It seems like a recurring theme whenever I search online for transfer essay tips. I understand that you shouldn’t say “oh my university is freaking terrible” but part of the reasons why I’m transferring is because its not the right fit for me. And the only way I can explain that is if I say the negative aspects of my current college. I do balance it out though with some positives as well.
Could it be that they prefer to hear “Here’s why New School is a better fit for my goals” rather than “Old School is a bad fit for my goals”?
Like, the difference between “Old School has pathetic club offerings” and “New School’s pre-vet club would enable me to gain hands-on experience in a way few other schools could match.”
Just guessing.
compare to other things in life: to prospective new boyfriend “gee I want to date you because my old boyfriend sucks” versus “gee I want to date you because you are awesome.” Which will get you what you want?
Schools want to hear why you want them, not why you don’t want to be where you are. They want to know that you want to be at their school. If you talk about how bad things were at your old school, it makes you seem like someone who won’t be happy anywhere. Why would they want to take a chance on that? You might just leave them the same way.
@scmom2017 What if I gave reasons as to why the new school is the perfect fit for me? My essay is about 1/3 saying why my current school isn’t a good fit, and the rest being why the new school would be.
I have no idea what your specific situation might be. I can guarantee you that the majority of the time, you can leave out the negative side of your ‘reason’ and still get the point across in a more palatable way, and often implies the negative without sounding that way.
Examples:(these are a bit simplistic, but might give you the idea)
Negative: My program at School 1 was not ideal for me because it lacked (A) and (B)…
Positive: The program at School 2 will be ideal for me because it offers (A) and (B)
Negative: School 1 is too far away from home. It affected my performance/enjoyment of the school because…
Positive: Being close to home, School 2 will increase my performance/enjoyment because I will be able to…
Negative: School 1 is lacking in extra-curricular activities for me to be involved in, thereby dampening my overall college experience
Positive: School 2 offers a large array of extra-curricular activities which will enhance my overall college experience
@scmom2017 I understand, I’m just saying why is it not ideal to put both the positive and negative?
You can say, I realized that these things mattered to me, and you have them. That addresses what you don’t like without bashing your current school. Schools want to see maturity and tact. Bashing your current store shows neither.
New school doesn’t want to take you because you hate old school. They want you because you love new school.
@gardenstategal Yes exactly. In my essay, I’m not saying “my university is so freaking horrible I hate it here”, I’m just saying my university is lacking x and your university does x really well. I am leaving my current university because of fit more than anything else, so i wanted to highlight why I don’t fit in here.
Well yes, but you can say “I became enthused about this here when I took XYZ and have nowexhausted the opportunities here.” While the underlying idea is the same, oNE approach faults the current school for its lack of offerings while the other makes you an eager learner. It may seem subtle but it can make a difference. That’s the spin.
@gardenstategal So do you recommend leaving my current college out all together from my essay?
I would not say much about it really. You can say “I have realized I like to talk about the material being covered in class and engage better that way”. You don’t have to finish the sentence with " and my current school only offers 1000 person lectures." It’s all about framing it in a way that’s positive.
I think this is excellent advice for life in general. You don’t need to denigrate one thing to make another thing look better. Just expound on the positives of the second college, and talk about why you see yourself there.
If it were me, I would not even mention the first college-I’d write the essay like I was a freshman, and I’d done my homework about fit and school #2, and I am looking forward to the great x,y,z opportunities that the university will afford me.
Complaining about college 1 will do you no favors-the colleges are not on your side; they’re all on their own side. Complaining about one to another is like complaining about your best friend to her other best friend. It won’t end well.
Use your limited amount of essay words wisely.
It is implied that you want to leave your current college. No need to belabor the point.
You can use words that both express your interest in “new” school and at the same time imply your disinterest in “old” school.
For example, “I am interested in a more collaborative atmosphere where teamwork is encouraged and rewarded.”
This statement says that you are interested in a certain aspect of “new” school and implies why you want to move on from “old” school.
Good luck!
Make sure you communicate what you will bring to the school. That is more important than stating what you will get from the school.
Wow these are all great pieces of advice, unfortunately I’ve already applied to some schools with my current essay in which I highlight why I want to move on from my current college 
But hopefully it doesn’t effect my chances too much and I still have my favorite colleges to go. I really explained why the negative parts because all colleges I talked to said they want “a timeline” of my academic path, and I thought that I possibly can’t leave my academic path since high school, which is almost 2 years now.