<p>Hi. Does anyone know of any good college guides that either specifically cater for transfer students or have useful info in them for transfer students? Thanks.</p>
<p>No - but that sounds like an excellent idea.</p>
<p>The US News college guide site has good, easy to find information for transfers if you subscribe to the premium edition. For each college profile, there is a tab for "Transfer Students" that takes you directly to a page with relevant information and deadlines. </p>
<p>For example, here is information you would get for Cornell University (I just picked that school at random):
[quote]
Total # of transfer students: 535
Application deadline: Rolling (Fall), Rolling (Spring)
Transfer student acceptance rate: 33%</p>
<p>Minimum college GPA required: N/A
Total # of transfer students: 535
Application Deadline: Rolling (Fall), Rolling (Spring)</p>
<p>2004 Admissions</p>
<p>Transfer students may apply for admission for the following academic terms: Fall, Spring
Do applicants need a minimum number of credits to apply? Yes, 12</p>
<p>Application Deadline</p>
<p>Regular decision: Rolling (Fall), Rolling (Spring)
Admission decisions sent: Rolling (Fall), Rolling (Spring)
Deadline for accepting admissions offers: Rolling (Fall), Rolling (Spring)</p>
<p>High school transcript: Required of all
College transcript: Required of all
Essay/personal statement: Required of all
Admissions interview: Required of some
Standardized test scores: Recommended of all
Statement of good standing from prior institutions: Recommended of some</p>
<p>Minimum high school GPA required: N/A
Minimum college GPA required: N/A</p>
<p>Lowest course grade that may be transferred for credit: C
Maximum number of credits/courses that may be transferred: 60 credit hours from a two-year school, 60 credit hours from a four-year school
Minimum number of credits needed to complete degree: 60 credits for a bachelor's degree</p>
<p>Transfer applications received for Fall 2004: 2,307
Transfer applicants offered admission for Fall 2004: 766
Transfer applicants enrolled for Fall 2004: 535</p>
<p>2005-2006 Expenses</p>
<p>Tuition and fees: $31,467
Room/board: $10,250
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The basic format of info is the same for each college -- so for the $14.95 for a subscription, I'd recommend the site.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info calmom! I'm actually looking for less-statistical based info; a lot of that info above I've seen on the college websites. I guess I'm looking for personal experiences, tips on getting into a school as a transfer and so on.</p>
<p>I don't know of any books on the transfer process, but my daughter transferred after her freshman year, so I do have a few thoughts on the transfer experience. I assume you are a freshman now, lovecollege. You've now figured out what you don't like about your current college, and you also need to think carefully about what you would like in a transfer school. Academic strengths, activities, rural v. suburban v. urban, artsy v. preppy, Greek life or none, etc. You know the drill.</p>
<p>Once you've narrowed down your choices, you'll have to do another year's worth of applications. If you wind up applying to some of the same schools you applied to as a senior, the process may be somewhat streamlined. Some may not require that scores be re-sent, and some may waive the application fee. But for every school, a critical part of your transfer application will be the essays. Even if a school doesn't ask for it, it's important to explain to every school know via an essay or a cover letter exactly why they ought to take you. You can do this by digging deep into your schools websites to learn as much as you can about particular departments and about the campuses, maybe beginning an e-mail dialogue with a professor in your area of academic and/or EC interest, then articulating very specifically why you would like to attend each college and why you be an asset to each campus.</p>
<p>If you are a freshman now, your high school record is going to be the most important element of your application, since at the time you submit the application, youll have only one semester's worth of college grades for colleges to evaluate. The high school record is far less important when sophomores try to transfer for junior year; there's a much more fully developed college record for transfer schools to look at. That said, your college record is still going to be important: If you want to transfer "up," you'll need very solid first semester grades.</p>
<p>Despite the lack of good books on the subject, I agree with calmom that it's worthwhile to check the USNews website (Premium Edition) Even though it is statistics-based, some of those stats are vital. For instance, you can find out how "transfer friendly" a school is, i.e., how many applied and how many were accepted. If a school accepts just a handful of transfers, you may decide it's just not worth the effort to apply. Some schools require a minimum GPA of transfer applicants. No sense applying if you don't meet the minimum.</p>
<p>Other things to think about: Do you want to live on campus? Most schools do not guarantee on campus housing for transfers, and some have very little housing available for transfers. Another factor that may affect your decision is if, and how, your credits will transfer. Schools have varying policies.</p>
<p>Wow thanks for the long reply, that was great! Actually, I'm a sophomore now (junior standing). I don't hate my school and it's given me some good opportunities (the honors program, for example) but I know it's not suited to me personality-wise and it's not that strong in the arts&sciences. I've given the process a lot of thought in high school, freshman year and now this year. So I know more about what I want/don't want. The only problem is having the confidence to apply to my "dream" school (Barnard). I also thought the books would be useful for info on how transfers made friends at their respective schools (particularly those entering as juniors), the administration and transfer orientation. Yes, the one thing I still haven't checked in regards to Barnard is the housing situation. But I'm more worried about everything else at the moment!</p>
<p>P.S. I didn't get into Barnard last year but I did get into NYU (no aid though so couldn't go and now I know Barnard would suit me more anyway, mainly cos of the campus).</p>
<p>Well, it sounds like you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by applying to transfer to Barnard, lovecollege. If you get in, great; and if you don't, you're now at a school that you can more than live with. Actually, the little you've said about your current situation sounds like a fine beginning for your "Why Barnard" essay! Are you saying you were not accepted to Barnard when you were a senior in high school? That should not stop you from applying to transfer. My daughter was accepted as a transfer student by two colleges that waitlisted her in high school (she's at one of them now). If you read the archives of the transfer board on CC, you'll probably see a number of posts from kids who were rejected from schools as high school seniors and accepted as transfer students. As for making the social adjustment, it is tough for the first few weeks, and probably even tougher for juniors. Obviously, friendship groups are well established, so you really have to make an effort to meet people by getting out there, joining clubs, etc. Being outgoing is a plus, but transfers do make friends. Within about two weeks, my daughter had a network of friends. She is extremely happy. Re orientation: Schools do have special orientation programs for transfer students but again, at least at my daughter's school (mid-sized private U) we didn't find the sort of safety net that was in place for first-years at her first school (LAC). Registering for classes first semester was a nightmare for her, but after a little (a lot) of advocacy and ultimately, some help from the Dean, she wound up with a great roster of classes.</p>