Hi there! I know that there are a lot of threads about Cornell’s transfer option or guaranteed transfer, but I was wondering if I could get some opinions or thoughts from students who went through this process and are currently in Cornell? I found out I was offered the transfer option for ILR, and I kind of have mixed emotions about this.
- How does it feel like to switch colleges after one year? Is it easy to acclimate to the environment at Cornell? Do you regret leaving your former school?
- Should you go to a college that you could envision yourself at for four years or go to a school that’s cheap and easy to get a good GPA at?
- When you transfer in, do you receive the same treatment as a first year student, even though by the time you are in you are a sophomore? Like do you get the whole welcome packages and letters and with whole thing? Is the school welcoming to transfer student or are they like looked down upon in any way?
- I know this is probably going to make some people angry, and I know that I am lucky and very grateful for having been extended the opportunity to transfer into such an amazing college, but is being offered the transfer option even worse than being waitlisted or rejected? Of course it’s not what I exactly imagined, but I now that I’ll never be able to move on from this school and fully dedicate myself somewhere else as long as this option is available.
- Are students offered this options rather than being waitlisted because you are not qualified or they just want you on the back burner to fill up spaces when people transfer our?
Thank you so much for any help offered! I hope I did not come off as in any way elitist or entitled, as I don’t intend to do so. I just want some clarification on this process that I am very grateful to receive. I never quite envisioned this path for myself, but maybe it will be a great experience. Thank you so much again to any experience or advice offered!
I will answer some questions and others can chime in.
You were offered a transfer option because you were well qualified, but they just didn’t have enough space for all the great applicants.
Transfer rate out of Cornell is very low. The reason spaces open up sophomore year is because some students go study abroad and many students move off campus. Most freshmen live on North Campus and they have limited beds.
Students I knew (my kids’ friends from high school) who have decided to take the offer went to cheaper/easier schools to make sure they could fulfill the GPA requirement and also to save some money. Someone I knew went to CMU after he got the GT, but couldn’t do the transfer because his GPA was too low.
I think Cornell does a pretty job of assimilate the transfers. Cornell puts transfer in the same dorm the first year. No one looks down on transfers. They join clubs, Greek life, etc. I rarely have heard my kids referring to anyone as a transfer.
GT is definitely a lot better than WL because you have the option of going to Cornell if you want.
Congratulations.
Sorry I can’t answer all or most of your questions. But I think getting the transfer option is much better than being rejected or waitlisted. Its really hard to get off the WL. I know that some people were even offered the TO after being waitlisted. As to students getting the TO, Cornell is saying that your strong credentials qualify you as a student but we just don’t have room for you this coming fall.
I know it’s not a great situation. You may feel like you are in limbo with Cornell lurking in the back of your mind for another year. However, I view it as the ultimate back-up plan. Having an ivy league college as a back-up school in case you are not happy with your school after freshman year sounds pretty good. I would suggest that you accept the TO, and then move on to your next best school choice as if Cornell was not in the picture. Go to college, make friends and enjoy your first year. Fulfill your requirements and if you decide next year that you still really rather be at Cornell, then transfer. The option will be there for you and it is not binding. A lot can happen in a year.
Hey! I transferred to Cornell last year as a junior (not transfer option, just regular transfer). But I do know a lot of people who took the transfer option, and were really happy about it and never looked back. In terms of being welcomed as a transfer, I found Cornell to be very welcoming. They had a whole orientation process and I was able to connect with a lot of different transfers, so I definitely don’t feel like I was robbed of a “first year experience.”
Four years is a long time, so I really encourage you to think about which school is the best fit for you. Don’t be afraid of the transfer option because you’re afraid of uprooting yourself after a year, because you want to be somewhere that will afford you all the opportunities that you want. Best of luck to you!
Thank you all so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences! It was super helpful to hear all of the good advice, and I do feel very encouraged and inspired to pursue this route. There is still so much research and planning that I need to do, but you all have pointed me to the right direction. Many, many thanks 