<p>Should we indicate in our applications if we attended a prospective transfer day?</p>
<p>Hello William and Mary!</p>
<p>Hopefully my question doesn’t seem dumb. 
I’m reopening my application from my senior year of high school fall 2010. I’m having a really difficult time trying to explain why I want to transfer to William and Mary. I don’t want to be rude and negative towards my current college, but at the same time I don’t want to sugar coat it either. My current college lacks a lot of the things I’m looking for in an undergraduate education that I feel William and Mary can definitely provide. Would it behoove me to just focus about what William and Mary has that my college doesn’t, and is it safe to include what it is that I don’t like about my current college?</p>
<p>I really love William and Mary. I’ve visited it all my life. I don’t want to make a mistake in my essay that would jeopardize my chances of getting accepted.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>if we were waitlisted fall semester of last year is there a better chance that we can transfer in?</p>
<p>sthomas, no need. If you attend a Prospective Transfer Event, we will be aware of that when reviewing your application. </p>
<p>Beachbec, we encourage you to focus on what it is about W&M that attracts you. You are certainly welcome to explain that your current institution is lacking some of these specific programs or opportunities. We just always appreciate it when students use a tone that’s not derogatory towards their current institution. For example, you could say, “while [current institution] has provided me with some wonderful academic and social opportunities, I find that it doesn’t offer the kinds of opportunities that W&M is known for” or something similar.</p>
<p>transfer91992, if you were waitlisted as a freshman applicant, it means your high school credentials were very competitive. And if you’re applying as a college freshman, we do place more emphasis on the high school record and clearly your’s was strong.</p>
<p>Thanks so much!!! :)</p>
<p>Anytime Beachbec. We’re here to help</p>
<p>How important is the letter of recommendation? Considering most of my general ed. freshman classes were somewhat large and impersonal, does it matter if the professor can only say so much about me? Is it better if I received an A in the class? </p>
<p>Also, for the essay(s), there is one on the common app, which asks to generally say why I want to transfer, and then there’s the one specifically about wm. Since I’m only applying to wm does it matter if the two aren’t very different? How long should they be and what are preferred topics?-obviously why i want to transfer, but what do you not want to hear about?I read that we shouldn’t talk about our current school in a derogatory way, but what about comparing what’s so good about w&m, w/ what isn’t so good about current school?</p>
<p>I know you already kind of answered this question but i looked on common app and it said that I do not need to send test scores if I have been in college for one year. Does it matter even though i have 50 credits? Would that not be considered equivalent to someone who has been in college for over a year? I am even going to take summer courses, which will increase it by about 12-15 credits.</p>
<p>soychai, letters of recommendation are optional for transfers. If there are no faculty who you know well yet you do not need to send a letter. As for the essay, if you’re only using the Common App to apply to W&M, there is no need to complete both essays. You can just complete the personal essay and explain why you wish to transfer specifically to W&M. The optional essay is in fact optional and if you’re not applying to other schools and can address the optional essay prompt in your personal statement there is no need to complete the optional essay.</p>
<p>Rohel1, regardless of how many credits you have earned, if this is your first or second semester of college, you are required to submit SAT scores. Only those students who have completed two full-time semesters of college, can opt to not submit their SAT scores.</p>
<p>Thanks w&m admissions. I didn’t know the essay on the supplemental form was optional–didn’t know if it would let me submit the application without it.</p>
<p>I went to Virginia Tech after high school and while I was there I was suspended twice. Once for a semester and then for two semesters. Both incidents were alcohol related, I explained it all in my application, and I understand how it can be a cause for concern. I did okay in my classes, a 2.74 the first semester and a 3.34 my second semester for a 3.0 cum. Anyways, I decided to clean up my act and go to community college where I have been doing very well. My cum gpa is a 3.89 and have made sure to take a variety of classes while pursuing an associates degree. My question is how much does the suspension from Virginia Tech factor into the admissions process and am I just doomed to never be able to outlive those mistakes?</p>
<p>soychai, you should be able to complete the application without answering the short answer questions on the Supplement. However, if you have not addressed those questions anywhere else in the application, you should complete them on the Supplement. If for any reason you’re having trouble submitting the application due to those particular fields, feel free to contact Common App using the help button.</p>
<p>yguy08, your suspensions will be something we consider when reviewing your application as will your academic record from Tech (in addition to your record from Community College). Your explanation will hopefully provide us with an explanation of what happened and what if anything you learned as a result. We do not automatically disquallify anyone based soley on one component of the application be that a GPA or a suspension. If the Committee feels that the suspensions are a cause for concern for your standing at W&M they may factor into our decision. If the Committee feels that the suspensions were isolated and that you have matured and learned from them, they may not factor into our decision.</p>
<p>I am a current sophomore at NYU recieving a BFA in theater. I am looking to transfer to W&M to get a more rounded liberal arts education (something I found myself missing at NYU). While I have maintained strong grades throughout high school and college, my main concern is the rigor of courses I have taken. Since I am currently in a BFA program, the majority of my college coursework has been studio work (mainly acting, voice, and dance classes). I have taken many theatre studies classes as well, and a few gen eds (mostly humanities). How will this be viewed by the admissions board? Will they take into consideration that I am changing from a BFA to a BA program?</p>
<p>We certainly understand that some college programs are more flexible than others in terms of the course work that’s available to you. Make sure in your application you explain that you are in a BFA program and that your course selection is limited.</p>
<p>We have absolutely accepted students from arts programs before whose curricula lacked the well-roundedness we generally like to see. In those cases, we may focus a bit more on your high school work because in high school, you were likely to be a bit more well-rounded in terms of the courses you took.</p>
<p>I truly enjoy my current undergraduate institution but I am concerned that I will not have enough opportunity to participate in research (thereby making me a less valuable applicant for grad programs). I am a sophomore psychology major & art history minor. My major GPA is 3.63 & overall is around 3.5; I’ve been on the Deans List for the duration of my college career. I’ve taken Stats, Bio with Lab, Into to Psy (AP 4), Personality Psy, Developmental Psy, Speech, Intro to Computer Sci, English I, English II Honors, College Algebra, Liberal Arts Math II, Depression & Related Disorders, Art History II, Visual Culture, & Archaeology, & am currently taking Western Civ I, Art History I, Psy of Emotion (400 level), Psy of Eating (400 level), & Tests & Measurements. I participate in my school’s Social Sciences Club & am a Student Ambassador. I hope to become a member of Psi Chi in the near future.
I plan on pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology (an extremely competitive field) & I want to be sure that I am a viable candidate. I’ve applied to six summer research opportunities, but if I am rejected from those programs, I am considering a W&M summer term. I am not a VA resident -although I do have significant financial need-, so I am slightly concerned that W&M will not be able to meet my full need (my homestate & current school cover most of my current tuition). I’m sorry this has been lengthy, but I’m just unsure if my situation warrents the emotional stress of transferring. I would love to attend W&M but I want to be confident that the benefits of transferring will outweigh the hardship. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Ceilidh8, unfortunately only you can decide if the opportunities for research are enough for you to go through the time, effort and emotions of transferring. It’s certainly not an easy decision.</p>
<p>It appears that you have taken the kinds of courses we like to see in transfer students. While you haven’t covered every W&M General Education Requirement with your course work you’ve covered quite a few which is good and your GPA is high so you’re clearly doing well in your courses.</p>
<p>The good news is many W&M Psych students do senior research either independently or with faculty as part of their major. There’s an admission intern who’s a senior psych major and she’s working on recreating a famous psych experiment with a slightly different hypothesis for a senior project. Another former intern assisted a professor in assessing the development effects incarceration of parents had on their children so the opportunities are limitless.</p>
<p>You may want to call our Charles Center which spearheads undergraduate research. They may be able to point you to faculty or current research teams who are doing the type of research in which you are interested and you could get a better sense of the opportunities here ([William</a> & Mary - Roy R. Charles Center](<a href=“The Charles Center | William & Mary”>The Charles Center | William & Mary))</p>
<p>William and Mary Admissions, a couple technical questions. First, does my high school need to fill out the secondary school report? If so, how do I send them the form electronically because I do not have the means to get to my school before the deadline; is it necessary that I sign the privacy agreement or fill out my courses taken if that information is already on the application? Could I just request to send the transcripts instead? Second, if all forms and such are postmarked by March 1st, are they still considered with an application? I am requesting forms ahead of time but sometimes it is hard to rely on others to get things turned in on time. </p>
<p>Thank you so much!</p>
<p>annakate, we only require a high school transcript (an official one). The Secondary School Report form is not required for transfer applicants.</p>
<p>The March 1 deadline is a post-mark deadline so all we ask is that the materials be on their way to us by March 1. If they are post-marked a few days later that’s okay. We’ll still accept them. We just ask that materials arrive as close to the deadline as possible.</p>
<p>Does William and Mary require the Deans report? I know that some colleges do not.</p>
<p>they do I think surfwakesnow</p>