Transfer Opportunities

Transfer Students
1

Hey guys. I’m a senior in high school right now and will be attending the Honors Program at a large public university next fall. I was accepted to Bentley University about a week ago but will be unable to attend due to the cost (didn’t qualify for financial aid). This is kind of a loaded question so I’ll break it down a bit.

  1. When do students attempt to transfer into different universities and is there a 'best' time to do this? I've heard of kids transferring between their freshman and sophomore years as well as between their sophomore and junior years. Are these the only times that one is able to transfer? Can you transfer even later into college?
  2. I was accepted into Bentley, so if I tried to transfer into there after a year or two, would they question why I didn't just decide to go there in the first place and not admit me? I received a merit scholarship from them but it just wasn't enough. Can you even apply to a school two times if they already accepted you?
  3. I want to assemble the best chances of transferring to a superb university. From what I hear, this would be becoming an officer or leader in multiple clubs and finishing all your general education classes with a near 4.0. Anything else recommended?
  4. Oh and this is important. I got a 1420 on the SAT but I'm thinking about taking the Math Level 2 Subject Test in May. Is it worth it? Will colleges care? When do colleges stop caring about the SAT?

Oh and if anyone wishes to volunteer to pay my tuition let me know in the comments below :slight_smile:

2
  1. You can apply to transfer at any point. However, most targets will require that spend two years there, so if you transfer after three years, your time in college could end up being longer than you want.
  2. Yes you could apply to Bently again. But if you did not get enough aid this time around, why do you think it would be affordable in the future? Often transfers get less aid than frehmen applicants.
  3. You do not need to be the head of any clubs. This isn't high school. You do need excellent grades, and you need a clear academic reason for transferring: "The X department at Y offers more courses in my specific interest area of Z" is OK. "Y is more famous than my current U" is not.
  4. Most places do not care at all about standardized test taken after finishing high school. But do check the transfer application information for yout targets to find out their specific policies.
3

I see your points but I can’t imagine that a school wouldn’t want someone who is unbelievably involved in their community. Jobs want more than just a 3.8+ so why shouldn’t I try to become a superstar figure on campus?

4

They don’t generally give any (or much) merit to transfer students, @Anonymous11P

You really should go into your university with a great attitude to stay, not with a transfer mentality. Honors programs are generally fantastic and I think you will be plenty challenged.

Do you mind sharing how generous the merit was from Bentley? There is a thread over on the Bentley sub where people are sharing those stats w/ Merit for future applicants to gage their chances of merit.

5

Provost Scholarship at 15K per year which brings Bentley to 54K per year versus 21K at my public university. The only way I would receive financial aid is if one of my parents lost their jobs so I’ll probably end up riding it out there. I’m very excited to attend nonetheless, just exploring my options! I appreciate the responses so far guys.