i am a freshman at villanova - i am attempting transfer to HYP and MIT
i have an sat score of 1540 and a college gpa of 3.95 with progress report for the second semester 4.0 gpa
i am applying as an economics major
classes taken are more than half upper division courses
i have also published research in a villanova research journal and conducting more currently
my high school grade point average is 3.6 and 4.3 weighted
i am transferring because villanova lacks some specific resources and opportunities i need in course offerings and research
high school extracurricular activities include being president of a few clubs, running a state chapter of a non profit organization, debate team
can people transfer into these schools without legacy or connection?
Did you apply to these schools out of HS? Why do you want to transfer? What does Villanova (specifically) lack that can’t satisfy your academic requirements? Generally it is extremely difficult to transfer from a major university to HYP.
That’s a great start! But it’s only half the answer. What do “HYP” and MIT offer you, specifically, that isn’t offered at your own college? You can go ahead and say that their departments are strong in your area, but I can also give you a a laundry list of tons of other universities that are also very strong in your area. What is it specifically about their programs that attract you? Are there faculty members that engage in research similar to what you would like to do? Do they have specific labs that you could use to further your undergraduate goals- how so?
It’s not enough to say that they have strong programs, and the fact that you lump them into the good ol’ HYP alludes to the possibility that you’re applying to them for the prestige factor. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, you better bet that they’ll pick that up and put you at the end of the pile.
@jaketheliberal2 HYPSM accept extremely few transfers. it is beyond a crapshoot. If you want to increase your chances of attending a higher ranked/more prestigious/stronger school than Villanova you might wanna broaden your target a little bit.
Sure apply to HYP + MIT but also you could look at some non-HYP ivies too, i.e Penn, Columbia, Dartmouth, Brown, Cornell or equivalent elites, such as Duke, UChicago, Northwestern. Transferring to those is also a reach but far more attainable than transferring to HYPSM.
In any case, you need to articulate what the schools you are interested in can offer that Villanova cannot. it has to be something concrete. AdComs can sniff out a mile away applications that are only prestige-driven.
hello thanks you for responses, i have listed within my essays specific reasons from professors programs to certain grants that match exactly what i want to do that villanova doesn’t have it is not prestige driven
i also have quite good professor recommendations from my research
i only applied to harvard out of the ivies schools during high school
i will consider applying to more schools thanks you
Getting into an ivy WON’T guarantee research…far from it. You’re going to be competing and clamoring with super-geniuses to try to obtain it. Research opportunities for undergraduate are very rare and usually come with very specific honors scholarships. You’re far better off at a school you can stand out in. If you go to an ivy, you’re going to be just another average student.
Lots of great econ programs at different universities. Consider, for example, the University of Chicago & Northwestern & Penn among many others.
You have excellent stats ! Good luck.
P.S. You may need to apply to 10 or 12 schools if you are serious about needing more. Place emphasis on your intellectual curiosity in a specific area along with research & writing skills. I know that you’ll be successful !