I know it’s close to impossible and HMC only takes a small handful of transfer students each year, but can anyone who has successfully transferred or knows the best approach, please offer advice.
HMC was my D’s top choice and she got in off the waitlist. Unfortunately my husband was out of work at the time and they offered very little FA (even with an appeal) because they had to use our income from two years ago. Regretfully she had to decline and is enrolled to start UCLA this fall as a math major. UCLA is a great school but I still think HMC is a better fit. It was a heartbreaking decision and one that still weighs heavy on me.
I understand the core at HMC is not comparable and the quarter system at UCLA makes it even more of a challenge to transfer. However, how do the few successful transfers do it? I’m wondering should she focus mainly on humanities courses at UCLA, leaving the core classes to be fulfilled at HMC? Or should she concentrate on STEM courses, even though HMC will probably not accept them?
Again, I know it’s a long shot, but any advice would be greatly appreciated.
They take 1-2 a year. It is very difficult to catch up, honestly, if you don’t start the core there. My advice would be to set the idea of HMC aside and have her focus on the school you can afford and that she will be atttending this fall.
Thanks. That is good advice. She is fully prepared to try to make the most out of UCLA, and it’s in her best interest to make it work. However, if she finds herself still wanting to transfer she wants to know what courses she should take that would put her in the best position to be that 1-2 that are accepted? Humanities courses, so that she start the core fresh, or STEM, showing a proven track record in college level STEM classes? She will have to take math since it’s her major, but beyond that she can fulfill other UCLA GE requirements while still being mindful of what would help her be a likely transfer candidate.
You might want to try calling the school for advice. Since there are so few that transfer, it’s highly unlikely anyone here will have solid advice for you.
Yes, transferring is difficult.
She should plan on going through the UCLA program, but to give herself an opportunity to transfer, she should:
See where courses in the first two years of the UCLA math major and the first two years of the HMC math major intersect. Note that the most basic HMC math course is accelerated calculus.
If there are other required courses that intersect, she should be sure to take ones that would match HMC courses. For example, do NOT take “physics for non-physics majors”.
Map out a plan where open slots in the UCLA curriculum can be used to take courses that match other courses in the HMC core.
Finally, and my main suggestion, is that she make early contact with professors in the HMC math department to see if there is any possibility that she could do some summer research at HMC. If she were fortunate enough to find a spot to work for one of the professors, she would at least be exposed to the atmosphere at Mudd, and perhaps see whether the grass is indeed greener. While she is at it, she should look for summer research at UCLA, also.
@ClaremontMom, when she declined the spot she wrote a letter to admissions asking for advice, and they told her the same as intparent - transferring would be difficult and recommended she focus on the school she is attending. It’s good advice and we certainly hope she has no regrets several months from now. But she is coming from a very small school and is more accustom to the atmosphere of HMC where she would have had more interaction with professors and students. Hopefully she finds her niche within the big campus and transferring won’t be an issue. However, if not, she absolutely loved HMC from our first visit (and we went three times) and wants to be in the best position to transfer if at all possible. (Again the decision was strictly due to financial circumstances, which has made it that much more difficult.)
@“Miles Perrara” - thank you! She has to register for classes next week, so I will pass along your recommendations. Are you a student or parent that was able to successfully transfer? If so, may I ask from what school?
I just chatted with my kid, who had one friend who was a transfer. Here are her comments:
- You have to realize that the core is not just hard, but it covers a LOT of ground. Your kid would likely have to overload at UCLA and do very, very well grade-wise to be on par with Mudders as a transfer. You should take a look at the core – there are a lot of half semester classes that cover the same material most colleges cover in a whole semester. To avoid being behind as a transfer, she would have to cover a lot of that ground.
- Waiting until after the first year of core to transfer could make it difficult to complete some majors within 4 years due to sequencing. Mudd is small – a lot of classes are only offered one semester per year.
- Her friend had issues with her grades – but was a CS major, and did find a job after graduation.
- Mudd went pretty deep into their waitlist this year due to some campus issues that happened right around the time students were making their decisions. My kid commented that a female student from the waitlist probably is going to start at a slight disadvantage academically as a frosh (lots of highly qualified students admitted ahead of them), and that could be even more challenging coming in as a sophomore.
I don’t mean to be a wet blanket, but admissions is offering similar advice for a reason. If it were my kid, I don’t think I would encourage this much. It could keep her from settling in at UCLA and making friends/prof relationships that are lasting.
@intparent - thank you! I understand HMC’s core classes are more in-depth which is why I wondered if focusing on the humanities courses would be a better path. HMC wants well rounded students, and she could probably cover the humanities requirements easier than trying to find STEM courses that cover enough ground.
My D went to a French school and pursued a French diploma which was heavy in STEM. (For example, she had physics, chem, and bio every year since middle school.) Her US standards tests were not as high as other applicants due to her French education, which covers different material and not geared towards multiple choice tests. (She still did well but probably on the lower end of HMC applicants.) However, these are not a complete reflection of her ability. Her French Baccleaurette results are a better reflection, in which she did very well. (She received the results in June, long after applications.) Basically I don’t think in her situation, her waitlist acceptance makes her a less qualified applicant. I think her US test scores made admissions unsure originally (which is totally understandable) but she was a great fit and was pursuing the most rigorous program in France (even though her parents don’t speak the language) and was ultimately chosen off the waitlist. I really appreciate your input and realize that HMC is hard for even it’s most qualified candidates.
I have a younger D that is pursuing the same French diploma that I could never imagine at HMC. It wouldn’t be the right fit for her, but it was the right fit for my older D. If she’s not happy at UCLA and wants to transfer, I would not be surprised in the least. I’m not encouraging her. I would much rather spend 30k/year, so I hope UCLA makes her happy. If not, it would give me great joy to see her transfer to her dream school that seemed like a perfect match from the start.
so I came in off of the waitlist, and I knew a couple of transfers, later. But that was a LONG time ago, the academic situation is tighter now. I don’t doubt that she could succeed at Mudd, it is only because the core sequence is very intense. And @intparent is correct, the HMC course load during any semester is likely an overload at most other schools. If she were to try to match the introductory curriculum, she would probably have to try to take some summer courses, and that is why I think she would be better to look for summer opportunities. If she happens to find something at Mudd, then great. If not, then hopefully whatever she finds enhances her overall education rather than trying to just take courses.
transferring is really difficult. this falll they are only accepting 4 transfers.
I just got an email that Harvey Mudd is accepting no transfer students for the coming year due to unexpected high enrollment… I’m crushed
@holophrasm I’m really sorry 
did you already submit your application? I also received that email, and it is pretty disappointing
Did you pay an application fee? I’d ask for a refund, since they won’t even be reading applications.
@intparent no, i had it waived. how do you know they’re not reading apps?
If they said they are accepting no transfers, why would they even read the applications? They didn’t look at the transfer pool and say, “No one is qualified.” They looked at their yield coming in, and said, “Uh oh, looks like we are full up for housing and classes for next fall!” Now… maybe I’m not being fair, and they did some transfer application reading before the freshman yield became clear.
The note from Mudd indicated that they would refund all fees. I had mine refunded a few days ago. Disappointed, but better to know the decision had nothing to do with me personally than to think it was a rejection.
First time I’ve ever seen a college close their transfer class like this- but I’m not too upset/surprised. They clearly say that their entering class is super tiny. I’m really despising this “over enrolled” class trend that seems to be going on with colleges recently.
Last year I think yield may have been down a little, and I’m guessing they overcompensated by admitting more this year — and then yield bounced back this year. That is my guess. It is really hard to judge yield, and the incoming classes are less than 200 students to start with. They only have so much housing & classroom capacity.