Students often have thoughts about how they can creatively work around the competitiveness of the college admissions system. In fact, some have tried to cut in line by transferring to lower-performing schools for their junior and senior years to graduate with a better standing for their resume. While this scenario isn’t cutting in line, per se, one question we’ve gotten from students is whether or not they should go to a local college and then transfer to a college they’d prefer to attend. Here are our thoughts:
Transferring Up?
A lot of kids ask us whether or not they should try and “transfer up.” In other words, if they should start at one of their safety schools with the intention of swapping to something more prestigious. The real answer is, the notion of “transferring up” is a myth. You can’t just coast and expect that after doing decently well at a school you get into that you’ll be able to transfer with ease. In fact, transferring can be just as hard as getting in the first time, if not harder. Top tier universities usually have very high retention rates, which means they don’t have that many spots to fill year-to-year. In fact, the transfer acceptance rate for Harvard in 2017/2018 was only 1%.
We’ve gotten too many emails to count about transferring up during the Coronavirus. We’re going to make it simple for you—don’t have this be your main strategy.
Creating a Strategy
So, if you are really intent upon transferring to an Ivy League school or a top-tier university, you need to have a good reason. This is a fine goal, but you’ll need to create an entirely new strategy than the one you pursued to get in the first go. It’s very challenging to transfer into an Ivy, and we expect it to be even harder in the face of Coronavirus.
First, you will need to identify the reason why you intend to transfer. It can’t be as simple as “I want to go to Harvard.” The strongest case to make is that the academic area of interest you now want to pursue is not available where you are. Perhaps you went in as an English major, but realized you are hellbent on practicing nursing and your current school doesn’t offer a Nursing program. Alternatively, perhaps the school doesn’t meet your social needs, or maybe you had a medical issue that requires you to be closer to home. Whatever your motivation, your reasoning must be sound—it can’t be something that is solved at your current school, period. That’s because your reasoning for transferring is going to be the basis of your essay and it must present strong evidence. You should identify three strong and specific reasons motivating you to transfer.
Once you sit down to write your essay, focus on telling a story about why you intend to pursue the academic interest at the school of your choice. Talk about why you’re interested. In addition to writing about specific professors and research opportunities (which is a must) you should also make this personal. Go back to your childhood and tell the story of how your interest began and how you’ve pursued it up until this point. Be very specific with your area of interest. Don’t just say you are interesting in Science. Say you intend to pursue Chemical Engineering in a very specific niche. Also, resist the urge to speak negatively about your current school and don’t forget to have your recommendation letters and transcripts ready as soon as you decide to go for the switch.
Consider Your Finances
One note on finances: college is a big financial decision. It’s expensive. In fact, the Millennial Generation is notable for its historic lack of wealth in comparison to its parent generations. This is in large part due to the burdens of student loan debt and the prospects for Gen Z aren’t looking any better. If you are hoping to start off at a state school or school with lower tuition with hopes of transferring out for financial reasons, this is not a bad idea. However, you should set your sights on transferring to a school that has an acceptance rate that is greater than 10%. You can’t expect to start off at a state school and transfer to Harvard. If you need a year or two to get your finances in order before you’re willing or able to take on tuition or loans, that’s fine.
Need some help with your transfer essay? We’d love to support you.