2012-2013 Yale University Application Thread

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SoulinNeed said:
Sorry, I meant submitted my primary.
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Oh, then submit secondary asap. Since Yale is a non-rolling school, submitting late doesn't hurt as much. Later is better than never. 😀 (I submitted late too, according to SDN standards)
 
BurntFlower said:
I'll probably be applying here although it's a SUPER reach.
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Why not put the money to better use by applying to a school you have a shot at, then? It doesn't matter where you're going to school; either way, you'll end up a physician.

That being said, if you have loads of disposable income, then go ahead, throw it away at nothing.
 
Is it recommended to write an optional essay?

EDIT: The only thing I could add is something I already went over in detail in my AMCAS essay, but I don't know if they read that.
 
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Domination said:
I wouldn't repeat something that you covered in detail. I think it only helps if you have something great to share and won't hurt you if do not.
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It's just confusing because they state that you should only add something that hasn't been covered in the secondary, but they make no mention of the primary.
 
Has Yale passed over the mid august applicants already? I haven't heard anything from them in a while, and this school would definitely be a dream for me.
 
Quick question about the interview day: do they provide any kind of breakfast or coffee?
 
Rejected from MD/PhD today, hope some other people got better news.
 
For those flying into the East coast, did you all decide on Bradley or NYC? I've done a bit of research, and flights to NYC airports appear to be much much cheaper than flights to Bradley and especially to CT. Did any of you all have trouble returning to the airport in time after your interviews? What ground transportation methods did you prefer to take you to and from the airport? The website recommends CT limousine, but the reservation service online does not appear to function, and the available times for pickup on the site allow for little room between the projected end of the interview day and their final pick up.
 
For those of you who have interviewed here at Yale, did your interview day end at 5:30 pm? Or a little before or later? Also, how long does it take to get to the New Haven airport from the school?

Thank you for the input, I am trying to make appropriate travel arrangements. 🙂
 
cg2812 said:
For those of you who have interviewed here at Yale, did your interview day end at 5:30 pm? Or a little before or later? Also, how long does it take to get to the New Haven airport from the school?

Thank you for the input, I am trying to make appropriate travel arrangements. 🙂
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I was done by 4:30. Some were done a little earlier than that, some later. But about a week before my interview, the admissions office sent out this survey asking if you need to be finished earlier than 5:30 to catch a plane. So they are flexible about that! And I'm not sure about airport travel.
 
somethingdeep said:
I was done by 4:30. Some were done a little earlier than that, some later. But about a week before my interview, the admissions office sent out this survey asking if you need to be finished earlier than 5:30 to catch a plane. So they are flexible about that! And I'm not sure about airport travel.
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Oh okay, I see. Well, thanks for info!
 
tomhaverford said:
For those flying into the East coast, did you all decide on Bradley or NYC? I've done a bit of research, and flights to NYC airports appear to be much much cheaper than flights to Bradley and especially to CT. Did any of you all have trouble returning to the airport in time after your interviews? What ground transportation methods did you prefer to take you to and from the airport? The website recommends CT limousine, but the reservation service online does not appear to function, and the available times for pickup on the site allow for little room between the projected end of the interview day and their final pick up.
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cg2812 said:
For those of you who have interviewed here at Yale, did your interview day end at 5:30 pm? Or a little before or later? Also, how long does it take to get to the New Haven airport from the school?

Thank you for the input, I am trying to make appropriate travel arrangements. 🙂
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Bradley is a pretty great airport - takes about an hour to get there from campus, but if you get there 45 minutes ahead of flight time you are still ok. Check-in and security are really fast. Either of the NYC airports require a longer travel time and earlier check-in. New Haven also has its own TINY airport, Tweed. It only flies US air to Philadelphia, but flights go as late as 6:30. Takes about 15-20 minutes by cab and it is possibly the smallest airport you will ever fly out of and so you can again get their right ahead of flight time and be ok.

As for the CT limo, they are hit and miss service wise. Sometimes they show up early and leave you while other times they are running like an hour late. They get you there, but don't count on great service.

Hope this helps.
 
any idea when yale stops interviewing/when their last interview dates are/if there are any invites going out? still holding onto a sliver of hope... thanks!
 
Do both faculty and student interviewers at Yale have full access to applicants' files? Some schools give students partial access while giving full access to faculty members, so I am wondering how Yale handles it.
 
Zelia said:
Is anyone else interviewing in the next couple of months terrified? I am! I'm very happy to have gotten an invitation, but I feel like I don't actually have a chance here and they must have picked me by mistake or something. It seems like everyone else getting interviews is totally amazing, and like... I have kind of a cool story and a high MCAT, but that's about it. 😕
(Before you ask, no, I am not URM/disadvantaged.)
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High MCAT + interesting story = top 10 😛

They obviously saw something in you. Don't make rejecting you easy on them 🙂 you deserve this!
 
Bearstronaut said:
High MCAT + interesting story = top 10 😛

They obviously saw something in you. Don't make rejecting you easy on them 🙂 you deserve this!
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Bearstronaut you're so nice! 🙂 I wish there were a lot more people like you! 🙂
 
iceprincess4189 said:
any idea when yale stops interviewing/when their last interview dates are/if there are any invites going out? still holding onto a sliver of hope... thanks!
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Yale stops interviewing mid February. Interview invitations go out until mid-late January.
 
I was wondering if anybody can write their thoughts on how the Yale interview was. I'm interviewing pretty soon, and would love your input! Details would be awesome. Tips are welcomed! Also, any interesting things you can remember from the interview would be phenomenal!

Thanks!
 
MD91 said:
I was wondering if anybody can write their thoughts on how the Yale interview was. I'm interviewing pretty soon, and would love your input! Details would be awesome. Tips are welcomed! Also, any interesting things you can remember from the interview would be phenomenal!

Thanks!
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You might get a more up-to-date answer from fellow applicants who've interviewed this cycle, but I'll throw in a bit of what I remember from mine.

You'll have two interviewers, either two faculty members or a student + faculty duo. Each one usually lasts ~45mins, plus or minus ten. You also have a financial aid talk, a school/hospital tour, and a guest speaker (a prominent member of the faculty) all on the same day. Not sure if they've added or subtracted anything.

Most of the applicants that come through Yale will agree that the interview day is very, very relaxed. Both of mine (a student and a faculty member) were very easy going, and let me direct the course of the conversation. I've only recently heard that there are a few oddballs here and there who ask challenging questions, but I don't know any of the details. Most of the time it'll be you talking about what you wrote on your application, and anything else about yourself that you want to share.

If you look at the thread from last year, you'll see for yourself that it's not uncommon for people to say that their Yale interview was their best one.

My tip would be to relax. I understand that you want to learn all the ins and outs of this interview and you want to be prepared for any question they may ask with a well-crafted answer, but you'll just unnecessarily stress yourself out. An interview invite means they're interested in the person that you've presented on paper, which is hopefully, your truthful self. So just be that person and maintain the conversation.

Good luck!
 
Finches said:
You might get a more up-to-date answer from fellow applicants who've interviewed this cycle, but I'll throw in a bit of what I remember from mine.

You'll have two interviewers, either two faculty members or a student + faculty duo. Each one usually lasts ~45mins, plus or minus ten. You also have a financial aid talk, a school/hospital tour, and a guest speaker (a prominent member of the faculty) all on the same day. Not sure if they've added or subtracted anything.

Most of the applicants that come through Yale will agree that the interview day is very, very relaxed. Both of mine (a student and a faculty member) were very easy going, and let me direct the course of the conversation. I've only recently heard that there are a few oddballs here and there who ask challenging questions, but I don't know any of the details. Most of the time it'll be you talking about what you wrote on your application, and anything else about yourself that you want to share.

If you look at the thread from last year, you'll see for yourself that it's not uncommon for people to say that their Yale interview was their best one.

My tip would be to relax. I understand that you want to learn all the ins and outs of this interview and you want to be prepared for any question they may ask with a well-crafted answer, but you'll just unnecessarily stress yourself out. An interview invite means they're interested in the person that you've presented on paper, which is hopefully, your truthful self. So just be that person and maintain the conversation.

Good luck!
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The hardest questions I encountered on the interview trail where from one of my Yale interviewers. 😳 It did not feel like he was trying to test me or grill me. The atmosphere was more like: "Lets have a conversation about these serious/important issues." He even started by saying he was just curious how my experiences shaped my perspective on certain issues. I actually enjoyed it a lot, but it was the most challenging interview I had. We did spend some time talking about less serious things too. I think I was the exception though because in the morning the Director of Admissions was telling everyone how nice their interviewers were and then he got to me and was like "Oh, Dr. _______, he is a challenging interviewer." :laugh:
 
Yikes--this is the first time I heard someone say that Yale was their hardest interview. Sorry to hear that the questions were so hard, but glad you enjoyed it nonetheless!

Tots said:
The hardest questions I encountered on the interview trail where from one of my Yale interviewers. 😳 It did not feel like he was trying to test me or grill me. The atmosphere was more like: "Lets have a conversation about these serious/important issues." He even started by saying he was just curious how my experiences shaped my perspective on certain issues. I actually enjoyed it a lot, but it was the most challenging interview I had. We did spend some time talking about less serious things too. I think I was the exception though because in the morning the Director of Admissions was telling everyone how nice their interviewers were and then he got to me and was like "Oh, Dr. _______, he is a challenging interviewer." :laugh:
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Anyone know if Yale is still sending out interview invitations? Complete in late October/early November but haven't heard anything. Thanks
 
wheewer said:
Anyone know if Yale is still sending out interview invitations? Complete in late October/early November but haven't heard anything. Thanks
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Invites typically go out until mid-late January. I would say there are about 2 weeks left, and these will be for the last few rounds of interviews.
 
I don't have any specific updates to send and don't want to pester admissions, but I'm getting antsy to hear something. My stats are great, just applied a little late (completed secondaries mid Sept) Anyone had any luck sending letters of continued interested, or think it would even get my files looked at any sooner?
 
well, i guess this is the consequence of applying to a top tier with decent, but not impressive application. Heard nothing since September =/
 
Anyone know if people with low stats ever get into Yale? 34/3.5/ivy, but really solid research and ECs. Haven't heard anything since early october complete... Are they still actively reviewing applications and sending invites or just waiting to send out all the pre-interview rejections at once? I know it is a reach, but this is my dream school. *sigh*
 
Don't be so down guys; going based on last year's schedule, interview invites should still be going out and will continue until late January. A few of my classmates received their invites for the last interview date last year (mid-February date), so don't lose hope quite yet!
 
This question might have come up before but I haven't found an answer to it.

At Yale, are the interviewers blind or have they looked at your application prior to the interview?

Thanks!
 
pm1 said:
This question might have come up before but I haven't found an answer to it.

At Yale, are the interviewers blind or have they looked at your application prior to the interview?

Thanks!
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It's open file or at least my interviewers had already read my file prior to the interview.
 
cg2812 said:
It's open file or at least my interviewers had already read my file prior to the interview.
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thank you! 🙂

For those of you who have already interviewed, is it safe to book my return flight for 6:30pm from the Tweed airport on the interview day?
I'm not sure if I will have enough time given that interviews are supposed to last until 5:30.
Otherwise, I will have to book a flight for the next day.
 
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pm1 said:
thank you! 🙂

For those of you who have already interviewed, is it safe to book my return flight for 6:30pm from the Tweed airport on the interview day?
I'm not sure if I will have enough time given that interviews are supposed to last until 5:30.
Otherwise, I will have to book a flight for the next day.
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Yes, that's what I did. You should be getting an "interview travel plans" survey from admissions asking whether you will need to leave before 5:30. I said I needed to catch a 6:30 flight so they scheduled both of my interviews before lunch. My day ended pretty early (maybe around 2:30?) Can't quite remember, but I do remember waiting at the tiny Tweed airport for at least a couple hours before my flight. 😛
 
Yeah I agree with above. My flight was around 6:00pm and my last interview was over at 3:30ish. I sat for about an hour at the airport.
 
Has anyone been updating grades through that status/update bar? Or are you only submitting more significant updates?
 
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