Ease of transfer

Transfer Students
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<p>A friend of mine’s son wants to transfer from his top 40 LAC to a top 15 LAC like Amherst or Williams. He withdrew last spring, due to illness, and only has this fall semester under his belt, with grades that are likely to be low A’s, high B’s. He would not have qualified for such a high ranking LAC as a high school senior (1300 SAT, few advanced classes) but is applying now as a transfer.</p>

<p>I want to be supportive of my friend, but it seems ludicrous. What kinds of stats are there on kids who only have attended their original school for one full semester? Do the adcoms mostly look at high school record? Will his withdrawal be a problem?</p>

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<p>Because he only has one semester of college grades, yes.</p>

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<p>Possibly. He will need to clearly explain his withdrawal and convince those colleges that he won’t be a long-term resident because he’s always withdrawing or taking a semester off.</p>

<p>It’s often helpful to be real. Tell your friend that his/her son should apply if he really wants to, but given his current stats and situation, it is very unlikely that he will be accepted to the best LACs in the nation. Perhaps recommend he apply to several other easier schools, just in case.</p>