Sophmore transfer: what are the most important factors in transfer admissions

Transfer Students
1

Hi,

I am an incoming freshman to my college but I am already planning to transfer out of here so that I could spend sophmore year elsewhere. My target schools are generally top 40 USNWR schools. Can anyone “rank” which factors are the most important in transfer admissions to top 40s?

-College GPA (would only have one semester though)
-Prof Recommendations
-HS GPA
-SAT/ACT
-SAT subject tests/ SAT 2s
-Common app personal statement+college specific supplements
-Extracurriculars

**Also, my SATs in high school wasn’t super high so should I retake the test in college?
**Should I also take SAT 2s (does it even help with transfer admissions?)?

Thanks in advance!

2

Roughly from most important to least important:

  1. College GPA (depending on the school you apply to, they will want to see your second semester grades through a Mid-Term Report) The reason why I’d argue that college GPA is a bit more important than HS GPA as a rising sophomore is because of two things: recentness and growth. Your college GPA will pretty much be the most recent (and therefore the most relevant) academic record you have. Growth refers to your academic growth. If your college GPA has significantly improved (or significantly worsened!) over your high school GPA, even for a semester or two, then that is factored into the overall decision.

  2. HS GPA: Very much looked at. Since there’s much more data on your HS record, compared to your rather anemic college record, HS GPA is one of the main reasons transfers get rejected to their top choices.

  3. All Required Standardized Testing: Looked at, but can be retaken, especially if your scores are under the dead average admitted freshman SAT/ACT scores. Colleges look at rising sophomore transfer students’ SAT/ACT scores to see where you stand among the rest of the country, and how you stack up to their averages.

  4. Extracurriculars (EC’s): Apart from academics, this is where you can really show off as a transfer applicant. Participating in meaningful, relevant EC’s (and being able to eloquently discuss your experiences on essays!) is extremely powerful.

  5. Personal Statements: This is where you provide a “voice” to your application. You’ve given them the numbers, now that want to hear from you. While Common App’s transfer essay covers the “Why do you want to transfer?” portion of the application, there are sooooooooo many different prompts put out there for transfer students. Above all, universities want to see that you’ve done your research, you’ve got a clear reason to attend their institution, etc, etc. The only way that an essay can hurt you is by rubbing admissions officers the wrong way.

  6. Professor Recommendations: Think of them as a second option of sorts. You can hype yourself up to institutions all you want, but at the end of the day, what do your instructors think of you? What can they contribute to your narrative? Really, recommendations can only help you.

Doesn’t cover absolutely EVERYTHING, and the order of importance is debatable, and can be slightly different from school to school, but, I hope this helped you.

Best of luck!