Transferring as a Senior

NotVerySmart
Mon, 21 Mar 2016 18:59:14 +0000

To those cons, you can add:

1. You'll be applying from the same HS as students who've attended a better HS for 3.5 years. This'll be reflected in the number of AP classes they've taken, their SAT scores, and the extracurricular activities they've had access to. Applicants are evaluated "in context," and the context of a new school won't show your accomplishments under the best light.*

2. Your guidance counselor's recommendation will be based on 2-4 months of interaction, depending on whether you apply EA anywhere.

3. You lose any leadership positions from your current school. Maybe the math club isn't going to shock the world, but making the best of what you have is an opportunity to show your chops. Being a member of the new school's math program for 2 months won't help you. Making a difference at your current school over the space of a year will.

*In theory, if you just transferred to a new school and didn’t have the same opportunity to take AP courses, that won’t be held against you. In practice, it’s hard to say if this is the case, while ECs and SAT scores will be viewed “in context” more often than not.

As for your points #3 and #4, I feel these need to be addressed.

With respect to #3: no college is going to apply the circular logic of “this HS gets a lot of kids into good colleges, so we should accept their students.” The value of certain high schools comes from their course offerings, teaching, guidance departments, and colleges’ understanding that these factors prepare students for university over the course of four years. Parachuting in two months before college applications won’t show your college readiness.

As for #4, unless your school has started requiring burqas, dress codes should play almost no role in your educational choices.

There’s a reason transferring high schools as a senior isn’t advisable.