Considering transfer out of Tulane

Transfer Students
1

Hi all,

In high school I was a bit of a slacker the first two years; straight Bs pretty much. Turned it around junior/senior year (like 90% A’s) and got a full ride to Tulane University. My HS Stats were 3.4 UW GPA, most rigorous course load/National AP Scholar, 34 ACT.

The issue I have with Tulane is that sometimes I feel like I’m not as academically stimulated as I want to be. I’m 99% sure that i’m not the smartest person at my school, but my classmates aren’t as sharp as I expected. Some of them I wonder how they got into this school. I joined some clubs and met some pretty cool and smart people, but most of the people just want to go to bars or frat parties very often (We’re actually ranked #1 party school in the nation). Its not that doing this stuff is bad, but its a bit much. Also my academic advisor treats me like an idiot.

On the positive side, my professors are excellent, most people here are pretty friendly (though there are a significant amount of judgmental a-holes, but they’re probably everywhere), and the girls are REALLY hot, like, sometimes I can’t believe how attractive the student body is (also 60/40 Female/Male ratio).

So I’m considering a transfer to a university because of a better academic environment, but I’m only really interested in schools like Stanford, Cornell, you get the idea. These schools also have programs that I’m interested in–Harvard’s applied math/econ concentration is really appealing to me, as well as the prospect of learning from professors that are leaders in their fields.
Also, these schools have stronger recruitment so it will be easier to find a job.

This semester, I made one A- (which I’m pretty miffed about), the rest A’s, so my GPA is 3.9+. Transfer admission to those schools are like 1% (bar maybe Cornell), so the odds aren’t too appealing.

It takes me a long time to write essays; I’m going through the ringer course wise next semester so my time is going to be limited.

So I’m stuck. I like it here at Tulane, but maybe I might be happier elsewhere–I don’t know. And applying to transfer takes a lot of work and time that I might not have considering the classes I’m taking next semester.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading and I would appreciate your advice.

1 Like
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Here is what you should know-- the seats at Ivy-plus schools (Stanford) that are available for transfers is largely tied to attrition. Since attrition is almost non-existent in the top Ivy schools, so are the seats available. By way of example, recently, Harvard had over 1500 applicants and admitted about 15, and Yale had over a 1000 applicants in which about 2 dozen were offered seats. Brown is close to 5%. Princeton takes no transfers. Stanford accepts close to 1-2%. So, while being qualified is certainly a criteria, the other portion must convey why these schools; typical reasons are that these schools offer programs and/or degrees not offered at your existing institution. Transferring because of the desire to attend a more elite institution is NOT consider a valid reason for transfer.

Cornell had the most open transfer admission rate, close to 20%, but the figure is misleading as most of the seat are reserved for NY state CC students.

Second, that you could have obtained admission as a freshmen applicant. Third, that you have perfect scores at your current institution. Long story short…it is much more difficult to obtain admission as a transfer than as applying for a freshmen seat…

3

It’s a little hard to be sympathetic after just reading some “why did I get deferred from Tulane” posts, but your feelings are your feelings. I can understand where you’re coming from to a certain extent. It’s sometimes hard to get the “vibe” of a school until you’ve actually been a student there.

If I were you I’d focus on challenging myself at Tulane, getting a fantastic GPA, and consider a high-tier grad school for down the road.

Of course if there is a driving reason behind a transfer application (i.e., perfect program somewhere else) there is nothing wrong with trying imho. It’s your life.

4

Build on the fact that the professors are excellent. Hook up with one to help him or her with research. Go to office hours. Go deeper into the material. I agree with he poster who said kick butt at Tulane, and then go for a top tier grad school in your chosen field. In the meantime, enjoy the excellent professors, enjoy the women, enjoy New Orleans, get out of your comfort zone by doing community service or studying abroad, and find other academically minded people with whom to discuss great ideas. Sometimes all you want is right under your nose if you have the right attitude and right approach. You’re much luckier than you realize. Best of luck!

5

Thanks for the advice guys (or girls). I understand that I may sound a bit ungrateful for the opportunity that I have. I’m just a bit jaded of the sentiment of many of the students have about getting destroyed and sometimes I get a bit frustrated academically as I feel like Tulane’s a bit stubborn in that regard. I guess the reasons why I’m considering a transfer is because

  1. I can interact with a more academically inclined and challenging student body (which might not be a valid reason),
  2. The achievements of the faculty at top schools are absolutely nuts and it would be a great experience
  3. better job placement
  4. They offer some really cool programs and resources, like how you can take classes at MIT while at harvard.

I don’t want to go to grad school at the moment as academia is not really attractive to me, except for maybe an MBA but the M7 MBA schools don’t really take people straight out of undergrad.

And I wouldn’t be too hard on myself by getting deferred or waitlisted at Tulane, the admissions office does it often to people who they doubt would want to come here to protect their yield ratio due to the contest (that I find kinda dumb) that all universities participate in, the US News rankings.

I believe that I have the ability to achieve success graduating from either Harvard or Podunk Community College, I like it here, I’m relatively happy, and I appreciate my luck, but sometimes I wonder if I would be happier somewhere else.

I’ll have to think about it. Thanks again.

6

CenaLuchador,just some final things to consider. I would say that Tulane’s high selectivity is motivated by a desire to have happy students who are thrilled to be there to take advantage of all the school offers and enjoy the uniqueness of New Orleans. Since you are cognizant of rankings, I am sure you know that Tulane has been ranked No. 4 for having the “happiest students.” Does the school practice strategic admissions, just like many others? Sure it does, but the silly rankings guides (and they are silly) look much more at Freshman retention rates and 6-year graduation rates than yield, so if Tulane is making itself so selective just to boost its yield it is not making much of an impact. Now, reducing the number of people who don’t finish, that would make a big impact in the rankings and in the morale of the students. For the moment, you would be wise to do all you can to get on board and be one of the “happiest students” – whether it is milking the professors and the research opportunities, or having a good time in N’Awlins. In any event, don’t be a downer: that is unfair to your classmates and ultimately to yourself.

You seem like a sharp guy,with an appropriately nuanced assessment of both the institution and, if I may say so, of yourself. You seem to have the ability to appreciate what there is to be appreciated, so you probably can figure all this out for yourself in your own way, but I do hope that some advice from those who have come before you will be considered in the same thoughtful way. Happy Holidays and New Year!