<p>So, where to start. I applied RD to Barnard last year and was rejected I realized about halfway through the application process that Barnard was the school I really wanted to go to, but it was too late to apply ED. I contacted the admissions office back in April to ask for advice on transferring, but I haven’t contacted them since. I’d like to know what I should do my freshman year to have the best chances as a freshman transfer. Thanks.</p>
<p>I didn’t apply to Barnard during my senior year of high school, but I’m about 90% sure I would have been rejected right off the bat. My grades weren’t very good and I barely had any extracurricular activities under my belt.</p>
<p>I eventually matriculated at a top-40 public school in my hometown (which happens to have a high acceptance rate) with full intent of transferring out, and I got an acceptance letter from Barnard about ten months later.</p>
<p>You haven’t provided a whole lot of detail regarding your situation, but here are a few pointers I can give you based on my personal experience:
- Find something you like and fully pursue it during your freshman year (e.g. I went totally ham on student media). Join clubs/organizations that require more effort than membership and going to pointless meetings. It’s preferable that you continue to demonstrate interest in things you did in high school.
- Suck up to your professors. Talk to them outside of class (go to office hours!); establish some sort of rapport. One of them is going to wind up writing a letter of recommendation for you.
- Grades do matter to an extent. To be safe, try working towards a GPA of at least 3.7 (I had a 3.8). A B-grade or two won’t hurt you. Don’t lose focus during your second semester–you’re going to have to submit a midterm report.
- This should go without saying, but some people seem to have difficulty grasping this idea: Invest time in your essays (really take time to brainstorm). You shouldn’t start and finish these essays within the span of an evening; Barnard really takes these seriously (luckily, you won’t have to write about “majoring in unafraid.”) Don’t talk about NYC, Midnight Breakfast, the Nine Ways of Knowing or any of that crap on your “Why Barnard?” essay. Generate something that no one can replicate, and give compelling reasons for transferring (this is vital).
- Keep up with your required application forms; make sure the admissions office has actually received them if the tracking site does not indicate so (you’re going to have to submit a lot of your forms through mail. I don’t know why the Common App does this). Plenty of people aren’t admitted simply because they screw this up.
- Keep in mind: the transfer application process is not fun. If this is going to be your main focus during your freshman year, you’re not going to have a good time (I sure as hell didn’t).</p>
<p>And I guess that’s it. The main idea is to establish yourself as something more than an applicant ID and a set of scores–make yourself valuable to the Barnard community.</p>
<p>Thanks for that. If it helps anybody, here’s my information:
SAT: 80 Writing, 750 Reading, 730 Math
SAT Subject tests: 710 Math 2, 700 Chemistry, 660 US History
Grades: Had a 4.0 for most of high school, dropped off senior year because I was depressed for a number of reasons
Extracurriculars: Never really settled on anything or found a “passion” so to speak</p>
<p>I’m also wondering when it’s best to get in touch with Barnard admissions again. Should I start now or wait for school to start?</p>
<p>Admissions are not on vacation, if that’s what you are worried about. I talked to someone there just last week :)</p>
<p>Why would you get in touch with them, btw?</p>
<p>I think getting in touch and doing it early in the game, would show that I’m interested in becoming a Barnard student. I sent them an email asking about changes in the common app supplements. Small, but it shows I care about Barnard.</p>
<p>Get top grades, and get involved: join/start clubs, be a leader. Get tremendous references from 2 of your profs. Write a compelling essay and highlight why you’re like the outstanding Barnard alum. What is it about you that makes you an outstanding leader/thinker of tomorrow…tell them! Barnard has the highest successful transfer stats of all the top LAC’s. Good luck! You can do it!</p>