@Hanna
Penn and Columbia and Cornell have offerings that one cannot find at HYPS undergrad. However I haven’t heard of anyone trying to transfer from HYS to those three, yet there are plenty every year trying to transfer the other way around. I dont doubt that there are some genuine cases but I think prestige pays a huge part in this decision for most, and in some cases it is the only consideration.
I would be more interested in knowing if transfer students at Harvard are admitted to finals clubs.
“I think prestige pays a huge part in this decision for most, and in some cases it is the only consideration.”
You offer zero evidence to support these assertions, but even as a thought experiment, does it make sense that HY would accept such students? They have 25 or 50 or even 100 applicants for every transfer spot. How are you going to stand out in that kind of competition without an outstanding and well-supported explanation for the transfer? The recommendation letters, transcript, essay, and (where applicable) interview all have to match.
I make no statement about HY transfers to Penn etc. because I haven’t known or counseled any, and I’m not interested in offering speculation where I have no observation to rely on. The Penn transfer class in the fall of '97 did have one Stanford student.
@MaterS Yes, Harvard transfers who have the right connections are invited to join final clubs. I knew several who joined. The clubs are mainly people who know each other from high school or certain sports teams; if they know you and like you, they don’t care if you’re a transfer.
@menloparkmom I frankly don’t see what the problem is. It’s not as if the ‘prominent placement’ of this thread is preventing people from easily accessing other ones. And transfer student integration has been an issue at the College for several years.
@Studious99 At least this year, very few transfers are from other Ivy League colleges. The majority I’ve met have been from public universities and LACs.