Application advice from '10-'11 HYS admit Forum

[name of user]

I was accepted to one or more of HYS (every school I applied to, in fact). Just thought I'd share some wisdom from my cycle, both from observing others and from my own experience. In no particular order:

1. I definitely felt that I outperformed my numbers, and I think applying extremely early had something to do with it. But don't send off a marginally satisfactory application just to get your first acceptance. You'll probably interact with Admissions folks in the coming months, and your application package is "you."

2. No other person saw even a word of any part of my applications before I sent them off. Not asking others to edit your PS and other essays definitely goes against the conventional wisdom here, but it helped me speak in my own voice. (Just make sure your voice is wholly grammatical before taking this approach.)

3. Don't be surprised 1) to get an absolutely huge scholarship from one school and comparatively little financial aid from a peer institution, or 2) to get a "huge" acceptance and miss out on named T14 schollies.

4. Some Admissions officers follow their schools' application threads. Just so you know.

5. Admitted students have a lot more leverage than one might think. If you want something, ask for it. This includes conversations with big-time faculty members you'd like to work with.

6. Won't say what school I chose, but there are perfectly good reasons not to attend H, Y, or S if admitted (even without a Hamilton or Rubenstein). Anyone who insists otherwise hasn't been in your shoes.

7. Don't provide Admissions offices with an email address that's remarkably similar to every username you've used for everything ever.

8. HYS acceptances do serve as proxies for candidate quality. If you're seriously considering attending a lower-ranked T14 for some reason, informing that school of an HYS acceptance as tactfully as possible can only help you.

9. There's no such thing as yield protect if you have legitimate reasons for wanting to attend a certain school in spite of "superior" acceptances. Communicate these reasons at every stage of your interactions with the school. Also keep in mind that if you're YP material and are fortunate enough to be admitted, you'll almost certainly land a huge scholly.

10. Admissions officers will hear your voicemail message if you miss their calls. Make sure your voicemail sounds professional.

11. Including one or two really impressive pre-college accomplishments (especially if you're coming straight from college) isn't going to kill you. (Edit: I listed two. Neither one was academic, and I really think they helped to round out my application.) When you find that TLS and your instincts are at odds, seriously consider that your instincts might be correct.

12. A cancelled LSAT score after an already decent score won't hurt you. In fact, I think it may have worked in my favor ("he/she must have consistently scored better than this in practice tests--why else retake?"). Dunno that I would recommend this as a strategy, though.

[sven]

How early is early? Is October 1st okay?

[name of user]

How early is early? Is October 1st okay?

I sent mine on 9/10, 9/12, 9/13, 9/14, 9/15 (as early as I could), 9/18, 9/27, 10/1 (as early as I could), and 10/26. Took longer on the apps that required/invited extra essays.

To me, "early" means in time to be included in the first wave of acceptances (when applicable).

[Tom Joad]

How early is early? Is October 1st okay?

I sent mine on 9/10, 9/12, 9/13, 9/14, 9/15 (as early as I could), 9/18, 9/27, 10/1 (as early as I could), and 10/26. Took longer on the apps that required/invited extra essays.

To me, "early" means in time to be included in the first wave of acceptances (when applicable).

You are really lucky. I asked for my letters at the beginning of August and won't get them until October.

[Trequartista]

Mind sharing your numbers?

[bp shinners]

I think that, generally, this is some great advice, with two caveats.

2. No other person saw even a word of any part of my applications before I sent them off. Not asking others to edit your PS and other essays definitely goes against the conventional wisdom here, but it helped me speak in my own voice. (Just make sure your voice is wholly grammatical before taking this approach.)

That's great, but I would still ask others to look at my essay for grammar and sentence construction. Having others give you notes on content can change your voice a bit. Having others give you notes on grammar and whether or not you succeed in conveying what you wish to convey with the phrasing of a sentence won't.

11. Including one or two really impressive pre-college accomplishments (especially if you're coming straight from college) isn't going to kill you. When you find that TLS and your instincts are at odds, seriously consider that your instincts might be correct.

I obviously don't know your 'really impressive pre-college accomplishments', so I can't say this definitively. However, there are very, very few such accomplishments that have a place on your resume/application package. You say it isn't going to kill you, and I agree. However, it might hurt you (only slightly), so without an Olympic medal or something of that caliber, I'd still probably skip it.

Other than that, though, some great tips that don't get thrown around a lot. Especially the power of being an admitted student and having reasons to not attend HYS. Again, they're few and far between, but they do exist. Using your abilities to gain access to faculty and see the school as an admitted student will help you know if there's another school that will be a better fit.

[Cavgirl]

Thanks for this.