<p>I am very keen to learn from the experiences of folks who have transfered in sophmore or junior year. How complicated is the process and what are the chances of getting into schools like Stanford and Yale. Thanks !</p>
<p>What do you want to know about it? Anything specific?</p>
<p>Bourne, since you transfereed to Stanford, If you have a crap hs record but a very good college record and apply for junior standing, how would that work out? Since they accept so few transfers a bad hs record would probably mean an automatic rejection right?</p>
<p>I don't presume to know the reasons why I got in and I feel uncomfortable giving advice to people if I'm not certain of its usefulness. I can however, elaborate on the transfer process and what I did to stay sane and why I applied to the schools I did apply to...</p>
<p>Bourne</p>
<p>My D applied to Yale early and got deferred; also applied to Stanford in the regular cycle. She got rejected from both schools and is currently enrolled in another good Ivy. The College counseller at school was unable to expalin why she got rejected - she has decent HS grades, 2300 + SAT 1 score, 4 SAT II scores - all above 700, assured that the recomendations were very good as well. </p>
<p>The question is whether it is even worth trying to transfer. First of all there are very few places and lots of applications. Also what big change can you demonstrate in one year - between the time you applied as a freshman and the time you are applying as a transfer sophmore. Secondly is settling down easy ? Given that new friends have to be made all over again</p>
<p>What would your advice be ?</p>
<p>Many many thanks!</p>
<p>My advice would be for your D to go to her school this fall with all intentions of falling in love with it, staying there and taking advantage of everything that it has to offer. Beyond keeping her grades up, she should try to get to know her instructors, be outgoing and participate in campus activities. </p>
<p>If at Christmas she is unhappy with her college, she can start to work on transfer applications. But be aware that they generally take more time than freshman apps and she will have to work on them while keeping up with her course work. You still have to submit HS records and tests scores to most schools, and in addition they will require supplements (Stanford's is substantial) and LORs from college profs/TAs. Her reason for wanting to transfer will be extremely important, that is the main essay for the CA. She will also face social dilemmas: Does she tell her friends of her intentions? What will she do about housing for next year in case she isn't accepted anywhere or decides to stay? Should she commit to campus club activities for the following year?</p>
<p>The question of how easy it is to make friends at a transfer school likely depends on which school she transfers to. Some seem to make a large effort to integrate transfers, while others don't; and she may even be accepted for spring semester which is still more difficult.</p>
<p>It's not an easy road, but sometimes it is a necessary one. Good luck to your D!</p>
<p>p.s. as you likely know, transfer rates are even lower than freshman admissions for S & Y, about 20-40 accepted from 800-900 applicants.</p>
<p>This is something taken from another thread that I think is better than any explanation I could have given. It's more generic and it is probably more applicable because of the obvious differences between candidates -- personal advice that works for one candidate, may not work for another...</p>
<p>I don't feel that getting into schools gives me the credibility to talk about the admissions process as if I know it. This guy obviously does. I'd suggest you'd let him advise you rather than me.</p>
<p>""
Hey all,
I just finished the transfer process and, upon reflecting on it, have a few thoughts to offer the community.</p>
<p>Background:</p>
<p>Attended a top prep school and ended up middle of my class with 2250 SATs and some good extracurriculars. I applied to Cornell, Brown, Amherst, Williams, Tufts, and a few safeties. I went 1/9 and attended Hamilton in the fall. I worked the hardest I've ever worked, ran a 4.0, made very good relationships with two of my professors, talked to coaches at other schools, and reapplied this past year to the following:</p>
<p>Penn, Brown, Cornell, Amherst, Williams, Tufts, Yale, and Dartmouth</p>
<p>I was accepted at Penn, Brown, Cornell, and Tufts and rejected at the other four.</p>
<p>What I've learned:</p>
<p>1) Chances threads are a good form of amusement but don't put too much stock in them. They usually end up causing unnecessary stress; the people you're asking about your chances are applying along-side you. While they may have more information about admission rates and talked to a couple people at schools, many people write as if they're authorities on transfer admissions. Simply put, take their opinions with a grain of salt. I was told to take Brown off my list because I had no shot. Not only was I admitted, but I may end up going to Penn instead of it. This brings me to my next point.</p>
<p>2) If money is not an object, put in the work and apply to any school you really want to attend. I applied to Yale and was rejected but I didn't think I was terribly competitive at Brown or Penn and was admitted. I can't imagine how ****ed off I'd be if I had only applied to Cornell and was admitted. I'd be kicking myself for not reaching higher (yeah, I know it's Cornell and that it's an Ivy, but you know what I mean.) Even if you're denied, at least you won't be asking yourself "what if..."</p>
<p>3) Decide how intent you are on leaving before you apply and, if you're on the fence about applying at all, apply. The last thing you want is to finish your freshman or sophomore year and think, "Damn, I really wish I'd put in the time in the fall to transfer because I'd love the option." You won't be mad about having the option to transfer but you might be about not having it.</p>
<p>4) Make it a priority. All fall term I obsessed over grades and application materials, essays, etc. Where you end up getting your diploma does matter, despite what people say. It'll be a major factor for employment and, more importantly, how you think. Quality of education matters.</p>
<p>5) Decisions aren't value judgments. I was denied as a senior in high school to 8/9 places to which I applied but still knew that I was a smart, capable student. With many college transfer rates dipping below 20%, you must go into the process knowing that a) the odds are against you and b) getting denied is not a judgment of your human worth. This is probably the most important thing I learned in the process. I read about a kid applying to Wharton from a school that didn't have a specific business field that Wharton excelled at. The kid had a 4.0 at a good school and 2350 SATs and two 800s for his SAT 2s. And guess what? He got rejected. He's probably in the top percent for competence of all college students and still didn't get in. You have to recognize the nature of the game and accept it.</p>
<p>6) Get to know professors. If you're dead set on getting into a top school, this is crucial. I went to office hours constantly, not only to get my work done but to show professors that I cared about their subject and was putting in the effort. Any problem set you do, go to office hours or meet with the professor. Any paper you write, submit a draft well before the deadline to get comments. Early drafts are key for writing intensive courses. You get direct feedback from the teacher, which is good for a number of reasons. You start developing a relationship with the teacher, you shower him/her that you're putting the work, that you're interested in the subject, and (esp. with papers) you find out what the teacher wants to see both in terms of format and content. The last thing you want to do is find out what the teacher wanted when you get your C+ paper back that counts for 1/4 of your grade. If you can find out before hand (which you can!), do it. Additionally, you're going to ask two professors to write on your behalf and having more than a strictly academic perspective will only help their rec and your application. I guarantee schools would much rather have Joe, the outgoing, gregarious scholar than Charles, the introverted, socially distant straight A drone.</p>
<p>7) Write stellar "Why X school?" essays. This one seems obvious but there are tons of students who simply don't put the time in, or worse yet, copy paste their "Why Cornell?" essay and use it for Brown by switching the name. Don't do this! Research the school. Talk about specific programs. Admissions spends all day reading "Why X" essays. The last thing you want to do is give them another "Penn is an ivy-league school. I want to go to an ivy-league school" essay. Say they read that essay and then yours, where you list in great detail, just why you want to attend Penn. Something like:</p>
<p>-top notch research facilities (best in the ivies)
-competitive track team
-submatriculation program (can get b.a. and m.a. in four years)
-dual-degree program (can get b.a. from school of arts and sciences in addition to b.s. from wharton)
-philly=most livable city in america
etc...</p>
<p>You need concrete researched reasons for wanting to attend. After all, if you don't have those, why are you applying? Frankly, that's exactly what the admissions committee will think if you submit a generic essay.</p>
<p>8) Proofread! Not doing so, in addition to being unprofessional, shows a serious lack of interest in a school, like saying, "I don't care enough about this school to properly edit my essay for them." Penn's website explicitly says "Proofread your essays. No really. Seriously." That was their admissions tip of the week today and I'm sure that applies across the board for other competitive schools.</p>
<p>9) A mediocre high school record doesn't spell doom. I was in the middle of my class and none of these schools would have given me a glance out of high school. My application would have been instant kindling. But showing serious growth and being able to tell a story about it seriously bolsters your application.</p>
<p>Lastly, I wanted to thank the contributors to the forums. It's been a long 12 months since I got my rejection letters in high school. Thanks for your ongoing support and encouragement. Best of luck to all future applicants.</p>
<p>Sincerely,
Claymangs</p>
<p>P.S. Anyone with questions about the process and thinks I might be a good resource, feel free to P.M. me. ""</p>
<p>I was accepted at Wharton as a sophomore transfer. Some things that I feel are crucial in the transfer process:</p>
<p>1) Make your "Why (insert school)" essay very personal. Talk about how your past experiences will help you fit into the school's community (clubs, research programs, sports, etc.). </p>
<p>2) Try and highlight 1 (maybe..2) activities as your most passionate extracurricular involvement. Possible get a supplementary recommendation/letter from the person who supervises that activity. Avoid tedious laundry lists of every single activity you've done since high school. Also, if you're applying to a school, where you were waitlisted or rejected as a HS applicant, focus more on your college activities/awards. </p>
<p>3) An extension of 2) --> GET INVOLVED your freshman year at college. Research and volunteer programs stand out from my experience. </p>
<p>Feel free to PM if you have any specific questions abt the transfer process.</p>
<p>Sounds like my sister, she applied to Yale early, was deferred rejected, and only got admitted to three schools. She was intent on going to WashU but got into Columbia and then Northwestern (although technically, she told Northwestern no when they were about to accept her). I think Columbia was the best fit for her. </p>
<p>I would think your daughter will be happy where she is. If not, then is when you consider transferring. She's gonna be at an Ivy right?</p>
<p>I would say with the preliminary research, meeting with professors and asking them to write recommendations, meeting with class deans, filling out the applications themselves, writing the essays, revising essays, getting fin aid info, getting high school and college transcripts sent, chasing down professors to have them sign midterm reports, reporting SAT scores etc. </p>
<p>applying to each school is the equivalent of taking an extra course.</p>
<p>Yeah, I would definitely suggest completing the first drafts of the admissions essays during the Fall semester. The first draft for me anyways is the hardest step in whole essay process, but also quite possibly the most important. I use the first draft as a detailed outline of my essay, and then focus on perfecting individual paragraphs/sentences/phrases. I set aside time during the Fall to write my first drafts and finalized my essays during the first month after winter break. Avoiding working on any transfer-related stuff over winter/spring break!</p>
<p>For midterm reports, I just contacted the professor a 1-2 weeks before I needed them to record the grade on my report, and asked to meet them before/after class on a certain day. Very important that you contact your professors well in advance, since they're very busy people. Ultimately tho, it's a simple grade, signature, and date. </p>
<p>Parents took care of the high school counselor report (transcript and counselor rec), which was basically handing off a large, stamped envelope to my counselor office (not a big deal). </p>
<p>Dean's report was basically like the high school stuff. I handed off an envelope at my school's advising office. </p>
<p>SAT/ACT scores can be sent using an online method (not hard at all). </p>
<p>I did my basic application (basic info, activities, awards, courses, etc.) AND professor recommendations ONLINE. Doing stuff online is definitely better, no issues with postage, correcting typos, wrinkled papers, etc. And as long as you don't procrastinate the submission of your application till the final day, you won't have to worry about those horror stories like the "server being too busy", etc. One suggestion tho, I backed up all my online data input stuff (activities, awards, everything) on my computer, in case I was ever struck by that dreaded "all your online data has been erased/corrupted" (<--- this has never happened to me by the way, and I've completed several college and other applications online). </p>
<p>Finally, it's never too early to start working on (or at least preparing for) transfer applications. I think my thorough preparation was one of the things that really helped my application.</p>
<p>Hope that helps!</p>