Transfer Chances at Yale, Cornell

[SandyRun]

<p>Hey, I'm considering transferring from Penn State simply because I'm not happy here.
Let me just start by saying I have a tough time focusing on work. My parents have a negative influence on me; one of them is a complete ******* and the other one is financially hurting. Whenever I get a call from either parent, I can't get work done for the rest of the day. My other problem is that I'm simply not driven anymore. I need a change of environment and a school that actually sparks my interest.</p>

<p>I'm currently enrolled in the Penn State Honors College (Schreyer) as a FRESHMAN.</p>

<p>I want to transfer to an intellectual school like Yale or Cornell.</p>

<p>I don't know if this makes a difference, but I was accepted at Cornell before deciding to come to Penn State.</p>

<p>So anyway, here's my stats:</p>

<p>High School GPA: Weighted: 4.81/5, Unweighted: 3.94/4
College GPA: 4.0 1st semester
SAT: 2250 (1510)</p>

<p>High School Activities:
-Cofounder and Vice President of JSA (1 year)
-Class Secretary (2 years)
-NHS Officer (1 year)
-German Club Officer (4 years)
-Chess Club Officer (3 years)
-Studied Abroad in germany for a summer</p>

<p>College Activities:
-Deputy Director of UPUA Multicultural Affairs (one of 11 executives in governing student body)
-President and Founder of Thinking Before Drinking
-Member of Pre-Med Society, Schreyer Honors College Student Council, Springfield THON, SASA
-Will probably get involved in some research this semester </p>

<p>Work Experience:
-Spent a summer volunteering full-time in a lab
-Self-employed personal tutor for hire
-Worked at Kumon Learning Center as a tutor for 9-12 grade</p>

<p>Awards:
All from High school-the usual
Scholarship for best overall science student in my class (400 kids)
National Merit Letter of Commendation
Goldkey winner of Scholastic Writnig Awards
7 Publications in Creative Communications Journals
2-time AIME qualifier
Chem Olympiad School Finalist/Regional Competitor
Best German II speaker in Montgomery County</p>

<p>Now this part is pretty important. I received an Underage Drinking Citation during my 1st semester at Penn State. the charges will eventually be dismissed once i take a class. no institutional action was taken. I've also completely changed my ways by starting a club against alcohol abuse and convincing many of my friends to cut back on their drinking.</p>

<p>Anyway, just wondering if I have any chance at being accepted as a transfer to Yale/Cornell.</p>

<p>thanks</p>

[dufflebagjesus]

<p>your drinking citation will have to be disclosed nonetheless and im not sure how it will be viewed…otherwise i would say you have a very good shot at cornell, yale is always a crapshoot…but with the citation, both schools reject lots of very well qualified applicants, i dont know if either will want to take a risk on a student with a citation…don’t know</p>

[entomom]

<p>Did you apply to Y (or HPS) as a freshman? I ask because usually it is very difficult to transfer as a soph to a highly selective school if you would not have been accepted to as a freshman applicant. This is because as a soph transfer applicant you will be assess mostly on your HS record and test scores, and because transfer rates are considerably lower than for freshman admissions.</p>

[LogicWarrior]

<p>If you think you can keep that 4.0 up for a few more semesters then you should transfer as a junior, especially if you didn’t get into Cornell as a freshman. Transferring as a junior also removes the citation.</p>

<p>And Yale transfers are a reach for everyone.</p>

[2e4L]

<p>Lol, I thought you had founded Thinking Before Drinking before you received your citation. Oh the irony. People get caught all the time for drinking at Yale (and other schools in general), and at most it’s a slap on the wrist. I’m surprised PSU is actually taking punitive(?) measures. </p>

<p>I thought I should quote this directly from the Yale transfer site:

As Yale is above all an academic institution, academic strength is our first consideration in evaluating any candidate. The single most important document in the application is the college transcript. Successful transfer applicants present evidence of exceptionally strong college performance in demanding courses. The average GPA of admitted transfer students is usually 3.8 and above. The Admissions Committee will also take high school performance and standardized testing into consideration.

Perhaps Yale will really place more emphasis on your college transcript rather than equally weighing both of them? I don’t know, maybe it’s a ploy.</p>

[2e4L]

<p>

If you think you can keep that 4.0 up for a few more semesters then you should transfer as a junior, especially if you didn’t get into Cornell as a freshman.

But he did get in.</p>

[SandyRun]

<p>I was accepted to cornell as a senior in high school.also I am a freshman not a soph. Wow I had no idea the citation was so serious, as I said penn state is not taking any action so I can’t see why this would be a huge factor</p>

[dufflebagjesus]

<p>because the commonapp requires you to report it, i think</p>

[entomom]

<p>

I was accepted to cornell as a senior in high school.also I am a freshman not a soph.

</p>

<p>Yes, got the C acceptance in your OP, but how about Y? My comment was with the understanding that you are currently a fr applying to transfer as a soph.</p>

<p>

can’t see why this would be a huge factor

</p>

<p>At least for Y with a 2% acceptance rate for transfers, everything matters.</p>

[SandyRun]

<p>yea, i’m applying as a soph, but before sophomore year. As far as I’ve heard, you don’t have to report it on the common app unless the school takes action against you, which it did not. I was deferred early decision and later rejected from Yale</p>

[SandyRun]

<p>and is there any chance you guys could also assess my chances at Penn?</p>

[entomom]

<p>

yea, i’m applying as a soph, but before sophomore year.

</p>

<p>That’s the way it works for all schools for fall transfer admissions.</p>

<p>

and is there any chance you guys could also assess my chances at Penn?

</p>

<p>Penn is between Y and C, so it still depends on whether or not you were a competitive applicant at Y as a freshman.</p>

[entomom]

<p>

I thought I should quote this directly from the Yale transfer site:</p>

<p>Quote:
As Yale is above all an academic institution, academic strength is our first consideration in evaluating any candidate. The single most important document in the application is the college transcript. Successful transfer applicants present evidence of exceptionally strong college performance in demanding courses. The average GPA of admitted transfer students is usually 3.8 and above. The Admissions Committee will also take high school performance and standardized testing into consideration.</p>

<p>Perhaps Yale will really place more emphasis on your college transcript rather than equally weighing both of them? I don’t know, maybe it’s a ploy.

</p>

<p>Yes for a jr transfer, no for a soph transfer.</p>

[Caillebotte]

<p>I’d say yes at Cornell and maybe at Yale. A drinking citation isn’t anything to worry about. In fact, coupled with your 4.0 in the honors college, the fact that you aren’t a drone will probably look good to C and Y.</p>

[entomom]

<p>Funny, I always though of the sheep-like drinkers as the drones. Maybe “drinking citation” should be added to the list of admissions hooks??</p>

[ramennoodles08]

<p>you should be in at Cornell, game of roulette for Yale</p>

[gobackto2005]

<p>good shot at Cornell. Yale is unpredictable however worth a shot!</p>

[Caillebotte]

<p>As long as you’ve proven you have the intellectual capacity and motivation (which the OP has done), you really think Cornell or Yale gives a damn about something so trivial? Especially when they are fully aware that 90% of their own respective student bodies regularly drink?</p>

[gobackto2005]

<p>Caillebotte, do you think cornell and yale will expect something “special”? I mean I did not get the idea from your second sentence, sry about that.</p>