Thank you, for being the first person, to help answer the question.
You may not have liked the answers but you did get them from many other posters.
Cornellâs transfer numbers are very skewed because of their guaranteed transfer option. Cornell also has articulation agreements with community colleges.
The reality is that you are going to have a very hard time convincing one of the institutions you listed that you canât meet your educational needs for CS at UIUC, which is one of the fundamental factors that will be looked at in a transfer application.
To be accurate, and to be fair to all those who responded - you presented yourself as someone looking to transfer even before starting college. And you brought up rankings and prestige, not others.
As for liking UIUC and intending to continue there, you said:
Anyway, Iâm happy you got the answers you were looking for.
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Maybe I want to explore humanities and social sciences or business along with my CS major, which other institutions (Ivies or Chicago) will be able to provide better than UIUC.
Really ? UIUC doesnât offer outstanding opportunities in these areas ?
How will they provide it âbetterâ?
In the end, if you decide to transfer, itâs at that time you could study the schools, talk to transfer advisors, and like you just did, apply to many and see what happens. No one can truly tell you who is best although you learned that UCs wonât be nor will Stanford and Princeton. I know Vandy takes a lot but not on your list and others like Cornell and BU have made offers to select students before first year.
Just like you developed a list for undergrad youâd need to develop one for grad.
Let me ask, what can Ivies and Chicago provide better that UIUC, a strong CS/engineering school canât provide as well? I think itâd be humanities but open to suggestions or feedback.
Again you are conflating ranking and quality and/or outcomes. This is not real.
Again my kid went to no name school, declining a top flight engineering school and is working with those same kids at the same money.
He applied to a top flight Wall Street firm and they reached out the next day. Jane Street.
You have been âmarketedâ to by society, magazines, and schools who take advantage of this narrative, standing.
There may be Ivies that provide a more quality humanities education than UIUC or vice versa. Same with other schools vs Ivies.
Anyway moving on
You claim to be starting soon with no intent to transfer but all you talk about is transferring.
Iâm not even sure itâs a real thread at this pointâŠ
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Again people are deviating from the question (vs. helping).
Many adults desire for Porsche or Mercedes or Maserati or Lamborghini even though Toyota, Honda, and GM cars provide same transportation and safely take you from Point A to Point B. Why?
Many adults desire for Gucci and Coach and Louis Vutton designer handbags even though a non-branded handbag can carry the daily items just like Gucci and LV would. Why?
Why do people desire Dior, Burberry Chanel, and Prada? Why do people desire Rolex watches when any watch will give the same time?
Why do adults crave for luxury goods? Is it for social status or exclusivity?
If itâs acceptable for adults to desire for and pay premium $$ for luxury brands whether itâs cars or handbags or watches, why canât students desire for Ivies and Chicago when the entire world perceives them as premium brand colleges, without being lectured?
Itâs been answered many times.
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Iâd love to drive a top of the line Range Rover but thereâs no way I could afford to do so. You may want to attend a âtop of the lineâ school (Ivies) but if they donât want you, youâll never go there.
To be blunt, youâve applied to some of the top schools and have been waitlisted or rejected (and letâs be honest, waitlist is a soft rejection). No one is faulting you for wanting to go to a âtopâ school (though arguably you are at a top school for your program of study) but wanting something and being able to get it are two totally different things.
As many have said, you are in one of the best programs for the major you chose. It doesnât benefit you to fish around here for what would be a good âexcuseâ to transfer to what you deem to be a âbetterâ school (which is what it seems to be doing by asking what other programs at Ivies would be better and a reason for you to transfer).
Buyerâs remorse happens with cars, bags and colleges. The sooner you accept the choice youâve made for yourself and try to make the best of it, the better. If after a year you still want to transfer, youâll figure that out too.
Iâm sorry you arenât happy with what you chose though. As stated, there are thousands of kids all over the country wishing they could be in your shoes. Maybe spend some time thinking about that instead of how to transfer out of a school youâve yet to attend. Success in life is 95% attitude and 5% luck.
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You can certainly desire to go to a more prestigious school. Nothing wrong with that. But when you apply to transfer, youâll need to provide a strong academic reason in your essay like @momofboiler1 said. Youâll need to convince those schools (not anonymous strangers here on this forum) that you have a valid reason - and prestige seeking / potentially better Wall Street placements wonât do.
So hereâs my suggestion: first, shelve these ideas until your first semester is over. Focus on fitting in and loving UIUC. Then during winter break reassess the situation and see if you still want to transfer. If you do, find out how many transfers each of your target school accepts (keeping in mind many focus on non traditional students). Then for those where you have a non zero chance, research each school carefully and lay out reasons why you should be there. That way, youâll have given it your best shot.
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Your analogy is interesting because it is narrow in scope. These are things that you can purchase. You are not supposed to be able to buy your way into these schools. But IF your parents contribute HUGE sums of money, and have a building named for your family, I am assuming you can get in. Can your parents purchase a School of Medicine, or a Computer Science lab for one of your desired schools? If so, you are probably in with the right grades and trust portfolio. Unless you and your family can do that, then you have to go the conventional route which means following the rules for transfer.
The people on this thread are telling you that you need an academic reason for transfer. All of the reputable schools have humanities departments. Many have specialized funding, research, and talent to attract students in the humanities. Admissions departments are very savvy. They will know your history and can sniff out a prestige-hunting, back-door attempt at transferring into humanities, and, oops, add a little CS degree on the side.
(Iâm not naive in knowing that things like the admissions scandal continues with those parents who can buy buildings and stadiums for their desired colleges, and have their kids, âsurprise!â, get into a prestigious college.
You can desire those schools, and you can attempt to transfer, but unfortunately, it doesnât sound as if your parents can pull out a credit card, pay $20 million for a library. Also, at the top 10s and 20s LEGACY is huge. I know that part of my sonâs admission may have been influenced, in part, due to his legacy status and active grandparent and granduncle on site with the university. This has been our experience with Stanford, as well. We had received invitations to alumni events limited to alumni local dinners, volunteer opportunities, get togethers, European trips, etc. So, please donât shoot the messenger. The people on this thread want you to go in with âeyes wide open.â)
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My analogy is very valid for someone whoâs willing to puts themselves in the shoes of current generation.
If so-called mature adults are obsessed with luxury goods even when they canât afford it, why canât young students crave for Ivies and Chicago?
If you desire Maserati but you canât afford it this year, you may buy and drive Honda Civic, but youâll not stop dreaming about Maserati, would you? And if you are able to afford it a year later or few years later, youâll trade-in your Honda and âtransferâ to Maserati.
Another analogy. If you fall in love with someone, but that person ârejectsâ your love, and picks someone else, youâll move on and date someone else, but you wonât be able to forget your first love, or stop loving that person, would you? And if they became single and you still love them, would you not try to woo them again?
Itâs the same with colleges. A student has every right to dream about Ivies. If they donât get in the first time, they will go to the college that admitted them and give their best shot there, but does it mean that they should stop desiring the Ivies, because Ivies are meant only for people with legacy and privileges or those who can afford to pay $20 million as you say?
If adults can have an open thinking, to understand younger generation, vs imposing their views all the time, itâd go a long way narrowing the generation gap.
Preferential treatment for legacy admissions is anti-meritocratic, inhibits social mobility and helps perpetuate a de facto class system. The society should unite against it, and not promote it.
Would you mind sharing why you didnât choose Duke given your desire for prestige schools?
Most people perceive Duke to be as you describe a âpremium brand collegeâ. Just curious as to this decision.
In your situation, this car analogy is way off. UIUC for CS is a NOT a Honda Civic. Itâs actually a Maserati, perhaps with a less shiny paint job.
But of course, you can to seek a transfer and I hope you are successful if thatâs what you really want. What everyone here is trying to tell you is to make sure your reasons are compelling on your transfer applications. Otherwise, your results wonât be much different than your original applications.
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A reminder that CC is supposed to be welcoming and friendly, and not a debate society.
I think everyone has made their point here and as such Iâm closing the thread.
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