Transferring to a top school.

Transfer Students
21

This is often the case at small liberal arts colleges, which tend to have high retention rates and therefore very limited space for transfers. Also, if a LAC has a higher-than-expected freshman yield in a given year, they may compensate by cutting back on the number of transfers in the following year. So it’s often tougher to get into a LAC as a transfer than as a freshman. For example:

Bowdoin acceptance rates, from 2016-17 Common Data Set:
Freshmen: 1009 accepted out of 6799, 14.8% acceptance rate
Transfers: 6 accepted out of 175 applicants, 3.4% acceptance rate

Williams acceptance rates, from 2016-17 Common Data Set:
Freshmen: 1230 accepted out of 6985, 17.6% acceptance rate
Transfers: 12 accepted out of 226 applicants, 5.3% acceptance rate

It’s unlikely that anyone outside of the Bowdoin admissions office has that info.

22

@Corbett @kalons

Well, what should I do to increase my chances of being accepted out of deferral for Bowdoin?

23

I am not a Bowdoin admissions officer, so don’t really know. My guess is that the number one thing that would boost your application would be high SAT or ACT scores. But my guess is that if you had such scores, you would have submitted them already.

24

What are your standardized test scores ?

I suspect that they are low. Your career goals are a bit unrealistic based on the little information shared in your posts in this thread.

25

@Corbett Thanks.

26

i, personally, do think it is a bit strange you were deferred from ED2 to RD instead of outright rejected/accepted, but i’m not an admissions officer. bowdoin does not consider demonstrated interest, so that won’t help you. do you have any accomplishments you did not include in your common application? any significant awards or extracurriculars you didn’t include or received after you submitted your application? usually, those are the things admissions officers like to see from applicants, but only if they can help sway in an applicant’s favor.

good example: emailing to ask if a significant award (departmental/regional/national/etc.) you received after you submitted your application can be included in your review
not-so-good example: emailing to talk about how you made A/B honor roll for the fourth year in a row

also, to what other schools did you apply?

27

@kalons

I agree with you on how strange I think it is that I wasn’t outright rejected. I’m sure there were other applicants with stronger academic profiles than mine. In fact, I even told several teachers that I think it’s weird since there were other applicants more qualified than me. However, I did have hooks.

Hook # 1: I am a low income African American student from Memphis, Tennessee. Not many students of the same race, socioeconomic background, and from the same city apply, so I do think that distinguished me.

Hook #2: For my “How did you learn about Bowdoin” essay, I said I learned about Bowdoin after I read the biography of a famous alum(Geoffrey Canada).

In the second essay, which was optional, I chose to talk about the African American society, my plan to join, and even improve it. This was the essay where we had to choose a line.

I think my research on the school, also with four AP Classes on my current schedule, and my demographic helped me.

As for if I have any other extracurricular activities/awards, I do but most of these came in the ninth, tenth, and eleven grades. One award was just given to me recently. Here is the list:

Ninth grade award: I won second place in the challenge, The Introduction to Parliamentary Procedure at the FBLA Regional Conference in Memphis, TN. This was a regional recognition.

Tenth grade leadership position: I was elected to be Secretary of my class, where I made sure the students’ voices were heard.

Tenth grade award: I won second place in the challenge, The Introduction to Financial Math and Analysis at the FBLA Regional Conference in Memphis, TN. This was a regional recognition.

Eleventh grade award: I won first place in the challenge, Securities and Investments at the FBLA Regional Conference in Memphis, TN. This was a regional recognition.

Twelfth grade award: I won second place in the challenge, Economics, at the FBLA Regional Conference in Memphis, TN. This was a regional recognition.

Does this leadership position and list of awards that I didn’t put on my app help? Remember, I got all of the awards and the leadership position before I applied. The only award that came after I applied is the award I got for placing second in the economics Challenge.

Thanks in advance!!

28

After your last post, I find it odd that Bowdoin College did not accept you.

29

i would email and talk about/ask to include the award for the economics challenge if it was regional. it won’t hurt, and it could possibly help your application, especially since you’re applying as an economics major.

30

@Publisher Thank you. I just hope that the admissions officers feel the same way.

31

@kalons That is the thing. I applied for the history and Africana studies.

@Waterborne and I even talked about that incongruity in my app.

Maybe that incongruity raised some questions. I don’t know.

But I honestly think that if I had a higher GPA and was in the 10% of my class, I would have been admitted. I mean, I am in the the top 12% with a 3.5 and I was deferred. I got shown more mercy than kids with a 4.0 GPA and a 30 or higher on the ACT or 1400 or higher on the SAT.

But I can’t change my stats honestly. Do you think I could change my major by emailing my admissions rep? If I can, do changing my major to Econ will help since that will be consistent with my extracurricular activities and awards?

Also, I am currently working on doing four things to help me get accepted out of deferral. Do you think doing these four things will help?

Also, I will email my admissions rep saying that I will attend if I am admitted, saying that Bowdoin is still my top choice and why I want to attend.

I will also have my former AP GOV teacher write me an additional LOR saying that I was the best student he’s ever taught, and how I was a classroom leader.

I will also email my admissions rep and tell her about the FBLA awards and the leadership position.

I will also have my guidance counselor call and ask if there was a specific reason why I was deferred and I will have him tell my admissions rep something new and special about me.

32

If you haven’t already emailed to say 'of course, it was disappointing to be deferred, but I want you to know that B is still my first choice" (if it is), then do so now and add “In the meantime, I am staying engaged in my ECs, and was happy to come 2nd in this regional competition”

I agree with some of the other posters, though, not all of your pieces add up. Bowdoin is not an obvious choice for somebody who is dead-set on IB. Read this article about where the IB firms recruit: https://poetsandquantsforundergrads.com/2015/02/04/the-top-feeder-schools-to-wall-street/ . Read the paragraph “Top Firms Have Their Favorites”

One more thing: if you want IB, summer internships are critical- no matter where you go to college. In them meantime, think about why IB. It is a great way to make a lot of money - but it is a brutal life.

33

@collegemom3717 Thanks. I chose Bowdoin because I would like to think that some I-Banks recruit there even if it isn’t a top feeder school. I thought with my demographic and my stats (25 on the ACT), I could have a chance. This is because I know Maine isn’t very diverse and I wouldnt have to send my ACT score since Bowdoin is test optional. Also, I will try to email my admissions rep today.

34

ut knox is a great school. No reason to switch. You’ll have more fulfilling times at ut than you will at any of those colleges/

35

i disagree with that ^ a lot. i, myself, took a gap year because UT-K was my only option last application cycle due to the poor judgment of my chances at the schools to which i applied. poor planning on my part for not choosing a safety at which i would be happy, but i did not want to have my parents spend money on a school i disliked. one year later, and i know i’ll be happier at the school i’ll be attending in the fall than i would have ever been at UT-K. if op believes he’ll have better experiences/opportunities at other schools, he should explore them, but he needs to do it the correct way. sometimes people (like myself) just know they won’t be happy at a certain school.

36

@kalons I’m looking into transferring to Villanova.

37

@Gpa348 I feel for ya kid! My D17 had a rough go last year in admissions and ended up at her safety. I am going to tell you exactly what I told her. Jump in with an open mind and with the attitude that you are going to do well and make friends you’ll have for the rest of your life. Get involved and enjoy. It’s the only way to go! You landed at UT for a reason so don’t fight the current or you will be miserable.

Also, don’t listen to people who tell you that your desired career plans are beyond your reach. My God, you haven’t even started college yet! You have so much growing to do - and please take this in the good spirit it’s offered - maturing to do too.

Those highly selective schools have their own issues. You are wanted by UT, they chose you! Aren’t they lucky? A school like that will offer you great academics, great school spirit, and the ability for you to get involved in extra curriculars AND get enough sleep. Don’t discount that.

If after a time you think you have maxed out UT then consider transferring.

I wish you all the best!

38

@cleoforshort Thanks! That made me feel a lot better.

39

@collegemom3717 I will be able to email my admissions rep stating that Bowdoin is my first choice tomorrow since I am having computer issues. Is that too late?

40

Please make more realistic career goals. Currently you want to be an investment banker with a Wall Street firm. Do you have any idea how tough that is without an incredibly strong background in math & analytical skills ? Plus, NYC is notorious for only wanting super prestigious pedigrees. Even graduates of Ivies & M-7 MBA programs cannot get offers there. UT-K will make those plans almost unattainable.