I will be attending UCSB in the fall and though that’s great, I would like to transfer to a school with a business curriculum (which UCSB lacks). I’m thinking of transferring to Boston College, USC, or Cornell after my first year. I know I will have at least 45 credits completed after freshman year. My questions are:
Do I still need to complete a Common App prompt? I completed their general app for transfers but I’ve only had to fill in general info and USC’s transfer info site redirects to the old Common App site. (which includes the writing prompts but isn’t catered to transfers but first year applicants)
Would I still need to show high school grades? My school only sends out one transcript after grad and it was to UCSB, and I cannot access my unofficial transcript online due to account termination. There was no section on the transfer common app that asked for high school grades either.
Are first year transfers a common thing? I want to spend as much time as possible in an environment that would teach me about being in business so I’m trying to transfer as early as possible but I don’t know how common it is for students to do this.
Thank you so much! I’m happy to provide more information on my situation.
I’m currently listed as math major, and they have accounting and econ courses that I think suffice for basic prereqs. A gap year doesn’t appeal all that much to me since studying math would still yield an adequate supply of opportunities.
Here’s the deal: admission is easier as a freshman applicant, and financial aid (if you need it) is better. So, if you are truly unhappy with your current choice, then take the gap year, get a job for some real-life business experience (even being a low-wage burger flipper will give you a meaningful view of the business world), and apply to the places you really want to study at.
If the truth is that you didn’t get in to those other places the first time around, like UCSB better than anywhere else you were admitted, and are afraid of losing your spot at UCSB and not having decent options after a gap year, well then starting out at UCSB does make sense. You can apply for transfer at any point in time. But just be certain to keep doing well at UCSB in case the most likely scenario of finishing up there is indeed the final result.
Before you dismiss UCSB as a fit, make sure you look at the Technology Management Certificate Program. It’s an excellent program. Several winners of their New Venture Competition now run technology companies in the Santa Barbara area.
For the common app, each college might have transfer specific questions for you to answer or they might not. These will be found in the common app itself and you will not be able to submit without answering them.
This really depends on school policy. Generally, if you are applying as a lower division student (sophomore or under 60 semester/90 quarter units) your high school record is considered. Check the Transfer Requirements for each of your target schools and see if that’s one of them. Some may need your transcript to check things like foreign language or US history requirements. Your high school may use a third party such as Parchment to send transcripts from this point forward if they only send one copy for free.