rejected transfer applicant looking for some words of wisdom

Transfer Students
1

i apologize how long this post will be… any thoughts and insights are appreciated.

i applied for fall 2017 transfer to amherst college (also posted this in the amherst thread but thought i would include it here as well since probably not everyone views threads for all the specific colleges) and just found out i was rejected… my thoughts are racing in a million directions (or maybe just one big circle) but i will attempt to write them out as rationally as i can, thank u for bearing with me!

i guess my main question boils down to: do u think a late/incomplete financial aid application factored into the decision?

i am sad to admit that i ended up majorly lagging behind in getting my financial forms in after i completed my actual application. this semester has been quite difficult, and i’ve been in somewhat of a funk ever since spring break (pretty much right after completing some of my transfer applications). since the end of spring break i have been running around trying to take care of schoolwork, gear up for finals, tracking down follow-up/delayed materials from applications, etc. while experiencing quite a bit of sadness and anxiety that continuously brought me down and made it harder for me to remain productive. looking at it written out like that, i can see that they come down to merely sad excuses, but when i was experiencing those things during those weeks following spring break (and even somewhat now), it was very hard to shake it all off and return to the levels of energy and efficiency i used to have.

i do not know if financial aid application materials constitute a part of my selection of application materials to amherst but i wonder if, if that had been the case, if the admissions committee interpreted the absence of my financial materials as a lack of initiative or interest or competency. to be honest, i have convinced myself that that was the case. i mean, if more than 450 people applied… i’m assuming there were dozens upon dozens of smart, accomplished, passionate applicants who had the savviness to complete not only their applications but ensure all financial materials were in as well.

or could it be that my high school record just didn’t cut it? it wasn’t extremely terrible but it was absolutely nothing stellar. i’m guessing there were many, many students who were applying with great college and great high school records. i would say my college career so far has been successful, maybe nothing prize-worthy but definitely better than high school and i’d hoped that showed through. i’d been so excited to write about my newfound passions and… actually i’d taken some wonderful courses at amherst this past year (i go to one of the consortium schools) and did very well and i credit so much academic and personal growth to those courses. i’d hoped that showed through as well. and i’d really wanted to continue being part of the community.

on my transfer mid-term report… my amherst professors had written such kind, heartwarming comments about me as their student. one of my recommenders was also a professor i had for one of my amherst classes… and if i still got rejected, not even waitlisted… i guess the only option i see is that my inability to get my financial stuff together sooner was a dealbreaker.

but i guess there is still a glimmer of hope in me that maybe that wasn’t the case, that financial aid application and admission decision are not considered jointly (especially because amherst is need-blind?). any insight would be appreciated. at the same time, i am very aware of the possibility that the dealbreaker in my situation could very well have been the unfinished financial aid application. i am feeling very incompetent and disappointed in myself, that i couldn’t even pull myself together and continue keeping track of all my application-related materials, though i was so diligent in my common app and supplements. i feel like i continuously let myself down, telling myself i can handle all these things i want to accomplish, only to come crashing down and realize how mediocre i actually must be if i can’t even take care of my own financial aid processes.

any thoughts are appreciated. thank u so, so much for reading.

2

What were your high school stats, first semester grades, and mid-term grades? I don’t think financial aid would be a reason why they would reject you.

3

Or it could be the fact that Amherst has a transfer acceptance rate of 6-7%. Admissions to liberal arts colleges, especially a top one like Amherst, is incredibly difficult because they have few spots available since it is a small school and they have high retention rates.

It is difficult to judge whether you were a strong applicant without your stats, but even if with stellar grades, recs, and extracurriculars, it is still very difficult to get in. Don’t dwell on the fact that you were rejected by the best LAC and don’t look for reasons to rationalize the admissions process. There are so many factors that go into it and it is often a crapshoot.

To answer your question directly, no. Your late financial aid completion did not have anything to do with your rejection. Amherst is need blind, so financial aid wouldn’t have played a role in the admissions process.

4

@cantdoanything Amherst had about 500 transfer applicants and only accepted 18. So, it was a long shot for everyone, including me. And, my dad, aunt and grandfather are alumni! Hey, don’t beat yourself up, okay!?

5

thank u so much for your responses!!

@rvalover7 i think my hs gpa was around 3.6, my grades for the fall 2016 semester were 2 a’s, 2 a-'s, and 2 b+'s, and my midterm grades were all a’s.

@Dontskipthemoose thank u so much for your thoughts and insights! i really appreciate it!

@OrindaGirl i’ve just responded to your message on my other thread as well, but i wanted to say thanks again! best of luck to u!