Transfer to Yale! [Fall 2011]

[RIDINSOLO]

<p>Heyy I know it's still a bit early ..but I wanted to know if there was anyone else interested in applying as a transfer to Yale for next fall. </p>

<p>I really like the college I'm attending right now, but it's not my kind of school. I know the admissions process is reaaally intense, but when is any of this chill anyway? </p>

<p>Hahah anyone else applying? :)</p>

[RIDINSOLO]

<p>Anyone else? <em>nudgee</em> haha.</p>

[the.walnut]

<p>Haha, talk about early birds. I haven’t even looked at the application or essay questions yet! XD </p>

<p>How about you guys? Have you all finished your essays, gotten the necessary reports filled out, etc already?</p>

[smithsonian2011]

<p>hey guys, I’m also applying, but I’ve been spending more time perusing through forums on this website than working on my apps. It’s so overwhelming to think about how slim the chances are for transfer admission!</p>

[entomom]

<p>From the 2010 Y Transfer thread:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/transfer-students/792416-yale-fall-2010-thread.html?highlight=yale[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/transfer-students/792416-yale-fall-2010-thread.html?highlight=yale&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>

Y Transfer Class of 2012/13:</p>

<p>32 transfers are matriculating at Y this fall, compared to 18 in 2009 and (as I recall) 24 in 2008. There are currently 64 transfer students attending Y (jr transfers from 2008 graduated last spring).

</p>

<p>Good luck all!</p>

[CollegeFreshman]

<p>I’m so nervous. I’m applying too. I already got my letters of rec, completed the application, and am almost finished with the supplement. I just need the transcript and stuff. Good luck to everyone and I hope everything goes well!</p>

[smithsonian2011]

<p>I’m getting more nervous everyday, because I just can’t nail my essays. Also, my friends who have transferred are all telling me how much LOR matters and I’m really iffy about mine. Where else are you guys applying to?</p>

[CollegeFreshman]

<p>Lor? …</p>

[entomom]

<p>^^^Who have you been talking to? Sounds like hyperbole to me.</p>

[CollegeFreshman]

<p>I’m hoping that too because I have a “big” hook. I spoke with a Harvard student and he read my essay and said the topic was “very very powerful.” I don’t have any famous “extra curricular” though so who knows what will happen. </p>

<p>GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE! I HOPE BY SOME MIRACLE WE ALL GET IN! </p>

<p>But, I noticed that “Why Yale” section only allows for 500 characters (spaces included), which is about three sentences. How specific can one get with three-ish sentences?</p>

[entomom]

<p>D1 is was a soph transfer to Y, she’ll graduate this spring; she knows a lot of the transfer students. Sure people are accomplished, have unique strengths and are able to relate to Y what they will bring to the campus. But:</p>

<p>

athletes running huge businesses and stuff like that…

</p>

<p>

they have a very big hook like being famous or something

</p>

<p>Hyperbole.</p>

<p>Transfer description w/o hyperbole, post #15:</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/598296-yale-transfer-fall-2009-a.html?highlight=transfer[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/yale-university/598296-yale-transfer-fall-2009-a.html?highlight=transfer&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

[CollegeFreshman]

<p>How were her ECs and stats? Feel free to ignore the question if you don’t feel comfortable but it would give needed insight.</p>

[smithsonian2011]

<p>haha ntrading funny that you say the reason for transferring to study physics isn’t enough, because that’s what i’m doing! no offense taken though, I realize the broad essence of the point you were trying to get across :)</p>

[entomom]

<p>Specifics.</p>

<p>Fall 2010:</p>

<p>

Current School: University of Delaware
Entering as: Sophomore
High School GPA: 94/100 unweighted, my school had a weird system.
College GPA: 4.0 when accepted, now 3.97 (approx.)
SAT/ACT Scores: 1520/2320
Significant EC’s: 250+ hours of research, editor/contributor to 2 literary/news magazines
U.S./Intl: U.S.</p>

<p>Applied to: Amherst, Brown, Dartmouth, Penn, Swarthmore, Wesleyan, Yale
Accepted: Yale, Wesleyan, Penn
Waitlisted: Dartmouth, Swarthmore, Brown
Rejected: Amherst</p>

<p>Likely Attending: Yale</p>

<p>It all comes down to the essays. I’m not posting mine, since I spent a few months on them, but that’s really what’s most important. Anyone can have a 4.0 but you have to distinguish yourself through the essays.

</p>

<p>Fall 2009: no CC members reported being accepted as a Y transfer.</p>

<p>Fall 2008:</p>

<p>

Current School: Top public
Entering as: Sophomore
High School GPA: 4.0 UW
College GPA: 4.0ish (couple of A- and A+'s)
SAT Score: 2370
SAT II Scores: US Hist 800, BioM 780, Math IIC 730
Significant ECs: Translator in low income clinic, competitive summer programs and internship, institutional and outside scholarships.
Major Applied For: Spanish</p>

<p>Applied to: Yale, Stanford, Brown, Dartmouth, Amherst
Accepted: Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, Amherst
Waitlisted:
Rejected: Stanford

</p>

<p>

Current School: UC Berkeley
Entering as: Junior
High School GPA: I forget… I was 16/~650
College GPA: 3.97
SAT/ACT Scores: 760V, 800M, 710W</p>

<p>Significant ECs: Ballroom dance, lots of lab work</p>

<p>Major applied for: Political Science</p>

<p>Applied to: Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Columbia, Dartmouth, Rice
Accepted: Yale, Rice
Rejected: Stanford, Harvard
Pending: Columbia, Dartmouth</p>

<p>Likely Attending: Yale!!!

</p>

<p>NOTE: Not really a rejection from H as H decided midway through the process that it didn’t have room to accept transfers for a couple of years.</p>

<p>Fall 2007:</p>

<p>

college/university: Yale
Decision: Accepted</p>

<p>Objective:</p>

<pre><code>* SAT I (breakdown): n/a

• ACT: 27
• SAT II: n/a
• College GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
• High school GPA: international student. It was a mixed bag due to having the ability to get A:s but skipping a lot, so some F:s too.
• High school Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5%. An “A” is very hard to get, so the F:s didn’t bring me down that much.
• Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): n/a
  </code></pre>

<p>Subjective:</p>

<pre><code>* Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): unorganized TA work, unorganized political activity, held lectures, wrote lengthy independent papers. Not too crazy about the EC game, esp. at the campus I was at.

• Job/Work Experience: assisting elderly people (that job was for paying my rent, and temporarily killed any humanitarianism I harbored. You would not believe how racist old Swedish folks can be, esp. towards assistants), webdesign/IT work
• Volunteer/Community service: Only for political causes, and back in high school. I don’t believe in outsourcing governmental responsibility on to students.
• Essays: definitely what got me in. Went all out to embody everything I’m about, didn’t stick to conventional format at all, haha.
• Teacher Recommendation: apparently I’m the academic second coming. Had such awesome support from awesome professors. They really believed in me, and it made all the difference in me even applying.
• Counselor Rec: College president wrote it. He based it off of a bunch of professor recommendations in turn. I owe a lot to him getting so involved – he checked up on where I was in the process every other week. I’ve had such amazing, amazing people behind me, really, and I’m still grappling with how to thank them.
• Additional Rec: n/a
• Interview: n/a
  </code></pre>

<p>Other</p>

<pre><code>* State (if domestic applicant): n/a

• Country (if international applicant): Bosnia/Sweden
• School Type: community college
• Ethnicity: Slavic-Muslim
• Gender: F (haha, EVERYBODY here has been assuming I’m male – guess I’ve been outed!)
• Income Bracket: Don’t really know how to describe it. We used to be poor (think way below subsistence level poor), but now I guess we’re lower middle-class, which feels strange. A lot of debt though.
• Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): How do you define a “hook”? I’m me. It came out pretty clearly in the application. I got myself to the US single-handedly, I’m artistic, I blew off highschool to do stuff I loved (civic engagement, reading books in my major), my early childhood was in a war zone. I’m extremely politically conscious, which is why I chose Yale (awesomely quirky, active atmosphere, left-leaning faculty).
  </code></pre>

<p>Reflection:</p>

<pre><code>* Strengths: Knew why I wanted to transfer. By the time I got to college here, I’d already “done the readings” and it shone through in my classroom interactions. I have a unique background story and feel a strong committment to helping classmates out. My essay format stuck out, and in general, I think my application hinted at a willingness to go beyond conformity. I also think the sheer scale in which I shaped up in college in regards to following rules, getting study discipline, etc demonstrated character – I certainly feel I’ve grown in that regard since coming here.

• Weaknesses: Obviously, blowing off highschool. I personally don’t regret it because it freed up a lot of time to do some SERIOUS reading, but the system is the system. I didn’t get engaged in politics over here as much as I’d liked to (total burnout from previous years), and my math skills were disasterous from not practicing it for years (what dragged my ACT down so much). I’ve taken a stat class with an “A” now, but Yale didn’t know this by the time of application.
  </code></pre>

<p>Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:</p>

<pre><code>* Haha, I’ve spilled my lifetime channel story here already, I’ll spare you now!
</code></pre>

<p>

</p>

[Alicema]

<p>My solute to you and others who start early and wish you good luck. </p>

<p>I just had a look at the Harvard supplement since I may try to apply as a transfer. One question asked: “What alternatives to transferrring to Harvard are you considering?” I don’t think I’ll have time to turn in more than one application if that is what they want to know. Do you have any advice on how to answer this question, or has anyone contacted Harvard and got an answer?</p>

[entomom]

<p>^Your question would be more appropriate on the H subforum.</p>