Black Quadruplets Make Yale Admissions History

Martina, Kenny Ray, and Carol celebrate their admission to the Yale Class of 2014.

***

Many congratulations to Martina, Kenny, Ray, and Carol Crouch. It’s still early in the college admissions season, but the young men and women already have a lot to celebrate. This week, all four siblings were admitted to Yale. The New York Times describes the day when each of the four quadruplets were admitted to the prestigious Connecticut university:

Ray Crouch, a senior at Danbury High School, logged onto the computer in his family’s living room just after 5 p.m. on Tuesday and entered the Web site of the Yale admissions office.

Suddenly the screen turned blue — Yale blue — and an image of a bulldog, the university mascot, appeared, followed by “Welcome to the Class of 2014.” Ray, 18, had been offered a spot in the next freshman class, under its early-admission program. Standing behind him, his mother, Caroline, screamed.

But that was only the beginning. Moments later, Ray’s brother, Kenny, also 18, went to the Yale site and got an identical message. He was followed by their sister Carol. Same news. Then the room fell silent. Ray, Kenny and Carol are quadruplets, and their sister Martina had applied to Yale, too.

“I was thinking, it’s going to be really awkward when I don’t get in,” Martina recalled Friday.

But the computer turned blue for her as well, which prompted such an outpouring of joy from their mother that she wrestled their father, Steven, to the floor in a hug.

The Crouches’ perfect batting average represents a first for Yale — the first time in anyone’s memory that it has offered admission to quadruplets. It is also, of course, no small milestone for the siblings, who were born more than two months premature. (Ray was the last to be released from the neonatal unit, more than four months later.)
They made up for that rough start. Their class rankings range from 13 out of a class of 632 (Kenny) to 46 (Martina) — and they have sky-high SAT scores (including Carol’s perfect 800 on the verbal part of that exam).

— from “Boola Boola, Boola Boola: Yale Says Yes, 4 Times,” by Jacques Steinberg, for The New York Times

The 18-year-old quadruplets have not yet decided whether or not they will attend the prestigious Connecticut University. Each has applied to a number of schools, and Yale’s early admission program does not require admitted students to make a decision  until May 1.

In the meantime, the Crouch quadruplets can enjoy the experience of making Yale admissions history.

Posted by Ajuan Mance