What Yale looks for in a transfer

[mariner123]

Hi there,
Could anybody tell me what Yale looks for in a transfer student?
I know that the acceptance rate for transfers is extremely low, so please no “hate to break it to you, but you don’t have a chance” type responses. I know what I intend to do and I would just like some advice.
Thanks!

[uclaparent9]

Perhaps to be the very best in your school !?

[woogzmama]

Generally, they are looking for exceptional applicants who might have had their academic careers interrupted or undermined by extenuating circumstances or hardships. A typical candidate might be someone who entered the military after high school, and returned to take classes at a community college where he or she excelled. They are not especially interested in students whom they rejected for freshman admission, but who are more interested in chasing down the Yale brand than they are in flourishing at their current colleges. Sure, there are exceptions, but all transfer acceptances to Yale are exceptional. Have you won a Nobel prize or published a critically-acclaimed bestseller in the past year? Were you a teenage single mother who managed to earn a high GPA at a nearby college? Is there anything truly exceptional about your first year(s) at college that would compel Yale to admit you? A high GPA alone is not sufficient. Yale only admits outstanding students, and so that will not impress them.

[woogzmama]

Oh, if your parents or grandparents have made a multi-million dollar donation, it might help.

[T26E4]

OP Woog’s reply may not be encouraging to hear – but the reality is that many many top collegians see the grass as greener on the other side – at a school like Yale. You may be perfectly suited to transfer to Yale. The fact is there is only a tiny number of slots that open due to the retention of students from year to year.

While Yale might love to say YES to 100 students each year – they only have slots for 10-15. Best of luck to you – people do get in!

[mariner123]

Okay, thanks for all of the replies to far. One other question that I have is:
Should I apply my freshman year or sophomore?

[IxnayBob]

Transfer candidates should also have particularly compelling and well-defined academic reasons for wishing to attend Yale.
Wanting to leave one’s current school is not a sufficient argument for admission to Yale. Transfer candidates should explain in their application essays how studying at Yale would give them an educational opportunity particular to their interests that could be experienced nowhere else.

I would think that the essay would carry more weight after at least a year at another school. If I’m not mistaken, if you were to apply now, for example, you would be applying as a freshman, not a transfer.

If by the end of the current academic year you will have completed less than one year of full-time college study*, you should apply through the freshman admissions process. If you are admitted as a freshman, work done after secondary school graduation but before matriculation at Yale may be accepted (up to a maximum of two course credits) with the approval of the appropriate director of undergraduate studies at Yale.

So, why do you want to transfer? Have you really been on campus for only a few weeks?

[gibby]

Should I apply my freshman year or sophomore?

What academic program(s) does Yale offer that you cannot find, or have exhausted, at your current school? I guess that goes to the question of whether to apply freshman or sophomore year, keeping in mind . . .

Wanting to leave one’s current school is not a sufficient argument for admission to Yale.

[mariner123]

SInce I would technically be applying as a freshman, does that mean I would be allowed to have an interview?

[T26E4]

Hmmm… can you tell us how you’re eligible to apply as a freshman? Are you not currently enrolled in a college? Have your SATs improved? Your sub 2000 and 3.5 HS GPA make you a quick decision on Yale’s part, unfortunately for you. Frankly, you’re not a viable applicant whatsoever as an incoming freshman.

FYI: typical viable transfer applicants were ALSO stellar HS students – not just ppl who attained 3.9s or 4.0s once college started. They were the types who readily would have been accepted by schools like Yale as graduating seniors. Your academic record doesn’t mirror this either as a freshman applicant or as a transfer applicant.

As for interviews, it depends if you’re applying from an area where they occur. But if truly you’re applying as a freshman, you are eligible to receive an interview: yes. But as I just stated, this is the least of your concerns. The interview’s weight is nil in your case.

[IxnayBob]

Did you apply last year? If so, did you get an interview? I don’t think Yale intends transfer applications as a second bite of the apple.

[mariner123]

I didn’t apply last year.

[gibby]

I’m a bit confused, so to help you out further, would you please answer these questions:

1. Are you currently in high school or have you graduated from high school?
2. If you have graduated high school, are you currently enrolled at a college or university?
3. Are you a US resident or an international student?
4. If you are an international student, what country would you be applying from?

[mariner123]

I am a freshman at the University of Albany, and I am an American citizen.

[Hunt]

If you’re a freshman at a college already, you can’t apply to Yale as a freshman, but only as a transfer. As others have pointed out, what Yale looks for in a transfer is somebody who is extremely accomplished. and who can articulate a very good reason why Yale should accept him or her.

[gibby]

Thank you. As a current student at the University of Albany, you must apply to Yale as a transfer applicant (and not a freshman applicant): http://admissions.yale.edu/transfer#eligible

Who is Eligible to Transfer?
To be eligible to transfer, you must have a high school diploma or GED by June of the current academic year, and at least one year and no more than two years of transferable post-secondary-school college credit.*

That said, your chances of success as a transfer applicant are directly dependent upon your reasons for wanting to transfer. So, a couple of more questions:

1. What major are you thinking about at the University of Albany?
2. What does Yale offer that you cannot get at the University of Albany?

[mariner123]

1. I am a Political Science major who is thinking of double majoring or minoring in International Relations. My academic interests are wide-ranging, however.
2. Yale offers the rigorous academic environment that I want. Albany should be a good school for what I want to do, considering where it is located. However, the kids and environment there aren't as intellectual as I want it to be.

Sorry that was written like an essay, but I paraphrased parts of mine.
That is a really basic answer for the second one, and I expand on it more in my essay. If you want, I can post a more detailed explanation here.

[gibby]

Political Science is the second most popular undergraduate major at Yale. So why should Admissions choose you over another student? That’s the question you need to answer for yourself. What have you accomplished at the University of Albany, or outside of university life, that distinguishes you from the rest of the crowd? Keep in mind that the competition is steep. For example: http://www.businessinsider.com/most-impressive-students-at-yale-2013-4?op=1

[cttwenty15]

@mariner123, to better understand your perspective and offer assistance, I looked through your previous postings and see that Yale was your intended first choice at some point

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/17214919/#Comment_17214919

Yet above you stated that you did not even apply. Why did you not apply to Yale last year, and wouldn’t those same reasons still matter when admissions reviews your high school records?

To answer your question about whether you should apply as a transfer in your freshman or sophomore year, I would imagine that the longer you remain at your current university and do wonderful things, the less your high school components will matter.

[IxnayBob]

^ … and the more likely you will discover that you can be happy where you are.