<p>Hey,
I'm currently a student at the University of Pennsylvania. I've been accepted to transfer to Harvard and Swarthmore, and am trying to decide which one to attend, or whether I should stay at Penn.
I initially wanted to leave Penn because I felt like I didn't really fit in there, but I ended up adapting and made a ton of great friends.
I was wondering how easy it is to integrate into Harvard for transfers. Especially considering the fact that I've been admitted for the spring term, as opposed to the fall term when everyone else moves in.
I fear that everyone will already have made their groups of friends, coupled with something I heard about how Harvard doesn't have the strongest of communities. Also, that students spend most of their time on extracurricular activities, so I would imagine this is where they would meet people, but I don't know how easy it will be to get involved with those if I'm coming in the middle of the year.
If anyone has any personal experience, I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks.</p>
<p>The poster, Hanna. was a transfer to Harvard from Bryn Mawr who became very involved in things at Harvard, and later graduated from Harvard Law School. Perhaps she'll see your post and answer any questions you may have.</p>
<p>I second all those worries as a spring admit who is positive she's coming to Harvard. I know a few people there already and one is very into politics, as am I, and I'm hoping to come up and visit and stay with some of them during fall break, but I'm not sure what I'll do when I move in in the midst of everyone else... studying for finals.</p>
<p>I know a lot of transfers, and they all seem to like it. Its pretty easy to get very involved in certain organizations with no prior experience. Currier's HoCo president last year was a transfer himself. My sinkmate is a transfer from Cornell. Youll also have a very good support group with the rest of the transfers, they all stick together and are very cohesive</p>
<p>siliconcenturion: You sound like a Currierite (besides the fact you said Currier HoCo)! I am a rising tree next year!</p>
<p>It's not easy. It's not easy even if you enter in the fall. That being said, EVERY single one of the 200+ Harvard transfers I've known did it. Almost to a man, the transfers are unusually pro-active and tenacious people, even compared to other Harvard students. If you got in, it's a very safe bet that you have the personality to become so integrated within a few months that your new friends will be shocked to learn you're a transfer.</p>
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<p>extracurricular activities, so I would imagine this is where they would meet people, but I don't know how easy it will be to get involved with those if I'm coming in the middle of the year.</p>
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<p>Again, not always easy, but you just do it anyway. I had one good friend, a spring transfer from Brown, who basically harrassed the choral director into holding a special mid-year audition just for her, which is totally against the rules, but she wanted to be in the choir in the spring and so she made it happen.</p>
<p>Many activities DO hold regular spring-semester intake. The Crimson, the theater programs, most community service clubs, etc. are just as easy to join in the spring as in the fall. Spring intramural sports will be starting from scratch. Your House Committee (HoCo) will ALWAYS want more volunteers, and that's a great way to have instant friends in your House. Also, don't forget that you will meet lots of new and former transfers through the Transfer Links program.</p>
<p>Once you find that group you love, this just becomes a non-issue. I joined an a cappella group and the problem was solved overnight. Their friends were my friends, I knew a million people all of a sudden, and that was that.</p>