Yale University

“Only focus on the essayJun 19 2015Political Science
Only focus on the essay. That's it. A compelling essay beats a 4.0 honors, 2400 SAT every day of the week. Half the student body are below 3.7, 2200, but they fabricated some crazy story to get in. Start a non-profit, live in a war zone, or overcome crippling disease and you're in. Otherwise write some eloquent and uncompromisingly open-minded dissertation on race relations, idealism, religion, or some meta society topic. Dont just tell a story about yourself, write some social critique or epiphany reached when your experience made your eyes open up to some lofty non-tangible societal issue
SAT: 1520 Female

“Work really really hard, be creative, do what youNov 26 2013Biology
Work really really hard, be creative, do what you like with passion and enthusiasm, help others, strive to always grow and be a better person and don't step on others. Add a little luck, and that's generally the recipe.
SAT: 2250 Male

“I had pretty good grades and scores, I wroteMay 11 2013English
I had pretty good grades and scores, I wrote two very good essays, I had an exceptional recommendation from a teacher, my interview went very well, and I really poured my heart and soul into my application.
ACT: 34 SAT: 1590 Female

“Don't write a snooty essay about how amazing yourNov 08 2011Biology
Don't write a snooty essay about how amazing your last summer was. Really. Most people here can probably brag about something even more amazing, but you would never know it.
ACT: 30 Female