Successful Transfer Applicants: Post your advice / tips

Transfer Students
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<p>Dear fellow CollegeConfidential friends, </p>

<p>I am Michael, an undergraduate student at a Canadian university (the University of British Columbia) in my second year studying commerce. In my first year, I studied various Arts courses, and achieved a 4.0 GPA; the coming year will be spent studying various business courses. </p>

<p>Last year (my freshman year), I applied as a transfer student to many of the top colleges: Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Columbia, Brown, Cornell, and UPenn. I was rejected by all these schools. </p>

<p>My only SAT score is the New SAT, in which I scored 2200: 720 for both critical reading and for the writing section; 760 for the math. My grades through the first year were all A’s, in the 85% range. </p>

<p>I think that one reason I was rejected was because of my high school records. Though commendable, they are by no means impressive. There are B’s and even C’s scattered throughout, though many A’s as well. I feel that that was perhaps one of the reasons, along with my need for financial aid and the fact that I did not take any science courses in my first year, that I was rejected. </p>

<p>My extracurricular activities are there, but they are not hugely impressive insofar as prestige is concerned. I have been selected as a Math Teaching Assistant, which was perhaps my most impressive achievement. </p>

<p>This year, I am going to try again. What have I got to lose (other than $1000 for application fees and the many hours I will spend writing my essays and filling out my application)? I am wanting the people who have been accepted to any of the aforementioned schools to reply with tips and suggestions for applying and being accepted. What specific advice do you have? How was your essay? Your SAT scores? Your recommendations? Your extracurricular? Etc. Further, I would greatly appreciate it if you guys could give me some practical things I can do in the coming half year (the time before my applications are due) to improve my chances of being accepted. </p>

<p>Please keep in mind that I am an international student in need of financial aid, and also that I am Asian. My high school grades were mediocre, however, I have improved greatly in university. </p>

<p>If you need any more information to help me out, post and I will reply. </p>

<p>Thanks guys! </p>

<p>Michael</p>

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<p>I don't mean to burst your bubble, but I can honestly say that as long as you are trying to get financial aid as an international at the best American universities, you will never be accepted. Financial aid for international students is not available at most, if not all of your choices. I believe that is your biggest obstacle, and that unless you can figure a way to get loans, it doesn't matter what successful tranfers tell you - you cannot get in.</p>

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<p>I never applied to any of those schools but based on what i read i dont really see you offering anything amazing for these schools. </p>

<p>As an international applicant in need of financial aid you would really have to be exceptional. You would have to be exceptional even if you were not an international applicant to apply to any of these schools. </p>

<p>If you really want to study in America i would suggest broadining your list of schools, if you want an Ivy education, than feel free to apply but just know that all those schools are very very far reaches.</p>

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<p>I thought the schools he listed were need blind? Are they only need blind to Americans?</p>

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<p>Do you have a compelling reason as to why you want to transfer? Methinks this could've been why you were dinged. From the looks of it, it seems as if you were just obsessed with prestige</p>

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<p>why are your standards so high? northwestern, UCLA, vanderbilt, WUSTL, berkeley, emory, rice are also amazing institutions...and you have a much better shot at those.</p>

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<p>I agree I get really sick of people just applying to every ivy and nothing else...to me it just seems to show a total lack of research on their part and suggests that they know little about any of the schools they are applying to (apart from prestige), nor do they know about other options.</p>

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<p>dont even bother. no offense, you'll ust be wasting your money. i dont know much about the ivy league but it seems like scattered Bs and Cs and a semi-low sat score aren't going to get you in. and you didn't mention any amazing extracurriculars so please save the money and put it towards applications at other top schools mentioed but kingjames</p>

<p>good luck.</p>

<p>ps do research and find schools that are in your range. talk to a counselor. and then maybe apply to one or two schools that are out of our range, just in case you get lucky.</p>

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<p>Brand_182, </p>

<p>You make grave assumptions when you say that people who just apply to ivies do so because of a lack of research. That is totally incorrect in my (and i am certain many other people's) situation. </p>

<p>Furthermore, your lack of research is apparent insofar as your lack of knowledge that some of those schools DO offer need blind financial aid for international transfer students. Two of them are Harvard and Yale, among others. </p>

<p>So before you assert inaccurate facts, I suggest you do more research. </p>

<p>Ksanders, I think there is some truth to your point of me needing a compelling reason to transfer. Well, my reasons are that I want the best education possible from the best institution...</p>

<p>What are some reasons people wrote in their essays who were successful applicants that you know of? </p>

<p>Brand, you seem to have a chip on your shoulder; I would suggest you stop being so cynical and ignorant.</p>

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<p>Sorry to have upset you mliu87, but perhaps you wouldn't mind then explaining why your list contains only ivy schools. I highly doubt that is a coincidence. Most all people I have come into contact with on CC that had only ivy schools were clearly consumed by the factor of prestige. My point is, it seems that you have absolutely no idea what you want in a school. Generally, when people look for a school, they base it on characteristics that they would like in a school. Since those schools all have differences in location/student body size/student body/undergrad experience for someone that is viewing your selections for the first time it would seem that you opened up a book and picked out the ivy league schools. </p>

<p>My point being, perhaps you didn't get into those schools because you didn't research them enough. I find it very strange that you've picked only ivy league schools, as there are other schools that are considered equal if not better to those on your list, yet you haven't mentioned them. And, like I've said, the ivies fall into different categories. Maybe you should make a list of what you are looking for in a school (besides it being an ivy) and you'll have better results.</p>

<p>As for financial aid, it may be available to transfer students at Harvard and Yale (among others), but perhaps you should do some research and see the acceptance rates for those schools. Harvard is about 7%, and Yale is about 4%. Do you honestly think you've got a shot at getting into the most selective schools in the US as an international student with lower-end test scores. I'm not trying to be rude - I'm trying to help. I have a 2220 SAT, am a domestic student, and I wouldn't expect to get into Harvard or Yale. However, I am applying to Columbia b/c it has something I want in a school - not only because it is an ivy.</p>

<p>Even then, I'm not so foolish as to think that I'll be accepted into one of the best schools in the world if I ask for financial aid. If I really want a shot at getting into Columbia, I will be smart enough to try and find loans somewhere else, because if you do the research, many of those schools say transfer aid in particular is limited and that it does in fact play a role in admissions. What's more, you're thinking you'll get accepted AND get financial aid with weaker stats. </p>

<p>As a domestic student, if I were to have a shot in hell at getting financial aid as a transfer at Harvard, I'd need impeccable test scores, ECs, and grades. I wouldn't expect it with a 2200 (or 2220 for that matter), virtually no ECs, and Bs and Cs sprinkled throughout my transcript. As an international student, the odds are far lower that you'd be accepted and receive aid.</p>

<p>I don't have a chip on my shoulder...I'm trying to help you out. You've already been rejected once - consider doing something to improve your chances instead of setting yourself up for another batch of rejections. I've done my research, and am applying to 2 ivy league schools b/c they are the only ones I truly like. Maybe you should look more into what is available because I think you COULD get financial aid at schools a little further down the line. Hopefully you'll take my advice.</p>

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<p>And to give you an idea on financial aid at Harvard, my friend with a 3.9, 1530/1600 SATs, and INCREDIBLE ECs (research with the president of the university, wrote constitution for Student Govt) was waitlisted at Harvard. They made it quite clear that there was no way he'd get financial aid even if he was so lucky as to be accepted. Still, he said that if he did get in, he'd make it work. </p>

<p>I think you may be thinking the ivies are easier to transfer into than they actually are.</p>

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<p>While these schools may be reaches, you need to make sure your classes transfer. Prepare a schedule that corresponds to the major you intend to pursue. Try Notre Dame. They have a friendly transfer process. Private message me if you are interested.</p>

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<p>michael,</p>

<p>i am a canadian student who got accepted for transfer out of my sophomore into junior standing to many of the schools you mentioned and a couple others. i think what a lot of the other students on this board are saying is right. you need a very compelling reason for going, on top of having an amazing profile that adcoms will think would enrich the campus community. think about what you could offer to the university that is special, and think about what they can offer you that is not available at UBC... its supposed to be a symbiotic relationship. i mean, what exactly to you defines this "best education" that you are looking for?</p>

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<p>Wanting to go Ivy, or MIT or Stanford, is not enough...... </p>

<p>i want the best education possible as well, you dont see me applying to any of those schools.</p>

<p>You should want the best possible education from the schools that you have a chance of obtaining that eudcation from, lower your standards to be more at your level. .... Unless there is something your not mentioning in your post, i dont see how you will get into any of the mentioned schools.</p>

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<p>thank you malishka you say things a little nicer than me...but that's what i'm trying to tell the OP. It may be a sad thing to realize if you have your heart set on those schools, but there's always grad school! Just do well wherever you go.</p>

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<p>Why is there such a strong desire for ivy's? besides prestige. I mean a lot of state leading universities have done more for the world than the ivy's have. Um-ann arbor, berkeley, ucla, northwestern, UIUC, UCSD, these are all great public schools and they are research universities that contribute more to the advancement of the world than I see the ivy's doing. This is sort of bias as I am a math/science person and I feel that these subjects although not superior have more significance in the improvement of the world and advancement of technology. I mean if you were an engineering major why on earth would you choose an ivy over Berkeley or UM-ann arbor?</p>

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<p>I don't know too much about international transfer admissions (I'd imagine they're ridiculously competitive, based on what other people say) but what I DO know about transfer admissions is that they look for people who have a compelling reason to be at the school they are trying to transfer to. I personally don't think your SAT score is nearly as "low-end" as other people claim, and your GPA is definitely impressive. Please realize that the other posters tell everyone with Ivy aspirations that they aren't good enough, and you know what? Many of them DO get in. So my advice: come up with a really great reason for why [school] is the University for you, write the best essay you've ever written, and give it a shot. Good luck.</p>

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<p>mliu87,
first of all, i don't think your high school transcript was the reason you were rejected from all those schools. </p>

<p>you've made it very clear that you want to attend the schools you listed for their prestige, but you must be specific. go on the websites and research their majors, then write an essay that mirrors what the websites say. additionally, in writing your essay, you need to give them something original. write about a life experience that isn't hackneyed. write something funny...often times, the first few lines of an essay will determine whether you will be considered or not.</p>

<p>finally, don't limit yourself to ivy schools. i applied to suny schools (state university of new york, which are public schools). i only applied to one private school, cornell. i wrote my essays focusing on the specific school i wanted to attend and i made sure i spoke specifically about my major. i got accepted. i eventually did decide to go there because it had everything i was looking for in a school.
good luck,
deuteriated</p>

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<p>by the way, cornell has need-blind financial aid. your acceptance has nothing to do with whether or not you are applying for fin aid.</p>

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<p>Breakdown of transfer acceptance rates and financial aid for international students...I did the research for you - I hope it helps you realize what you're up against and maybe see why you were rejected.</p>

<p>Harvard (7%): need-blind for all, as you've stated</p>

<p>Stanford (think it's 8%)): "Our admission program is need-blind. For all but some international applicants, financial status will not affect the admission decision."</p>

<p>Yale (4%): need blind</p>

<p>Columbia (5-9% varies by year): "Foreign students applying for aid must understand that such aid is awarded on an extremely limited basis." (this is also somewhat true for even domestic students)</p>

<p>Brown (was 20%, last year was supposedly .05%!): International Students are not eligible for federal/state assistance and therefore cannot apply for financial aid. Funding is not available to assist International Transfer Students in meeting the cost of a Brown education. </p>

<p>Cornell (dunno but very low): Cornell University maintains only a very limited program of financial assistance for international students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States, Canada, or Mexico. Those who do receive funds have exceptional credentials and demonstrate financial need. This information is not intended to discourage you from applying, but to give you a realistic understanding of the nuances for receiving financial aid to attend Cornell.</p>

<p>UPenn (10%?): I believe they offer it, but like all, it's very limited.</p>