I’m currently a sophomore at Harvard, and ever since completing my first semester and having the buzz of Harvard wear off, I haven’t been able to get the thought of a potential transfer out of my head. Don’t get me wrong, I am incredibly honored and humbled to have been able to study here for the past year and a half. None the less, as time has gone on, it’s become more clear to me that Harvard is a community with a lot of issues, and not one I feel especially at home at. Even though I have made some great friends here, I’ve never felt a huge amount of ownership and pride in the community, and I’m beginning to think maybe that could be different if I attended school elsewhere. What I know might make my case to transfer somewhat less compelling is that in terms of academic field, Harvard actually is a good fit for me; in other words, I wouldn’t fit into the category of students who need to transfer due to a lack opportunities at their school. What really frustrates me about the school is the general culture and vibe. Exclusivity and who-do-you-know sentiments are overwhelming, even day to day. I find this to be true not only between students, but from the administration and faculty as well. I have found the general sentiment of the school to pass along the message to students that qualify of life is irrelevant to them; they are doing enough merely by letting us grace the campus with our presence, and we should expect nothing else. Although I haven’t done much research, I get the sense many of Harvard’s peer institutions have dealt with this issue far more successfully. While I will be the first to admit that on paper Yale and Harvard seem almost one in the same, I really get the sense students are happier there and could potentially be a community I would feel more at home at. I haven’t been to find much information about transferring out of Harvard/between elite institutions, so I guess my question is this: do you think I have/can create a compelling reason to transfer, and if so, do you think schools like Yale, UPenn, Duke and Standord would entertain such a possibility? I can only imagine an admission officer seeing I go to Harvard and thinking “if he wasn’t successful there, why would he be here,” given how similar some of these schools are often made out to be. None the less, I really believe Harvard is unique in its inability to care for the needs of students, and other institutions could better provide such a community to me.
Thanks
Sounds like you’re experiencing Ivory Tower syndrome. How do you know that transferring to Yale will be any better? This elitism exists at almost all the top schools.
If I were an admissions officer reading your application I’d want to know why you are leaving Harvard.
Regarding your comment “in terms of academic field, Harvard actually is a good fit for me;”
Your main purpose for going to college is for that reason, and that should dominate over all other issues.
I went to another major college in Boston decades ago, and worked at my first job upon graduation at a company located next to the Charles Hotel in Charles Square. Most of my work friends were recent Harvard graduates. In fact the best of my friends use to joke about just your concern, but that’s the point, he JOKED about it, and there are other people like him. He saw humor in the situation, and got his degree, got a good job when he graduated. He found other people who did not share the attitude that concerns you (at least from students). Sometimes in life you need to step back and see the humor in a situation, find like minded people in a larger institution, and maybe even make efforts to change it if important enough to you. Don’t run from it.
Regarding the faculty, I am not saying there couldn’t be better places to be, but the grass is not always greener. I now have college age kids, one at Cornell. While there are lots of smart kids at Cornell, he too finds the most common culture not fitting his personality, but he absolutely found others with common interests and values. As far as the faculty, depends so much on your major. He changed majors, older teachers cared about students, newer one they do not seem to care about undergrads nor teaching. Younger son at less well known but very competitive college, and frankly getting a better education than anyone I have known at any Ivy. If you were going to transfer, not sure why one would limit to Yale, but I don’t think you should transfer and instead find like minded friends in clubs and find professors with whom you might do research. Even a few good connections in college can make a huge difference in your life. Think about how you might have fared, had you taken a full scholarship to an honors program at a less competitive school ? Lots of people do that, and they have to find their niche when not surrounded by a student body that is just like them.
Yale says this on their transfer website
If you are seeking to transfer to a Harvard “peer school” i.e. Yale, Penn, Duke, Stanford, Dartmouth, Brown, Cornell etc, then you’re going to need two things: A 3.8+ GPA from Harvard and solid academic reasons why XXX college is a better fit for you. It doesn’t seem you have either of those, so I would think your chances would be slim to non.
FWIW: My daughter was in the exact same situation as you (except she had a 4.0 GPA), but ended up sticking it out, hating every minute of her time at Harvard. So I feel for you, but I don’t think it’s a realistic option to transfer to a Harvard “peer school” as academically Harvard offers everything all those other schools have. What those other colleges DO offer is a better social environment, and administration’s that put the student-experience as a higher priority, but I don’t think that holds much sway for transfer admissions.
If you really hate Harvard, I’m sure you could transfer to Boston University without any need for an explanation. But do you dislike Harvard enough to do that? From your post, it doesn’t quite sound like it.
I know a person who successfully transferred from Princeton to Penn so it is possible for you to transfer out of Harvard to some other peer school if you present a compelling enough reason. I feel transfer admissions committees hate applicants who try to transfer for prestige reasons. So if you were a non HYP applicant trying to transfer to HYP, or a Yale /Princeton student trying to transfer to Harvard then you would be out of luck. But obviously you are not doing that. The issue though is that you do not know what the environments of the other schools are like until you are in. So it might end up being the same or worse or bad in a different way so it is definitely a big risk leaving the school with the best name out there and a school that fits your interests.
Thanks for your reply Gibby.
I think if one were to think about the academic and social spheres existing totally independently, I would agree maybe it would make sense to just be content with that I have going for me academically and tough it out socially for a couple more years. What originally attracted me to Harvard though was that the social and academic experience become intertwined and ideally impactful on one another. Therefore, because I find the social dynamic of the school to be toxic, it inherently detracts from my ability to get the most from my academic experience. Part of what I thinks is so much better at Yale is that because the social experience and care for students is far superior, the academic experience is therefore also heightened.
With regards to your comments on GPA and interests, I think I could have a compelling academic case, and I believe my GPA is in the range to be seriously considered. I have found Harvard to be really obsessed with the separation of academic fields, and as someone really interested in intersectionality, especially with regards to engineering and the arts, I believe Yale could offer me a better academic experience. In other words, I constantly feel like I have to compromise in order to study what I love at Harvard, whereas I feel Yale would encourage my exploration.
From what I hear from my daughter, based on her experience at Yale (which she is very happy with) and students she knows at Harvard, I do think on average students are happier at Yale, especially in the first year. Her impression is that a lot of the first year Harvard students (in particular the guys, who aren’t invited to final club parties etc.) are waiting for their second year to start having a social life.
Surveys of graduates also generally show people are very happy with their Yale experience, including the social dimension.
At the same time, it’s not like everything is open to everyone at Yale either . . . lots of people don’t get a spot in the performing arts group, sports team, writing outlet etc. they want, a good number of parties are private affairs, and so on. I get the sense that this may be more the case at Harvard, but I think a certain amount of competition (among people who were generally high school stars) and exclusivity is inherent in any of these elite institutions, though most people find a niche that works for them.
One thing you could do is talk with some of the Yale students who will be on your campus in a few weeks for the football game weekend and see how their experiences compare to yours.
^^ I get it. And I think many Harvard students who feel the same way as you do get it too. However, Yale – at least from what is posted on their transfer website – does NOT consider the toxic social atmosphere at Harvard (or any other college) and the detraction it might create, a valid reason to transfer. So, you should focus on this
And specifically write about the Yale professors you would like to study with!
Lots of good advice here. Still after 3 semesters I will trust that it isn’t working for the whole of you. Yale is wholeheartedly and apologetically concerned with the social experience. And that goes beyond parties. My advice is to search carefully for alternatives and know specifically what would be different for you at the new place. I’d hate to see you leave Harvard that is mostly working only to de disappointed with a place that has an appealing general rep but that you still cannot unlock. Good luck.
Canoe2015-
Your daughter is definitely right that there is a culture on campus which suggests students-especially guys-are meant to grow in their happiness of the social scene over time. What I have come to realize however is that the spaces that come to exist as students get older are not ones I feel comfortable being a part of. More frustrating however, I have found that even in an effort not to associate with certain organizations, there is still a noticeable impact that final clubs and the such have on my experience. Simply because final clubs operate in hyper exclusive spaces, they turn every other social space on campus into ones that are inversely ‘less exclusive,’ and as a result there is a sentiment that choosing to not be a part of a social club (as the overwhelming majority of students choose not to do) still has a negative impact on your time here.
I also totally appreciate that exclusivity exists at Yale as well. From my understanding however, there are a more diverse group of activities that students can get involved in that have social components, and as a result, a wider variety of atmospheres exist. Almost without fail, every social environment I have been in here has really been overwhelming concerned with connections. Even clubs that are superficially merit based have large undertones of exclusivity. Also related to clubs, the comp process for many organizations is unbelievably aggressive. While it’s understandable that clubs want new members to do some additional work, many clubs require processes which are so intense that it makes joining a group you are genuinely interested in into a burden.
I have a few friends at Yale, and although we are of course different people, I can’t help but compare my experience to theirs and think of how I might fit into such a community. What I have found to be generally true is that they each have felt as though they have found their place within the Yale community, and more so that they have a strong sense of pride in their school. Harvard students rarely exhibit such traits, and as a result it suffers from a lack of strong community.
gibby-
Totally understand that is probably a more compelling angle to take. Do you think the two can not coexist however? In other words, I both think its a better fit for me both because of the academics, and because I think because Yale has a unique social/academic dynamic I could thrive better in. I think I would definitely point out on paper Yale and Harvard appear to be similar, but its become evident the Harvard experience struggles to come to life, and Yale students seem so genuine to who they are and what they believe. Even thinking back now, I can remember how Harvard students explain having House system, and Yale students always exclaim how they love their Residential College system. On paper, both are a similar structuring of dorms, but it seems Yale does a much better job taking advantage of its resources and putting them forth to creating a better school and community.
I don’t. Let’s look at this from another vantage point. Some Yale professors, maybe even those on the Admissions Committee, have sent their children to Harvard – and those children might have been happy there! For example, Amy Chua, the author of “Tiger Mom” is a Yale Law Professor and sent both her daughters to Harvard. As you don’t know who will be reading your application, and whether that person (or committee members) might share your opinion of Harvard’s social life, I think it’s best to NOT to trash the university you want to leave. Instead, you should focus on what academic opportunities Yale can provide you with that Harvard cannot – and leave it at that! After all, that is what Yale has asked transfer applicants to do. Ignore that advice at your own peril!
@TiredoutTransfsr , I took a quick look at Duke’s, Penn’s, and Stanford’s requirements, and I didn’t find specific language about not being able to meet your academic needs at your current school to qualify as a transfer. Since your current school is Harvard, that’s a good thing for you at those schools 
At a cursory glance, among the schools you named, Yale seems the most demanding for a rationale. They are all, of course, selective in terms of GPA, scores, etc.
Good luck.