If you’re considering applying to Yale as a transfer, you’ve come to the right place. This blog post will go over the writing supplements, but make sure that you’re checking for any additional requirements in place for specific programs. We would be remiss not to mention that Yale’s transfer acceptance rates are tragically low because very few students leave Yale (aka a high retention rate) so they aren’t accepting many new students. Yale’s transfer acceptance rate has been below 2.5% for the past few years. If you’re up for the challenge, keep reading.
Students at Yale have plenty of time to explore their academic interests before committing to one or more major fields of study. Many students either modify their original academic direction or change their minds entirely. As of this moment, what academic areas seem to fit your interests or goals most comfortably?
For this question, you can choose up to three academic interests from a drop-down menu.
Why do these areas appeal to you? (500 CHARACTERS)
If you choose one area of study, use this space to explain your interest in the field. If you choose two or three areas, take it a step further by explaining your goals related to studying all three topics at the same time. How will you benefit from studying Computer Science and Economics simultaneously? Paint that picture.
Essays 1 and 2: Please choose two of the following topics and respond to each in 250 words or fewer:
What do you most enjoy learning?
Beware of overlap if you’re leaning towards answering this question. Keep in mind that every question is a chance to show the reader a new side of yourself, so you don’t want to double down on the information you just wrote about in your first response. We like to answer this question in one of two ways: writing about an offshoot of your academic interests (perhaps you’re a computer science fanatic who is obsessed with machine learning or artificial intelligence) or writing about a random, but interesting, rabbit hole of research that you went down. Think about those things that your family might be sick of you bringing up, like rooftop gardening techniques or how to build a rocket engine.
Reflect on your engagement with a community to which you belong. How do you feel you have contributed to this community?
This is a great opportunity to tell a micro-story about yourself as a member of your chosen community. We say chosen community because we often work with students who feel the need to stretch through generations to “find” their community. If you do not feel especially connected to your religion, race, or ethnicity, there is no need to write about it here. What do you do with your friends? How do you spend your free time? Your community could be the group of classmates you go to the museum with, or the people you see at the dog park every morning. Thinking small is great here. Don’t forget to think about your role within that group. After you’ve decided on a community, you should drop the reader into the scene and show (don’t tell) them what it’s like to be right there in the mix.
You may have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful you believe your application would be incomplete without a discussion of it. Please tell us about it.
This question is essentially a mini version of a common app essay. If you can’t frame it that way in your head, it’s probably best to answer the first two questions. For whatever reason, this prompt has tempted our transfer clients in the past to want to write about something impressive from their resume or activities section. Resist that urge! They already know that you lead your Robotics team to victory in the state-wide competition. Instead, think about the list of qualities you want Yale to know about you. Look at the rest of your application and figure out what they can already discern. Text your friends and ask them to describe you in five words, then start thinking of stories that match those adjectives. As always, your response should come in the form of a story with a beginning, middle, and end.
Essay 3: Tell us in 500 to 750 words why you wish to transfer from your current or most recent institution. Why are you interested in Yale, and how do you think that being here would be a great next step in your education?
This is a great question because it allows you to answer everything in one place. This year, a lot of transfer applications have split this prompt up into multiple parts, which can make it hard to figure out what information should go where, but there are a few key points that you should hit with your response.
The first thing you should do is dive into your origin story, which is an anecdote about how your academic interests began. Instead of diving right into where you are now, think back to when you first started liking X major. It can (and should) be a small story that sets the scene for the rest of your supplement.
This part should be kept brief, but at some point, you need to explain your reasons for wanting to transfer. This is best done by showing that you’ve done everything in your power to take advantage of the resources that you currently have at your disposal, and then explaining what isn’t working. You can’t say that your school doesn’t have the major or program that you’re interested in, so you gave up and need Yale to bail you out. Tell them if you’ve taken every class that is remotely related to your major. Explain that you want to be on a new path now, but that path is not available at your current school.
At this point, you’re moving onto Yale specifics. This means that you should declare your major in writing and then find two upper-level classes that you want to take. If you don’t know what you want to major in at Yale, you have no business applying to Yale. The course catalog should not only excite you but align perfectly with your academic goals. When looking through the course offerings, highlight two that really speak to you, explain why you want to take them, and detail how they’ll help you with your studies. You should also find a professor that you want to work with, and explain how your past experiences (coursework, jobs, internships, or research) will make you a good fit for their team.
Because you won’t be spending all of your time in the classroom, and you want to prove that you’ll be a good fit for the culture of the school, find an extracurricular activity that you plan to join. It should be related to your activities from high school and/or college. If there’s anything else specific to Yale, like guest lectures, speaker series, specific documents, or special opportunities, you should include that here as well.
If you’ve properly researched, you won’t have much room for a lengthy conclusion. Wrap things up nicely and proofread and edit before you submit.
If you’re overwhelmed by the transfer process and need help, contact us here.