Ok so I go to Fresno State and after my 2nd year I currently have a 3.7 cumulative w/ 52 units completed. Anyways, I was wondering what schools do you think I could transfer as a finance major after I get to over at least the ~ 60 units necessary? Am I stuck with only CSUs? I want to transfer primarily because I feel that I need to go to a more respected school in order to get the job I want and a change of scenery would be nice. I would like to be an investment banker and it doesn’t have to be at goldman sachs. I’ll be completely honest, in high school my grades were pretty mediocre at best the first two years, but my last two I got probably around a 3.5 so it was easily good enough to get into my hometown college but not like a UCLA or even SDSU. Also, when do I need to start the transfer application? Is it only during spring or fall and do you have to apply once you’re done with the 60+ required or can it be when you are still in the semester that will bring you to that quantity of required units? Thanks for any future answers! You members are very knowledgeable.
I went through the transfer process from Penn State to NYU Stern after my freshman year. I was a finance major coming into PSU and ended my first semester with a 3.84 and submitted my application I believe around February or March. NYU’s transfer requirements included 32 completed credits by the time of transfer, so despite only having completed 19 credits my first semester, I was still eligible to apply.
College Shortlist
The good news is your SAT & high school grades will carry less weight than your initial college apps or even if you tried to transfer after your 1st year. I am not sure where Fresno State really stands in rankings but in my opinion I would try to include 2-3 reach, match, and safety schools (6-9 total applications).
Application Timeline
Every school has their own transfer requirements and timelines; some allow transfers to come in mid-year, others only matriculate during the fall semester, so you will have to be very mindful of the different deadlines for each school on your list.
The Application
Beyond all doubt your essays and recommendations are going to be the defining factor of your application. Transfer spots are decided upon during the spring semester after admissions offices have sent out the 1st year acceptance letters. Since there are so few spots and transfer applicants are typically the top of their class from their respective colleges, it can be pretty competitive. I had 3 recommendations from my professors, 2 from my first semester and 1 from my 2nd (Econ, Accounting, and Communications) and was in a few extracurriculars. If you are transferring you are looking to make the next step and advance yourself which is great since it’s very easy for people to fall into complacency and admissions offices love that. Speak to it in your essay and make it aspirational, self-promoting, but also humble.
Are you a NY resident? What is NYU’s min gpa for finance. I know they have an awesome business department.