Transfer from Stern to Ivies, T10s, and other elite schools

Hey all, I’m an incoming freshman at Stern, but I’m looking to transfer for various reasons. Obviously I am extremely fortunate to attend such a great institution, but I just want to know my chances of getting into another top school, assuming I obtain a decent GPA (3.8+). I’m applying to Harvard, Yale, Duke, UChicago, Wharton, Cornell, Dartmouth, and Columbia (All of are reaches, I understand. I won’t have much expectation).

How can I maximize my chances? I’ll aim to apply as a transfer after the first year. Econ major with philosophy minor or double major at almost all of those schools. I WILL GIVE STERN A CHANCE. Its a great school but it seems hyper focused on finance, when economic theory appeals more to me. Furthermore, a well rounded education seems more possible at such schools as opposed to just using Stern as an institution to further a career in finance.

Side note, also got not finaid at Stern, but not a big concern since I’m still choosing to go and my parents are continuing to encourage me to go. Thoughts?

The fact that you put Wharton on your list pretty much muddies your stated intent. To some people it might seem like you just want to attend an overall more prestigious school, regardless of specific coursework. Particularly since, IIRC, NYU CAS is pretty strong in economics and you could just transfer, or take relevant courses, there.

Assuming that the above is not the case:

If I were you I would figure out exactly what specific area(s) /subfields you want to study, check the registrar’s list of courses actually given at each school of interest, and see specifically what schools if any really offer you materially more in those areas than NYU (including NYU CAS) does.

I would eliminate from your list any school to which you would have had realistically only a trivial chance or less of admission if applying from high school, since there is nothing you can do in a short stay at Stern that would “turn a duck into a swan”.

For any school you apply to, you will need a plausible explanation of:
-Why that school is ideally suited to you, unlike NYU, for your studies. This may be difficult because IIRC NYU is actually very strong in economics generally.
-Why that school is ideally suited to you, beyond that particular coursework, and NYU isn’t; Why mere transfer to NYU CAS can’t resolve your issues.

  • Why should they take you, in preference to the other qualified candidates they can take? What’s in it for them? What will YOU do for THEM (ie the college community)??

IIRC there were a couple NYU people in my daughter’s transfer cohort at Cornell. But I’m not sure that Cornell is stronger in economics, overall, than NYU is, actually.

Why did you apply to Stern and not Arts and Sciences if you are interested in economic theory and philosophy? seems like a misfire…

It seems like the easiest thing to do is to transfer from Stern to NYU A&S. You can probably do that without any delay and just start your freshman courses with the economic theory focus that you prefer.

A few comments:

  1. You can major in economics at Stern but if you want a more liberal arts flavor to your education (without the business core curriculum) then you can switch into A&E easily I'm sure. In prior posts (from May) you had talked about an interest in finance and investment banking -- did that change?
  2. Not sure why you chose a school that may not be affordable for 4 years (or at best will be a struggle). If you look to transfer perhaps consider some more affordable schools as well - maybe apply to Rutgers again. (Back in May posters on CC recommended you attend a more affordable option.)
  3. The schools you are considering take very few transfers for the most part. Google the common data set for each school and look at section D. I looked at the first school on your list and Harvard accepted 17 out of 1,547 transfer applicants (1.1%) for 2019-20.
  4. After one year of college your HS record will still play a part in transfer admission. You are free to give it a try but if these are schools you did not get into for freshman year it is unlikely you will get in the following year without some truly compelling event/accomplishment.

Thanks for the responses!

@monydad Yeah, I guess prestige was on my mind as well because I put wharton lol. I understand Stern is a great school and maybe I should have thought it out more, but transferring to CAS seems not worth it, especially with what I’m paying.

@happy1 That question was asking if it was worth the money not if its affordable. It is affordable for all 4, but I feel a little guilty making them pay for all of it. And I only applied to two of those schools which I got rejected from. The rest I did not apply to, but obviously they are reaches… but what should I do over this summer or during school to stand out?

Also I guess I want a “real college experience” as opposed to being in The City for 4 years, because I assume I’ll work there anyways. I understand CAS is a great school for econ, but It might be more of a fit issue than academics. I don’t know if fit is a great reason to transfer. I hear all the time that transfers to these elite schools are often from peer institutions from stern, so how can make a good case for my arguments?

The likelihood of you getting in to Wharton as a transfer if they’ve already rejected you is tiny. Not zero, but very, very small odds.

Being rejected ED at Wharton is a very bad sign.

NYU Stern students do in fact have a lot of fun. It will be very hard to disguise your need for prestige based on what you have written here.

Stern is ranked as the #5 undergrad business school in the US per USNWR. How much more prestige do you need? If do very well at Stern you should have a number of strong options when you leave college.

At this point (having committed to NYU) if you want a traditional college campus expereince consider taking a semester or a year abroad or at another US college with a program approved by NYU.