Transferring from one college to another
Sometimes things don’t always work out the way you planned. For example, you applied to a certain college, one that you believed to be the best for you at that time. Yet, as you spend day after day at this college, you realize that it doesn’t provide you the resources you need, and you start to like another option better. Luckily, an answer to this frustrating predicament is possible. Many students transfer between colleges each year; about one-third of all college students will switch universities at least once before graduating and earning their degree. Transferring is a great idea if you believe that a different school offers opportunities your current institution lacks but note that it involves a different application process than it did for high schoolers. In addition, competition may be fierce for your odds of acceptance are different from that of a high school applicant.
Why transfer?
Students choose to transfer colleges for a variety of reasons. One common motive for switching institutions is that the student is unhappy and uncomfortable. Whether it be a failing social life or below par grades, one may feel unmotivated to continue studies at a school due to the belief that the situation will never change. Thus, students may leave a particular college in seek of better mental health. In addition, students may transfer if the current school does not have a helpful program in their specific major of in their intended career path. For example, a student who plans to have a career in nance and economics would not be fully bene ted at a college that specializes mostly in scientific research. Therefore, in order to obtain a better opportunity for future success, students may search for different universities to attend. Finally, many students who were rejected from their dream school attend a different university but plan to transfer later in their college career. This provides a second opportunity to attend their first-choice school and is usually done when students are certain that the school they were rejected from is where they belong.
Tips On Transferring
In order to successfully transfer, a few things are essential. You must earn strong grades in the college you currently attend if you want to transfer; some may want to see your SAT or ACT test scores. You will need to show your prospective college a full year of grades so if you try to transfer as a freshmen, you might only have one semester of grades to give. This changes based on when you want to transfer.
Make sure to receive strong letters of recommendation from college professors. While high school recommendations may do some good, colleges typically want to see the opinion of someone who has witnessed you withstand college material. In addition, your recommendation letter should come from a teacher/professor that knows you the best. Seek out people that show appreciation towards you.
If you are transferring to a college in which you were previously rejected, it is critical that your current college record is stronger than your high school record was. This may include, but are definitely not limited to, stronger extracurriculars or research/internships. There should be a new element of your application that makes you more attractive to colleges than you were before.
Financial Opportunities for Transfer Students
Despite moving to a school that is better for you, money may still continue to be a problem. Usually, there are less scholarship funds available for transfer students, but there are still many that are specifically dedicated to transfer students. Seventy-seven percent of colleges are shown to provide merit based aid for prospective transfers. For example, the Jack Kent Cooke foundation offers up to $40,000 to 85 students who plan to transfer from a community college to a standard four-year university. In addition, some colleges o er merit scholarships for transfer students. Yet, it is important to keep in mind that some do not. While this may be a turnoff for many, the only way to make sure if your dream colleges provide aid for transfers is to do research on their website or through email.
One important tool that may be helpful in your second college search is the Common Data Set, a document that shows four-year universities across the country with information on admission criteria, transfer admissions, and freshman academic profile. This information can be found for a certain college by simpling looking up that name along with the name of the institution. This may also be found on the College Board website.
Finally, throughout this journey, it is important to remember a few things. Ivy league schools and “fake ivies”, or other selective schools, may turn away qualified freshmen applicants for any possible reason, making it harder to apply again. The fact that they take very few transfers does not help with this application process, with the exception of Cornell. (This Ivy League college guarantees students a spot during their sophomore year of college if their application is strong enough. Yet, since these students applications may not have been the best, or since there may not be enough space in the institution, Cornell requires these transfer students to spend their freshmen year of college at a different university.) They also do not typically admit students they already rejected, but do not let this get you down for there are always exceptions. For further information, feel free to contact our Plan Kids Future workers.