We hope that your application essay will help the Admissions Committee better understand you and the ways in which Yale College might enable you to achieve your academic and personal goals. You should discuss your reasons for wishing to transfer to Yale. You may also wish to comment on your academic interests, extracurricular activities, and significant responsibilities outside of school.

　　While many students decide to apply to Yale for its prestige, the motivating factor for me was an innocent summer activity. I learned about Yale last summer when I served on the Executive Committee and taught for a program in New Haven, called Summer bridge New Haven. This program, based out of the Hopkins School, allows high school and college students to mentor and teach inner-city students who cannot afford a tuition-based program. Two of my co-workers were Yale students, and they informed me that Yale made major contributions to the program. Moreover, Yale generously offered the use of its facilities, including field trips to the Yale Daily News and other Yale sights that provided invaluable experiences for the students, some of whom had never toured Yale despite living in New Haven their entire lives. Several graduate students helped us gather textbooks and other information for the program's science classes, one of which I taught during the summer. I was very impressed with Yale's devotion to the betterment of the New Haven community. It attracts me because community service has always been a major part of my life. Before that summer, I have served programs such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Meriden-Wallingford and a tutoring program for a grammar school in West Philadelphia.

　　Beyond Yale's intense involvement in the community, another reason I would like to transfer to Yale is because of its acclaimed international relations and economic departments. My interest in economics arose early, as I was the president of the business club at my high school, Choate Rosemary Hall. I also participated in the Fed Challenge, in which Choate selected a team of five economics students to represent the school in a national economics contest in Washington, DC. We attempted to prove, through intense research, what monetary policy the Fed should implement in its next Board of Governors meeting. Our performance in the competition won each of us a $4,000 scholarship and a yearlong subscription to Business Week (McG raw-Hill, the publisher of Business Week, was a sponsor). This contest was exciting and sparked my current passion for economics. Hence, Yale's exceptional economics department would be a wonderful resource for me.

　　In addition to economics, I also enjoy studying languages and the interaction between foreign countries. At Penn, I have attained proficiency in German and am now taking my second semester of Polish. Both Yale's foreign language and international relations departments are very strong and would greatly enhance my education.

　　Another factor in my decision to apply to Yale as a transfer student has been my father's illness. My father was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and has begun feeling quite ill. As New Haven is near my home in Wallingford, attending Yale would allow me to spend more time with my father and let me aid him with some of the tasks that he can no longer do because of his illness.

　　Though his illness has played some role in my decision, my academic interests in Yale are still the main reasons for my desire to transfer. I have a variety of college interests that I hope to continue at Yale. These include working as an associate for the Daily Pennsylvanian, Penn's student newspaper, and co-founding the Options and Hedging Strategy Club, an investment club that works in conjunction with Philadelphia investment banking houses and offers Penn students information sessions on investment strategies. I would love the opportunity to work for such a reputable student newspaper as the Yale Daily News and start a similar investment strategy club at Yale. Through my previous experiences with Yale, and based on my current interests, I am certain that Yale and I would be a perfect fit.