Urgent Transfer choice

Hi,
Everyone I currently just finished my freshmen year and I am looking to transfer. I got accepted to some school as an incoming sophomore, but I am wondering if I should wait another semester and re-apply to transfer. The schools I got into are ok(fordham/bucknell/lehigh/boston university/ William&Mary). I want to work on wall street and I would like to apply to (boston college/uva/cornell/umich etc.) but my hs grades were not so good and got declined when I applied as a freshmen. The extra semester would help a ton(i would imagine) to possibly get in. I had a 3.9 GPA both semesters and i’m sure I can get a 4.0 in the fall.
I was wondering what are your thoughts on transfer admissions for spring semester or even fall? Do you think it will be more competitive to transfer due to COVID-19 or would it be less competitive? I would appreciate all your thoughts and I think it would be pretty interesting to hear what people have to say.

What is your current or future major ? (Business, Finance, Math, Economics ?)

Are you willing to share the name of your current school ?

Are you admitted to your major of choice at any of the schools which accepted you ?

econ, yes I as admitted to finance at all of them. Im more looking to see how COVID-19 will impact transfer admissions. Will it make it more competitive or less if I were to apply for spring or even fall transfer

I cannot predict what effect Covid-19 will have on future transfer admissions.

If I had to make a guess, it would make transfer admission a bit easier.

For finance, look closely at Wm. & Mary’s course offerings.

You need to look at each school’s specific course offerings.

Will you need financial aid? Full pay transfers will have an advantage for the foreseeable future.

I’m not sure how many transfers U Mich or UVA take into their biz schools, and transferring from Lsa to biz is competitive. If you would be an Econ major at those schools, I’m not sure if those students have access to Wall Street interviews. So you do need to research those things.

Of your current options, what school is your preference? Have you had contact with the career centers to understand how many students go on to work on Wall Street and which firms recruit on campus?

After further thought, consider Lehigh, then William & Mary assuming COA is similiar or not an issue.

There will be serious issues & difficulties for your desired major & career path as a junior transfer to Michigan, Virginia, and Cornell.

Do not assume that waiting another semester would help you a ton in getting in to your targeted schools.

I can see a potential path to the Street from many of the schools you go in to. At Fordham, you can network a lot in person (once COVID is over). W&M gets recruited. I know Bucknell has alums on the Street and that probably is true for Lehigh as well. At BU, it probably would be easier to break in to the buyside mutual funds/money managers located in Boston.

Since my hs grades were not good it can make a difference, plus fall semester would not actually be a semester so whats the harm of staying one more semester that would give me an extra chance of going to a target

Simply attending a “target” or “semi-target” school for IB recruiting will not necessarily result in obtaining an internship or job offer in this field.

You will have missed out on the business clubs at Michigan and on the chance to be one of the 20-30 students selected at Virginia for the quantitative finance program. Cornell is highly unlikely to accept you without a GTO.

Just because your HS grades will matter less doesn’t mean it will make a big difference. UMich/UVa/Cornell business are still very difficult to get in to.

You’re already behind, in a way. I would get yourself to the college you’ll graduate from as soon as possible.

uva econ is just as good from what i hear, umich is good for the long term even if its econ. Also boston college is choice same with emory and unc chapill hill. But idk i’m just trying to get a feel how much an impact COVID-19 will have and if I want to risk staying another semester

@college1223567 Bucknell’s business school is on the rise. Poets & Quants ranked it 29 overall (its debut ranking) and #1 for student experience and alumni satisfaction. As a rising sophomore, I can attest to the both the academic rigor and the alumni support. As a freshman, I was partnered with a recent alum at JP Morgan. The experience has been awesome and we have remained in contact throughout finals, planning next year schedule and the Covid crisis. We are currently working on my resume and mock interviews via Skype. Having a mentor has been invaluable addition to my education.

My point still stands that:

  1. You’re overrating the difference in opportunities at Cornell/UVa/UMich/BC vs. Fordham/Bucknell/Lehigh/BU/ William&Mary). In the end, what matters most are the individual qualities you being to the table.
  1. You're overestimating the change in admissions odds for getting in to Cornell/UVa/UMich/BC after an additional semester.

Agree with @PurpleTitan that OP is overestimating odds of admission if OP remains at current school for an additional semester. Trying to transfer mid-year to those schools is more likely to harm OP’s odds of admission. Additionally, do these schools even accept mid-year transfer applications ?

But I do agree with OP that Cornell, Virginia & Michigan place better “on Wall Street” than do OP’s current options.

It is true that some schools are recruited more heavily than others.

It is also true that not every student at the heavily-recruited schools gets recruited. The ones who get recruited -whether the school is heavily or lightly recruited- are the ones who stand out. The ones whose grades and achievements put them at the top of the pack.

So your calculation is whether you can both get into those more-heavily recruited schools and in the 2 years you are there become a standout in your class, or whether you take one the schools to which you have been accepted- all of which are entirely credible schools- and use the 3 years there to become a standout.

which would you recommend? Are any close to a semi target

My recommendation:

Bucknell or Lehigh and utilize the alumni network (same goes for W&M).

Or BU for buyside in Boston (also networking through the alumni network).

Or Fordham for NYC (same deal; leverage the alumni network, though Fordham is a bit overshadowed by a couple schools you might had heard of in its home city/region).

Key question, though: why are you aiming for the Street?

Here’s a data point:
https://poetsandquantsforundergrads.com/2019/12/20/report-card-how-alums-grade-their-b-school-experience/14/

Though only of value within tiers, IMO. There’s no way Lipscomb or Hult are of more benefit than (WashU) Olin, for example.

Your odds of admission to the business school are very low and even lower at mid-year.
Go to one of the colleges that admitted you.
I’d pick Bucknell or Lehigh if you want more personal attention and more help getting an internship, or W&M if you’re instate, or Fordham if you’re good at networking.

I don’t want to go to the business school…plus uva econ is pretty much just as good as the business school