What subjects is
Yale strong at?
(All rankings are of graduate departments/schools)
Arguably 1st/2nd place rankings among US universities:
English, History, Psychology, Law School
Other highly regarded departments/schools:
School of Architecture, School of Art, Art History, Biology, Classics,
East Asian Studies, Economics, School of Forestry, Literature, School
of Management (i.e. Business School), Mathematics, School of Medicine,
School of Music, Philosophy, Theater Studies
The science and engineering faculty include more than 60 members of the
National Academy of Sciences.
What is not offered
at the undergraduate level?
Pre-professional programs like Accounting, Business, Finance, Law,
Medicine are not offered. Neither are minors. There is no Honours
program for any of the major, although it is possible to graduate with
"distinction in the major."
Interesting facts
about the undergraduate degree
Students can major in not more than two subjects, subject to approval,
and get a Bachelor's Degree in one of them. They may also choose to
design their own major, again, subject to approval.
Certain majors offer a joint B.A. / M.A. or joint B.S / M.S. program.
These programs require students to take a certain number of graduate
level classes in addition to the undergraduate ones.
How many students
from Singapore study at Yale?
For the school year of Fall 2008- Spring 2009, there were 21 Yale
undergraduates from high schools located in Singapore:
10 Singaporean citizens
4 American citizens
4 Chinese citizens
2 Vietnamese citizens
Simple calculation: 20/4 = average of 5 students/year. A few more
students get admitted each year but choose not to attend Yale because
they decide on other top universities.
Typical Profile of
Students Admitted into Yale from Singapore
General
- Excellent teachers’ recommendations
- Excellent academic grades and a challenging course
load (in the Singapore JC system, this could be interpreted to be
taking H3s)
- From the Admissions Office: Graduates of polytechnics
are advised to apply as freshmen, and not as transfer students
- Excellent extra-curricular activities
- Excellent SAT scores (see below for elaboration)
- Excellent college application essay (good grammar, an
original piece of work – admissions officers can often tell when the
essay was written with external help)
- Excellent Interviewer’s report is helpful, but
probably not as important as the above.
Rough
Generalizations
- “Humanities students” from local JCs: Generally less
well-defined criteria, especially because there are fewer national and
international competitions. Examples: Top in Economics for that JC’s
cohort, National debator, Commonwealth Essay award winner
- “Science students” from local JCs with
Singaporean citizenship: Ministry of Education-endorsed national
representatives who have won awards overseas, e.g. International
Biology Olympiad Gold Winner
- “Science students” from local JCs with
non-Singaporean citizenship (typically unable to represent Singapore
abroad): Won national competitions, e.g. Gold at National Biology
Olympiad
- Students from International Schools: Typically, a
maximum of one student admitted per school (based on past trends in
admissions), with the student having won awards for the school
- “Athletes”: National representatives, Record
holders
Disclaimer: Many students who fit the above criteria are not admitted,
and there are students admitted who do not fall into these categories
and who are not easily classified. I would describe the admission
processes as a partial lottery.
Recommended
Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) scores
The university does not have any cut-off for SAT scores. However,
applicants from Singapore tend to have very high SAT scores, so here is
a rough guideline as to what you might want to aim for, just to be on
the safe side:
2200+/2400 for SAT Reasoning Test (Critical Reading + Writing +
Mathematics)
750+/800 for SAT Subject Tests
Scoring very well for the SATs (e.g. full marks for everything) does
not guarantee anyone a place. Grades based on school/Singapore national
exams are more important.
Can I postpone
matriculation at Yale?
Anyone admitted to the freshman class has the option of postponing
matriculation at Yale for one year, as long as secondary school work
has been completed successfully. Singaporeans serving NS can postpone
matriculation for up to two years.
Paying for Yale
“If you are considering Yale, please do not hesitate to apply because
you fear the cost will exceed your family's means. Yale College admits
students on the basis of academic and personal promise and without
regard to their ability to pay. Once a student is admitted, Yale meets
100% of that student's demonstrated financial need. All aid is
need-based. This policy helps to ensure that Yale will always be
accessible to talented students from the widest possible range of
backgrounds.”
– Yale Financial Aid
website
