<p>Any thoughts on the differences between applying for transfers freshman year vs. sophomore year? (between one university to another)</p>
<p>Obviously I would have a greater body of work sophomore year, but transferring earlier makes it easier to develop friends and social groups.</p>
<p>Terminology for transfers is generally soph (apply as fr, enter as soph) and jr (apply as soph, enter as jr) transfer.</p>
<p>The main difference is that more weight is given to HS record (gpa & rigor) and standardized test scores for soph transfer applicants because they have only completed 1 sem of college. Conversely, more weight is given to the college record for jr transfers. However, anticipate everything to count to some degree when applying to selective colleges.</p>
<p>I’m looking to transfer from a top 20 school to a top 10 school (there are some specific programs and resources I want from that school).</p>
<p>The thing is, my high school GPA and test scores were absolutely stellar. My extracurriculars probably are what held me back. Do you think 2/3s of a year of college is going to make a difference in the eyes of admissions?
If I don’t get a sophomore transfer, could I still apply for junior transfer, and would getting rejected for sophomore transfer hurt those chances?</p>
<p>If you are transferring from a top 20 into a top 10, I would say that you have to look at your applicant pool. For all but one of the top schools according to US news, it was actually harder to get in as a transfer than it was to get in as a freshman. I’m going off of these stats here.
[Transfer</a> Acceptance Rates at US News Top 50 - Transferweb](<a href=“Transfer Acceptance Rates at US News Top 50 - Transferweb”>Transfer Acceptance Rates at US News Top 50 - Transferweb)
Myself, I would apply for transfer sophomore year, and then depending on how many schools you are applying to, give it another shot junior year. I don’t know if it will hurt your chances. The minds of those top ten schools and their admissions counselors cannot be predicted, no matter how many people ask for chances. If you’re applying to just one or two schools, apply both years. If you’re applying to a ton of schools (I applied to fourteen when I transferred because I knew I had to get out of where I was, and I needed lots of options) do not apply to all of them the second time, because then you will wear yourself out. And college will make a difference if you show leadership in your XCs, and waiting to apply will give you more time to do that.</p>