Arab Students' Association of Yale University

The Guide:

The Arab Student Association (ASA) is a budding, active organization of cultural, political, and social awareness on Yale Campus. The ASA is a diverse group, consisting of Arab Americans and Arabs from all around the Middle East. A longstanding objective of the ASA is to work with Yale's Office of Undergraduate Admissions to heighten recruiting efforts in Arab nations and Arab American Communities.

This Admissions Guide is meant to contain a basic guideline of the application process for any prospective Yale applicants. These steps serve as a guideline for application, following these steps does not guarantee admission to Yale College.

Admissions:

Application to Yale College may be done both online and by paper, however it is very strongly encouraged to apply online. The deadline for Early Action application is November 1, and the Regular Decision deadline is December 31. Students are encouraged to start their applications at least a month in advance to have it perfected by the time the deadline comes around.

Application Instructions:
http://www.yale.edu/admit/freshmen/application/pdf/online_instructions.pdf

Application Links:
http://www.yale.edu/admit/freshmen/application/index.html

Requirements:

Yale does not have a magic set formula for admissions, but among the most important requirements for application are SAT scores, the application essay, high school performance, and teacher recommendations. Interviews are not required as they are not available worldwide, however they are highly recommended.

It is also crucial that applicants, both international and domestic, complete rigorous, challenging programs as part of their high school education. Programs such as A Levels, the International Baccalaureate, and APs are usually administered internationally and are all examples of such challenging programs, and high performance in these programs may even award a student acceleration credit at Yale.
For more information on acceleration credits see:
http://www.yale.edu/yalecol/freshmen/academics/acceleration/ap.html

Schools and institutions worldwide offer these programs, and students usually take part in them in their last two years of high school. Additionally, regardless of what program high school students choose to take, a challenging course load and high academic achievement will always stand out in an application. Challenging course loads are essential as they set the platform for the rigorous, collegiate coursework that students encounter at Yale.

SATs:

In order to apply to Yale, SAT scores are required. Also, Yale College requires any combination of two SAT IIs. The last possible test date for Early applicants is November, and January for Regular applicants.

This Collegeboard link contains the average range of SAT scores for Yale applicants, but it is not meant to discourage applicants below these ranges:
http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId=4123&profileId=6

To register for the SATs:
http://www.collegeboard.com/

TOEFL/IELTs:

For the paper based TOEFL, a minimum score of 600 is required. For the Wed-based TOEFL, a minimum score of 100 is required. Testing dates in November (for Early Action) and January (for Regular Decision) may not arrive in time for the admission's committee's consideration, so make sure to take the TOEFL before that.

For more information on TOEFL registration:
http://www.ets.org/toefl

Alternatively, you may choose to submit the IELTS. A minimum scores of 7 is required for the IELTS.

For more information on IELTS registration visit:
http://www.ielts.org

Essay:

The Essay is a very important part in the application process, as it is a chance to allow individuality and personality to shine through. There is quite a large array of essay topics to write about, ranging from the very cliched to the very original.

The online world contains a sea of topics to write about, but focus on what makes you unique not just as an applicant, but as a person. Let the admissions office get to know someone beyond GPA and scores. Also, choose a teacher, college counselor, or peer that would be interested in looking over your essay and giving you constructive feedback.