Advice from Former Transfers

Claymangs07
Sat, 07 Jun 2008 01:36:11 +0000

something like this?:

Background:

Attended a top prep school and ended up middle of my class with 2250 SATs and some good extracurriculars. I applied to Cornell, Brown, Amherst, Williams, Tufts, and a few safeties. I went 1/9 and attended Hamilton in the fall. I worked the hardest I’ve ever worked, ran a 4.0, made very good relationships with two of my professors, talked to coaches at other schools, and reapplied this past year to the following:

Penn, Brown, Cornell, Amherst, Williams, Tufts, Yale, and Dartmouth

I was accepted at Penn, Brown, Cornell, and Tufts and rejected at the other four.

What I’ve learned:

1) Chances threads are a good form of amusement but don’t put too much stock in them. They usually end up causing unnecessary stress; the people you’re asking about your chances are applying along-side you. While they may have more information about admission rates and talked to a couple people at schools, many people write as if they’re authorities on transfer admissions. Simply put, take their opinions with a grain of salt. I was told to take Brown off my list because I had no shot. Not only was I admitted, but I may end up going to Penn instead of it. This brings me to my next point.

2) If money is not an object, put in the work and apply to any school you really want to attend. I applied to Yale and was rejected but I didn’t think I was terribly competitive at Brown or Penn and was admitted. I can’t imagine how ****ed off I’d be if I had only applied to Cornell and was admitted. I’d be kicking myself for not reaching higher (yeah, I know it’s Cornell and that it’s an Ivy, but you know what I mean.) Even if you’re denied, at least you won’t be asking yourself “what if…”

3) Decide how intent you are on leaving before you apply and, if you’re on the fence about applying at all, apply. The last thing you want is to finish your freshman or sophomore year and think, “Damn, I really wish I’d put in the time in the fall to transfer because I’d love the option.” You won’t be mad about having the option to transfer but you might be about not having it.

4) Make it a priority. All fall term I obsessed over grades and application materials, essays, etc. Where you end up getting your diploma does matter, despite what people say. It’ll be a major factor for employment and, more importantly, how you think. Quality of education matters.

5) Decisions aren’t value judgments. I was denied as a senior in high school to 8/9 places to which I applied but still knew that I was a smart, capable student. With many college transfer rates dipping below 20%, you must go into the process knowing that a) the odds are against you and b) getting denied is not a judgment of your human worth. This is probably the most important thing I learned in the process. I read about a kid applying to Wharton from a school that didn’t have a specific business field that Wharton excelled at. The kid had a 4.0 at a good school and 2350 SATs and two 800s for his SAT 2s. And guess what? He got rejected. He’s probably in the top percent for competence of all college students and still didn’t get in. You have to recognize the nature of the game and accept it.

6) Get to know professors. If you’re dead set on getting into a top school, this is crucial. I went to office hours constantly, not only to get my work done but to show professors that I cared about their subject and was putting in the effort. Any problem set you do, go to office hours or meet with the professor. Any paper you write, submit a draft well before the deadline to get comments. Early drafts are key for writing intensive courses. You get direct feedback from the teacher, which is good for a number of reasons. You start developing a relationship with the teacher, you shower him/her that you’re putting the work, that you’re interested in the subject, and (esp. with papers) you find out what the teacher wants to see both in terms of format and content. The last thing you want to do is find out what the teacher wanted when you get your C+ paper back that counts for 1/4 of your grade. If you can find out before hand (which you can!), do it. Additionally, you’re going to ask two professors to write on your behalf and having more than a strictly academic perspective will only help their rec and your application. I guarantee schools would much rather have Joe, the outgoing, gregarious scholar than Charles, the introverted, socially distant straight A drone.

7) Write stellar “Why X school?” essays. This one seems obvious but there are tons of students who simply don’t put the time in, or worse yet, copy paste their “Why Cornell?” essay and use it for Brown by switching the name. Don’t do this! Research the school. Talk about specific programs. Admissions spends all day reading “Why X” essays. The last thing you want to do is give them another “Penn is an ivy-league school. I want to go to an ivy-league school” essay. Say they read that essay and then yours, where you list in great detail, just why you want to attend Penn. Something like:

-top notch research facilities (best in the ivies)
-competitive track team
-submatriculation program (can get b.a. and m.a. in four years)
-dual-degree program (can get b.a. from school of arts and sciences in addition to b.s. from wharton)
-philly=most livable city in america
etc…

You need concrete researched reasons for wanting to attend. After all, if you don’t have those, why are you applying? Frankly, that’s exactly what the admissions committee will think if you submit a generic essay.

8) Proofread! Not doing so, in addition to being unprofessional, shows a serious lack of interest in a school, like saying, “I don’t care enough about this school to properly edit my essay for them.” Penn’s website explicitly says “Proofread your essays. No really. Seriously.” That was their admissions tip of the week today and I’m sure that applies across the board for other competitive schools.

9) A mediocre high school record doesn’t spell doom. I was in the middle of my class and none of these schools would have given me a glance out of high school. My application would have been instant kindling. But showing serious growth and being able to tell a story about it seriously bolsters your application.

Lastly, I wanted to thank the contributors to the forums. It’s been a long 12 months since I got my rejection letters in high school. Thanks for your ongoing support and encouragement. Best of luck to all future applicants.

Sincerely,
Claymangs