Then, in my opinion, you need a much less reachy list. There are plenty of less competitive colleges where you could find alternate majors.
You are from Illinois? What about your flagship? Plenty of majors there.
You should also check the majors where you currently are enrolled. You will very likely find something that can get you to your career goal. I’ll let @blossom explain how majors don’t necessarily define careers or jobs.
Changing a major is known to be one of the best and most compelling reasons to transfer. And I was just asked previously why I want to attend, not what I would contribute to the school. Not sure why I am being penalized for not answering a question I wasn’t asked.
You asked for chances. What folks are trying to say is that without a compelling academic reason for wanting to transfer, your chances are lower.
Yes, and I was accepted to most of those.
After reviewing my application from last year, my application this year is almost completely different. It also includes several more accolades this year.
I am asking how I would do this year with the information presented above. Continuing to compare me to what I submitted over a year ago now is not helpful.
And they are saying that for a successful transfer you need to show the schools what you would bring to the campus community… show them why they should accept you.
Edit: I intended to reply to the OP. Sorry, @thumper1
Then why didn’t you choose one of these elite schools last year?
And what folks are trying to tell you…you are a college freshman. Your high school record will be what is used to determine admission THIS time. Any new “accolades” would need to be very significant.
Apply to your list and see. But in my opinion, if you really want to transfer, you need some more realistic for acceptance colleges on your list of school. But that’s my opinion.
Some of them had different issues. For example, one of them had a great program, but after visiting the campus, I realized the location wasn’t suitable.
Another one wouldn’t have a music program to continue learning piano.
There were different reasons for each, but overall, many cost twice the price with worse locations and offerings for some activities I wanted to do.
Additionally, I had originally wanted to study journalism, and my current school is among the top 3 for journalism. They were offering me numerous scholarships and I was named as one of the top 10 incoming freshmen and top 50 incoming journalism students.
In that case, could you provide me with advice for what some compelling arguments are to use in essays or how to better frame myself.
Which things are people looking for to contribute to a campus?
Before people respond, could you please actually read the entire post? I am asking for an evaluation of how strong of a candidate I am. Not a critique of my list. I am aware of it’s prestige. That is not helpful.
I had a more balanced list, but reduced it due to the cost to submit the materials.
Please just give feedback about whether I am a poor, moderate, or strong transfer candidate.
If you would like to provide insight into how to better my application, that is also appreciated. However, I have spent a long time narrowing my options and determining where to apply.
Which specific schools in your OP were you accepted to last year?
I remember Fordham being one school you were accepted to, but that’s not on the current list. RE: your major change it would be helpful if you respond to my post above.
The schools you applied to last year will take into account your previous application and your HS record, as you are currently only a first year. With that said, I have seen plenty of students accepted at certain schools they were previously denied at, specifically NU (where you were denied at Medill last year) and Vandy (don’t think you applied, just another example).
Again, if you are certain you want to transfer you need to add at least one affordable safety to your list. Personally, I would add some match/target schools as well…and for those I would start with the schools posters recommended on your other thread.
Ok, if you want to hear totally honest feedback - your chances are poor. Why?
a. You’re applying to schools that don’t take many transfer students and/or have very low transfer acceptance rates.
b. You haven’t been able to articulate a strong academic reason for transferring.
Narrow down your list to fewer schools where you can make a strong case (both, why the school fits and how you would contribute). Add a couple of safeties.
Does this mean you deleted more likely places for admission?
Your highest chances, by far, will be at colleges that are receptive to general transfer applicants. WUStL, for example, shows an acceptance rate for transfers of 21% on its current CDS, which indicates a reasonable chance of acceptance for a qualified applicant such as yourself.
Staying at your current school.
UIUC, UIC, other Illinois publics might be matches or safeties.
Although an explicit environmental policy major may not exist at many schools, you may be able to do policy-focused electives within an environmental (social) studies major, or an environmental emphasis or electives within a public policy major.
Most of these colleges will be public ones, particularly moderately or less selective ones. However, in some states, they may favor transfer applicants from in-state community colleges.
I have twice started responses & twice deleted them. Some of your ‘why’ responses for particular colleges (esp Cornell & Columbia, 2 programs I know pretty well) are such a stretch that they sound more like rationalizations than reasons.
Good use of the word ‘quite’:
The Truman School is not exactly unknown in policy circles.
So, if this transfer isn’t being largely driven by prestige, why isn’t GW on your list? Affordability would be good reason- do you have financial constraints? if so, what is your budget? One really, truly important element is that if you are looking at policy and/or environmental and/or international studies, you want to avoid debt at all costs! It is hard to overstate just how poorly paid the early years in all those fields are- and you will almost certainly want a masters, which tends to be expensive (although iirc, the Mizzou public policy program has a +1 year masters).
ps,
Keeping all the most selective (and therefore least likely to accept you) places is fine- IF you only want to transfer if you improve the brand name.
“And I was just asked previously why I want to attend, not what I would contribute to the school. Not sure why I am being penalized for not answering a question I wasn’t asked.”
I will be specifically addressing the Stanford policy, that I’m familiar with, because my husband conducts alumni interviews for Stanford.
I’m assuming it’s similar at the other Ivies that you selected.
When you fill out a Stanford transfer application, you will be asked, more or less, what you’re bringing to the school. Not trying to “penalize” you, (you asked a “chance me” thread) but transfer applicants are expected to bring something more specific.
If you had previously applied to Stanford, and were rejected, then your application needs to include specific enhancements that will enhance your previous application and attract the eye of an admissions committee.
If you are coming in as a previous journalism major, with a change of major to environmental policy, then that might be “suspect” in the eyes of an admissions committee, because it would look, to them, as though you are changing major to try to gain admission.
I also agree that your chances are poor given your current list of elite universities, limited hooks (URM, athlete, legacy, etc.) and their limited rates of acceptance for transfers.
Also, I don’t know what your budget is, but transfers don’t necessarily get great financial aid. Many are full fees. Need based aid is based on what the schools think you should pay, not what you think you need. The financial aid offices tend to reserve their best dollars for entering freshmen who they are trying to entice with scholarships.
You may have mentioned this earlier, but are these new accolades that you have earned this year while in college? If so, can you generally describe them?
Also, why would your applications this year, as a transfer student, be different than last year’s applications? Is it just that you want to change majors, so your essays etc might be different? Or is there another reason?
Feel free to answer or not, but the folks here are trying to help. I don’t know much, if anything, about college transfers, but “stating your case” as to why one of these schools you want to apply to now should accept you seems to me to be the key.
Well, I listed my current extracurriculars above.
My previous application was geared around being a journalism/English major. Having not won national/international writing contests and having little experience with journalism, my application wasn’t great.
I put down Scouting, band, Model UN, Philosophy Club, etc. on my first application.
At the time, I had my Girl Scout Gold Award, but didn’t have my Eagle Scout award. I forgot to mention that I was president of Model UN.
I only had a few school leadership positions (principal trumpet, Model UN president, Philosophy Club president). I also only had one scholarship at that point and a national piano achievement.
Since then, I became an All-State musician, was selected for the All-American D-Day Band, and was accepted to the Midwest Band Clinic.
At my current school, I have leadership positions in 3 clubs that in total oversee operations for 350+ people.
I listed an online magazine I worked for, but when I submitted applications, I had worked for them for 9 months - 1 year. Now, I worked for them for 2 years. I am also a journalist for a professional environmental newsdesk, a communications intern for a national humanitarian organization, and write for several other groups.
I had published a poetry book, but now I am in several anthologies and placed in the Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards. They sent me free books and I got to talk to Amanda Gorman.
I had also started an educational website and literary magazine a few months before submitting applications. Now, I have been running it and managing a team for 1.5 years. I have had dozens of submissions and engaged hundreds of people.
Regarding new things, I was named a top 10 incoming freshman and top 50 incoming journalism student.
Therefore, I was given a research position as part of a selective fellowship, where I am the only undergraduate on my team and will be co-authoring a paper in the spring. I have already received recognition for my research within my school.
Through another program at school, I started a team to work with two NGOs in sub-Saharan Africa to raise $50k for reusable feminine products. Many of these women don’t know what a pad is, so we are providing them with education and materials to alleviate period poverty. I already received a grant from Roots and Shoots for the project.
Additionally, I became an ambassador for the American Conservation Coalition, which is a national environmental group. I am working on getting signatures for environmental petitions and spreading awareness about bipartisan environmental efforts.
I took part in a climate education program. As part of that, I worked with Harvard researchers to determine environmental policy solutions and gave a TedEd talk.
And additionally, I was selected for a Department of State fellowship where I am working on wildlife conservation projects with university students in Namibia.
Meanwhile, I have been in the honors college at my current school and have received a 4.0 my first semester. It’s not like my grades were bad in high school. I had a 3.86 unweighted GPA.
I’ve also received 10 more scholarships since my applications, including a national essay contest about renewable energy.
I’ll hopefully submit my application for the Presidential Service Award as well before the deadline.
I’d say that application is a lot different than: Girl Scout Gold Award, teaches piano, does band, Model UN, Philosophy Club President, maybe dabbles in a few other things, and published a book. And even then, I was waitlisted at schools like UChicago.
And it is genuinely that I didn’t know what policy was before and had no access to environmental classes in high school. I have always been passionate about the environment and did many conservation projects through Scouting. However, my previous application was creative writing focused. I have had the opportunity to show my interest in the environment through my internship, ambassador position, Department of State program, climate education program, environmental newsdesk, etc.
Also, I am currently waiting to hear back on my Oxford Climate School application and interview results for an environmental policy internship. Not sure how that is just me changing my major for a better acceptance rate.
My school is also nominating me for two fellowships that would take me to Africa and the UK to learn more about climate change and climate policy.
Ok. I will make sure to include that in the applications.
I definitely don’t think I have a strong chance for Stanford, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, etc.
And to be fair, I come from first-generation parents, so we knew nothing about the college process until my senior year. I was completely unprepared. I applied Early Action to Stanford, so I submitted in October. I had virtually nothing for my application.
Not that I would’ve been accepted anyway, but I had a very uncompetitive application for Stanford.