<p>Who here is applying for transfer admission to Swarthmore for the Fall of 2009? Just curious to know!</p>
<p>To start off, I am applying to Swarthmore and hope to be admitted. Swarthmore is an excellent school and it would be my dream to get in.</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone applying as transfers to Swarthmore and congrats to those who have received acceptances to Swarthmore! :)</p>
<p>No one? Am I all alone in this process?....
I hope I'm not! lol</p>
<p>One interesting blog I have read on Swarthmore's website is that this year, more transfer students will be admitted than ever before. </p>
<p>Read it here:
The</a> Transfer Student.</p>
<p>Hey! :D
No youre not all alone :) I'm also applying :)
Yea I think Swarthmore would be awesome, hard to get in though =/ Hoping my essays will save me to be honest :)</p>
<p>Yea i read that blog too! Sounds good! :D</p>
<p>Honestly, I hope it is in fact just the 2 of us :P and no one off CC :D that would be we'd both basically be guaranteed :P</p>
<p>I'm glad I am not alone in this! :)</p>
<p>Haha, I hope so too. Guaranteed spots at Swarthmore would be a dream come true :) </p>
<p>If you don't mind me asking, what are your reasons for transferring?</p>
<p>Hi Guys,</p>
<p>I applied for transfer too. I wish interesteddad would post something optimistic about applying to swat as a transfer. It would make me feel a whole lot better.</p>
<p>Hey Claireishope,</p>
<p>Yeah I wish interestedddad would post something optimistic as well :)
This whole process of transferring schools is pretty stressful and nerve wracking, but don't worry too much about it. Although Swat is my dream school, my view on transferring is this: If I get in to Swat, I will be overjoyed. If I don't, I will be disappointed, but I will try again next year.
Hope this helped a little. If you don't mind me asking, what are your reasons for transferring?</p>
<p>Thanks amendez,</p>
<p>Your perspective is encouraging; but as hard as it is to transfer, my situation is more slim than the chances of G.W.'s memoirs ever getting a publisher.</p>
<p>I grew up in a tiny town and attended a tiny, tiny school. It is extremely rural and impoverished. There was no real opportunity to do anything special, academically or otherwise. I worked hard and tried to stay busy with the few clubs and sports available. I was a straight A student, advanced in every subject, involved in every single EC on campus, dedicated to the tutoring and mentoring program at my school for 3 years, varsity volleyball and track, FBLA, Newspaper, knowledge bowl, and on and on...(boring) </p>
<p>Unfortunately, the lack of intellectual stimulation, diversity, and overall narrowness of my existence started to really get to me. I developed Major depressive disorder, and various other mental hang ups, which did nothing to improve my situation. If anything it got worse. My dad doesn't believe in mental illness, and constantly put me down for my inability to persevere and get myself together.</p>
<p>Things at home were so bad that I eventually just decided to get my GED and leave. After my junior year, I enrolled at Colorado State University, and things improved for a while, but in the back of my mind something just never seemed right.</p>
<p>I had a complete mental breakdown, got heavy into drugs and alcohol, and completely alienated every person in my life who could have possibly helped me. I actually spent an entire month in my room, and lost about 23 pounds. Needless to say my 4.0 at C State was completely destroyed.</p>
<p>It was one of the most difficult times in my life, but I've finally found a medication that works (Thank God!), and have been in therapy for awhile. I'm to a point where I want to try for the things that I missed out on since I didn't graduate, and Swarthmore is pretty much my one and only.</p>
<p>No matter what, I will be back in school this fall, but It would mean so much to me to be given the opportunity to show how hard I can work, and how much I know I can contribute to Swat if they would just give me the opportunity.</p>
<p>It was so liberating to just send in my app, but I made the mistake of letting myself believe it was possible. Now I'm hooked, and my fingers are crossed.</p>
<p>Sooo, that's my story. What's yours?</p>
<p>Claireishope,</p>
<p>WOW! What a touching story. You have really shown what it is to persevere in the face of adversity. I am glad to hear that you are doing better and keep up the positive attitude! :)</p>
<p>My story? hmm...
Well I was born and raised in the seemingly glamorous New York City to low-income parents who immigrated to the United States from the Dominican Republic seeking a better life for their children. I am one of 7 children and also a triplet.</p>
<p>Growing up in the ghetto of NYC was really tough and I saw education as my only way out. Similar to you, I did well in high school, not a straight A student though. I am more like a B/B+ student with a few As here and there, haha :). Also very active when it comes to extracurricular activities, not as much as you though.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, during my senior year of high school, I was not motivated and did not seize many of the opportunities that surrounded me, in terms of college. Also, I was affected by many personal problems that encompassed me during my senior year. As a result, I ended up staying close to home, going to CUNY Hunter College (City University of New York) and did not excel my first semester, as I should have. Many negative aspects contributed to why I did not do as well as I would have liked to, but it was mostly due to problems with my family. </p>
<p>Although things were looking bad, I put all my effort into school and ended up with a B average. I know that it’s not as competitive as other transfer students and that is why this current semester, I am aiming for a 4.0.</p>
<p>Continuing on, as time went by and nearing the end of my first semester, I realized that transferring would be the best thing. Things with my family were improving, which was great. So, I went to my college counselor and asked which schools fit the description of a small school with a main focus on the undergraduate experience. She mentioned many schools, but Swarthmore was what stood out. Funny thing is that I had never even heard of Swarthmore, but I was willing to learn about it. Its size, location, friendly community, intense academic focus, and website ( :) ) were really impressive. I continued researching on Swarthmore and decided to apply. I want to be able to prove to Swarthmore that even though I am not the most qualified student, I am capable of excelling.</p>
<p>So here I am, anxiously hoping for an acceptance letter to Swarthmore by the end of May.</p>
<p>I hope things work out for all us transfer hopefuls :)
Hope you have enjoyed my story and thanks for reading!</p>
<p>I'm rooting for you amendez!!!</p>
<p>It sounds like we could both use some new scenery and a second chance!</p>
<p>Good luck, keep me posted</p>
<p>Claireishope, I am rooting for you as well! Good luck to you too! </p>
<p>I will definitely keep you posted and hope that you will do the same :)</p>
<p>It seems like there are only 3 transfers applying from College Confidential. If there are more, show yourselves! :)</p>
<p>I'm applying for transfer as well. I'm a sophomore at Saint Joseph's, and I don’t fit in here at all. Everyone is interested in hitting up the bar and... well, that's pretty much it. I definitely want to go to a more liberal arts focused school, as opposed to the business atmosphere at SJU. I'm nervous, but wish you all luck! I think everyone on this thread would be a great candidate for Swarthmore. Maybe we'll be classmates next year :]. My fingers are crossed. </p>
<p>Oh, sidenote: Did anyone submit any supplementary materials to Swarthmore? I sent a creative writing supplement, then when I called, the lady on the phone said, "Oh you can send it but they don't really read it." Yeah. Hopefully she's wrong, I was pretty upset :[. Okay, good luck everyone!!</p>
<p>harrylovesginny,</p>
<p>I am glad to see another transfer hopeful! Yes, hopefully we will all be classmates next year :) Good luck to you as well!</p>
<p>I did not submit any supplementary materials to Swarthmore, but I am pretty sure they take the supplementary materials into account when reviewing your application. If anything, it will enhance your application and therefore, giving you a stronger chance of being admitted. :)</p>
<p>One question. Have you visited Swarthmore? I'm curious to know since SJU is in Philadelphia, so I was just wondering if you had the chance to visit.</p>
<p>On another note, I feel like my little story that I previously posted did not really explain my reasons for transferring. Just to clear things up, CUNY Hunter is a huge school, with over 15,000 undergraduate students. Coming from a small high school where my graduating class only consisted of 40 students, I truly miss being taught in a small environment, and I believe that Swarthmore provides the type of environment I need
in order to succeed as a student.</p>
<p>Once again, good luck to everyone and I hope we will all be seeing each other in the Fall! :)</p>
<p>Okay, that's good, I hope you're right about the supplements! </p>
<p>Nope, I haven't had the chance to visit Swarthmore. However, I have been to Haverford (another school I applied to), and have heard that they're very similar. Obviously if I get in, I'll visit before I decide! But I have heard nothing but great things about Swarthmore's campus. </p>
<p>WOW, CUNY Hunter is huge! I can see why you'd want a smaller environment! Good luck with everything!</p>
<p>Thanks harrylovesginny!</p>
<p>I'm most likely going to visit Swarthmore some time soon. Maybe next week. Haverford is great too (didn't apply there though).</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best of luck!</p>
<p>Hey guys! I transferred to Swarthmore this past fall and will be a CA (campus adviser...we'll be leading you around campus and coordinating your orientation events) this coming fall, so if any of you are accepted, I'll be one of the first people you'll meet on campus. Just wanted to wish you all good luck; I remember how hard this waiting period is. I hope none of you gets too discouraged. From what I can tell about the transfer admission process based on the acceptances and rejections of transfer friends, Swarthmore really looks at the holistic picture and is interested in students with a wide variety of backgrounds much more so than other schools, who most frequently accept transfer students from other elite institutions. And not being a great high school student does NOT preclude transfer admission here. A transfer friend (who uh...will also be a CA, and in fact is the student some of y'all have been reading the blog of) and I both did not have great high school records. What you've done in college really matters. Don't worry too much, guys. I hope you get good news on May 15, and if any of you would like to ask me any questions about Swarthmore transferrage, go right ahead!</p>
<p>Hey guys,
I'm Augusta, a couple of you have read my blog. I thought I would jump in here because I saw my good friend Jeanie had posted to you guys. We're going to be your orientation leaders if you get in, we're rooting for you! If you can think of any questions you want answered, please feel free to email me at <a href="mailto:achrist4@swarthmore.edu">achrist4@swarthmore.edu</a>
Best of luck!
AYC</p>
<p>Really enjoy your blog, The Transfer.</p>
<p>It is very encouraging to read the two posts from you two, having been through this whole process!</p>
<p>Some questions that I have are....</p>
<p>1) How did you cope with the stresses of achieving success in the colleges you have transferred out of and, on top of that, setting aside time to make sure your application to Swarthmore was top quality? I know the question asked is a bit late, but I just wanted to get your perspectives on this. :)</p>
<p>2) Are transfer students more united with other transfers at Swarthmore?</p>
<p>If I have any more questions, I will be sure to post them here!</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Hey Asael,
So to answer your first question (and I’m sure Jeanie will have a similar answer because I know her opinions on Penn State), it wasn’t too hard because I went to community college. The workload was really easy to keep up with, so my apps got done fairly easily. That led to a bit of a shock when I got to Swat, but I’ve managed to keep my head above water (for the most part 
).
And not all of the transfers are close, but my group of friends is mainly transfers. I think I’m close friends with five transfers? And I’m friendly with other transfers as well. It’s a unique experience, as I’ve stressed a lot of times, and also students who are sophomores, juniors, etc., have had time to establish groups of friends already. It’s just easier to fall in with transfers.</p>
<p>Just wanted to stop by to thank TheTransfer and Jeanie for the outstanding information they provide about transferring to Swat. Jeanie played a significant role in my decision to apply to Swat as a transfer. Her enthusiasm and willingness to help speaks volumes, I think. Best of luck to all of you.</p>