I am an international student so we don’t have GPAs. I had high grade 9, 10 and 11 scores (the scores were not inflated – the tenth grade exam was held and graded by the government). However, my grade 12 scores dropped quite significantly in maths and chemistry. I had applied to and was wait listed at NYU and UChicago but withdrew my application soon after seeing my horrifying scores.
Now, I am a freshman at one of the top institutions of my country (ranked second) with an acceptance rate of 2%. It’s super competitive, consisting of toppers from all over the nation. So, if I managed to get a high GPA here, will I be able to make up for my high school scores and have a fair shot at getting into Yale?
As for why my grades dipped, I was in a situation that I don’t expect anyone who hasn’t studied in my school to understand. I would also like to note that my school is not exactly a wonderfully performing school. I’m the first student from here to get into this college. Most students from here go to tier 2 or 3 colleges. I spent my eleventh and twelfth grade here.
And, of course, I get it if I can’t get in. I am at the verge of giving up. I had to fight for everything I have now and I honestly can’t go through round two of it. I am currently living the dream of a significant part of my country. So, I might as well drag myself through it.
Yale lays out the odds pretty clearly on their transfer pages:
"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, with spaces for only 20 to 30 students. 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.
The Admissions Committee gives serious consideration to a transfer applicant’s motivation, curiosity, energy, leadership ability, and distinctive talents. The personal essays and evaluations from college faculty members, deans and advisers can provide a great deal of insight into these qualities. Yale seeks students who have made significant contributions to their college and local communities. Diversity within the student body is important, and the Admissions Committee works to select a class of contributing individuals from as broad a range of backgrounds as possible.
The 2-3% transfer admission rate reflects space limitations at Yale and means that the Admissions Committee must deny admission to most qualified applicants. 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. A desire to leave one’s current school is not a compelling reason for admission to Yale." - https://admissions.yale.edu/transfer-details
When you also consider that International students typically make up about 10% of Yale admits, the numbers become even less favorable, with 3 or fewer slots for international transfer students each year.
You’d need to be one of the two or three top international students - not just at your university, or in your country, but in the entire world - applying for transfer admissions; and also clearly show how your educational needs are not being met at your current institution and couldn’t be met anywhere else in the world other than Yale.
What country are you from?
What’s your parents’ income?
Can you imagine yourself at another university than Yale, IE, would you be willing to leave your top2 national institution for a college in the us that isn’t known in your country (as long as the university is good)?