It seems like Yale has *so* many distributional/general education requirements...

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
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I currently study at a Scottish uni (very well reputed but not St Andrews) and for several reasons, I’m considering transferring for the Fall 2018 (joining as ajunior). While I’m not dwelling too much on the possibility of attending (something like a 1% transfer acceptance rate lol), Yale is a perfect fit for what I need and has everything I’m looking for, so it might be my reach.

I’m a wee concerned, however, because it seems like Yale’s list of distributional requiremnts is unending, which makes the school not very transfer friendly (in terms of academics), particularly for someone who studies in the UK where we don’t do the general education thing.

Of course, I’m not concerned about the actual fact of taking those classes, I mean I have total faith in the quality/intrigue of the courses Yale offers, but assuming I’m accepted to the College, I’m hesitant to spend years three and four meeting distributional requirements most people meet in years one and two, especially since I’d like to be focusing on my major at that point. (Financially and personally, applying to enter as a sophomore isn’t really on the table.)

Does the list of distributional requirements just look bulky on paper/seem like a lot in list form?

Maybe, someone who goes to or went to Yale can tell me if my current course load mirrors what most Yale first years take (in terms of breadth)? In the UK you apply to directly to a degree programme and study that from the get go… but because of my specific degree programme, I actually take more credits in outside courses than in sociology. So I take sociology 1 (year long); and art theory, middle eastern art/architecture, sculpture, and architectural design (each semester long courses). My course load next year will be very similar, aka a year long sociology course with all my outside courses being art studio/history/theory… I’d like to add an additional language course but taking extra credits is not recommended.

If I transfer (to any school) I’d like to transfer to a Fine Arts degree… in fact that’s one (small) reason I’m transferring; not sure if that matters but maybe it’ll help.

If anyone is wondering why I’m thinking about this so early, it’s because I may be in the US for sometime over the summer and I’d like to finalise a list then visit those campuses :slight_smile:

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You won’t apply 'as a junior ’ - if they admit you, they will look at what classes you can transfer and they’ll decide what you still need to take for your major and for distribution requirements. There won’t be any shortcuts. However typically some Scottish Highers or Advanced Highers or British ALevels will also transfer credit.
Students actually take general education classes and major classes all four years, even if the ratio varies. So you won’t be a third year student in a class with all first year students.
Brown may be more transfer friendly from that point of view so add it to your list.

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@MYOS1634 That’s good to know! You nailed it, Brown is indeed my first choice. Thanks :slight_smile:

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Neither Yale nor Brown offer an undergraduate Fine Arts degree (BFA). Those types of programs in the U.S. are probably more similar to the focused training in the U.K.