Transfer Question!!!

[areyouYALE]

Hi Everybody!

Im a college freshman applying to transfer to yale for the fall 2016 semester, and was wondering…

–) How helpful is having a Yale Professor write you a letter of recommendation/advocate for your admission? Would it save a mediocre 3.5 HS GPA and (slightly) Sub 2000 SAT?

[gibby]

Has the Yale professor taught you in an academic subject? Can they comment about how you lead classroom discussions, or the insightful comments you made in class or that they hold your writing in high regard? What exactly would this Yale professor say?

[IxnayBob]

While your 3.5 HS GPA and <2000 SAT will be noted, AOs will likely be more interested in your college GPA, what school you currently attend, your intended field of study and why the school you matriculated at a few months ago cannot meet your needs, etc.

While Yale does not weigh intended major heavily (or at all) for incoming freshmen, it is a large factor in transfers.

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.

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. Please note that the SAT or the ACT Plus Writing is required of all transfer applicants (there are some exceptions to this policy). 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.

my underlining

[areyouYALE]

@gibby YES! He’s actually a professor at Yale and at my university and he currently leads my seminar! So far, i have an A in his class (got an A on the 25% midterm paper). He really seems to like me, because after class last week he said that he was “excited about my future” I do participate a lot in class so he would be able to talk about that.
But i don’t know because admission, especially as a “Transfer” to Yale, is highly competitive.

Also, how much would hooks help, like “first gen student” etc?

[gibby]

Well, first off I would ask the professor to see if he would write you a recommendation to Yale. His LoR and your grade of A in the class would certainly help to counteract an otherwise lackluster HS transcript and low SAT score.

That said, what does Yale offer you academically that you cannot get at your current college? Have you max’ed out any specific courses at your college which Yale has more of? Does Yale offer a major that your current college does not? What impact have you had at your current college? What co-curricular activities have you joined? Are you a leader in those activities or a follower? In deciding which transfer applicants to admit, Admissions tends to weigh those factors very heavily.

[Memmsmom]

Have you considered asking the professor if he feels you belong at Yale? There will be many people that higher scores in HS and continued on to very competitive colleges also applying for those coveted spots. Perhaps he will give you an honest and objective answer to your chances because he knows you and he knows Yale.