<p>Hi, guys. I’d be very grateful for some quick and serious advice. Last July, I began a severely limiting, rigid English program in India; now I’m applying to some incredulously selective American colleges, including Yale, as a transfer student. I’ve always loved English, but being given no options whatsoever in as liberal a subject as literature is really frustrating me, as is the lack of emphasis on writing, my main interest within the discipline. I’m so deeply unhappy with the system here that I’m questioning the point of an English degree for me. I feel like I should switch over to environmental studies instead, while indulging my literary passions according to my own liking outside the scholarly sphere.
I’m really confused about what I should tell the admissions officers. What would make for a more compelling case for transfer into sophomore year: my discovering that I want to specialize in a new area, environmental studies (for which I have no relevant coursework, thanks to the narrow scope of my current program), while being a Journalism Scholar, or me wanting to continue focusing on English in a much freer, interdisciplinary context as a creative writing concentrator?
I’d really appreciate your opinions. I’ve been trying to figure this out for a while; it’s driving me nuts! Thanks a lot!</p>
<p>Have you read: [Transfer</a> Program | Yale College Admissions](<a href=“http://admissions.yale.edu/transfer]Transfer”>Transfer Application Process | Yale College Undergraduate Admissions)</p>
<p>As competitive as the admissions process is for freshmen, the transfer process is even more so. Yale receives more than 1,000 transfer applications each year, and we have spaces for only 20 to 30 students. While GPA is not the only factor that the admissions committee takes into consideration, it may be helpful to note that the average college GPA of admitted transfer candidates is 3.8. Given the competitive nature of the transfer admissions process, candidates should have compelling reasons for attending Yale and should think carefully about whether Yale is the right fit for them before making the effort to complete an application.</p>
<p>Why, yes, I have. I’ve gone through that website too many times. I don’t expect to get in, of course, with those numbers against me, but I think I’d regret not having tried at all when I could have.</p>
<p>I think saying you want to switch into Environmental Studies would give a more compelling reason for why you want to transfer to Yale, but you should also emphasize that you don’t want to give up writing and intend to pursue that as well - and why you should pursue that at Yale instead of your current school. (In fact there are a few writing courses at Yale intended for environment/science-oriented journalism, including one taught by Carl Zimmer.) However, also be aware that because you have no prior relevant coursework for Environmental Studies, you will likely only have room for 1-2 electives max per semester, some of which will need to be used to fulfill distributional requirements. Fortunately, Environmental Studies is quite interdisciplinary so you may be able to fill some requirements with courses in the major, but you will still have to fulfill the foreign language requirement, for example. So you will have room to take a few writing courses, but not a ton, and if you take several writing courses, you won’t really have room to explore anything else. I guess that’s still better that the situation at your current school, though. One last note: Environmental Studies is one of the few majors to which you have to apply and be admitted during the spring of your sophomore year. I don’t know how selective they are, though.</p>
<p>Just to be realistic, here are the numbers for Yale. Not only you need high grades but also that you have leadership abilities that you exhibited with your activities during this year. you need to present a compelling case of what Yale will give you and what You offer to Yale.</p>
<p>transfer acceptance
2011:706 applied: 34 admitted (18 men)
2010: 811:19students (11 men)</p>
<p>livorneo, thank you so much for your input! Yeah, I’m aware of those courses. The Carl Zimmer one would be perfect for me!</p>