<p>I had some positively outstanding high school recommendations. Will they look at those? No professor here will match up to those two. I feel like those recommendations are probably the best part of any application.</p>
<p>No. I mean, if you sent them in, they’d probably read them–but what does that say about who you are today as a college student? All that says is that while you were awesome in high school that you’ve failed to stand out as a college student. And my guess is that when the adcoms compare your application to other applicants who sent in real, current, relevant recommendations from <em>professors</em> that your overall application will suffer greatly in comparison. The solid even if modest praise from a college professor about a current college student will outshine the out-dated, irrelevant even if glowing praise from a high school teacher about a highschool student’s achievements. In the transfer process, one is relevant, the other is not.</p>
<p>Also, what you managed to do great as a high school student just isn’t relevant to the college experience… you were a minor child, taken care of 100% by parents, and even the high school experience is a lot more hand-holding by high school teachers vs. what is expected in a college setting. At college you are expected to be much more of a self-starter and to initiate meaningful experiences and working relationships with professors-as-mentors. </p>
<p>Your HS recommendations were wonderful, but those letters should be set aside now in your transfer application process, even if that means digging deep and writing a better transfer essay, working on getting to know a professor better, getting involved with a EC, etc., to bolster your application.</p>