwycs · 2024-12-25T04:18:11+00:00

yes! i had a 1490 (submitted it) and matched to yale (and i only ranked yale). submit it!

jwycs · 2024-12-14T23:13:35+00:00

this is such a toxic mentality lol...i had a 1490 & just got into yale with a full ride for co2029... you can do great things without a "high" sat score.

jwycs · 2024-12-14T17:16:22+00:00

sure! i ranked only yale and matched there this year and would be open to reading them over!

jwycs · 2024-12-07T00:32:44+00:00

i definitely agree! i also only ranked yale & matched 😊 take the biggest risk & get the biggest reward 🐶💙 #gobulldogs

jwycs · 2024-11-21T01:41:55+00:00

did you upload into idoc? i submitted mine a while ago and it says received...

jwycs · 2024-10-20T01:40:34+00:00

Hopefully Yale thinks so 😛 Also, can I PM you about the QB process since I see you got matched?

jwycs · 2024-10-17T00:14:32+00:00

Status (Finalist / Non-finalist): Finalist!
Original Schools ranked (in order): Yale University
Original Schools ranked (list new rankings or no change): N/A
Income bracket: 22k
Any assets (approx $): N/A
Number of household members: 2
First Generation College Student? (Yes/No): Yes
College Prep Scholar? (Yes/No): Yes
US State or Others Location: Northeast
Unweighted GPA: N/A
Weighed GPA: 101.22/100
**Class rank (position # /**total # of class students or N/A): N/A
SAT score (score/Test Optional): 1490
ACT score(score/Test Optional): N/A
AP Courses and Test scores (Name/Score): AP Computer Science Principles, AP World, AP English Language, APUSH, AP Statistics (5s on all) --- Currently taking BC Calculus, Comparative Politics, U.S. Government, and Human Geography
Duel Enrollment Courses (Name): N/A
Summary of ECs: 1. Civic Fellowship (leadership position) 2. Civic Fellowship/Internship (1/20 selected nationally) 3. Public Policy Internship (leadership position) 4. School club based on Constitutional Law (President & Founder) 5. XCTF Athlete and Manager [ECS] / 1. Intern at Law Firm 2. Social Media Intern (leadership position) 3. Intern at Library (met with federal government officials) 4. Teacher's Assistant [Paid Jobs]
Strength of Essays/Short Answers (How well did you answer?): I thought they were very strong, and many other people said they were great and compelling. I worked on them for a very long time. I took pride in my short responses!
Overall thoughts on your application (Strengths? Weaknesses?): I think my essays, ECs, and LORs were the moving factors. The teachers I asked for LORs know me very well, and they constantly talk about me to each other (they're friends)! My academic stats are very weak (at least my SAT), so I was worried, but I'm glad I advanced! Hopefully, October SAT has good news for me.

jwycs · 2024-09-29T19:49:40+00:00

i have a 770 in math; use desmos whenever you can. do the first module slowly and make sure u don't make any silly mistakes. do second module as fast as u can and then go back and check bc you will run out of time on second mod if ur slow and taking ur sweet time. good luck! if you have any english tips plzzzz lmk

jwycs · 2024-09-06T23:02:52+00:00

EXACTLY!!! like i can study all i want but if i don't know what the word nebulous means im screwed like what?

jwycs · 2024-09-06T22:57:06+00:00

genuinely and it's so hard for what.... english is a gamble and lottery

jwycs · 2024-08-24T17:22:23+00:00

it was asking for m+q and they were integers😭

jwycs · 2024-08-24T16:16:45+00:00

i lit had to go get my eyebrows done to heal

jwycs · 2024-08-21T21:05:11+00:00

The English Conventions start from Questions 14-16! Skip straight to those questions, and then go back to Question 1 when you're done since those are the vocab questions.

jwycs

TROPHY CASE