Thank you for posting this. It gives context.
Still, it’s puzzling why Cornell would be so explicit about its inability to review D’s application when other very good schools seemingly can.
I didn’t reference you in particular. I inferred from the OP’s comments and other posts in general.
I also didn’t suggest the student can’t cope. I suggested the student might be happier in a less intense environment that might have a more welcoming atmophere. The student came from a homeschool situation and might need a bit more support such as that offered by many of the colleges mentioned here. She is clearly an excellent student who is more than qualified to get into most colleges OP lists.
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I have had Carleton people tell me, unofficially, that something like the 5% of their class is need aware. They still have funds, but that statement can be spun many different ways.
We have had dealings with WUSTL. I stand by my statement…again, it’s unofficial, but my impression was that a full pay student had a greater chance of admission.
Seems clear that transfer applicants with no college grades would be at a competitive disadvantage in Cornell’s eyes, which is all that matters. Cornell did make it clear the student could apply for Spring 2023 entry, so there is a possible transfer path, just not now.
Sure, I understand that’s Cornell’s perspective. I am just curious why, since other schools don’t appear troubled by it to the point of advising not to apply until later.
According to WUSTL they are now need blind. Not sure which money grabbing elite schools are left. Tufts, for one.
I am actually more surprised that more schools don’t have the same practice. It’s not clear to me that OP’s D spoke with all schools prior to applying…if not, I would expect no grades could be a problem at those which haven’t expressed otherwise.
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Thank you for all your information, encouragement, comments and suggestions…
Many of your instinctive perceptions in the right direction… D grew up in Philly, so that’s her “home”… but we no longer live there… not in PA or the US and not in Europe either… far away… And we feel she can use some familial support… That’s the primary reason we steered her towards Oxford because her older brother is there… and happily so…
But she misses the US and she didn’t like her experience at Oxford… While some professors and tutors are nice, others are not so… one is particularly mean… And it is a pressure-cooker for humanities students… (her brother, a STEM student, is more relaxed…) Above all, she misses studying Latin… and wants to pair Classics with Linguistics… which is not possible at Oxford…
Georgetown is the school she wanted to go last year… We have family and close friends in the East Coast and the West Coast… thus Haverford, Swarthmore, Penn… and Pomona… D has a cousin at JHU… that explains the choice also…
We are aware of the reputation at Swarthmore but D is interested in their special course major “Linguistics and Languages”… Likewise, she is also drawn to the LAMS (Late Antique Medieval Studies) program at Pomona… I will say, if she gets into Pomona, she may not even apply to Swarthmore (which has a late deadline)…
Anyway, we’ll see how things go… Thank you guys for all your support…
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After Cornell, we have at least emailed… sometimes called… various schools to inquire if they would consider her application…
While they all said they will read her application, we really don’t know how favorable or unfavorable they would be… without a transcript…
They would have to be comfortable with evaluating based on academic recommendations… which should be quite good…
Will see…
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“university that allows us to be immediately and forever “need blind” in our admission process for first-year domestic applicants”
They may still be need aware for transfer students.
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Exactly… They are not very upfront about transfer applicants… At least Brown tells you the truth, that they are need aware… Others don’t tell…
Well…
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Sorry forgot this was a transfer thread
I have certainly see them woo full-pay students more assiduously than one might have expected
It’s good to have some outside connections in any place she ends up. Do take into account though that she needs to be in a place where she can make her own connections. I wouldn’t rely on the cousin at JHU to provide the kind of support she might need. Not that the cousin won’t want to help, but more because the cousin will have their own friends, coursework, etc…
All the schools you mention are going to be great academically. Can I suggest your daughter do some more digging on a website such as Niche or even Unigo? She can read student reviews about these colleges. She can also check out their instagram and facebook pages to see if she likes what she sees. Seems that she might greatly benefit from being at a school that’s a good fit for her. I do think she has decent odds at Georgetown, but it’s tough as a transfer to any of these schools.
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As potential encouragement, note that colleges that are need aware will consider the level of financial assistance required. Consequently, depending on your situation, your daughter may receive a financial evaluation sufficiently favorable so as not to place her at a disadvantage at these colleges.
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Here is one interesting case study…
When we first contacted Grinnell, the reply from a junior Admissions Officer (a recent graduate) was not positive: “We sadly require the college transcript in order to consider the application.”
Then we pressed on to someone more senior and someone coordinating the international admission, and we received a different reply: “I’m very familiar with the UK… system and its academic calendar, though I don’t think we’ve had a university transfer from Oxford before. I’d be willing to consider _______’s transfer application without a formal… transcript if she is able to provide letters from her current professors… I look forward to reviewing and presenting _______’s application, should she choose to apply!”
So in the end, they would take the two academic recommendations (plus other credentials) for evaluation… Of course, we still don’t know if those are sufficient for admission…
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I don’t know anything about any of this, but I’m shocked by Cornell’s response. It seems like a canned response. Was it from the Admissions Director? Would it be worth reaching out to the Department Head?
Best of luck.
As previously mentioned in my post, the reply was from an Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions with “Transfer Admissions” under his name… Anyway the deadline is 15 March and my daughter didn’t show interest after that reply…
Let it be then.
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As an aspect to consider regarding Swarthmore, its students have expressed diminishing interest in studying humanities fields lately. In a recent class, for example, 14 students graduated with English as a “first major,” 7 with history, 2 with classical Greek and none with general classics based on IPEDS information. A multi/interdisciplinary major related to your daughter’s interests, “Classical, Ancient Mediterranean, and Near Eastern Studies and Archaeology,” did attract 3 students, however. The preceding notwithstanding, your daughter may match especially well with Swarthmore’s generally brilliant students.
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Swarthmore&s=all&id=216287#programs
Has your daughter heard back from many schools?