<p>I'm starting a thread to network with other students in a position similar to mine. I'm applying to multiple top-tier schools, such as Stanford, most Ivys, Carnegie Mellon, and other schools great for my major/minor combination (computer science and math).</p>
<p>This thread is meant to discuss things like essays (get them reviewed by me/others), getting recommendations, actions worth taking, etc, for potential top-tier transfer students.</p>
<p>Anyone else applying to similar schools this year? It'd be great to casually chat with someone.</p>
<p>Right here. Not applying to any ivies, but the majority of my list are LAC’s, a lot of which have transfer acceptance rates similar to ivies’. I really don’t like how the CA isn’t very transfer-friendly.</p>
<p>I’m not applying but I just wanted to mention that transfer acceptance rates into top schools are often around 2-5%. Not many people drop out of these top schools, and so there are rarely spots that need to fill.</p>
<p>If you are set on transferring, make sure you have some realistic possibilities.</p>
<p>Seems like the change to electronic submission of LORs is a great improvement. Is what’s not working specific to transfers or a result of the general CA overhaul?</p>
<p>It is, but I heard transcripts, mid-term reports, Registrar Report (?), and course descriptions aren’t electronic (as far as I know). </p>
<p>I think it’s specific to transfers; on the first-year application, EVERYTHING was done electronically. I didn’t have to worry about things getting turned in on time and I didn’t have to put up with the shame in asking teachers to go through the trouble to mail in their letters when they were done. Idk, it seems a lot to ask when officials have to snail mail forms that are solely for YOUR benefit, mainly because it costs them money and it takes up a bit of time (compared to electronic submission)</p>
<p>Yeah, that’s the way it’s always been. Of course not all HSs or colleges send transcripts electronically, but it would be nice to have that option. If they can do LORs electronically, they should be able to do the COF that way as well. Mid-terms are always going to have to be sent hard copy as they’re unofficial.</p>
<p>^My HS did transcripts, registrar report, midterm reports (etc) by mail – for me, the transfer process is really similar to the first-year process, except I have to go out of my way a little to get LOR and official reports sent.</p>
<p>Also, @marcdvl, well aware of the statistics. I’m applying to some schools with much higher transfer acceptance rates, too, but I think I have an OK shot at transferring, even with the 2-5% rates. Thanks for the note, anyways!</p>
<p>@Juvenis which LACs are you aiming for? I’d guess Williams, Amherst, and others. Good luck!!</p>
<p>The midterm report at college and the midyear report at HS are two completely different things. The HS midyear is an official grade that all schools do at the end of the fall semester. The college midterm report is an unofficial report taken around by applicants to their instructors. It is not going to be something that a school will report electronically.</p>
<p>@deathstroke Thanks, same to you! I’m applying to a lot actually lol.</p>
<p>Not Williams, because I didn’t take 2 subject tests and I REALLY don’t wanna take it now. I’m aiming for Amherst, Swarthmore, Carleton, Haverford, Vassar, Hamilton, URichmond, Macalester, Colorado College, and Davidson – all over the place lol.</p>
<p>I’m also applying to a few smaller research universities (certainly smaller than mine right now). </p>
<p>My first choice would be Haverford because of its incredibly small size and strength in the program I want. But if I get into at least one LAC I’d be satisfied.</p>
<p>@entomom – ahh, got it. Thanks for clarifying that.</p>
<p>@Juvenis Lol I’m applying to a lot, too. Rough list (in no particular order)…</p>
<p>Stanford
MIT
Rice
Harvard
Berkeley
UCLA
Columbia
UCSD
Yale
UPenn
Dartmouth
Cornell
Brown
Carnegie Mellon
UChicago
UMich Ann Arbor
USC
UIUC</p>
<p>My top choices are Harvard and Carnegie Mellon. CMU will probably be harder for me to get into, actually, as the school I’m applying to (School of Computer Science) has ~120 students, so they’ll likely admit somewhere between 1-5 transfer students (if at all). </p>
<p>Thankfully, I’ve already gotten started on my writing, and have my common app essay done (still have a lot more to do though, lol). </p>
<p>Your list looks really solid – what’s your intended major?</p>
<p>Hi! I’m also planning to transfer to a top-tier school, preferably a LAC (not necessarily an Ivy). This is likely my last shot, so I’m a bit nervous! Hopefully the odds are in our favor.</p>
<p>“Stanford
MIT
Rice
Harvard
Berkeley
UCLA
Columbia
UCSD
Yale
UPenn
Dartmouth
Cornell
Brown
Carnegie Mellon
UChicago
UMich Ann Arbor
USC
UIUC”</p>
<p>Did you basically just look at the USNews top 20 and decide that those were all of the ideal schools for you to apply to?</p>
<p>The schools in that list are all quite significantly different from one another in countless ways. Are those all schools that you are interested in for their own merits, or simply because they’re “good schools?”</p>
<p>That’s really insulting. I’m studying computer science, and have a strong background in journalism and politics as well. All of the schools I’m applying to are strong or at least decent in both categories.</p>
<p>Before going to my current college, I was a lab engineer at VMware. My friend, who’s a computational science/math double major at Stanford, asked me to explain and write pseudo-code for her because she couldn’t understand how to solve her first two projects. I did it because I’m a good friend, and so I think I have strong grounds to place myself with computer science students at Stanford (one of the best schools for computer science, no arguing about that).</p>
<p>I’d elaborate more, but honestly, you strike me as the kind of person who will not change their mind, no matter what I have to say.</p>
<p>deathstroke, I think you already have the potential to get into one of the schools you’ve listed as a transfer applicant! However, I do think there is some validation in what comfortablycurt is saying; more than just computer science, you need to tell each of these colleges exactly how it stands out to you and why you think you would be a great fit. You don’t want the admissions to think you’re just there for computer science. Being more specific in your applications with regard to the school’s unique characteristics will help a lot, especially with politics and journalism in mind. :**)</p>
<p>Thank you for the good luck (you too)! I just literally started the brainstorming stage of my Common Application essay, and I haven’t written my first drafts for any of the colleges yet. So no, I haven’t gotten very far, but it’s alright because I’ve been very busy with my midterms.</p>
<p>Although, I do worry about the letters of recommendation since my professors change every term. Does anyone have any tips?</p>
<p>Hahaha I haven’t started writing yet. I’ve got a good idea of what to write for the CA essay, though. I’ve also researched each school and see what they had to offer for Classics, and almost every college on my list seems like they have something unique to highlight. </p>
<p>FWIW, I think it’s okay for deathstroke to aim for such colleges. No harm in doing so.</p>
<p>@transfera: What I’m planning for LORs is to wait until somewhere in the middle of November (or the end) to ask my professors. I would wait until finals are over, but I’d feel really guilty asking my professors because then they might think they have to do it over the break, and I don’t think they want to spend it writing a letter to help you get out of the very institution at which they teach. </p>
<p>Then again, I really hope I don’t insult them during the first semester such that they will be more inclined to give me bad grades or something. But that’s just being paranoid (I hope).</p>
<p>Well I’m not sure if I really apply here, but I’m Pre-med (Microbial and Cell Biology) and I’m applying to a few schools that popped up on your list.</p>
<p>Stanford
UC Berkely
UC Los Angeles
UC San Diego (TAG)
Johns Hopkins University
Washington University, St. Louis </p>
<p>It might interest you to research some of your schools and maybe make a list of which you wish to get into based on which schools are teaching classes you’re interested in, have special programs you like, and have a specific method of teaching that fits your criteria. From then, you might find a revision of the list you mentioned. Just a thought, I know my initial list was about 15 schools, and I got it down to this.</p>
<p>Haven’t checked this thread for a few days – my mistake!</p>
<p>@transfera – you’re right about going beyond computer science and showing how more aspects align with the schools I’m applying to. I was mostly responding to the notion that someone would just take the top 20 schools and apply to those because of the rankings. I’m not really sure what you mean by “not just there for computer science,” because I feel like if that’s reflected in essays, I’ll sound more like a jumbled mess than a focused specialist (but I think I know what you’re getting at). As for LOR, I’m asking a TA for my CS lab, since he’s in the same 8-person Ph.D. seminar as I am, so I think he’ll have a better idea of who I am versus the other professors. I’m also asking my first semester calculus II professor, since I’m doing far above average in the class, and math is more than an integral part of computer science. I don’t have any English or Humanities courses this semester, unfortunately, so I’m trying to show my humanities side in my applications by specifying the awards I’ve won for journalism (it’s really the most I can do with what I have course-wise this semester). So, to answer your question, I would ask professors who are currently teaching you for a recommendation – you might want to ask those you have in mind at the end of this semester during their office hours or something to see if getting one will work out (they’re likely less accustomed to writing recommendation letters than HS teachers, better safe than sorry).</p>
<p>@Marmanmeous – Awesome list! One of my friends turned down Columbia for a top-notch UCSD medical program, so even if transferring to the others doesn’t work out, you’ll still land a fantastic school. All the best</p>