Is It Easier To Transfer Than Apply As A First-Year?
Transferring schools can be a long and arduous process. You are literally applying to college all over again! You will have to submit an application with all of your transcripts, including those from your current college, as well as write all new admissions essays. Expect the essay writing step of this process to take a minimum of six weeks, but you should be gathering your transcripts and letters of recommendation long before that time. Remember, you need to form a professional relationship with the professors who are going to write your letters of recommendation, so this process may take a semester or more. Make sure you allow yourself at least this much time to prepare your materials.
The good news is that Ivy Link advisors can help you prepare for your transfer. Here are a few things you need to consider before applying to transfer:
Why do you want to transfer? You need to have a well-reasoned response to this question. Make sure you think about what the school you want to transfer to can offer you. And, more importantly, what you can offer the school. Remember, they want to know how your presence on campus will positively affect the overall environment of the school, from classes to student life.
Is your GPA high enough to transfer into a competitive school? If the answer is yes, then do your best to try and transfer. If not, be honest. Don’t waste your time (and the application fee) to apply to a school that isn’t going to happen.
Will you lose scholarships or financial aid? This is important to find out before you decide to transfer. If you will lose this money, you have to make sure you have an alternate way to pay for school.
Now for the bad news: Based on the 2021-22 statistics, transfer acceptance rates at most of the Ivies are significantly lower than the rates of first-year acceptance. There are a few exceptions: Dartmouth, Cornell, and Columbia. But as you can see below, for the most part, you’re going to have to work a lot harder to transfer into one of the Ivies.
If after all of this you are still interested and determined to transfer, we sincerely wish you luck! If you have any further questions or need some assistance, contact Ivy Link below. Our advisors work with students to put together a comprehensive admissions strategy from school choice to essays.
