Which transfer should I apply as?

melinb · August 1, 2013, 10:50am

I applied last year to be a freshman at Northeastern. After being deferred from Early Action, I got accepted into the NUin program. However, I had to decline the school because I wasn't able to pay the NUin bill (the rest of my FA was actually pretty good)

I wanted to apply to see if I could get in as a spring transfer this year. However, I'm kind of worried that I'm not gonna get accepted. I think a big factor in my getting accepted second time around was a letter that my counselor wrote saying how I was a good fit for the school, how my grades & community service hours changed, etc.

Should I apply again this year as a spring transfer? Or should I maybe wait 2 years at the school I'm going to now (it's literally right now the street from NU) and apply then? There's also the option of me applying at the end of this first year.

I'm pretty sure I could get my old guidance counselor to write a letter of recommendation again, but would that even make a difference? I don't think I would be able to make any real connections with anyone at my school for them to write a good letter. I just really want to go to NU, I was devastated when I had to decline admission

ericop8 · August 1, 2013, 7:53pm

Applying as a spring transfer this year will show the admissions department your commitment and how much you want to attend. But, you basically had the same option and declined (I don't blame you NUin is super unaffordable), so the admissions department may not take pity on you.

Applying after your first year could mean you didn't like the school you're attending, and would like the admissions department to give your application another chance. Where have you decided to go?

But don't apply after your second year. Admission standards by then will surely rise. The admissions committee will question your intentions of transferring from (one of the colleges of the Fenway?) to another school in Boston because of the difference in ranking. And not because of one of the many reasons you, like myself, want to go to NU.

Go to the college you're enrolled at. Go there with the intention of making the most of it and being happy. Don't walk down the street to NU and feel horrible because you can't use one of the shiny new treadmills you see in the Marino Center (I joke, I joke). Give yourself a full year without thinking about transferring; you may even decide you like ____.

tl;dr Apply after your first year.