What would you have done differently?

Transfer Students
1

<p>I sent away my applications several weeks before coming upon this site. For all of you out there without access to any kind of councelor or parental guidance in this process, I hope this thread will prove resourceful and help you come out in one (happy!) piece.</p>

<p>I'll start:
1) I've learned adcoms appreciate more detailed recommendations, rather than grand yet unsubstantiated praise. I realize now I should've gone with a professor a little less over the top on the praise that was better at describing in what tangible ways my abilities struck her. If you are less lucky than I was in knowing the writing style and type of recommendation your instructors would send off, be upfront about the necessity of detail.</p>

<p>2) Research your schools! Don't do the same mistake I made - I had no idea how important the "Why College X?" question was on the common app, assuming it was similar to the two-sentence courtesy summaries my home country would require. Be absolutely clear and honest to yourself about what attracted you to the college, what would make you a "good fit" at it, and what both you and the college will get out of your time and involvement there. Then, convey this clarity and honesty in a to-the-point essay! Check out the faculty, the feel, the location, the curriculum. I am assuming my 2-sentence "my faculty recommended the place, I trust them" was an absolute horror in comparison to the well-researched pieces of enthusiasm many other students sent in :/</p>

<p>3) Take your time to figure out what your EC:s actually all are. It took me 3 out of 5 applications before I realized I've been immensely active, only not in traditional clubs and organizations (I've held lectures, performed at campus events, etc - to my mind, these were simply things I did for fun and evolving myself, not some boring transcript. After browsing CC for a while I've realized this is exactly the kind of thing that makes me a constructive student and applicant!)</p>

<p>4) Don't overdo it with the supplementals. I did, as a stressed after-thought: I regret it. The writing sample I chose was strong, but had to be heavily edited for its personal nature and specialized jargon. It made sense at the time it was rush-faxed, but now, I don't even dare look at it. The additional SAT-like test scores I sent from my former country may have been far more impressive, but I wonder if adcoms were left wondering if I tried to outweigh a mediocre ACT score with one from a test they are hardly very familiar with -- who knows if they even noticed the info about this score putting me in a very competitive bracket? </p>

<p>If you DO send in supps, avoid my mistake; be very clear to yourself and adcoms on why you are sending something in, and don't hesitate to highlight what exactly they are supposed to get out of it (i.e., "my skills in writing within this field are strong", "I am in the top percentiles of my country").</p>

<p>5) Don't be afraid of being creative with your essays! My first draft, I scrapped because of it being too artsy-fartsy and thus, to my mind, unprofessional. Several of the professors that supported me in applying to more selective schools have since expressed dismay at the far more conventional, "not-really-you" approach I ended up taking and sending in. Especially with schools dealing with equally highly qualified applicants in the pool, you have much to win by making your personality shine through rather than drown it out with an overly formal tone. Be quirky. Be human. Be yourself! US college adcoms will appreciate it.</p>

<p>While I still haven't gotten rejected by the colleges I'm waiting to hear from and possibly will get into most of them, I feel my waiting period would be far less fretful had I avoided all these things I've later come to see as mistakes after getting more information.</p>

<p>What are some things other CC:ers feel they could've should've would've done differently? Things you did do you regret? Things you didn't? It can be any pitfall you'd like future college applicants to stay clear from at any stage of the process.</p>

2

<p>
[quote]

What are some things other CC:ers feel they could've should've would've done differently? Things you did do you regret? Things you didn't? It can be any pitfall you'd like future college applicants to stay clear from at any stage of the process.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>I've had a pretty interesting year as this is the first year I actually cared about my studies and college admissions. With that being said, there are a few things that I learned to and not to do.</p>

<p>1) Application Deadline dates. Find out if your college is rolling admissions or not. If it is, send your application in ASAP!!! Not only is it generally easier to get in, you'll find out your decision a lot sooner (well usually) than if you submitted it a few weeks or months later.</p>

<p>2) Find out about credits, transfer requirements among others. I'm leaving my current university with 34 credits, and going to U-M with only 24. I guess 10 of my credits didn't transfer, and that equals A LOT OF MONEY WASTED. My roommate had a similar situation in which that he wanted to apply to the Engineering school, but because of a lack of proper required transfer classes, he couldn't and had to settle for the LS&A instead. </p>

<p>3) Housing, one thing that I've had some of the hardest things doing is housing. Find out if it's guaranteed for 4 years, where you might possibly be living as transfer students might get different dorms than normal students, and how much it really is. It's been a huge pain to figure it out, and I'm lucky that I actually had found a good dorm instead of the normal transfer dorms that are available.</p>

<p>4) ECs, I'm more of the type that does less EC's but the ones I do, I put A LOT of time into them. Pick ones that really define you as a person and a student. Ones that you really enjoy and possibly might be a career in the future. College admissions gets a ton of people that have lists and lists of ECs but they mean nothing if you're joining them for the sake of listing them on your apps. </p>

<p>5) Essays, I turned in my application in mid/late January once my semester grades have been released. I started my essays in early October. Yeah, it might be a bit overkill, but it helped GREATLY. I think my essays were one of the strongest parts of my application, and I think they could be improved even more. I'd write a copy, and just wait a week and re-read it. Then I'd improve it from that. Also, I found that giving it to users on CC, and just some of your friends that are great writers helps A LOT. They see things that you normally wouldn't see and my essays wouldn't have gone as far without the help of some of the users on here. </p>

<p>6) Recommendations. Especially if you're transferring after your freshmen year, I strongly recommend getting recommendations. I don't care if they're not required, get them! And not from any old teacher, but a good one that knows your skills as a student and your interests as a person. My economics teacher wrote my recommendation only after he saw my work ethic, and my interest in business was genuine. Having not read his recommendation to this day, the adcom who did said it was pretty funny and revealed a side of me that my essays missed. I'm still not allowed to read it though... gr... :)</p>

<p>7) Don't get too stressed out. I made that mistake, and basically had some health troubles in my first semester. I tried to do everything, studying, recommendations, essays, homework and applications all at once. Space it out, take some time off once in awhile. While it's a stressful time, you have to watch out for yourself first. But, don't neglect your homework and studying for your applications and essay, or the other way around. Basically, get good time management, because you're gonna be in for one hell of a year if you did it like how I did :D</p>

<p>8) Get involved on your own campus, and don't get too discouraged if your dream college rejects you. My biggest mistake is that I never really liked my current University. At the start, I was one of the better students in the program, and I knew it. I got a bit cocky and I'm paying for it heavily my second semester. Basically a 4.0 jump down to around a 3.5 or less. I didn't really participate in school events which I probably should have, and while I did get accepted to my top university, I strongly encourage others that if they're transferring and it doesn't work out, it's not the end of the world. You can always try again next year. </p>

<p>9) Kind of related to 8), but have some safety schools if you REALLY dislike your current University. Get some schools that you know you should be able to get into, but even if it's not your top University, you can get out of your current one if you really do hate it that much.</p>

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<p>Only one thing I would have done differently:</p>

<p>Apply to more schools.</p>

4

<p>
[quote]
Only one thing I would have done differently:</p>

<p>Apply to more schools.

[/quote]

A++++++++++</p>

5

<p>Ooooh good thread. Thanks for the tips! Bump, bump, bump</p>

<p>Edit:</p>

<p>Actually, I can add something. It's nothing specific to help with the transfer process, but I wish someone had encouraged me in this direction:</p>

<p>If something at your university feels wrong, even if you loved it for many semesters, don't wait it out 'til graduation. Do the appropriate research, find a school you know will suit you better, and transfer. It's a hassle, but it's worth it. What's the point of college if we didn't change midway through? One of the best things about uni is that we know ourselves better through experience.</p>