How to transfer to Harvard?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

I am just wondering how can you maximize the chance of transferring to Harvard

2

With respect to transfer applications, I think Yale says it best! As such, I’ve taken the liberty of replacing the word ‘Yale’ with ‘Harvard’ in the below quote.

If you can answer that question, you will have maximized your chances!

3

@fbnfkdgbf: Looking through your post history:

  1. You applied this year to Harvard as a Questbridge applicant and it seems as if you were rejected.
  2. You were accepted to USC and offered $66K in scholarships and grants towards $77K in tuition. So your total Cost of Attendance (COA) will be $11K per year to attend USC. As such, your COA is probably higher than it would have been if you had been accepted to Harvard, but is much less than the COA of attending your flagship instate college.

I understand rejection is difficult to come to terms with, however to be a viable transfer applicant to Harvard you will need stellar grades and recommendations from USC and demonstrate you’ve had a positive impact on USC’s campus. To achieve those things, you must embrace USC (or whatever school you ultimately will attend) with all your heart and soul. So for the moment, IMHO, you need to let go of the idea of transferring to Harvard and focus your time, energy and thoughts into making USC a home. Best of luck to you!

4

@gibby it’s my understanding that Harvard does not participate in the Questbridge program.

5

I agree with @gibby. Your best chances of ever attending Harvard is to do very well at whatever school you attend, and hope to attend Harvard (or a similar school) for graduate school. Transferring into Harvard is exceptionally difficult.

I will note that Harvard has (extracted from Wikipedia): “…about 6,700 undergraduate students and about 15,250 postgraduate students”. Clearly they accept graduate students who did their undergrad at many other schools. My experience when in graduate school at a similar university on the opposite coast, is that the other graduate students there had done their undergrad at a very wide range of other schools.

6

And IIRC its even harder to transfer than to be accepted as a freshman. Never mind the $$$.

7

Correct.

Also correct. Harvard accepts ~ 12 transfers per year, many of them recruited athletes. The balance will be from colleges that don’t offer something which is available at Harvard. There is little that Harvard offers that one cannot get at USC.

Planning a transfer before even beginning freshman year is just folly, IMO. Love the school that loves you back.

8

It’s simple but it isn’t easy. Be an academically strong student who excels in a sport in which Harvard competes.

9

It’s more than being able to articulate why H would give you opportunity more than anywhere else.

You need to be perfect for Harvard’s wants and needs, with a top record as they define it.

Chances this would change from the RD decision, after one semester elsewhere, are slimmer than slim. Same if you apply in soph year. You’d be a newbie on the college scene, not many accomplishments behind you.

10

Enjoy USC.

Why would you want to transfer?