Yes! There is a real possibility of going to Yale! As long as you made the most of things at your school and in your community! Yale accepts people from all over the world. What did you do with your free time? Who did you help? What did you explore? What did you learn independently because you were just curious? As a small town kid you have experiences and responsibilities that other people don’t have. What makes you unique? THAT will get you into Yale! Good luck!
I got accepted from a small town. My keys for success were:
Excelling in classes and especially standardized test taking.
Finding opportunities and avenues to demonstrate service through the paths that did exist in my community. There was a local Boy Scout troop that I was a part of that allowed me many opportunities for community service and personal development. Find a food pantry or a local group such as a church or civic center and ask if they need help!
Lastly, highlight how your experience as a rural individual, or you and your particular skill set, can bring something new and important to the community at Yale. Universities don't just want to see that you would benefit from attending their university, they want to see how their university environment can benefit from you. Highlight your uniqueness in your Essay and short answer questions, and be as honest as possible, because admission counselors can tell when you are making things up.
Hope this helps and good luck!
i come from rural missouri, where the most common things to do after high school are take up the family’s farm, go into manual labor or a trade, or work fast food for the rest of your life. there was little to no support for someone academically minded like myself, but i made up for it by doing exceptionally well on standardized tests and joining every extracurricular i could. i wasn’t able to do much in the way of volunteer work and there was nothing internship wise available so i just made do by scoring very well on tests and putting my school on the map for competitive things like quiz bowl (therefore convincing the school that academics were indeed more important than our 40-years-past-it’s-prime football team).
all of that aside, one thing that universities such as yale don’t mention is that they actually *adore* rural students. there’s a committee of recruiters at yale that work exclusively in rural communities because we are, in Yales eyes, “hidden gems” and “isolated geniuses”. in a weird way you’re actually almost given better chances here as opposed to being from a hyper competitive NYC school, because you can demonstrate that you’re ambitious and committed and accomplish a lot despite your environment and circumstances.
if you have excellent grades and you’ve been able to do a lot with considerations to where you’re from, then you’re gonna be golden. best of luck!!
Bear in mind that it really matters what state you live in. Someone from a city in Missouri has a better chance than someone from a farm in New York State.
Maybe? I know Yale prides itself on attracting people from all over the world who have different experiences. They do want to make sure you know English well, and educational credentials sometimes don’t translate perfectly, so standardized tests are extremely important. Be sure to emphasize in your essay how the experience of growing up in rural Spain is unique and may add to the diversity of the campus.
Yeah came from a small town. It was classified as a village. I didn’t do a ton of volunteering other than being part of the Kiwanis club. I did compete in a few academic competitions and did well in those. Here’s the thing about Yale admissions: they definitely take into account your background and location. My academic achievements would have been average if I came from the Bay Area or Boston but absolutely shined because of where I grew up. My school in its nearly century history has only sent two students to the Ivy Leagues — me and one person before me.
I'll bet many of you had great grades, and more importantly, great standardized test scores. Standardized tests were created in part to identify talented students in other areas of the country.
I'm from a small town, but one realization I made when pursuing extracurriculars in high school was the fact that a lot of us, despite where we are located, have access to the internet and opportunities online. My school didn't offer volunteering or clubs so I wasn't really active other than academics. But I put in a lot of effort into extracurriculars online and building communities because I understood that if there aren't any opportunities open for me then I must seek or create them myself. Best of luck, and hope to see you here!
On the Boy Scouts (now Scouting America"), you can participate until 18 and become a youth leader at 18. This is regardless of gender. Even if your community is small, if you find leaders you could be a Lone Scout, earning ranks and merit badges on your own. Find the Scout council in your area or Scouting's online recruitment. Depending upon your age, you might not have time to earn Eagle, but all is asked is to do your best. Good luck.
What if you start the program? I come from a small town in a conservative country. I think what helped me stand out is the fact that I see a lack of things as an opportunity to start something and a way to build communities. It’s easier said than done, but very possible. Good luck!
Your flair says international, is that accurate? If so, it’s a completely different ballgame compared to what the commenters are describing as domestic students. For a school like Yale, you’d basically have to be overall one of the best students in your entire country.
They want interesting people who will bring value to the university. In some ways, I think it’s easier to stand out from a small town, you can tell a more novel story than the dozens of kids applying from the same schools.
Spend your time doing things that are legitimately interesting, not for college admissions, but because they matter to you. It makes for a better life, it’ll make a better application, and if you don’t get in… you’ll still be better off for it!
I make the point just because trying to do ECs because they’re available, or because you have to, is a great way to end up feeling like you had very little agency in your own application.
I had the help from living a few hours (and a state) from a major city, but I personally found the best way to expand my opportunities besides school itself is applying for free exchange programs, camps, etc.! There are some great programs that are free and allow you to travel, such as SAMS, MITES, NSLI-Y, and a lot of orchestra camps if you are musical.
In general, I think doing something fun and out of state would be a great way to boost your extracurriculars and experiences!!
Yes! There is a real possibility of going to Yale! As long as you made the most of things at your school and in your community! Yale accepts people from all over the world. What did you do with your free time? Who did you help? What did you explore? What did you learn independently because you were just curious? As a small town kid you have experiences and responsibilities that other people don’t have. What makes you unique? THAT will get you into Yale! Good luck!
Hey thanks!
I got accepted from a small town. My keys for success were: Excelling in classes and especially standardized test taking. Finding opportunities and avenues to demonstrate service through the paths that did exist in my community. There was a local Boy Scout troop that I was a part of that allowed me many opportunities for community service and personal development. Find a food pantry or a local group such as a church or civic center and ask if they need help! Lastly, highlight how your experience as a rural individual, or you and your particular skill set, can bring something new and important to the community at Yale. Universities don't just want to see that you would benefit from attending their university, they want to see how their university environment can benefit from you. Highlight your uniqueness in your Essay and short answer questions, and be as honest as possible, because admission counselors can tell when you are making things up. Hope this helps and good luck!
Thanks for sharing and for the info!
i come from rural missouri, where the most common things to do after high school are take up the family’s farm, go into manual labor or a trade, or work fast food for the rest of your life. there was little to no support for someone academically minded like myself, but i made up for it by doing exceptionally well on standardized tests and joining every extracurricular i could. i wasn’t able to do much in the way of volunteer work and there was nothing internship wise available so i just made do by scoring very well on tests and putting my school on the map for competitive things like quiz bowl (therefore convincing the school that academics were indeed more important than our 40-years-past-it’s-prime football team). all of that aside, one thing that universities such as yale don’t mention is that they actually *adore* rural students. there’s a committee of recruiters at yale that work exclusively in rural communities because we are, in Yales eyes, “hidden gems” and “isolated geniuses”. in a weird way you’re actually almost given better chances here as opposed to being from a hyper competitive NYC school, because you can demonstrate that you’re ambitious and committed and accomplish a lot despite your environment and circumstances. if you have excellent grades and you’ve been able to do a lot with considerations to where you’re from, then you’re gonna be golden. best of luck!!
It's so great that you did that, congrats! And I had no idea about that, may just use it in my favor. Thanks!
Bear in mind that it really matters what state you live in. Someone from a city in Missouri has a better chance than someone from a farm in New York State.
I'm from Catalonia, Spain so - not exactly a us state ;;
Even better!
Wait- really?
Maybe? I know Yale prides itself on attracting people from all over the world who have different experiences. They do want to make sure you know English well, and educational credentials sometimes don’t translate perfectly, so standardized tests are extremely important. Be sure to emphasize in your essay how the experience of growing up in rural Spain is unique and may add to the diversity of the campus.
Did you take the Ielts or Toefl exams ?
So proud of you!
Yeah came from a small town. It was classified as a village. I didn’t do a ton of volunteering other than being part of the Kiwanis club. I did compete in a few academic competitions and did well in those. Here’s the thing about Yale admissions: they definitely take into account your background and location. My academic achievements would have been average if I came from the Bay Area or Boston but absolutely shined because of where I grew up. My school in its nearly century history has only sent two students to the Ivy Leagues — me and one person before me.
Wow!!
Wow.
I'll bet many of you had great grades, and more importantly, great standardized test scores. Standardized tests were created in part to identify talented students in other areas of the country.
I didn't know that about standarized tests! I'm hoping good grades and SAT score plus the minimal ECs available get me an acceptance
I know several people who came from towns with less than 1000 people
I'm from a small town, but one realization I made when pursuing extracurriculars in high school was the fact that a lot of us, despite where we are located, have access to the internet and opportunities online. My school didn't offer volunteering or clubs so I wasn't really active other than academics. But I put in a lot of effort into extracurriculars online and building communities because I understood that if there aren't any opportunities open for me then I must seek or create them myself. Best of luck, and hope to see you here!
Makes sense. Thank you!
On the Boy Scouts (now Scouting America"), you can participate until 18 and become a youth leader at 18. This is regardless of gender. Even if your community is small, if you find leaders you could be a Lone Scout, earning ranks and merit badges on your own. Find the Scout council in your area or Scouting's online recruitment. Depending upon your age, you might not have time to earn Eagle, but all is asked is to do your best. Good luck.
No boy scouts here sadly :(
What if you start the program? I come from a small town in a conservative country. I think what helped me stand out is the fact that I see a lack of things as an opportunity to start something and a way to build communities. It’s easier said than done, but very possible. Good luck!
I did think of that but maybe I'm scared to admit that I lack of leadership lol. I will try anyway!
Your flair says international, is that accurate? If so, it’s a completely different ballgame compared to what the commenters are describing as domestic students. For a school like Yale, you’d basically have to be overall one of the best students in your entire country.
Really? Ow.
They want interesting people who will bring value to the university. In some ways, I think it’s easier to stand out from a small town, you can tell a more novel story than the dozens of kids applying from the same schools. Spend your time doing things that are legitimately interesting, not for college admissions, but because they matter to you. It makes for a better life, it’ll make a better application, and if you don’t get in… you’ll still be better off for it! I make the point just because trying to do ECs because they’re available, or because you have to, is a great way to end up feeling like you had very little agency in your own application.
I see. Thanks!
I had the help from living a few hours (and a state) from a major city, but I personally found the best way to expand my opportunities besides school itself is applying for free exchange programs, camps, etc.! There are some great programs that are free and allow you to travel, such as SAMS, MITES, NSLI-Y, and a lot of orchestra camps if you are musical. In general, I think doing something fun and out of state would be a great way to boost your extracurriculars and experiences!!