Help me transfer!

August 30, 2010 12:51 PM

I want to successfully transfer to a better college. How does the process work? What should I know?

Hi MetaFilter! I'm a current college freshman and while I have just started school I am extremely unhappy at my current institution.

Just some quick background, I did OK in high school, got into many of the schools I applied to last year but ultimately let my parents pick my college for me( I know, I know, bad move). We were anticipating some financial difficulties that never materialized and I was having some serious doubts about my own abilities. Long story short I accepted an offer from what was honestly just a safety school because they gave me a very substantial scholarship. If it wasn't for my parents pushing this school on me I would not have even considered their offer of admission. I'm not going to get into the details of WHY I don't want to be at this school but I will say it is seriously not a good fit for me and I will not consider staying here.


So, that is where I am now. Let me tell you about where I would like to be. I really want to attend a better school. I regret not apply to some more selective schools last year.
The schools I'm really interested in and would be thrilled with getting into as a transfer are
NYU
Cornell
Columbia(Super seriously doubt I could get in though)
Schools in the Boston area, specifically thinking of Boston College and Boston University.

I'm worried about my prospects because I feel my applications will have some weak spots for the following reasons;

• I had a low HS GPA, it was an 85 I believe. I took a bunch of APs in my junior and senior year. Did really well in all the classes(all A's or B's every quarter, never lower then an 87) and the exams. GPA was ravaged due to getting C's in math for my freshman and sophomore years and for blowing off an elective class in 9th grade(My fault I know, but I was like 13...). I went on to do much better in my math classes but apparently that does not make up for past transgressions.
• I did poorly on my SATs. Scored a 1250 out of 1600 and a 1870ish out of 2400, which I feel would not cut it at any of those schools listed above.... Should I (can I?) retake the test?
• Currently I'm at a school with really no reputation. Why would a school like Cornell or NYU take me when I'm coming from such a un-selective school? They will probably laugh at my courses.

All in all, I want to distance myself from my high school record. I'm continuing on a upward trend, if you will, and I am very confidant that I am going to do well in college. Aiming for a college GPA of at least 3.7!

Has anyone here been in a similar situation? What can I do to make my goal of a reality?

I've also set up this nifty throwaway email, it is [e-mail]

posted by anonymous to Education (14 answers total)

Throw in some "lesser" schools into that mix. I had a similar high school career to yours (with a better SAT score,) so unless standards have significantly dropped since 2002 -- or there are different rules for transfer students -- I do not think you're going to be getting into NYU or the Ivies. Don't let that stop you from applying, however. You'll never know if you don't try and if the $50 for the application isn't going to break your bank, go for it. Go to your College's writing center and have them look over your application essay, for that extra boost.

I'd contact the transfer advisers at the universities you want to attend and they'll let you know what sort of chances you have.
posted by griphus at 1:03 PM on August 30, 2010

Just started as in, just started on campus this week? Ouch. I transferred to and graduated from NYU. Once in college, I think your college work matters a lot more on your transfer application than anything you did in high school, particularly as your college career goes on (I transferred after 2.5 years, which probably isn't even allowed anymore, but it did give me a good, long track record). I would not have gotten into NYU as a freshman, but I got in as a transfer student, YMMV. What you should do now is pack your schedule with classes that will, a, look good to the admissions office (the basic stuff you take as an undergrad that's the same school to school- try to pick what you'll be good at, but mix it up, too), and b, transfer for credit at your new school. B is very important! Do not waste time and money taking courses that will count for nothing at your new school- this could include foreign language courses, I ended up taking a cartload of Spanish between the two schools, so push that off, if you can. I would give it a year at your current school, seriously throwing your elbow into it, and apply to transfer for fall 2011. Good luck.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 1:09 PM on August 30, 2010

If this is really your first semester on campus, give it time. You seem really set on the "name brand" college experience, but it's really not always everything it's cracked up to be. I definitely agree with griphus: add some smaller, "lesser" schools to the mix. Even if your grades improve, all these colleges are reaches for you, especially as a transfer student. Cornell, NYU and Columbia are nearly impossible to get into, especially without absolutely stellar transcripts and test scores. I don't know if retaking the test will help or if they even accept new tests from current college students — someone else will have to answer that.

Right now, my advice is to stick it out, do well in your classes, and give it a year or so to show the universities you're interested in that you can do well in a college setting. I really don't think they're going to want a transfer application from someone in their first semester; that shows restlessness and a lack of stick-to-it-iveness. I'm just really not sure how you could successfully transfer to a school without any college record. Thinking you can get a 3.7 is not the same as demonstrating your ability to get a 3.7. And honestly, a 3.7 in university courses probably isn't enough to get into the schools you've listed. Transferring can be harder than freshman admissions.
posted by good day merlock at 1:23 PM on August 30, 2010

ThePinkSuperhero is right.

Also, if you really did just start, try to push these negative thoughts out of your head. No matter what you might think, your current school is not beneath you. Try to enjoy yourself, and carry on as though you're not going to transfer. Otherwise, you're setting yourself up for failure if you end up not being accepted at any of the transfer schools, financial difficulties materialize, or you end up actually liking your current school. Don't needlessly burn bridges.

Even if it's well within your capabilities to rock the hell out of your GPA at your current school, you won't be able to do it if you're miserable.

Also, going out on a limb: Is your current school Rutgers? If it is (and I'm almost positive that it is), it's worth considering that Rutgers actually has a pretty great reputation amongst other universities and the professional world. Among Northern-NJ highschoolers, it's got a bit of an undeserved bad rap. Prestige isn't everything. Give it a chance, and maybe you won't graduate with a crippling level of debt (And, on that note: If you're attending your current state school with a scholarship because of financial difficulties, NYU shouldn't even be on your list.)

If you're looking for advice on CollegeConfidential, stop. Ask yourself what you're really looking for in your college education, and then figure out the most logical path from there. If you're not sure about your career goals, it's not a bad idea to stick around your current school until you figure out what it is that you want to study, and then transfer based on that criteria.
posted by schmod at 1:28 PM on August 30, 2010

In junior year of high school I had an English teacher who sent me to the office over every piece of paper I turned in; I then made a game of seeing how low a percentage it was possible to get in this completely brain-dead class. (The answer, it turns out, was 23%.) I then transferred to an English class I loved, and got decent grades for the rest of HS. I graduated a term early and went to a community college for a term. For my college applications, I only got into an art school - the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, in Boston - in a program with academic classes taught at Tufts University. I applied for transfer to Tufts three times while taking math classes there as electives. After the third time my transfer was denied, I was pretty much out of money, so Ifollowed a friend to the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics program. (I recently learned that I am one of only two or three people to attend that program from an art school.) Afterwards, I took a term off and then transferred to the University of Oregon, in Eugene, where I finished my course-work, and graduated cum laude with a major in mathematics, after attending a total of five schools in six years. I'm currently working on a PhD at the University of California, Davis.

Morale of the story: Keep your options open. Do well in your classes to show that you're up to snuff, but also be on the lookout for other opportunities. If you know what kind of work you want to do and pursue it in interesting ways, you'll be ahead of many of the undergraduates at any institution.

I think transfer applications aren't quite as common as the freshman applications, so your chances of having the file actually read by a human being are much higher. It is absolutely the case that your college work will matter more than your high school work; a steady upward trend also works heavily to your advantage. High grades at even the shittiest university are worth more than high grades at pretty much any high school. So yeah, put in some elbow-grease and show that you really deserve to be at a better school.
posted by kaibutsu at 1:28 PM on August 30, 2010

I transferred to and graduated from Columbia. From what I understand, transferring there is a pretty tricky thing. It's also not a great school to transfer to, as I found out, but I won't go into that.

I hate to be the echo chamber here, but - a substantial scholarship? And you just started? Unless it's like cosmetology school and you really don't want to do that, I'd give it a shot. I went into some serious fucking debt to do what I did, and I really don't advise it.

Schools will also fuck you when it comes to transferring credits, or making you take 'mandatory' classes you may be able to pass out of somehow. When it comes to these negotiations, you just have to be assertive and don't take their shit. If you've taken legit, accredited college courses elsewhere, make sure you get what you're owed in terms of credit transfers.
posted by Lutoslawski at 1:31 PM on August 30, 2010

Also, going out on a limb: Is your current school Rutgers? If it is (and I'm almost positive that it is), it's worth considering that Rutgers actually has a pretty great reputation amongst other universities and the professional world.

I don't know why he think it's Rutgers, but if it is - give it a shot! Rutgers has a great reputation! A scholarship to somewhere like that sure as hell beats taking on debt to go to NYU.
posted by Lutoslawski at 1:35 PM on August 30, 2010

You should give your school a chance before transferring! How big is your scholarship? Will you graduate with debt at your current school? If the answer is no, then you should by all means stay! Work as hard as you can, graduate at the top of your class and you're golden.

If you want to distance yourself from your high school record, you should transfer after two years, not one.

That being said, BU is your best bet. (BU is not super selective; BC is slightly more selective.)
posted by camcol at 1:41 PM on August 30, 2010

Wow, our situations sounds remarkably similar. Although mine was in 1998. Anyway, I spent the first two years at the first school, which I wish I hadn't done. It's difficult to really find your niche in the place you transfer to (well, okay, it was for me) when you only get to be there for two years. But I really needed to spend the time at the first school to get much better grades, so it was sort of necessary.

If this helps contextualize it, I started at a private university ranked by US News & World Report in the top 50 for National Universities and transferred to a small private college ranked below 30 in the National Liberal Arts Colleges category. The latter is often referred to as a "baby ivy."

My SAT scores were lower than yours, although not by much. The first two years of high school I did terribly gradewise. I didn't participate in any sports or activities. The second half of high school was the opposite--good grades, sports, all kinds of extracurricular activities. When I got to college, I knew I didn't want to go to this place (also a "safety," or so I thought when I applied) and so I worked my ass off knowing that I'd want to transfer. I got exceptional grades (one "D" in the sciences) but what I think tipped the scales for me were recommendations and a great personal essay. I got dynamite recommendations from professors because I worked really hard for them, wrote great papers and proved my salt--proved that I had the intellect and hunger for a rigorous college, something to which they could attest (and did). I spent A LOT of Saturday nights doing reading and homework, I won't lie. And my personal essay was a bit of a departure--I took a risk by writing something sort of creative non-fiction-y with a bit of humor, and had a roommate who was a creative writing major edit it. I think it made my overall application stand out.

As a result, I got into the small liberal arts college referenced above. I was also turned down by an ivy league school. Those are the only two places I applied. Not smart.

Transferring is more difficult than freshman admissions in the sense that the pool is smaller and therefore more competitive. The things you have going for you, though, are that 1. because it's a smaller pool, applicants get lost in the shuffle less and stand out more and 2. you want it really bad. Bad enough to take the time to put together an application packet while doing all your other school and life stuff. Pour your time, energy, heart into this process and I'd not be surprised if you could make it happen. Be sure to find a couple places that you definitely have a solid shot of getting into. Much of the admissions process, as you no doubt know, is a crapshoot, and it would suck to get denied everywhere and find yourself at a place you've already decided you can't possibly stand to attend.

Good luck, give 'em hell, slugger!
posted by Rudy Gerner at 1:42 PM on August 30, 2010

Adding to merlock's comment: Private schools can be absurdly selective with transfer admissions. I applied for a transfer to Swarthmore, and didn't get in even with stellar grades*. I called the admissions office to see if I could glean any reasons for the rejection, and found out that they only accepted one transfer for the entire year, and generally don't accept science-major transfers in the first place.

Public schools are generally much more generous with transfer admissions, and will even take community college graduates with good academic records. Have you considered schools like Virginia Tech? In certain fields, schools like VT have more respect than some of the "top tier" schools you listed.


_{*Which quickly went into a downward sprial after I didn't get the transfer, burned lots of bridges in the process, and had no plans for what to do in this scenario. Kids, don't be me.}
posted by schmod at 1:48 PM on August 30, 2010

The single most important thing you need to do to maximize your transfer options is to have a terrific semester this fall. Get good grades and get to know your instructors. You're going to ask them for recommendation letters at the end of the semester, and you want them to think, "Yeah, this kid is too smart and interesting to stay here." (If you feel like moping, save it for the spring -- those grades won't be on the transcript that the transfer schools will see.)

Schools that accepted you last year are likely to accept you again -- especially with a semester's worth of evidence that you've made the transition from high school to college successfully.

Colleges like transfer students! They tend to be more interesting and more mature, and they've already demonstrated that they can take care of problems in the adult world. Go through the transfer process with your held high -- you're going to have plenty of allies, both where you are and where you want to go.
posted by gum at 1:50 PM on August 30, 2010

Here's a plan:

--Accept that you will need an entire stellar year under your belt at your current college to wow the transfer admissions people at your dream colleges.
--While there is still time to hone your schedule, take a look at the general freshman required courses of the name schools where you want to transfer. Make sure your current courses closely match those requirements.
--Get 4.0s in all your courses, not 3.7.
--Select at least one personally interesting course each of the semesters at your current school and do extremely well in each of them--participating frequently, doing extra credit work, etc.
--Get to know at least two of your professors so you can get their recommendations.
--Participate in some activities outside the classroom at your current campus so that you can bring something extra to the dream school. Be the leader in those activities.

I know several students who did all of the above and successfully transferred to more "name" schools after a year and a half. I know two other students who excelled so much at their funded "lesser name" schools, they stayed there, were the top dogs there, did not pile up student debt there, and eventually got into every grad school they applied to, and are tops in their fields.

All that said, it might be helpful to reframe your thinking away from: "This is a bad match; the grass is greener at Ivy/City U. etc." into: "How can I have the most awesome college experience where I am right now so I create maximum opportunities here or at Ivy/City U?"
posted by Elsie at 1:52 PM on August 30, 2010

Although I did this in the mid-1990s, your story is really similar to mine.

I had pretty similar high school stats and picked my first undergrad university for the same reasons you did: My parents were pushing me to go where the scholarship money was biggest, and I so I went there instead of other places I liked better for various reasons. I ultimately transferred to a school with a much better 'name brand,' which was a school that I didn't even apply to out of high school because there's no way I would've gotten in.

The key here is that for transfer applications your college work generally counts for much more than any other factor. I was an unengaged student in high school, but took my college studies seriously. When I put together transfer applications with a ~3.8 GPA in the sciences, I got in everywhere I applied, even though my high school work never would've gotten me into these more famous schools.

I'm glad I transferred, for a number of reasons. There are two things I wish I had known before transferring.

1. It's harder to make friends / find a core group of people to hang with after your freshman year. Illustrating this: I have ZERO facebook friends from the school I transferred to in 1995. I have ~5 facebook friends from my freshman year of college at the school I transferred out of. That crucible of Freshman year when nobody knows anybody else and you make all new friends is not there for transfer students. In this sense, my college experience is really missing something that the experience of others is not.

2. As covered above, the school you transfer to will not accept all the credits from your original school. I switched majors a few times, and between the transfers and the major switches, had 180+ semester credit hours when I graduated.

Good luck.
posted by u2604ab at 1:56 PM on August 30, 2010

Gum's right. I transferred from a not-as-selective liberal arts college to a top ranked elite university, and I pulled it off by working very very hard my first and second years, excelling academically on the college level (I hadn't really excelled in high school), cultivating and deepening the interests and activities that made me not-your-average applicant, and forming relationships with professors who supported my move and were willing and able to write me detailed and enthusiastic recs.

I'd say give your current school a chance, but if you decide to go through with this, good luck!
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 4:32 PM on August 30, 2010