<p>How important are transfer reasons, anyway? (Harvard, Cornell, U of Chicago).</p>
<p>Also, speaking of transfer reasons, on the Harvard essay, I wrote that I would benefit from their Financial Aid Initiative, only I called it the Low-Income Initiative. Should I worry?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>The answer is 5. </p>
<p>You should have a good reason for wanting to transfer. Especially for those schools.</p>
<p>I personally don't think financial aid is powerful enough for such schools but hey im not an adcom so i might be wrong. :)</p>
<p>Well, I had two big ones--we don't have any classes in the subject area that I'm interested in and I'm getting really crappy fin-aid--$11 a day meal plan, heavy unsubsidized loans, no health insurance, no work-study, although I'm from a 43K family. My parents refuse to help me, so paying their contribution on top of my own is killing me. I could get better aid and a smaller parental contribution at Cornell and U of Chicago, but only Harvard has the FinAid Initiative which would probably make my parental contribution only, like, $500 instead of $3000. At first, I thought that they might be turned off if I said that I'd like to come over and mooch off of their fin-aid, but Harvard's web-site does say that they're need-blind and that "Admissions Committee may respond favorably to evidence that a candidate has overcome significant obstacles, financial or otherwise." I also mentioned that I can't do undergrad research here because of a lack of funding. I didn't talk about not being challenged or my classes' being too big--that's kind of taken for granted at a third-tier school. I don't think the whole "social" thing is a compelling reason, either.</p>
<p>this is a great question. previous post, not first one. i too will have to withdraw if i stay in my university. i simply cannot afford it anymore. i have other resons too though...</p>
<p>
[quote]
$11 a day meal plan
[/quote]
is that $11 per day, or $11 per meal? Because $11 per day is very good.</p>
<p>Somnam, </p>
<p>Quite frankly, I would have stressed academics over personal finances. They want to see depth of academic commitment. They want to see if you are aware of their academic offerings and how you'd fit into their programs.</p>
<p>Since Harvard is "need-blind," they may just overlook personal financial comments. Although, mentioning the lack of research funding, and work-study, might be good, and a subtle lead in to mentioning your personal financial issues.</p>
<p>I definitely stressed that my reasons for wishing to transfer were academic... I mentioned that I consider my current course/work load too light, that I want to be challenged by more rigorous curriculum, and that I'm very interested in programs that are almost exclusive to the school I wish to transfer into (UChicago). </p>
<p>Tough stuff, though, because in terms of lifestyle, travel, and social life, I'm having a great time at my current school...</p>