<p>It seems that applying as a transfer is very time consuming since transfer apps are all individualized and there is no more common app.
Also asking profs and secondary school teachers for recs may be a shock for them and could involve lots of questioning.
For those that have gone through the transfer app process, how did you get through all of this? Did some professors and secondary school teachers react negatively when you asked for a recommendation? What about the dean’s reaction for getting the letters? Was there any stigma that followed after finishing the transfer app process with profs and the dean?
Share your experiences!</p>
<p>Most transfer apps do not require recs from high school teachers-- only professors or college instructors.</p>
<p>Yes, asking for a rec from a college prof. is not as easy as marching towards your high school physics teacher. It requires you to be tactful; however, most profs and deans will be understanding esp if you have a real and legitimate reason to transfer. </p>
<p>Since plenty of people transfer each year to a variety to schools, that should tell you something.</p>
<p>The Dean letter is just pro forma - to show that you are in good standing at your current school and not on the “list” of regular trouble-makers. Don’t worry about that at all. Can’t speak to the prof rec part from personal experience, but I can’t imagine a stigma. Agree with WindCloudUltra on how to approach them. Good luck.</p>
<p>I am not experienced with this situation but if you are not happy with the school or think that you can get a better education/experience somewhere else, you have no choice but to ignore the faculty’s feelings. Sure it is disconcerting to ask for a recommendation for another university, but you can minimize the stigma by giving a “genuine” reason why you are transferring. definitely don’t say, " I want to go to columbia because it is more prestigious/better." Even if that is your actual motive, it is better to fabricate something that neither defames nor undervalues any department at your school. Maybe something like, " Being distant from my family and friends in new york has been unbereably difficult" or “After my stay here in ithaca, I have come to realize that I belong in urban settings.” In other words, we shouldn’t worry too much about hurting the school’s feelings. They are used to this kind of thing and probably won’t frown on or think much about it. Let’s just make sure that we are involved in enough activities and show appreciation/respect for the faculty during our time at the school so that when it is time to request a recommendation the professors will have positive things to write about.</p>
<p>How do we go about getting a recommendation? Should we give them a “brag” sheet about all our other activities, interests, and hobbies?</p>
<p>The professor will ask you for a resume.
It’s better to be professional about it…brag sheets as in the high school style is less ideal.</p>
<p>I see. OK i’ll list what i’m going to do.</p>
<p>I’ll go to a Professor i’m familiar with and give him two to three stamped envelopes for each school i’m applying to. In each one of those envelopes there will be pre-filled out recommendation forms. Each envelope will also have a post it saying when I need the rec to be mailed in by. I will also ask them if they would like my resume, and I will have one handy.</p>
<p>Am I good to go?</p>
<p>Which school to you go johnnzen and where do you plan to transfer?</p>
<p>Yes, sounds like a great plan.</p>
<p>johnnzen - you are good to go, with these suggestions/qx:
- If you haven’t already asked the profs, ask first and ask them when they would like you to give them the materials. They mt prefer to get the envelope and form closer to the deadline or end of this term, so they don’t lose it.
- Not clear why you are giving them 2-3 envelopes per school. Isn’t one per school enough? S wrote the due date in pencil right on the envelope per prof’s request (post-its can get dislodged). You could put the post-in on the form inside the envelope as well.</p>
<p>How does one get into a personal relationship with a prof? Does it require some quirkiness on the students behalf? Because isnt it better to be at a certain level of relationship with the prof that he already knows my interests, hobbies, life, etc?</p>
<p>Ack, I wrote that wrong. I’ll be handing about 3 envelopes to each professer because I need them to send the same recommendation to 3 different schools.</p>
<p>It is not true that the Common Application is not used for transfer applications. My daughter applied to transfer to two highly ranked schools and for both she used the Common Application with the school’s supplement.</p>
<p>when should we first ask the profs if they’d be comfortable writing a recommendation? i thought about a week before the end of the semester would make sense.</p>