In high school I had overall 2.9 gpa, two years of community college with 2.4 gpa and a lot of Ws
Then I went to public state college where I dropped out first semester came back and going on my second year with a 3.8 gpa and will have 3.5 this semester with 19 credit hours. ( Chem, Calc, Bio , Pols, Writing). I also do a research project for a teacher where I write programs for him.
Also over
The summer I took a 8am-4pm coding boot camp at Yale, and I have a uncle/aunt who is a professor there.
I am also African American and physics major which are underrepresented.
Also I workout every day and eat nothing but fruits and vegetables and fish ( I used to weight 130lbs more).
Anyways I know my specs aren’t too great but I have some hooks so I’m hoping I’ll get in Cause I really enjoy it in Connecticut
Also by the time I apply I will have two projects in my portfolio- a website and a program for biology research (long explanation) , plus my research mentor is physics aptitude test guy so I am going to take physics test over winter and get another 5 credits before I apply which I imagine will help
I think that you should keep working hard and doing as well as you can at the public state college where you are. It sounds like you have significantly pulled your life together. This is a huge accomplishment and is very important to your future.
I think that your chances at Yale are bleak. It is also not at all clear that you would like it if you were to go there. The highest ranked schools are academically very tough, and also have a significant number of students who are not fully cooperative. It sounds like you are doing well where you are now and I don’t see a reason to break this up.
The chances of your getting into Yale as a transfer are very small. Per the most recent common data set Yale took 24 out of 1,361 transfer applicants for an acceptance rate of under 2%. Your HS and CC history will likely not help your application.
BUT on a positive note it sounds like you are in a very good place where you are having a great deal of success. Keep it up and your future should be bright.
You’ve clearly turned your academic career around over the years, congrats!
That being said, Yale receives over a thousand applications for somewhere between 10-20 transfer openings each year.
Even the most qualified applicants with stellar academic records have an incredibly lousy shot.
It’s fine to dream about Yale, but you seem to be doing well where you are now. I’d suggest that you’d be better off focusing on your grades at your current institution (having your grades go down from a 3.8 to a 3.5 this semester is not going to impress Yale admissions) and defer elite school aspirations to grad or professional school.
I agree with the advice above. You’re doing great where you’re at. When it comes down to it, you’re getting an accredited bachelors degree, nothing more. You’re not missing anything at Yale. I would keep doing what you’re doing and don’t look back.
Thank you all for your advice. It is good advice and I am not too hung up on going to Yale, but I would like to go somewhere just to get out of my comfort zone a little bit more than I already have. The other schools I would like to go to are Columbia and WashU and I am very close to the latter and can easily get in so I am trying not to be too worried about it =)
Yes, but you don’t get out of your comfort zone by jumping straight into the hot coals.
Nor is WashU an easier admit. You need to learn enough about transfer targets to assess your match to what they look for. And no matter hooks, they want superior academics, ECs, and stretch, a record that shows you will fit and thrive.
You can “easily” get into WashU as a transfer? how?
Physics is a major that usually requires grad school, and that in turn requires good marks in a lot of challenging classes that you have yet to take (actually, are you even taking physics? you didn’t mention it in your list of classes above). For grad school you need to keep your GPA where it is, even as the work gets harder.
You also need research experience- and so far you only have coding. Have you started looking at REUs for next summer? Applications are opening, and they are a big add to a grad school application. Have you lined up research with a physics prof for next semester? A physics major takes a lot of specific class sequences, and just finishing it in the next 2.5 years is going to be challenging, never mind doing courses required by whatever school you transfer to. Get yourself ready for grad school- and go to Yale / Columbia for your PhD.
You won’t know unless you try.
My impression is that your chances of being admitted to Yale are not good & that you are expecting your URM status to be more of a significant boost than warranted in light of your past academic performance.
It is fine to apply but from what I see on the common data set WashU accepted about 20% of transfer students who applied - not sure why you think getting in there is a sure thing. Columbia accepts about 6% of transfer applicants.
Honestly it looks like you are doing very well where you are. Given your HS and CC record I consider building on your success. for the remainder of your undergrad. Keep in mind that transferring is hard – you put yourself in a situation where most people are comfortable with the school, the expectations etc., have friends in place etc. and you are new to it all.
I think having competed 24 credit hours in a single semester with Calc, physics, chem, and bio along with a coding research project and a website in my portfolio would be good enough for a university of 1 out of 5 acceptance race, no? Even with a 3.5 gpa. I also live 20 minutes away
One out of five applicants accepted is a very competitive situation (four out of five applicants are rejected). It is not a sure thing that one excellent semester will override your entire HS and CC records. Certainly apply and hope for the best, but be prepared to stay at your current college in the event a transfer doesn’t work out.
Good luck wherever you end up. Keep on this positive path and good things will happen.
…and it’s not 1 out of 5 for transfers: it’s 1 in 50…
https://admissions.wustl.edu/how-to-apply/admission-requirements/
“Transfer admission to Washington University is both selective and competitive. In any given year, any academic division may have from zero to a small handful of slots available. With this small number of transfer spots open, we recommend the strongest candidates for admission present proof of a high school diploma or equivalent and proof of a high level of academic success at their current institution. Successful applicants present at least a 3.5/3.6 GPA from a two-year or four-year college in courses across a broad academic curriculum. Some of our academic divisions require specific grades in specific courses. For example, students with interests in engineering, business, or the physical or biological sciences must present a strong background in science and mathematics, including calculus. In addition, you must have left your current institution and all previous institutions in good standing and be eligible to return.”
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“easily get in?”
Doesn’t seem that way to me.
@collegemom3717 Per the 2017-18 common data set Section D for transfer students Wash U accepted 228 students from 1131 applicants for an acceptance rate of approximately 20% (which is one in five). https://wustl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/wustl-cds-2017-2018.pdf
sorry, @happy1- thought the reference was to Yale! agree that WUSTL is ~20% / 1 in 5 
Thank you all for your advice it has been good to hear other people’s opinions to have a better idea of where I am at as being young and hopeful can sometimes be misleading. After considering my situation with the help of your guys input I have decided to delay applying for transfer for another year so that I can complete Calc and Physics 1-3 and work with my research mentor a bit more.
I am still going to shoot for Yale/Columbia for my senior/junior years of undergrad so I will commit myself to improving my academic discipline and focus over the next year or so.
@KuntaKhan13 I love it when a student listens and processes. Good for you.
But also use the time, starting now, to learn what it takes to be a compelling applicant, in their eyes. It takes a bit of research, looking for what they say and show, and putting the pieces together.